Karin shook her head. She knew he was speculating over everything because he didn’t know where to even start. She had to sympathize with him over that, since she couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if she found out he had an ex-fiancé. One thing she did know was that she would have a pile of questions and she had to allow him the same.
“I didn’t get the job at the clinic until Brad and I split up. I moved to Reno to make a fresh start.”
“So why did the two of you break up?” Nick suddenly looked uneasy, and he quickly added, “I’m sorry. It’s not really any of my business, is it?”
“I don’t mind answering any questions you have.” She shook her head and held his gaze. “Brad and I split up because we didn’t work well together anymore. Not sure we ever did, really. We were together for the sake of being together and neither of us was really happy in the relationship. We’d become more like friends and both of us wanted more than that.”
“So why was he here? Why were you in the café together?”
Karin flinched at the slightly accusing tone of his voice, but she wouldn’t allow herself to take offense. She took a calming breath.
“Brad showed up on my doorstep unexpectedly, asking for me to talk with him. I told him I would meet him at the café. I didn’t feel comfortable having him here in my home and I wanted us to be somewhere public before we discussed anything important.”
Nick’s brow furrowed and for a moment she thought he was angry, but then she realized that he was, in fact, curious, teetering on the edge of tentative anger. “You didn’t feel you could be alone with him? He hasn’t hurt you physically, has he?”
“Oh no!” Karin denied quickly, and she saw Nick relax a little. She was touched to see how concerned he was for her wellbeing. “I didn’t want him in here. I guess it was a way of me keeping my new life and my past separate. Plus, it didn’t seem appropriate. It was early in the morning and I didn’t want people to see him and think… well, you know what they’d think.”
“I get that,” Nick agreed, running his fingers through his hair. “So, you went to the café. What did he want?”
Nick spoke as though he was a police officer taking down a witness statement and Karin knew he was taking mental notes.
“He asked if we could get back together.” Karin didn’t mince words as that would be unfair. She paused as she saw Nick grow tense again. He looked as though he was fighting the urge to get up and leave. The strain on his face was evident in the hardening line of his strong jaw.
“Surely you could have just told me over the phone if you were getting back with your ex.” Nick sighed deeply as though it hurt to breathe. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I guess, you didn’t need to tell me at all. I would’ve figured it out eventually.”
That statement stung Karin and she couldn’t hide the flinch from him.
“It’s not like that at all,” she protested and looked down at her plate again. “I have no intention of going back to him. I can’t. Because, you see, the deal is that I’ve fallen for someone else.”
She heard Nick take a sharp inhale of breath which caused her to look up at him again. He was staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. “So, you’re dating a third guy?”
“No, Nick. Stop being so dense. I’m talking about you!” Karin used a playful tone at first to try to hide her annoyance. It was shocking he still didn’t get what she was saying. Her words had been as clear as the air after a spring rain, but he’d still managed to miss it. Or was I really clear?
Nick still sat there looking bewildered. She felt like he might stand up to leave any minute. She needed to save this fast.
“Nick, listen. I’m talking about you. I’m falling in love with you.” She used a soothing tone even though she wanted to yell at him. Her voice broke as he abruptly stood up, causing the chair to screech backwards and clatter on the hardwood floor.
In a split second he’d come around the table and pulled her up to her feet. For a second, she was so startled she didn’t have a clue what was going on. She wasn’t sure if he was staying or going until he took her into his arms.
When he pressed his lips firmly against hers, the confusion vanished. She fell into him and kissed him back with all the pent up emotion that raged inside her.
It was a kiss filled with passion and meaning, a kiss that meant more to Karin than any other kiss ever had. She knew if he hadn’t been holding her, she would have wobbled off her feet. Her knees were weak and shaking so badly she was almost sure she could hear them knocking together. The truth was she didn’t care. All she cared about was Nick and kissing him back. Her hands came up to cup his face, and she held him there, frightened he might try to pull away.
When he finally pulled away, it was only a few inches. Opening her eyes, she found him looking down grumpily at her, a hand running through the strands of her hair.
“What are you smiling at, Doctor Boling?”
“A handsome police officer just swept me off my feet. Where in life does that really happen?” Her head was still spinning and she worried briefly that she’d dreamed the kiss and Nick’s smiling face. Again, she was relieved that he was still holding on to her. She never wanted him to let her go.
“Would you mind if he did it again?” Nick finally smiled and her heart skipped a beat.
“Certainly not.”
The second kiss was just as powerful as the first, making her knees weak again after she’d just regained her balance.
When he finally allowed her another moment to breathe, she gasped, “Please, never stop doing that.”
“Only if you promise to never stop smiling. I love your smile.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to keep making me smile.” Karin bit her lip and gazed into his eyes with more confidence now than before.
“I’m sure I can work on that.” He kissed her softly again.
Taking a breath and trying to take in what had just happened, she stepped back. “I should get that cherry pie out of the oven before it burns.”
“Want some help?” Nick’s voice was almost breathless. Only then did she realize that he was struggling with the intense emotions just as much as she was.
“I can handle it,” Karin replied with a shake of her head, although she wasn’t at all sure that was true. She was trembling so much she wasn’t sure whether she would be able to get the pie out of the oven without it tipping and spilling all over the place.
“Are you sure?”
“I might have a big, strong man in my house right now but that doesn’t mean I need help to pull that big, heavy pie out of the brutally hot oven.” She teased him before she went into the kitchen to pull their dessert from the oven. It felt remarkably fantastic to have the weight lifted from her shoulders and share a joke with him. The past few days had been a nightmare and she hoped they’d made it to the other side in one piece. She thought maybe they had.
When she placed the generous slice of cherry pie and vanilla ice cream in front of him, his eyes grew wide, as though he was a kid on Christmas morning. She couldn’t help but giggle.
“I could get used to this,” he grinned as he picked up his spoon, ready to dig in.
“Don’t get too used to it.” She shook her head as she continued to laugh. “It’s your turn to cook next.”
Nick instantly looked horrified and she dissolved into mirth at the sight. “That’s not a good idea. I’m an awful cook. I even burn what I do on the grill, just ask Buzz.”
“Well, you haven’t killed him yet.” Karin shrugged her shoulders and began to tuck into her own pie.
“Only because that dog has a cast iron stomach. He should learn to stick with dog food, but he keeps stealing unattended burned food. Hmm, maybe he’s not as smart as we thought.”
“Poor Buzz.”
Nick shook his head as though he couldn’t believe it either. She thought about it and gave him an offer. “How about instead of you cooking, I come over and cook at your place? I haven�
��t seen it yet and I’d really like to give my patient a home visit.”
“Buzz would be glad to see his favorite veterinarian,” Nick replied with an award-winning smile that took Karin’s breath away.
“I hope I’m his only vet!” She protested with a sparkle in her eyes. “I can’t have my patients wandering.”
“We are one hundred percent loyal to you.” Nick reached out and took hold of her hand across the table. For a moment, he simply squeezed it before lifting it to his lips and kissing her knuckles gently. “I promise.”
In that moment, Karin knew this was not just a temporary or wait-and-see thing. This was going to last for a very long time and, she couldn’t wait to see where it would go. She’d never been so excited for anything in her life and just looking into Nick Cardwell’s deep chocolate brown eyes, she knew she would love every minute of the journey.
“I’ll agree to cook for you on one condition,” Nick proposed. “You have to give me your great-grandma’s recipe for this cherry pie so I can bake it for you and see if it is anything like this.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Karin shook her head with a playful expression. “Only family members get the good recipes.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to work on making it into the family.”
Just like that, she realized that his intentions weren’t only to date her, but to eventually commit to her in every way. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of it. Since she’d split with Brad, she’d never again thought of making a lifetime commitment, but suddenly she was thinking about it.
She thought of what it would be like to be married to this police officer, to wake up next to him every morning and to go to sleep next to him every night. Fleetingly she wondered what the fabric of their life would look like after ten years. Fifty.
She realized life with him was what she wanted more than anything in the world.
“I guess you have your work cut out for you then,” she murmured softly.
Epilogue
The restaurant was quiet, but that was just how they liked it. Karin and Nick sat close together on one side of the booth while Dana and Jack sat with her handbag spread between them on the other. Dana folder her arms across her middle as though she really didn’t want to be there, but Jack looked like he was happy to continue making her feel uncomfortable.
They’d just finished their entrees when Nick suddenly halted their conversation on whether sweet or savory steak sauce was the best. “Look guys, I’m sorry to interrupt this riveting conversation but I have something I need to do before I burst.”
Before any of them questioned him or even wonder what he was talking about, Nick pushed himself up from his seat, turned to Karin, and dropped to one knee. Her heart thundered rapidly in her chest as he reached out to take hold of her hand.
“Karin, it’s been exactly one year today since we decided to only see each other. I’ve been thinking about how we can celebrate.” He reached into the pocket of his t jacket. “And the truth is, I can think of only one way to do any of this justice.”
“Nick—” Karin didn’t have the chance to finish the sentence as he pulled the ring box from his pocket and popped it open.
“You are my heart. I’ve grown into a better man because of you. Your committed walk with God has inspired me to deepen my own understanding of Him. I believe we’re together now because He wants us to be. This has been the best year of my life and I don’t want it to end.” He gave her a quivering smile, but his confidence echoed in his eyes and steady hand. “So, Karin Boling, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Karin gaped at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her hand went to her chest where her heart was beating rapidly beneath her palm and she heard Dana take in a sharp breath.
Karin struggled to find the right words out. She was in shock that he’d done this today, but she wasn’t surprised that he wanted a future together. She knew she wanted exactly what he did.
“Please put me out of my misery before my knee cracks,” Nick teased, but she could see the fear in his eyes. He was suddenly frightened that she was going to say no because it took her so long to respond.
“Nick, I want nothing more than to marry you. You’re my rock and I can’t wait to be your wife.” When she finally found her voice, emotion filled it as she accepted the marriage proposal from the love of her life.
Before he could say another word, she jumped into his arms, almost bowling him over. Nick laughed as he caught her, barely juggling the ring box in his other hand as he wrapped his arm around her.
She held him tightly for a moment, pressing her lips against his as she allowed his scent to wash over her. She knew she would be happy to smell that scent every day for the rest of her life.
When she finally pulled away from him, he smiled down at her. “I love you Karin, and I want to give the rest of my life to you.”
“Then I will give you mine.” Karin brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled brightly.
Nick released her then, and she was almost disappointed until he pulled the diamond ring from its cushion in the box and lifted it up. She raised her left hand and spread her fingers so that he could push it onto her ring finger.
“I guess this means we’re going to have to tell Buzz and Babs that they’re about to be brother and sister.” Karin frowned as Nick embraced her again.
“I wonder how well that’s gonna go down. I suppose we will be okay as long as Buzz doesn’t steal any of her princess costumes.”
“Don’t tease my Babs!” Karin tapped him playfully on the shoulder. “She looks beautiful in her pink tutu.”
“Of course, she does, sweetheart, but it could do with being a little less pink.” Nick grinned at her before he kissed her on the forehead.
“You two had better not forget about me and Peanut!” Dana protested from the other side of the table.
Karin gasped in mock outrage as she turned to look at her best friend. “We wouldn’t dream of it!”
“Jack, it looks like I need a best man.” Nick turned to look at the two friends sitting across from them.
“It would be my honor,” Jack replied with a bow of his head before he turned his attention to Dana. “It looks like we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of each other.”
Dana groaned at the way he winked at her with open amusement and he simply laughed.
“Now behave, you guys.” Karin wagged her finger at their friends. “We’ll be one big happy family now.”
“Scout’s honor,” Jack replied as he acted out the motion with his hand. “I promise to clean my act up sometimes.”
“I don’t believe that for as second.” Dana sighed and rolled her eyes.
Karin wondered when the tension would break between Jack and Dana. Surely one day soon they’d realize that they’re perfect for each other. She wasn’t sure why everyone but them knew it.
For now, though, she was focused on her own happily ever after. A future she didn’t expect to ever have.
She leaned in to Nick and wound her arm through his. He leaned down and kissed her temple and sighed.
Silently, she thanked God for leading her here. She thanked Him for seeing them through those first rocky times before they were an official couple. She thanked Him for patience, understanding, and forgiveness. And most of all, she thanked him for Nick. His kind and open heart had room for Buzz and her. Maybe even prissy little Babs.
Then she leaned up and whispered in his ear. “I love you with all my heart, Nick. God brought you to me and I’m so thankful.”
He smiled down at her and their eyes locked for a long moment. Finally, he turned his head to Jack and Dana. “Anybody up for some fried ice cream? We could head over to The Taco Bar before they close.”
Dana scrambled to grab her purse. Karin did the same. Jack signaled for the waiter to bring their check. Nick laughed. “I’ll go get the car.”
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About Hayley Wescott
Hayley Wescott is a Christian. She’s also a story teller. When she can pull her faith into her stories, it makes them better.
Hayley values her family and her southern roots. These things often find their way into her stories, because she can’t imagine writing a story that doesn’t come from her heart.
When Hayley isn’t writing, she’s spending time with family and friends or walking on the beach.
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All About Trust: K-9 Unit (Hero Hearts: Contemporary) Page 8