He believed that with all his heart. Life had come full circle, and he’d never felt more hopeful.
He pushed aside some low branches and motioned her to go ahead into the small clearing. The conformation of rocks and trees created a private niche where he’d wailed over his loss and the vagaries of fate that ruined his dreams.
If we’d married and had our child, I wouldn’t have Chloe and Mark.
The revelation was so obvious he’d probably said the words out loud a dozen times or more, but until that moment he hadn’t felt the truth at his core.
Everything happens for a reason, Paul, he heard his grandmother say.
Impossible, given the fact he’d never met her. But the surety of the words made him stagger and reach out for a sapling.
Bailey stood without moving for several minutes, soaking in the beauty and peacefulness of the little glen. “I bet Grandma Hilda brought you here, Paul.”
“I never thought of that. I suppose it’s possible. She’d been on my mind ever since I called on her to curse you.”
Bailey walked to a large boulder and sat. The sun had warmed the rock, as if preparing for her visit. “There’s a peace here that feels very spiritual and connected. It’s the right place to say goodbye.”
He squatted beside her. “How do you say goodbye to someone who never was?”
She reached in her pocket and pulled out the beaded heart she’d finished last night. At the center was a small, perfect Montana sapphire.
She held it to the sun to watch it sparkle then kissed it and tossed it into the deepest part of the water. It made a tiny splash, but she swore the sound carried the hint of a child’s laugh.
A warm rush of love and emotion swept through her from head to toe.
Sadness? Yes, but a beautiful peace she wanted to believe was forgiveness.
The last vestiges of guilt melted away. She’d made a choice she would always regret but she no longer hated herself for being young and pliable. She couldn’t hate her father for doing what he thought was in her best interest. She didn’t blame Paul for cursing her.
She turned to the man she loved and wept in his arms. He stroked her back and murmured soft words of comfort against her hair.
“It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine. We’re good, my love. It’s all good.” His comfort was a healing balm, too.
“That was beautiful, Bailey. I wish I’d put as much thought into this as you did, but I’ve been so busy.”
She pulled back and put her finger to his lips. “I made that heart for me, Paul. A symbol of the gift I couldn’t give before. Besides, you’re not a look-back kind of guy. You’re too busy looking forward. And I love that about you.”
“You’re right. I’m looking forward to all the possibilities a life with my soul mate has to offer. But I knew this closure was important to you. And I’m partly to blame for that. I’m the jerk who cursed you, remember?”
Before she could answer, he did something amazing.
He stepped back and looked at the sky and shouted, “Grandma Hilda, if you can hear me, I call on you to lift the curse. I want it to end. Now.”
He looked around, head tilted as if listening for a voice, a sign. When nothing happened, he made an “I tried” gesture. “I guess it was worth a shot, huh?”
Bailey threw back her head and laughed, releasing an inexplicable rush of joy that bubbled up inside her. Happiness as rich and glorious as she’d ever known vibrated in every fiber of her being.
“The curse is gone, Paul. It worked.”
He looked skeptical, as if she were humoring him.
“No, really. It’s gone.” She pressed his hand to her heart. “Wiped clean. I swear my heart isn’t as heavy as it was.”
“Wow. Who knew?”
He looked toward the sky again. “Thanks, Grandma.”
Then his expression turned serious as he pulled her tight against him. “But do you know what I think? I think you lifted the curse, Bailey. By coming home and fixing things between us. By forgiving your father. That took a very brave person. And daring to trust me again, after I failed you twice...that kind of love heals everything.”
His words were a balm to her soul.
“I love you, Bailey Jenkins.”
She closed her eyes and kissed him with all the hope his words inspired in her.
But when the tug of responsibility reminded her of her parents waiting for their return, she pulled away. “We need to go now.”
He took her hand started to lead the way. She glanced over her shoulder for one last look at this hallowed nook.
For a millisecond, she swore she saw two figures in the glimmering shadow. A grandmother holding the hand of a small child.
Her breath caught in her throat and tears clustered behind her eyes again, but she blinked them away. She joined Paul on the path, and together they walked side-by-side toward their wonderful, blessed future.
The Big Sky Mavericks Series
If you enjoyed Montana Cowgirl, you’ll love the other Big Sky Maverick stories!
Book 1: Montana Cowgirl
Book 2: Montana Cowboy
Buy now!
Book 3: Montana Darling
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Book 4: Montana Maverick
Coming soon!
The Big Marietta Fair Series
If you enjoyed Montana Cowgirl, you’ll love the other Big Marietta Fair series novellas!
Beauty and the Cowboy by Nancy Robards Thompson
Buy now!
For Love of a Cowboy by Yvonne Lindsay
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Her Summer Cowboy by Katherine Garbera
Buy now!
A Fair to Remember by Barbara Ankrum
Buy now!
About the Author
Former award-winning newspaper journalist Debra Salonen is a nationally bestselling author with 26 published novels for Harlequin’s Superromance and American lines and one single title release for Harlequin Signature. Several of her titles were nominated for “Best Superromance,” including Until He Met Rachel, which took home that honor in 2010.
In 2006, Debra was named Romantic Times Reviewer’s Career Achievement “Series Storyteller of the Year”.
Debra lives in the foothills near Yosemite National Park in California with her husband and two dogs. Luckily, her two children and three grandchildren live close by to keep Debra connected to the real world. Visit her website at www.debrasalonen.com.
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