“That is a great idea,” said Nikki. “I have to walk off this rich food.”
“You don’t have to walk anything off,” Hawk said, looking her up and down. Nikki laughed. They walked hand-in-hand slowly to the gazebo. There was a bench in the gazebo, and Hawk suggested they sit down. Nikki agreed. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Nikki was enjoying the fresh air. It was a bit nippy, but with Hawk beside her, Nikki was comfortable.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” said Hawk.
“Yes, we have,” said Nikki. “And, that was just one day.” She laughed.
Hawk put his hand gently on Nikki’s cheek. She turned her head towards him, and he leaned in and kissed her. She smiled. I feel so safe with Hawk, she thought.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Hawk said.
“What is that?” asked Nikki.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about something, but the time has just never been right. Sitting here tonight, I realized it may never be right. Trouble seems to follow us around.”
Nikki started to feel worried. “Yeah, but we have had fun, too,” she said.
Hawk agreed. “You’re right. We have had a lot of fun together. Nikki.” He paused and looked at her. “I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
Hawk turned his body toward her and dropped to one knee in front of her. Nikki gasped.
“Nikki, I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. Sure, we’ve seen our share of trouble, but we’ve also survived. We’ve survived together. I’m happy because of you, and I want to be happy with you forever. Nikki, will you marry me?”
Nikki was crying by that point. Hawk let go of her hand and brought out a small box. He placed it in her hands. Nikki opened it. The ring was sapphire and emerald.
“This is gorgeous,” she said to Hawk. She flung her arms around him, and he lifted her off the bench.
“Yes, yes, yes, I will marry you,” Nikki nearly shouted. Hawk kissed her. He put the ring on her finger.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “But, this was my mother’s wedding ring. When I told the chief that I was going to propose, he gave it to me. He said it brought him and my mom many years of happiness, and he hoped it would do the same for us.”
“It is perfect,” sighed Nikki. She kissed Hawk again. I’m getting married, she thought giddily. Nikki could not stop smiling.
“I have to call Seth. He’ll want to know about this,” Nikki insisted.
“You don’t have to call him,” Hawk said.
“Oh, but I want to. I want him to be the first to hear about this.”
“He is,” said Hawk.
Nikki looked at him quizzically. Suddenly Seth was there. Nikki started crying again. Seth, Tori, Lidia and her husband, and the chief were all at the gazebo. Lidia had a bottle of champagne, and her husband had the glasses. Hawk popped the cork, and they all cheered. Lidia’s husband passed champagne around to everyone. Nikki looked at Seth.
“You knew about this?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Seth said. “Hawk asked me if he could marry you the other day when we went out to lunch. Of course, I said yes.”
Nikki smiled. She didn’t think she would ever stop smiling. That was so nice of Hawk to ask Seth, she thought.
“You are such a gentleman,” she said to Hawk. He blushed.
Nikki turned to the chief. “Thank you for the beautiful ring,” she said.
“You are welcome, Nikki. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have it. You have made my son so happy. Thank you,” the chief replied. Nikki smiled. Lidia and Tori came over and hugged her.
“We’re so happy for you,” Lidia said.
“Did you know about this?” asked Nikki.
“Oh, totally, but Seth has known a lot longer than the rest of us,” Tori told Nikki. Nikki thanked Lidia’s husband and hugged Tori and Lidia again. She hugged Seth tight.
“Thank you for being such a wonderful human being,” she said.
“Thank you for being the best mom ever,” he returned. Nikki turned to Hawk.
“I cannot believe you pulled this off,” she said.
“Some secrets are worth keeping,” he replied. He grabbed Nikki and swung her gently around the gazebo. Nikki felt the breeze and danced with Hawk around and around. They stayed that way for a while, and then, as the others left, Nikki thanked them for being a part of her memorable night. She felt a bit let down as the tiredness took over. Hawk told her to sit down. He brought out a thermos. It was filled with hot coffee, just the way Nikki liked it. He produced two mugs and poured each of them a mug full. Hawk held up his mug in a toast gesture.
“Here’s to us,” he said. Nikki touched his mug with hers.
“Here’s to us,” she replied. They sat and sipped their coffee, looking at the stars.
“Are you done with your coffee yet?” Hawk asked.
“Yes, I am. Why? Is it time to go home?”
“Not quite,” said Hawk, taking her hand and guiding her off her seat.
“What’s going on?” asked Nikki.
“You’ll see,” said Hawk. He led her to his truck and helped her in. He got in beside her and started the engine.
“I’ve had this whole proposal planned for a while now,” Hawk said as he steered his truck out of the town. “If I had known today was going to happen, I probably would have planned something different.”
“What was wrong with the proposal?” Nikki asked. “I thought it was beautiful.”
“I’m glad you liked that part. The next part maybe not so much. I talked to Seth, and he reassured me you would like it. So, I hope you like it and I apologize in advance.”
“What are you talking about?” Nikki’s curiosity was piqued.
“You’ll see,” said Hawk, driving down a windy road. He drove for about fifteen more minutes and then put his turn signal on. Nikki looked where he was turning. It was dark and overgrown.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Someplace I think you will like,” replied Hawk. “I promise if you don’t I will take you home.”
“Okay,” said Nikki. She trusted Hawk. This time when they turned off the road the trail they followed was not bumpy. It was smooth dirt and the trees filled in around it. It was a well-traveled trail, and Hawk seemed confident driving Nikki to their destination.
“Close your eyes,” Hawk said after a few minutes.
“Okay,” said Nikki. She closed her eyes. After a minute, Hawk stopped the truck.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Nikki gasped in amazement. In front of her was a gorgeous log cabin. There were white lights strung in the trees, and she could see a lamp on inside.
“It is beautiful,” she cried.
“Come with me,” Hawk said. He had gotten out of the truck and opened Nikki’s door. She walked next to him holding his hand. They walked to the front door of the cabin, and Hawk opened the door. The interior was something out of a magazine. The logs were exposed, and the wooden floor was finished and clean. There was a full kitchen and a large living area on the first floor.
“There are three bedrooms upstairs,” Hawk told Nikki.
“I didn’t bring any change of clothes,” she said.
“Seth and Tori took care of that. Tori even packed your bathing suit.”
“Why would I need a bathing suit?” Nikki asked.
“For this,” Hawk said as he opened up the back door. The back door led to a patio. It was large and there were steps leading down the other end. There were tall plants around the steps blocking off the view. Hawk took Nikki down the steps and she gasped. The steps led to the lake. There was a sandy shore and a boat launch. Beside the boat launch was a canoe. Nikki could not believe how beautiful it was. She was stunned.
“I love it,” she said.
“I thought it would be nice to spend an evening by the lake. In fact, you and I are not due back in town for the rest of the wee
k. Before you protest, I cleared this with Lidia. She said the timing was perfect. She was going to suggest closing the store for the week and re-opening it on Monday with its new features.”
“New features?” Nikki asked.
“Yes,” said Hawk. “Lidia and Tori were able to get everything you needed to open up the milkshake fountain. You will be serving milkshakes, egg creams, root beer floats, and homemade ice cream.”
“Who’s going to be making the ice cream if I’m here with you?” she asked Hawk.
“Tori and Seth are. Seth remembered your peach ice cream recipe. He called down to Atlanta the day you thought about this and ordered some local peaches. They arrived yesterday. Tori has been keeping them at her house. Seth made a batch of ice cream and brought it up to the cabin. Would you like to try some?”
Nikki was astounded. She could not believe her friends had pulled this off. She started to cry.
“Oh, I’m sure the ice cream is good,” said Hawk. “If that’s what you’re worried about.” He pulled Nikki into his arms. She felt safe and warm. He let her cry until she was done.
“You are one of the sweetest men I have ever met,” she said to Hawk. “Yes, I would love to try Seth’s ice cream. And then we can take a dip in the lake. I’m sure the water is cold, but I think it is just what I need.”
“I will start a fire while we eat our ice cream so we can warm up when we get done swimming,” Hawk suggested. Nikki loved the idea. She thought about her day and about Andrew. She thought about Seth, Tori, and Lidia. It was nice to be able to close one door and open another one in her life. She was happy and content in Maple Hills. She knew a life with Hawk would be fun and exciting, but she also knew she could count on him to make sure they had some quiet times like tonight. He knows me so well, she thought. She looked at the ring on her finger. Nikki took Hawk’s hand in hers. She pulled him close and kissed him for a long time.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“For being one of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest human beings I know,” she said. “I love you, Hawk, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“I love you, too, Nikki. And I plan to be with you forever,” Hawk replied, pulling her close. Their lips met again, and Nikki sighed. She knew she had finally found a man that truly made her happy. She smiled and pulled away.
“Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg,” she said, bounding away. Hawk laughed and followed her up the steps. The frogs around the lake serenaded their run, and the lake remained calm while the night owls screeched their hellos.
Dear Reader,
Hi there. Thank you for reading.
I hope you’ll leave a review and/or rating at the retail website where you purchased it, I appreciate you and your feedback.
Thanks again,
Wendy Meadows
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About the Author
Wendy Meadows is an emerging author of cozy mysteries. She lives in “The Granite State” with her husband, two sons, two cats and lovable Labradoodle.
When she isn’t working on her stories she likes to tend to her flower garden, relax with adult coloring and play video games with her family.
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Also by Wendy Meadows
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Bear Truffle Murder Page 8