My Heart is Home: Hidden Creek Series #2

by Barbara Gee

  He reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine. “This has been a long time coming and I’m afraid it’s going to go by way too fast.”

  “We’ll make the most of it,” I said confidently.

  The drive itself was a treat. It was so strange to be able to talk freely about anything we wanted to, without having to be aware of a set of very good ears in the back seat. We talked about work for a while. He updated me on the progress of the medical clinic—their bid had been accepted, by the way—and he also told me about a new design project he was taking on.

  I happily informed him that Principal Correll had strongly hinted I was going to be offered a contract for the next school year. He was relieved to hear that, because he’d been afraid that my being unavailable for a couple of weeks due to the Haley thing, and then Adalyn’s death, would make them leery of my dependability. I assured him I was without question the most dependable substitute teacher on their roster. I said yes way more than anyone else.

  Then we chatted about Chase and Hannah’s little three-week-old Brady Howard, the cutest baby to have ever lived. Also possibly the most spoiled, as he was the first grandchild on both sides.

  As we headed up into the mountains, I told JP this was the kind of scenery I’d daydreamed about when I was deployed in Afghanistan. Every night when I went to bed I would picture the Smoky Mountains and pretend I could smell the forest and feel the cool breeze. I’d imagine the peace and quiet while trying to block out the constant noise and heat of the semi-permanent base.

  “So you’re still pro-forest even after your night alone in it?” he asked. “With the bears? I mean, squirrels?”

  I poked him with my elbow. “They were really, really large squirrels, if the noise they made was any indication. But yes, I’m still pro-forest. Especially when I have a big strong man with me.”

  A few minutes later we saw the restaurant. It was a small, quaint log cabin structure that had been around a long time. It was a busy place, and when we tasted our burgers we found out why. They were absolutely delicious.

  When we walked out to his truck an hour later, I stopped him before he could open my door and wrapped my arms around his waist.

  “Thank you, JP. Dinner was perfect.” Then I kissed him with all the love in my heart. When it finally ended, I gave him a dreamy smile. “Can this be ‘our place’?” I asked.

  The mouth I loved curved up. “Baby, you can have any place you want,” he murmured, and then he kissed me again.

  Chapter 40

  W

  ithin five minutes of leaving the restaurant we started climbing a pretty steep grade and the road began to twist and turn.

  “How deep into the forest are we going?” I asked curiously.

  “Not much farther,” JP answered, turning off onto a narrow lane. It soon became much steeper than the road, but it was nothing his truck couldn’t handle. We rounded a final bend and the cabin was right there. It even had a light on inside for us.

  It looked so perfect nestled there in the trees, windows glowing golden in welcome. I figured there had to be other dwellings in the area, but I didn’t see any other lights. It appeared totally isolated, just as JP had promised.

  “Look okay?” he asked as he put the truck in park and shut off the engine.

  I grinned. “More than okay.”

  We got out and walked to the door. There was a keypad on it and he punched in a four-digit code and swung the door open, allowing me to go in first. I went a few steps and drew in a quick breath, taking it all in. If JP was going for a romantic weekend, he’d succeeded in spades.

  The cabin was beautiful. The front of it was one big room with log walls stained a warm golden brown, a homey kitchen with a table and chairs at one end, and a cozy living area and fireplace at the other. The brown leather couch and matching recliner draped with soft-looking throws looked wonderfully inviting, and large windows promised gorgeous views, although it was too dark now to see them.

  “Bedrooms and bathroom are in the back,” JP told me. “I’ll start a fire, then bring in our stuff.”

  I followed him over to the fireplace, watching him work. Kindling and plenty of wood was stacked on the hearth, and he efficiently laid everything out before holding the lighter to the thin strips.

  Flames caught and lit up his face and I wished I had my phone so I could take a picture. Beautiful. My heart took off into a sprint and I gulped when he stood up and smiled down at me.

  “That should warm it up in here. There’s electric heat too, but they keep it turned real low because it gets too hot with the fireplace.”

  I gave a jerky nod and twisted my hands, so aware of him I didn’t need the fire for heat.

  “You okay?” he asked, his brows drawing together as he put his hands on my shoulders.

  “Do you think this is a good idea?” I blurted. “Being out here all alone? I mean, I know there’re two bedrooms…but there’s nothing forcing us to use them both.”

  His slow smile did nothing to cool me off.

  “Afraid you can’t resist my charms?” he teased.

  I nodded again. “Really afraid.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said, shaking his head. “Waiting is too important to both of us.”

  I grimaced. “I know, but my mind doesn’t work all that great when you kiss me. And with all this,” I spread out my arms, “it’s made for romance, you know? It would be awfully easy to get carried away.”

  He raised a brow. “Romance is exactly what I had in mind, I just didn’t realize you’d have so little restraint.”

  He was teasing me again and I gave him a light shove. “Stop it, JP. I can’t help it if I find you irresistible.”

  He grinned and playfully tousled my hair, intentionally keeping the mood light. “We’ll be fine, Myla. We’ve had lots of practice reining ourselves in.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. I’m not going to sleep with you no matter how much you beg.”

  I shoved him again and he chuckled. “I’ll go get our stuff. Feel free to take a cold shower if you need to.”

  ***

  He took our bags to the bedrooms, then we unloaded all the food from the cooler and boxes he’d packed. He’d been thorough. We had breakfast foods, sandwich makings, and steak and chicken for the grill on the back deck. I doubted it would be warm enough to actually eat outside, but it would be fine for grilling.

  Once everything was put away we made hot chocolate and chose a movie from the well-stocked shelves by the TV. The blue-ray player was a little dated but worked just fine. We snuggled by the fire and watched Shawshank Redemption. It might not have been a typical movie for a romantic weekend in the woods, but we both listed it in our top five movies of all time and we wanted to see it together.

  I cried for Brooks, like I did every single time, but the ending was worth the tears. When Andy and Red had been reunited on the beach and the credits were rolling, JP turned it off and stretched while I gave a contented sigh.

  “Would you be up for some hiking tomorrow?” he asked. “I thought we could pack our lunch and go exploring.”

  “I’d love that. I’ll get up early and fix breakfast before we go.”

  “You can make the pancakes, I’ll fry the bacon,” he said. “And if we’re getting up early, we need to get to bed.”

  We took turns in the bathroom, then said good night out in the hall. There was kissing involved. Really good kissing. But we went to our respective rooms before it could turn into more.

  I crawled into bed, the sheets crisp and fresh-smelling. It took a little bit to warm them up, but the down comforter did its thing and soon I was toasty warm and yawning. I rolled over and closed my eyes, then started in on my prayer list. I ended by thanking God for bringing me back to JP, the only man I’d ever loved, the only man I ever would love.

  I’d prayed the same prayer of gratitude many times, and I intended to keep right on doing it. I never wanted to forget how blesse
d I was.

  ***

  I don’t know how many miles we hiked the next day. So many we almost got lost twice. It should have made me have flashbacks to that horrible night in the woods, but everything felt different with JP. I was safe with him. I wouldn’t even mind a night in the woods with him.

  We finally got back to the cabin, completely famished. Our sandwiches hadn’t been enough to offset the calories we’d burned. We chowed down on some granola bars to take the edge off, then we both took showers. Even though it was still cool out, we’d gotten sweaty going up and down the hills.

  Clean and refreshed, we converged on the kitchen. JP took the steak and chicken out to the grill while I sliced onions and peppers and potatoes. I put the veggies in foil packets with butter, ready to go on the grill when the meat was getting close to done.

  The meal was delicious and we ate like ravenous mountain men, not leaving any leftovers. We cleaned up the kitchen together, then JP built another fire.

  “This was a perfect day,” I said, “even if I’m a little sore from all that hiking.” I stretched my arms toward the ceiling, groaning, then collapsed on the couch and tugged a throw over my lap. “Come sit with me.”

  He turned to face me but stayed where he was, a smile tugging at his lips as his eyes roamed over me. When that went on for a while I got a little uncomfortable.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Memorizing you,” he said softly. “I wish you could see how beautiful you are. Your hair’s reflecting the fire and your skin looks like silk. I’d take a picture but it wouldn’t do you justice.”

  It’s not that I minded hearing all that, but JP didn’t normally wax poetic and I wasn’t sure how to respond. I patted the couch beside me. “Sit. You’re making me self-conscious.”

  “Hang on.” He went to his bedroom and came out with something in his hand. It looked like a small envelope. He scooted an ottoman out from the corner and placed it in front of me, close enough that our knees were touching when he sat.

  I tilted my head curiously, thinking he looked almost nervous.

  He put the envelope on the floor and curled his big hands around my thighs, just above my knees. “I love you, Myla.”

  Ah, my very favorite words. “I know you do.”

  “I hope so. I don’t want you to ever doubt it.”

  “I don’t,” I said, leaning forward and putting my hands on his forearms. “You’ve been stretched thin these last few months, JP. Pulled in a million different directions. But even then you never gave me reason to doubt how you feel.” I smiled gently. “I might have missed our alone times, but I didn’t doubt you.”

  The fire popped and he turned to make sure no coals had escaped. Then he got up and added some bigger logs. Now it was my turn to admire. To memorize. He was wearing a long-sleeved white thermal Henley with faded blue jeans that fit him perfectly. His hair was dark spun gold in the firelight, his cheekbones emphasized by the flickering light. He threw on one final log, then stood and watched the flames for a moment, hands on his hips, unconsciously emphasizing his broad shoulders.

  I loved his size and strength, the masculinity that was so much a part of who he was. And he was right—no camera could do this scene justice.

  He settled back down on the ottoman and I hoped he didn’t notice my flushed cheeks.

  “I want to give you something, Myla,” he said. “A couple things, actually.” He picked up the envelope but didn’t give it to me. “I’ve gone round and round about how to do this, and when, but after a day you described as perfect, it seems like the right time.”

  I stared at the envelope, trying to figure out what it could be but coming up blank. What was he up to?

  “I want you to see what’s in here, but there’s something else I want to give you first.” He shifted on the ottoman and reached into his pocket for the “something else,” then held out his hand to me. I sucked in a breath and froze.

  In his palm was a ring. A diamond ring. A diamond solitaire ring. The kind of ring that could only mean one thing.

  My heart thundered in my ears and my whole body trembled as he took my hand in his and slid off the ottoman onto his knees. Joy bubbled through me, all-consuming and exuberant, and I couldn’t hold back my wide smile.

  He returned it, his eyes warm. “I love you, Myla Grace. I love you with everything I have in me. With everything I am. I’ve loved you since the day we met, and if years of being separated couldn’t change that, nothing will. I’ll love you till the day I die.”

  “JP,” I breathed, tears filling my eyes.

  But he wasn’t done. “I want to marry you. I want to be a family—you, me, and Lily. I want you to be my wife and her mother. And I want to have more kids. Kids I’ll know from the day they’re conceived. Babies I can hold. Siblings for Lily to love, because she has so much of it to give.”

  I nodded. “She does,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “She loves like her dad. Completely.”

  He pressed my hand to his lips, then held up the envelope. “I’m also giving you this because it’s important that you know exactly when I knew I was going to ask you to be my wife.” He opened the envelope and pulled out a thin slip of paper. “This is the receipt for the ring. I whited out the amount because that’s not the important part.” He gave a sly smile. “Just know I didn’t skimp.”

  He handed the paper to me. “Look at the date. It’s the day after we went to visit Janna in Crawford. That trip is when we finally talked about what happened all those years ago, and that’s when I knew there was at least a little bit of love left in your heart for me. I might have been a little over-confident, but I knew then that I was going to do everything in my power to make that love grow, so that one day I could ask you to marry me. I didn’t know when, but I knew it would happen, and I bought this ring the next day.”

  I looked at the date. It was there in black and white.

  “The reason I want you to see that date is because I don’t ever want you to think I’m only looking for a mother for my child. That thought should never cross your mind, because I didn’t even know about Lily when I bought this ring. Your ring. And I’m asking you to marry me because you’re all I’ve ever wanted, Myla. It’s always been you.”

  I stared down at the ring before looking back at him. “It’s almost as beautiful as everything you just said to me.” I shook my head slowly. “I didn’t need to see the receipt, but I love that you thought of it. That’s who you are—you cover all the bases. But I know you, JP. I know that when you say you love me, you mean it. When you say you want to marry me, you mean it. And you know me, so when I tell you that you just made me the happiest girl on the planet, you have to know I mean it.”

  His eyes glinted as he took the ring and positioned it at the tip of my ring finger. “Is that a yes?” he asked softly.

  My eyes welled up. “Yes. It’s a firm yes. A no-doubts-whatsoever yes.”

  He slid the ring slowly down my finger. It was a perfect fit and I had to smile through my tears. “You had some help with that, huh?”

  “Mmm hmm. I had to guess when I bought it, but lucky for me, Ava knows everything about you, right down to your ring size. I asked her a few weeks ago, and then had it sized.”

  I laughed and wiped my eyes. “Lucky for you she kept her big mouth shut about it.”

  “I’ll be even luckier when I kiss my fiancé for the first time.”

  I climbed onto his lap and let him do just that.

  Going our separate ways that night was hard. So so hard. We actually had to pray together for the strength to go to our own rooms. As JP prayed over me, his love so strong and pure, I was flooded with peace. I pictured our wedding, followed by our wedding night. A true wedding night. The one we both wanted and the one we would have.

  We slept apart, but I didn’t feel alone. I didn’t think I’d ever feel alone again.

  Epilogue

  A

  s it turns out, Ava wasn’t the only one who knew J
P was going to propose.

  On our way home Sunday afternoon, Janna called to let me know Lily was at my mom and dad’s. She gave me a story about Mom offering to give her a break from babysitting, and even though Janna didn’t need a break, she could tell Mom really wanted Lily, so she agreed to drop her off there and then she decided to go into work for a while.

  “So do you mind picking up Lily at your parents’? That’ll give me a chance to finish up what I’m working on.”

  Of course it was all a ruse. When we got to Mom’s, I opened the door to forty people yelling “Surprise!” JP was in on it, the stinker, but how could I be mad when I had the chance to celebrate my favorite thing—JP’s ring on my finger—with my favorite people? My family, his family, friends from both of our churches, including the “gang” of old ladies who spent most of the time following Janna around and telling everyone they were officially volunteers at Find Your Rest.

  It was a great end to a great weekend. I asked my mom how she felt about planning a wedding in two months, which was the maximum amount of time JP and I thought we could wait. It had already been over four years—there was no need for a long engagement.

  Mom laughed and said she was surprised we were waiting that long. Then she found a notebook and started making lists.

  The only thing that marred the day was when I saw Janna wiping away a tear when she thought no one was looking. I knew the cause and I wished things were different. I wasn’t giving up on Agent Beckett Foster, though. I knew all too well that if it was meant to be, it would be.

  Like JP and me.

  The End

  Thank you so much for reading My Heart is Home. I hope you enjoyed the second book in this new series. (One more is coming!) Please consider leaving a review on Amazon.

  Series Titles by Barbara Gee:

  The Hidden Creek Series

  My Soul Loves – Book #1

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078FRV3VT