Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1) (22 page)

She fought back a
smile hearing him joke. She knew he was going to be fine. They were going to be
fine, even as she heard Gabe tell Sam where to send the ambulance and the
coroner.

“I love you, too,
Jake.” Becca sighed as she leaned down and kissed him. “I’m never going to let
you go.”

Epilogue

Jake sat on the
front porch of the Clifton Bed and Breakfast and smiled when Becca came through
the front door. He patted his knee and she took a seat on his lap.

“Are you nervous?”
he asked, tucking her hair behind one ear.

“A little bit. This
is a lot different from running a coffee shop.” She pressed a kiss against his
jaw. “I can’t get over that all the rooms are full for our opening. It’s a
little scary.”

Jake laughed. “After
what we’ve been through, this should be easy.”

She put her head on
his shoulder. “I’m so glad you came after me.”

He kissed her
temple. “So am I, Red. I wanted so much to get my hands around that bastard’s
neck and squeeze the life out of him.”

“You shouldn’t have
walked out there,” Becca scolded him. “He could’ve killed you.”

“I had faith in
Wyatt. I knew if I walked out there, Harris wouldn’t concentrate on you as much,
and Wyatt could get a clean shot.”

Becca chuckled. “Remind
me never to piss Wyatt off.”

Jake wrapped his
arms tight around her. “Wyatt said he took great pleasure in shooting the
bastard, especially when he saw Steve aiming for you after you kicked him in
his jewels. He said he’d be damned if that son of a bitch was going to shoot
his future sister in-law.”

Jake thought back
to the pain when the bullet slammed into his shoulder but when he went down, he
didn’t take his eyes off Becca—not once. When she started running toward him,
all he could think was,
now
,
Wyatt, now
. It was as if Wyatt had
heard him. His brother took the shot and hit Steve dead on. The bastard fell
without getting another shot off.

“When are you going
to marry me, Red?” Jake asked Becca, inhaling her sweet scent.

“I like the idea of
a wedding next May. What do you think?”

“Darlin’, you could
say right now and that would be fine with me.” Jake tipped his face up to look
into her eyes. “I’m never letting you go, Red. Not in this lifetime or beyond.”

He thought about
how surprised, yet pleased, everyone was that the Clifton B and B had a
full house for the grand opening. It was already August and
Becca’s six months were up. The ranch was staying in her possession and Jake
was very proud of her. Olivia had agreed to stay in Clifton, so she and Becca
sold the coffee shop. Emma was already trying out her recipes.

Jake saw the postman
coming up the drive. He nudged Becca and together, they stood. He watched Becca
walk down the steps to retrieve her mail. She had to sign for something. She
held it up to show him. It was a certified letter. Jake smiled at her when she grinned
and shrugged. He motioned for her to take a seat beside him on the swing. He
watched her open it, scan the contents, but then heard her gasp.

“What is it?” he
asked trying to read over her shoulder.

“It’s from Mr.
Gray. It’s a letter my grandmother wrote to me,” she answered. He saw her lips
tremble as she handed it to him to read.

My Dearest Becca,

We both know what
it means if you’re reading this. I’m not sure what I can say to you about what
happened between your daddy and me. I tried to talk to him but he was so angry
and now as I think back, I realize it was my fault. He lost all the love he
once had for the ranch when his own daddy died. After he left for college,
things changed for him. He didn’t want to run the ranch and we had a big
argument about it. I shouldn’t have told him that he wasn’t welcome at home. I
will never forgive myself for that.

Know this,
Becca,
I kept an eye on you. Thanks to your mom, I saw you
grow up through pictures and phone calls. After Will and Sarah were taken from
us too soon, I hired a private detective to find you and keep me posted on you.
I was so proud when you bought that little shop of yours. I wanted to see you
but didn’t know what you would think of me after all the time that had passed.
I’m leaving you my ranch in the hopes that you’ll love it as much as I do. If
for some reason you don’t, then please sell it to my friend, Jake Stone. He
certainly doesn’t need it but I trust him with it and he’s a good man. He’ll
take care of it and won’t let any strangers take Daniels’ land. He’s like a son
to me, so if he has it, I’ll be fine with that. Please know that I love you,
Becca-girl. I always have and I always will. I really hope you love the ranch
and decide to stay. It would be wonderful if you could find a good cowboy and
have some babies here in Clifton. Remember, I’ll always be watching over you.

 
I love you,

Gama (that’s what
you called me when you were 3)
          

* * * *

Becca smiled at
Jake with tears in her eyes.

“I remember calling
her,
Gama
. I remember saying that,” she
said with wonder. Becca couldn’t help but see that Jake’s eyes were bright with
unshed tears so she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her tightly and laid
his cheek on the top of her head.

“I’m so glad Hattie
wrote this to you. If it hadn’t been for your mom…I can’t imagine how Hattie
would’ve felt,” Jake said before pressing a kiss against her hair.

Becca gazed up at
him. “She did have some hopes for me, didn’t she?”

“She loved you very
much, just like I do.” Jake grinned. “And I think we should do what she
suggests.”

Becca frowned at
him. “Suggests? What do you mean?”

Jake chuckled. “Well,
you found yourself a good cowboy…that would be me, by the way, so now we should
get married and work on those babies.”

Becca felt her
cheeks burning as she smiled up at him. “I think that’s a really good idea,
Stone.”

Jake burst out
laughing. “Finally, Becca Daniels agrees with me on something.” Becca giggled
and smiled against his lips when he kissed her. “I love you, Red.”

“I love you too,
Jake and I will forever.” Becca put her head on his shoulder and silently sent
a prayer of thanks to the grandmother she’d never known, but who had always
loved her with all her heart.

*The End*

About the Author

Susan Fisher-Davis was born and raised in Cumberland,
MD. She moved to Tennessee in 1996 with her husband and two children. She now
lives in a small town outside of Nashville, along with her husband and their
three dogs. “Jake” is her first book in a series of eight. Although, writing
for years, it was just recently she decided to submit to publishers and went
with Secret Cravings Publishing. Susan is a huge Nashville Predators hockey
fan. She also enjoys fishing, taking drives down back roads, and visiting
Gatlinburg, TN.

She would love to hear from her readers and promises
to try to respond to all.

You can find her Facebook
page at
https://www.facebook.com/skdromanceauthor
and her website at
http://susanfisherdavisauthor.weebly.com/

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com