Noah nodded behind him. “The SAT phone. It’s on the counter.”
Clay ducked back inside. Summer didn’t think she took another breath until he emerged.
There he was safe. Both of them safe.
He tossed the phone to Noah. “Call the troopers. We need to get this guy off the mountain.”
NINETEEN
The troopers had managed to get a helicopter close enough to get Ryan loaded into it. He was on his way to Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward.
He wasn’t going to take any more innocent lives.
Clay finally took a deep breath when that man was gone from the mountain, out of their lives. Summer would have to testify, more than likely both of them would, but that wouldn’t be for months or years to come. For now, it was over, and for today that was enough.
The remains of the cabin were burning down behind them. Emergency personnel had decided the best course of action was to let it burn, since it was surrounded by rocks that wouldn’t be able to spread the fire. Unfortunately saving the cabin itself would have required too much resource-wise, and the cost and risk would be higher than it was worth, especially since the scene would be compromised anyway from a crime scene perspective.
Clay had detected a note of relief on Summer’s face when that decision had been made.
“I’d rather our family rebuild anyway. Start over.”
The words had seemed to carry a double meaning for her that Clay suspected had something to do with how she felt she’d let them down. Did that mean she wasn’t holding the past over her head anymore?
He wasn’t sure. But he walked over to her now, to where she stood a safe distance back watching the flames finish the work Ryan had started. The sky overhead was still blue and cloudless, the air warm. It was a gorgeous summer day.
A day for new beginnings.
Clay took Summer’s hand in his. “Are you okay?”
She turned to him, glacier-blue eyes clear. “I’m better than okay.” She sniffed as she wiped what he thought might have been the remains of a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Want to take a walk down the ridgeline or did you want to stay here?”
“A walk would be good, I think.”
Hand in hand, they walked back toward the trail where they’d come up. Had that just been yesterday? The last twenty-four hours had seemed like days, moving slowly and quickly all at the same time, so packed full of changing and near-death experiences.
Clay reminded himself to take a deep breath. It was over, the danger, the case. And hopefully, he and Summer were just beginning.
“I noticed this spot yesterday, when we hiked up here.” He looked at Summer. “I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world.”
She smiled up at him. His heart caught.
“And I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Clay was surprised at how easily the words came. They were true. He felt them with everything in him. “And if everything that happened to me in Treasure Point had to happen for me to get here, to meet you, it was worth it.”
Summer squeezed his hand, and somehow it meant more than sentences full of words ever could have. She understood.
“I know...” Clay cleared his throat, tried to breathe around the tightness in his chest. It wasn’t every day he asked a woman to marry him and he wanted to do this right. He’d already messed up by not having a ring ready, but he’d learned from the last week that life was short. Some risks were worth it, and loving Summer, asking her this question today, here on the mountain where they’d both been given a fresh start, it was worth everything despite not being perfect.
Because she was. Perfect for him. He hoped he could be half the man she deserved. And if she said yes to his question, he’d spend the rest of his life making sure he was.
“I know we haven’t known each other for long. And I know everything has been crazy. But I also know I love you, Summer.”
“I love you too.”
The words, said quietly but with certainty, relaxed the tightness in his chest. He tightened his grip on her hand. She squeezed back and he turned to face her, lifted a hand and stroked her cheek. “I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.”
Her eyes widened. Hopefully in a good way. Clay kept talking. “I want to marry you, Summer Dawson, and live up here with you, having adventure upon adventure, watching you run up mountains and along ridgelines. Would you be my wife? Will you marry me?”
She laughed, full hearted, her eyes shimmering with so much hope Clay felt it too.
He brushed a tear from her face. A happy tear, the only kind he ever intended to be the cause of for the rest of their lives.
“Yes, Clay. I would love to marry you.”
He wrapped her in his arms, squeezed her in a tight hug and then released her just far enough back that he could tip his head down and claim her lips in a kiss.
Their happily-ever-after was just beginning. And Clay couldn’t wait to see what their future held.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Hidden Amish Secrets by Debby Giusti.
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Hidden Amish Secrets
by Debby Giusti
ONE
Thunder rumbling overhead was as troubling as the guilt that still weighed heavily on Julianne Graber’s heart even after five years. Losing her father and brother in one horrific night had been hard to accept. Having it ruled a murder-suicide made their passing even more tragic. The bishop’s callous comment about Gott’s will had been the final blow. She had vowed never to return to her Amish home, yet here she was driving back to Mountain
