by Croix, J. H.
Jared stood as Nathan came over and slapped him on the back. “How’d yesterday go?”
“Perfect.”
Epilogue
Susie walked down the dock in Otter Cove Harbor. Waddle would be the more accurate word for what she did. She was seven months pregnant and had come to hate tall women in a way she’d never contemplated before. Given that two of her closest friends were staring at the six-foot mark, she’d given them plenty of grief. Hannah had barely looked pregnant until the last half of her pregnancy and even then, she didn’t look like Susie did. Emma had just had a baby, a little girl named Janet, and even nine months into her pregnancy, she’d managed to move with grace. At five feet, Susie felt more like a beach ball than a person.
“Susie!”
She glanced up to see Jared waving at her from his boat. He was finishing up a day of cleaning and repairs. It was early fall with the long days of summer fading fast. She returned his wave and kept walking, a smile blooming in her heart. The sun was setting across the bay, casting filtered rays of orange, red and gold across the water. The mountains were cast in shadow, silent and looming in the dusky light. A loon called, the tide was rolling in, small waves cresting on the shore, the sound rhythmic and soothing.
Jared stepped off the boat and slung a bag over his shoulder. He met her halfway down the dock, leaning forward to kiss her. His lips met hers in a soft caress, swiftly escalating to a searing burn. He pulled away with a soft chuckle. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his hand caressing her round belly.
“Gigantic.”
He grinned. “You look beautiful.”
She smiled ruefully. “For a man who once swore he was no good at relationships, you have it down. I’m gigantic and you know it, yet you insist I look beautiful.”
Jared merely grinned and slipped his arm over her shoulders, turning to walk toward the parking lot.
She thought back over the past year and still found it hard to believe. She’d watched her friends fall in love and get married and convinced herself she’d be content sitting on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the buzz between her and Jared got loud enough she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Jared continued to surprise her. They’d married a year ago today on the fall equinox.
Susie who loved planning weddings could barely think straight when it came to her own. Tess, who’d also taken over the planning for Emma’s wedding, had ably stepped in and made it a beautiful day. Susie was trying to convince her she needed to add wedding planner to her fundraising business, but Tess was ignoring her so far. For Susie and Jared, Tess had made the day amazing. She’d orchestrated a beach ceremony with the cooperation of the weather. As the sun set over the mountains, a crescent moon had made its appearance, rising through the red and gold and winking above the mountains. Jared had swept her off her feet—literally—and carried her in his arms down the dock to his commercial boat, which had been decorated with paper lanterns swinging above the railings.
They’d flown to Hawaii the following morning for their honeymoon. Her mind reeled back to the present when Jared said her name. They’d reached his truck.
“Huh?”
His green eyes crinkled at the corners and his dimple winked at her with his smile. “Lost in thought?”
“Oh just thinking about this time last year,” she said softly.
Jared took a step closer and slid his hands down her back to curl around her bottom and tug her to him. “Mmmm…my favorite day.”
Though her body reacted instantly to Jared’s touch, desire unfurling inside and heat building, she was irritable because she felt huge and unwieldy.
“Your favorite day? Really?” she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.
He pulled back, his eyes warm, but serious. “Yes. My favorite day. It may have taken me a little while to figure it out, but you are the woman for me.” His eyes softened and he brushed a loose curl off her forehead. “You look tired. We don’t have to do dinner out tonight. I was trying to do the anniversary thing.”
Her irritation faded. “I know. Let’s have dinner at home. I’d rather celebrate our anniversary this year with my feet up,” she said with a chuckle.
Hours later, her feet were in Jared’s lap as he massaged them. Dark had fallen, rain coming behind it. She thought back to that rainy night, which felt like forever ago now, when they’d first kissed. She looked over at him, the lamplight limning his features.
“It was my favorite day too,” she said softly.
He leaned over, his lips falling softly to hers. “I know.”
~The End~
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Diamond Creek Alaska Books
When Love Comes
Follow Love
Love Unbroken
Love Untamed
Please enjoy the following excerpt from Tumble into Love, the next book in the Diamond Creek, Alaska series!
(Excerpt from TUMBLE INTO LOVE by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved)
Chapter 1
There was a screech as her tires spun out. The guardrail raced toward her, her car hurtled through it, the crunch of steel so loud it hurt her ears. Next came several thumps and a sudden stop when her car bounced into a cluster of alders. Risa Holden sat frozen in her car, stunned and disoriented. A moment ago, she’d been driving down the highway from Anchorage to Diamond Creek—a spectacular drive in coastal Alaska with vista after vista of mountains, glaciers and the ocean unfurling along every mile. She’d just reached the outskirts of Diamond Creek. Her windows were rolled down, and she was glorying in the salty ocean air blowing through. She came around a corner to find a moose and two calves ambling across the road. She swerved to avoid them and now here she sat surrounded by alder, her car most definitely not going anywhere.
Risa shifted carefully, uncertain if she was injured. It happened so quickly, she barely had time to think or feel. The alder branches settled around her car. She glanced out her broken window to see a porcupine clinging to a spruce tree nearby looking curiously in her direction. A stellar jay landed on a branch a few feet away and squawked—as if she’d interrupted the bird’s afternoon. Which she supposed she had. Her ears stopped ringing. Her neck felt tight. She tugged the visor down and checked in the mirror. A thin trickle of blood ran down the side of her face. She sifted pieces of broken glass out of her dark hair. Glass was scattered across her lap and throughout the car.
Assessing that she could move, Risa carefully brushed the glass off of her purse and slipped her phone out to call her brother.
Trey answered on the first ring. “Hey sis, when are you due here?”
“Well, I made it to Diamond Creek, but I’m sitting in the middle of a bunch of alder at the bottom of a hill.”
After Trey, her overprotective older brother, finished freaking out, he said he’d be on his way as soon as he called nine-one-one. He made her promise not to try to get out of her car, which completely annoyed Risa though she didn’t really feel like trying to clamber out. With a sigh, she leaned her head back and wondered how come her life so often felt like it was skidding out of control. Today, it happened to be more than a metaphor.
The sound of sirens carried through the trees. Moments later, footsteps approached her car. She turned and her eyes landed on the sexiest man she’d seen in…well, since she could remember. He had golden brown hair – not quite brown and not quite blond – chocolate brown eyes, and a face an artist would love to paint with sculpted cheekbones, a strong jaw and full, sensual lips. She swore to herself when it occurred to her that she must look like hell, what with the blood in her hair and on her face.
To top it off, whoever this amazing man was, he was a cop and looked damn sexy in his uniform. He was clearly built, his shoulders and chest completely filling out his shirt in a mouth-watering way. His eyes were concerned
when he reached the car. “Hey there, give us a few minutes and we’ll get you out of there. Are you hurt?”
Risa sighed. “Aside from the cut on my head, which I can’t even see by the way, I think I’m fine. I only stayed put because I promised my brother I would.” She moved to open the car door to find it was jammed shut.
Sexy cop moved quickly, bringing his hand against the door. “No, don’t do that! I don’t want you to accidentally make the roof collapse. It’s not looking good from out here, but the door’s helping keep it up. I have a crew coming down to get you out of here safely.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t move.” Risa lifted her hands to show she wasn’t trying to open the door anymore.
“So, Trey Holden is your brother?” sexy cop asked.
Risa nodded. “The one and only. Did he call you?”
Sexy cop smiled at her reply. “He did, but I was already on my way out here. Another driver saw the broken guardrail and beat him to it. You must be Risa then.”
“Yup. And you are?”
“Darren Thomas. Trey’s a friend of mine. Got to know him through Jared Winters who’s another friend.”
“So you’re the wonderful cop who helped dispatch Emma’s ex far away from here,” Risa said with a grin. Once he said his name, she recognized it. Trey’s wife, Emma, had an ex who excelled at being a complete asshole and stalked her for a few years after they broke up. When he showed up in Diamond Creek a while ago, Darren had been instrumental in helping deal with the situation. So he was sexy as hell, her brother’s friend, and an upstanding cop who was prone to saving the day, according to Trey at least. Risa figured he was way too good for her.
Darren lifted an eyebrow at her comment. “Don’t know if I’d put it that way, but yes, I helped out with that situation. It’s my job.”
He turned away at the sound of more footsteps coming through the trees. The next few minutes were a bustle of activity around Risa while she was repeatedly reminded to sit still. The rescue crew was made up of six more men—every single one of them sexy as hell, along with the whole ‘I’m here to save you’ vibe, in amazing shape and so steady and confident. While she had her pick of men to stare at, Risa’s eyes kept traveling back to Darren as if they were leashed to him.
When they finally pried her door open and she could climb out, she realized how frightened she’d been. A wave of panic washed over her once she finally got out of the car—her heart raced and her legs almost collapsed. Fortunately, Darren was right beside her and immediately slipped his arm around her and steadied her.
“Take it easy,” he said, his voice a low rumble.
His warm, strong grip was disconcerting. Risa shook her head and tried to shift her weight away, only to stumble again.
“Should have known you’d be stubborn like your brother,” Darren said with a soft chuckle. He glanced over to the cluster of men. “We need to get her up to the ambulance, can one of you get on her other side and help me walk her up the hill?”
One of the guys nodded while another asked if they needed to get a stretcher for her.
“I can walk. I’m fine!” Risa declared.
Darren ignored her. “I don’t think she needs a stretcher. She’s just not too steady on her feet.” He looked down at her, those amazing brown eyes colliding with hers. “You probably are fine, but I’m not taking any chances. Trey’ll kick my ass if I do.”
“I don’t answer to my brother, so don’t go thinking you need to on my behalf.”
Darren’s lips quirked and he shrugged. “In this case, I do, so you’ll have to deal with it.” He looked away when one of the men approached them. “Risa, this is Travis,” he said, tipping his head in Travis’s direction.
Travis had light brown hair and blue eyes. He nodded and smiled. “Glad you’re doing okay. Could have been much worse. Your car is totaled though.”
Risa sighed. “I know.” She turned to look at her car—a trusty old blue hatchback. It had taken her many places, but it was clearly done with that now, it’s roof crumpled and the front end bent entirely out of shape. She looked back at Travis. “Nice to meet you.”
With a quick grin, he moved to the side of her opposite from Darren. Without a word, he slipped his arm under her shoulder and nodded to Darren. With most of her weight borne by them, she made her way up the hill. Darren’s closeness was disturbingly distracting. Though Travis was as handsome, objectively speaking, and he was draped around her as well, she didn’t feel the slightest spark with him.
When they reached the road, Trey’s car was pulling up behind the ambulance. He raced to her side with his wife, Emma, following at a slower pace. “Are you okay?” Trey said the second he reached her.
“Trey, I’m fine. You’ll be happy to know Darren wouldn’t let me get out of the car by myself and insisted on having Travis help him walk me up the hill,” Risa replied wryly.
Trey looked to Darren. “Thanks man. I know how stubborn Risa can be, so I appreciate you being here.”
Risa rolled her eyes and went to move away from Darren and Travis though neither budged. “Um, guys?”
“Let’s get you seated over there,” Travis said, gesturing toward the back of the ambulance.
Risa realized she was surrounded by men who thought they knew best, so she elected not to argue the point and quietly made her way over to the back of the ambulance.
When Darren finally stepped away, she instantly missed his warm strength. A friendly female emergency responder greeted her and quickly checked her over. In short order, the cut near her hairline had been cleaned and bandaged. After an overall check and a run of tests to assess whether she had a concussion, they determined she didn’t need stitches and cleared her to leave. Trey stood with Darren and Travis talking.
Risa glanced to Emma who’d joined her by the ambulance. “You look amazing as usual. I still can’t believe you just had a baby a few months ago. How’s Janet?” Risa asked with a smile.
Emma grinned at the mention of her three-month old daughter. “She’s great. When you called, Hannah was at the house, so she stayed with Janet while we came to get you.” Her eyes coasted over Risa. “Great entrance today. Ready to head to our place?”
Risa nodded and stood carefully. Trey approached them in the road. “I wasn’t thinking when we left. The back of the car is kind of a mess with the car seat and some of my fishing gear.”
Darren was right on Trey’s heels. “Risa can ride with me. I’ll follow you to your place,” he offered.
Trey turned. “You sure you don’t mind?”
Darren shook his head. Trey looked to her. “Do you mind riding with Darren?”
Risa did and didn’t. If it weren’t for the fact that the electricity crackling between them was a force to be reckoned with, she wouldn’t mind at all, but she couldn’t come up with a rational reason to say no, so she merely shrugged and followed Darren to his patrol car.
The car was quiet as Darren drove. They’d been delayed for a few minutes after Trey and Emma left when Darren was called over to respond to some questions from the tow truck guy. Since it was a single vehicle accident, it had been quickly decided that Risa’s car would be dragged back up the hill and towed to the local junkyard where it would await the insurance assessor who would likely determine the vehicle was totaled in less than one minute. Risa had called Trey to let him know she’d be there once Darren finished up.
She glanced around Darren’s patrol car. Aside from the radio and the divider between the front and back, it was rather basic. She wasn’t accustomed to sitting on a bench seat without a console. Her mind couldn’t help but think how easy it would be to slide right over and soak up the warmth emanating from Darren.
Darren came to a stop at a stoplight and glanced over at her. She wanted to dive into his eyes and wished he wasn’t her brother’s friend. Before she’d discovered that inconvenient detail, she’d been thinking a little fling would be perfect. She rationalized that Trey was friends with half the town.
As these thoughts tumbled through her mind, she realized she was staring at Darren, and he was staring right back. Desire coursed through her. A horn honked behind them.
Darren swore under his breath and turned away, driving through the light. She wanted to draw his profile. The lines of his face were beautiful and strong. He had a faint scar on the side of his face. Close to his ear, it traced a faded path up to his temple and into his hair—that honey brown hair she wanted to run her fingers through.
Risa forced herself to look away and wondered if she’d lost her mind. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but his body and hers seemed to be having a conversation over which she had no control. Her pulse raced, her breath was shallow and heat slid through her.
“So how often do you come down to Diamond Creek?”
Darren’s voice was deep and steady. His question was so benign, her thoughts the second before embarrassed her.
“I try to get down here once a month. I live in Anchorage.”
Darren nodded. “Yeah, Trey mentioned that. I grew up there.”
Her curiosity was peaked. “You did? What brought you to Diamond Creek?”
Darren glanced at her, his eyes warm. She could have sworn they fell to her breasts and back up, but it was so fast, she couldn’t be sure.
“Oh, I moved away from Anchorage when I went to college down in Washington. I came to Diamond Creek when I got offered a job here. I was done with the whole urban cop beat after Seattle, so Diamond Creek got me back to Alaska and a much slower pace. I love it here,” he said.
He stopped at the intersection that would bring them up the hill toward Trey’s house and looked over at her. She was so flustered she didn’t know where to look, but she couldn’t look away. She was beginning to wonder if she’d hit her head harder than she thought in the accident.
