The Vixen and the Vet (29 page)

“I love you too,” he finally rasped into her ear. “I love you so much it felt like slowly dying to be away from you for so long.”

“For me too.”

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you again,” he breathed against her skin, and it made shivers sail down her back. “Not from this moment on.”

“Me neither,” she gasped, feeling overwhelmed and breathless, and happier than she’d ever been in her entire life.

She felt his jaw clench against her cheek, like he was gathering his courage. “Okay,” he breathed. “You ready to see?”

“I was always ready,
Harrow.”

***

“Harrow,” he repeated quietly, with wonder. The broken man of her dreams.

During some of their darkest moments apart, he’d worried about never hearing her call him that again. It felt so wonderful to hear the word that he laughed into her ear, and it broke the tension just enough for her to relax as he loosened his grip, and she pulled back, keeping her eyes open as she looked at him.

She gasped, holding her breath, then gasped again, as her face contorted and she started sobbing again.
“Oh … my … God,” she whimpered, reaching up tentatively to touch his face with trembling fingers. “Oh, Asher.”

He quickly cataloged the changes she was looking at: a new ear, a smoother cheek, a normal-looking eye socket, and, most recently, a completely reconstructed nose. He still needed the implants in his jaw and cheek, but he already looked very different from the last time she’d seen him, and, for a moment, as she stared at him with her hands covering her mouth, he felt nervous. What if she didn’t like the changes? What if she wanted the man she’d fallen in love with?

So she shocked him, as she always did, when she said through tears, “Your hair’s so short.”

He laughed, and she started laughing too, her beautiful smile taking over her whole face as tears wet her cheeks and her shoulders shook with sobs and laughter mingling.

“I have all this work done, and she notices my hair.” He reached out with his i-Limb forefinger, barely hearing the light whirring of the motor as he wiped a tear from her cheek.

She reached up, grinning, and grabbed hold of the finger gently, lowering it to look at it. “My partially bionic man,” she said, holding the silicon-covered skeleton in her hands and staring at it.

She finally raised her eyes to him and smiled a little sadly. “You look good. But so different. You don’t look like the Asher Lee I met four months ago.”

“Maybe not, but I’m still him. And you’re still the girl who loves him
, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I am.”

He reached up with his real hand and palmed her cheek, watching as she closed her eyes and leaned into him, reaching up to cover his hand with hers.

“Savannah.”

“Hmm?”

“I have to go back to Maryland tonight. I wasn’t actually supposed to leave at all, but after my all-okay this morning, I said I couldn’t wait anymore to see you, and Doc McCaffrey said he couldn’t stop me if I was hell-bent on being a fool for a woman.” He grinned, remembering the doctor’s sly smile. “I still have a
few procedures left. And I’ve been working with some of the guys there. Encouraging them and reminding them that there’s a big world out there and they need to figure out a way to be a part of it.”

She winced, nodding, trying to be brave. He knew her so well, it clutched at his heart, and he leaned forward to press his lips against hers in reassurance.

“But I don’t want to go back without you.”

He searched her eyes, feeling it in his heart, in his soul, that he was ready to take a big step toward forever.

He reached into his jacket pocket with his i-Limb thumb and forefinger, taking out the shiny gold band he’d asked Miss Potts to find in his mother’s jewelry box and have cleaned for him. He’d stopped by for it on the way to see Savannah, and gotten a huge tearful hug from his housekeeper/surrogate grandmother, who wished him luck and told him, “Savannah Carmichael isn’t a danged fool, so don’t be nervous.”

He held the ring carefully, reaching with his real thumb and forefinger to adjust it so that the diamond shined brightly at the top.

She whimpered and started crying again as he held it out to her, taking her hand in his real one.

“Savannah Calhoun Carmichael, the day you walked up to my door in a borrowed sundress holding a plate of brownies was the first day of my life. Knowing you, loving you, being loved by you—it’s been like being reborn. An angel giving me a second chance to live.

“You once told me that you thought I stayed alive for you, even though I didn’t know you yet. And I told you that not only had I stayed alive for you, but I’d never let you go.

“I never did. Not when I was so hurt and angry, not while we were apart. You were with me every minute—your smile, your laughter, the way you look at me, the way you touch me, the way you tell me that you love me. Every minute, you were with me. So deeply bound to my heart, so fiercely bound to my soul, I realized that me without you is impossible.”

He searched her face, which was soft and tender, gazing back at him with enough love to last a lifetime and beyond.

“Savannah, will you be my wife? Please,
darlin’, please say you’ll marry me.”

He held his breath, watching her eyes. It had occurred to him during his ride home that she could say no. She could say that he hadn’t trusted her, hadn’t believed in her enough.  She could tell him they needed a break or more time to be sure that they were right for each other. And if she said that? Well, he wouldn’t give up until she said yes. He’d come home as often as he could, and after Christmas he’d camp out on her porch. Eventually she’d see that he wasn’t ever going to give up on them, that the love he had for her was deathless. If he had to wait, he’d wait, but oh God, how he hoped as he stared back into her deep-brown eyes. How he hoped that the girl of his dreams would say …

“Yes! Of course, yes!”

She lifted her trembling hand and lowered her fourth finger so he could slide his mother’s ring onto it, and his whole body shuddered with relief.

She reached up to cradle his cheeks, pulling his face to hers, then tilted her head so that their lips met as he pulled her into his arms, determined never, ever to let her go again. When they drew back from each other, panting and breathless, he rested his forehead against hers.

“Just so you know, your daddy said yes first.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered if he said no.”

He kissed her, then, because she was his. Because he was so relieved and grateful that he’d never have to endure another day of his life without her. Because she was his best friend and his lover and his fiancé and the someday mother of his children. Because she was his second-chance and his happily ever after when all hope seemed gone.

“I’ll love you every day for the rest of my life, Asher Lee,” she whispered, her breath warm on his lips, making him wonder if there was time to stop by his bedroom for an hour or two before heading back down to Maryland together. “I promise that nothing will ever be more important to me than you. I love you more than anything else in the world, and I promise I always will.”

There was definitely time for a quick stop
, he thought, grinning at his bride-to-be.

“I promise the same,” he vowed, his voice low with emotion, with love and requited longing and the relief of knowing Savannah belonged to him forever. “I’ll love you more than anything else. Every day for the rest of my life.”

***

Savannah heard Scarlet’s voice from that May evening so long ago, clear as day—
number twelve, the first time you realize that he loves you as much as you love him
—and she drew back to look into the eyes that had first captured hers in a mirror so many months ago.

“What did you say?” she asked, her voice soft and breathless.

“I promise the same,” he repeated. “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

“Number twelve,” she murmured, shaking her head with wonder. “Scarlet was right.”

“Number twelve? Scarlet?” He grinned at her, his face a mix of love and light confusion. “What does it mean?”

Her heart surged with tenderness as she smiled back at her handsome man,
leaning forward again to whisper the words against his lips, before kissing him with all the love in her heart, every bit of which belonged to him:

“It means we’re ready for forever.”

THE END

Thank you so much for reading Asher and Savannah’s story! I hope you loved it.

*****

Operation Mend
is a real-life organization that has made a difference in the lives of over
one hundred wounded veterans.

For the entire month
s of June and July, it is my honor to donate 50 percent of my profits from the sale of
The Vixen & the Vet
to
Operation Mend
.

These folks are the real heroes
: the returning vets, the doctors, coordinators, buddy families, and other personnel who make
Operation Mend
a reality.

Learn more here:
operationmend.ucla.edu/

*****

Katy Regnery loves to hear from her fans!

Connect with her on
www.facebook.com/KatyRegnery

For news on upcoming romances, sign up for Katy Regnery’s newsletter at
www.katyregnery.com

Don’t miss Katy’s sweet
Heart of Montana
books, published by Boroughs Publishing Group:

BY PROXY (
Heart of Montana
#1—Jenny Lindstrom’s story)

Amazon link for BY PROXY, Heart of Montana #1

THE CHRISTMAS WISH (
Heart of Montana
#1.5—Tess Branson’s story)

MIDSUMMER SWEETHEART (
Heart of Montana
#2—Erik Lindstrom’s story)

SEE JANE FALL (
Heart of Montana #3
—Lars Lindstrom’s story)

MEETING MISS MYSTIC (
Heart of Montana #4
—Paul Johansson’s story)

To all of my friends on Twitter and Facebook. I am so excited to share
The Vixen & the Vet
with you! Thanks for your daily support and encouragement. I have the best fans ever!

A special shout out to Katy’s Ladies, the kindest, most amazing street team an author could ask for. I am so grateful for all of you.

To Kayla, Marijke, Cheer, Veronica, Summer, and Winnie. Thank you so much for the naming help! I hope you all enjoy seeing your terrific suggestions in print!

To Kim and Jennifer at the Killion Group. Thanks for making me look good, ladies.

To Jami Davenport and Allie K. Adams. Your invitation set the wheels in motion.

To Jennifer Bloechle, who sent me an article about the “10 Most Important Firsts” in any relationship, which got my motor revving.

To my beta readers who rock my world: Pam, Peggy, Summer and Tricia. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading my story in record time and giving me feedback. Your comments and feedback shaped this story into the book it is today.

To Chris Belden and Melissa DeMeo, my editors, who don’t let me get away with anything. That’s the way I want it. That’s the way I need it. Your insight, notes and advice make my writing the best it can be. I am so thankful to work with a team like you.

To my parents, who never fail to encourage and inspire. You are what true love is all about.

And finally, to George, Henry, and Callie, my dearly beloved. The
most
important thing is kindness, and I love you all the much.

ENCHANTED PLACES
:

Playing for Love at Deep Haven

HEART OF MONTANA
:

By Proxy

The Christmas Wish

Midsummer Sweetheart

See Jane Fall

Meeting Miss Mystic

and

What Were You Expecting?

in September, 2014

THE ENGLISH BROTHERS
:

Coming soon!

Breaking Up with Barrett

Falling for Fitz

Anyone but Alex

Seduced by Stratton

Wild about Weston

KATY REGNERY, Amazon best-selling author, has always loved telling a good story, and credits her mother with making funny, heartwarming tales come alive throughout her childhood. A lifelong devotee of all romance writing, from Edwardian to present-day, it was just a matter of time before Katy tried her hand at writing a love story of her own.

As it turned out, one love story turned into a series of six
Heart of Montana
romances, following the love lives of the Yellowstone-based Lindstrom siblings. When Katy’s fans asked her to turn up the heat, she cheerfully started her
Enchanted Places
series, which offers steamier romance to her readers. Katy is also proud to offer a stand-alone romance,
The Vixen and the Vet
, just in time for Fourth of July, 2014.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, and two dogs create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories of all are the messy and unexpected ones.