“Daddy, you sweared.” Jane’s eyes grew big.
Jake’s gaze swiveled from Jane in her wheelchair to the suddenly daunting road down to the wharf. He crouched by Jane’s side, his hand on her knee. “Listen, sweetheart. We need to run like the wind. Josie is getting on an airplane right this minute, and if we don’t hurry we won’t get there in time to tell her we want her to stay. You do want her to stay, right?” He squeezed his daughter’s knee and held his breath. What would he do if she said no?
She nodded so hard her chair shook. “She can’t leave, we love her.”
Jake sighed his relief and moved around to grip the arms of the wheelchair. Jane was right, they did love Josie. Now he just had to figure out a way to prove it. “Hang on, this is going to be a bumpy ride.”
Chapter 18
Josie paid the cabbie and thanked him for the ride while trying to ignore the curious glances he gave her in the rear-view mirror. She’d lived in a big city her whole life and still wasn’t used to how fast news travelled in Sweetheart Cove.
“If you don’t mind my saying, are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked, his kindly eyes warm as he removed her bags from the trunk and closed the lid. “Folks around here have been mentioning how much better young Jane is doing, and Jacob, too. You’ve been a breath of fresh air to that family—one they sorely needed.”
She dug in her purse and offered a substantial tip, touched by the genuine caring this stranger had shown for the Samuels family. He tried to hand it back and she shook her head, near tears. “No, you keep it. I wish… I wish things were different, but Jane will be fine without me. She’s a strong little girl.”
The cabbie nodded. “She comes from good stock,” he agreed. “What about Jacob though? Will he be fine if you leave?”
Troy exited the harbor plane office and strode across the tarmac, coffee mug in hand. “You made it, I see. Was just about to give up on ya.” He glanced up the road behind them as though looking for someone, then grinned at the cab driver. “Still scaring innocent people out of their hard-earned money, are ya, Fred?”
Josie sucked in a startled breath, but Fred just chortled. “Says the guy who should have retired that rust bucket he flies in ten years ago.” He glanced sheepishly at Josie. “Just joshin’, ma’am. The Betsy Boop is a classic, she’ll run forever.” He jabbed Troy’s arm. “Even with this old coot at the controls.”
“Watch who you’re calling old, buddy. Don’t forget we went to the same school, and I did more than go through the front door and out the back.” Troy laughed.
Fred scowled.
Josie felt the need to defend her new-found friend. “We all make mistakes.”
They both turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
“What?” she said. “I know what it’s like to be judged unfairly. That’s all I’m saying.” She looked pointedly at the three impatient people waiting on the dock near Troy’s plane, two businessmen in three-piece suits and a young woman in a pretty summer dress and floppy straw hat like the one Josie was wearing to conceal her eyes. “Shouldn’t we be going?”
Troy glanced nervously up the street again and took hold of the handle of her bag. “Yeah, sure. Better get underway. See you next week, Fred. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“What does that leave?” Fred grumbled good-naturedly. “Keep your wings in the air, buddy.” He opened his car door and rattled the keys in his pocket. “Look, ma’am, if you change your mind give me a call. I’ll gladly pick you up free of charge and take you home.”
Home.
Josie nodded, too overcome to comment. Was she making a mistake? Emmett had bruised her heart when he’d broken their engagement, but it wouldn’t compare to the gut-wrenching pain she’d feel if Jake wasn’t serious about her.
Impulsively, she hugged the older man. “Thank you,” she whispered, afraid it was too late. She’d already left her heart behind.
Jake ran the last two blocks to Main Street which fronted the wharf. The closer he got, the more he feared he was too late and Josie was gone. It didn’t matter. If he had to hop a plane and go after her, then by God, that’s what he’d do.
At the very least, he needed to see her face-to-face and make it clear he didn’t blame her for keeping Jane’s secret, or for Mischief’s accident. How could he fault her for giving his daughter back to him? They’d drifted apart in the last two years—his fault, all of it. Josie, with her compassion and kindness, had seeped into their hearts and woken him up to what he’d been missing.
Her smile warmed his heart and her kisses stirred an aching within him that he’d never thought to feel again. Her body was a sweet temptation he couldn’t resist. He dreamed of waking up to her silky hair brushing his bare skin, the touch of her mouth, the feel of a fast-beating heart—hers, his—the look in her beautiful green eyes after a night of passion. The whispered endearments and lazy morning-afters.
Hell, yeah. He wanted all that and more.
“Can you see her? Is she gone?”
The fearful tone in Jane’s voice had him putting on a last burst of speed and they cleared the hill just in time to see Josie walking down to the dock with Troy.
“Faster, Daddy. Faster.” Jane shrieked. “Josie, wait. Josie, it’s us. Don’t go!”
Josie glanced over her shoulder and skidded to a stop. Her hand went to her brow to get a better look at who the two idiots were yelling their fool heads off. She hesitated, then hurried toward Troy waiting by the open door.
Jacob slowed, his heart surging forward as though to reach out and tug her back to them. But, he couldn’t force her. It had to be her decision. Jane began to sob. Hell, his own eyes were misty. He reached down and squeezed her shoulder, but remained where he was, frozen in place as his future prepared to ride away into the proverbial sunset.
Suddenly she turned, dropped her purse, threw her hat on the ground, hiked up her skirt, and sprinted up the hill towards them!
Jake blinked, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing while Jane’s shouts of joy rang in his ears. He applied the brake for the wheelchair, half afraid she would bounce it right out of his white-knuckled grip.
“Jane, honey, settle down. We have to wait and see what she says. She might only be coming to say good-bye.” He closed his eyes and lifted his head to Heaven. Please, let her stay. Please.
By the time she reached them, Josie’s chest was heaving, and her cheeks were flushed. She looked so beautiful it hurt to think he might lose her.
“Hi,” she breathed.
“Are you leaving us?” Trust Jane to lay it on the line.
“Sorry,” he said. “She… we, don’t want you to go.” God, he was no better than his daughter. What happened to all his negotiation tactics that he used daily at work? Except, this was so much more important than his job. Josie was the key to his and Jane’s happiness. He needed her to understand that.
He moved from behind the chair and took her hands. She gripped him back, causing a surge of hope. He looked into her eyes and everything clicked into place, the future he wanted them to have became crystal clear. She wasn’t his for now, she was his forever.
“Josie, I know I’m not the most understanding of men, but I promise to always tell you the truth. If you stay, I will do my level best to make sure you never regret it. You’ve taught me to live again. You’ve given the bond of friendship and affection to my daughter, and you’ve made us into a family. Please, Josie, give us a chance. Give me a chance.” His stomach did cartwheels as he tried to read what she was thinking. And then, he saw the glow of happiness lighting her gorgeous green eyes and he knew they were going to be all right.
She gave a little chirping cry and threw herself into his arms. “I’m such an idiot,” she whispered against his neck, sending delicious shivers down his back. “I almost gave up the best thing that ever happened to me.” She leaned back and met his gaze, her lips trembling. “I love you.”
Jane clapped as elation exploded in his chest
. Laughing, he picked Josie off her feet and twirled her around and around. “God, woman, you gave me a scare.” He set her down and gently kissed her lips. “Let’s go home.”
“Wait. Can we go for ice cream now, you promised?” Jane wheedled, an innocent expression on her face.
Jacob grinned. “You heard her, the boss has spoken.”
They all looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Afterword
Reviews are the lifeblood of any successful author. Without you, we can’t be heard.
If you enjoy the story, please consider sharing on your favorite social media sites, as well as GoodReads and from wherever you’ve bought the book.
Thank you,
Jacquie Biggar
Jacqbiggar.com
About the Author
JACQUIE BIGGAR is a USA Today bestselling author of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males and strong, contemporary women willing to show their men that true power comes from love.
She is the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls.
She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.
Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can't function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. :)
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Also by Jacquie Biggar
Wounded Hearts Series
Tidal Falls
The Rebel’s Redemption
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Mended Souls Series
The Guardian
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Gambling Hearts
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Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Blue Haven
Sweetheart Cove
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My Baby Wrote Me A Letter
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Sweetheart Cove (Blue Haven Book 1) Page 8
