Well, that said it all! Jake had seen and heard enough. He stormed back to his Jeep and drove off.
AS SAMMI KNOCKED on Jake’s door, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu. His home was much larger than she remembered from that morning two months ago. It was a big cabin-style house, built into the rugged hillside and offering breathtaking views of the cove.
Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst. Why hadn’t her mother just come out and said how much she wanted to see Sammi? How much she was missed by everyone at the vineyard? She couldn’t help it if she’d been in Africa and then sick out in the fjords. And she’d never received the invitation about Steve and his ex-wife getting remarried.
Max didn’t have to come up here and chew her out. He wasn’t her father and he needed to stop acting like one. She and her mom could have discussed this on the phone. They could have cleared it up so easily. Now it had turned into a disaster.
What hurt most was that Jake had so little trust in her. He’d taken off at the first sight of her with another man. Little did he know Max was her mother’s husband. He’d flown up to Craig on a private charter. Only he could afford to come all the way here to chew her out.
Sammi rapped on the door again. She could hear Beastly barking, and then the door opened. She wasn’t prepared for the sight that met her. Jake was in his ranger outfit, a duffel bag on the floor next to him. In his hand was a gun. He looked absolutely forbidding. The Jake she’d come to know and love was gone, replaced by somebody else.
She barely had the courage to speak. “Why did you leave my grandparents’ house?”
He shot her a look that made her feel so insignificant, she had to back away. “I didn’t want to intrude on you and your boyfriend.”
How could he think that of her?
“It’s time for you to leave, Sam.”
Sammi thought the day she’d found the journal had been the worst day of her life. She was wrong. Today her entire world was disintegrating. Everyone she loved besides her grandparents had betrayed her.
“You won’t even let me explain?”
Jake picked up his duffel. “I always knew you were trouble. Tonight just proved me right. Have fun in Antarctica. Goodbye.” With those words, he shut the door.
THE RAIN CAME DOWN in a drizzle and the fish weren’t biting. Jake threw another empty beer can on the deck of his boat, adding to the growing pile. It had been two months since he’d closed the door on Samantha and he still couldn’t get her out of his mind.
He was haunted by the smell of her skin, the coy look in her blue eyes and the way her hair would blow in the wind. By now she was on the other side of the world, with someone else. The thought of another man holding her, kissing her perfect lips…
“Dammit.”
He threw down his fishing pole to go get another beer. That’s when he spotted Beastly skulking on the stairs. She poked her head out of the galley. “Come here, girl.” She came on command, letting him pet her.
Just as Jake started opening a can of food for her, the dog began to bark. She ran to the far side of the boat, which was pointing in a southerly direction. He walked over to see what Beastly was barking about. This late in the season there were few tourists in the area. This spot was a secret only a few Alaskans knew about. Either someone was lost or Jake was needed. He shouldn’t have turned off his radio.
Soon he could see it was Nels’s boat approaching. He hoped nothing was wrong with his family or the Engstroms. Or Sammi. A shiver of fear coursed through him. Nels didn’t often venture out to find people.
The older man put his boat into idle and threw buoys over the side so he could moor it next to Jake’s. “I was going to ask permission to come aboard, but your ship is filthy. So are you. When was the last time you shaved, son?”
Jake pulled the hood of his jacket down and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe the cool rain falling on his face would help him get control of his temper. He didn’t need anyone else getting after him. His parents had done enough of that. “Do you mind telling me what brings you up to Bucareli Bay?”
Nels turned off his engine, then looked at Jake with such disdain it made him take a step backward. Some of the cans lying on the deck crunched underfoot.
“Why don’t you come down and have some of Marta’s homemade chili with me? It’s not a request.” He headed to his galley, making Jake feel he had no choice but to follow. Jake told Beastly to stay, and she happily trotted back to her bed below deck.
By the time he made it down the stairs Nels was dishing up the food. Jake took off his jacket and hung it on a hook, then took a seat at the tiny table, squishing his legs into the tight space.
Nels placed their lunch in front of them and ate with him in silence. Jake didn’t feel hungry, but he respected Nels, so he ate. Before long he was on his third helping.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“I’ve been busy.”
Nels nodded. “You’re acting like a jealous teenager who knows nothing and is taking his anger out on everyone else. I don’t care what you do to yourself, son, but I do care how you treat my Sammi.”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.” Jake had taken enough of this and started to get up.
“Sit down. I’m not done. I didn’t travel all the way up here for nothing.”
This was a side of Nels he’d never seen before. He decided to let the old man finish what he’d come here to say.
“The day Sammi was flying home from Africa, she was asked to fly down to California to attend the wedding of Steve de Roussillac and his ex-wife. They were the people that let Sammi and her mother live at the vineyard and have a decent life. Steve has been like a father figure to her. We tried to get the news to you, but then Cole radioed us per your request, letting us know how sick she was.
“Marta and I decided to tell her when she got home. The man you saw Sammi talking to is Max de Roussillac, her mother’s husband. He came up on his own accord to find out why Sammi didn’t fly down for the wedding. They haven’t exactly been friends in the past, but that’s another story.”
Her mother’s husband? Jake reeled from the news. He’d never let Sammi explain. When he thought of how he’d treated her, what he’d done, he felt ill.
“Explain to me why they don’t get along?”
“Max is the son of Steve de Roussillac, the owner of the vineyard where Sammi grew up. As she put it, ‘He’s a jerk and not worthy of her mother.’”
Jake dropped his head in his hands. “I remember her talking about him now.”
“Sammi turned down the Antarctica expedition. She never wanted to leave you. What you heard when Marta was talking to me from the kitchen was just a message I was to give her. If you recall, Sammi had worked out a way to stay in Alaska to be with you and us.”
Jake rubbed his eyes as the last two months flashed before his eyes. All of the pain they’d gone through had been pointless.
“I never thought I’d get over the pain of losing my son. Then Sammi came into our lives. It has given me a new reason to get up in the morning. Now she’s gone off to the South Pole. I’d hoped you would snap out of this and come talk to me, or go and find her before now. But you’re as stubborn as a salmon heading upstream to its death.”
Jake stared at Nels. The analogy was true. He had been dying. Now, with this new information, he was dying a different kind of death. He’d let the woman of his dreams get away. Over nothing!
“What should I do?”
Nels looked shocked. “Go get her.”
“After this, you still want me to be with her?”
“Jake? You’ve made a big mistake, but you’re a good man. You love my Sammi and for some reason she loves you. She’s our only tie to Chris. Go bring her home.”
That’s what he intended to do. “Thank you, Nels.”
He got up, grabbed his jacket and headed for the stairs.
“One more thing.”
Jake stopped.
; “C.J. never meant to hurt you over Lisa. He was eighteen and she was an immature girl who didn’t care about anyone’s feelings. Sammi isn’t Lisa. It’s time to let the past go. Your brother loves you and Sammi loves you. Just think about it.”
Chapter Eleven
Jake pulled up to the charming cottage Sam had described so many times to him. He felt a spurt of adrenaline, realizing he was about to meet the mother of the woman he loved.
They’d spoken the night before and he knew she would be waiting. Though it was early January in the Napa Valley, it felt like summer to Jake, having come from Alaska. He’d heard there would be mustard flowers in blossom. It was hard to believe such beauty existed in wintertime.
He got out of the rental car and walked to the door, opening the screen door to reach the ceramic tile knocker that said “de Roussillac.”
The lovely woman who answered looked too young to be the mother of a twenty-three-year-old. She was taller than Sammi, with green eyes and jaw-length blond hair. Her curvaceous figure was set off by trendy khakis and a green blouson top.
“Hi. You have to be Jake. I’m Andrea de Roussillac. You’re right on time.” He could feel her eyes examining him. “I would have known you from my daughter’s description. Come in.”
“Well, hopefully that description was before September.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Has Sam called you since then?”
She raised a hand to her throat. “She sent an e-mail, saying she was going to Antarctica on an expedition.” A film of moisture glazed Andrea’s eyes. “Come in the living room where we can talk.”
As he followed her through the French doors, he was struck by a painting of Sam over the fireplace. “That looks just like her. You have a great talent.”
“Thank you. Won’t you sit down? Can I get you coffee or a soda? I can make you a sandwich.”
“I’ll have a coffee.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
Jake walked around the room, looking at the various pieces of artwork Andrea had created. Sam had told him she painted ceramics, too. She had many talents.
According to Sam, the cottage could be described as shabby-chic, but he could tell this house had been completely remodeled in a contemporary style. In another part of the room was a grouping of photographs Sam must have taken. Four pictures of the vineyard, one in each season.
Soon her mother walked into the room, carrying a tray with their coffee. “Those pictures won Sammi her scholarship to Brooks.” She sat down and began to sip while she eyed him. “Obviously there’s a reason you phoned me.”
“Andrea—I feel inadequate coming to you under these circumstances. I made a horrible mistake that drove Sam away, and it has taken me months to finally track her down.”
She sobered. “I made a mistake with her, as well, and wish I had an answer. I don’t know if it can be rectified. But that doesn’t mean you can’t if you find her.”
He nodded. “The reason I’m coming to you is that I want to ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
“Oh, Jake…”
“I realize you don’t know me.”
“But I do know you, through Sammi. And you’re Doug’s son, so you have my permission and my blessing. All that’s left is for you to find her.” Her eyes brimmed with tenderness.
“Thank you, Andrea. Your blessing means everything to me. I want to do this right, and I’m flying to Argentina to get her.”
Without words, she got up and hugged him. Jake could feel the worry of a mother who had suffered over Sam just as he had.
“When are you leaving?”
“I finally got a break. A friend of mine in the Coast Guard found out which ship she’s on. She’ll be arriving tomorrow. I’m flying out to Ushuaia, Argentina, tonight to propose and bring her home.”
Andrea hugged him again. “Please—both of you come back safely. Let me walk you out.”
JAKE’S HEART RATE WAS off the charts as the Golden Explorer pulled into port. He rubbed his eyes, taking in the rugged beauty of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
It was summer in the Southern Hemisphere, but like Alaska it was chilly, just the way he liked it. A current of air blew off the ocean, bringing with it the aroma of delicious food from nearby shops and restaurants. He could hear exciting musical rhythms coming from the latter.
The longshoremen began to unload the ship’s cargo. Each piece coming off seemed to take an eternity. Jake glanced at his watch, counting the minutes. A half hour later the passengers began to disembark.
He could see a couple of good-looking men walking down the gangplank. One stopped to wait for someone. His head turned back and that’s when Jake spotted her.
Samantha had only grown more beautiful. As she caught up to the man who’d waited, her long, fair hair fanned out behind her in the breeze. He grabbed her around the shoulders and they walked the rest of the way together, laughing.
Jake felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. This was not what he’d planned, but it didn’t matter. He’d let her go and now had to win her back.
It’s now or never, Powell.
Deliberately, he stepped to the middle of the exit so Sam couldn’t avoid him. She would have to talk to him no matter what. He watched her go through customs, eager to see her up close.
Nearer to her now, he could hear her joking, but there was no light in her eyes. She appeared to be ten pounds thinner. He wondered if she’d gotten sick on the trip. Or maybe she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her? What a fool he’d been to close the door and walk away from her!
Sam passed through the gate and still didn’t notice when she bumped into him. “Perdón.”
Jake had no intention of moving. “Sam?”
She lifted her head. Her eyes flashed like a lightning bolt and the look of recognition was one he would never forget. “Jake?” As she spoke his name, he knew she was still just as in love with him as he was with her.
“I prefer Smokey.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were one guy who didn’t leave America.” Her voice shook.
“Well, it’s the right climate here, so I thought I’d take a chance.”
She laughed. “The right climate?”
“Sam—this is serious,” he said. “I should never have let you go. I love you and I…” He got down on one knee and pulled something out of the left pocket of his jacket. “I was going to do this up in the mountains or somewhere romantic, but I can’t wait.
“Samantha Danbury, will you marry me?” He opened the box and showed her a brilliant, one-carat, round diamond solitaire set in a platinum band.
Tears spilled from her eyes. “Y-yes,” she stammered.
He took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. Then he picked her up and crushed her in his arms. Their kiss melted away the pain of the past few months.
A crowd of onlookers began to clap. Some of them were her shipmates, others peddlers in the area. Music began to play and a celebration erupted from nowhere. Jake didn’t notice. All he knew was that they were finally together and he had no intention of ever letting Sam go.
“Sam, will you marry me here in Argentina? As Americans we can’t marry on Argentinean soil. Do you think the captain of your ship will marry us? I don’t want to wait another day to make you my wife.”
Samantha looked at the beautiful rugged mountain town and couldn’t imagine a more romantic place to wed. She raised her hands to his face, caressing his cheeks. “I’d love to…. Jake?” she whispered in his ear a moment later.
“Yes?”
“I’ve got to call my mom and tell her.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. I met your mother yesterday and asked her permission for your hand in marriage. Do you have your satellite phone?”
Sam reached in her purse for the sat phone she’d wanted to use a million times at sea. Soon she was dialing her mother’s number. Jake heard them greet each other, then
she cried, “Mom—I’m getting married!”
THE MAIN HOUSE at the vineyard was bustling with wedding activities. The excitement of getting married again had made Sammi feverish. Her mom had come upstairs to help her dress, and finished zipping up her vintage-style wedding gown.
Sammi was glad she was only three months along in her pregnancy, so she wasn’t showing yet. She and Jake had planned on keeping it a secret until today. The simple, white silk dress had braided shoulder straps, with contoured lines showing off her small figure. She had wildflowers from the garden woven among the curls pinned atop her head. The rest of her hair cascaded down to the middle of her back, creating a natural veil “more beautiful than any seamstress could make,” Jake had told her.
Sammi wore strappy sandals with heels not too high, since she was scared she might trip walking through the garden. Once she’d finished dressing, she walked over to the bag sitting on the bed and pulled out a small present.
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.”
She watched her mother open it, hoping she would know how much Sammi loved her and that she had forgiven her. The time she’d spent in the Antarctic had brought a new perspective to her life. She realized when it came to matters of the heart, people did things that were unexplainable.
Her mother had made a terrible mistake, but she’d been young and confused. Sammi had tried to put herself in her mom’s shoes and imagine losing a husband tragically at age seventeen. As the years went by it must have become more difficult for her to think of a way to tell Sammi the truth. But it didn’t matter anymore. That was in the past and it was time to move on.
She saw the delight in her mother’s eyes. Sammi had given her a picture of the two of them taken a couple of years earlier, when they’d gone to Hawaii with her mom’s best friend, Nancy, and her family.
While Sammi and Jake had stayed in Argentina for a couple of days, enjoying their honeymoon, they’d combed the shops to find a present to give her mom, and had found a unique frame for the photo.
As Andrea came over and kissed her on the cheek, Sammi gave her a big hug. “I love you, Mom.”
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