by Ross, Mia
“No, but I can clean and do laundry and cook. Kind of.”
After a moment, they all broke out laughing.
“Okay,” Lisa relented good-naturedly, “point taken. But you are going to need some help around here. Do you have any other ideas?”
“We’ll hire a housekeeper,” Ridge suggested. “Folks do it all the time, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Someone who’d be good with the kids?” Lisa scoffed. “Isn’t that a nanny?”
“A housekeeper-slash-nanny, then,” he amended casually.
Lisa laughed again. “Good luck finding someone who can keep this house up to Marianne’s standards.”
“We’ve got time to be picky,” Marianne declared. “We probably won’t need anyone until summer, and there will be lots of girls home from college, looking for work. I’ll find the right person somewhere.”
While they debated various girls they knew around town, it struck Seth that he’d been part of what should have been a strictly family moment. That the Sawyers considered him part of their close-knit group touched him deeply, and his mind returned to the epiphany he’d had earlier.
He belonged with Lisa, wherever she was. Harland or Helsinki, it didn’t matter to him. As long as they were together, he’d be the happiest man on earth. When Marianne and Ridge moved on to spread their happy news, Seth gently tugged Lisa toward the mistletoe.
Looking up at it, she grinned at him. “You know, this is where Matt proposed to Caty.”
“Under the mistletoe?” When she nodded, he chuckled. “I told you, it makes people do crazy things.”
After a long kiss, he settled his arms around her and smiled down at her. “I love you, Lisa.”
Reaching up, she rested her hand on his cheek and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I love you, too.”
“Y’know, this is what I’ve always wanted for Christmas.”
That got him one of her bright, breezy laughs that always made him feel incredible. “A girl?”
“Not just any girl,” he corrected, rubbing noses with her. “The girl.”
“Meaning me?”
“Meaning you.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you decided to come to Harland, seeing as that’s where I was.”
“Yes, it was.” Gazing down at her, he smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “A very good thing.”
Epilogue
Paris in April was the most beautiful place Lisa had ever seen.
Of course, the fact that she and Seth were on their honeymoon definitely enhanced the experience. In Rome, they’d explored the Colosseum, Saint Peter’s Square and more stunning cathedrals than she could keep track of. In London, they’d strolled through neighborhoods people had been living in since long before Harland even existed. The only tour she refused to take was the one that went to the Tower Bridge. Knowing its bloody history gave her the creeps, and she had no intention of going anywhere near its haunted walls.
Buckingham Palace and the museums were awe-
inspiring, and she dragged Seth through one charming park after another, snapping photos while she drank in the green beauty of the English gardens and perfectly groomed hedges.
A quick train ride had brought them to Paris, and she was officially in love. Cobblestones bore the names of famous artists who’d strolled along the same walkways centuries ago, and she wondered if they’d been as dazzled by the city as she was.
Now it was almost sunset, and she was sitting on a bench, staring at the Eiffel Tower as the nighttime lights began to come on.
It was even better than her poster, she thought with a dreamy little sigh.
“That sounds good,” her husband commented as he joined her with a cup in each hand. He offered her one, cautioning, “I had the waitress add extra sugar for you, so be careful.”
Lisa took a cautious sip and closed her eyes with another sigh. “Perfect.”
“Glad to hear that.” After swallowing some of his, Seth leaned back and stretched his arms across the back of the bench. “How’re you doing with the jet lag?”
Cuddling against his chest, she replied, “Better. I look less like I just crawled out of those underground crypts in Rome.”
He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I never did think you looked like that. Not even our first day in Venice when you tripped getting out of the gondola and almost went into the canal.”
“I was so tired, I had no idea the dock was that far away.” Since she hadn’t ended up in the filthy water, she could laugh at the memory. “It’s a good thing you were there to catch me.”
“I’d never let you fall. Besides, your family made me promise to bring you back in one piece.”
She giggled. “Yeah, that sounds like them. I think we’re supposed to do some mountain climbing in Austria, so you’d better hang on tight that day.”
“No problem there.”
Seth reached down and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. While she’d never have considered making that climb on her own, with him there she felt bold enough to give it a try. Whatever problems they might have had in the past, she’d never doubted that this remarkably strong, capable man would do everything in his power to keep her safe.
That he’d insisted on marrying her just made him more amazing.
“I talked to Marianne today,” she said. “Their phone’s been ringing off the hook with calls for you. Apparently, anytime a customer even hints at doing renovations, Gus gives them your name. Since they know we’re away, they call the farm.”
“No doubt, some of them are after my interior designer,” he commented, grinning over at her. “Aunt Ruth told me her new tenants all gush about how nice their rooms are. One girl broke down and cried when she saw hers. Said she’s never had her own room, much less one that looks like it came out of a design magazine.”
“We make a good team. You do the hard stuff, I do the packaging.”
“Yeah.” Giving her an appreciative male look, he added a lazy kiss. “I sure do like your packaging.”
While they sat in companionable silence, the sun slipped down behind the tower, lighting the open-worked structure in a fantastic array of red, orange and yellow, with a tinge of pink floating around the edges. As the lights lining the girders grew steadily brighter, it was an incredible sight.
“C’est incroyable,” she breathed, trotting out one of the French phrases he’d taught her all those months ago in her living room.
“Yeah, it is.”
Surprised by the conviction in his voice, she angled a look up at him. “You really think so? I mean, you’ve seen it before.”
“I’ve seen all these places before.” Snugging her closer with his arm, he rested his cheek in her hair. “But they look different now that I’m seeing them with you. It’s all new for you, and that makes it fun for me. Besides, if I didn’t know more Italian than you, you’d have had sheep’s tongue for breakfast the other day.”
“Oh, don’t remind me!” Lisa laughed. “I was so embarrassed, I ended up ordering toast and jam.”
“I’m telling you, you can never go wrong with ‘Excusi, signora, do you speak English?’”
“I’m much better with French,” she reminded him curtly.
“Let’s hope so.”
He laughed, and she decided she’d had enough razzing for a while. “Shut up and watch the sunset.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After several minutes, she felt him shift as if he was uncomfortable and glanced up at him. “You okay?”
Giving her the kind of hesitant look she hadn’t seen in months, he asked, “Can I tell you something?”
Turning, she gave him her full attention. “Sure. It sounds important.”
“It is.”
Trying
not to invent things that could be wrong, Lisa cautioned herself to be patient with him. During the past few months he’d been in Harland working for Gus, she’d learned that Seth came to things in his own way, at his own speed. It was part of what made him Seth, the man she loved enough to give up some of her treasured independence to become his wife. She wouldn’t change him for anything in the world.
When he swiveled from the bench and went down on his knee in front of her, she was really glad she’d waited.
Taking the hand that sparkled with the rings he’d given her, he looked up at her with pure, honest emotion flooding his eyes. “Lisa, I know it was a big leap for you to marry a guy like me. I promise I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret taking that chance.”
Lisa’s mind drifted back to her conversation with Marianne about finding the right guy for her. Seth was the knight in shining armor she’d been searching for all that time, and she thanked God for sending him to her.
Reaching out, she framed his face in her hands and said, “Seth, your past doesn’t matter to me, only what we have right now. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“I just hope you always feel that way.”
Smiling, she leaned in and answered him with a kiss.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed Mia Ross’s story, be sure to check out the other books this month from Love Inspired!
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of Montana Dreams by Jillian Hart!
Dear Reader,
I just love Christmas. With any luck at all, that showed in this story. Gathering family together, laughing and catching up are my favorite parts of the holidays. The Sawyers’ Christmas traditions reflect the ones my family and I enjoy, year after year. They’re some of the things I want my kids to remember when they have their own families someday.
Thank you for taking time out of your hectic holiday schedule to visit Harland for a little while. If you’d like to send me a message, you’ll find me online at Facebook, Twitter and at www.miaross.com. While you’re there, send me a message in your favorite format. I’d love to hear from you!
Merry Christmas!
Mia Ross
Questions for Discussion
Lisa is attracted to Seth from the first time she sees him, but she resists it because he’s obviously troubled. When she decides to give him a chance, she’s glad she changed her mind. Do you think she made the right decision?
Even though Lisa quickly realizes Seth is a special guy, she’s determined not to get involved with him because she fears losing her independence. Have you ever pushed away an opportunity because it didn’t fit into your plans?
Christmas is a special time for family, but Seth feels disconnected from people in general. Although he’s not from Harland, he develops a special connection to the church he’s fixing. Has something like this ever happened to you?
Seth has a problem with roofing contractor Jim Canfield from the start. Eventually, they find common ground and learn to respect each other. Can you think of a time when you were able to make a similar concession to someone else? How did it work out?
As the youngest in her family, Lisa is always trying to assert her independence and do her own thing. Do you think birth order can really shape someone’s personality, or are people born a certain way?
Even though he’s hesitant to get serious with Lisa, Seth urges Gus to pursue a relationship with Ruthy. Do you know someone who gives advice easily but doesn’t follow it themselves?
Seth’s military background gives him a definite edge in a crisis, but it also makes him wary. If you know a current or former soldier, do you see the same quality in their behavior?
PTSD is a term most people are familiar with these days. While we know more about its causes, the best approaches for helping someone recover are still evolving. Do you know someone struggling with it? If so, can you think of ways people around them could help?
Ruthy is a notorious matchmaker, and at first Lisa and Seth resent her meddling. Later, they realize she was right in pushing them together. Do you think people should interfere when their heart is in the right place, or should they let others work things out for themselves?
Somehow, the church’s antique stained-glass window survives the storm that damages so much of the building. This small miracle begins Seth’s path back to his faith. Can you think of other occurrences like this that defy logical explanation?
When Marianne reveals she’s expecting twins, Lisa considers delaying her trip to stay in Harland and help her sister. Until that point in the story, she’s determined to go to Europe, no matter what. What do you think changed in Lisa along the way?
Although she enjoys all the cities they tour, Lisa’s favorite is Paris. What is your favorite place to visit? Why?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
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Chapter One
“You always were good for nothing, girl.” Her father’s bitter voice grumbled through the small, unkempt house. “Get the lead out of your lazy butt and fetch me something to eat. I’m gettin’ hungry.”
Millie Wilson straightened up, mop handle clutched in one hand, closed her eyes and prayed for strength. The Lord had to help her because she wasn’t sure she could do this without Him. The call in the middle of the night, a doctor’s voice on the other end of the line, her father’s collapse and terminal prognosis. If only there had been anyone—anyone at all—to take over his care. “I have to go to the market, Dad.”
“You should have thought of that earlier,” he barked from the other room.
And I came back, why? She swished the mop into the sudsy bucket, wrung it out and scoured the last patch of kitchen floor. Marginally better, but it was going to take more than one pass over. She didn’t want to think how long it had been since the floor had a proper cleaning—it would take a scrub brush and a lot of elbow grease to get out the dirt ground into the texture of the linoleum—a job for another time. Her back ached just thinking of it.
“Millie?” A knock echoed above the hum of the air conditioner. A familiar face smiled in at her, visible through the pane of glass in the door. The foreman tipped his Stetson and rolled the tobacco around to his other cheek while he waited for her to open the door.
“Hi, Milton. What’s up?” She squinted in the bright summer sun.
“We got problems. Paychecks bounced. Again.” Milton paused a moment to gather his spit, turn aside and spew a stream of tobacco juice into the barren flower bed. “The boys aren’t going to stand for this. They’ve got rent due and mouths to feed.”
“I know.” Why didn’t this surprise her either? She rubbed her forehead, which was beginning to pound. “I’m overwhelmed here. I haven’t even thought about Dad’s finances.”
“They’re a shambles, that’s what.” Milton shook his head, his weathered face lined with a mixture of grief and disgust. “Work is scarce in this part of the county. No one wants to walk away from a job right now. I know Whip is sick, but if he doesn’t take care of his workers, then we can’t work for free. Those cows need to be milked no matter what.”
“Give me a day to problem solve. Can you ask everyone to wait? I’m here now, I’ve be
en here for two hours. Let me figure out what’s what, and I’ll do everything I can to make good on those checks.”
“We appreciate that, Millie. I know you’ll do your best by us, but I don’t know what the boys will go for.” Milton tipped his hat in a combination of thanks and farewell before he ambled toward the steps. “Keep in mind that if things don’t get better...”
“I hear you.” Someone had to do the work, and it took a team of men to do it. As Milton headed off back down the driveway, Millie wondered if she remembered how to run a milking parlor. That part of her life seemed a world away, nearly forgotten. Probably intentionally.
“Put ice cream on that list, girl, and get a move on.” In his room, Pa must have hit the remote because the soundtrack from a spaghetti Western drowned out every other noise in the house and kept her from arguing. The pop of gunfire and the drum of galloping horses accompanied her while she upended her mop bucket over the sink, stowed the meager cleaning supplies and made a mental grocery list.
Time to blow this place. She grabbed her purse and the big ring of farm keys. She called out to her dad, not sure if he could hear her over the blaring television and hopped out the front door.
“Mom.” Simon looked up, pushed his round glasses higher on his nose with a thumb and held out a handful of wildflowers. “I picked them for you.”
“You did?” Just what she needed. One look at her nine-year-old son eased the strain of the tough last couple of hours. Love filled her heart like a tidal wave as the black-haired boy with deep blue eyes ran across a lawn that had gone wild. Blossoms danced in his fist as he held them up to her.
Better than roses any day. “Thank you. They’re wonderful. I love them.”
“I thought you needed something, you know, to make you smile.” He shrugged his shoulders, his button face puckered up with worry. “You’ve frowned the whole time, ever since you said we had to come here.”