She stared at the picture for a moment, grinning. Then lifted her gaze and said, “No. But I recall that day perfectly.”
“Yeah. So do I. We’d been fighting over the last of the boysenberry jam Mom had made and you were yammering about how the guest in the house should be offered the final spoonful and I said something like, ‘you’re not a guest, you belong here’ and then—”
“And then—” Ciara gasped. “Grandpa Win walked in, smiled at us and…walked away.”
“Not before he told us, ‘Someday you’ll want to share everything.’”
They stared at each other.
It took a few seconds for Ciara to come around and she asked, “Where’d you get that photo?”
“Magically appeared. Like the Winchester pickaxe when the avalanche hit. Like the spark against my new sign in the rink. Like the puff of air on the nape of my neck when Vaux could have crushed me with a royal flush.”
“Damn, your gramps works in mysterious ways.”
“Yes,” Scout said with a grin. “Yes, he does.”
On Thursday morning, Avalanche Road was cleared and blue skies prevailed. Scout drove Ciara down the mountain to her home and they enjoyed the Pilgrim Society’s reenactment of the landing—no rock in sight this year!—and the morning feast. Then they traveled back up the mountain and were greeted by Catherine and Henry. Along with JT and Maddie, Hamilton and Gaby, and the perfect opportunity for Scout to explain to them all about his current medical condition and professional status—and his and Ciara’s new future.
Saying the words out loud made him as emotional as everyone else. But this time, Scout wasn’t feeling angst toward a fate he had no control over—a fate he’d felt for the past year had mocked him.
This time, he really saw the present and the future for what it was. A golden light, a homing beckon, a full circle. Just the right balance of family love, professional growth and a seriously hot woman he’d never let go of ever again…
When they all sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, Scout knew he had a hell of a lot to be thankful for—and when he glanced over at Ciara, he saw the same in her eyes.
They were finally home.
—The End—