Badland Bride (Book 2 - Dakota Hearts) by Lisa Mondello

one of those coffees mine?”
    A small laugh escaped her lips as she held out the cup, which he reached for through the window that separated Nancy’s desk from the waiting room. “Just how you like it. But I didn’t make it. Your mother did. I stopped by the diner.”
    He took a sip of satisfaction. “I needed this.”
    “I was going to stop by your house. You don’t normally come to the clinic this early.”
    “I couldn’t sleep. Seems like that's contagious.”
    “Can we talk in private?”
    He glanced around the room. “No one is here but us, Regis.”
    She sighed, knowing she was stalling.
    “Whatever it is you want to tell me, just say it,” he said. “I’m here.”
    Her bottom lip quivered against all her efforts to stop it. “I know. I’m not used to that.”
    “Just say it,” he urged.
    She took a deep, cleansing breath. “I know I’ve been pushing you away these last few days. I don’t know how to do it any other way. I’ve never had any one place to call home before. I’ve been running so long, I don’t know how to stop.”
    “This could be your home. Give yourself a reason to love something and dig some roots.”
    She put her coffee cup down on the table. “It’s not that easy.”
    “It could be.” He walked out from behind the desk and came into the waiting room, standing close to her, but not close enough.
    Her heart thumped in her chest. “I deal with harsh realities all the time but the biggest one is how I feel about you. I feel like I’m falling without a safety net. ”
    “That’s what falling in love is. You’re not alone.” With one quick stride he was standing in front of her and scooping her into his arms. Here she felt alive and whole. In his arms, she felt the earth beneath her feet.
    “We started this, Regis,” Keith said, gazing down into her eyes. “Let’s finish it. Let’s find out how far we can take this. When I went to see you yesterday, I was angry. But I realized last night that it wasn’t just about the Buxton Mill claim. We’ll figure something out about that. It was because you were leaving and I didn’t know how to feel about that. I’ve never felt like this before. Since the moment I saw you standing in front of the clinic door, you’ve been throwing me for a loop. I never knew what love was like. With Logan and Poppy, I saw it. It was real. But I’d never had that before until I met you. I love you, Regis. I’m sure of it.”
    “I love you, too. I don’t know how it happened, but I do.”
    He kissed her lips, her face and her eyes as he dug his fingers in her hair, setting her soul on fire. It scared her to death and yet, it was everything she wanted.
    She heard Nancy clear her throat. Loudly .
    Keith pulled away from her abruptly and looked up with surprise. When Regis turned, she saw Nancy standing at the door with her coat still on, wearing a grin of amusement. “It’s a bit early in the day, isn’t it?”
    Regis felt her face flame, but Keith wasn’t fazed. “Why don’t you go to the diner and have a long breakfast. Tell my mother it’s on me.”
    “Oh, Hawk, your mother and I will have plenty to talk about,” Nancy said, laughing as she left the office.
    Regis giggled. “You do know what they’re going to talk about, don't you?”
    “I’d hate to disappoint them. I don’t expect you to say yes to marriage, Regis. But I can’t deny that I hope one day that’s what you’ll want. All I know is that I don’t want you to leave. Please tell me you’ll stay.”
    “I’m almost done with my work here,” she said. “I do have that vacation my boss promised—”
    “Great,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ll take however much time I can get with you.”
    “And then I’ll probably be unemployed.”
    Confusion pulled at his handsome features.
    “I think I’ve figured out a way to help the Buxton Mill center cause.”
    “Really?”
    “I contacted one of the families I lived with on base and mentioned what Ethan and