Epilogue

Three months later, July 4

"HAIL? COULD YOU TELL Noah and Dad it's almost time to eat?" Charlie juggled grilled corn cobs while Reece tonged steaks onto a platter. Across a lush, sprawling green where Chance frolicked with Charlie's dogs, Marilyn Hunnicutt shared a joke and lemonade beneath the ranch house's covered porch with Kaylee and Vince.

Hailey perched a fist on her hip. "You know only my sister calls me ‘Hail,' right?"

Charlie looked crestfallen. "Shit, I'm sorry."

Such a golden retriever.

"No, no," she laughed. "I meant it sounds like family when you say it. I like it."

He gave her a toothy grin. "Good, 'cause I likesaying it."

"You're staying for cake and ice cream, right?"

He shook his head. "Got a date after this."

She still wasn't used to his short hair. The golden waves that used to brush his shoulders were gone. "It gets in the way," he'd complained right before he'd had it lopped off.

Hailey cocked an eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"

"Nope. And you're not going to know her either."

"Which means—"

"It's casual," he finished for her.

"Does she know it's casual?" Shades of Sandy the Stalker would forever haunt Hailey.

Charlie threw his head back and guffawed. "It was her idea."

"Are you disappointed?"

"What? Hell no."

"Charlie Hunnicutt, I can't wait to meet the woman who snags you. She is going to be one interesting character."

"Ha! Not gonna happen. Now hurry up, woman!"

She pivoted toward the house, slowing when she picked up Noah's and his father's voices.

"I like what you've done with the tavern, Noah. And I like how you went after the Silver Summit guys. That took some cojones. I know I've been tough on you, and maybe that's because you remind me of me." A throat clear. "I, uh, want you to know I always believed in you. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and I have a feeling you're going to do what your mother and I couldn't and get our town turned around. Yep, damn proud."

Noah mumbled words she couldn't make out. Silence stretched. She took another step but stopped when his father spoke once more.

"I also like your girl. A lot. She's good for you, and I like that you treat her with respect."

"Scared the shit out of me when I thought I'd lost her."

"I get it." Another silent pause. "You know, I almost lost your mom once. Still tears me up to this day thinking about how close we came to her not being here." His father's voice cracked, and Hailey's heart squeezed.

"When was this?"

"You guys were little knee-biters, so you probably don't remember, but she came down with a really bad case of appendicitis. I was out of town, and she put off going to the doc. By the time I got home, she was undergoing emergency surgery because it had burst. Touch and go," he choked.

"That's the time Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with us?"

"Yep."

"Christ, Dad. I had no idea."

"So when I say I get it, I really get it." His father let out a warm chuckle. "Can you imagine? Me raising you three hellions on my own?" A few muttered words from Noah, and his dad continued. "No, me neither. Well, enough of that. What do you say we find out where the grub is? I'm starved."

Hailey cleared her throat loudly and rounded the corner. "Did someone call for grub?"

Hailey insisted on cleaning up the kitchen, and Kaylee insisted on helping her. "You can't do a five-thousand-square-foot kitchen alone, Hail."

"You're exaggerating a teeny-weeny bit, Kayl. Besides, we mostly used the grill."

Kaylee bumped her hip. "I like your fella."

"I like yours too." Vince was Kaylee's male counterpart—smart, nerdy, reclusive. With their similarities in height, coloring, and glasses, they even looked alike.

"Careful with this." Kaylee handed her a handblown glass platter to wash. "What's the latest with Noah's crazy woman stalker?"

Hailey deflated on a sigh. "Well, the good news is that she's locked up. The bad news is they still need to figure out if she's mentally incapacitated. According to Deputy O'Brien, they're waiting on her psych evaluation, but one hasn't even been scheduled yet. I guess those resources are in tight supply."

"And if they find her legally sane?"

"They'll proceed with a criminal trial. Either way, she should stay locked up for a while. Apparently, she's done this before."

Kaylee held out her hand to dry a fine china bowl Hailey finished washing. "Whoa! Who knew?"

"Not Noah, that's for damn sure."

Tongue caught between her teeth, Kaylee buffed the bowl and inspected it. "And what's the latest with your settlement?"

"My attorney, Tom, just got the check yesterday, and he's forwarding it to me."

"Are you excited? That's a pile of money."

Hailey handed her a clean salad bowl to dry. "I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it feels like dirty money."

"But it's not. The state didn't want you going through with a full-blown lawsuit, and they knew how much leverage you had. This was their settlement, and I think you let them off easy. What are you going to do with the money?"

"Invest it for now so it'll grow more money. Reece knows about that kind of thing, and he's going to help me. It'll be nice to have that security blanket—unless I decide to use it to expand into a brick-and-mortar setup. It feels a little early yet, but there's this place—it used to be a crystal shop until its owner died—and it would be ideal."

"What's the holdup?"

Hailey dipped another dish into soapy water. "It's part of an estate, and the executor isn't willing to talk until she visits the property. Rumor has it she's a real hard-ass, so I'm not sure if I have a shot. She'll be here after the long weekend, so I guess we'll find out then."

"Meanwhile, your business is doing well in the coffee shop, though, right?"

"It is, and I love it. It's been a real hit with tourists this summer, but it's already overflowing the limited space."

"Sounds like a good problem to have."

"Yes and no. I'm on such a huge learning curve."

Kaylee knocked her shoulder against Hailey's. "But you're doing it. It's not a dream anymore. I'm so proud of you."

Tears glossed Hailey's eyes, and she pulled her sister in for a hug. "Thanks, Kayl. You're the best."

A rap on the counter had them both whirling toward the noise. Noah's dark eyebrows kissed his hairline. "Uh, didn't mean to interrupt, but if we're going to find a decent spot where we can watch the fireworks, we'd better get a move on."

"Be right there, handsome."

When he'd ducked out of earshot, Kaylee turned to her and giggled. "He is so adorable."

"I know. He's a keeper."

Twilight was settling in as Noah and Hailey drove back to town alone. Kaylee and Vince had driven to Silver Summit for a romantic evening alone, and Chance had stayed at the ranch with Charlie's dogs. The spread was far enough from town that the pups wouldn't be traumatized by the booms of the fireworks show.

"That was fun," Hailey sighed as she stared out the window at the violet sky.

"It was all right," Noah agreed.

She swiveled her head toward him. "You don't fool me, Noah Hunnicutt. You like getting together with your family. All of them."

He grunted in response.

"I heard you and your dad talking. Isn't it time you dropped the ‘my dad hates me' act?"

His head whipped toward her. "You eavesdropped?"

"Not on purpose. It was more that I overheard. Your dad said some very nice things."

He returned his gaze to the road with a snort. "Ready for the next episode of Pirates?"

"I'm on to you, barkeep. You're deflecting."

"How about if you're on me?" He gave her a devilish grin. "You in that sundress has been driving me nuts all day. All I can think about is undoing those little bows on your shoulders to see what you're wearing under there."

A girlish giggle escaped her. "You do have a one-track mind, and it's all naughty."

"And you love it. Besides, you're the one who keeps me on that track by planting those dirty thoughts there."

His eyebrows waggled as his finger hovered in front of the play arrow on the truck's screen. "Pirates?"

"You're a pirate. And a rogue."

"Watch the language," he chuckled. Instead of cuing up the podcast, he dropped his big hand on her knee and slid it up her thigh, under her skirt. His fingers wiggled as they worked their way up. Tingles transformed her skin into a landscape of goose bumps. As she imagined what else he might do with those talented hands, her entire body hummed with anticipation.

One hand on the wheel, he slowed the truck as he approached the tavern.

Hailey pursed her lips. "I thought Dixie had tonight covered. Are you checking on her?"

"Nope." He cranked the wheel and rolled onto a deserted dirt street beside the tavern's parking lot.

"Why are we stopping here? Aren't we watching the fireworks?"

He unfastened his seat belt, then hers, and slid across the seat until his big body pinned her against the door. "You are full of questions." While his fingers toyed with the strings on one of her bows, he dipped his head and began a slow, tortuous assault on her neck that turned her breathing ragged.

"Thought we could make our own fireworks, surfer girl." He tugged, and the bow gave.

She flailed at the ties, capturing them before she had a major wardrobe malfunction. "The cameras," she gasped. "Don't they sweep this far back?"

He pulled back. "Shit. I forgot." His eyes blazed green as he ran a discreet thumb over the cotton fabric of her dress. Her nipple immediately tightened to his touch. "Let's get you upstairs and get you naked. We'll leave the truck here so the staff won't know we're back and come pounding on the door."

Laughing, they crept across the parking lot, slipped through the back door, and dashed up the stairs to the loft.

Noah rolled off Hailey with a grunt, panting, "Fuck, tonight's fireworks ain't got nothin' on the fireworks in this bed! You are one hot hoochie mama!"

She was spent, used up in the best kind of way, and she flopped a hand in his general direction. "You say the sweetest things."

He snatched up her hand and kissed every finger before hauling her flush to him. "C'mere so I can nibble your nose."

"Mmm, nibble away." She glided her hand across his smooth skin, relishing the angles and planes of his back. "Aren't you tired? It's almost midnight."

"Nope. You've got me fired up. But if you need a rest, better get some sleep 'cause I'm waking you up in an hour to see what you got."

She giggled. "I just showed you what I got."

"Yeah, but I want more of what you got."

She gave him a little shove. "You're incorrigible. And insatiable."

"But you love me. Besides, you're the one who makes me insatiable, remember? If you could just stop being so damn hot."

"I'll get right on that." She propped herself up on an elbow and drew circles on his slick skin. "You're happy tonight."

"Because we're having a killer weekend. Hell, we haven't even started on the depot yet, and people are already asking when the train's going to be ready."

He wrapped a hank of her hair around his knuckles and pulled her head to his chest. Strong arms wound around her. "Know why else I'm happy? I'm lying in bed with my favorite girl, and my dog is snoozing peacefully at my parents' house, blissfully unaware that a shit ton of explosives just went off."

She placed her hand under her head. "Hey, wait a minute, barkeep. Did you say, ‘favorite girl' just now?" She poked him in the chest. "What other girls have you got?"

"Just the one. That's more than I can handle or want to handle."

"Ooh, good answer. Speaking of your girls, I saw Ursula at lunch. She sat in Luanne's section." Hailey's dislike for Ursula had cooled a fraction after she'd learned Noah's ex had joined the search for her and Chance. Like the woman or not, she had that small-town tendency to pitch in that Hailey admired.

"Good," Noah snorted. "She wouldn't have tipped you." He toyed with her hair, twirling it around his finger. He did that a lot.

"Oh, I don't think she was buying."

"She with that old rich fucker again?"

"No, she was with a younger guy. Dark hair, good shape, dressed like he had money. I wonder why she would bring him here?"

He climbed back on top of her again, covering her with his big body as he kissed his way across her collar bones and up her neck. Oh, he was good at that! "Because the Miners Tavern is the best place in town? Because she's Ursula? Because Dell's hasn't reopened yet?" He raised his head. "Can we not talk about her? In fact, don't talk at all. Just whimper the way you do."

"I don't whimper."

"Oh yes, you do. And moan. And gasp. And beg. And buck. You're very vocal—and physical—when it comes to letting me know how good I make you feel."

"Wow, cocky much?"

He dropped his head and nipped her neck. "You're gonna pay for that." He repositioned her head so he could tug an earlobe between his teeth. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell I'm making you feel good by your squirming and wailing."

"You love it."

"Yeah, I do. Makes me feel like a fucking king." He lifted his head again and fixed glittering green eyes on hers. "But you know what? A king needs a real bed in a room that's big enough for him to stand up without smashing his head. Why don't we get a house?"

She blinked. Three times.

He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. "A place with a yard for Chance and a bathroom big enough for my stuff and yours."

"Shouldn't we wait until things are more stable? I mean, the tavern's doing well, but what happens when it hits a lull? My bookshop isn't exactly paying for Cadillacs in our nonexistent garage either."

"See? We need one of those too so we don't freeze our balls off every time we need to drive somewhere in the winter."

"Only one of us has balls," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and one of us has beautiful tits that freeze in the cold months." His rough hand covered a breast. "Besides, I don't want to wait. I'm impatient."

"Yes, I know. Like how you couldn't wait to change Chance's name." She grinned up at him.

His fingers began fondling her sensitive flesh. "That worked out well, don't you think?"

She let out a little gasp. "Mmm, what were we talking about?"

A gleam lit his eye. He dipped his head and tongued her nipple, and her brainpower went on hiatus. "I changed Chance's name. How about we change yours too?"

"Change … what?"

He peppered her chest with kisses, nips, and licks. "What do you think of Hailey Hunnicutt?"

Stunned, her brain scrambled by what his mouth was doing, she blurted out an unchecked reply. "It's longer."

He raised his head. His eyebrows knotted together. "Yeah, but you'd have the H-squared thing going in your favor. And you could turn Bailey into your middle name so you actually have a middle name." He gave her a roguish waggle of his eyebrows. "I'm happy to point out other benefits. Or just show you."

Her pulse went into overdrive. "Are you … It sounds like you're …"

"Proposing? Yes, I am." Picking up her hand, he laced his fingers with hers, and his expression shifted from playful to earnest. "I love how you fit me and how I fit you. Everywhere." With their joined hands, he touched her forehead, her mouth, her heart. "Here, here, and here. I know it's not the romantic proposal you deserve, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and like you pointed out, I'm impatient. I'm also a greedy bastard. I want what I want, and I want it now. I want you now. For always.

"I already feel like you're my partner, and I want to make it official and add ‘wife' to best friend and lover. I want you to be my wife, babe. Will you marry me, Hailey Bailey? And you don't even need to change your name if you don't want to. I just thought—"

Placing her forefinger to his lips, she whispered, "You had me at ‘Hailey Hunnicutt.'"

He placed a soft kiss against that finger. "I did?"

"Yes, but you caught me by surprise, so I just sort of flung the first thing out there."

"The old deflect. I get it." Hope, with a flicker of doubt, played in his emerald eyes. "Does that mean yes?"

Tears had been fewer and farther between lately, but now they surged from sheer happiness. "Yes!"

"Oh, thank fuck!" He laid his head on her chest and puffed out a breath. "I was afraid you'd turn me down." He raised up on his forearms.

She swiped at her eyes. "Really?" God, he was Fall River royalty, and she was such a mush ball when it came to him. How could he doubt it?

He hesitated a beat. Vulnerability reflected in his orbs. "Yes, really," he murmured. "This is the first time I've ever asked that question, and I had no idea what kind of answer I'd get."

Her heart melted a little more. Soon it would liquefy and evaporate. "I could never turn you down. I love you, Noah."

"I love you too, sweetheart." He kissed her long and deep and sweet, and she drank it in.

Panting when they came up for air, she trailed her fingertips up his biceps, over his shoulders. "So if we're getting married, then you're my delectable hunk of man meat and these muscles are mine, right?"

He guffawed. "Whatever you want, babe. It's all yours. Of course, that means I get these." He laid a soft kiss on each breast.

She pulled his mouth to hers. "Ooh, let's explore what else we get."

"Bring it, surfer girl."

THE END

What's next in the Fall River Series? Read on for a glimpse of what happens when Charlie Hunnicutt runs up against a wall even his superior contracting skills can't budge …

Most of the tourists had blown out of town after the long Fourth of July weekend, and Charlie had no problem parking in front of Helene Holiday's old mystical crystals store. As he stepped out of his truck, his chest swelled. God, he loved the bones of this building! He loved all the old buildings, but this one spoke to him in a special voice, like a lover on a sultry summer night—or like the woman he'd spoken to on the phone who now owned it. Her voice had a rich, husky quality with a hint of spice that intrigued him.

Today he would meet her in person for the first time to talk about fixing the place up for sale. According to her sister, who had just left Fall River after caring for their late mother, the woman was the executor and had no interest in keeping it. She wanted to move it as quickly, cheaply, and effortlessly as possibly.

Well, Charlie had other designs, and he was good at helping people share his vision for projects like this one. Today he was ready to pull out all the stops to save this old beauty that housed Crystal Harmony Haven, and he had a stubborn streak as wide as any client's he'd ever met.

A sleek black BMW M3 sedan exceeded the speed limit as it drove up Bowen Street and slid into the spot beside his truck. Hands on his hips, Charlie stood back as the driver's door opened and cherry-red stilettos hit the pavement. A long, cool woman in a sleeveless, flowing white top and matching pants stepped out, lowered her sunglasses on the bridge of her elegant nose, and looked around. Her face and the way she carried herself oozed class, with a haughtiness to match. Long, dark hair—almost black—waved around her toned, tanned shoulders. She was stunning—and just the kind of woman Charlie steered clear of. For one thing, she didn't fit in the fabric of Fall River, and he loved Fall River exactly as it was. For another thing, he wasn't into maneaters or other types of head cases—though he seemed to draw them in like a hole-riddled chum bucket to a school of sharks.

She tilted her head as her eyes ran over the building. "So this is the place."

Her smoky voice gave him his third reason. He didn't mess around with clients. Ever. And this woman, he was pretty damn sure, was his new client.

"Joy Holiday?" he ventured.

She turned a whiskey-eyed gaze on him as if she had no idea he'd been standing there until now. As if she couldn't care less that he'd been standing there. As if he were an annoying gnat to be swatted away.

"And you are?"

"I'm Charlie Hunnicutt."

Her stare intensified, and not in a good way. His toes squirmed in his steel-toed boots.

"Past Perfect Restorations?" he prodded.

She nodded slowly. "I know who you are. You're the man who's going to try his damnedest to convince me not to tear this rattrap down. Fair warning: you're wasting your time and mine."