Chasing Trouble (Chasing Love 1)

“Goddamn it, JJ, I’m so in love with you.” He kissed her so hard her toes curled backward. She threw her arms around his neck, tears streamed down her face. “Don’t go doing that, sugar.” He wiped her damp cheek with his thumb. “Can’t have you crying now.”

She smiled. A tremor of happiness raced through her. She had what she wanted. And here, in his arms, she knew she could take on anything.

“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it,” he whispered against her mouth.

God, she loved that word. We. Her eyes creaked open and she pulled back from Colt just enough to meet his gaze. “Ah, Colt…what’s that?” There were small boards in the ground with rope running between them, sectioning off a large chunk of land.

He looked over his shoulder. “That? It’s the outline for the foundation.”

“Foundation for what?”

He let her slide down his body, took her hand, and walked her over to the roped-off area in the middle of the field. Colt stepped in, bringing Jenna with him.

“Foundation for my new house.”

Jenna’s eyes snapped up. “What? You’re building a home? Here?”

“No. I’m building a house. Signed the papers at Bass’s last week.” He cupped her cheeks. “But my home is where you are.” He kissed the breath out of her, and Jenna felt those tears creep up again.

“I love you,” he whispered against his mouth.

“I love you, too.”

“So.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and tapped his boot. “You think you could see yourself living here?”

She smiled and looked down. “Why, Colt McCade, are you asking me to move onto your slab of dirt?”

“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He sank to one knee and pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket. “I was also hoping you’d marry me.”

Joy burst through her veins and the only word Jenna knew how to say in that moment was, “Yes!”

Colt rose, smiling wide and peppering her face with kisses.

Tires treading the dirt road screeched to a stop. A caravan of three flanked Colt’s parked truck. Sebastian, Huck, Penny, Lily, Ryder, and Alex all came running out of the vehicles.

“Miss Jenna!” Alex yelled, arms wide as he ran to her. “Mama says you’re gonna be teaching in the summer!” Alex slammed into her legs and she hugged him.

“What?” She looked down at Alex.

Lily came up behind him. “You got it, Jen! The school board voted, four to one in your favor!”

“Congratulations, sugar,” Colt said and kissed her hair.

Alex was still wrapped around her shins. She looked up at the man she loved, the man who awakened her and made her feel like the woman she was meant to be.

“I already got what I wanted.” She kissed him. “The job is just a bonus.”

Colt took her face in his hands and there, standing on the foundation of what was looking like an amazing future, Mr. Rodeo Romeo made Jenna feel like a Kansas-style Juliet.

Epilogue

“Your hands are a bit south there,” Jenna said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am.” Only instead of moving his hands higher, the confident cowboy currently taking her around the dance floor moved them a bit lower. He gave a little squeeze, and unleashed his own sexy grin. Jenna knew right then how this night would end.

She leaned in, purposefully grinding her body further into his. “What do you say we get out of here and put those hands to better use?”

He groaned. “Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me, sugar.” He kissed her. Just like the first night they were together: hard and slow. And damn if Jenna didn’t lose her mind, and her heart all over again for Colt McCade.