He lifted her chin and turned her face toward his. “Do you regret being with me?” He searched her eyes, and she couldn’t think past the sound of her heart shattering inside her chest.
“Lis?” A single desperate word.
“Hm?” she managed.
“Shit. Did I totally fuck this up?” His brows drew together as he turned away. “I’m an idiot. A fucking idiot.”
“Wait. I’m confused.” She gripped his thigh, felt the muscles flex beneath his jeans as he whipped his head back around. “Are you telling me that it was a mistake, or are you asking if I thought it was a mistake?”
“Asking. I’m asking,” he said roughly.
“No. I might be the idiot. I thought—oh God—” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so embarrassing.” She drew in a deep breath and met his confused stare. “I have never done anything that felt so right in my life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to—”
His lips met hers in an urgent kiss. He cupped her cheeks and smiled, a sated, thoughtful smile that told her everything she needed to know before he did.
“I don’t do things because I have to. I follow my gut, and with you, I’m following my heart.” He kissed her again, and Knight pushed his big black head in between them. Ross glared at him, then turned thoughtful eyes back to her again. “You asked me if I believe in fate, and I told you I did. This. Us. It’s fate, Lis. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d think of a woman before my practice, or before my family, and when I got up this morning, my mind went to you—and it never left.”
She knew in that moment that all those years of wanting to return to Trusty, all the years she’d saved herself for the man she’d always hoped existed, hadn’t been wasted. Ross was everything she’d ever dreamed of, and more.
Chapter Twelve
LATER THAT MORNING, while Ross examined Gracie, he thought about the paths he’d chosen in life, or rather, the paths that had chosen him. Trusty was a given. Once his oldest brother Pierce went away to school, Ross made the decision that he’d make Trusty his home. More than loving the town in which he had grown up, he wanted to be near family. Ross wasn’t the glue that held his family together. In the Braden family, each member had his or her own role in doing that. Pierce, though not physically present on a daily basis, still watched over the family from afar. He was there for Luke when he fell for Daisy and had to face the demons of his past, and he’d been there for each of them over the years. And other than Jake, who lived in Los Angeles and visited often, the rest of the siblings lived nearby and were always getting together or texting, pitching in whenever they were needed. Being there for his family was a given for Ross that he’d never questioned, just like becoming a veterinarian. It had been hard work and taken many years, but not once did he waver in what he wanted. And now he felt the same given about Elisabeth.
He wasn’t swept up in love like a schoolboy. What he felt was much deeper than infatuation. He thought of her throughout the day and night, wondered how she was doing, worried about what trouble she might encounter in town, and today—he worried about no one showing up for free grooming. If that happened, it would cut him to his core. Elisabeth seemed to take it as part of the process in building a business. But for Ross, it was much more than that. The very town he’d given his all to was turning its back on the woman he felt as though he were born to be with. And he did feel that way. It was like their eyes met and his body and mind filled with recognition. Oh, it’s you. I’ve been waiting thirty-five years for you. He hadn’t been looking for a relationship, just as he hadn’t been looking for a career with his veterinary practice. He’d just known it was what he was meant to do. Elisabeth stepped into his arms and into his heart.
He stroked Gracie’s neck and took a moment to gather his wits about him. Even though this was a natural part of the life cycle, and he, Jim, and Kelsey all knew Gracie was on borrowed time, knowing her time had come sucked the air from his lungs.
Jim sank onto the edge of the futon.
“It’s your call, Jim.” Ross set a hand on his shoulder to let him know he wasn’t alone.
“She’s my coffee dog, Ross. Seven mornings a week for twelve years she waited by my side, barking, jumping, and causing the loudest ruckus while I stirred my coffee.” Jim shook his head, smiled at the memory. “Damn dog.” He stroked her head. “All to sit beside my rocking chair on the front porch while I drank the damn coffee.”
Ross had heard this story so often he could repeat it verbatim. He smiled, allowing Jim to share his love for Gracie.
“She is a magnificent dog.” Jim wrapped an arm around Gracie’s neck and rested his cheek on her chest.
Ross waited patiently as Jim made his decision. He turned heavy-lidded eyes toward Ross, and Ross knew that he wasn’t ready. He patted his shoulder.
“Take your time, Jim. You have my cell number. I can come back anytime.”
On the way back to his truck with Storm, Ross called Kelsey and filled her in. He knew Jim would be calling later in the day, surely by nightfall. When a person loved their pet as much as Jim did, they didn’t allow them to suffer.
He stopped at the store and bought an awning and three motion-sensor lights for Elisabeth—one for each porch, front and back, and one for the barn doors. Then he drove over to the diner to pick up lunch for the two of them.
“One of my favorite Bradens,” Margie said when he sat at the counter.
“When will I move up the ladder to your favorite?” Ross knew Margie would never designate any of his siblings as the favorite. She was like a favorite aunt for everyone in town, the aunt who spoiled each of them equally. “Settle,” he said to Storm, who sat obediently beside his stool.
“When you train a man for me as well as you train those adorable puppies, then you’ll be my favorite.” She filled a cup of coffee, added cream, and pushed it across the counter to Ross. “I heard about Jim’s dog. So heartbreaking.”
“How on earth did you hear that quickly?” He sipped the bitter coffee.
“Kelsey. She was here when you called. Poor thing. As soon as she hung up, she burst into tears.”
“Christ. I should have anticipated that. What is it with women and tears these days?”
“I have a better question for you. What is going on with a particular woman’s niece and one of my favorite Bradens these days?” Margie smiled and patted her hair, like she was all that. She was all that when it came to Trusty gossip.
“Probably exactly what you think it is,” he answered with a smile. He’d never wanted to do so much for, or felt so protective of, a woman than he did with Elisabeth. She made him feel fulfilled, complete. He couldn’t fathom how his days felt complete before meeting her, because if he were to lose her now, even after such a short period of time, the void in his life would seem insurmountable.
Margie leaned over the counter and pointed at Ross. “You Braden boys are dropping like flies. Be careful, Ross. If the rumors are true, she’s not going to be sticking around.”
“If Trusty rumors were true, half this town would be in trouble. Trusty gossip is like water on scarred metal. It finds a weakness and seeps right in, making beautiful things ugly. Seventy-five percent is drawn from jealousy, twenty percent from a disgruntled past with distant relatives, four percent bullshit, and about one percent truth.”
“Sounds about right.” She laughed.
“The only way Elisabeth’s leaving is if she’s run out of town, and I’ll do my damnedest to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Ross Braden, I do believe you are smitten.”
He sipped his drink without answering. Damn right he was smitten.
“Well, there was another rumor circulating around, besides the big news about Ross Braden wooing Cora’s niece. I heard about what she did for Gracie.” Her gaze softened. “Just tell me one thing. Did she do it to win you over, or did she do it out of the kindness of her heart?”
“She won me over long before she met Gracie.”
By the time he left the diner, he hoped he’d planted enough truth to waylay any rumors, and he counted on Margie to see to it that the rumors were slayed. Only time would tell.
He turned in to Elisabeth’s driveway a few minutes later. Balloons hung from the mailbox, and a big sign announced, Free Grooming & Pawdicures Today! That would surely get people’s attention. His heart sank at the sight of the empty driveway. Balloons hung from the grooming table and chair. Ross cut the engine and watched Elisabeth. She had her back to the truck and was in the pen with the Wynchels’ dogs. Each of the three dogs had bows tied to their collars. Their fur was fluffy and clean. She tossed sticks and they retrieved them. He and Storm stepped from the truck, and when he closed the door, she finally turned, with a wide smile on her lips. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and it caught the sunlight. She lifted a hand over her head and waved.
“Free dog,” Ross said to Storm.
Storm looked at him, then dashed for Elisabeth. Ross wanted to run to her, too, but he needed a second to diffuse his irritation. Why the hell wasn’t anyone there? She was giving away her services for free. He hoped to hell that he’d just missed the crowds.