The Patriot A Small Town Romance - Jennifer Millikin Page 0,116
informed as the situation continues to develop.”
I look at Wes. Wes is looking at Beau. And Beau, calm and unaffected, lifts his fork to his mouth, takes a bite, chews and swallows. He looks out the window that faces the burned barn, his coffee poised at his lips. “Good day for working. You boys about ready to get to it?”
Wyatt’s the first to respond, then Warner and Wes. And that’s it. It’s as if some kind of code has been enacted.
I gather my dirty clothes from upstairs and stop Juliette on my way out. Wes waits for me in the open door. “Please tell Jessie I’ll bring her clothes back to her.”
“Will do. I’m just happy she wasn’t here for everything.” Juliette squeezes my hand, and the uncharacteristic gentleness removes another chunk of my irritation at her for poking into my private life.
Wes drives me to the hotel and insists on walking me to my room. I’m glad he’s with me, because the second I walk into the room I’m assaulted with memories of Dixon strong-arming his way in here. The pen, my would-be weapon I couldn’t reach, lies on the table. For all that took place in here, there are no signs of it ever occurring.
Wes balks when I trade the too-small shorts for my black work pants. “Don’t you think you should take today off, Dakota?”
“If I sit around here and think, I’ll lose my mind. I need something to do.” Also, the more I use my body, the better I feel. Resting makes me stiff.
“I understand. If we were still at the ranch, I’d be on Ranger right now. Helps me clear my head.”
I kiss his cheek. He stands in the doorway to the small bathroom and watches me apply makeup. For everything I went through last night, my face didn’t fare too bad. Foundation covers most of the scrape, and wearing my hair down should make it even less noticeable. My wrists, however… Juliette ran them under the warm water to loosen the adhesive from the duct tape, but red marks make it clear something abnormal occurred. I step past Wes and select a long-sleeve silk blouse from the closet. The daytime weather is too warm for my outfit, but I’ll just have to deal with it.
“Dakota?”
Wes stands beside my night table, holding up the gold band. “You took it off?”
“You made that payment, and I assumed…” I shrug. “It’s not like you’ve been easy to read.”
Wes crosses the room and folds me into his body. “I’m sorry I made it so easy to make the assumption.” He pulls away to look at me. “To be clear, I love you, and no matter what happens, you’re mine. My girl. My lady. My person.”
The words reverberate down my spine, sinking into the dark corners of my body. “Same, Wes. Same.”
Wes kisses me goodbye and leaves. I gather my purse and keys. When I go to put the gold band on my finger, it’s gone.
38
Wes
“It’s beautiful,” the salesman, Greg, says admiringly. He holds the ring up to the sunlight streaming in through the front window of the jewelry store.
After I left Dakota’s hotel I called Warner and told him I had an errand to run in Phoenix. More specifically, in the ritzy suburb of Agua Mesa. I walked in and told the first salesman who said hello that I wanted an engagement ring, and not something typical. He led me to a case and removed a ring I knew at first glance belonged on Dakota’s finger. The delicate, simple gold band allowed the emerald to take centerstage. He told me the stone was cushion-cut, and I pictured a couch cushion, which is probably about right based on the shape of the stone.
“I’ll take it,” I tell him.
The transaction finishes up, and I hop back in my truck and point it north. There’s a beautiful woman with a finger that needs a ring on it.
Just like I thought, I find Dakota on the jobsite. The plumbers are installing the pipes, and Dakota stands beside an overweight man wearing a T-shirt bearing the name Gibson’s Heating and Cooling. I lean against the hood of my truck while I wait for Dakota to finish her conversation.
What she’s accomplished out here blows my mind. In just a couple months she’s taken a parcel of my family’s land that has never been used and created something that will generate jobs, revenue, and memories. She is nothing short of incredible.