She looked up at Peyton. “I wonder if that man went to jail or if his grandfather got him off again.”
“I hope he’s in jail.” He pulled her close. “I don’t want to talk about him. I want to talk about us. In the morning I’ll wire Archie. In a couple of weeks Josiah and Yolanda plan to marry. He should be able to stand long enough for the wedding by then.”
She chuckled. “He told me he’s marrying her if he has to sit in a chair for the ceremony. Yolanda said he’s stopped peeing blood. I know he’d hate for others to know anything that personal but it’s an important sign he’s recovering.”
“Ah, and she’s his other half and he has to share with her.” He pulled Judith to sit beside him on the bed. “Honey, are you sure you want to wait to move here?”
She was certain she didn’t but she knew how important being a Pinkerton agent was to him. “Pinkertons are your life, Peyton. I know that about you.”
He cradled her head in his hands. “No, no, you knew that about the old me. It hit me when Mrs. Webb spoke about the son who didn’t come home. What if on the next case one of us doesn’t come home? I could never rest without you at my side.”
“Nor I without you.” She searched his eyes. “Are you saying you want to retire from Pinkertons and become a full-time rancher now?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Life can be cut short at any time. I know that. I want to seize whatever time we have left together. I want us to fill this house with children.”
“That sounds wonderful. Perhaps you should take a long leave of absence until you’re certain. You might really miss being an agent.”
“Not compared to being your husband, my love. With you by my side, I have everything I need. This ranch, the house, everything else is just trimmings. If this disappeared tomorrow, I’d be fine as long as I have you.”
“Oh, I feel the same way. The house is luxurious, the staff impressive, the ranch beautiful. As you said, it’s all extras, what my dad used to call ‘the gravy’, but you are my life. If we’re together, we will be happy.”
She clasped his hand. “Should we go congratulate Mama and Jeff then tell them our decision?”
“Later, Red, much later.”
For a complete list of books on the Pinkerton Matchmaker Series pages of Amazon, follow this link:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pinkerton+matchmaker+series&crid=2D98LKGV2TVV4&sprefix=Pinkerton+%2Caps%2C293&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_10
For a complete list of Caroline Clemmons books, check her Author Page on Amazon at https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/
About Caroline Clemmons
Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was born in town instead of on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a tiny office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their two rescued indoor cats—Sebastian the tuxedo cat, and Jasmine the shy Balinese—and their Shi Tzu, Chloe, as well as providing nourishment outdoors for a collection of wild critters who stop by to dine.
The books she creates in her pink cave have made her a bestselling and award-winning author. She writes both sweet and sensual romances about the West, both historical and contemporary as well as time travel and mystery.
When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, reading books written by her friends, eating out, browsing antique malls, researching genealogy, checking Facebook, and taking the occasional nap. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
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