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his face in my neck, inhaling deeply.  

    "I never forgot you for one moment, Anita Lee. I never fell out of love with you, and I've been looking for you all this time." I sighed, clutching his body against mine. "Don't you feel the same way?" His voice was deep and husky, speaking to a part of my soul that I'd kept hidden for years.  

    "Yes... no. I don't know," I said. "This all happened so fast."

    "That's okay, Nita. We don't have to talk about it now. We'll speak on it tomorrow." He reached over and flicked off my light, pulling away from me. I realized my arms felt cold without him... and that I knew exactly what we were meant to be. But just for that moment, I didn't speak. I let Billy Joe ease a pillow under my foot and bring me a glass of water. He got back in bed with me, holding me until I fell asleep. My dreams were fitful and strange; it had been so long since I'd fallen asleep in someone's arms. And here I was again, giving it a try.  

    When I woke in the morning, it was late, and the sun filtered lazily through the windows. I groaned and reached next to me, expecting to find Billy Joe Wootton. But where he had been, there was only air.

    "Billy! Joe!" I shouted, my voice echoing. The only sounds came from my snoring dog at the foot of the bed. Tears pricked at my eyes again, falling down my cheeks. I'd made a huge mistake last night — and now Billy Joe was gone.

CHAPTER FIVE

    Desperately, I called Eleni, weeping so hard into the phone that I could barely speak.  

    “Calm down, calm down. Start from the beginning,” she said. I recounted what had happened with Billy Joe Wootton, the cowboy billionaire who was supposed to be the darling of Million Dollar Matchmaking.

    “I’m so sorry, Eleni. I didn't know what I was doing.” She made an exasperated noise.  

    “You know... I don't care about the business, Anita. I care about you. And I'm pretty sure that Billy Joe didn't go back to Austin without saying goodbye. That just doesn't make any sense.”

    “You're right! It doesn't make a lick of sense!” I nearly shouted into the phone, and I heard Eleni's long sigh. She was used to my more sensitive, emotional personality, but I knew it exasperated her at times. “I can't make it anywhere today. My damn foot.” I started crying again, needing Eleni's voice to reassure me that everything would be okay.

    “You stay right where you are, and I'll make sure you're okay when I get off of work later. Can you get food and water for yourself? Or are you really that bad off?” Wiping my tears aside, I laughed. Eleni's words were harsh, but her voice was tender. I knew she and Danielle would be there in an instant if I asked.

    “I got my wheelchair and some crutches that the hospital gave us.”

    “You know, hospitals don't just give you equipment like that. Did you pay for them? Or was it your secret admirer?” Eleni snorted. “You know, I really don't believe that this man has taken off without you. He seemed pretty set on…”

    I didn't hear the rest of what Eleni was saying. All I heard was three dogs scrambling to the door, rushing to greet the man who had just returned. I pulled on a long t-shirt and hobbled into my wheelchair, inexpertly rolling myself down the hallway to the front door. Just as I reached, the door, Joe pushed his way inside to greet me and my menagerie of animals. The dogs leapt up in celebration, and even my cats came to circle his legs again.

    “What on earth, Billy Joe?”

    “It’s Joe these days. But you can call me whatever you want to. Hopefully for the rest of our lives…” Billy Joe Wootton knelt down on one knee, right before me.

    “What on earth are you doing? You just popped out of here, and now what? You’re…”

    “Proposing.” He reached into the deep pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it up, and inside was a ring more beautiful than any I’d ever seen. The white gold ring had channel set diamonds all along the