He moved his hands to her hips, and as he dug his fingers into her skin, she felt herself floating, getting lost in his touch. He nibbled on her neck and earlobe, and his breath in her ear prickled her skin with goose bumps. Jenny slowly turned around and put her arms around his neck and drew him in for a kiss. They took their time, savoring every second as long as they possibly could. She didn’t know how much time passed, but she was brought back to the present when she heard a rumble of thunder.
Clay frowned. “I wish the rain would go away.”
Jenny smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. I think being stranded here with you in the rain sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Clay caressed her cheek and kissed her one more time. “As much as I would love that, I’m afraid we’ll get caught in a mudslide if we try and get down the mountain after it rains again.”
He had a point, and even though she hated leaving their special place, she knew their safety had to come first. Clay put a hand on her back and led her through the trees to the worn path where she retrieved her bike. She decided against riding it downhill since the trail was so slippery, and as they slowly inched their way down the mountain, Jenny’s heart was overflowing with the love she felt for the man beside her. There were a couple of times when she almost lost her footing, but he was right there, holding her up and keeping her steady.
It took them longer than usual to reach the bottom, and when they exited the trail, the storm clouds on the horizon were moving in fast, and it was sprinkling rain. She looked toward the lot, where Clay’s truck was parked beside her SUV. “Where to now?”
Clay put his arm around her waist as they walked to her SUV, where he stored the bike inside the trunk. He closed the hatch and leaned against it, bringing her along with him and holding her securely in his embrace. “You lead, and I’ll follow.”
Jenny kissed him briefly on the lips. “I could get you in trouble if you follow me.”
Clay laughed as he nuzzled his mouth in her hair. “I like the sound of that. Lead the way.”
At that time, the storm clouds opened and the rain poured down. Clay grabbed Jenny’s hand and pulled her toward his truck, and by the time they were finally settled inside the cab, they were both drenched. He shook his head, sending water in every direction. “I should probably let you go home and change clothes. I don’t want you catching a cold.”
It was such an endearing thing to say, and his concern for her well-being made her heart swell, but the last thing she wanted was to be apart from him, especially after what they’d been through over the past few days. Jenny grabbed the console between them and pushed it up and out of the way so she could scoot over beside him. “Home can wait.”
He smiled when she leaned into him for a kiss, and as they got lost in each other’s arms, Jenny knew she was right where she was meant to be.
Epilogue
Jenny
Jenny whimpered as she hobbled across the hospital parking lot to her car. After a long twelve-hour shift, her feet throbbed and every muscle in her body ached. She couldn’t wait to get to Clay’s house because she knew she could sweet-talk him into giving her a foot massage. It was such an enticing thought, she quickened her pace to get there in a hurry.
While trying to get situated and buckled in the driver’s seat, her cell phone rang, and Jenny groaned as she stretched out as far as she could to grab her purse from the passenger seat floorboard. By the time she rummaged through her purse, found her phone, and pressed the talk button, she’d counted at least eight rings. “Hello?”
She heard Clay’s familiar deep laughter on the other end of the line. “Hey, sweetie. I thought I might have to send out a search party for you,” he teased. “Everything okay?”
Just hearing his voice helped her relax. “I’m fine. It’s been a long day, and I’m just ready to get to you. I’ll grab some dinner on the way to your house. Doesn’t Aubrey like Chinese food?”
She put the keys in the ignition and cranked the engine.
“Aubrey’s on another date with Brandon, so it’s just us tonight. I want to do something special for you since it’s our anniversary, but you’ve got to come to our hideaway… right now.”
Over the past year, they’d been to their special place on the mountainside overlooking Lake Arrowhead numerous times, and when Clay started referring to it as their hideaway, the nickname stuck. But now, after such a long work shift, the last thing she wanted to do was climb a mountain. “Honey, can’t we go to a restaurant or something? My feet are killing me.”
Resigned, Jenny put the car in drive and headed for the hideaway because she knew there would be no talking her way out of it. She did want to do something special to celebrate their one-year dating anniversary, but just thinking about the long climb made her tear up.
“It will be worth it. I promise,” he replied.
Jenny shook her head and grinned. Maybe he was the pro at sweet-talking instead of her. “Okay. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
They said their goodbyes, and she returned the phone to her purse but not before checking to see if she missed any calls or texts from Kelly while she was working. It took two solid months of begging, but Kelly finally agreed to go out with Tommy Young, and they’d been inseparable ever since. It thrilled her soul to see her best friend so in love, but she had to admit, she missed their girl time. There weren’t any calls or messages from Kelly, but it was her day off, so she and Tommy were probably holed up somewhere together with their cell phones turned off.
A few minutes later, Jenny turned into the driveway at the park and made a circle around the lake to the back, where the trailhead was located. She parked beside Clay’s truck and locked her purse inside the trunk of her car before slowly making her way to the trail. She frowned as she stood at the bottom of it and glanced at the winding path leading up the mountain. She’d traveled it so many times, she could probably do it with her eyes closed, but right now, she just wanted to sit on her behind and rest.
Jenny did some arm and leg stretches to loosen up her muscles before tackling the trail, and once she got started, it didn’t seem so bad. She kept reminding herself who was waiting for her at the top, and that put some pep in her step. She used the time to reminisce over the past year and all the things she and Clay had done together. They’d taken countless trips and had too many date nights to count. He was constantly going out of his way to make her feel special, and she was, without a doubt, the luckiest woman alive.
A half hour later, Jenny rounded the last bend before reaching the hideaway, and she gasped when she saw someone standing in the middle of the trail. Her first thought was that she’d forgotten her pepper spray in her purse, but when she covered her eyes to block the sunlight streaming through the trees, she was shocked to discover it was Kelly. “What in the world are you doing here?”
She was dressed up from head to toe, and she had a white cloth draped over her left forearm, like a waiter. Her smile spread from ear to ear, and Jenny didn’t know whether to be frightened or excited. She looked around, expecting to find Clay, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Please follow me, ma’am,” Kelly said.
Kelly took the well-worn path to their secret hideaway, and Jenny was right on her heels. She tried to find out what was going on, but Kelly wouldn’t say a word and kept on walking. It was unusual seeing her so quiet and reserved, and that alone was enough to alarm her. When they reached the clearing, Kelly stepped out of the way, and Jenny’s hand flew to her mouth when she saw Clay.
He was standing in the center beside a small table and two chairs and on top of the table were two covered dishes and two empty wine glasses. There was also a candle and a vase filled with white roses on the table, but what caught her attention most of all was Clay, who was dressed in a suit and tie – something she’d never seen him in before. He was so handsome, it left her speechless, and when he walked over to greet her, she felt very underdressed in her scrubs and sneakers.
“Dinner is served, my love,�
� he crooned before kissing her cheek and gesturing to the table.
He held out his arm and led her to one of the chairs, moving it back a few inches so she could sit down. When he was seated across from her, she heard a rustling sound to her right, and Tommy appeared with a bottle of red wine. Like Kelly, he was dressed in his Sunday best, and he’d even managed somehow to tame his curly hair. It was slicked back, and he had a serious look on his face, which was very unlike Tommy, who always joked around every chance he got.
He lit the candle first and then opened the bottle of wine and poured some in their glasses. Kelly joined them and removed the covers from their dishes, and Jenny laughed when she saw her favorite food, spaghetti and meatballs, on her plate “Yum! I’ve never had spaghetti with wine before.”
Clay laughed and winked at her as he unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap. “Only the best for my sweetheart.”
Tommy and Kelly walked back to the edge of the clearing and stood there like statues, and Jenny leaned over the table so she wouldn’t be overheard. “I’ve never seen them so quiet before. What did you do?”
“Nothing, I swear,” he whispered. “I did bribe Tommy with some fried catfish, though, if he promised to fix that mop on his head.”
Jenny grinned, and when Clay took his glass and held it in the air, she did the same. “Happy one-year anniversary to the most beautiful and amazing woman I’ve ever met. You make me a better man, Jenny McCaw, and I love you very much.”
Jenny wiped a tear from the corner of her eye before they clinked their glasses together. “I love you too. Happy anniversary.”
They ate their meal and talked about their day. The setting was so incredible, and she couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate such a special occasion. When they finished eating, Kelly cleared the plates from the table, and Clay reached for her hands. The candlelight illuminated his mesmerizing light green eyes, and she was more than content to sit there and look at him the rest of the evening.
“It was right here where I first realized I was falling in love with you,” he said. “This past year has been the best year of my life, and I can’t imagine a day passing by without you in it. I miss you when we’re apart, and when we’re together, everything feels right with the world.”
Jenny’s cheeks reddened. She was used to Clay’s romantic side, but there were still moments, like this one, when he outdid himself and left her tongue-tied. Her head swooned as he lovingly traced his fingertips over her skin, but when he pushed his chair back and made a move to stand, she was saddened their dinner was coming to an end.
Jenny put her napkin on her plate and prepared to leave, but Clay stopped her and knelt on the ground in front of her. She thought for certain her heart stopped beating when he pulled a velvet box from his pants pocket and opened it to reveal a stunning diamond ring. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried to take slow, even breaths to keep from hyperventilating.
“Jennifer Lynn McCaw, you are my everything, and I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Jenny was so overwhelmed, she could only nod and say “yes” once before she started crying. Clay took the ring from the box and slipped it on her left hand, and Kelly and Tommy let loose and started yelling and clapping as she and Clay hugged and kissed. It was the most wonderful moment of her life and one she would never forget as long as she lived.
Hours later, when the celebration was over and the four of them packed up their belongings and made their way back down the mountain, she still felt like she was walking on a cloud. Aubrey was the first person they shared the news with, and she was over the moon excited. Jenny was ecstatic, too, because not only was she gaining a husband, but she was also getting a sister.
She and Clay decided to wait until the weekend was over before telling anyone else the news so they could spend some time alone enjoying their engagement before the chaos of wedding planning began.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
They were outside on his back porch swing, reveling in the peace and quiet, interrupted only by the occasional chirp of crickets. Jenny lightly grasped his chin and turned him to face her so she could kiss him. “More than you could ever possibly imagine. Are you happy?”
Clay kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, and the tip of her nose before delicately kissing her lips. “More than you could ever possibly imagine.”
Jenny smiled as he held her close to his side and she laid her head on his shoulder. The butterflies in her stomach flipped and flopped when she glanced at her ring and contemplated their future together as husband and wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Clay Wright.
She sighed contentedly.
A perfect ending to a beautiful beginning.
THE END
Lost in Love
The next book in the
All Roads Lead to Love Series
Coming Soon
Check out MORE info on Lake Arrowhead! A recommendations page is included to help you experience this beautiful area the way we did!
Take a look at Lake Arrowhead
From The Write Side of the Road
We took a short trip to the mountains in Southern California. We found a house on the side of a mountain that looked down a valley full of large pine trees. Take a look at some of the photos we took while we were there.
Check Out Lake Arrowhead
Author Note
Thank you so much for checking out my clean romance Lake Arrowhead, CA story. I’ve been writing romance under Ali Parker for over four years now, but we travel as nomads, and I wanted to share that travel with you! That, and this was my first shot at something more Hallmark-ish.
I know it’s not a word, but it should be! My friends and family all LOVE snuggling up on the couch and watching the great love stories at Christmas and during the summer. I finally gave in and tried my hand at a clean romance. Hopefully, you enjoyed it.
More than anything, I pray it inspired you to believe in love and/or remember those warm fuzzies that love gives us/creates. It’s the reason I write.
We combined my desire to write some clean romance with a travel story series I’ve been planning for years too, so this novel was set in Lake Arrowhead, as I mentioned.
My family picked up for a year-long road trip to see different parts of the country in 2017. We worked our way from Utah down to Texas and then up the west coast from Cali to Seattle. It was quite a whirlwind journey.
We got to meet a lot of readers and take them out for a meal, see some beautiful country, and take a TON of notes for this series. My goal was to connect these stories with my “Write Side of the Road” blog where we try (we struggle but TRY) to blog about the different places we went or will be going in the future.
We’re back on the road again. Anyway, thank you again for reading my story! The next one up is focused on the incredible nature in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hope you’ll join me for that adventure too this fall.
~ Vivian (We’re in Montreal right now!)
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Falling In Love
All Roads Lead to Love #2
Copyright © 2018 by Vivian Porter
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
e Book 2)
Falling In Love: A Sweet Traveling Romance Novel (All Roads Lead To Love Book 2) Page 15