Page 45 of Dusty
They stood in silence for a moment, close but not touching, the sounds of the family celebration muffled through the door behind them.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Dusty finally said, “but it never seemed like the right time.”
“About what happened in Chicago?” Sharon asked.
“Not about what happened in Chicago,” he corrected, turning to face her fully. “About us.”
Sharon’s breath caught in her throat. “Us?”
“I told myself I was coming after you because it was the right thing to do,” Dusty continued, his voice becoming rougher. “That I’d do the same for anyone. But that was a lie.” He stepped closer, eliminating the space between them. “I came because it was you, Sharon. Because the thought of a world without you in it wasn’t something I could live with. In that barn, with the rest of the world outside and there was just you and me, I promised I would always come for you, that I’d always find you. I meant it then, and I mean it today.”
Sharon raised her hand to touch his face, feeling the stubble beneath her fingertips. “Dusty—”
“Let me finish,” he said gently, covering her hand with his own. “When Madison’s men took you, I realized I’d been a fool. Playing it safe, keeping my distance because I was afraid of what might happen if I admitted how I felt.”
Snow began to fall, delicate flakes drifting down around them, catching in Dusty’s golden hair.
“And how do you feel?” Sharon whispered, hardly daring to breathe.
“I love you,” he said simply, the words hanging in the cold air between them. “Not just as a friend. Not just as someone I helped one night on the road to Shiloh Springs. I’m in love with you, Sharon Elliott Wells. Have been for longer than I care to admit.”
Tears welled in Sharon’s eyes, blurring the lights strung above them. “I love you, too,” she said, her voice breaking. “I think I’ve loved you since that first day when you pulled up inyour cruiser, so big and tall and yet gentle with me. I was scared to death, walking along that deserted road, and I think you knew. Yet you never said anything, simply drove me into town and made sure I had breakfast and coffee.”
Dusty laughed, the sound warming her more than any fire could. “Not exactly a romantic first meeting.”
“It was perfect,” she insisted. “Just like you.”
He shook his head. “I’m far from perfect, darlin’.”
“You’re perfect for me.”
Dusty’s hands settled at her waist, drawing her closer. “So where are we headed from here?”
“Forward,” Sharon said with certainty. “Together. Whatever Cooper was involved in, whatever threats might still be out there—we face them together.”
“You sure about that?” he asked, his expression serious. “My life isn’t simple. This job, the risks—”
Sharon pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m not looking for simple. I’m looking for real. And what we have is the most real thing I’ve ever known.”
From inside the house, the grandfather clock in the hallway began to chime, the sound carrying through the back door and into the night. The sounds of conversations and laughter came from inside the house, the happy voices filling the night.
As the chimes faded, Dusty lowered his head, his lips finding hers in a kiss that felt like coming home. Sharon melted against him, all the fear and uncertainty of the past weeks dissolving in the warmth of his embrace. The snow fell more heavily around them, dusting their shoulders and hair with white, but neither of them moved to go inside.
When they finally broke apart, Dusty rested his forehead against hers. “Merry Christmas, Sharon.”
“Merry Christmas, Dusty,” she whispered back, snow catching on her eyelashes as she looked up at him.
The back door swung open, spilling light and warmth and the sound of laughter onto the porch. Antonio stood in the doorway, a knowing grin spreading across his face as he took in the scene before him.
“Well, it’s about time,” he said. “Mom’s about to serve dinner, and she says if you two don’t stop canoodling in the cold and get in here, she’s giving your portions to the hogs.”
Dusty chuckled, keeping one arm firmly around Sharon’s waist. “You don’t have hogs.”
“I think she means Ridge and Shiloh.” Antonio chuckled before disappearing back inside. Dusty pressed a quick kiss to Sharon’s temple. “Ready to face the Boudreau clan? Fair warning—there’s probably going to be a lot of ‘I told you so’s’ going around that table.”
Sharon laughed, feeling lighter than she had in months. “I can handle it if you can.”
Together, they walked back toward the light and warmth of the Big House, the snow continuing to fall around them lightly, covering the Texas ranch in a soft blanket of white. Looked like they’d be having a white Christmas in Shiloh Springs this year. Christmas morning would dawn, bringing with it the promise of new beginnings—and for Sharon and Dusty, the chance to discover just how beautiful love could be when you finally stopped running from it.
