She swallowed hard.
“There’s no one else waiting in the wings, either. Only you.”
As though she didn’t trust her voice, she shook her head again and slipped out of the booth. Without a word, she started to walk away.
So that was his answer. The burden of his disappointment seemed too much to bear. He propped his elbows on the table and covered his face with his hands.
“I’ll pack up my things and be gone by morning,” he told her, his voice raw.
She stood with her back to him, but at his words, she whirled around. “I told you I’ll move.”
“No, I said I’d go.” He took his first and last sip of coffee, left the mug on the table and got out of the booth. He hadn’t gone more than a few feet when Chrissie stopped him.
“All right!” she shouted. “All right.”
Frowning, he faced her. “I’ll be out of Hard Luck by morning.”
“I…I wasn’t agreeing to that. I meant, I’ll marry you.”
Mary stood in the background, both hands over her mouth as though to keep from shouting with glee. Scott cast her a warning glance, and her eyes twinkled with sheer delight.
“Why would you marry me?” he demanded. “Other than the fact that I asked you to.”
“First…” She lowered her gaze to the floor. “I…love you. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”
“I want a woman’s love, not a schoolgirl crush.”
“Give me a chance, and you’ll see how much of woman I am.”
He grinned. “Any other reason?”
She nodded. “I couldn’t let you walk away from me again. It nearly killed me the first two times.”
“It’s not going to happen, sweetheart.” He held open his arms, and she flew into his embrace. His hold was so strong he practically lifted her from the floor, then her lips were on his. She kissed him in a way that left him in no doubt of her feelings. And in no doubt that she was every inch the woman she’d claimed.
“This is wonderful news!” Mary cried from behind them.
Scott heard the honking sound of Ben blowing his nose and recognized that his friend was shedding a tear of shared happiness.
Scott broke off the kiss, afraid to believe Chrissie was actually in his arms. “You aren’t going to wake up tomorrow morning and change your mind, are you?”
Her smile told him there was no chance of that. Her expression sobered and she sighed. “I promised myself I wouldn’t let this happen, but, Scott, oh, Scott, I’m so happy it did. I’ve always loved you.”
He continued to hold her. “Don’t make any more promises to yourself, okay?”
“I won’t,” she whispered with a laugh.
And then she kissed him again.
From the Hard Luck Gazette
By Lanni O’Halloran, Editor
It’s official! I don’t suppose I’m the only one who’s noticed that Chrissie Harris is sporting an engagement ring. I spoke with the soon-to-be mother-of-the-bride, Bethany Harris, early this afternoon and Bethany confirmed that Scott O’Halloran and Chrissie have set their wedding date for New Year’s Eve.
Bethany and Mitch proudly claim credit for having brought this couple together as a result of some timely advice to the bride. However, this conflicts with what Matt and Karen Caldwell recently told me, which suggests that they were the ones who’d played a major role in the wedding plans—although when pressed Matt insisted their part in furthering the romance would remain his and Karen’s secret.
The new Mrs. O’Halloran will continue practicing law with Tracy Porter, while Scott’s duties with Midnight Sons will expand, particularly since his father, Sawyer O’Halloran, intends to retire. Sawyer and Abbey have already booked a trip to New York and are looking forward to a second honeymoon.
As a “Welcome Back to Hard Luck” gift, Sawyer has given his son a purebred Alaskan husky, related to Scott’s beloved Eagle Catcher, whom many of our readers will remember. Scott and Chrissie have both expressed their delight.
A bridal shower will be hosted by Scott’s sister, Susan Gold, and will be held at the Hard Luck Community Center the sixth of November. On the same night, Ben Hamilton will host a bachelor party at the Hard Luck Café.
As a wedding gift, my husband, Charles O’Halloran, and I, together with Mariah and Christian O’Halloran, as well as Scott’s parents, have presented the engaged couple with twenty acres of land—and a cabin. Kind of goes full circle, doesn’t it?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4765-3
MIDNIGHT SONS VOLUME 3
Copyright © 2010 by MIRA Books.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:
FALLING FOR HIM
Copyright © 1996 by Debbie Macomber.
ENDING IN MARRIAGE
Copyright © 1996 by Debbie Macomber.
MIDNIGHT SONS AND DAUGHTERS
Copyright © 2000 by Debbie Macomber.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Midnight Sons Volume 3 Page 38
