Epilogue

Ruth

Three Months Later

I stand on the front porch of my cabin and watch Jack unload several cardboard boxes from the backseat of his Impala, along with his laptop bag and his oversized rucksack containing his small arsenal. He left most of the stuff he bought at the apartment for us to use there. But today, on one of our days off work, he's moving his personal items into my cabin.

Our cabin.

It's ours now, because Jack is moving in with me.

After having lived alone for so long, it's going to take some time for me to get used to the idea.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jack asks as he carries two boxes through the open door.

I follow him inside. "I'm sure."

And it's true. I am sure. I would never have agreed to let him move in if I wasn't. We've been pretty inseparable since Jack returned to Bryce. For the past few months, I've spent most of my nights with him in the apartment above the bar. It just made sense for him to move in here with me where we'd have more space and more privacy.

The more I know about this man, the deeper in love I fall. He seems to get me better than anyone ever has.

After setting the boxes down, he heads back outside to get the last of his stuff. He stops in front of me for a kiss. "How about I grill some steaks for dinner tonight? We could invite Micah to join us, if you want."

"That sounds like a great idea. Why don't you call him?" I love how Jack's been making a real effort to get to know my brother and spend time with him. They've developed a pretty easy friendship. He's gone up several times in Micah's helicopter, and Micah recently took Jack fishing up at Pine Lake on The Wilderness Lodge property.

Jack has integrated well into the community. He's been on two more search and rescue missions with Hannah and Killian. Travis is giving him rock-climbing lessons, and he and Chris go to the shooting range together.

I never could have envisioned having someone in my life who got me, who didn't try to hem me in, or tell me what I should or shouldn't do. We fit together, like two puzzle pieces.

While Jack's finishing his unpacking—hanging his clothes in the closet in my bedroom—our bedroom—adding his man products to our bathroom, organizing his socks and underwear in the dresser drawers I cleared out for him, I go outside to the barn, grab my ax, and start chopping wood.

We're in winter now, and there's been snow on the ground for a couple of months. We're expecting a blizzard in a few days so I want to be sure I'm keeping up with the demand for firewood. We'll go through it about as fast as I can chop it.

I hear the snow crunching beneath his boots as Jack joins me. He's dressed in a brown suede winter coat, along with a knit hat and scarf, and a pair of winter work gloves. He watches me swing the ax for a few moments, then he picks up the logs scattered on the ground around me and carries them to the lean-to to begin stacking.

"Work up a good appetite," he says as I resume chopping. "I put some potatoes in the oven to go along with the steaks. We're having a meat and potatoes kind of evening. I invited Micah, by the way. He said yes."

The sun sets early this time of year. As darkness falls, I clean off my ax and store it in the barn. Then I go inside to help Jack with dinner.

While he's outside finishing off the steaks, I make a salad and put a loaf of bread in the oven.

I hear a knock on the door, and when I go to open it, Micah is standing there holding a six-pack of beer.

"Come on in," I say, stepping aside to let my brother in.

Micah stomps his boots on the welcome mat, knocking off chunks of snow. As he steps inside, he hands me the beer. "It's a housewarming present for Jack." He glances around. "Where is he?"

"Outside getting the steaks. Take your coat off and relax."

Micah hangs his winter parka on the coat rack and joins me in the kitchen. "So, how are you?" he asks, watching me intently.

"Fine." I stare back at him, starting to feel self-conscious. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Jack's moving in. That's a big step for you. I just wondered if you were okay with it."

Smiling, I nod. "I am."

"So, do you anticipate wedding bells in your future?" he asks.

"Slow down, pal," I say with a chuckle. "He's just now moving in. One step at a time, okay?"

Jack walks in through the side door carrying a platter of perfectly seared steaks. When he spots my brother, he says, "Hey, Micah! Perfect timing. The steaks are ready. Have a seat."

While Jack sets the table, I pull the potatoes and the bread out of the oven.

"A toast," Micah says once we're all seated and eating. He lifts his bottle of beer. "To the two of you. I wish you the very best."

Jack taps his bottle to Micah's. "Thanks, man."

I catch Jack's eye, and he smiles at me. It's an intimate smile, reflecting all that we've shared and hinting at what the future will bring.

* * *

Later that night, as we're lying in bed, Jack and I make love, taking our sweet time. He's a generous lover, so in tune with me and what I need. I turn the tables on him for a change, and with my hands and mouth, I make him squirm. When he finally surges into me, he's voracious.

Afterward, as we're cuddling, he turns to me and says, "Marry me, Ruth. Give me a chance to be the man I've always wanted to be—a man who deserves a woman like you. Deserves having a family with you. And if you'll give me that, I'll give you anything and everything you need."

Smiling, I brush his dark hair off his forehead. "That's a very pretty speech."

He grins. "I've been working on it a while now. How'd it sound?"

"Perfect."

"So, is that a yes?"

I raise my face to his and kiss him. "That's definitely a yes."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading Ruth and Jack's story. Stay tuned for more stories in the McIntyre Search and Rescue series.