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  She glanced toward the tattoo chair where Cherry was inking a design on Scott, the two of them trying to pretend they weren't listening to every word that was said. She looked at Kyle again. "I don't know what to say to you."

  He leaned on the counter, tempted to reach out and touch her. Maybe some physical contact would make her realize the connection they had. "Tell me the real reason you ran away."

  She looked down at the floor. "You scared me," she said softly, the words clearly a struggle.

  "Scared you?" He blinked, confused. "What did I do to scare you?"

  Her eyes met his again, her confusion evident. "You said you were giving up your share of the ranch. Why would you do that all of a sudden--give up your home that way?"

  He frowned. "I thought you of all people understood that. The ranch is my home, but it's not my future. I realized it was time to let go of it and get on with my life."

  She gripped the edge of the counter. "And this had nothing to do with me?"

  He moved around the counter to stand in front of her. He couldn't stand having that barrier between them any more than he could bear this misunderstanding dividing them. "It had a lot to do with you, actually."

  If he'd expected her to be happy about that news, he'd been wrong. She went pale and her eyes took on a shiny look, as if she was on the verge of tears. "Dammit, what did I say now?" he asked. "That was supposed to be good news."

  She shook her head. "I don't want you changing your life because of me." Her eyes met his, her expression desperate. "I don't want that kind of responsibility. Later on, when you realize you've made a mistake, you'll hate me for it."

  "Who says I've made a mistake?" Anger pinched at him, but he pushed it away. "Look, I said you had a lot to do with my decision, but I didn't do this for you. I did it for me."

  "Then what do I have to do with it?"

  Standing here looking at her wasn't enough anymore. He grabbed her hand, holding on. He didn't want her running out on him again--ever. "You are one of the strongest people I know." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, feeling the fine bones and the softness of her skin. Amazing how such delicacy could conceal such strength. And how her toughness was a front for such a vulnerable spirit. "Life dealt you a tough hand, but you've made the best of it," he continued. "You do your own thing and you don't let other people try to tell you how to live. I watched you and learned that I could do that, too--and I didn't have to be afraid of losing the people I love in the process."

  He squeezed her hand and she raised her eyes to meet his. The yearning he saw there matched the feelings he'd been fighting for days now. He kissed her palm and flashed a brief smile. "You made me think, which can be a dangerous thing sometimes, but there you have it. All that thinking helped me figure out what I want to do with my life."

  She wet her lips. "And what is it you want to do?"

  "I can do better than just tell you. I can show you."

  He tugged her toward the door, the bells jangling wildly as he led her outside. Excitement made him hurry until he was half dragging her down the sidewalk after him. He stopped in front of the front window of the Waterloo Tavern. "Take a good look," he said.

  She stared at the bar, puzzled. "What am I looking at, exactly?"

  "I've decided to buy and run the Waterloo Tavern." He grinned at the building, already imagining the changes he'd make: new awnings, fresh paint on the sign, more advertising to draw the crowds....

  "You're going to own a bar?" She shook her head. "I'm still trying to figure out the connection."

  "Think about it and you'll see it's perfect. I don't like getting up early and I don't mind staying up late, so the hours are perfect. I'll be right here in the heart of the city, not stuck out in the country. The money I'll get from selling my half of the ranch will give me a good down payment on the bar and leave enough to make a start on my dream house on that land I showed you."

  She nodded. "But what if business doesn't pick up on Sixth Street? You could lose everything."

  "Are you always such a pessimist?" He put his arm around her. "Listen, when times are bad, what do people do? They drink. And when they're good, they drink, too. So I figure a bar is one of the safer bets around. Not to mention I think this whole 'Clean' Carter campaign is going to backfire on the esteemed council member. This is Austin, Texas, after all. Home to university students, hippies, slackers, politicians, environmentalists and urban cowboys. And every one of those groups likes to party with the best of them. Carter and his bunch don't stand a chance."

  She nodded. "You have a point. And the business owners are fighting back now. That will help."

  "Exactly. So what do you think of my plan?"

  She nodded. "It makes sense."

  He'd hoped for a little more enthusiasm. Then again, she'd spent her whole life building up her armor, trying to keep from getting hurt. It would take more than subtle hints to get through to her. "Think you can stand having me right next door?" he asked.

  He was rewarded with a small smile. "I think I can stand it."

  Okay, time to bring in the big guns. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake here, but he'd promised himself he was through being slow and cautious. That never got a man anywhere in the rodeo arena or in life. Sucking in a deep breath, he dropped to one knee on the sidewalk in front of her.

  The stunned look on her face was almost worth making a fool of himself this way. "Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered.

  He took both of her hands in his. "The first day I met you, Theresa Jacobs, I knew you were a special woman." He cleared his throat, trying to keep it together long enough to get out the speech he'd rehearsed. "You've taught me things and made me feel things that no other woman could have done. And you made me fall in love with you."

  She gasped and tried to pull away, but he held her fast. The rush of tenderness in her eyes kept him from panicking. "I love you, too," she whispered, blinking fast, her lashes glistening with tears she was fighting back.

  He squeezed her hands and shifted a little on the sidewalk, trying to ignore the pebble lodged beneath his knee. He had to get through this. "I love you enough that I want you to be a part of my starting over. In fact, I'm not sure I can do it without you to remind me what stubborn really is."

  She let out a choked laugh. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

  "You could take it that way." He grinned. "I had a lot of other fancy words to say, but it's getting uncomfortable down here, so I'll skip to the main question-- Will you marry me?"

  She swayed a little, and he wondered if he was going to have to catch her. He hadn't figured her for the swooning type, but what did he know about women, anyway?

  Luckily she regained her balance, if not her composure. "Marry? Kyle, I--" She shook her head. "I don't know what to say."

  "Do you love me?"

  "Yes! Yes, I do." She smiled. "It's crazy, but I really do."

  "Then say yes."

  "It's such a big step. What if it doesn't--"

  He stood and gathered her into his arms, silencing her with a kiss. "We'll be good together," he said softly, brushing the hair back from her forehead. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm never going to do anything to hurt you."

  "Promise?" She smiled.

  "I promise."

  She nodded. "Then yes. Yes, I'll marry you." She covered her mouth with her hand. "I can't believe I said that."

  "It took you long enough," he teased.

  She looked at him through half-lowered lashes. "You're in trouble now, cowboy. Don't you know I'm stubborn and outspoken and opinionated and known to be a little wild?"

  "All the things I like about you most." He lowered his mouth to hers, thinking as he did so of all the kisses they'd share in the years to come. This was the feeling he'd been searching for his whole life--this sense that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing, with the person he was supposed to be doing it with.

  It felt as though he'd come ho
me. At last.

  "Kyle?"

  "Hmm?"

  "What is that man doing across the street?"

  He looked up and spotted the lanky figure with a camera. The photographer smiled and waved. "I think he's taking our picture."

  "Oh. I think he might be a reporter."

  "Then we'd better give him something good to photograph." He pulled her closer and kissed her again, bending her over backward in an extravagant, romantic gesture. He didn't intend to do anything halfway ever again, and that included loving his impossible, stubborn, sexy, incredible wife.

  Epilogue

  "DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?" A little over two weeks later, Kyle burst into Austin Body Art waving the paper in front of him.

  Theresa looked up from the tattoo she was inking and shut off the tattoo machine. "Madeline was in here a few minutes ago to tell us 'Clean' Carter lost.""They really slammed him." He waved the paper at her. "I knew the voters would come to their senses."

  "I think it was that picture of you two that turned the tide." Cherry looked up from tuning her cello.

  "You mean the one of us kissing?" He grinned.

  "Maybe she means our engagement announcement photo." Theresa couldn't resist teasing him. After all, it was the exact same shot. The photographer had used some kind of filter to blur the edges of the image so that he'd captured the two of them in that incredibly romantic embrace. It reminded her of the shot she'd seen of a soldier kissing a nurse on the streets of New York at the end of World War II.

  "I saw that picture," her customer said. He studied Theresa more closely. "I didn't even recognize you at first. You looked like a bride in that white dress."

  "Exactly," Cherry said. "After that photo ran on the front page of the Austin paper, Sixth Street's image went from sleazy to romantic in one afternoon. Suddenly everyone wanted to come ride in one of the horse-drawn carriages, go slow dancing at the clubs and share dessert and coffee and gaze soulfully at each other in one of the cafes." She rolled her eyes and drew her bow across the cello, playing a long note.

  "And don't forget tattoos," Scott said. "We advertised a couples special and had all the business we could handle doing matching tats for people."

  "Yeah, it was a cool idea." Cherry stretched out her ankle to admire the pecan tree and lone star there, a match for the one on Scott's forearm. "But it doesn't feel so special anymore," she teased.

  "I'll show you special." He bent and began kissing her neck, while she squealed.

  "Children, calm down," Theresa ordered with mock fierceness. She turned her attention back to Kyle. "How's the remodeling going today?"

  "It's going good. But I'm sure glad we were able to do a quick closing on the deal. There's a lot of work to do."

  "Are you sure we'll be ready by next month? Maybe we should set another date...." They'd decided to hold their wedding reception at the tavern as a combination marriage and grand-opening celebration.

  "No way," Kyle said. "It'll be done, even if I have to recruit everyone I know to help." He came over and kissed her cheek. "Besides, I don't want to give you time to change your mind."

  She shook her head. "I'm not going to change my mind." Zach had teased her about her haste to get to the altar after she'd refused all thoughts of marriage for so many years. She'd told him she had a lot of lost time to make up for. Besides, wasn't June the perfect time for a wedding?

  "I'd better get back to work," he said. "Stop by later and check out the progress." He winked and she felt the same warm, syrupy feeling in her stomach she always felt when he looked at her these days. Who'd have thought being in love would do so much for a person's outlook on life?

  "Remind me later to show you the decorations Kristen sent over," he added.

  She made a face. "Let me guess--hearts and doves and those white crepe bells."

  "Of course." He laughed. "We have an image to live up to, you know."

  "Zach's never going to let me live this down."

  "When are he and Jen coming down?"

  "In two weeks. His semester's over and she has a break from the show, so they'll be able to stay until the wedding."

  "If he's anything like you, I'm going to be in trouble."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "One stubborn person in the family is enough, thank you very much."

  "Who are you calling stubborn, Mr. I Won't Take No For An Answer?" She grinned.

  "Good thing, too." He bent and kissed her cheek. "See you tonight?"

  "Maybe." She slid her mouth close to his ear. "Wear your chaps?"

  "I was thinking of saving them for the honeymoon."

  "No, you won't need them on the honeymoon."

  "I won't?"

  She shook her head. "In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't bother packing a suitcase. We won't be going out."

  He grinned. "Is that so?"

  She nodded. A week with her new husband naked seemed as good a way as any to start off a marriage.

  He rubbed his hands together and backed toward the door. "In that case, I'd better save my strength. And I think I have to work tonight."

  She smiled and switched the tattoo machine back on. He'd said the same thing every night for the past week, but he'd always shown up at her place just the same. She was counting on the fact that he'd always be there. The idea was scary and amazing and downright wonderful.

  Exactly like falling in love.

  Who knew?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-6320-2DO ME RIGHT

  Copyright (c) 2005 by Cynthia Myers.

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