She looked at him with her heart in her eyes. “I don’t care about expensive things,” she said softly, which made his black eyes light up.

She opened the box. There was a small but perfect diamond engagement ring and a matching wedding ring in yellow gold. She had a little, inexpensive pair of pierced gold studs that she wore all the time. She loved yellow gold. Apparently, Colter had noticed.

Her throat felt full of thorns. She could barely breathe. It was a proposal of marriage.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Colter ground his teeth together. Was she going to refuse? Had he completely misjudged her feelings?

Even as he thought it, she took out the engagement ring and put it in the palm of his big hand.

“Will you put it on for me?” she whispered, looking up at him with her whole heart in her eyes.

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “Damned straight, I will,” he said huskily.

He slid it onto her ring finger and kissed it hungrily. “Is that a yes?” he asked softly.

She laughed and caught him around the neck and kissed him with more fervor than skill. “It’s a yes,” she whispered. And she said nothing else for a very long time.

SIXTEEN

There was a solemn memorial service for Morris and Clancey’s grandfather at the Methodist church in Jacobsville. It was well attended, because a lot of older residents of the county remembered Deputy Sheriff Dalton Reed. The urns containing both sets of remains were buried in the cemetery, next to Clancey’s mother and father. She shook hands with Reverend Blair and reminisced with people who’d known her grandfather.

Later, she and Colter stood back from the small graves in the cold wind.

“He was a terrific grandfather,” Clancey said quietly. “I loved him even more than my mother and father.”

He put an arm around her and drew her close. “I’m sorry you lost him in the way you did.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry Morris turned out to be such a bad man. If Ben had been a better father, if he hadn’t spoiled Morris to death, he might have turned out differently.”

“That’s a hard call,” Colter said. “We can’t go back. We have to go forward.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Forward sounds very good. When are you going to marry me?”

He pursed his lips. “How about Saturday at the Methodist Church? And if you don’t mind, I’m going to invite the lieutenant. I’m hoping he’ll give us Monday and Tuesday off so we can have a nice, long honeymoon.”

“Where are we going on our honeymoon?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Galveston. To the beach. It’s too cold to swim, but the scenery’s terrific.”