Page 26 of Second Chance Spring in Paradise

“I was going to wait until we were at the spring to do this, but I don’t want to wait another second to ask you to marry me. To beg you, if I have to, because I love—"

“Yes! Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!” I may be quoting Jane—or is it Elizabeth?—fromPride and Prejudice, but if Rowdy catches it, he doesn’t let on. (I made him watch the movie. He didn’t hate it).

“Yes?” He stands slowly.

“Of course, yes!” I throw my arms around him. “What else would my answer be? I love you, Rowdy!”

“Really?”

I step back just far enough to meet his gaze. “Really. More than anything.”

His shoulders relax and a smile spreads across his face. “Do you want to try this on, then?”

He holds out the box again, and I answer by yanking off my glove.

Rowdy slides the ring on my left ring finger—it fits perfectly. As he closes the distance between us, every thought I have flies to the wind as his mouth meets mine. He slides his hand over my cheek, cupping my face. His lips travel softly over mine, taking his time with each kiss. There’s no rush, no reason to hurry. We have the rest of our lives to kiss and hold and love each other.

But it is freezing out. So when we pull apart, it’s to rush up the path toward Second Chance Spring.

When we get there, we quickly pull off our boots and clothes, down to our swimming suits, then jump into the hot water. Steam billows from the clear spring, and icicles hang from the pine tree boughs, making the spring look like a fairyland. Rowdy sits across from me, sweeping his arms back and forth, rippling the water. His dark eyes meet mine and, just like the view of the lake, they take my breath away.

And I take back everything I said about not believing in magic.

My life has been nothing but magic since the moment I met Rowdy.

The End

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