When Sparks Fly (Pine Ridge Romance Book 2)

by Holly Stevenson

  Leah’s heart twisted. Worrying about her mom had helped dull the pain of missing Mitch, but now that they’d made the decision about her care, it felt as though a dam had broken, allowing in the flood of pain she’d kept at bay. “One big topic at a time, Mom,” she said, patting her hand. “I’m all tapped out of emotion for the day.”

  Carol chuckled. “All right. I won’t press it, but don’t take too long before you decide to talk to him and patch things up. A young man like that doesn’t come around very often, you know.”

  Leah looked up, noticing a jet passing far overhead, leaving a contrail cloud in its wake like chalk against the sky. “No,” she countered, still squinting upward. “A man like that only comes around once in a lifetime.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Mitch lifted his suitcase from the luggage rack and carried it down the steps of the employee shuttle and into the parking lot. There were storm clouds gathering overhead, matching his sullen mood. The rest of the trip without Leah had felt like an eternity. He supposed that was what he had to look forward to—an eternity of living life with what felt like a cannonball-sized hole in his chest. The place where his heart should have been.

  He rolled his suitcase to where he’d parked his truck, keeping his focus on the asphalt. He reached into his pocket for his key, absently pressing the fob and then glancing at his truck when he heard the doors unlock. What he saw made his heart stop.

  Leah stood there, leaning against the cab. She straightened, a timid smile on her face as he approached slowly, afraid to breathe in case this wasn’t real. She kept hold of his gaze, her eyes tight as she moved her fist in a circle over her chest, signing, “I’m sorry.”

  He swallowed, too moved by the gesture to speak. She continued to sign.

  “I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too,” he signed back, his heart beating out a staccato. He stepped closer.

  She bit one corner of her lip, her gaze never leaving his as she pointed to herself, crossed her arms over her heart, and pointed at him.

  The air left his lungs. He let go of his suitcase and took her in his arms, holding her tight. “I love you too,” he whispered in her ear.

  She clung to him. “Mitch, I’m so sorry for the things I said. For hurting you.”

  He shook his head, pulling back to look at her. “I understand now why you did it.” He searched her face. “Does this mean you’re willing to give us a chance?”

  She hesitated, taking his hands and looking down at their fingers interlaced. “I want to be with you more than anything,” she said. “But I want you to take time to really consider what that would mean—the risk you’d be taking in having a future with me.” She blinked hard and lifted a shoulder. “Not that I’m saying you have to commit to anything long-term, it’s just, I want you to think about the consequences—”

  He tilted her chin up until she met his eyes. “Leah, I have thought about it. Plenty. In fact, ever since you left that’s all I could think about. I’ve studied the disease and know the risks. I’m going into this with both eyes open.” He dropped her hands and touched the side of her face. “And all I see is you.”

  She let out a small breath of disbelief and closed her eyes. A tear trickled down her cheek. He wiped it away. “How can you mean that?” She asked, opening her eyes to search his. “It’s too big a sacrifice.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t know what the future will hold. Maybe you’ll get the disease—maybe you won’t. But even if you do, I wouldn’t trade the chance to be with you just to keep my heart safe.” The wind blew her hair and he gently brushed it back. “When I said I loved you, I meant it. Love doesn’t turn tail when things get hard. It means commitment. It means work, and I’m all in.”

  She smiled, her brown eyes alive and filled with wonder as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Me too,” she said, before tipping her face up to press her lips to his.

  Mitch sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, his heart breaking open with joy as he kissed first her mouth and then moved to kiss the tears from her cheeks. She lifted off his hat and played with his hair, causing goosebumps along the back of his neck as his mouth found hers again.

  They kissed in the employee parking lot where anyone could see, but neither of them cared. Not even when it started to rain. Mitch just smiled against her lips and pulled her closer, letting the warm rain fall. These were kisses that promised of love, of hope, of a future as broad and promising as a clear horizon. And nothing—not even a torrential downpour—could douse the sparks of love flying between them.

  Epilogue

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like smooth skies for a while so we’ve turned off the seatbelt sign, and you are free to move about the cabin. However, while you’re seated, we ask that you keep your seatbelt on in case we encounter any rough air.”

  Leah handed a bag of pretzels and a napkin to an older woman as she listened to Sam make the announcement, wondering why he was giving it instead of Mitch. They’d been successful in bidding for the same routes the past several months, seeing the world together and practically inseparable during their days off as well.

  She couldn’t imagine making the transition with her mom moving out without his help. Even though her mom was doing well at the care center, letting her go was still hard. Mitch had been there for the painful moments as well as the sweet ones. He was her anchor; unfailingly supportive and optimistic no matter what happened. He’d come into her life at exactly the time when she’d needed him most, and Leah knew better than to attribute that to coincidence.

  Losing her mom bit by bit was unspeakably hard, but the fact that God loved her enough to put Mitch in her path let her know she didn’t have to go through it alone. That assurance helped her let go of her fears for the future, and enjoy the journey instead.

  She was about to ask the next passenger what he wanted to drink, when Bonnie waved at her over the beverage cart. “Are you listening?” she asked, her eyes dancing as she pointed to the speakers.

  Leah gave her a strange look and paid attention as Sam finished talking about the weather they could expect in Zurich. “We also have a surprise for you today, folks. My friend, Captain Harrison, has been granted permission to come into the cabin so that he could ask his special someone a question.”

  Leah’s mouth dropped open. She turned as if in slow motion, already sensing that Mitch was coming toward her. The passengers murmured and craned their necks to see what was going on, but all Leah could hear was the sound of her pulse pounding in her ears.

  Mitch slowly walked toward her down the aisle, his eyes brimming with love as he stopped in front of her. He reached for his pilot hat, tucking it under his arm as he took her hand and bent down on one knee, holding her gaze fast. “Leah Hunter, I am madly in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.” His eyes searched hers as he held up a glittering diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”

  Leah pressed a hand to her chest, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. She nodded. “Yes, of course!”

  The cabin erupted in cheers and applause as Mitch stood and wrapped her in his arms. Leah’s eyes filled with moisture as she held him tight. He pulled back and kissed her firmly on the mouth. The kiss was brief, but it warmed her all the way down to her toes. She couldn’t stop smiling. He was no longer “Mysterious Mitch.” He was her Mitch.

  He took her face in his hands, gently running his thumb across her lips. “I guess I’d better get back to the cockpit. But I’ve never been so anxious to land.”

  Leah laughed, as did the passengers sitting close enough to overhear. “Me too,” she agreed.

  He grinned and gave her one more peck on the cheek before striding back to the cockpit, giving passengers high fives and responding to their well-wishes as he went. Leah couldn’t look away from him; this man who gave her heart wings and set her flying. He glanced back at her, the wide smile on his handsome face melting her to the core as he signed, “I love you, forever.”


  She made the sign back, meaning every word with all of her heart.

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  Acknowledgements

  I want to give special thanks to Justin Hogge for answering my questions about life as a commercial pilot. Your kindness and patience meant more than you know! It was fascinating to hear about the ins and outs of the career, so thank you for being willing to share the information.

  A shout out to Maria Hoagland—author and editor extraordinaire. Thank you for reading through my manuscript and making it better than it was. I look forward to our next excuse for a get-together!

  I also want to thank my brother, Lowe Rudd, for instilling a love of Star Wars in me from a young age. I’ll never forget how you let me play with your cool action figures, and your general enthusiasm for the series that made me a fan as well. But mostly, thank you for being the best brother and best person I know. (That’s not an exaggeration). I look up to you more and more with each year that passes. Love you, big brother!

  Lastly, I want to thank my family for supporting me in this authorly gig. Writing books comes with a heap of ups and downs. You get to see those first-hand, and still love me and make me feel special in spite of it all. Basically, I won the family jackpot, which is why I include my thanks to you in every book I write. Love you guys.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Holly Stevenson is a romantic at heart. She loves to read, eat out, watch movies, and spend time with family and friends. As a former flight attendant, she has plenty of traveling hours under her belt, but never tires of exploring new places. One of her favorite pastimes is researching potential vacation spots.

  Holly also enjoys being near water, and has a weakness for any combination of chocolate and caramel. She rarely sleeps in, preferring the early morning quiet to accommodate her incurable writing addiction. She is blessed to live with her favorite people: her husband and four kids, in a house overlooking the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

  To learn more about Holly, and to get her FREE book, please visit her website: https://authorhollystevenson.com/