She smiled. “We can do anything—isn’t that how it goes in the fairy tales? We’ve made it to the other side of the woods. All that’s left for us now is our happy ending.”

“I’d like that.”

“Joe’s always telling me,” she said, “that there are some things you need to decide with your head, and others that you can only decide with your heart.”

“My heart’s definitely saying yes.”

She lowered her eyes for a moment, and I realized that she was feeling shy. Jilly, of all people. And that shyness filled me with the courage to listen to my heart.

I stood up and helped her to her feet. She looked up into my face.

“You know what?” she said. “I’m tired of talking. I feel like I’ve been talking forever. To Del. To Mattie. To everybody.”

I got the message and leaned down to kiss her. It was long and sweet and got a tingle started up way down inside me.

“Wow,” she said when we came up for air. “How come nobody ever told me you’re such a good kisser?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I scooped her in my arms and laid her carefully on the bed. Then I lay down beside her, my head propped on my arm so that I could look at her face. I reached out and followed the contour of her jaw with a finger.

“Maybe . . . “ she started, her voice husky. “Maybe we should wait until the crow girls get me fixed up.”

“I don’t want to wait.”

Those startling blue eyes of hers had a sheen, but she was smiling.

“Me, neither,” she said.

And pulled me over on top of her.

Lizzie

“So,” Siobhan said, “I’m guessing the lovebirds aren’t leaving their room.”

The band was sitting downstairs in the hotel’s bar. They had commandeered one of the large booths—big enough for six—and they each had a whiskey and a pint of beer on the table in front of them. Con and Lizzie sat on one of the benches, Siobhan and Andy across from them.

Lizzie smiled. “You think?”

Con put his arm around her shoulders.

“Maybe we should all pair up,” he said.

Lizzie pushed him away and punched him in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Your endless flirting. You know, if it hadn’t been for you, I would never have driven off the other night and none of this would have happened.” He started to protest, but she held up a hand. “No, I just need to say this. If I ever decide to drive off by myself in the middle of the night again, you all know to just shoot me or something, right?”

“Except . . . “ Andy began, but then he let his voice trail off.

“Except what?” Lizzie asked him.

“I don’t know. It was all pretty amazing.”