Page 55 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)

“No worries. It will be worth the wait.” His slow, intimate smile sent a rush of warmth radiating through her.

Thank heaven the man she’d given her heart to was a good sport.

One who liked her siblings and their significant others, and who’d blended seamlessly into the family group.

He’d handled Jack’s third degree at their first meeting with consummate skill, winning kudos from Bri and respect from her brother.

As her family chatted and chowed down, a newspaper reporter approached, demanding her attention. After that, several members of the audience cornered her to ask questions about her research and offer tidbits about relatives who’d lived in the Old Mines area.

Through it all, Brad stayed by her side, offering support but never trying to step into the spotlight or inject himself into the conversation.

Thanks to the quiet self-confidence he radiated that instilled trust and respect in everyone he met, he didn’t have to seek the limelight to shore up his own sense of worth.

Heaven had smiled on her the day he’d walked into her life.

An hour later, after the last guests departed and she waved goodbye to her siblings with a promise to arrive early next week to help Bri set up for Lindsey’s bridal shower, Cara expelled a long breath. “I am so ready to ditch these heels and chill.”

“Then let’s go.” Brad took her hand and led her out the door, toward the parking lot. “You and I have some celebrating to do.”

“I thought we just did that. The university put on a lovely reception.”

“How much did you eat?”

“Hmm. A spanakopita?”

“That’s what I figured. I have a dinner reservation for us.”

Of course he did.

Brad was thoughtfulness personified.

“Thank you for that. Where are we going?”

At the high-end spot he named, she did a double take. “After all the dinners you’ve treated me to at our favorite hideaway in the hinterland, you don’t have to break the bank tonight.”

“Special days merit special attention. I’m glad the paper you wrote, and all the research you did, got the acclaim they deserved, but I want to do my small part to mark the occasion.”

“Well ... since you put it that way.” She rose on tiptoe and stole a kiss before she slid into the passenger seat of his car.

But when he pulled out of the parking lot, she frowned. “Wait. The restaurant is the other direction.”

“I know. It’s a little early for dinner, though. I thought we could take a short drive through the countryside on this beautiful April afternoon. That work for you?”

Unexpected—but why not?

“Sure.”

She toed off her heels, settled back in her seat ... and gave him a surreptitious scan as he accelerated down the road.

Nothing obvious was amiss, but there was an odd undercurrent buzzing through the car.

Something was up.

Strange.

It wasn’t like him to keep her in the dark. In general, he shared whatever was on his mind.

Apparently she’d have to prompt him this time.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

He gave her a quick glance. Grinned. “It’s hard to keep secrets from you. You know me too well.”

“You have a secret?”

“I do. One I’m not going to reveal quite yet. Why don’t you tell me what Natalie had to say? She was thrilled with the accolade you gave her, by the way.”

Cara hesitated.

She could press him—but she did know him well. And from the set of his jaw, he wasn’t going to budge.

So she played along, sharing the news about Margie.

He kept the conversation flowing after that until he pulled over to the side of a street in one of the towns a short drive away from Cape.

“Why are you stopping?” She sent him a puzzled look.

He set the brake and motioned to a modern building up ahead.

She squinted at the sign.

The police department?

“Do you have official business here?”

“No. Personal business.” He angled toward her.

“I have it on credible authority that the chief here is going to retire in the fall. My term’s up in November.

Instead of running for sheriff again, I’m thinking a new job closer to Cape may be in order—and based on a few discreet inquiries, I think I’d have an excellent shot at this one.

But before I make such a huge change, I’d need a guarantee. ”

“What sort of guarantee?”

“That I won’t be starting over in a new place alone.” He reached into the inner pocket of his sport coat.

Cara’s heart missed a beat ... or two ... or three as he withdrew a small square box. When he lifted the lid to reveal a sparkling round diamond, the platinum band inset with several smaller diamonds on each side of the main stone, her voice deserted her.

As silent seconds ticked by, Brad shifted in his seat. “If you don’t like the style, the jeweler said you could—”

“No.” Cara somehow convinced her vocal cords to kick back in. “It just ... it took my breath away. Is there ... is there a proposal to go with it?”

“Yes.” His lips flexed, yet this man who was always in control and confident seemed endearingly nervous. “Would you like to hear it now, or should I save it for the romantic candlelit restaurant?”

“Anywhere I’m with you is romantic.” She twisted sideways and focused on his face.

Because she didn’t intend to miss a word of what he had to say.

“I guess I’m on.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he took her hand, cradling it in his strong fingers.

“I never expected to find love again, Cara. I didn’t think I deserved to find it again.

But after you walked into my world and filled my days with happiness and warmth and hope, I realized that maybe God was offering me a second chance.

A new beginning with a woman whose sweetness and grace and empathy and kindness illuminated all the dark, lonely places in my heart. ”

He set the box on the console between them and cupped her face with his hands, the tremble in his fingers clear evidence of the magnitude of this moment, when both their futures were poised to change forever with one simple word from her.

“Professor Cara Tucker, I love you with every ounce of my being. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Pressure built behind her eyes as she gazed at the man who’d made her believe that maybe .

.. just maybe ... the youngest Tucker sibling had at last met the partner of her dreams. A man who hadn’t viewed the inconveniences of her deafness as an obstacle and who was willing to make a dramatic change in his life so she could continue to do the work she loved.

A man of integrity and commitment and deep compassion.

“You won’t have to start over in a new place alone. Guaranteed.” Cara lifted her left hand. “Yes.”

He exhaled, as if he’d been holding his breath. Fumbled with the box while he removed the ring. Slipped the band on with unsteady fingers.

It was a perfect fit.

Just as they were a perfect fit.

“It suits you.” He lifted her hand to examine the ring.

She blinked to clear her vision. “You know, until I met you, I was beginning to think this would never happen. That the romance in my life would be confined to novels and chick flicks.” She leaned closer, across the console.

“But you, Brad Mitchell, made all my romantic dreams come true. You’re better than any heartthrob in a book or a movie.

And I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. ”

“The luck was all mine.” He closed the distance between them, until they were a whisper apart. “I think we should make this engagement official.”

“I’m in.” She put her arms around his neck.

Without wasting another moment, he pressed his lips to hers in an achingly tender kiss that expressed with wordless eloquence the depth of his love and devotion.

A kiss that told her she was cherished beyond measure.

A kiss filled with a promise of the passion to come for all their tomorrows as man and wife.

The world around them vanished as Cara gave herself to the embrace on this street in a small Missouri town that no one else might think was anything special.

But for her, it was magic.

Because this was the official beginning of their happily ever after.

Guaranteed.