“Why are you here? I thought you never wanted to see me again.”
“I came to apologize.”
She watched him through narrowed eyes. He’d jerked her around too many times. “No flowers this time?”
“Would it help?”
“Probably not. I’m not too happy with you right now.” Ursula crossed her arms. “I’ve been dealing with a brokenhearted little girl who wonders why her friend doesn’t want to see her anymore. Mac, I know you’ve had a rough time, especially after what you found out in Tulsa. I’m not minimizing what you’ve been through, or what your daughter went through. I just don’t see how making yourself miserable makes it better.”
“You’re right.”
“Pardon me?” She tilted her head. “I thought you said I was right.”
“You are. You’ve been telling me the truth since the very beginning, but I wasn’t ready to hear it.” He took a deep breath. “Now I am.”
“Why?” She wanted to believe him, but he’d burned her before. “Not that I’m not delighted, but what brought on this epiphany?”
He stroked the dog’s head. “A few days ago, a bird crashed into my window. I thought it was dead. I picked it up, held it in my hands, and then, I saw it move. So I cradled it in my palm, trying to keep it warm. Eventually it gained enough strength to fly away.”
“That’s great, but I don’t see the connection.”
He looked down at his upturned palms. “When that bird moved in my hands, it seemed like a miracle, like I had somehow brought the bird back to life.”
“It must have been an amazing feeling.”
“It was. But then, as it regained its strength, I recognized the truth. The bird was simply stunned. I didn’t save its life. It would have been fine whether I’d been there or not.”
“Did that disappoint you?”
“Just the opposite. I finally realized I’m not nearly as important as I’d made myself out to be. Whether the bird lived or died wasn’t up to me.” He gave a rueful smile. “I’m just a man.” He looked down and scratched under Blossom’s chin.
Ursula remained silent, waiting for him to gather his thoughts and continue.
“I’ve been turning these things over in my mind for the last few days, and I think I’ve finally reached some understanding. I didn’t hold the power of life and death over Andi, either. Or Carla. Or my parents.”
“No,” she agreed.
“Bad things happened. I’ll always have regrets. But I didn’t cause their deaths, and I shouldn’t spend my life atoning for them.” He inhaled a long, slow breath and let it out. “I’m free.”
“Oh, Mac.” Ursula scrambled toward him.
He leaned forward and banged his head against the table support. “Ouch.”
“Ooo.” She touched the spot on his forehead and winced. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” They crawled out from under the table. She led him to the kitchen and filled a bag with ice. “Here.”
“Thank you.” He pressed the bag to his forehead. “Oh, by the way. I didn’t bring flowers, but while I was doing all this thinking, I made something for you.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small wooden carving.
She turned it over in her hand. A nuthatch, carved from birch. Its wings were spread wide, capturing the perfect freedom of a bird in flight. A clear thread ran through one of the wingtips, with a hook on the other end of the thread. She smiled. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” He touched her face. “It’s as though you carry around a reserve of joy. It shines through your eyes and warms everyone around you.”
She blinked back a tear. “That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She turned to hang the bird from the curtain rod in her kitchen window. It almost glowed in the sunlight.
Mac set the ice bag on the counter. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Ursula Anderson.” He brushed a kiss across her temple. “I want us to be together, you and me and Rory.”
She stiffened but didn’t step away from him. “You said that before. And then you told me to get out of your house and never come back.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He paused before continuing. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, but I felt like I didn’t deserve you. That I didn’t deserve the happiness you brought into my life, because all of the bad things that happened were my fault.”
She turned to face him. “And now?”
“I still don’t deserve you, but if you’ll have me, I’ll do everything in my power to make you and Rory happy. I love you, darlin’. Is there any chance you could come to love me, too?”
She sucked in a breath and reached up to touch his face. “I do. I tried to fight it, but it sneaked in anyway. I love you, Mac.”
“Those are the words I wanted to hear.” He pulled her close and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was light at first, tentative, but when she slid her hand into his hair and pulled him to her, it grew deeper. It was the kind of kiss a woman could get lost in. In fact, Ursula was so caught up she didn’t hear the footsteps until Rory burst open the kitchen door.
“I saw Blossom. Is Mac better—eww, what are you doing?”
Ursula whipped her head around, but before she could come up with an answer, Mac laughed. “I’m kissing your godmother. And yes, I’m feeling much better, thank you.” He didn’t loosen his embrace.
“Oh.” Rory stopped to think that over. “So if you’re kissing, does that mean you’re in love?”
Ursula’s cheeks burned, but she tried to sound matter-of-fact as she wiggled out of Mac’s arms. “Kissing doesn’t necessarily mean people are in love.”
Mac winked at Rory. “But in this case, it does.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “Are you getting married?”
Ursula swallowed. Mac chuckled. “Would you like that?”
“Yeah!” Rory bounced up and down. “’Cause if you get married, you can live here with us, and Blossom can live here, too, and we can play concentration and build snowmen and stuff.”
“She makes a good point.” Mac turned to Ursula. “We could move in here with you. That would leave my place free to develop that RV park you’ve been planning. This could all work out just the way you wanted.”
“Whoa.” Ursula held up her hands. “I’m not marrying you for your property.”
“But you are marrying me?”
“Who said anything about marriage?”
“Rory did. But only because she beat me to it.” He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a jeweler’s box. “See? I came prepared.”
“What’s that?” Ursula’s heartrate shifted into overdrive.
“Well, I was considering an ID bracelet, but I thought this was better.” He opened the box. A marquise diamond ring in a rose gold setting winked in the light.
“Oh, Mac. It’s beautiful.” She gazed at the ring. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his face. “But, aren’t you rushing this?”
“Not at all. I love you. You love me. We both love Rory and Blossom. The way I see it, I’ve already wasted far too much time on regrets. If you need more time, I’ll give you all you need, but I’m ready.”
“You’re not going to change your mind again?”
“No, I’m not.” He looked into her eyes. “I know I’ve made it hard for you to trust me. I can’t promise I’ll never have a bad day, never feel sad, but I will promise you this, I’m never again going to let past regrets dictate my future, and the future I want is with you and Rory.”
She stroked his cheek. “You’re sure?”
“I’m absolutely sure.” He sank to one knee. “Ursula Anderson, you have my heart, now and forever. Will you marry me?”
Rory squealed and ran to throw her arms around his neck, which excited Blossom so much she jumped on
to his knee. The combined weight of the girl and the dog toppled him over, and they all collapsed in a heap on the kitchen floor. Ursula stood above them, laughing. “Oh my goodness. Life is never going to be dull around here.”
“Is that a yes?”
She dropped to her knees and crawled over to kiss the man who had somehow stolen her heart. “That’s a yes.”
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER, the sun shone over the mountain, shrinking away the remaining patches of snow that lined the drive to the B&B. Ursula had dropped off the other students who rode along on the field trip and now she and Rory were on their way home. Rory kept chattering away while Ursula parked the car and they went inside.
“Did you hear all those funny noises the magpie made? It scared Maddie when it squawked.” Rory skipped ahead as Ursula pushed open the door to the kitchen.
Mac stood at the counter, screwing the lid onto a jar of pickles. At the sound of Rory’s voice, he turned, and the expression of pure love on his face touched Ursula’s heart. “How was the field trip to the bird rescue center?”
“Really good!” Rory ran to hug him without ever slowing down her narrative. “Did you know baby eagles are called eaglets? They use eagle puppets to feed the eaglets so they know they’re eagles and don’t think they’re people.”
“I’ve heard that.” Mac picked a stray feather from Rory’s hair. “What else did you see?”
“There was a raven with a missing wing, and he’s so smart they have to keep him in a special place because he can open most of the regular cages.” Rory trotted through the kitchen divider to greet Blossom, who had been beating her tail against the gate while she waited. Van Gogh jumped down from the window seat to rub against her ankles.
Ursula sidled closer to Mac and was rewarded when he slid his arm around her waist and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Hi, darlin’. Did you enjoy the trip, too?”
“I did. Our eagle was there.”
“I wondered. How is he doing?”
“Very well. They’re planning to release him later this month. They said if we want, we can be there to watch him fly away.”
“I’d like that.”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. “Thank you for holding down the fort today so I could help chaperone the field trip. Any problems?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle. The toddler in the Shooting Star suite decided it would be fun to flush his dad’s socks down the toilet, so there was a minor flood.”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s fine. A plumbing snake and a mop fixed everything.”
She patted his cheek. “My hero.”
Rory had finished greeting the animals and ran back into the kitchen to tug at Mac’s arm. “We’re gonna get a snack and then we’re driving to town to see the new stuff at Andi’s Animal Place. Wanna come?”
Ursula clarified. “Bill built a half dozen kitty condos for the shelter, and Rory wants to see them. And the good news is Penny has organized a full roster of volunteers, so if everything passes inspection next Tuesday, they’re ready to open.”
She watched his face to see his reaction. She’d wondered if this plan to establish an animal shelter in Andi’s memory was a good idea. Would seeing Andi’s name every time he drove to Seward be hard for Mac? But the community had jumped in with their usual enthusiasm, and working with the local people on a project his daughter would have loved seemed to be a healing journey for Mac.
He saw her concern and gave her a reassuring smile before patting Rory’s head. “I would love to come along, but I was in the middle of something and I’d like to get a few thoughts down first. Why don’t you get a snack, and I’ll be ready to go in about half an hour, okay?”
“Okay.” Rory headed for the cookie jar. Ursula poured her a glass of milk while Mac disappeared into their private living room. Ursula sat with Rory at the kitchen table and chatted about the field trip.
Rory swallowed the last bite of her cookie. “Is Mac ready yet?”
“I don’t think so. Why don’t you take Blossom outside and throw the ball for her until it’s time to go?”
“Let’s go, Blossom.” Rory grabbed a tennis ball and the two of them galloped out.
Ursula went to look for Mac. He sat at the desk, typing on his laptop. He held up a finger to ask her for one more minute while he finished. He typed a few more words and then swiveled his chair to face her. “All done.” He patted his leg. “Come here, darlin’.”
Smiling, she went over to sit in his lap. He pulled her close, nuzzled her cheek and put his lips beside her ear. “Tell me something,” he whispered. “What, exactly, is a kitty condo?”
She laughed. “I think it’s kind of an enclosed tower with different levels where cats can climb around and play.”
“Sounds useful.”
“I’d imagine so.” She tried to sneak a peek at his computer. “What were you working on?”
He rotated the chair so that the computer was out of her view, chuckled and swung back around so she could see the screen. “Some ideas for a new book I want to write. I just wanted to get some notes jotted down before I forget them.”
She gasped. “That’s fantastic, Mac. Can you tell me what it’s about, or is it a secret?”
“No secret. It’s about a crusty old cowboy who’s reached the end of his rope, and this aggravating woman too stubborn to give up on him.” He paused just long enough to press a kiss to her temple. “And, just like ours, this story has a happy ending.”
* * * * *
Other enchanting romances are available in the NORTHERN LIGHTS miniseries from acclaimed author Beth Carpenter:
A GIFT FOR SANTA
THE ALASKAN CATCH
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In Love with the Firefighter
by Amie Denman
CHAPTER ONE
TONY LEANED FORWARD in the passenger seat and braced one hand on the dashboard.
“I think you can make it,” he yelled. “But it’ll be close.”
Kevin kept his hands on the wheel of the rescue truck and frowned, his neck and shoulders tight with concentration. “Wish these tourists would learn to park,” he muttered.
A small red car was double-parked on a bustling downtown street. During the height of spring break season in Cape Pursuit. And the dri
ver’s-side door was standing open, just asking to be taken off by the rescue truck. Kevin remembered the tense voice dispatching them to a 911 call for a child who wasn’t breathing. Every second counted when someone’s life was on the line. The siren was loud, even inside the cab, and his adrenaline still rushed as much as it had when he was a new firefighter, over five years ago.
Tony pulled the air horn and the noise reverberated off the commercial buildings lining the street. “You’ll barely squeeze by if nobody does anything stupid.”
Kevin hoped, as always, that no one would risk their life by stepping into the street. His heart sank when three teenagers on bicycles suddenly swerved off the sidewalk and pedaled against traffic on Kevin’s left. No helmets, no brains. Tourists.
The teenagers, cords from their earbuds flapping, looked up in panic at the massive emergency vehicle bearing down on them.
“Anyone in that red car?” Kevin shouted. He knew it was too late to stop, and even slowing down wouldn’t help much.
“Not that I can see,” his partner said.
Kevin held his breath and veered to miss the cyclists at the last second. The heavy-duty ambulance barely shuddered when it sliced the door off the double-parked red car and deposited it in the street in a sparkling rain of shattered glass.
Tony twisted to look backward out the passenger-side window. “No injuries. Unless you count heart-stopping surprise.”
“Call it in,” Kevin said. “We can’t stop. Other two ambulances are already out.”
Tony got on the radio to the local police and reported the non-injury accident. Kevin glanced in the side mirror and saw a blonde woman rush into the street toward the destroyed car. She carried a large box in her arms. He couldn’t see her face, but he could guess she’d just learned a valuable lesson about double-parking and leaving her car door open. At least she wasn’t hurt. It was bad enough hitting a car, but if he’d hurt someone in the line of duty, he’d turn in his helmet and boots.
“Never gonna live this one down,” Tony said.
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