know what a stickler I am for people following the rules.”
“But she’s gorgeous.”
“So are you. No comparison in my book,” he said.
“She was all over you.”
Garth heard the hurt in her voice. “But at any time did you see me all over her? I knew who I wanted, and nothing she said or did would have made me change my mind. I considered her of no significance.”
He walked across the room to stand in front of Regan. “You’re a different story. There were a number of things I had to overcome, and you helped me do that. I loved Karen and for years I refused to feel those same emotions for anyone else. However, you showed me that it was okay to be happy in a new relationship. And being happy didn’t mean I was forgetting or replacing feelings I had for the person I lost. It meant I had discovered how to tuck those feelings into a special place in my heart and move on.”
“What are you saying, Garth?”
He took a step closer to Regan. “What I’m trying to say is that I love you, Regan. I believe I fell in love with you at the Westmoreland Charity Ball. I told you why I even used that dating service in the first place. The more I saw you, the more I desired you. I figured that if I turned my attention to another woman, that would solve the problem because I honestly didn’t think I could give you the love you deserve. Now I know I can.”
A smile spread across his lips. “Whatever strategy you used on me worked. I love you and will continue to say it until you believe me, Regan. Yes, it took me fourteen days since we’ve been back to accept it. Go ahead and count it against me as being slow. But it has no bearing on the depth of my love for you. I love you, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”
He saw the tears stream down her face and then she said, “And I love you, too. I’ve loved you forever.”
Her words surprised him. She’d said she’d wanted him for a long time but had never said how long. “You have?”
She wiped away her tears. “Yes. The reason I returned to Fairbanks after just one year at the university in Los Angeles was not because of Dad. It was because of you.”
He lifted a brow. “Me?”
“Yes. Even when I knew you were hurting after losing Karen, I still wanted to be there for you.”
Her words touched him deeply. “I never knew. I love you so much.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms, then lowered his mouth to hers.
Twenty-Two
“The decorating committee has outdone itself this year,” Garth said, glancing around.
Regan thought the same thing. The ballroom of the Pavilion Hotel was absolutely gorgeous and set the stage for another Westmoreland Charity Ball. And because this was also New Year’s Eve, everyone was in a festive mood and excited for the arrival of the new year.
She was one of those people.
So much had happened since that day in November when Garth had shown up at her home, refusing to accept her resignation and then proclaiming his love for her. Afterward, he’d called the office to inform Cash and the others he was taking the rest of the day off. He’d ended up taking the next three days off when he’d insisted they fly to Kodiak to visit Walker, Bailey and the twins.
Regan had spent Thanksgiving with the Outlaws and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind, including Bart’s, as to what type of relationship Regan and Garth shared. Then they’d spent Christmas with her father and met Deena. Regan liked her immediately and concluded the attractive woman was everything her father needed. He seemed truly happy.
“You’re quiet.”
She glanced up at Garth and smiled. He looked handsome in his tux. “I was just thinking about Dad and how happy he is.”
“Yes, Franklin is happy and I’m happy for him. I hope you slept well last night.”
Regan nearly choked on her punch and glanced up at him grinning. “Who slept?” she asked, knowing he’d kept her up most of the night making love.
Jason Westmoreland’s wife, Bella, had renovated her ranch house into a bed-and-breakfast inn to be used by visiting relatives and business associates. Garth and all his siblings, as well as some of the visiting Westmorelands from Atlanta, Montana and Texas, were all staying