Epilogue
Six Months Later
Cara returned to Hidden Oaks after a training lesson with a new client. A couple from New York was spending some time in the Bay Area after the birth of their first child, and they had wanted some extra sessions for their dog. They were full of so much affection for each other, the dog, and their new baby daughter that it had warmed Cara’s heart to spend an hour with them.
She’d be seeing them again in another week to work on some more skills. Helping dogs adjust to no longer being the baby of the family was part of her repertoire. Maybe someday, she’d help Violet and Henry with those skills. She’d already taught Henry to stop barking when Travis spanked her, so she was confident she could handle any curveball a dog threw her way. For now, she was simply happy to be heading home to see her man and cook him a good meal.
She pulled into the driveway of Travis’s home, next to his truck. She’d moved in with him last month, since her lease was up and it made sense. After all, they’d been spending every night together. Every day, too, when they weren’t working.
She cut the engine, grabbed the bag of groceries from the passenger seat, and unlocked the front door. “I’m making your favorite pasta primavera tonight,” she called out, as she headed up the steps and into the kitchen. “You know I love cooking for you.”
But the kitchen was empty. Travis didn’t answer her. None of the dogs greeted her either. Weird. He must be out walking them.
She set to work emptying the bag on the counter and planning what spices she’d need, when a rap on the kitchen window startled her. She nearly jumped, but then smiled when she saw Travis on the back deck, knocking on the windowpane. “Come outside,” he mouthed.
She headed to the sliding glass door and stepped onto the deck. Both dogs raced over to greet her.
“Sit,” she told them. They did as asked and she rewarded them with pats on the head. Then Travis got his reward, too, in a long, lingering kiss. He tugged her close, wrapping his arms around her. They kissed every time one of them came home for the day. This was everything she’d ever wanted. The home, the dogs, and the mad, wild, crazy heart-pounding love.
“Hey,” he said when he broke the kiss. “I taught Henry a new trick. Want to see?”
“Of course.”
Travis called Henry to him, and then knelt and began fiddling with the dog’s collar.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to figure out what he was up to. He seemed to be reaching inside something that looked awfully familiar, almost as if Henry was wearing a small leather pouch. As Travis switched to one knee, Cara gasped.
Henry was wearing a pouch, and Travis was dipping his hand inside it. “He’s been holding onto this for me,” Travis said, and her heart beat furiously, speeding up to a highway robbery pace as hope dashed and darted all through her bloodstream.
He looked up at her, holding a gorgeous diamond ring in his palm. “Cara Bailey, I am so in love with you, and I can’t bear the thought of you ever slipping away from me. I love you and I love our blended family,” he said, gesturing to the two dogs and making her laugh with his remark. “And I can’t let another day go by without asking you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
“You bet I will,” she said, kneeling down on the wooden deck to join him as he slid the ring onto her finger. Then she threw her arms around him and kissed him. “Why don’t we elope? We could even catch a flight to Vegas tomorrow.”
“You’re on. I’ll see your tomorrow, and I’ll raise it to tonight,” he said. “Let’s head to the airport.”
That sounded damn good to her, too.
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