Russell saw Dulcie drive up and went out on the porch. She’d been quiet all morning and when he saw her face he knew she’d made a decision.

She stepped out of the car and stood, her face turned up to the rain. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman, never loved her more than he did at that moment. He had to let her go. He’d known that from the start. Just as he knew he would go with her—if she let him.

She must have sensed him standing there because she looked in his direction, a big smile spreading across her face. “I love you!” she called through the pouring rain. “I love you, Russell Corbett.”

He realized it was the first time she’d said it. He felt his heart take off at a gallop. “I love you, Dulcie,” he called back.

“Marry me and build me a house over there on that hillside.”

He met her gaze and was off that porch in a heartbeat, lifting her off her feet to whirl her around as the rain fell, beading in her lashes and running down her face. And they were laughing and he was telling her how much he loved her and then his mouth was on hers and slowly he was lowering her to the ground.

As he pulled back, both of them soaked to the skin, he had to ask, “Are you sure, Dulcie? This is no Chicago.”

She laughed. “No, Russ, it’s not. But this is where our children will grow up and, if we’re lucky, our grandchildren. This is where my heart is.”