love them, too.” It was the first time in his life he’d ever said the word aloud with him as the context. He listened to himself with amazement and thought, That wasn’t so bad. Yeah, okay, then do it. Big breath. “I fell in love with you, Lia.” It sounded raw and awkward to his ears. “And, uh…” His hand tightened unconsciously on hers. “I had to tell you that in person. And find out whether you think you can feel anything for me.”
God. He’d gotten it all out, but now he was in freefall. Parachute, you can open any time. Any minute. Like now.
Her mouth was trembling. Lia lifted her free hand to it, pressed her fingertips to her lips. She was making some strange little sounds, like whimpers. And then he saw that her eyes were wet, about to overflow.
“I’m sorry,” he said on a groan. “I shouldn’t have done it like this. You don’t have to feel bad—”
“I love you so much. I never thought—” She laughed, but she was crying, too. “Oh, Conall.” She dove at him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
He held her fiercely, his cheek against her head, his eyes closed tight. They were burning. He didn’t even know what he felt, it was such a tangle. But it was good, so good. And it hurt like hell, too. He’d cried that day he had to say goodbye to her and the boys, and he was about to cry now, too. Why was happiness as agonizing as grief? Conall didn’t know, but he wanted more of this anyway.
He rocked her, the way she’d rocked Sorrel that day on this same porch, and it seemed to work because the tension gradually eased from her body and his, too. She wiped her cheeks on his shirt, sniffled, laughed again and pulled back a few inches so she could see him.
“You didn’t know I was crazy in love with you?”
“I hoped.” He grunted at a memory like a body blow. “Do you have any idea how I felt when you informed me that all you were to me was an extension on kitchen and bathroom privileges?” He gave her a small shake. “You didn’t really think that.”
She huffed. “You didn’t give the slightest indication you were falling in love with me.”
“Do you really think every time I go out on a job I spend more time hanging around a woman and her kids than I do working?”
“Um…no?”
“You’re right. No.”
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings,” she said softly.
No one in his life had ever apologized for hurting his feelings. No surprise when he’d done his damnedest to convince everyone he didn’t have any.
“Not your fault.” That came out gruff. He nudged her braid to one side and kissed her neck. Here came the hard part. “Lia… Do you love me enough to marry me?”
For a second she didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Then she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“I’m sure.”
She searched his eyes; he waited.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, of course I will. Only…”
Conall tensed. “Only what?”
“I’ve applied to adopt Walker and Brendan.”
He stared. “Well, of course we’ll adopt them.” Then he said sheepishly, “Well, I guess I shouldn’t make assumptions. You’ve chosen to foster and not adopt, and that’s okay if you want to keep taking in kids, but Walker and Brendan… They need us.”
“I think they do, too.”
He sighed. “You’ll have to quit taking in kids that are in this country illegally, though, Lia. I enforce the law. I can’t be involved in breaking it.”
“No, I understand.” She smiled crookedly. “It would be hard to keep making connections wherever you get sent anyway.”
Conall realized she didn’t know what he’d really been asking of her. She thought he was keeping his job, that he’d be uprooting her and the boys whenever he got transferred to a different field office, that she’d often be left behind coping alone when he disappeared on operations like this one and others far more dangerous. The fact that she’d been willing to do that, to give up her home, her friends, everything she knew for him, left him stunned.
“Lia, I’m turning in my resignation.”
“What?”
“When I said I want what I had here with you, I meant it. This house feels more like home than anyplace I’ve ever been. The yard is great for the boys. What would you do with the horses if we moved? We can get