He felt as if he'd aged years-and matured at least a few as well. They had come perilously close to losing their woman today. That scare, that horrible possibility put everything else into perspective.

Nothing was more important to Connor than his woman-his family. Nothing, not even his d.a.m.n, stupid, useless male posturing and pride.

He looked down at her. "No, you didn't."

"Some fur-lined handcuffs...and a paddle."

Connor chuckled.

He met Mel's gaze. That man said, "Partner, what do you say we head back into Divine and do what we planned to do this afternoon? Before d.i.c.khead over there f.u.c.ked up our schedule?"

"I say that's a h.e.l.l of a good idea," Connor said.

Sheriff Stinson had told them all they were free to go, as he'd gotten everyone's statements. Connor and Mel arranged to meet the man back here at ten the next morning. Until then, the property was going to be under police guard.

"If you're not in a rush to head back to l.u.s.ty, Ethan says come on over to the Pony. He said a celebration is in order." Ace grinned. "Kemp and I will be heading right over, because our wife is waiting for us there."

Connor looked down at Emily Anne. "Do you feel up to a little partying?"

"I do. The EMTs just put a bit of antibiotic cream on my wrists. I really am fine, you know."

"Oh, angel eyes, you're a h.e.l.l of a lot better than fine."

"We'll stop by," Mel said to Ace. "We're going to grab some dinner ourselves, after we make one other stop, first."

"We'll see you there, then," Webster said.

"One other stop, huh?" Emily Anne stood between them, her arms around each of them. Connor looked down at her, and then over at Mel, and knew he was looking at his future.

They'd talked some, the two of them. They'd also paid a visit to Mel's old training officer, Caleb Benedict, and spent some time over a couple of beers down by the barn at the family ranch, talking to Caleb and his brother Jonathan.

Connor was beginning to see how this was all going to work out just fine. Better than fine, in fact.

He grinned down at his woman. "Come on, Emily Anne. It's time we saw our ring on your finger."

And he was looking forward, very much, to the day he would look down and see her ring on his.

It was the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen and just exactly what she might have wished for. A setting of delicate gold filigree with sculpted hearts on each side of the stones held a single red ruby flanked by two sparkling diamonds.

"We thought it was fitting," Connor said, "as you are the rose between us two thorns-and seeing that you do, most definitely, own our hearts."

"I don't consider either one of you to be particularly p.r.i.c.kly," she said, even as she held back her laughter at how that could be taken if she thought naughty.

The men just smiled and shook their heads. Then Mel showed her the inside of the ring. They'd thought to have the ring inscribed. She held it up closer so she could read it.

The words nearly made her cry. "Precious angel eyes, ours forever." Emily Anne then stood there with her heart pounding and joy cascading through her while together, right there in the jewelry store, her men slipped the ring onto her finger.

Together. Something told her that concept might not be quite so much of a reach for them as it had been just a couple of short weeks before.

As they'd placed the ring on her finger, she couldn't keep her eyes from going misty. The day she had met these two men, she'd been a woman convinced that no man would ever truly love her. Now she had two gorgeous, strong and very alpha-type personal heroes to call her very own.

It didn't get any better than that. Emily Anne decided right then and there she was the luckiest woman on the planet.

That feeling followed her over to O'Reilley's, where the men had made dinner reservations for them a couple of days before. They'd asked for a table in the back so they could have a modic.u.m of privacy. They weren't, after all, in l.u.s.ty. There'd be no threesomes on the dance floor tonight over at the Dancing Pony as there had been at the community center dance the night she'd worn her new dress and wonderful black basque for the first time. Neither could she hold both of her lover's hands, the way she might at l.u.s.ty Appet.i.tes.

She regretted that, especially on this very special night. But she had a feeling the men had something planned for later, when they were alone, and that would more than make up for any affection she might have to hold back now. She wasn't one to be overly expressive in public to begin with. The hard part would be not reaching for Connor's hand.

They'd discussed it between them. Since Mel was going to be her legal husband, he was her "official" fiance. The distinction would only be for times and places where they were in the public eye, away from l.u.s.ty. So that was fine, a necessary concession to the sensibilities and the laws of the general population.

Nothing could dull Emily Anne's joy on this night. They were left alone at their table to peruse the menu and for once, she didn't even think about what the leanest or least fattening choice would be. For once, she felt so darn good about herself, she decided she would order a baked potato with her steak.

Her men loved her just the way she was. In their eyes, she was beautiful.

I am beautiful.

That was something she never thought she would think about herself, much less believe.

Tonight, Emily Anne believed it.

Mel ordered a bottle of wine. She bowed to his expertise, as she didn't really know wines at all. The Cabernet Sauvignon he selected came from right there in the Hill Country. Because he'd chosen it she decided to like it and discovered, after the first few sips, that she did.

"Are you going to spend the rest of the night looking at your ring and smiling?" Mel asked after their salads had been served.

"Probably. I've never been so happy." She looked down at her salad, then back up at the two of them. "I mean that. I am down to my toes happy." And then, because she hadn't yet, and she knew she could, she said, "I was so scared today. When Baxter pulled that gun, when he threatened to shoot Lucy and me-I was terrified."

Mel reached for her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. She felt her heart turn over at the sweet gesture. She knew he could see the love she felt shining in her eyes. Emily Anne shared that look with Connor, too.

There was a limit as to what she would withhold from him even if they were out in public.

She'd opened the box with that confession. "I didn't know what to do-I remember at one point thinking that when I got out of the mess I was in, you could teach me some slick self-defense moves," she said to Connor. "Having been in black ops, I bet you have more of those than most."

He chuckled, and then looked over at Mel.

"Actually that's probably not a bad idea," Mel said.

"I agree," Connor said. "Although we're going to do our d.a.m.nedest to ensure you're never in a situation like that again, it would be smart to show you a few things you can do to protect yourself."

"Anyway, what I wanted to tell you both was that, even though I was terrified I knew-even before I saw Chloe-I knew you'd find me, and rescue me."

"It seems to me," Connor said, "that you ladies did a pretty d.a.m.n good job of rescuing yourselves."

Emily Anne shrugged. "It was Lucy and Chloe who did that. Lucy came up with the plan. She is one smart, strong woman. You should have seen them. They were amazing!"

"From what we heard, you were pretty amazing yourself," Mel said. "From recognizing Chloe's car, to slowing down so she would see you and have time to get the plate number-even miming the word help. Maybe you didn't have a hand in that tussle and toppling that a.s.shole, Baxter. But you did your share. You kept your head and I can tell you, there are a lot of people I've seen throughout my years in law enforcement who couldn't do that under even less stressful circ.u.mstances." Mel shuddered and then he shot Connor a look. When that man nodded, he turned back to her. "We're proud of you, almost wife. Prouder than we can say."

Emily Anne thought it was altogether possible that she might get teary again. "Thank you. I love the way you love me, and I love the way you respect me and treat me like an equal. Because of you, I have a confidence I never knew I could have. I feel good about being me for the first time in my life."

The waiter arrived just then with an enormous tray, which he set on a stand he opened with one hand. The aroma of the meat, succulent and savory, filled her senses.

It occurred to Emily Anne right then that she was happy, free, beautiful, and the future before her with these two amazing men was nothing short of phenomenal.

"Do you know what? I'm starving!"

"So am I," Connor said. "And I could eat some food, too."

Emily Anne laughed even as she felt her face get warm. She looked down at the food being set out before her, then looked at both of her men. "In that case, gentlemen, may I suggest that you make sure to save room for dessert?"

She had no doubt, by the looks they gave her, that they understood exactly what kind of dessert she was planning to serve them later-when they were alone.

Chapter 27.

This time, they didn't ask her for ID.

She didn't remember the bouncers' names, but they remembered hers.

"Hi, Mike, Rogelio." Mel nodded to both men. One of them said, "Welcome back, gentlemen, Ms. Bancroft. Boss said for you to go on in. They've put together a few tables. You won't be able to miss them."

The Dancing Pony seemed a lot busier on this Monday night than it had the last time she was here. People were laughing and talking and sipping on drinks. Over the sound system, Brad Paisley's "Beat This Summer" had folks up and dancing, and those who weren't dancing, were busy socializing with their friends.

Emily Anne spotted the large group almost immediately. Her eyes zeroed in on someone she hadn't expected to see there-her best friend, Chloe. Flanked by her firemen, she was chatting with Grace Warner and looked to be having a good time. In fact, Chloe looked more relaxed than Emily Anne had ever seen her.

She got herself some good closure today. That alone is worth everything we went through.

In the past, Emily Anne would have been intimidated to approach such a group of animated, attractive people. Even though she didn't recognize everyone sitting around that large ma.s.s of tables, self-consciousness was nowhere in sight. Tonight, all she felt was contentment-she was alive, in love, and now about to be included in what looked to be a very fun group.

Emily Anne approached the tables with her hand held firmly in Mel's. It pleased her to see the sheriff, Hank Stinson there. He was sitting comfortably next to a man with long black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Although he seemed engrossed in his conversation with the sheriff, his real focus was on the pretty auburn-haired woman sitting on his other side. His forearm, which was covered in very detailed, dark tattoos, rested on the back of her chair, and his hand gently stroked her arm in a way that said "mine."

She recognized the couple, of course, from the two times they'd been in l.u.s.ty-though she had never actually been introduced to them. Now, she looked from the man-Seth Carter-to Lucy. She thought there was quite a bit of family resemblance there.

Then Ace and Ethan both got up and pulled some more chairs over, the entire group shifted around, and just like that, room had been made for her and her men.

Grace Warner came right over to her. "I'm so glad you came, Emily Anne, and so glad you made it out of that mess today!" Grace had taken her hand. She looked down at the ring sitting so prettily there and then gave her a sly look. "Why, Emily Anne Bancroft, I don't believe that little bit of bling was there the first time we met," she said. "It looks like a Clay Cook creation to me."

Emily Anne grinned. It was really hard not to grin at Grace Warner. She was one of the most glowing women Emily Anne had ever met. She leaned in closer and said, "It wasn't even there a couple of hours ago and yes, Clay Cook made it for us."

"Oh! You mean you got this just now?" She turned to the table at large. "Hey, ladies! Guess who got engaged! Come have a look at Emily Anne's ring!"

That was certainly an icebreaker if she'd ever experienced one. The women all jumped up and crowded around, wanting to get a look at her ring. In their eagerness they more or less moved Mel and Connor out of the way. Grace laughed as she looked at the two investigators. "Y'all sit down there. I'll bring her back to you in a few minutes."

"Yes, ma'am," Mel said. He nodded to the sheriff, and then sat down next to Ace Webster. Connor left the chair next to Mel for her and settled in beside Andrew Jessop.

She finally met Jayne Carter and her husband Seth and she blushed when they both said they recalled seeing her in l.u.s.ty. She also met Grace's sister Charity and her husband, Justin Connors. Lucy admired the ring, and Emily Anne felt that even with their differences, they might someday be really good friends. Beck and Patrick were there too, of course and Emily Anne was happy to see them easily chatting with the Jessops. Summer and Chloe both duly admired her ring. Chloe gave her a hug, and so did Summer.

"Have you set a date?" Grace asked.

"No, not yet," she said.

"As soon as possible." Mel and Connor had said that at the same time, and the other men sitting around the table chuckled.

"Oh, don't get in too big a rush. Her wedding day is very important to a woman," Grace said. "She's probably fantasized about that day since she was a little girl. Finding men who will give her that fantasy is a dream come true." She smiled at Ethan and he laid a gentle kiss on her temple.

"Emily Anne can have any kind of wedding she wants," Connor said.

"As long as she marries us," Mel agreed.

"You don't have to worry about that," Emily Anne said. She turned her attention back to Grace. "I like the way they do things in l.u.s.ty," she said. "The commitment ceremony takes place at the community center, and just about everyone in town attends." Then she looked around the table. "And there's always room for more friends."

"You just let us know when," Ethan said.

Emily Anne sighed as she took her seat between Connor and Mel. She loved the way that both men reached out for her, discreetly put a hand on her, as they chatted with the people around them.

With them, she never felt left out, or not good enough. With her men she always felt as if they saw her, all of her, and cherished her just as she was.

She noticed something in the table next to Chloe. Her friend saw her looking and lifted up the large jar, so she could get a better look.

"Isn't this wonderful? Lucy, Beck and Patrick gave this large jar of honey to us as a part of their wedding gift to us."

"That looks like real liquid gold to me," Emily Anne said. She'd seen the way her friend's eyes had misted, and caught the pleased smile on Lucy's face.

What she'd wanted to have happen earlier that morning as she'd gone to Lucy's spa had happened faster than she ever could have imagined.

A waitress came to the table, her tray loaded with drinks. Emily Anne recalled the woman's name was Corinna. She chatted with them as she set the beverages down.

"We ordered you a gla.s.s of sangria when you were being swarmed," Connor said.

"I wasn't being swarmed. I was showing off your good taste in rings."

"Matches our good taste in women, don't you think?" Mel asked.

Emily Anne blushed. "Thank you for ordering me a drink. I appreciate it."

Ethan excused himself, lifting Grace off his lap, kissing her cheek and whispering something in her ear that made her blush and laugh.

Emily Anne recalled seeing Grace with one of her other husbands, Jack, the last time. She thought, then, of all the people she knew who were living their lives in what some would call "alternative lifestyles." She'd never been one to judge a person, even before she came to l.u.s.ty. But thinking of all those people-all those happy, loving people-how could anyone find fault with how they lived?

"Relax." Connor stroked a finger down her nose, then up again, to erase the frown she'd known had formed there.

"Okay. I love you."