Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,121

it up to his lips where he kissed the knuckles and slid the beautiful diamond onto her finger.

“I want that to be us. Whenever you’re ready, I want to bring you back here and marry you in that church.”

Shelly turned to look up at him and asked, “Why here? Why not Chicago?” She paused, and then rushed on, “You are moving back to Chicago, aren’t you?”

Josh leaned in, kissing her softly. “I plan to be wherever you are, so I can go to sleep with you at night, and—”

“Wake up with me in the morning?” she finished.

Pecking her on the lips, he nodded. “Yes, and wake up with you in the mornings.” He paused, and then told her, “This is who you are to me, Georgia. You’re the girl in the faded jeans, who grew up in a small Southern town. The one who dreams under a tree. That’s my Georgia, my little slice of heaven, and I want to marry you in the church you grew up in.”

Shelly shook her head, “I don’t need to dream anymore, and anyway, the property has been sold.”

She watched as a huge grin spread across Josh’s lips.

“Don’t be too quick to throw it all away. Some dreams are meant to last.”

As Shelly quirked a brow at him, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“I’ve been building a dream.”

***

Josh watched as Shelly took a step back.

She tilted her head. “I don’t understand.”

Reaching out, Josh took her hand in his and whistled for Mutley, who trotted up along beside him.

“Come with me. Trust me, and I’ll explain it along the way.”

Epilogue

Dreams are funny things. They shift and morph the more you grow, Shelly thought as Josh’s truck rumbled to a stop in front of the padlocked gate.

On their way over here, he told her all about his dreams and what he’d been doing for the last few months.

Quite honestly, Shelly was left speechless.

She watched as he got out of the truck, walking around the front to unlock the gate. The man had bought her property.

Well, of course, it wasn’t hers, but he had put money down and bought the place she ran to for comfort and solace.

As he moved back to the driver’s side, climbing up into the truck, he gave her an almost shy grin.

“You okay?” he asked.

Shelly nodded before asking, “All this time, you’ve been here? That’s what you’re telling me?”

“Yeah.” He paused. He put the truck in gear, and it lurched forward. “I wanted to get away from Chicago. It’s never been for me. It’s too cold, and when we came down here…” He looked over to her. Shelly smiled at him as he continued softly, “Well, when we came here, I fell in love.” Reaching across the seat, he took her hand and touched the ring he’d just placed on her finger. “I fell in love with Savannah, with this property that has a river running down the back of it, and a beautiful big oak tree where I made love to my fiancée.”

Shelly took his hand that was on hers and brought it to her lips. She kissed his big knuckles, and then raised it to her cheek.

“So, then what?” she asked a little breathlessly.

As the truck took the final bend in the road, she looked out the windshield to see a small foundation and the start of walls and a roof being erected right behind the large oak. Shelly gasped and looked at Josh, who had stopped the truck and fully turned to her.

“So then, I started to build. I had no clue at first what I wanted to do. All I knew was I wanted to make something beautiful here—for you. I wanted you to be able to come back and visit your family, and if you wanted to, come down and stay by the river.”

Josh grinned and jumped out of the truck, making his way around to her side. He opened the door, and she got out, taking his hand when he extended it. They made their way over to the beginning of what looked to be a small-sized cottage, and then they stopped.

“It started as a hammock under this tree.” Josh turned to her and took her hands in his. “In fact, it started as a kiss under this tree. A kiss from a sweet girl called Georgia, wearing nothing but a cowboy hat. But then, my dream changed. Every time we talked, Shelly, every time I saw you and touched you, this grew in