Gabe (Men of Clifton Montana Book 2) (29 page)

She gasped. “Gabe,
what are you saying?”

Gabe fell back on the
bed bringing her with him. “I’m saying, Emma, I’m in love with you, darlin’. I
have been for quite a while. When you heard me talking to Wyatt, I was talking
about me. I
didn’t think you loved me. I was so
afraid to tell you. I thought you’d throw it back in my face, and I couldn’t
take the chance.”

She cupped his face in
her hands. “You love me? Big, bad Gabriel Stone, the man who never wanted to
settle down, is in love w
ith me?”

Gabe grinned up at
her. “That would be me.” She squealed and rained kisses all over his face. “Now
can we go home, woman? I miss you and our little girl. Hear me well
though,
I will always come after you, Emma.”

She stood up, and
smiled at him, he
r heart filled with joy. Emma put
her hand out to her husband. “Let’s go home, Gabe.”

Epilogue

Madilyn Young stood in
the greenhouse helping a customer, but her thoughts kept traveling back to the
conversation she’d had earlier with Emma. Her dear fr
iend
had called her, all excited because Gabe had finally admitted he was in love
with her. Madilyn wanted to share her friend’s joy, but her heart ached for the
only man she ever wanted to love her that way. Staying busy was the best way
not to think abou
t Brody Morgan but just then she
glanced toward the door. She saw Sam Garrett standing there, and her heart
nearly stopped. He was looking straight at her and the serious look in his eyes
told her he was there to tell her something she knew she didn’t want
to hear. She started shaking when she saw Sam’s sister
walk quickly toward her. Katie grabbed her gently by the arm, and pulled her
aside. “Sam wants to talk with you a minute. I’ll take care of your customer.”

Madilyn nodded and
slowly moved toward Sam.
He took his hat off as she
approached him. She swallowed hard. “Is he dead?” she asked in a whisper of a
voice.

“No. He’s not dead,”
Sam told her.

She almost collapsed
from relief. “Then what do you want, Sam?”

Sam cleared his
throat. “He may be coming bac
k to town. I talked to
him a while back and at the time he was set on coming back, but now he’s not
sure.”

Madilyn shook her
head. “What’s new? He’s never sure about anything.”

“That’s not true,
Madilyn. He was sure about you. He loved you.”

“Did he, Sam?
He left me.” She clenched her fists in an attempt to push
down the rising despair and anger threatening to overwhelm her.

“You could’ve gone
with him. Damn it, Madilyn, Brody supported everything you did, but you
couldn’t support him when he wanted to beco
me a US
Marshal. You blamed everyone except the only person who was truly to blame.
Yourself.”

She shook her head.
Sam was wrong. Brody left her she hadn’t a choice. Or had she?
He
wanted you to go with him, but you refused
. Maybe everyone was right. She sighed.
Brody Morgan would be a part of her life until the day she died. That was
something she had to admit to herself. If he were to come back, her life was
never going to be the same. Her heart was going to be broken all
over again.

“You’re wrong, Sam. I
did blame myself, after I finished blaming everyone else.” She sighed. “I’m
sorry I blamed you.” She gazed up at Sam. “It wasn’t your fault. I know that
now. I knew it then too. I just had to blame someone.” She shrugged.
“You seemed like the most logical person since you were a
US Marshal, and he’d spoken to you about it before he did me.”

“I had nothing to do
with his decision, Madilyn. I only told him that I liked working as a Marshal.
I didn’t twist his arm,” Sam explai
ned.

“I know, but, Sam…I
don’t want him to come back here. Why would he want to come back?”

“It seems he’s left
the Marshals Service and needs a job.” Sam shrugged. “I need a deputy.”

She gasped with
indignation. “You’re hiring him?” She practically shoute
d at him.

“He’s my friend,
Madilyn. What did you want me to do?” Sam put his hand up when she started to
speak. “No. I know what you want me to do, but I’m not going to turn him down
just because you don’t want him back here.”

“You said you aren’t
even sur
e he’s coming back, Sam.”
God
help me!
She prayed he didn’t come back.

Sam nodded. “I’m
pretty sure he’ll be back. The way he talked he doesn’t really have much of a
choice.”

She shook her head.
“God no, Sam, how can I be in this town with him? You had to
know what it would do to me. Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not doing
anything, Madilyn,” Sam said through clenched teeth. “You just don’t get it.
It’s not all about you. He’s a friend, he needs a job, and I have a job
opening.”

She blinked back
tears. “I
guess he didn’t give you a choice. He knew
all he had to do was call you and you’d help him out.”

Sam huffed. “I have
to. I know he wouldn’t let me hang if it were the other way around.”

She snorted. “Of
course not, you two were too close. Like brothers. A
ll
of you were the same, you, Brody, Riley Madison, Trick Dillon, the Stone
brothers, and Ryder Wolfe. You were all inseparable, and you never cared who
got hurt along the way.”

Sam stepped forward.
“That’s bullshit, Madilyn, and you know it. We never hurt
anyone. You’re the one who wouldn’t go with him. That is
all on you, Madilyn. Don’t try shifting the blame again.” Sam put his hat on.
“I wanted you to know he may be back. I think I just wasted my time.” He turned
and stormed out the door before she coul
d say another
word. She stared at the door Sam had just disappeared through and hadn’t
realized how tense she was until she felt Katie touch her shoulder. She
flinched.

“Are you all right?”
Katie asked softly.

“Did he tell you why
he was here?”

“Yes. I’m s
orry, Madilyn. I know it’s going to be hard on you to see
Brody again.”

Madilyn turned to
stare at her friend. “Hard? It’s going to be damn near impossible.” She sighed.
“Maybe I’ll be lucky and not run into him, ever. I know Clifton is a small
town, but w
e don’t have to see each other.”

They both knew that
wouldn’t happen. Clifton may have only fifteen hundred people, but the center
of town was where everyone met. The Sheriff’s department was just down the
street from the Clifton Greenhouse and Florist. Th
e
animal hospital was down the street from the Sheriff’s department and the
Clifton Feed Store was up from the animal hospital, and the Clifton Diner was
just up the street from all of them. The entire town sat in the center of
ranches and farms. The hub o
f social gathering was
here in town. There was no way she and Brody wouldn’t run into each other.

Madilyn felt hot tears
roll down her face. Katie hugged her as she cried. Brody Morgan coming back to
town was the worst thing that could ever happen, and Mad
ilyn Young wasn’t going to survive it. She knew it in the depths of her
already broken 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. 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 visit her Facebook page and
website by the links below.
https://www.facebook.com/skdromanceauthor?ref=hl
www.susanfisherdavisauthor.weebly.com
 

Other books by Susan Fisher-Davis

 
Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1)

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com