Page 143 of One Last Promise

She turned to Fisher. “You really don’t care that your dad gave away half your inheritance to other people?”

He sighed, folded the card on the crease where Moose had, and stuck it in his pocket. “Truth is, Ididcare, fora while. And then I realized that God was in all of this. I get the Anchorage news online, and you’re doing good stuff up there. And . . . truth is, I have all I need.” Then he looked at his wife and smiled.

She frowned but rose up and kissed him. Turned to Tillie. “Would you like something to eat? I made an amazing key lime pie earlier.”

Tillie looked at Moose, and he happened to glance up also and meet her eyes.

And then as he smiled, she said, “Yes, actually. Pie would be perfect.”

He laughed, and she laughed too, and deep in her heart she heard the words,With long life I will satisfy her, and show Tillie my salvation.

CHAPTER 15

Magic began with the first snowfall.

Shep stood in the Tooth, holding a cup of coffee, watching the white stuff peel from the sky. The last week of September might be a little early for a real snowfall, but he tasted the freshness of grace, the hint of the beauty that came even in a frozen world.

This year, he’d ski with London, put a new memory over the scar of the past.

The snow lay over the glistening ice along the tarmac, a remnant of last night’s brutal storm that had turned the highways into lethal skating rinks. He’d driven in this morning behind a plow that salted the roads and skimmed the ice and snow away from the pavement. With Moose down in Florida for Tillie’s custody hearing, someone had to mind the store.

Looked like that someone was him—and Axel and London, and Boo, who’d flown in a couple days ago, having visited Oaken on the road somewhere in mid-America.

Now, with the police scanner playing in the back office, Shep stood watching the lot, waiting for the team toshow up. The state patrol had called earlier and asked them to be on alert, what with all the patrols and EMS services hauling people out of ditches and attending to the pileup on the Glenn Highway.

His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Recognized the number.

Colt.

Nope. He was done with this game. Colt had texted him from the beach in Florida. He wasn’t going to stop watching over her, showing up in her life—that’s what love did.

But no more spying or reporting in to Colt what London might be doing. Not that he’d kept a journal or taken pictures, but yes, definitely he’d call his previous gig spying.

No more secrets.

So he thumbed the call away and repocketed his phone.

The place smelled like the bacon and eggs he’d fried up and left on the island, and now he returned to the coffeepot and poured himself a fresh cup. Behind him, the door opened, and in walked Axel, his hair dusted with snow, wearing a winter jacket and jeans, hiking boots.

“It’s an ice rink out there.”

“Still? I thought the plows would be out salting.”

“I got off at Eagle River, swung by Tillie’s place just to make sure none of the trees came down on her house after the storm last night. By the time I got back on the highway, the pileup had traffic backed up for a mile leading to the base. Good thing I was heading west, but yeah, the side streets—we could play hockey.”

Axel pulled off his jacket and hung it on a hook by the door. Then he headed over to the counter. “Good, you made coffee.” He also picked up a piece of bacon from the plate in the middle of the island.

Shep pulled out his phone. No text from London.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just . . . I texted London about an hour ago, and she hasn’t texted back, so . . .”

“She’s probably on her way with Boo.” Axel slid onto a high-top stool. Grinned at him.

“What?”

“So, you two a thing now?”

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