All four of his dogs loitered near his cowboy boots, and Emma inched toward him. “How did it go with Martin?”
Ted flicked a look in Ginger’s direction. Emma followed his gaze, and she caught the tail end of her best friend’s nod.
“Good,” Ted said, their eyes meeting again. A smile exploded onto his face. “It’s done, Em. I’m out.” He laughed, the sound bright and bold and loud as it zoomed up to the rafters in the stables. He took the few remaining steps to her and picked her right up off her feet, still laughing.
She laughed too and held onto his shoulders. “I’m so glad, Teddy,” she said.
He set her on her feet, his smile still in place though he sobered. “That chapter is over,” he said, his eyes bright. “I can hardly believe it.”
Emma didn’t know what to say, so she just smiled up at him and reveled in the feel of his arms around her, his hands on her waist.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.” He swallowed and shook his head as if in wonder.
Emma wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest. “What are you going to count down to next, cowboy?”
“I’ve got something in mind,” he said.
Emma pulled back and looked up at him. “You do? What?”
He nodded to someone behind her, and Emma twisted in his arms to find Missy holding something toward him.
A little black box.
Emma sucked in a breath, which made a rasping, gasping sound fill the stable. “Teddy.”
“I’ve been waiting for this day for so long,” he said again, shifting and stepping to take the ring box from Missy. “And not just because I would be a free man. But because I’m in love with the most wonderful woman, and I didn’t want to ask her to be mine until I actually had myself to give to her.”
He opened the ring box and looked inside it.
The seconds seemed to pile on top of one another, and then he finally turned the box toward her and lifted his eyes to hers.
“I love you, Emma Clemson. I love your daughter, and I want to be your husband and her dad.” He looked to his left, and Missy came to his side.
“Will you marry him, Momma?” Missy asked.
Emma looked from her daughter to Ted to the ring. Then back around again. “Yes,” she said, the word easy and filled with joy. She burst out laughing again and threw her arms around both of them. “Yes, yes, yes.”
They laughed together, and Ted took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. He gazed down at her, and murmured, “I’m going to kiss your momma now, Missy.”
“Gross,” Missy said, and she walked away.
Emma couldn’t look anywhere but at Ted. Kissing him was definitely not gross, and Emma grinned at him as he smiled at her. “I love you too,” she said.
“Good to know,” he whispered before kissing her. He brought such a calm presence to her life, and Emma had never felt safer and more protected than she did in the arms of her fiancé.
She knew they weren’t alone, though, so she didn’t kiss him for long. She tucked herself into his arms, pure peace and joy filling her.
“All right,” Ginger said, and Emma turned to her. Ginger opened her arms, and Emma hugged her too. “I’m so happy for you,” Ginger whispered. “You deserve the very best, Em, and I think he’s it for you.”
“Thank you,” Emma said, getting emotional over Ginger’s words for some reason.
Ginger stepped back, and they faced the altars again. “Pick one, Emma. I’ll use the other one.”
“I can’t do that,” she said. “You pick, and I’ll use the other one.”
“He made them for you,” Ginger said. “I caught him, and he said he’d make me one too if I’d help him stage this proposal.”
Emma turned toward Ted, who only shrugged, that gorgeous grin on his mouth. She reached for him, and he secured his hand in hers. Missy stood on his other side, and Emma wanted to stop time and live in this moment for the rest of her life.
She’d had no idea a person could actually experience this much happiness, and her vision blurred as she looked at the altars.
“Pick one, Em,” Ted said.
“Which one do you like?” Emma asked, looking at Ginger.
“I like them both.” Ginger was neutral, and she gave nothing away.
Emma looked at Ted, who’d also turned into a statute. “Missy?”
“Teddy told me I couldn’t tell you,” Missy said. She stooped and picked up Petunia.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Emma said.
“If you don’t like either one of these,” Ted said. “I’ll make you a different one.”
“I didn’t even know you could do this with wood,” she said, almost accusing him of holding out on her.
“Well,” he said. “Now you do.” He squeezed her hand. “Ginger is going to go ballistic if you don’t choose in the next sixty seconds.”
Emma glanced at her best friend, who hated wasting time almost more than anything else on the planet.
“I want this one,” she said, reaching out and touching the one with the preserved natural bark. “It’s half perfect, and half not, and that’s how I feel. I feel like I know what I’m doing about half the time, and everything is great. The other half of the time, I need that protective bark, which is beautiful in its own way.”
“That was my favorite too, Momma,” Missy said.
“Sounds good,” Ginger said with a light laugh. “I wanted the other one, so you picked perfectly, Emma.” She put her arm around Emma’s shoulders and squeezed. “Now I have to go check on our new hire. He has the worst sense of direction I’ve ever seen. I found him wandering on the east side of the ranch yesterday, sure he would run into the homestead at any moment.” She shook her head and left.
Emma giggled and snuggled into Ted’s side.
“I love you,” Ted said. “I love both of you.” He put his arm around Missy too, and Emma’s heart rejoiced. “I got my second chance at this life, and I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but I’m going to try as hard as I can to do the right thing. Be the best husband and father I can be.”
“You’ll do great, Teddy,” Missy said. “Can I go? Spence said I could help brush down the horses and put them away.”
“Sure,” Ted said. “Go.”
Missy paused in front of Emma to give her a hug, and then she skipped out of the stables to go help with the horses.
Emma gazed at the altar where she’d marry Ted, and then turned to the man himself. “I love you, Teddy. Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
“Funny,” he murmured. “I was going to say the same thing to you.” He dipped his head and kissed her again, and this time, because they were alone, Emma kissed the man she loved for as long as she wanted.
Read on for a sneak peek at Ginger and Nate’s wedding, as told by Dallas Dreyer, your next cowboy hero in RUGGED COWBOY. Preorder now!
I’m so glad Teddy and Emma were able to build a family with Missy, that little piglet, and all those dogs! If you are too, please leave a review now.