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"I'm here to fight for us,” declared Rusty confidently, “for our love. I know I have a lot to make up for, but if you'll let me, I promise to be the partner you deserve—now and always. No more running away. No more messing up."
"Are you really willing to try again?" she asked hesitantly, hardly daring to believe that this could be real.
"Absolutely I am," Rusty answered without hesitation. "Life without you isn't worth living, Janice. All I want is a chance to prove my love to you. I want to be with you now and forever.You can call yourself whatever the hell you like. As long as you’re mine."
As Janice blinked away her tears, Rusty opened up a large folder and carefully laid out a series of photographs.
“I never stopped remembering you, Janice. Look. Here’s a photograph of us on our first date at an ice-cream parlor,” he said. “And here we are the day we climbed that mountain in torrential rain. And that one here—that was taken the day you got stung by a bee and—”
“And you cuddled me and watched Disney movies with me all afternoon,” Janice said, eyes shining. “I remember it, Rusty. I remember all of it. Every moment.”
“So do I,” said Rusty. “Each of these photographs is a testament to the power of healing and hope. I've been carrying these around for so long, and now . . . now I want to make more memories with you. In fact, I never want to stop making memories with you."
Rusty turned to face Janice fully, the sincerity in his gaze making her breath catch in her throat. "Janice," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "You are my light, my hope, my home. I promise to be the partner you deserve and to stand by your side through every storm." He swallowed. “I hate the fact that we don’t have any photographs of the two of us over the last ten years. I don’t want any more gaps like that. I want to photograph the two of us together every day, for the rest of time.”
He held out a large, empty photograph album. He’d written “Rusty and Janice’s Good and Bad Times” on it.
A sob caught in Janice's throat, her heart swelling with a mixture of love and fear. Could she really trust Rusty again? Was she strong enough to face the challenges that lay ahead?
"Rusty," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I want so much to be with you . . . I want to believe you . . . but how do I know you won’t leave me again?”
“Because the truth is, Janice,” said Rusty, taking her by the hand, “I never left you. My heart has always been right there snuggled up next to yours. But I promise you now, in front of all these people, I’ll never walk away from you again. You’re my guiding light, my red-headed wonder, my Little Miss Giggle. From now on, I’ll talk to you about everything that’s going on in my head. I won’t make decisions for you. I won’t be intimidated by your father. I’ll be your rock, darlin’. For as long as you want me.”
As his words washed over her, Janice felt a fire ignite within her soul. These are the words she’d been waiting for Rusty to say to her all along. If only he’d said them ten years ago. To think how much heartache they could have avoided. . . .
"Okay," she whispered, “Let’s give it a try.”
Rusty face broke into a broad grin, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “Sweetheart,” he said, “you just made me the happiest man in the whole damn world.”
He reached out a hand to her, and she took it without hesitation, feeling the familiar roughness of his calloused fingers against her own.
"Rusty," she said, "thank you. Thank you for believing in us, for fighting for us."
"Janice," he replied, his voice filled with love and conviction, "we can get through anything, as long as we have each other. I promise you—from this moment on, I will stand by you, no matter what. And I'm going to do everything I can to make life for you even more exciting than it would be as a Laird."
As they held onto one another, the room seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them, their shared past, and the hope for a brighter future.
He bent down to kiss her, and she tasted so good—of all the delicious times that were to come.
All the Littles in the room erupted into wild applause and laughter and Janice giggled too.
“Now, let’s go outside,” Rusty told her. “I have one more little surprise for you.”
Rusty led her out onto the grounds of the ranch, and Janice gasped when she saw the horses.
Midnight was there, saddled up. And so was Snickers.
“Snickers!” she gasped. “She let you put a saddle on her.”
“Janice,” he said, “I always wanted to ride off into the sunset with you. Would you do me the honor?”
Janice laughed. “Ride off into the sunset? Where are we going?”
“To our new home, sweetheart. My cabin.”
Janice looked into Rusty's hazel eyes, feeling a warmth that she had thought long lost. Her heart fluttered. “I’d love to.”
Rusty pulled Janice close, his rugged face softening as he gazed deeply into her eyes. "Janice," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, "you have no idea how much it means to me that you're willing to give us another chance. I promise you, I'll never take it for granted."
