"And I've pushed by asking you to move in with me?"

Unfamiliar insecurity tightened her expression.

"No," I rushed to rea.s.sure her. "You've surprised me, but you haven't pushed."

"A good surprise?"

"Very good," I confirmed, but it did nothing to stop my racing heart. She wanted me to move in with her. I'd hoped but hadn't expected it. "You're the one that's supposed to be surprised on her birthday. Can I give you your present before people start showing up for your party?"

"You've been hinting all week long. I can't wait to see what you came up with."

"It's out in the car. C'mon, lovely." I yanked on her hand to lead her out of the barn and past her soon-to-be demolished house. The new one was being constructed just beyond it.

Once we took the corner around her new house, she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped loudly. "Oh my G.o.d!

Joslyn! What did you do?" She stared from me to the car I'd parked in a spot hidden from view of the driveway. Her dream car, a cla.s.sic 1957 Ford Thunderbird in tuxedo black.

Raven black.

"Happy birthday, Raven."

"Sweetheart! How? Where? This is too much."

"It's why I was gone the extra day. It belonged to a former client of mine who recently had to move into an a.s.sisted living facility. I'd asked him to let me know if he ever wanted to sell the car, and when he called, I thought of you." I waited until she refocused on me. "I know you think it's extravagant, but it needs a lot of work. He was the *227 original owner and hasn't done any restoration. He wanted it to go somewhere it would be loved, so I got it for a steal.

Even if it weren't your dream car, I would have snapped it up. Since you're driving my Vette around any chance you get, I'll trade you for your own."

She looked at me with conflicting emotions in her eyes.

"Oh, Jos, it's too much."

"You only have a birthday once every four years, lovely." I brought up the fact that she was a leap year baby and only celebrated when the day came around. "Let's call it your stored up for the next three years' birthday gifts."

When she didn't immediately relent, I reached desperately for something that might persuade her. "Okay, your next three birthdays and throw in Christmas this year, too?"

"Christmas is ten months away."

"Yes, but you'll be around to remind me, won't you?"

Her eyes glowed at the deliberate promise of my gift. "I love you so much. Forget the tack room and the car, you're the best gift I've ever been given."

"You're so sweet. I love you, too. Now, go check out your cla.s.sic." I shoved her toward the gleaming black vehicle.

She circled it three times before she dared open the driver side door. When she floated into the seat, her blissful smile turned into pure joy. As expected, she reached out with her hands and touched every surface.

Nervousness almost kept me from joining her in the pa.s.senger seat. Only one place left to explore, and while I now had some a.s.surances, I still had some apprehension.

She popped open the glove compartment and spotted the black velvet box sitting on top of the owner's manual. Her head snapped up to lock eyes. "What's this?"

"The car's your birthday present. This," I reached in and grabbed the small jewelry box, holding it in the palm of my now trembling hand. "Well, I never imagined I'd fall in love.

Now, I can't imagine my life without the joy of being in love 228*

with you. You're definitely not rushing by asking me to move in." I managed to open the box with my shaking hands. "This is your engagement present. You're the love of my life, and I don't want to spend it without you. Will you marry me, Raven?"

Her mouth parted and her eyes flicked from the ring to my face and back. "Oh, Jos!" Rapid breaths kept her from speaking above a whisper. "I love you. I love you. I love you," she repeated until she crushed herself against me and kissed me deeply.

I had a vague awareness that the ring was smashed in between us, but I didn't feel anything other than her soft lips and searching tongue and the thunder of her heart against mine. After a few minutes, she leaned back to stare at the now closed jewelry box. I opened it to reveal the two carat, round cut amethyst set onto a platinum band.

"Amethyst," she breathed, fingering the gemstone.

"I noticed you only wear your birthstone." She nodded absently, still focused on the ring. "You actually have to accept this present. If you want to, that is," I added, heart pounding with the possibility that she might not. We hadn't specifically discussed marriage, but every serious talk we had included plans for a limitless future.

Her eyes snapped back to mine and widened. "Wait!"

She reached back and opened her door, springing out of the car and sprinting toward her house.

I was so shocked by her sudden disappearance that I didn't immediately react. It took a few moments before I eased out of the car, baffled and panic stricken. The last thing you wanted to have happen when you propose is for the object of your proposal to flee the area.

Raven came hurtling back around the side of the new house, pulling up a step away from me. Her face was split wide with a smile, glee making her body tremble.

"Raven?" I questioned because I couldn't stand the silence anymore.

*229 She produced a larger jewelry box of her own. Inside were two platinum wedding bands with intricate patterns inset in each. "I picked these out a month ago and have been hoping for the chance to ask you to spend your life with me.

I didn't know if it would ever come because of what you've told me about your other relationships."

I placed my hands on her shoulders and leaned my forehead against hers. "You changed my nature, Raven. I want to spend every moment reveling in this new life you've made possible for me." I barely had to move before my lips pressed against hers for a kiss. "I guess that's a yes?"

"You're showing me smoky grey again. It looks like that's a yes for both of us."

"We're going to have to build a bigger garage now."

She pressed me back against the car. "Thank G.o.d I asked you to marry me before Marco's crew left."

"I asked you!" I interjected with conviction.

"You're just marrying me for my car."

"I'm marrying you to get my own car back. Don't think I didn't notice that my Vette was gone when I got home today."

"It'll be our car now, sweetheart." She tipped her head with a wicked smile and winked. I loved when she did that.

I took the amethyst ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. A perfect fit for a perfect mate. "Let's save your rings for the day we move into your new house. We can start our new life together then."

"My, you're good at planning things." She kissed me again, tearing the breath from my lungs with her pa.s.sion.

Maybe it was fate or luck or paid dues, or maybe it was the fact that I'd never known this kind of joy in thirty-seven years. Something intervened to allow me to find such a remarkable partner and to fall so deeply. Whatever the reason, those solitary years would ensure that I'd never take this elation for granted.

Raven's Epilogue Two and a half years later M y stomach started fluttering the moment I reached through the open car window to key in the access code.

Every time I came through this gate, it made me think of the first time I visited my partner here. She'd shown me her beautiful home; then we'd driven around for the afternoon in her even more beautiful car. Now I was in my own amazing cla.s.sic, a gift from her, crunching down the gravel driveway, anxious to see her again after her business trip.

My black Thunderbird slid to a stop in the circular drive.

I glanced over at the house where we'd spent a lot of our time together and smiled when the door immediately popped open. Michael, her father and the new resident of this house, ambled out to greet me.

"She's going to be so surprised." His smile was bigger than mine as he slipped his arms around me and pressed me against him. "I love that you two are always trying to surprise each other. Why couldn't I luck into a wife like you? If I weren't so happy for Jos, I'd be awfully jealous."

"All you had to do was say something, Michael." I tilted my head up to wiggle my eyebrows at him. "My mom knows a ton of single women that would be perfect for you."

"Don't you start, too, Rave. I have enough meddling with my other daughter-in-law."

*231 I smiled, squeezing him harder before stepping back.

"Phoebe and I think it's a waste that a fine man like you is still available."

"Stop it, young lady, and go surprise my daughter. She's going to be thrilled to see you this early in the day."

He hustled me around the side of the house onto the pathway to the office. When I stepped inside, I was almost run down by Zina, my partner's employee, as she whisked from her office toward Joslyn's.

She stopped dead in her tracks, a wide grin splitting her face. "Thank heavens, you're here. She's been nonstop since she got off the plane. Apparently she thinks if she works our fingers to the bone, she won't have to work all weekend.

Make her stop, please!"

Her drama mixed with amused ire got us all laughing.

No sooner had our laughter started then my beautiful spouse appeared at her office door, surprise and elation battling her usual work-mode expression.

"Raven," she whispered and rushed into my arms.

"You're supposed to be at work still."

"Surprise!" I clutched her to me. Relief washed over me at the feel of her close again.

"I don't even care that you've ruined the surprise I had planned back at home. It's so good to see you." She leaned back and pressed her lips to mine.

I couldn't hold in the moan at the start of her kiss. G.o.d I'd missed her, always missed her so much when she was out of town pulling businesses back from the brink of disaster. Her mouth caressed mine with the same care as if it were our first kiss. She never denied me this pleasure after we'd been separated for any length of time, nor did she mind when I couldn't stop touching her for a few hours just to make sure she was really standing in front of me. Joslyn wasn't the touchy-feely type with anyone but me. In fact, she reserved so much of herself just for me. I'd never felt as special to anyone as she always made me feel.

232*

"I always love this part," I heard Michael mutter behind me.

"It'd be sickening if I didn't know how in love they were." Zina's sarcastic reply made us break apart with a laugh.

I glanced over at the two onlookers who'd become part of my family over the past few years. Michael, because he was my father-in-law and Zina because she was a crucial part of Joslyn's business. Without her, Joslyn would probably be gone four out of every four weeks, instead of one or two out of every four. That was bad enough, but I knew what I'd signed on for when I fell in love with this oh-so-rare woman. "I was just telling Michael outside that Mom knows several available women. Perhaps, we should start looking for available men for you, Zina? Hmm, maybe one of my unattached cousins?"

"No!" both Joslyn and Zina screeched, prompting a belly laugh from me. They both had issues with some of my cousins, not that I could blame them.

"I'll drop it for now, Z, but know that I'm keeping my eyes open."

"Have at it, sister. Someone deserves my beautiful black self." She squeezed my arm. "Take her away, please! Let me do my work."

"Our work," Jos grumbled, but the sharp glance dissipated when I swung back around to look at her. She still had a private smile just for me. I never grew tired of looking at it.

"Aren't you forgetting something, best girl?" Michael prompted.

"Oh, uh." She glanced back at her office for a second then looked guiltily at me. "It's probably just temporary."

"What?" Curiosity compelled me to follow her into her office. What I saw there made me stop in the doorway.

"What's that?"

*233 Jos bent to a knee and reached out a tentative hand to what looked like a young Welsh corgi, tan and white, but definitely a mutt with floppier ears and longer legs than the breed usually had. "Now, lovely," she began as I started inching backward. I didn't get too far since I melted every time she called me that and because Michael had blocked my escape. "Zina and I found her limping on the side of the road on our way back from the airport."

My hand was already up. "Oh, no. No, you don't."

But my beautiful partner wasn't listening. "She didn't have a tag, so we took her to the vet, and no ID chip either.

We're posting flyers, right, Zina?"

"Already done," her coconspirator added.

"Someone will call." My dog whispering spouse blinked her stunning grey eyes at me in the most endearing fashion.

"She's too cute and well behaved not to be someone's dog."

"And if no one calls?" I posed, already knowing the answer. My hardly innocent, so far away from being angelic, but still irresistible partner smiled tentatively. The question of permission so prominent in her eyes. "We've already got five dogs, sweetheart. We'll probably have to get a special license to keep another."

"Not until eight. I looked it up."

If she wasn't someone who rarely showed emotions except in my presence and around animals, dogs in particular, I'd want to shake her silly. I sighed, already knowing I'd lost this fight. When she stood and hugged me gratefully, I couldn't help but smile. We had ten acres of land, two horses, and five other dogs. What would one more hurt?

"I love you," she whispered.

"You better," I warned playfully, reaching down to pet what would surely become the newest addition to our family. "Come on, you're done for the day. I want some time alone with you before we head to Elise's party tonight.

Load up the pup."

234*

"She's staying with Dad for the weekend. She needs some medication and can't walk too much on her hind leg. I don't want her trying to get used to the others when we won't be there tonight."

I glanced back at Michael, nodding my thanks. It was probably a good idea the dog stay segregated until we knew if she'd be claimed by an owner. "Sounds good. Now say goodbye and you're not bringing any work home with you this weekend."

She grinned, flashing the smile that always made me weak. "Bye, Dad, thanks for taking care of Machi this weekend."

"Not a problem," he a.s.sured.