The Best Medicine (29 page)

And the smile was back. Finally, some dimples. “What?”

“Your face has perfect balance. It’s one of the first things I noticed about you. But you know what I’ve learned about you since then?”

“What?” His voice dropped lower, huskier. I might get to wear that racy nightie after all.

“I’ve learned that you’ll look after me when I’m sick, that you love dogs, that you’ll do anything and everything necessary to take care of the people you love. That’s the stuff that really matters, Tyler. That’s the stuff that made me fall in love with you.” I moved up as he slid down so we were lying side by side.

“You do?”

I nodded. “Very much. I love the way you laugh, and make me laugh. I love how you worry about me. And honestly, I love that you want to restart your dad’s charter company. I’m incredibly sad that you sold that boat.”

His smile dimmed. “I’m sad that I sold it not knowing you’d already paid those bills. But nothing has been signed yet.”

“You think you could cancel the sale?”

“There’s no money in fishing, Evie. I’ll never be rich.”

“I don’t need you to be rich. I just need you to be you.” I kissed him then, because I simply couldn’t wait any longer. The last few hours had been awful, thinking he was gone from my life. Because I loved Tyler Connelly, whether he was a paramedic or a fisherman or a dog walker. None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that he was mine.

And mine I made him. We kissed, and we tussled, and we soared. My maid of honor dress was thoroughly dishonored by the time we were through, but Tyler and I were satisfied and happy. We were in love. It just took a little leap of faith.

Cuddled up on the covers a while later, I traced my finger along his tattoo. “So what’s the first thing you noticed about me?”

Tyler chuckled. “Honestly?”

“Of course.”

He smiled, big and bright. “The glitter in your hair. I was kind of drunk, you know. I thought you might be an angel. Turns out I was right.”

Acknowledgments

No book is written alone, and I am truly grateful for the support and friendship I’ve received as this one grew from the tiny glimmer of an idea to a full-fledged love story.

Thanks to my dedicated and tireless team at Montlake Publishing. I appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Thanks to my agent, Nalini Akolekar. Your guidance, support, and sense of humor keep me sane and grounded. You are Wonder Woman, but in a more tasteful outfit.

Thanks to Elizabeth Otto for sharing, at a moment’s notice, her invaluable insight into being an EMT. Thanks to Anna Pakiela for sharing her knowledge and patiently explaining to me various aspects of the legal system, especially since my own corrections officer was unavailable for comment. Thanks to Dave Pierangeli for providing additional legal guidance on this book. Any errors in those areas are entirely mine. (Now might be a good time to also thank Dave for moving furniture for me upon occasion.)

Thanks to the beautiful Madeline Martin. She knows why, but I’ll let her explain that herself.

Thanks to Robin Allen for suggesting M&M’s scatter when they hit the floor. That was just the metaphor I needed!

Thanks to Cherry Adair for her support, enthusiasm, and her Post-it plotting madness.

Thanks to the handy little translator inside my computer that magically adapted English phrases to Portuguese. I sincerely apologize for any mangling I may have done to that beautiful language.

Thanks to Kelsey Shipton for her wonderful help with
Hold on My Heart
, and for not being mad that I failed to thank her sooner!

Thanks to Samhita for always making me belly laugh, and for pointing out there is no sport in shooting a goat. Thanks to Jane, Sheila, and Kim for packing up my house so I could move three days after this book was finished. Thanks to Gabby, Hillery, and Meredith for being the eternal sunshine in my life. And for never revealing where I’ve hidden the bodies.

Thanks to Alyssa Alexander, Kimberly Kincaid, and Jennifer McQuiston. For so many reasons. They are countless but I hope you know them all. Thanks to Kieran, Liz, Catherine, Darcy, Ash, Tammy, and Kim. Your friendship keeps this job fun, even during those moments when it’s . . . well . . . less fun.

Thanks to Adam Levine and Phillip Phillips for unknowingly providing the soundtrack to this story.

Thanks to Paul Walker for unknowingly providing inspiration to many a romance writer. A light has gone out. You will be missed.

And last, but never least, thank you to my husband, kids, sisters, and wonderful family members who have given me more support than any one person deserves. I am blessed. Without you guys, none of the rest matters.

About the Author

Allie Gadziemski, 2012

Past or present, Tracy Brogan loves romance. She read her first swashbuckling adventure at age sixteen and knew right then she was destined to become a novelist. She now writes fun and breezy contemporary stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and lush historical romance full of royal intrigue, damsels causing distress, and the occasional man in a kilt.

Tracy is a Romance Writers of America
^®
RITA finalist for Best First Book, and a two-time Golden Heart finalist. She’s the bestselling author of
Crazy Little Thing
,
Highland Surrender
, and
Hold on My Heart
. She resides in Michigan with her husband, their children, and their overly indulged dogs.

Tracy loves to hear from readers, so please contact her at
[email protected]
, or visit her website at
TracyBrogan.com
.