She sighed. 'Course, someone that good deserved to get what he wanted. And if he really did want her...

Her past, her ghosts were all around her as she rose and stepped into the light. It warmed her cold places, while crisp, fresh air filled her lungs, blowing out the stale and the old. Jake stopped as she hesitated and looked back. What had been might have been painful, but it was familiar. Was it only her fancy that she saw Kerry Anne sitting there, smiling and urging her on?

Phoebe rubbed her heart. The pain wasn't gone, but it was fading. There'd be scars, but her wounds could finally heal.

She turned and started toward Jake, getting lighter with each step as her ghosts let her go. Guess she didn't know how to quit either.

He stopped in front of her and smiled that toe-curling smile of his. She had to smile back. She was in his custody.

"I'm curious again," he said.

The sun must have taken up residence inside her, because she was warming up nicely. "You know what they say about curiosity."

"They're wrong." Jake could feel his family's eyes boring into his back. It was really cramping his style. He couldn't just jump on the girl. She'd been through hell, could have issues or something. She was so damn young. What if he was taking advantage of her, too? "You want to go for a walk or something?"

Her smile wasn't young. Neither was the look in her eyes. "Definitely or something."

Heat did a fast arc from him to her and back again. "Okay."

Phoebe looked past Jake's shoulder. "Um, your family's watching us out the window."

"I know. Sorry about that." He turned to glare at them. They indicated he should get on with it.

"What do they want?"

Like she didn't know. "A happy ending. Ever since Dani joined the family, we've all become incurable romantics." If he didn't touch her soon, his skin was going to explode.

"Oh."

He had an idea that might partially ease his pain. "We could get them off our backs if we...pretended to kiss? You know, a ruse. A trick."

"I am familiar with the concept." Her lashes swept down, then up. "Pretend?"

"If you just stepped a little closer..."

She stepped a lot closer. "Like this?"

"Oh, yeah." They still hadn't touched, but only because he couldn't breathe.

"I think I should put my hands around your neck. At least, that's how they do it in the movies."

"Good idea."

She licked her lips as she lifted one hand to his shoulder. Her touch was light, but he trembled. Thought she did, too. He didn't ask, because he couldn't talk, if he could touch her. He just did. His right hand settled on her bare waist, the feel of her skin making his head spin. He felt and heard her small gasp.

"So...far...so...good," he managed to croak.

"Yeah," was her breathy response.

She lifted her second hand up more slowly than the first, dragging it up the side of his arm before sliding it around the back of his head. He had to put his other hand on her waist, too, to steady her. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, especially with his mom watching. The natural consequence of this was to draw her against him.

It was such a relief. He'd come home. Finally.

He leaned his forehead against hers, closed his eyes and confessed, "I love you, Phoebe-Nadine-whoever-you-decide-to-be. To hell with our ruse. Unless you do something to stop me, I'm going to kiss you."

She was close enough, he could feel her mouth smile against his.

"I don't think we fooled them anyway. They're still there."

And if he didn't kiss her soon, she was going to die. She adjusted the angle of her head, to make it easy for him. He did close the distance, but not enough. He kept his tantalizing mouth just out of reach.

"I got a last name for you, if you'll tell me what I should call you."

She tipped her head back so she could see his true, blue eyes. Smoothed his hair back because she could. "Call me...in love."

He started to laugh, then swept her off her feet and spun them in a circle that slowed as their mouths finally came together.

Before she lost the ability to think or hear anything, Phoebe thought she heard Kerry Anne laughing.

Epilogue.

"Is she nuts?" Dewey asked Phoebe in a low voice as he looked at the guests arriving for a barbecue at Dani and Matt's. It was an eclectic mix that included the her new in-laws, Phoebe's former in-law's already on their way to getting plastered, a gaggle of female friends of Dani's, a mix of law enforcers from various agencies, and, of course, the two, mostly reformed, law breakers.

"She's a romance writer," Phoebe said. Dewey looked happy-contented even-despite the shiny electronic bracelet Bryn had attached to his ankle. A shiny gold band on her left hand kept Phoebe firmly attached to Jake.

"Oh." His gaze found Bryn, lingered for a moment, then turned toward Phoebe. "I've missed you."

Phoebe patted his hand. "She keeps you on a pretty short leash."

"So does yours."

Phoebe smiled. He did indeed. It had been a tumultuous six months. Dewey had given her away, though she'd had to convince Jesse it wasn't the job of the ex-husband. Jake and Jesse would never be close, but they had achieved a sort of truce when the guys realized Phoebe really was madly in love with her marshal.

For her honeymoon, Jake had arranged a visit to Georgia and a stop by Kerry Anne and Mama's graves. He called it closure, she called it kind. His family had let her in, though she suspected she was still on probation with Matt. That was okay. He was a big brother. Being protective went with the territory. Kept her on her toes to know he was watching. Gave her a goal.

All God's children need a goal. Speaking of...

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Phoebe asked.

Dewey looked at her. "I wondered if you'd figured it out."

"I'm slow, but I get there eventually."

Dewey nodded in Jake's direction. "Does he know?"

"He doesn't ask, I don't tell." It was the one secret she'd kept from Jake. "I wish you could have a happy ending, too."