“You’d think their lives would have been better but, for a long time, they were worse. Mark started using drugs and his sister became suicidal. It wasn’t until he nearly killed himself, that Mark’s life changed for the better. When I met him, he had a full-time job, an apartment, and big dreams. He wanted to make a better life for himself. And, for a while, he did.”
“What changed?”
Emma glanced toward the staircase. “Becoming a parent brought back a lot of the feelings he’d tried to bury. He was worried he’d turn into his father; that he wouldn’t be able to provide for our new family.”
“So he left?”
Emma nodded. “Coming to Sapphire Bay was one of the hardest things he’s ever done.” She looked directly into Jack’s eyes. “You probably think I’m crazy to want Molly and Dylan to have a relationship with Mark, but he’s their father.”
“He’s also your ex-husband.”
“I don’t understand.”
Jack swallowed deeply. As much as he didn’t want to ask the question, he needed to know if Emma wanted Mark to be part of her life. “Is there a chance you’ll get back together?”
“With Mark?” Emma frowned. “I don’t know why you would ask me that question. Mark has come a long way and I’m really pleased he’s met Molly and Dylan. But I don’t want any kind of romantic relationship with him.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m pleased you said that. You seemed to get on so well that I thought—”
“You thought I’d want Mark in my life permanently.”
“Something like that,” Jack muttered.
Emma squeezed his fingers. “Kylie asked me the same thing. I’ve forgiven Mark for leaving me with two babies, a mortgage, and no income. But that doesn’t mean I want to rekindle our relationship. We’re trying to make this new relationship work for Dylan and Molly’s sake.”
“I don’t know if I could do that.”
“If we don’t, it will be the twins who suffer.”
Jack kissed her cheek, then reached for his jacket. “I bought you this while I was in New York City. I hope you like it.”
Emma stared at the rectangular jewelry box in horror. “You shouldn’t have bought me anything. I really don’t wear a lot of—”
Jack opened the box.
“Oh, my,” Emma whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
Nestled against a silky length of satin was a glowing pearl necklace. “When I met you at Noah and Cassie’s wedding, I heard you say you’d borrowed the pearl necklace you were wearing from a friend. As soon as I saw this one, I knew it was made for you.”
“I can’t—”
“You can.” Jack took the necklace out of the box. “If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t expensive.”
“It wasn’t?”
The hope on Emma’s face made his small, white lie a little easier to digest. “I’ll still be able to pay my rent. Would you like me to help you put it on?”
“Yes, please.” Emma carefully lifted the necklace out of the box and turned sideways.
Jack clicked the clasp into place. “It looks amazing. You’re even more beautiful than the day we met.”
A blush warmed her cheeks. “I’m wearing my old jeans and a T-shirt.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s what’s inside your heart that’s important.”
Emma sighed. “I’m beginning to realize, Jack Devlin, that you can very easily sweep a girl off her feet.”
He held Emma’s face between his hands. “As long as it’s you I’m sweeping off her feet, I’m happy.”
Emma leaned forward. “So am I.”
As their lips touched, Jack knew he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. All he had to do was tell her how much he loved her.
And for someone who had trouble telling his brother how much he meant to him, that wouldn’t be easy.
Emma left her backpack on the grassy bank and breathed deeply. Earlier this morning, Jack had picked her and the twins up and driven to one of the hiking trails around Flathead Lake.
With only a few days left until Molly and Dylan started first grade, it was wonderful to be out of the house enjoying the fresh air and each other’s company. The fact that Jack could share it with them was an added bonus.
Jack stood beside her. “I’m glad we didn’t turn back. The view is spectacular.”
He wasn’t wrong. Sunlight glistened off the deep blue lake. A gentle breeze took away the sting of the heat, but it was still incredibly warm. In the distance, mountains rose high into the sky, giving the landscape a rugged beauty.
“Can we have something to drink?” Dylan asked.
Emma smiled at her son. “Of course, we can. If you don’t have enough water left in your drink bottles, I’ve got more water in my backpack.”
Dylan and Molly had done so well today. It had taken two hours to get to the top of the trail. Even though they’d left early, the sun had still made the climb tiring.
Molly dropped to the ground and sighed. “Are we at the top yet?”
“We are,” Jack said. “We’ve made it to the top of Grouse Mountain.”
“Yeah! Does that mean we can have our candy?”
Jack smiled and opened his backpack. Four small bags of fudge appeared in his hand. “There’s one for each of us. Brooke made the fudge this morning.”
Emma could taste the sweetness already. “Brooke collected her decorations for the Christmas on Main Street event yesterday. She can’t wait for the opening night Santa parade.”
Jack handed Dylan a bag of fudge. “Isn’t it a little early for her to be decorating her store?”
“I’m photographing Sweet Treats for the website. Brooke probably has the largest newsletter list of any of the businesses in Sapphire Bay. Between her customers and the social media advertising we’ll do, news should spread quickly about the Christmas program.”
“How many visitors do you need to break even with your costs?
“It depends on the event, but we don’t have many overhead expenses. The entire program is being run by volunteers and Noah’s company has donated the Christmas decorations for the Main Street event. We’ll need at least one hundred guests to make the Christmas party pay for itself, but not as many for the carol competition.”
Jack bit into a piece of fudge and smiled. “Yum. What about the train ride? Are you still doing that?”
“I’m waiting to hear back from the company that owns the railroad tracks and the trust that owns the steam train. I have no idea how many tickets we’ll need to sell, but it will need to be more than for the other events.”
“If you want any help, let me know.”
Emma kissed his cheek. “I will.”
“Jack, can you come with us when we start first grade?” Molly asked. “We’ll be in Ms. Oliver’s class. She’s really nice.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
Dylan wiggled closer to Jack. “Mom will be there, too.”
When Jack looked at Emma, she smiled. “It’s fine. They start school a week from Monday. We have to be there by eight-thirty and the parents and friends leave at nine.”
“We’ve already met our teacher. She has a pet spider. You could look at it while you’re there,” Dylan said helpfully. “Molly thinks it’s creepy, but I think it’s awesome.”
A shiver ran through Molly’s small body. “I don’t like spiders.”
“That’s ’cos you’re a girl.”
Emma’s eyebrows rose. Since they were babies, she’d tried hard to make sure the twins didn’t slip into old stereotypes. “Who told you that?”
Dylan frowned. “Mr. Jessop said girls don’t like worms or spiders or anything slippery.”
“That’s not true,” Molly said with a growl. “Girls can do anything.”
Jack nudged Dylan. “Molly’s right. Girls and boys can do anything they set their minds to.”
“But I won’t set my mind to spiders,” Molly said quickly. “Or worms. W
ant to look for something slippery?”
Dylan swallowed his last piece of fudge. “Sure.”
Jack stood and held out his hand to Emma. “This could be an adventure for everyone. Finding slippery things won’t be easy on top of a mountain.”
Grinning, she scrambled to her feet. “Or it could be easier than you think. Girls and boys can do anything.”
By Tuesday afternoon, Emma was sitting in the church office putting the finishing touches on the Christmas program’s website. So far, everything was coming together nicely. The railroad company had agreed to let them use the tracks and the steam train trust was happy to donate the train for the fundraiser. All the church had to do was pay the driver and provide all the gifts and food for the passengers.
Getting final approval from Pastor John, organizing a meeting with the fundraising committee, and making sure all the tasks for the other projects were on schedule were next on her list.
“Hi, Emma. I heard you were in the office.” John walked into the admin area holding two large files. “How was your weekend?”
“It was great. We went on a long hike, washed a mountain of dirty washing, and made enough cookies to sink a ship. What about you?”
“It wasn’t as exciting as yours.”
Emma sighed. “You spent all weekend working, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
It didn’t matter what anyone said, John worked 24/7. He was always there for everyone, ready to lend a hand with whatever needed fixing. Having The Welcome Center right beside the church didn’t help, either. It was too easy for him to pop in and see what was happening.
“The world won’t fall apart if you turn off your phone and do something for yourself.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“I know, but it’s important.”
John smiled. “If it makes you feel better, I won’t be here on Wednesday and Thursday.”
She’d heard that before but, nine times out of ten, an emergency brought John back to the church. “Are you staying in Sapphire Bay?”
“I’m driving to Lakeside and spending two days fishing with a friend.”
“Thank goodness for that. I hope you have a great time.”
“So do I. Is there anything you need me to do before then?”
Emma looked down at the laptop. “It would be good to schedule a time to review the Christmas program’s website.”
John sat in the seat opposite the desk. “We can do it now, if you like? Willow has given me a pile of invoices to sort through, but they can wait.”
“Are you sure? You know what she said the last time she was in the office.”
John was a wonderful person, but finances weren’t his strong point. To keep the IRS happy, they’d organized a roster of people who spent two hours each week keeping everything up to date. Willow was one of those volunteers.
“I know,” John muttered. “These invoices are part of her plan to make me financially independent.”
“You can’t keep everything in your head. If something happened to you, no one would know what to do.”
John pulled himself to his feet. “All right. I’ll code these invoices and sort them into date order before we meet. How does twenty minutes sound?”
“Perfect. If I’m not here, I won’t be far away. Dylan and Molly are helping Mr. Jessop in the garden. I want to make sure they’re okay.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll see you soon.” He started to move away, then stopped. “I saw Mabel over the weekend. She’s excited about the book you’re helping her publish.”
“I’m glad. She’s spent a lot of time polishing the manuscript. Did she tell you Natalie is creating the illustrations?”
“She did. It will be a great book.”
Emma glanced at the files.
“Okay. I get the hint.” With a reluctant sigh, John walked into his office.
Emma smiled. With John busy with the church’s finances, and Molly and Dylan working in the garden, she had more than enough time to finish the last page on the website. And if she were lucky, she might be able to phone Kylie and arrange their next meeting.
Jack studied a realtor’s website on his laptop. He couldn’t believe he’d been living in Sapphire Bay for five weeks. Apart from a few nights when Cassie and Noah had other bookings for Acorn Cottage, he’d been able to stay in the small house overlooking Flathead Lake.
But he couldn’t live here forever. Most of September and October was booked solid with tourists wanting to enjoy the fall colors of Montana. From then on, skiers would be filling the small cottage to capacity. With the Blacktail Mountain ski area only an hour away, Sapphire Bay was a great location for a winter getaway.
He clicked on a link to a four-bedroom home for sale at Finley Point. The property wasn’t far from Sapphire Bay and had an incredible view of Flathead Lake. The photos showed a 1960s house in need of some remodeling, but it had all the space and street appeal Jack was looking for.
He added it to his wish list and kept scrolling. After another ten minutes of viewing properties, he was baffled by the limited supply of houses. Even in his price range, no one wanted to sell their homes. His only other option was to purchase a plot of land and build a new home. But land with a view was even more scarce than an existing home.
How anyone on a limited income could afford to buy or rent in and around Sapphire Bay was a mystery. Emma had told him it was hard to find any accommodation, but he’d thought she was exaggerating. Thank goodness for Pastor John and the tiny home village. Without the houses they were building, even more people would be living on the streets.
“Are you in the middle of something or can I interrupt?”
Jack looked up at his grandfather. “Come in. I was just hunting through a few realtors’ websites looking for a house. There’s hardly anything available.”
“It’s like that year-round. I was lucky to find my home as quickly as I did. Why are you looking at properties?”
“I’m thinking about moving here.”
Patrick Devlin didn’t bother to hide his delight. “I’ve got the name of the realtor who found my house. I’ll send you her contact details when I get home. Do you want me to talk to Mabel? She has her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in town. If anyone knows of properties that are coming on the market, she will.”
“That would be great.” He didn’t want his granddad getting too excited. A lot needed to happen before he moved anywhere.
“How are the two houses coming along that we drywalled?”
“The plastering is finished and the first coat of paint is drying. Bathrooms go in on Thursday. By Saturday, they’ll both be finished.”
Jack was impressed with how quickly the tiny homes were being built. “If I could find an empty plot of land, I’d ask the volunteers to build me a modular home.”
“It’s funny you should say that. After the tiny home village is complete, the young people doing Pastor John’s building apprenticeship won’t have much work. We’re looking at starting a construction company that specializes in building modular homes and transporting them on site, ready-made.”
“You’re eighty-one years old, Granddad. You’re supposed to be enjoying your retirement, not starting a new company.”
“I will have an advisory role, that’s all.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be about anything,” his granddad replied evasively. “But I didn’t come here to talk about modular homes. Emma asked if I wanted to be Santa in the Main Street Christmas Parade. You didn’t put her up to it, did you?”
“You’ll have to talk to Noah. Will you do it?”
“Absolutely not. Sitting on a bright red sleigh in the middle of the street isn’t my idea of fun.”
Jack shrugged. “It’s for a good cause. Besides, you’d make a great Santa. All you need is a little more padding around the middle.”
Patrick looked down at his flat stomach.
&nb
sp; “Before you make up your mind, think about the children who will be watching the parade. They won’t care if you feel uncomfortable on the sleigh. All they want is to see Santa.”
Patrick crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’ll think about it.”
“When do you need to tell Emma if you’ll do it?”
“She’s ordering the costume on Thursday.”
Jack didn’t take any notice of his granddad’s grumpy voice. He could be stubborn when he needed to be but, this time, Jack was sure Patrick would help Emma. He had a soft spot for Molly and Dylan and wouldn’t want to let any children down.
“While you’re here, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Patrick sat on a kitchen chair. “I’m listening.”
“Emma and I talked after her ex-husband went home. I know she likes me, but I don’t know if she thinks of me as a friend or something more. How did you tell grandma how much she meant to you?”
Patrick smiled. “I gave her daisies.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “I hope you bought them and didn’t pick them out of someone’s garden.”
“I might have borrowed them from a neighbor’s house,” Patrick admitted. “But they were on vacation and the flowers were going to waste.”
“And that makes it all right?”
His granddad’s smile softened. “It made it so right that we hardly left each other’s side after that. You don’t need grand gestures to impress the right woman. What you need are small gestures that mean the world.”
Jack wished a bouquet of daisies would have the same effect on Emma. “When I came back from Manhattan, I gave Emma a pearl necklace.”
“And what did she say?”
“That it was beautiful.”
“Well, there you go. Next time, buy her daisies and see what happens.”
Judging by the twinkle in his grandfather’s eyes, Patrick assumed a lot would happen. Jack wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 13
The following day, Jack was working from Acorn Cottage when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw who was calling. “Hi, Emma.”
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