The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (comprehension books .TXT) 📗

of you / Love your curves and all your edges / all your perfect imperfections. / Give your all to me / I’ll give my all to you.”

And then he said, “I promise to work harder, smarter, better each day to be the man you deserve. Will you marry me?”

She smiled and sniffed, her voice shaky when she said, “That was perfect. Yes! I’ll marry you and give birth to an entire team of basketball players if that’s what you want.”

He slipped a ring on her finger. “This is a fourth-century garnet inlaid quintuple gold ring. I found it in a small wooden jewelry chest the first time we went to the treasure cave. The box was at my eye level, so there was no way I could miss it. I asked David if I could give it to you as an engagement ring.”

Tears streaked down her face. “Do you think Erik put it there for you to find?”

“I believe he did. He has watched over you for your entire life. Making sure you had the perfect engagement ring might have been one of his last acts of love.”

They returned Tesoro to his stall, brushed him, gave him fresh water and hay, and took a few pictures to send to Elliott. Austin would come back later and turn the horse out in a designated one-acre paddock, and later in the day, he’d meet with his ranch manager to discuss Tesoro’s individual needs.

Maddie jumped up on the driver’s seat. “No, you don’t. Get in the back.” Austin pointed, and—surprise, surprise—she did just that, wagging her tail.

Austin’s mother and uncles kidnapped him all those months ago and sent him to the past from this barn. At the time, only one person believed it was the right thing to do—Pops. And only one person knew it was the right thing to do—Erik.

Austin drove back to the house with his Viking princess and her destroyer puppy.

Damn! Life couldn’t get any better than this…

Well, maybe hearing… “O’Grady scores three from the corner to tie the game” one more time might be the cherry on top.

80

MacKlenna Ranch, CO (Christmas)—Elliott

Elliott stood on the deck of the ranch house overlooking the snow-covered ground and distant mountaintops. He’d always thought sunsets in Scotland looked like heaven on earth, but the beauty of a Colorado winter had Scotland beat.

And with all the skiers and snowmobilers, the ranch looked like a ski resort.

He’d lost track of how many kids were here. It could be fifty, or it could be a hundred. The MacKlennas were a prolific bunch.

Ensley had requested a virgin mimosa at brunch, but there was so much confusion at the time that Elliott didn’t think anyone else noticed. A baby and a new contract with the Denver Nuggets. They were living their dream. Elliott’s prayer was that they got to enjoy it for a few years before another brooch forced the family to face conflict, tension, and fear again.

Tavis, still wearing his ski jacket and pants, strode out to join Elliott at the railing. “I snuck a cigar out for you.”

Elliott glanced around. “Where’s Meredith? Have ye seen her? She knows I smoke one now and again, but if she catches me, she’ll demand that I put it out.”

Tavis handed him a cigar and unwrapped one for himself. “You’re safe. She bundled Joseph up and took him snowmobiling about thirty minutes ago. I warned her if she went fast and scared my kid, she’d lose her grandma privileges.”

Elliott unwrapped the cigar and gently pinched it between thumb and index finger—part of his meticulous ritual—working the entire length, searching for hard or soft spots. Then, fully satisfied there would be no draw problems, he passed the cigar beneath his nose—one final step in the ritual—to take in the sweet aroma.

“I wouldn’t worry about Meredith. Joseph goes rock climbing, for Christ’s sake. And ye think a fast ride will scare him? He’s three and already an adrenaline junkie. What’d Meredith say, ‘Mind yer own business?’”

“She told me to remember this the next time we went climbing.”

Tavis flicked his lighter and held the flame for Elliott to light his cigar. Elliott drew deeply until the red ember crawled up the paper, and smoke hazed the air between them. Then Elliott leaned against the railing, folded his arms across his chest, and enjoyed his insane love affair with cigars.

“How much do ye want to bet Joseph is driving on the way back?”

“So that’s her plan? Not to scare the kids but to terrorize the parents?”

Elliott laughed. “That’s about it.” Then he stopped laughing when he saw Austin carrying Ensley toward the house with her skis dangling, George and Barb traipsing beside them, throwing a ball for Maddie to chase, and the sun setting behind them. “Oh, dear God. What happened now?”

“Not a damn thing, except she’s pregnant, and Austin is hovering over her like she’s a China doll, not a Viking princess.”

“I didn’t think anybody knew she was pregnant.”

“She ordered a virgin mimosa this morning.”

“I noticed, but I didn’t think anyone else did.”

“It’s my job to notice.” Tavis tapped his cigar against the railing, and the ash fell to the ground and sizzled in the snow. “By the way, Braham told me to let you know we aren’t required to write a review. These are Christmas presents.”

“I hate writing those damn things, but I’d hate losing my privileges more, so I do it. But since we’re talking about Christmas presents, have ye given any more thought to where ye want to build yer house? Ye can’t live in a guest suite indefinitely, although Charlotte wouldn’t mind. But Joseph needs more stability. So is it Mallory Plantation, MacKlenna Farm, Napa, Florence, New South Wales?”

“Right now, I’m not sure. Kevin and I had a long chat last night about the housing situation. He asked if I’d be interested in living in JC’s house in Georgetown. He worries about it being empty. It’s got good security, but you never know. Staying there would keep Joseph