Page 21 of The Bear's Blooming Mate

Together they headed higher, skirting around the trees, and then he cut across a small outcrop of rock. He moved like a bloodhound on a scent, walking with such certainty that Elsbeth struggled to keep up. If he could hear water from this distance, he must have superhuman hearing.

But then, faint but unmistakable, she heard it, too. The softest trickle of water over stone.

“I hear it!” she said excitedly, squeezing his hand.

Philip half-turned to look at her and grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I told you I would find it.”

“You must have a sixth sense,” Elsbeth said, shaking her head in wonder.

“What would you say if I told you I did?” Philip asked, and she swore he was serious.

“I’d believe you,” she said, equally serious. Because of the way he made her feel, she would trust him. Whatever he said, whatever he did. Which was the strangest thing since she barely knew him. And yet it felt as if she had known him all her life.

Philip’s eyes widened slightly, as if her answer surprised him. Then his expression softened into something that made her breath catch.

“It’s just up ahead,” he said quietly, still holding her hand as they navigated around a cluster of boulders.

The sound grew louder as they approached, and then suddenly, there it was, a small, crystal-clear spring bubbling up from between rocks, forming a narrow stream.

“I can hardly believe it!” Elsbeth said as she reluctantly let go of his hand and kneeled beside the spring, cupping her hand to catch the water. The liquid sparkled in her palm, pure and pristine.

“It’s probably from a similar source to the one at the vineyard,” he replied, scooping up a handful and taking a drink. “Tastes like it.”

She took a sip of the water. It was cool, refreshing, and laced with minerals. “It’s wonderful,” she murmured, and she didn’t just mean the water, but the man beside her. Something about Philip felt as natural and necessary as the spring itself.

“We can lay the irrigation pipes and use the water for your flowers,” Philip explained, his voice deep against the musical backdrop of the flowing water.

“But won’t that cut off the water from wherever it goes?” she asked, suddenly concerned.

“Some,” he replied, “but we don’t take all of it. We just use what we need.”

There it was—we, as if they were truly in this together, as if she were not alone.

Elsbeth sat down on the grass and hugged her knees to her chest as she watched the water trickle over stones into a pool. It was tempting to take her shoes off and dip her feet in the water, but that seemed too childlike. And she was not a child. Not when Philip was around. He made her feel all woman.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she finally said as she drew her gaze from the water and looked at him.

Philip shook his head as he sat down beside her, his thigh nestled against hers. His touch sent an electric current through her body.

“I want this to work out for you, Elsbeth. I want you to fulfill the promise you made to your mom.” He took a breath and then added, “I want you to be happy.”

And in that moment, she was. Completely and utterly.

The realization washed over her like the spring water over stones, gentle but unmistakable. For the first time since her mother’s passing, Elsbeth felt a genuine sense of contentment, of possibility. It was as if the water had washed away all her fears.

Or maybe it was the knowledge that Philip had her back. That if ever she needed him, he would be there for her. No question. No hesitation.

“You know,” she said, “when I bought this place, everyone told me I was crazy. That it was too much for one person to handle.” She traced patterns in the grass with her fingertip. “Sometimes I believed them.”

Philip’s gaze remained steady on her face. “And now?”

“Now I’m starting to think that maybe I’m not as alone as I thought.” She glanced at him, then quickly away, heat rising to her cheeks.

“You’re not alone, Elsbeth.” He bumped his shoulder against hers. “But those irrigation lines are not going to lay themselves.”

“They are not,” she said with a smile.

“So, let’s go do some work.” He sprang up lithely and held his hand out to her.

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