For a long time after Hunter walked—or ran—away, Will stood on the front porch of the store, thinking about Fred and Cameron and the phone call he needed to make. Now was a good time to get that taken care of. Cam was out of the office for the next few hours and wouldn’t be back until she called him to come get her.
So why were his feet all but cemented to the front porch when he should’ve been upstairs in his office with the door closed taking care of something he’d been putting off for days now?
Because he was a yellow-bellied coward. That’s why. Patrick Murphy had already given Will his blessing. Months ago, in fact, back when Will first met him and professed his intentions to marry Cameron, eventually. That was before she moved to Vermont to live with him. It was before he knew the complete and utter bliss of everyday life with her. It was before he knew what it was like to wake up with her each morning and go to bed with her every night. After a few months of the kind of happiness he’d never dared to dream about, he was ready to make a lifetime commitment to her.
Because she was Patrick’s only child and beloved daughter, he owed him the courtesy of a heads-up that a proposal was imminent. Didn’t he? Yes, of course he did. So why did the idea of calling Cameron’s father intimidate the living hell out of Will? And we’re right back to that yellow-bellied-coward thing again, he thought, as he took a seat in one of the rockers on the porch.
The gorgeous fall day had people out and about in town, tourists venturing into the store and Elm Street jammed with cars. Autumn in Vermont was second only to ski season in terms of activity. People came from all over to see the foliage that would peak later in the month and into early October. They were far enough north that the color exploded earlier here, and from now until mid-October, the store and the town would be busy.
Thinking about leaves and seasons and tourists was just another way of putting off the dreaded phone call. He was still sitting there ten minutes later when George and Ringo came up the stairs ahead of his dad, who stopped at the sight of Will in one of the rockers.
The dogs came over to greet him, and his dad took the chair next to his. “What brings you out here, son?”
He scratched both dogs behind the ears. “Fred the moose and another confrontation with Cameron.”
“Is that right? He’s not letting up on her, huh?”
“Nope. Tell me this, Dad. Truthfully, do you think I need to be worried he’s going to hurt her?”
“Not for one second. He’s not that kind of guy.”
“That’s what everyone says, but he’s freaking her out. And who’s to say he won’t suddenly turn on her? Just because he’s always been a sweet guy doesn’t mean he always will be.”
“True, but has it occurred to you that he might have a crush on her?”
“A crush.”
“Sure. Why not? Moose have feelings, too, and old Fred knows a pretty girl when he sees one. Maybe he’s carrying a torch for her.”
“That’s so far beyond weird I don’t even know what to do with it.”
“It’s better than thinking he’s out to hurt her, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” The thought of Fred having an actual crush on Cameron was preposterous enough to be funny. He couldn’t wait to share his dad’s theory with her. “Could I ask you something else?”
“Anything.”
“It’s kind of personal and not to be repeated.”
“All right.”
“Could I maybe get you to sign a waiver that would ensure your silence?”
“William,” Lincoln said, laughing, “I understand my well-earned reputation for being a gossip, but I am capable of keeping important secrets when the need arises.”
“Can you provide references to prove this? Because I’m unable to remember a single instance in the history of my life when you sat on something juicy—and this is as juicy as it gets.”
“Now you have to tell me.”
“Swear to God you won’t repeat it?”
“Swear to God, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.”
Knowing that was the best he could hope to get, he took a deep breath and released it. “I’m going to propose to Cameron.”
“Ahh, buddy, that’s fantastic news.” Lincoln’s smile stretched across his face and lit his blue eyes with unrestrained glee. “I adore her. We all do.”
“As do I.” When he thought about how his life had changed since that memorable night in the mud last spring, Will realized that before he met her, he’d lacked the imagination to dream up the reality that was his life today. He hadn’t known it was possible to love anyone the way he loved her. He planned to tell her so when he asked the most important question he’d ever ask anyone.
He’d asked the question once before and had been rebuffed, in what he now viewed as a near miss. He’d be forever grateful that Lisa had said no to his proposal because her rejection had led him to the love of his life. This time he had no doubt whatsoever he’d get the answer he wanted.
“So what do you want to ask me?”
“Earlier this year, when I was in New York, I had a moment alone with Patrick. I told him then I planned to propose to Cam when the time was right and asked for his blessing, which he gave me.”
Lincoln nodded in approval. “That’s the right thing to do.”
“Now that it’s actually about to happen though, I’m thinking I should let him know. Do you agree?”
Rocking back and forth, Lincoln pondered that. “It would be a nice gesture, one I’m sure he’d appreciate.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too, so why then do I keep putting it off?”
Lincoln laughed. “Because you want to marry the man’s only child, his daughter, and it’s a scary thing to call him up and say, hey, I’m going to take her away from you forever, and I need you to be okay with that.”
“I’m not taking her away from him.”
“Aren’t you? Haven’t you already?”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Of course it wasn’t, but it’s the circle of life. I felt the same way asking Elmer for permission to marry his precious Molly. Like Patrick with you, he barely knew me. She’d gone away for a summer to help build houses for the poor in the South and came home with a flatlander who had lofty ideas about living overseas and getting out to see the world. And I wanted to take his daughter with me.”
“What did he say when you asked him?” Will asked, fascinated to hear this for the first time.
“He told me that despite what Molly said to the contrary, she’d never be happy anywhere but here, and that I ought to think long and hard if I felt the need to take her somewhere else in order to be happy myself.”
“So wait, you went to him planning to take her somewhere else? Away from here?”
Lincoln nodded. “I’d talked her into going to London for a couple of years, and she was on board with that. At least that’s what she told me. But then I talked to Elmer, and he made me see that she was sacrificing her own happiness to serve mine. After that conversation, I changed my mind about wanting to go to England.”
“But wait,” Will said, “what about what you wanted? Didn’t that matter?”
“Of course it did. Turns out I wanted her more than I wanted anything else, and it didn’t matter to me where we were. But it mattered to her.” Lincoln shrugged. “It was a no-brainer to change the plan to make her happy.”
“Did I ask too much of Cam by moving her up here?”
“Not at all. She loves it here. Anyone can see that. And it’s not just because you’re here, although that’s the number one reason. The place agrees with her. I know I speak for your mother as well when I tell you we couldn’t be happier to have Cameron joining our family. She’s an absolute gem, and knowing she loves you so fiercely is a tremendous comfort to us. That kind of love is all we’ve ever wanted for you—for all of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Go make that call. Your future father-in-law will appreciate the courtesy.”
“All right.” Will got up to return to his office. “Are you coming?”
“In a minute. I’m going to enjoy this beautiful day for a little while longer. I’ll be right along.”
“Okay then.” Will cut through the store and up the back stairs to the offices on the second floor. Fortunately, no one was around in the reception area, so he was able to go directly to his office without having to talk to anyone. He closed the door and sat at his desk to dial the number he’d committed to memory while he worked up the nerve to actually call it.
Will was one of three people in the world who had the private cell phone number of one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen. His daughter and personal assistant were the other two. Patrick had wanted Will to have the number in case Cameron ever needed him for any reason, and Will had been honored to be admitted into Patrick’s small inner circle.
The phone rang once before Patrick picked up. “Will? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course. Cameron is well?”
“She’s great. She’s with my sister this afternoon. They’ve become very good friends.”
“That would be Hannah, right?”
“Yes, she’s my older sister. They’ve really hit it off.”
“I’m glad she’s making new friends up there.”
“She is, and Lucy’s here a lot now that she’s engaged to my brother.”
“Cameron is delighted to have her there, of course.”
“We all are. We never expected anyone would be willing to take on Colton and his mountain, but Lucy is equal to the challenge.”
Patrick’s hearty laugh echoed through the phone line, making Will smile and relax a little. “That she is.”
“So the reason I called … what we talked about that night at your place … I wanted to let you know I plan to propose to Cameron in the next few days.”
“Oh, well.” Patrick’s normally booming voice softened noticeably with those two words. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”
“I hope so.”
“She will. You should hear the way she talks about you—as if you walk on water.”
Humbled to hear that, Will closed his eyes against the powerful punch of emotion that could still catch him off guard all these months later. “I love her, Patrick. I’ll always love her. I promise you that.”
“I know, and I’m extremely thankful she found you and is so very happy. I wish she were closer to me, but she still calls her dear old dad just about every day, so I can hardly complain.”
“We’d love to have you come visit. Anytime.” As he said the words, he tried to imagine Patrick Murphy bunking in the loft at their cabin while they shared a bed downstairs. That would certainly put a damper on the romance.
“I’ll take you up on that one of these days. I assume she’ll want to be married there.”
“We haven’t gotten that far, but we’ll let you know as soon as we have any plans.”
“Tell her to call me. After.”
“I will.”
“I appreciate the call, Will. Someday you might have a daughter of your own, and you’ll understand just how much I appreciate it.”
“I hope I get that opportunity. We’ll talk to you soon.”
“I’ll look forward to it. Good luck with the proposal. Not that you’ll need it.”
“Thank you.”
Will ended the call feeling good about the conversation with Patrick and more determined than ever to ask her sooner rather than later. The day after tomorrow he and Hunter would go to buy the ring. He’d ask her that night. He couldn’t wait.