“Oh silly.” Even though Mama waved him off, Zoe knew exactly how flattered she was. Mama loved nothing more than a handsome man flirting with her.
Maybe that was why she’d finally accepted Padric. Having Padric sing to you was an intensely amazing experience. She could vouch for that.
“I found you a g-girlfriend,” Mama told Nate.
“Oh no. No. You’re very nice to think of me, but I like to take care of that sort of thing on my own.”
“Not v-very well,” Mama said firmly. “I m-made a date for you.”
“You…what?” Nate glanced at Zoe and Padric for help, but they were too busy smirking to offer any.
“I insist. You d-don’t want another ss-sss-stroke on your hands, do you?”
“Oh now…wow. When you put it that way, Mrs. Bellini.” Nate straightened up and shot Padric and Zoe a death glare. “I await the details.”
Joseph Kenai took the stage and tapped the microphone.
“Oops, there’s my cue.” Padric kissed Zoe on the cheek and strode toward the makeshift stage, which was shielded by a white tent to protect the performers. Behind it paraded the panorama of Misty Bay and the jagged mountainous outline of Lost Souls Wilderness.
Zoe watched him go, unwilling to miss a single second of feasting her eyes on him, now that he was back. The last two weeks had been tough, even though they’d spoken every day and she’d watched every YouTube or news clip she could get her hands on.
Her twin sisters chose that moment to check on Mama, so Nate tugged her away from the wheelchair. “What do you know about this woman your mom’s setting me up with?”
“Me? Nothing. I think you should just see what happens. Take a chance. You’ve been pining after Maya long enough. She’s not interested.”
“How—” He gave a double take. “Not fair. I’ve been over that for years. She’s a friend. A real friend, not a ‘we really want to bone’ friend, like you and Padric.”
“Have it your way. All I know is that she’s a doctor at the hospital, she’s new in town, and Mama adores her.”
Nate straightened up abruptly. “Wait. Are you talking about Bethany Morrison?”
“You already know her?”
He tilted his head back and laughed long and loud. “I wouldn’t say that I know her. But we’ve met.”
“And? Isn’t she great?”
She found the expression on his face impossible to read. “If you say so.”
“So…will you go on a date with her? Even if it’s just to make my mom happy?”
“Sure.” His gray eyes gleamed with something she couldn’t pin down. Mischief? Schemes? Gleeful anticipation? “Looking forward to it.”
But Zoe didn’t have time to figure it out, because Padric was taking the stage to absolutely thunderous applause. She joined in with the rest, clapping and whooping.
“First off, let’s give a big hand to Monica and Alexis Bellini and Joseph Kenai, who pulled together an amazing show on a shoestring budget. Nice job, kids!”
The grinning Joseph, standing at the edge of the stage, took a bow. Monica and Alexis dropped into sweeping curtsies next to Mama’s wheelchair.
An eagle landed on the corner post of the stage, and peered down at the scene. No one paid much attention except for Padric. Zoe was pretty sure she saw him wink up at the eagle.
Then he turned back to his human audience.
“Before I play my first song, let me just say it’s really good to be back in Lost Harbor. I’m really, uh, blown away by the welcome.”
Laughter swept through the crowd. Everyone here knew what had happened, but the national press was still in the dark. Hopefully it would stay that way. On top of being charged with attempted murder, Willie Marsh was on everyone’s shit list.
“I was away for many years, but I never forgot about Lost Harbor. How could I, when the love of my life still lived here?” He looked across the crowd at Zoe. As their eyes met, a deep thrill went through her from head to toe. “I promised her that I’d propose somewhere that wasn’t a hospital room. So what do you think, Zoe? Will this do?”
The smile he sent her was so intimate and sweet that she nearly melted right there on the beach.
“Yes!” she called over the hushed crowd.
“Yes, it will do, or yes to the proposal?”
“Both!” she said through the laughter of the crowd. “But that doesn’t let you off the hook. You still have to ask.”
He shook his head, as if chiding her. “I wouldn’t skip that part. Kind of important.”
She was amazed at his ability to capture the crowd and hold them in the palm of his hand.
“To help me with this very important proposal to Zoe Bellini, our own pizza queen and artist extraordinaire, I’d like to play a new song I’ve been working on. It’s a world premiere. In fact, I’ve only played it once before, except for in the shower.”
Zoe’s mother preened and said loudly, “He played it for me.”
Padric took a seat on the single stool at center stage and bent over his guitar. He began softly strumming as he sang,
I got yesterday in my pocket
I got tomorrow in my dreams
Standing here with you
Today I got my queen.
Yesterday lives in my bones
And tomorrow comes like a hunter
But today I get to say,
I’m yours since yesterday.
Yours since yesterday.
The crowd absorbed the music as if it was ambrosia pouring from the heavens. The melody was so romantic and yet whimsical at the same time, and his resonant voice gave it a deep tenderness and longing.
She knew the feeling well. It had started with a friendship, been tested by fifteen years apart, and then bloomed into an all-encompassing love.
A sigh swept through the crowd. Judging by all the iPhones lifted to catch every second, this song would be going viral in no time.
How had Padric known that being proposed to in front of all of Lost Harbor would feel so good after all of her failures and rejections?
He’d just known, that was all. Because he knew her. And he loved her. Maybe even as much as she loved him. Her “terrible luck” was really just the fact that no one else could ever take Padric’s place in her heart.
“So, Zoe Bellini, queen of my heart? Will you marry me?”
As if anyone could say no to that. She nodded through the giant lump in her throat.
He cupped his hand around his ear. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“She s—s—says yes,” her mother called.
The crowd laughed again.
“Thank you, Mama, but I got this.”
She cupped her hands around her mouth, then paused, holding her breath. Waiting.
Nothing happened.
Clear as a bell, she called out, “Yes! I will marry you!”
Padric grinned widely, blew her a kiss, and launched into his next song.
Later, snuggled in her loft bed, they relived the proposal, sharing the thoughts and emotions they’d experienced at each moment. Padric asked her why she’d paused before answering.
“I was waiting for disaster to strike, like with other big moments in our relationship. You know, a scandal, a plane crash, a boat explosion. A stroke. But nothing did.”
“So do you think we’re in the clear now?”
“I don’t know. But I’m willing to chance it if you are.”
“Then we’ll jump off the cliff together. Not literally,” he added quickly when she glared at him. “No cliffs. No jumping. It was a metaphor…” He lost himself in helpless laughter as she pounced on him.
“Save it for the songwriting.” She stopped tickling him and straddled his hips. “Are you ready to consummate this engagement?”
“Ready as a match next to a lighter. Ready as a fish chasing a hook. Ready as a—” He groaned as she settled onto him. “Never mind.”
That was one good thing about losing fifteen years, she thought
as they surrendered to the constant passion between them. It might have taken her a long time and a lot of disasters, but she’d learned her lesson.
From now on, she intended to appreciate every single second they were together. After all, how many last chances was a girl going to get?
Thank you so much for reading! SEDUCED BY SNOWFALL, the next Lost Harbor, Alaska novel, will be coming in January 2020. Want to be the first to hear about new books, sales, and exclusive giveaways? Join Jennifer’s mailing list and receive a free story as a welcome gift.
About the Author
Jennifer Bernard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called “an irresistible reading experience” full of “quick wit and sizzling love scenes.” A graduate of Harvard and former news promo producer, she left big city life in Los Angeles for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She still hasn’t adjusted to the cold, so most often she can be found cuddling with her laptop and a cup of tea. No stranger to book success, she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name that she’s happy to share with the curious. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at JenniferBernard.net. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter for new releases, fresh exclusive content, sales alerts and giveaways.
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Also by Jennifer Bernard
Lost Harbor, Alaska
Mine Until Moonrise ~ Book 1
* * *
The Rockwell Legacy
The Rebel ~ Book 1
The Rogue ~ Book 2
The Renegade ~ Book 3
The Runaway ~ Book 4
The Rock ~ Book 5
* * *
Jupiter Point ~ The Hotshots
Set the Night on Fire ~ Book 1
Burn So Bright ~ Book 2
Into the Flames ~ Book 3
Setting Off Sparks ~ Book 4
* * *
Jupiter Point ~ The Knight Brothers
Hot Pursuit ~ Book 5
Coming In Hot ~ Book 6
Hot and Bothered ~ Book 7
Too Hot to Handle ~ Book 8
One Hot Night ~ Book 9
* * *
Seeing Stars ~ Series Prequel
The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel Series
Love Between the Bases Series
Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Bernard
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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