Page 59 of Country Mist

For a moment, there was silence between them. “I’m sorry,” Tyson said quietly. “That must have been difficult to get through.”

She shrugged, but it wasn’t casual.

“I don’t know how to reassure you.” He brushed the teardrop away with his thumb, the movement tickling her skin. “I’ll do everything I can to never put myself in a dangerous situation. But it comes down to this: if you’re in danger, nothing can stop me from doing everything I can to save you. I hope you can understand that.”

She remained quiet, processing his words. If they ended up together, would she be like a policeman’s wife, afraid he wouldn’t come home to her one night?

No, how could she even think this was close to being the same? These were the kinds of instances that were normally rare and not things that were likely to happen frequently. Being a firefighter is different—one could end up putting his or her life on the line every time they went to work.

He rested his arm on the bench behind her. “I care too much about you to risk losing you.” He lowered his voice and spoke more quietly. “Now that I’ve expressed how I feel about protecting you tell me what you want me to do.”

She met his gaze as tears brimmed in her eyes. “Losing you would be more than I could bear.” Her voice felt rough as she fought not to cry. “You are—” She fought to compose herself. “You are more important to me than I could ever have imagined.”

He leaned in closer, resting his forehead on hers. “I love you, Haylee. I’ll do everything I can not to jeopardize my life, I promise.”

She bit her lower lip, and a tear rolled down her face.

Tyson raised his head and looked into her eyes again. He brushed away the tear with his thumb, his callused skin rough against her cheek. “I know you’re a strong, independent, and capable woman, and I respect that. At the same time, I’ll keep you safe if I ever feel you’re in danger. I love you too much to tell you otherwise.”

His words turned over and over in her mind. The one thing that stood out was that he had just told her he loved her, not once but twice.

More tears tracked Haylee’s face as she looked into his eyes. “I love you with everything I have, Tyson. I can’t help it.” She swallowed hard as his features started to shift from concern to surprise. “I understand better now that you’ve shared all that with me. I’m just—I’m just afraid.”

“Aw, hon.” He gathered her into his arms and held her securely in his embrace. “You are my treasure, more precious to me than anything.”

Despite her sense of independence and insistence that she was a strong woman, it still felt good to feel protected and loved as she did at that moment.

Haylee shifted in Tyson’s arms and tipped her face up to his. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her so sweet it took her breath away. She responded with soft kisses of her own.

She snuggled up to him, the top of her head tucked beneath his chin, the side of her face against his chest. His heart pounded beneath her ear, and she felt it beat in time with her own.

He hugged her tight for a long moment, but then she started shivering against him despite the warmth of his embrace.

“Come on, let me get you out of the wind and cold.” He shifted her so that he could stand and draw her up beside him. He smiled down at her. “Where would you like to go? To the diner for something warm to eat?”

She shook her head and gave him a little grin. “Let’s go have Spam sandwiches at your place.”

He laughed and wrapped one arm around her, and they walked back to the bank, where they’d left their parked vehicles.

* * *

After cleaning up from their dinner of Spam sandwiches and beer, Freya and Zoey curled up on the beds by the hat rack.

Tyson took Haylee by the hand and led her to the hall. She’d only ever been in the kitchen and the living room. She felt a twinge of excitement as he led her along a short hallway, the floor the same patterned tile as the parts of the house she’d seen.

They passed a study on the right, sunlight spilling in through partially opened blinds. The glow highlighted dark oak bookshelves lining the walls and a large old-fashioned oak desk that looked like an antique, with a brass reading lamp on its surface. Two sturdy chairs sat in front of the desk.

Her belly fluttered as they reached a door at the end of the hallway. Tyson looked down at her, then opened the door.

Haylee walked ahead of him into what was the master bedroom. It had vaulted ceilings like the parts of the house she’d seen. A massive king-sized bed of rough-hewn wood crouched in the center of the room, a colorful patchwork quilt covering the mattress, with ample pillows covered in deep red shams against the headboard.

Matching nightstands sat on either side of the bed. A tall dresser of the same rough wood was against one wall, and an antique trunk at the base of the bed’s footboard. The painting he had purchased at the gallery the night of her showing was mounted on the wall opposite the door.

It was a masculine room without much decor, but she liked it. She turned to look up at him, and he smiled.

He caught her face in his warm, callused hands. “You are the most important thing in my life, and I never want to let you go.”

“I feel the same way.” Her heart felt near to bursting. “I love you so much, Tyson.”

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