The Ranger's Daughter

The beginning and the end

Grace couldn't help but smile as she walked beside Vance in the cool night air. The days were usually so warm, with the sun beating it's heat relentlessly on the hard workers. Tonight, however, was perfectly lovely. Their was a soft breeze that tickled the leaves and helped to relieve the ever present blush heating Grace's cheeks. Vance hadn't said anything since they left Mary Anne to the cookies several minutes earlier. Grace didn't fill the air with words either. She just wanted to hold on to this moment- freeze it in her memory so that she would forever remember the way she felt as Vance's tall strong body walked beside hers. The way his hand accidentally brushed against hers. She wanted to remember it all! The scent of him, the memory of their exchanged kisses, his smile.. This night had been the stuff of dreams!

"It's been nice hasn't it?" Vance's low voice rumbled into the still night air.

Grace nearly gasped, had she spoken her thoughts aloud? "This is a nice evening, the weather has been perfect for bringing in the wheat."

Vance chuckled softly. "Your mind is always on business, pretty girl."

"What do you mean?" Graces eyes widened when she heard his last two words. He thought she was a pretty girl? She liked the way he said it. He didn't say the words in a derogatory way, rather his voice was low and had a certain warmth in it that made Grace's insides flutter.

"I mean this past week. Living here, working together, kissing in barns, baking cookies. Except for the interfering chaperone, it's been perfect, hasn't it?"

Grace chuckled. "Vance you shouldn't refer to your mother that way."

Vance smiled and wrapped her hand in his, lacing their fingers. His thumb stroked the back of her hand. "Can't help it, I don't like unfinished kisses." Vance stopped and turned so that he was facing Grace, looking down at her he searched her eyes for several seconds, his thumb still stroking the back of her hand. "Makes me think we should make it permanent."

"You mean.."

"Would that be unbearable for you Grace? To be saddled to me? You might not like it.. Olga .. Well, you know about her. I don't want to hurt you so if-"

Grace couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. "Vance, are you in earnest?" She whispered.

"Yeah." Vance held his breath as he watched a tear slide down Grace's cheek. He shouldn't have asked.. He should have kept his mouth shut and contented himself with her mostly chaste kisses. His heart plummeted to his feet the moment Grace pulled her hand from his.

Standing on tip toe she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips softly to his three times.

"What are you doing?" Vance's tortured mind was slow to catch up with her strange reaction. "That's not how you refuse a proposal."

"I'm going to keep kissing you until you figure it out." Grace murmured against his lips. Lowering herself from her tiptoes, she placed a moist kiss in his kiss and continued kissing down his neck.

"Figure what out?" Vance gulped as his mind struggled to operate. All he could focus on was Grace's soft lips kissing his neck. Her lips were several inches lower the he wished them to be. Goose flesh prickled his arms and Vance was sure he'd never been so affected by a woman's lips.

"Until you figure out that I'm not refusing."

Vance tilted her chin up until he was looking into her eyes. "If you're not refusing that means you're accepting."

"Vance, you're a slow learner, you blame everything on yourself, and you eat too many sweets but I would love to be your wife. I want you to be my husband" Grace smiled as she stroked a finger down his cheek. "I accepted your proposal, Vance. Are you going to accept my acceptance?"

"I'd be a fool if I didn't." Tilting her head, crushed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that made both of their heads reel.

--
"This is absolutely delightful!" Mary Anne clapped her hand together. The smile hadn't left her face since Vance had told his mother the news. "I'm so excited! You folks can live here on the farm and-"

"Actually, Grace and I decided it would be best to sell the farm. "

A frown creased Mary Anne's forehead. "Why would you do that?"

Grace shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee. Truth be told, she couldn't stay at this house. The house that held all of he good and bad memories. That barn. She just couldn't. Vance fully understood, after all he had escaped his place of torment too.

"We've decided to move to a small town not far from here. Start a new life, a life just for the two of us."

"That's fine dear, as long as you keep a spare room for your dear old mother." Mary Anne smiled and then chuckled when she relived that Vance and Grace were wrapped up in each other's arms and not paying her one bit of attention.
"Well," Mary Anne said to herself as she washed her coffee cup, "One thing is for sure and certain, only love can heal broken hearts." Taking her apron off she smiled as she watched her son kissing his sweet fiancée. "The end of one story," she whispered as a prayer, " And the beginning of many more."

Finis

A/N: Hey ya'll! This is the end of The Ranger's Daughter and I think it was the most difficult chapter to write. Hope it didn't disappoint anyone! Now, for all of those who read Loving River and Loving Lily books, I would like to thank you for being patient with me while I got the Rangers Daughter out of my system. Now that this story is completed I will begin the next Loving book. With that in mind though, I got an idea while I was writing this chapter and was wondered how you guys would react to it. How much do you guys like Vance and Grace? Enough to hear more about them? I was considering a book crossover. Since they're planning on changing towns I was thinking of them moving into Micah and Zane's little town and have all my characters meet. Any how thanks for reading my book, hope you guys liked it! Thanks for all the votes and comments, you know I adore them! Happy reading!
L. R.