It had taken Adam long enough to find where he belongedâ¦.
No oneâespecially not a woman with no ties to family or landâwould come between him and the dreams God had called him home to.
Adam didnât need or want his life turned inside out by a stubborn woman who didnât believe in promises, or God, or slowing down long enough to see exactly what she was missing. A loner like himself had no business tying anyone else down to his obligations.
Keeping Lisa around in the confines of his lodge was definitely asking for trouble. Regardless of her familial connections or her charming personality, the beautiful drifter couldnât stay. Wouldnât, even if heâd be foolish enough to ask her toâ¦
wrote daily to a pen pal for ten years, yet writing as a career didnât occur to her for another two decades. âMy first key chain said, âBloom where youâre planted.â Iâve tried to follow that advice ever since.â
Carol, her husband and their three children have planted their roots in Greeley. Together, their family enjoys sports, camping and discovering Coloradoâs beauty. Carol has operated her own cake-decorating business and spent fifteen years providing full-time child care to more than one hundred children before moving on to the other end of the education field. She is now an admissions adviser at a state university.
As always, Carol loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at P.O. Box 5021, Greeley, CO 80632. She would also love for you to visit her Web page at http://members.aol.com/csteward37.
Iâd like to acknowledge my husband, Dave, and my three kids, Sarah, Matthew and Scott.
Itâs not always easy having a writer for a wife and mother, yet they keep encouraging me, even when the going gets tough. Thanks.
And a special thank-you to my editor, Melissa Endlich, for her patience and understanding, and the faith that I would finish this book.
Lisa Berthoff watched the quarter-size flakes of snow swirl in the darkness as her sister and brother-in-law drove away for their honeymoon. Guests left and family hurried around, cleaning up after the wedding and reception. No one wanted to be stranded at the church. The blizzard had dumped twelve inches in the three hours since they had arrived.
On her way up the stairs to the bridal suite, she glanced at the brideâs bouquet, caught in the crystal chandelier. âThat could only have happened to Katarina,â she said with a chuckle.
Adam MacIntyre, the groomâs youngest brother added, âItâs becoming a family trait, getting the bouquet caught on something.â
Lisa smiled. âOh, yeah. Emilyâs caught in the treeâI forgot about that. Guess I was only concerned with how to avoid catching it.â Lisa had been expecting Katarina to throw the bouquet to her or Adam since they were the only unmarried siblings left.
âYouâre not superstitious, are you? That was only a coincidence.â
âSuperstitious? Not me, but I saw you hiding across the room.â Lisa laughed. âDonât tell me you werenât half expecting our families to set us up. First Emily and Kevin caught a bouquet, and six months later theyâre married. Five months later Alex and Katarina catch Emilyâs bouquet, and eight months laterââ
âDoesnât matter now, does it?â He motioned toward the chandelier. âWeâre free from the wedding curse. What do we need to finish up here? Since Kevin had a car full of people, and the rest of the family went to their hotels, I agreed to make sure you get home okay before I leave.â
Lisa had convinced her mother and eldest sister, Emily, that she could make it to Katarinaâs house without a problem. Leave it to them to arrange for an escort. âI just need to load the cake into Katarinaâs van and get my things from upstairs. I wonât be long. You can go on home.â
âKatarina and Alexâs house is on my way out of town. Besides, I donât think Katâs van is going anywhere on these roads. Iâll take care of the cake.â
Lisa ran upstairs, gathered her things and put them into her bag. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and paused. She swayed back and forth, watching the fabric move in fluid motion, then spun on one foot and watched the dress fan out and swirl around her legs.
âKatarinaâs quite a seamstress. All three of you looked beautiful in your dresses.â