If Nick enjoyed the impromptu celebration that happened after he and Samantha announced their engagement to Ruth and his parents at the restaurant, it paled beside what he felt at church the next morning, with all the congratulations and back slapping and good-natured ribbing from friends. By the time he and his parents got into Nick’s pickup for the drive to Ruth’s house for Sunday dinner, he felt as if his face might crack from all the grinning.
It was obvious, upon entering the Johnson house—the front door stood open, inviting them to enter on their own— that Ruth’s plans for this Sunday dinner had begun early. Probably while she’d still been at Delaney’s last night. Women’s voices carried to the entry hall from the kitchen. Delicious odors wafted from the same direction.
“It sounds like that’s where the fun is.” His mom pointed toward the kitchen. She patted Nick’s cheek. “See you later,” she said and hurried off.
A moment later, Samantha appeared. “You made it.”
“Even on my worst day I can find my way for a block and a bit.” He reached for her and drew her close, feeling as if it had been ages instead of minutes since he’d held her.
She kissed him lightly. “I missed you too.”
“When this is over”—he pressed his forehead against hers—“let’s go for a drive. Just the two of us.”
“I’d like that.”
Although he didn’t say it aloud, they had lots to talk about. That morning at church he’d lost count of the number of times he answered a question with, “I don’t know” or “We haven’t decided.” It was okay not to know, but he would at least like to have the discussion.
Samantha turned to Nick’s dad and gave him a welcoming hug. “I think you met everybody at church, but come with me and I’ll make sure.”
Before Nick could follow them, he heard sounds of others arriving and turned to see Derek and his family entering through the front door. As had his mom, Brooklyn made a beeline for the kitchen after saying a quick hello.
“Do you ever feel superfluous?” Derek asked wryly, then chuckled.
Nick laughed with him.
Derek looked toward the living room, then into the dining room. “Looks like Gran invited a lot of people for this Sunday dinner.”
“I haven’t counted, but I think you’re right.”
“She’s more than a little excited. You’ve earned her seal of approval.”
“I hope so.”
“If it matters, you’ve got mine too.” Derek patted Nick’s shoulder.
“Thanks. And yeah, it matters.”
Derek motioned with a tip of his head toward the living room. “Let’s get comfortable. Doesn’t look like there’s any help needed by the likes of us.”
Alycia had already made her way to the living room. She sat in an easy chair, her thumbs tapping away on an iPad. She didn’t bother to look up when her dad and Nick entered. Two other men had found refuge there too. They were strangers to Nick. Derek took care of that with quick introductions.
“Nick, this is Camila’s husband, Emilio.”
Emilio stood and Nick shook his hand.
“And this is Chuck Babcock.”
More hand shaking.
“Have you met Sandra Dooley, Chuck’s fiancée?”
“I don’t think so.”
Derek glanced toward the kitchen. “I imagine she’s in there.”
Chuck nodded as he settled onto the sofa.
“Well, you’ll meet at dinner.”
Women’s voices seemed to wash from kitchen to dining room, swelling in volume. Nick looked over his shoulder in time to see his dad walk toward him, and the expression on his face made Nick laugh. He looked as if he’d escaped a fate worse than death.
“You okay, Dad?”
“I think so.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
Nick was about to suggest they sit down when the pastor and his wife arrived. Moments later, Ruth’s voice sang out. “Come find yourself a spot at the tables.”
In short order all fourteen people were seated in chairs, ten at the large table and four at a smaller one that had been added to a corner of the dining room. Ruth asked Adrian Vinton to say the blessing and then platters and serving bowls began to circle the tables.
Silently Nick added his thanks to God for bringing him to Thunder Creek and making him a part of this community. And not only of the community. He was thankful to be a part of his own family and, soon, a part of Samantha’s family. It had taken a rough patch to bring him to this place and time, but it had been worth it. Who could have guessed that a near-fatal accident would bring him into a closer relationship with God and then give him a second chance with Samantha?
He prayed he would never fail to be worthy of her.
Nick drove his pickup out of Thunder Creek and followed the highway to the south. Not that Samantha cared which direction he took. It was enough to finally have him to herself again. They’d been surrounded by others almost from the moment she accepted his proposal.
The weather was warm but not hot, and they chose to roll down the windows instead of running the truck’s air-conditioner. Samantha wore her hair in a ponytail at the nape of her neck, loose hairs whipping around her face. It made her feel free and happy.
“I’d give a lot for a truck without bucket seats,” Nick said, speaking over the wind.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He took hold of her hand and squeezed.
Samantha leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes, contentment flowing over her . . .
It was the silence, the stillness, that awakened her. She blinked as she straightened away from the seat.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” Laughter filled Nick’s voice.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Not sure. Close to two hours.”
She rubbed her eyes. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. I figured you were tired, so I just kept driving so you could keep sleeping.”
“Where are we?” She looked out the window.
“The Bruneau Canyon.”
“Where?”
“Come on. There’s an overlook. It promises to be spectacular.” He opened the driver’s side door. “But keep a lookout for rattlesnakes.”
Samantha sat a little straighter. “What?” Was he kidding?
He laughed as he hopped out and closed the door behind him. She watched as he rounded the front of the truck and came to open the passenger door.
“Come on. It’ll be worth it.” He held out his hand for her to take.
Nick was right. It was worth it. In the midst of nothing but sand and rock and sagebrush, rushing water had carved a gash in the land that sank to an impressive depth. Lava cliffs fell abruptly away to the river far below.
“How deep is the canyon?” She took a step back from the railing at the edge of the outlook.
Nick didn’t seem the least bit troubled by the sheer drop. Instead of stepping back, he leaned forward. “Oh, I’d say a good seven or eight hundred feet. Maybe a bit more.” He looked up. “And I’d guess the canyon is well over a thousand feet across.”
Samantha was no fan of heights, but she was a fan of the beauty of nature. The view made her tingle on the inside. The mixture of purples, reds, greens, browns, yellows, and blues was almost more than her eyes could take in.
“Looks like there’s a hiking trail.” Nick pointed off to his left. “Maybe sometime we can return and see where it goes.”
“Sounds fun.”
He turned to face her. “I’ve got beverages and a snack in a cooler in the back. I’ll go get it. Wait here.”
A short while later, he was back with more than the cooler. He had a couple of blankets over one arm and a camera slung around his neck. As Samantha recalled, he’d used to own several nice cameras, including one that was waterproof.
Nick made a spot for them well back from the edge of the canyon but still with a magnificent view. For a short while after they were seated on the blankets, he snapped photographs of the canyon and the horizon and even nearby sagebrush. And eventually he turned the camera on her.
“Don’t.” She laughed as she put up a hand to block the shot. “I must be a sight.”
He lowered the camera. “You are a sight. A beautiful one.” He leaned in and kissed her.
“Mmm,” she moaned when he drew away at last.
“I agree.”
She heard desire in the husky tone of his voice and knew it matched her own.
As if reading her mind, he said, “Which makes me want to ask the same question we’ve been asked all day. When’s the wedding?”
Soon, her heart answered. But common sense forced her to say, “Maybe we should discuss where we’re going to live first.”
“Okay.”
“There’s my job. It’s in Oregon.”
“There is your job,” he agreed, revealing nothing.
“I have that promotion coming.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been with Whitewater a long time.”
“A long time.”
“Nick, if I didn’t want to leave the firm . . .” She let the question drift into silence.
But he didn’t hesitate. “Then I’ll move to Oregon.”
“You would? Just like that, you would go.”
His smile was tender. “If your job is important to you, Sam, then you keeping it is important to me. I can get irrigation work in Oregon or find something else to do. I’m not completely without skills, and my boss will give me a good reference.” He leaned closer for a second time. “Did you think we would get married and then live in separate states?”
“No.” But she had expected him to make this more difficult for her.
“Well then, that’s settled.”
Only it wasn’t settled. At least not the way Nick thought. Because Samantha had been happier and more content in the last couple of months in Thunder Creek than she’d been for years elsewhere. Even before she’d fallen in love with Nick for the second time, she’d been happier. Why on earth would she want to throw that away?
“What?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
“I think I’d rather live on an acreage in Idaho.”
“Really?” He grinned.
“Gran likes what I’m doing at Sips and Scentimentals. I think she would welcome my help even after she’s walking again.”
“And if working there isn’t enough?”
Thoughts started to tumble in her mind, discoveries newly made. “Remember the day you told me you thought God was setting your feet on a path that would make something good come out of your accident? And you thought your new house was part of that?”
He nodded.
“I felt envious of your certainty. I wanted to know as clearly as you what path I should follow.”
“Really? You were envious?”
“And just now I realized that maybe the best path for me is to walk beside you on yours. Does that make sense?”
He grabbed the camera and snapped another photo of her.
“What was that for?”
“I want to record the moment,” he answered with a grin. “I don’t want either of us to ever forget it.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy for you.” He sobered. “So. Back to my first question. When’s the wedding?”