The Million Dollar Gift
Page 12
Confused, she met his gaze. “What?”
Chase pulled her close. “Forget about everything. I want you to push it all aside for a moment. Can you do that?”
She nodded with her head under his chin and her face resting against his chest. The snowflakes that had landed in her hair touched his skin in tiny spots of cold.
He took a deep breath and she listen to the air fill up his lungs. He let it out slowly and his heart pounded. “Now, do you love me?” He held her gently and continued, “Do you love the homeless wanderer who stumbled into your life and in doing so saved his own?”
She hugged him back fiercely, “I do, Chase. I love you so much that when you’re not around all I think about is when I get to be with you again. I love everything about you.” She looked up. “I don’t ever want to risk losing you again.”
He hugged her tightly. “You won’t ever lose me,” he breathed into her hair.
She nodded and held him just as tight.
When they walked quietly back into the room, everyone was still talking with shock about the check. “Chase, I can’t believe this,” Mrs. Clark said.
He grinned. “It’s my father’s doing. I know you’ll put it to good use.” He then gave a mysterious smile. “There’s one more present, but it’ll have to wait until Mr. Clark gets out of the hospital.” He saw Mr. Clark yawn tiredly. “Until then, we’d better give the poor guy a chance to rest.”
“And get over the shock,” Mr. Clark agreed, still staring at the check.
“Okay, everyone, let’s give your father some peace and quiet,” Grandpa Clark said. He ushered them slowly out of the room.
Chase and Clara were the last to leave. They followed behind Daniel and Martin who were already debating what the last gift would be. Closing the door behind him, Chase overheard Mrs. Clark say to her husband, “Oh, Matthew. This will cover all the hospital bills.”
“With quite a bit left over,” Mr. Clark agreed.
Chase smiled and shut the door softly.
Chapter 12
Chase drove half of the family with Daniel following close behind. The Clarks were all blindfolded except for Paige, who kept trying to take everyone else’s off. Long green grass now lined the dirt road instead of snow and brushed softly against the sides of the car. Wildflowers swayed in the morning breeze, spotting the landscape in patches of purple, yellow, and red. One lone white cloud drifted across the breathtaking blue sky. Aspens stood in small stands of white and gray against the green background. Their bright green leaves stirred as the car passed as if waving them welcome.
When Chase pulled up to the lookout, he suddenly felt nervous and worried that they might not like it. He opened the door and helped Clara out, then Mr. and Mrs. Clark, Martin, and Grandma and Grandpa. Daniel helped Sam, Ilene, and the kids over to stand beside them. When everyone was out, he nodded. “Okay, you can look.”
Blindfolds were removed and smiles of recognition appeared on several faces.
“It’s good to be here again,” Mr. Clark said.
Mrs. Clark’s hand slipped into his.
“Where are we?” Matty asked.
“This is where I proposed to your Grandma, and your father proposed to your mother,” Grandpa Clark explained. Chase watched Grandpa Clark survey the land around them with a smile. When he found the For Sale sign, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“Looks like this land’s been sold,” he said, his eyes flickering to Chase’s. “Guess we’ll see apartment buildings and high rises come up soon.”
“That’s a shame,” Mrs. Clark replied with true sorrow in her voice.
Chase handed Mr. Clark a document. “This is for being there when I had nowhere else to go,” he said quietly.
Mr. Clark opened the paper, then looked at Chase again. “It’s a bill of sale.”
A grin spread across Grandpa Clark’s face. Grandma Clark grabbed his arm.
“You mean. . . ?” Mrs. Clark began.
Chase nodded. “All of this is yours. I have a crew ready to begin building as soon as you’ve designed your dream home.” Clara stared at him with her mouth open and eyes wide.
“Whoo-hooo!” Matty shouted. He ran a few feet away and stomped on the dirt. “Can this be where my room is?”
“We get to live here!” Martin exclaimed. He and Daniel gave each other a high-five.
Mrs. Clark laughed while Mr. Clark shook his head. “Chase, this is too much. After all you’ve done, you shouldn’t have.”
Chase gave him in incredulous look. “Mr. Clark,” he began, then he turned to include everyone else. “Clark family, you took me in and gave me the best Christmas I can ever remember and a family when I was completely alone. I want to give you the home of your dreams because that’s what you gave me.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “This land is yours, the deeds have been completed in your name, and I can’t think of any family more fitting to fill these hills with laughter and love.”
He slipped an identical piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Grandpa Clark. “The adjoining lot is yours. I figure it’s time you and your wife had the chance to build that house you were talking about.”
“Oh, Chase,” Grandpa Clark said. He shook his head as though he couldn’t come up with words to express how he felt.
Chase took his offered hand and Grandpa Clark pulled him in for a hug. Grandma joined them and soon the entire Clark family was crammed together in a tight embrace. When they stepped back, Grandma and Grandpa Clark hugged each other with tears shining in their eyes.
Matthew ran through the long grass, then pointed at another Sold sign. “If we’re living here, who’s next to us?” he asked.
Chase’s heart began to pound. He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and dropped to one knee on the grass. Mrs. Clark’s hand flew to her mouth and sounds of surprise escaped Grandma Clark.
Clara turned to see what they were looking at, and when her eyes met Chase’s, they widened. Her expression was so soft and open that Chase’s breath caught in his throat. He held her eyes for a moment, then said, “Ms. Clara Isabella Clark, you’ve had my heart from the first day I met you. Will you be my wife?”
Martin and Daniel whispered excitedly to each other, but Chase only had eyes for Clara. The rest of the world fell away into silence. His heart pounded and air refused to fill his lungs as he waited for her answer.
Tears flooded Clara’s eyes, then a smile of such warmth and happiness spread across her lips that Chase had his answer before she spoke. “I will,” she said. She laughed, then raised her voice, “I will marry you, Chase Brockson; you have made me the happiest woman in the world.”
She fell into Chase’s arms. He hugged her tight and never wanted to let her go. He realized with pure joy that he wouldn’t have to ever again. He met Grandpa Clark’s eyes. The older man nodded with a smile of understanding. Chase had taken his shot and changed the course of his life; in his heart he knew it was the best decision he would ever make.
Thank you for reading Silver! I hope you enjoyed it. If you like werewolf books, I highly recommend reading The Silver Series. The first book in the series is here:
Amazon link for Silver
If you are in the mood for a different kind of adventure, try the space opera action adventure The Girl from the Stars:
Amazon link for Daybreak
Or if you are in the search for a new kind of werewolf series, try The Wolfborne Series here:
Amazon link for Defiance
BOOKS BY CHEREE ALSOP
The Silver Series-
Silver
Black
Crimson
Violet
Azure
Hunter
Silver Moon
The Werewolf Academy Series-
Book One: Strays
Book Two: Hunted
Book Three: Instinct
Book Four: Taken
Book Five: Lost
Book Six: Vengeance
Book Seven:
Chosen
The Haunted High Series-
The Wolf Within Me
The Ghost Files
City of Demons
Cage the Beast
Ashes of Night
Heart of the Wolf Part One
Heart of the Wolf Part Two
The Galdoni Series-
Galdoni
Galdoni 2: Into the Storm
Galdoni 3: Out of Darkness
The Small Town Superheroes Series-
Small Town Superhero
Small Town Superhero II
Small Town Superhero III
Keeper of the Wolves
Stolen
The Million Dollar Gift
Thief Prince
When Death Loved an Angel
The Shadows Series
Shadows- Book One in the World of Shadows
Mist- Book Two in the World of Shadows
The Monster Asylum Series
Book One- The Fangs of Bloodhaven
Girl from the Stars
Book 1- Daybreak
Book 2- Daylight
Book 3- Day’s End
Book 4- Day’s Journey
Book 5- Day’s Hunt
The Pirate from the Stars
The Dr. Wolf Series
Book 1- Shockwave
Book 2- Demon Spiral
Book 3- The Four Horsemen
Book 4- Dragon’s Bayne
The Wolfborne Saga
Book 1- Defiance
Book 2- Ricochet
Book 3- Dark Coven
Book 4- Ghost Moon
The Prince of Ash and Blood
Game Breaker
Orion’s Fall
Find more books by Cheree Alsop here: Cheree Alsop’s Website
If you would like to join Cheree Alsop’s newsletter mailing list for new book releases and giveaways, please do so here: Newsletter Signup
Reviews are greatly appreciated as the best way for readers to find new books. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review so that others can find it as well!
Amazon link to review The Million Dollar Gift
About the Author
Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 50 books. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree works as a fulltime author and mother, which is more play than work! She enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, riding motorcycles, playing the bass for the band Alien Landslide, spending time with her wonderful children, and going on family adventures. Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming.