She placed a quick call to Oscar. He at least deserved a goodbye. It would be easier now that this was the honest-to-goodness end. They couldn’t linger on it, or she’d miss her flight. Just a quick farewell…
He’d shown her what it was like to fly, that she could achieve the impossible with a little bit of faith and the right people, and she’d forever be thankful to him for that.
The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. She hated leaving voicemails, but since she only got one shot at a decent goodbye, she at least needed to try. “Oscar, I’m leaving tonight. I just called to tell you goodbye and to thank you for… everything.”
Click.
Lolly studied the little digital clock on her phone. Her plane left in two hours. She needed to get to the airport, but she also needed to rein in all the crazy feelings that galloped through her brain. Her fingers itched as if they too knew what needed to be done.
“I’ll make it quick,” she told herself, hoping that would be true.
She turned her boarding pass over and began to scrawl the words to a new song, the song.
Chapter 12
Oscar drummed his fingers on the old oak table inside Hunter’s Ridge Tavern. This was his second blind date in under a month, and he was not even remotely looking forward to it. The woman his mother had chosen for him this time was much nicer than the last one had been—still, she wasn’t Lolly.
“…And I guess that’s why I became a nurse. I love helping people,” his date concluded with a smile. They had so much in common, but it wasn’t enough.
He smiled back and started to say something about why he’d become a vet, when his phone vibrated on the table beside them.
Lolly.
He wanted to answer it so bad, but he also didn’t want to be rude on his date. When the food came about ten minutes later, he excused himself to go wash up, making sure to grab his phone on the way out.
Lolly didn't pick up when he hit the redial, but it seemed she’d left him a voicemail earlier.
“I’m leaving tonight,” she said on the recording, and immediately Oscar’s chest tightened, his breathing quickened. Is this what real, physical heartbreak felt like? Was he about to drop dead on the dirty bathroom floor of Hunter’s Ridge?
Screw manners. This was his last chance with his dream girl, and he needed to do whatever it took.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, returning to his date and not even taking a seat. “A month ago, this would have been the perfect date. You’re amazing and we have so much in common, but there’s someone else. She’s leaving and if I don’t go after her now—”
“Go,” His date stood to hug him and added, “Good luck!”
Oscar laid a pair of twenties on the table, then bolted out of the tavern. Maybe he could still catch Lolly at home.
He tried calling her again on his car’s Bluetooth, but it went straight to voicemail this time. At Lolly’s house, the curtains were drawn and the windows were dark. He pounded on the door anyway.
“Lolly! Lolly!” he called through the thick door. “Please be here.”
The knob rattled from the inside, but the door didn’t open.
“Are you the boyfriend?” an old woman asked in a muffled voice.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Oscar Rockwell, and I’m trying to catch Lolly before she leaves Anchorage for good.”
“Well, you’re too late. She left about a half hour ago. Probably already checked in at the airport and waiting for her flight.”
Panic coursed through his veins, but he worked hard to remain cool and collected. He needed all his wits and charm at his disposal if he were going to make this work. “Which flight number? Is she going to Nashville? Can you tell me anything more?”
He waited, but the woman didn’t answer him. Just as he was about to turn to go, the door creaked open and the old woman stepped out onto the porch.
“Alaska Airlines. Flight 144,” Lolly’s aunt Ann said with a kind smile. “Good luck.”
“Thank you so much!” he cried, giving her a quick, gentle hug before bolting back to his car. It would take him a good twenty minutes to get to the Ted Stevens airport, but he’d keep calling just in case.
Before he could call her a second time, his phone rang instead lighting up his car speakers as it did.
“Lolly?” he answered, practically out of breath from the excitement.
“It’s Mom.”
“Mom now isn’t a good time. I—”
“You’re chasing down your dream girl before she can leave town on the next flight. Does that sound about right?”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I know my son, and I know how crazy you are about her. Just remember, she’s the crazy one if she says no to you again. Good luck, and drive safe.”
Before he could say another word, his mother hung up, marking perhaps the shortest call in the entire history of their relationship. He was on the right track. He’d find Lolly and convince her to stay. This whole thing was just a tiny bump on their journey to lifelong happiness. It couldn’t go any other way, not when the two of them were so obviously meant to be.
He pulled into short term parking and jetted into the terminal. “One ticket on your next flight to Nashville,” he practically shouted at the man behind the counter. If he couldn’t catch her before he left, maybe he could find her on the plane, or find her on the streets of Tennessee. This was all incredibly rash, especially considering he had a business to run and patients to see, but he’d be no good to anyone if he died of a broken heart. He had to find her, had to convince her that Anchorage was home.
“Sorry.” The man said with a practiced smile. “That flight is totally booked, but I can get you on tomorrow morning’s flight, if you just—”
“No, I need to go now. What other flights do you have leaving tonight?”
“Well, you could always catch a redeye connecting flight from Seattle. The next one leaves at one thirty tonight.”
“I’ll take it.” He pushed his credit card at the man while searching the check-in line for any sign of Lolly.
“No luggage?” the man asked as he handed Oscar his card and a boarding pass.
But Oscar didn’t have time to answer, he needed to hurry if he was going to get to her on time.
Thankfully, the security line didn’t take long, and the flight to Nashville had already begun boarding but it hadn’t left yet. It wasn’t too late. He could still find her. They could still end up together.
“I need to speak with one of the passengers,” he told the woman accepting boarding passes at the gate. “Lolly Winston.”
“We don’t give out private information about our passengers,” the woman said without so much as meeting his eyes.
“Please, it’s important. Can you tell her Oscar is here and needs to speak with her?”
The woman looked up at him, then pressed a button on her walkie talkie. “Sue, can you see if there’s a Lolly Winston on board and if she’d be willing to come speak to an Oscar who’s out here waiting for her?”
“Thank you so, so much,” he cried. He wanted to hug the attendant but thought that might get him kicked out of the airport. So, instead, he waited, watching the empty hallway that led to the plane, waiting for his dream girl to walk back into his life.
But she didn’t come. A moment later, the walkie talkie sounded again. “There’s no one answering to that name on this flight. Sorry.”
Oscar’s heart dropped to the floor. She wasn’t answering her phone. She wasn’t on the plane. Where was Lolly, and would he ever manage to find her again?
Lolly took a deep breath as she watched Anchorage roll past outside her cab window. Mountains dotted the horizon as far as the eye could see, and the crystal sky seemed to climb forever toward the heavens. But she could no longer appreciate the beauty of her temporary home. It would forever be tainted by the sting of loss and the guilt of hurting both a man and a dog, neither of whom deserved it.
Traffic was light as they cross
ed through downtown, and thankfully the driver didn’t attempt to make idle chitchat, leaving Lolly to her thoughts. A bright turquoise shop drew her attention, and she recognized the name as one Oscar had mentioned to her as one of the more daring coffee shacks—The Yeti’s Breath.
It was getting late—almost seven o’clock—and her flight was taking off in less than an hour. She’d definitely played it too close tonight, almost as if a part of her didn’t want to go after all. Outside, the sky was bright as if this were only midday, another oddity about this strange, endearing place. She stared at the Yeti’s Breath as they drove past, wondering what offerings it had on its menu and whether they also made espresso sludge bombs.
A realistic looking abominable snowman was painted on the side of the building, making her laugh. But, no, that wasn’t a painting. It was real. And it wasn’t a yeti, it was…
“Timber!” she shouted. “Stop the cab! Stop the cab!”
The driver searched around—maybe for a place to pull over or maybe for some falling trees—then came to a stop about a block up from the blue coffee shack.
“How much?” Lolly screamed at him. She could catch another flight, but this may be her only chance to reconnect with the dog she’d thought was lost forever. She gave the driver a wad of bills and asked him to unload her luggage on the side of the road, then took off in a run.
“Timber!” she shouted again as she approached. Tears flowed freely, but she didn’t care. She never thought she’d see the old dog again, but here he was, just waiting for her to find him.
The husky howled and excitedly lifted one paw and then the other in a seated dance as he waited for Lolly to reach him.
“There’s my good boy. I’m so, so sorry!” she cried. She knelt down and wrapped the dog in a hug, running her fingers through his fur and giving him kisses as she did.
Timber thumped his tail and licked away Lolly’s tears.
“You still love me,” she said with a relieved sob. “After all that, you still love me.”
Timber licked her again. Oh, to be as open and loving, she thought. This dog had been beaten, abandoned, and then scared away, but he still greeted her with all the warmth of the midday sun.
Love was easy, if you let it be.
And she loved this dog. In that moment, she also realized that she’d grown to love the man who’d brought it to her.
“Just a sec, Timber.” She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and saw she had close to a dozen missed calls from Oscar.
“Shoot!” she said when he didn’t pick up. She tried again and this time left a voicemail. “Oscar, I didn’t leave. I found Timber, or maybe he found me, but the point is I’m here at the Yeti’s Breath, waiting for another chance.”
She went to retrieve her luggage from down the block, which was thankfully still there, then worked on her song as she and Timber sat outside on the pavement.
“Home isn’t a place. It’s about how you feel,” she sang to the attentive husky. “Happiness isn’t a race. It’s about standing still. And beauty isn’t a face. It’s about what you know is real.”
She’d learned all this and more as she’d tried to silence her heart in order to follow her dream, but dreams could change as people grew and discovered more of who they really were.
Lolly was on the edge of something wonderful. She could lap up the promises of greatness Kelley Lux threw her way and become Lolly Pop, an international sensation. Or she could remain Lolly Winston, a woman who loved to sing just as much as she loved a dog and loved a man, a work in wonderful progress. She could be herself and figure out the rest later, and how freeing it was to finally realize that.
Kind of like flying.
“I almost didn’t recognize you with that hair,” Oscar said, dropping into a sitting position beside her. How had she not seen him approach? Was she really that lost in her thoughts?
“I like it,” he said, placing his hands into her short hair and drinking in the sight of her. His eyes swam with unshed tears.
“I’m growing it back out,” she mumbled.
“Well, maybe I don’t like the hair. Really, what I like is you. Maybe even love you.” He leaned in closer, his lips so close to hers they almost touched.
“I maybe even love you, too,” she whispered, closing the distance for a second chance at their first kiss. And it was the best kiss she’d ever had, because it marked the beginning of forever.
Epilogue
One year later
Lolly took a deep breath before heading on stage at the Alaska State Fair. Though she’d performed many gigs around Anchorage during the past year, this was by far the biggest venue she’d played to date. Even more importantly, this was the big debut not just for her new CD, but also for the charity organization she and Oscar had started together.
He’d always had a passion for helping animals, and ever since Timber had changed her entire life for the better, Lolly had shared in that passion, too. What better way to say thank you than to devote her life to saving other huskies, dogs like Timber, who needed a second chance at life.
Over the past several months, Lolly had come to realize that it wasn’t just about writing one great song—it was about every song, every decision in life. Her music could do so much more than buy her fame. It really could change the world. It could save hundreds, maybe even thousands, of forgotten dogs. And those dogs could turn right back around and bring something important to the new people in their lives, just as Timber had changed everything for her.
That’s why the sales of her new album all went to fund and grow the charity. She and Oscar shared ownership fifty-fifty, and they’d decided to name their new endeavor something simple and straight to the point: The Sled Dog Rescue Organization.
When the time came, Lolly crossed the stage with confidence and poise. It was easy to feel strong when she knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish. It wasn’t about her anymore. It was about everyone, and especially about the dogs who needed her help.
"Hello, Alaska!” she shouted into the mic to a sea of applause. “For those of you who don’t know me, hi. I’m Lolly Winston, and this is my dog, Timber.”
On cue, her faithful husky trotted out onto stage and came to sit by her side.
“I first met Timber when he was eleven years old. He was rescued from a high-kill shelter after years of being rejected by potential owners for his old age. Before that, he faced even more years of abuse at the hands of a cruel racer.
“Timber has been a wonderful companion and such a crucial part of my life, that I really can’t imagine where I’d be without him. That’s the thing—when you open your heart to help others, you often end up helping yourself, too. And, let me tell you, a lot of dogs still need help.
“Sled dogs and Alaska go hand in hand in the public mind, and while most of these beautiful animal athletes race for most of their lives, sometimes they need early retirement or they end up with injuries or in a bad situation.
“Many of them end up where Timber was, bouncing from one shelter to the next, or worse, being put down before they can find a loving forever home. It’s not right, and that’s why we decided to do something about it. If you like my music, please consider purchasing a copy of my CD, either at the table over there or online. All proceeds go to the newly established Sled Dog Rescue Organization to help these loving dogs find a new leash on life.
“If you visit my website, you’ll also find information about how you can adopt or foster one of our dogs. If you open your heart, I’m sure you’ll find that it can fit more love inside than you ever thought possible. A good dog will do that for you. Let’s all work together, however we can, to keep the Last Great Race alive."
More clapping echoed through the fairgrounds as Lolly ushered Timber off the stage and prepared to begin her set. She waited for the familiar opening chords of the band behind her, but they didn’t come.
Instead, the audience laughed and cheered as Timber ran back onstage, wearing the same tiny cowboy h
at and jacket with her website painted on the side that he had for her first gig at Chilkoot Charlie’s.
“Timber,” she said with a laugh. “The speech is over. It’s time for me to sing.”
Timber barked at her, then turned in a circle so his other side now faced the audience.
The crowd gasped then shouted, “Marry me!”
Sure enough, she looked down at Timber and saw the freshly painted words on his jacket. Before she could fully process everything, Oscar strode onstage with a mic of his own.
“Hi, everyone,” he said with a wave. “I’m Oscar Rockwell, and you’re now part of my proposal to the greatest woman I’ve ever met. Sorry, Mom.”
Lolly was now laughing and crying at the same time. What a day! What a moment! What a life!
“I’ve never been the one who’s good with words,” Oscar continued. “But I love you, Lolly Winston, more than I ever thought it was possible to love another human being. Every single day I wake up and have to pinch myself when I remember that this isn’t just a dream. This is my life now, and I want it to be my life forever. Please, please marry me.”
The crowd began to chant, “Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”
And Oscar closed the short distance between them, taking Lolly into his arms. “Well?” he asked.
“I think I better say yes,” Lolly answered into the mic, eliciting the biggest wave of cheers yet. Oscar grabbed her and kissed her so passionately in that moment that she dropped her mic, and it clattered onto the stage.
This was her life now, and it was so much better than anything she ever could have imagined. All because she opened her heart to one man, one dog, and an endless world of possibilities.
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Noah & Taylor
Author’s Note
2018
Would you consider yourself a tomboy or a girly girl? Maybe you're like me, and you really, truly don't fit in either camp. Growing up, I loved books, animals, and learning. Not sports or makeup.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 7
