Page 36 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Three months later, it was Thanksgiving week, and James told Julie that he had a surprise. She couldn’t imagine what it was, but they’d been dating long enough for her to realise he was a romantic and that she should be prepared for anything.

The past few months had been a whirlwind for her.

Work at the café had been busy, and she’d managed to save a nice little nest egg to help her go back to school.

Rita was recovering well from her treatments, and tests showed that she was finally in remission.

They’d celebrated the news with a huge family gathering at the lake house that weekend.

It was a party to remember. And she’d spent several nights per week with James, which was the highlight.

She had well and truly fallen for him. And the funny part was, she wasn’t even a little nervous about it because he told her frequently that he felt the same way. They were falling in love, and it was a thrilling time she would never forget. She hadn’t experienced anything like it before.

When he arrived to pick her up, she noticed that he wore jeans and a sweater with leather boots. So, clearly they weren’t going anywhere upscale. She kissed him hello and then rushed to change into jeans as well, since her slinky dress and overcoat weren’t likely to be appropriate now.

Soon, she was ready, and they headed off in his car.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he replied with a smile.

Her eyes narrowed. “Come on, you have to tell me now. We’re on our way there. Are we going hiking? Because it’s a bit cold. Maybe bowling? Or something else… line dancing?”

He laughed. “Line dancing? You see me as a line dancer?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re full of secrets tonight.”

“Just be patient.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

He sighed. “It won’t take long.”

He was true to his word. Within fifteen minutes, he’d pulled off the main road onto a long gravelled driveway. There were oak trees lining the drive, and on either side of the trees were two grassy fields stretching into the distance and dotted with black and brown cattle.

“This is lovely,” she said. “Whose place is this?”

“You can’t stand it, can you?”

She folded her arms. “No, I can’t. You’ve got to tell me—are we going to dinner at someone’s house? What is this? Some kind of farm?”

“It is a farm, yes. You have amazing powers of deduction.” He laughed. “But no, we’re not meeting anyone for dinner.”

The farmhouse was two-story, made of white timber.

It looked to be at least one hundred years old, but had been renovated and gleamed with new paint.

It was beautiful, cozy and very country.

It was surrounded by a white picket fence.

The driveway wound around one side of the house and stopped at a large dilapidated barn. A few chickens pecked through the dirt.

Julie breathed deeply as she stepped out of the vehicle. It was so peaceful. The air was clean and fresh. The scent of livestock lingered on the breeze. The sun was sinking down the sky and long shadows fell across the car, made her shiver and hug her arms around her sweater.

“What do you think?” he asked, coming over to lay an arm around her shoulders.

“I love it here. It’s so beautiful, peaceful. It feels very homey.”

“I agree.”

He took her hand and led her to the house and up the stairs to the front door. Then, without knocking, he opened it and led her inside.

“What are you doing?” she objected with a laugh. “We can’t just walk in, can we? Are they expecting us?”

“Who?” he asked with a wink.

She shook her head. “You’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”

In the living room, the polished timber floor gleamed. There was no furniture, other than a beautiful piano by the far window. On top of the piano sat a single lamp that threw golden light across the room. It made James’ face seem to glow.

Then he got down on one knee and popped open a ring box. A platinum ring with a single diamond shone in the soft lamplight.

Julie held one hand to her mouth. Tears immediately sprang into her eyes. James reached for her other hand and held it.

“Julie, I’ve looked forward to this moment for as long as I can remember. I’ve dreamed of you, I’ve looked for you, and I finally found you. I don’t want to spend another moment apart. You’re the woman I choose for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

She could barely see through her tears. This wasn’t what she was expecting, but she knew it was right. He was exactly the right person for her. She couldn’t picture a life without him in it.

“Yes, I will marry you.”

He placed the ring on her finger, then swept her up into his arms, kissing her passionately. He stepped back and she stared at the ring, unable to look away.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It was my grandmother’s,” he said. “I got it cleaned and reset for you.”

“I love it. It’s perfect.”

“You said yes. I’m over the moon.”

She grinned and kissed him again. “We’re getting married.”

It was growing dark in the house now, and the cold was seeping in through the open door.

He led her outside again, and they sat on the porch swing out front.

As they swung, with her leaning into him and his arms around her, she kept looking at her ring over and over.

It sparkled with the light from the setting sun, and it fit perfectly.

“Would you like to live here after we’re married?” he asked.

She sat up straight and looked into his eyes. “What? Really?”

“I hope so, because I already bought it.”

She squealed with delight and kissed him again. “You really bought this place?”

“Yep. I’ve been looking around with a Realtor for a while, and this caught my eye. So, I bought it. There were a few people interested, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”

“I still can’t believe you turned down the Boston opportunity,” she said, her brow furrowed.

He shrugged. “They commented that maybe they’d ask again in a few years and I encouraged them to do that, but for now, I’m staying put. My fiancée has a PhD to finish.”

She laughed out loud and hugged him tight. “This has been the best date ever!”