Page 41 of An Alaskan Twin Surprise (Home to Owl Creek 2)

“Of course I can manage,” her mother responded. “Go find my future son-in-law.”

Rachel found herself giggling, buoyed by her mother’s support. At the moment she felt as if anything was possible. She just needed to keep the faith. Last time she hadn’t been a believer, but this time she was and it made all the difference. God was going to be with her every single moment.

With a feeling of resolve, Rachel strode away from the table, her mind whirling with the perfect words to lay her heart bare to Gabriel. She faltered for a moment as the idea crossed her mind that her plea might ring hollow. He’d withstood a lot from her and there was no guarantee he would be receptive to her sentiments. What would she do if he rejected her?

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. The verse from Proverbs washed over her like a powerful rainstorm. For so long Rachel hadn’t trusted...not in Gabriel, not in herself and not in her future. She’d been blinded by so much fear that she hadn’t been able to see her way through it.

Now she was ready to grab the brass ring. Not only for herself, but for Lizzy and Faith, as well. When she reached the front door Rachel wrenched it open, letting out a gasp as she came face-to-face with the very person she’d been determined to hunt down.

* * *

The door to the Marshall home swung open just as Gabriel raised his hand to rap on the wooden surface. Rachel was standing there all bundled up in her winter gear. A pink hat sat perched on her head, framing her beautiful face and long dark hair. For a moment they simply stared at one another. Looking into Rachel’s eyes reaffirmed all the reasons he’d ended up here.

Life was made up of defining moments. This was one of them. He wasn’t going to let pride or hurt feelings stand in the way of being with the woman he loved. And he did love her—in a forever type of way that wouldn’t be altered by time or distance.

He was fully prepared to make any concessions he needed to convince Rachel to change her mind about their future. Although he loved being a pilot, he adored Rachel more. And Lizzy and Faith. He wanted to be a family. He wanted the white picket fence and the house filled with toys. He craved it more than he’d ever imagined possible.

Dear Lord, please grant me favor with the woman I love.

He reached out for her hand and pulled her outside, tugging the door closed behind her.

“Gabriel!” she cried out in surprise. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Her voice sounded breathless, as if she’d been running laps.

“There’s so much I want to say to you,” he said, cutting to the chase. It felt as if he didn’t have a moment to waste. So much time had already slipped through their fingers.

All he wanted to do was sweep Rachel up in his arms and kiss away all of her doubts.

Hopefully there would be plenty of time for kissing later. He reached out and placed his hands on either side of her face. What he saw in the depths of her eyes mirrored every emotion he was feeling.

“I was at Tea Time talking to Mama. She told me everything. You came back. You tried to fix things with me, Rachel.” So much emotion was pouring out of him.

“Yes. I did come back. It didn’t quite turn out as I hoped, but I loved you too much not to try.” She let out a sigh. “Perhaps I should have tried harder.”

“I wish you’d told me what happened, Rachel.”

“I didn’t want you to be at odds with your mother. She did a terrible thing, Gabriel, and it hurt me very much, but I was the one who set the wheels in motion in the first place. I never should have left you or this town. Mama just pointed out how ridiculous I’ve been in allowing fear to cast out love.”

“‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.’” The verse from John rolled effortlessly off his lips. “You’re human, sweetheart. We all make mistakes. I expect we’ll make a bunch more of them, but as long as we stay true to what we feel for one another, I think we’ll make it.”

“Me too. I had no right to put you on the spot about your career. I love you, Gabriel. And I want to be with you, no matter what you choose to do with your job. I always want you to be safe, but I have to trust in your choices.”

“I choose you. And the girls. And a life lived in love. I think my bush-pilot days are over.”

Rachel let out a gasp. “No! You can’t give it up for me. You love being a pilot. It’s always been your dream ever since I can remember.”

“I can still be a pilot and live out those dreams. I love being in the air and flying planes. I can still do that without traveling to remote areas. I want to come home every night to my family. I don’t want to be on the other side of the state for days at a time never seeing you or the twins. That’s not the life I want for us.” He’d never spoken truer words. The partnership with Avid Adventures would take him away from the ones he loved and it was no longer what he wanted or needed.

“Only if you’re certain about it. I don’t want you to ever resent me for giving it up.”

“I love you, Rachel. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. I want to be with you for the rest of my days. That’s what I know more than anything else. We’ll figure out the rest.”

“I love you too, Gabriel. When you saw me standing at the door, I was on my way to go and find you. I don’t care what we have to face as long as we tackle it together.” She let out a sob. “Mama’s illness brought me back to Owl Creek, but I think my heart was leading me straight back to you, Gabriel. I promise I’ll never let fear stand between us again.”

“We’re older and wiser now.” He ran his thum

b across her cheek, marveling that this beautiful woman loved him as much as he cherished her. “We know what it’s like to live without each other and I don’t think either one of us wants to go through that again.”

“No, we don’t. We’re definitely better together than apart.”

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