Seth settled himself beside her, an expectant look on his face.
Lauren took a deep breath and reached inside. Even if she didn’t like it—
Her heart stopped. With a trembling hand, Lauren gently pulled the doll the rest of the way from the bag. She looked at him in disbelief. “It’s an American Girl doll.”
The doll had brown hair pulled into two pigtails and tied with a bright red ribbon. She had glasses and a sweet smile. Lauren let her gaze linger. This was the American Girl doll of her childhood dreams.
“Her name is Molly McIntire,” Seth volunteered.
“You remembered.” Lauren clutched the doll close. “Where did you find her?”
“In an antique shop not far from the hotel where we were meeting,” he said. “I saw her in the window and thought of you.”
“I love her.” Lauren fingered the braids. A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. The fact that Seth had gone out of his way to do something just because it would make her happy made the gift even more special. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this, but thank you.”
“You deserve to be spoiled and pampered and given gifts.” Seth’s voice turned husky. “I hope you find someone special in Virginia, someone who’ll make you as happy as you’ve made Ivy and me.”
Virginia. Was it only a coincidence that the sun— which had been shining hot and bright—chose this moment to disappear behind the clouds?
“I’ve loved every minute of my time here.” Lauren tightened her hold on the doll. “Thank you for everything, Seth. For opening your home to me, for letting me be a part of your family these past few weeks and for Molly.”
Overcome with emotion, she clutched the doll tightly against her chest.
He frowned. “That sounds an awful lot like goodbye.”
“Ivy gets her arm cast off Monday.” The words came out faint and faraway. Lauren cleared her throat and tried again. “Depending on the X-rays, the boot cast could be removed by the end of the week.”
“Time has gone fast.” Unexpectedly Seth grasped her hand, holding it tight. “I wish I could make it stand still.”
“Not a possibility.” Lauren kept her tone light, ignoring the ache in her heart. “There is something I want to say before I go. Actually, two things.”
Seth laced his fingers loosely through hers. “What’s on your mind?”
“I want to thank you for going with me to dinner the other night. Your support really meant a lot.”
“Anytime.” His gaze turned watchful. “What was the second?”
“I want you to be happy.”
‘I want the same for you.” His thumb began to caress the center of her palm and forming a coherent thought became increasingly difficult.
“No, you don’t understand. I want you to find a way to make your dreams of becoming a veterinarian come true,” Lauren explained. “Promise me you’ll see if there’s any way you can finish the program.”
The fact that Seth’s fingers remained twined with hers and he didn’t pull away gave her courage to continue.
“You have so much talent, so much compassion, so much love...for animals.” Her tongue stumbled for a second. “I don’t want to see you waste it.”
Thankfully he didn’t appear to take offense. Instead his brows pulled together and a thoughtful look crossed his face.
“I’ve thought about going back many times over the past three years,” Seth admitted. He shifted his position so he faced her. “I’ll look at the logistics again if you promise you’ll do the same.”
“Look at becoming a veterinarian?”
Seth laughed and the sun broke through the clouds. “No, I want you to look at what makes you happy. Maybe it’s teaching. Maybe it’s research. Maybe it’s counseling. Before you embark on a new career, make sure you’re following your passion, or as Stacie would say, your bliss. You’re an amazing woman, Lauren. You deserve a wonderful life.”
Lauren’s heart rose to her throat. “Sounds like we both want the best for each other.”
He reached up and—for a second—cupped her face with his hand. “That’s how it is when you lo— care for someone.”
In that moment, under the bright Montana sun, Lauren realized Seth wasn’t just the man she loved, he was her soul mate.
She was seized with the sudden urge to pull him close, to run her fingers through his hair, to feel the muscles in his back tighten beneath her fingers. To hold him tight and never let go.
But she didn’t act on the impulse. She knew her only choice was to walk away. Seth’s integrity was as much a part of him as his cowboy boots and quick smile. She wouldn’t ask him to abandon the promise he’d made to his dying wife, not even for her.
Two days later, Lauren moved back into the house Anna had inherited from her grandma. Seth hated to see her go. She was only going to be in Sweet River one more week anyway and in his mind it made no sense for her to move twice. But she insisted. Though she’d done her best to prepare his daughter, the day Lauren moved out, Ivy cried.
Seth understood. He felt as if someone had reached inside his chest and torn out his heart.
The last thing Lauren had done had been to stick out her hand. Instead of a polite handshake he’d pulled her into his arms and held her with a fierceness that surprised them both. By the time he took a step back, her eyes—and his—were suspiciously moist.
Today though, he was going to do his best not to think of Lauren. This was “Jan’s Day.” Every year since her passing, he and Ivy celebrated her birthday by doing things they’d once done as a family.
He’d gotten the idea when he’d heard a mother on the radio talking about her little boy, David, who’d passed away. Once a year on his birthday, his family celebrated “David’s Day.” It was their way of keeping his memory alive and celebrating his life.
“Ivy,” Seth called out. “Breakfast is ready.”
His daughter had gotten the cast
