Epilogue

FIVE MONTHS LATER

"I think that's it." Hollyn locked the door to her massive childhood home.

Davis watched her from the bottom of the front porch steps. Wanted to make sure she didn't feel pressured to wrap this up faster than necessary. A bug landed on his neck, and he swatted it away before wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. The forest of red oak and sugar maple trees surrounding the house rustled with a slight breeze. Wasn't enough to do much, though. July was definitely one of the worst months in Tennessee, if you asked him. Too humid and hot if you couldn't take a dip in the lake. Today was no exception. He preferred the drier heat.

As if in response to his thoughts about the heat, Fury whine-panted at his side.

Davis reached down to run a hand over the goon's head, and the dog went silent.

Hollyn stepped back and stared at the log cabin for a little while.

He knew saying goodbye to the place had weighed heavily on her for the last couple months, but ultimately, she'd decided to sell. As soon as she was done here, they'd head to the title company so she could sign papers. Then she'd head back to Austin, where she was renting a small home, and he and Fury would head to Texas Hill Country.

Somehow, Crew had managed to reel Davis in as a handler for A Breed Apart. And truth be told, he loved the gig. Having Hollyn an hour away was great too—though not as close as he'd prefer. Or as close as he hoped she'd be soon.

Turning, she wiped her eyes. Descended the front stairs. Fury nudged her hand with his nose. Their hot-and-cold relationship had evened out, and lately the shepherd almost seemed to prefer her over him. Traitor.

"Hey, buddy," she crooned in an even tone. Scratched the place behind his ear he loved best.

Davis appreciated that Hollyn didn't use baby talk with him.

"Doing okay?" he asked.

Hollyn slipped her arms around his waist. Nodded against his chest as he held her close. "Yeah. This is for the best. That family is going to be very happy here. Besides." She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "My life is in Texas now. And you still have the cabin here, so it's not goodbye forever."

Just knock him down with a feather, why don't ya? He kissed her temple. Didn't deserve her or her resilience. She was one of the strongest women he knew.

After she'd left Abu Dhabi and he'd gotten hired on at ABA, Hollyn hadn't wasted any time hiring an architect and crew to build an extension lab for Reinhardt Tech. It split the distance between ABA and Austin. If things went to plan, it'd be ready in about ten months. She was happy overseeing every aspect of her future lab, and that made him happy.

While she wasn't part of the daily running of her father's company, she still had monthly board meetings via telecommute and had plenty of say in the direction they were heading. It suited her. She'd told Davis more than once, "I'm a scientist. Not a CEO. I'm happiest in the lab."

"Well." She sighed. "You guys ready to go? If we leave now, we'll make it over there on time."

They'd be early. But that was good—gave him time for what was next. As far as Hollyn knew, selling the house was the only reason they were here, but he had other plans. Ones that right now were making him more nervous than he'd ever felt in his life.

He looked down at her. "Let's take a quick walk."

"A walk? Do we have time?"

"Always time for a walk. We have something to show you. Right, Fury?"

Fury barked and ran toward the tree line. Paused and looked back at them to bark, tail wagging. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.

Hollyn grinned and laced her fingers with his. Something he'd never get tired of. "Lead the way, boys."

Davis took a covert breath as he led them down a path they'd walked hundreds of times before. But instead of following it all the way down to his cabin, he veered them off the path to a spot he'd never shown her before.

Fury was loving life. He sniffed the dirt path. Darted back and forth through the wild grass.

Hollyn trapsed through the foliage. For a second, he wished he'd thought to cut it down. But she didn't complain.

When he stopped them in front of a wide oak, she looked around. Squinted against the sun. "You know, as long as I lived here, I don't think I ever came out this way."

"Too many bugs?" he teased.

Fury caught the scent of something and started to take off.

Davis whistled. "Fuss!"

The RMWD spun on a dime and zipped back to his side.

"Hey." Hollyn laughed. "I just prefer the clean environment of a lab. Nothing wrong with that."

"Such a girly-girl." He grinned. Shook his head.

"And you love me exactly the way I am."

"You got me there."

"And I love you and kind of like hanging out with you, so don't let me die out here." Humor lit her blue and green eyes.

"Promise," Davis replied. "I wanted to show you this before you sold the place."

She eyed him. "So mysterious."

Davis cleared his throat. Man. He used to tease buddies about their proposal jitters, but this was honestly harder than he'd thought. "I used to walk out here every time I came over," he started. "The summer of our junior year, after things got really bad with my mom, I'd sit here thinking about what I wanted my life to be like. How I could have what you guys seemed to."

Hollyn nodded knowingly. The breeze blew a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair across her face. He reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

Not to be outdone, Fury pressed his ninety-pound frame into Davis's leg.

"Anyway." Davis mentally steeled himself. It was now or never. "I carved something in the tree that I never told you about." He tipped his head.

She turned. Gasped when she saw what he'd carved. "Are you serious!?" Hollyn rushed up to the trunk.

Touched the roughly carved D + H.

Davis reached into his pocket and slid out the ring he'd been holding on to for the right time: a delicate gold band—she'd been adamant about not wanting a diamond or jewel in the setting so it wouldn't get hooked on any of her projects at work?—he'd purchased a few weeks prior.

He took a knee behind her. "Sitz," he whispered to Fury.

"I never knew you felt that way back then!" She turned. "I thought?—"

When she saw him kneeling there, he heard her gasp again. She looked at the ring. At him. The ring again.

"I should have told you a long time ago, but it took me a while to get my head on straight. I love you so much. Think you could be happy with a couple hammer-head soldiers like us?"

"Yes!" she squealed, bouncing with excitement. Calmed herself a little when Fury got antsy. "Yes, of course I could!"

Davis stood just as she threw her arms around his neck. Kissed him. He gladly returned the gesture, arms around her waist. Held out a hand to stay Fury but rubbed his ears. "Mind if I put the ring on?" He pulled back.

"Please!" she wiped tears from her eyes. Held out her left hand so he could slide the band into place. "I love it!" She smirked at Fury. "You helped him pick it, didn't you? 'Cause we had more than one conversation about this."

Fury tilted his head to one side, then the other. Listening.

"Are you sure you don't want a diamond? Because?—"

"It's perfect," she said emphatically. "Now I don't have to worry about taking it on and off at work." She was practically beaming as she stared at her hand. "It'll stay on from now till forever."

Now till forever.

Davis liked the sound of that. He sent up a prayer of thanks for the woman standing in front of him—something he'd been doing a lot more of these days. Thanks to Hollyn's encouragement, he was rebuilding a solid foundation with God.

"I didn't think I could be happier than when you first told me you loved me. I was wrong," Hollyn said. "We're a family. You, Fury, and me. My family."

Davis grinned wide.

Yeah. Forever with her was just the beginning.

* * *

Thank you for reading Fury! Gear up for the next A Breed Apart: Legacy thriller, Surge by Ronie Kendig and Voni Harris, releasing this fall.

In a race against time to stop terrorists, will the truth destroy their lives—or save thousands?

Delaney Thompson is not a warrior, and doesn't want to be. She's happy as a dog trainer at A Breed Apart ranch in Texas. More, she has a particular connection to Surge, a former military working dog. Still, the last thing she wants to do is go out in the field with the animal, who struggles with his own brand of PTSD. But when a terrorist with a chemical weapon is spotted in Singapore, they need Surge . . . and her . . . to help—whether they're ready or not.

Bossy, wounded former Navy SEAL Garrett Walker doesn't want a civilian on the trip, but he needs Delaney's help if he hopes to track down the weapon. What he doesn't expect is a grudging respect for her. Or, for her to get under his hard exterior to mend the broken places inside. Delaney can't deny her feelings for a man who is so much more than he seems. But will she only get in the way?

As they track the weapons dealer through Singapore, and then discover his lethal plans, they must find the weapon and stop it before it kills thousands. With time against them, can they work together to stop tragedy?

A pulse-pounding addition to the A Breed Apart: Legacy series, Surge is full of romance amidst deception, danger, and daring rescues that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final breathless moment.