Sapphire Falls: Going My Way? (Kindle Worlds Novella)
Page 11
“Hmm…that doesn’t sound good. Listen, why don’t you go and wait in my car and I’ll take a quick look under the hood?”
Now he was definitely smirking. “Thanks but…I’ll stay out here.”
“Why?” she asked, feigning confusion.
“Do you know anything about cars?”
“As a matter of fact I do,” she said proudly. “I happen to work for one of the best mechanics in Sapphire Falls.”
“One of the best?” he asked incredulously before he started to laugh.
“Okay…he’s the only mechanic in Sapphire Falls but trust me, he is the best.”
“Oh, yeah? And why should I take your word for it?”
She shrugged and took a step closer to him. “Well…let’s see. Why is he the best mechanic or why is he simply the best?”
Now he took a step closer. “Let’s go with option number two.”
“Good choice,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “For starters, he’s extremely trustworthy.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I can honestly say I trust him with my life.”
His smile softened. “Go on.”
“He’s incredibly giving.” She paused. “When I had nothing and no place to go, he took me in. He gave me a job, a place to stay and fixed my car.”
“That seems very generous.”
“You have no idea,” she replied. “And through it all, he never asked for anything in return. He constantly gave and gave and gave. And I don’t know if I ever told him how much I appreciate him or how incredibly thankful I am for him.”
“Maybe you should tell him,” Dylan said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly, stepping in closer until they were toe to toe. Then she looked up at him. “There are so many things I want to say to him, but…I’m not good with words. Not like he is.”
“Maybe you could practice on me.”
She took a steadying breath. “Okay. I’d say…I love you. I know it’s soon and it scares the hell out of me. I’ve got my entire life packed up in my car and my life is kind of a mess but…when I’m with you everything seems right. Good. Better than good. That day on the side of the road, you did more than just rescue a person with a broken-down car. You rescued a person with a broken-down life. You gave me hope. And the time we spent together was the best in my life. And…I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go to Oregon.”
“And what do you want?” he asked seriously.
“I want to stay,” she said, her voice trembling, her heart hammering in her chest. “With you. In Sapphire Falls.”
“I never wanted you to leave. It was killing me watching you pack up your stuff.”
“You didn’t say anything!” she cried.
“It had to be your decision,” he countered. “I didn’t want to sway you – I mean, I did. But I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. So I had to wait and hope and pray you’d change your mind.”
Chloe let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Wow.”
“I think you’re better with words than you think you are.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” Grinning, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and then one of his business cards. Handing it to her, he said, “Dylan Maxwell. And I’m hoping you meant what you said about staying. Because there’s nothing I want more than to be with you and get to know you more and…make a life with you in Sapphire Falls.”
She had never been much of a crier, but her emotions were too raw today and she couldn’t help the flow of tears that started up again. “Chloe Holland,” she replied, slipping his card into her back pocket. “And I was very serious about what I said. The thought of staying here with you makes me happy. And…and…”
He didn’t let her say anything else. He swept her up into his arms and claimed her lips with his in a kiss that promised a whole lot of everything – love, passion…and forever.
A minute later he lifted his head and smiled down at her. “Welcome home, Chloe.”
Those were the second sweetest words she’d heard all day.
****
It was after dark and they were lying on a blanket in Dylan’s backyard, watching the starry sky. They had made love out there after the sun had gone down and now – with minimal clothing on – they were simply enjoying the night.
Dylan couldn’t believe how happy he was. He had the woman he loved in his arms and she was staying. They had unpacked her car as soon as they had gotten back to the house and just like that his world had righted itself.
“I have a confession to make,” Chloe said softly beside him.
“What’s that?” He kept his gaze on the sky.
“I sort of…played around with the Mustang the first time you had it fixed.”
He chuckled. “Seriously?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t ready to leave and I thought I needed to do something to guarantee you wouldn’t kick me out.”
He turned onto his side and faced her. “I never would have kicked you out, Chloe. And if we’re going for confessions…I have one. Well…two.”
Her eyes went wide.
“Your car was actually done sooner. But I told you it wasn’t because I didn’t want you to leave.”
Her immediate response was laughter. “Really? That’s awesome! I love that you did that!”
“I felt really guilty about it!” he admitted. “It was killing me that I was being so childish!” He paused. “And how did you mess with the car? I didn’t think you knew anything about cars.”
“I Googled it,” she said sheepishly. “I loosened some wires. I was prepared to do it again – or something like it – after you fixed it the second time, but it broke down on its own.”
“Well…”
“No!” she cried and broke into a fit of giggles again.
He nodded. “What a pair we make!” And then he had her back in his arms and was kissing her.
“We make the best pair,” she said when they broke apart.
“I think so too.”
They fell into companionable silence and went back to stargazing.
“Can I ask you something?” she said after a minute.
“Anything.”
“Was the entire town in on this today?”
He chuckled. “Yup.”
She smiled. “Wow. Just…wow. That’s impressive.”
“You have no idea. It wasn’t even that hard. A few phone calls and everyone was on board.”
“I thought it all seemed a little odd. I couldn’t believe how many people were interested in how I was getting out of town!” With a laugh she snuggled closer to him. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like this before.”
“Like what?”
“The closeness you all have here in town. It’s a little overwhelming.”
“You get used to it. At the end of the day, it’s like one big family.” He paused and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “And just so you know…everyone was on board because they’re just as in love with you as I am. Well…maybe not exactly the same way, but…you get what I mean, right?”
“Sure do. And I feel the same way about them. I’ve been on my own for a long time and even though there were places I’d lived where I knew a lot of people, it was never like this. I’ve made some great friends here and I’m glad I don’t have to leave and miss them.”
“That reminds me…our social calendar is going to be pretty full this week. Everyone is going to want to know all the details about what happened when you found me on the side of the road.”
Chloe laughed. “So you totally rigged it so I was going that way. Very clever.”
“Sweetheart, wherever you are, that’s the way I’m going.”
Looking up at him, she cupped his cheek. “I love you, Dylan.”
“I really like the sound of that – almost as much as I enjoy telling you that I love you too.”
About Samantha Chase
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New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40's to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, blogging, playing way too many games of Scrabble on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina. For more information visit her website at www.chasing-romance.com.
Other Books by Samantha Chase
Jordan’s Return
The Christmas Cottage
Ever After
Catering to the CEO
In the Eye of the Storm
Wait for Me
Trust in Me
Stay With Me
More of Me
A Touch of Heaven
The Snowflake Inn
Mistletoe Between Friends
Duty Bound
Honor Bound
Forever Bound
Home Bound
The Baby Arrangement
Baby, I’m Yours
Baby, Be Mine
Exclusive
The Wedding Season
Return To You
Meant for You
Made for Us
I’ll Be There
Love Walks In
Always My Girl
Friday Night Brides