For a moment, a panicked look crossed Owen’s face. Then he took a deep breath and sent her another strained smile. “Or I could hold you close and never let you go?”
“That sounds much better.” As they began walking along the path, the gravel crunched under their feet. Harper told him about her day at the clinic. A month ago, she’d started working as a nurse. Taking some of the routine tasks off Zac’s workload was helping everyone. Their patients didn’t have to wait as long, and Zac was able to spend more time with people who had more complex issues.
Owen made the right noises at the right times, but his responses were mechanical, as if he had something else on his mind.
“Is everything okay with you, Owen?” She stopped walking and faced him, hoping she could help with whatever was worrying him.
Owen hesitated, his eyes scanning the shoreline as if looking for something. “I... Uh. I just have a lot going on,” he muttered.
She looked at him closely. “Are you looking for more gemstones for your bowls?”
He frowned, as if confused by her question. “No, I…” He looked across the water and groaned.
Curious, Harper followed his gaze. Farther away from the shore she spotted a faint glimmer in the water. Holding her hand above her eyes, she tried to figure out what it was. “It’s probably an old bottle off a fishing boat.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Owen didn’t wait for her response. He threw off his shoes and socks, rolled up his jeans, and waded into the cold water.
“What are you doing?” she yelled after him. “The water’s still cold. You’ll get hypothermia if you’re in there for too long.”
“It’s not too bad,” Owen yelled back.
The man was crazy. Even from here, she could see him shivering. She stepped closer to the water, watching him make his way toward the shiny object.
Moments later, he returned, clutching a glass bottle in his hand. His teeth chattered as he handed it to her. “Open it, please,” he urged in a shaky voice.
Harper took the bottle but didn’t pay too much attention to it. “We need to get you inside. What on earth made you wade into the lake at this time of the year?”
Owen rubbed his hands along his arms. “Open the bottle, Harper. It’s important.”
She looked at the stubborn tilt of his jaw and knew he wouldn’t budge unless she did as he asked. “Are you sure your PTSD isn’t making you do crazy things?”
When he didn’t reply, she studied the bottle. “This looks like the bottles you make in your studio.” She frowned when she saw the wax seal around the top. “It is. What’s it doing in the lake?”
Owen walked on the spot. “I’m slowly freezing to death, Harper. Don’t worry about why it’s here. Just open it.”
She muttered something about stubborn men who should know better before prying open the seal. Inside the bottle was one of the rolled-up pieces of paper she’d always wanted to open.
Tipping the top of the bottle toward her hand, she tapped it against her palm so she could slide out the paper. “If you’re testing how watertight the bottle is, it’s perfect. The paper’s nice and dry, and the ink on the note isn’t smudged at all.”
Her smile disappeared when she read the message. It was only eight words long, but it brought tears to her eyes.
Owen took the bottle out of her hand and dropped to his knee. “I meant ever word. I love you, Harper. Will you marry me?”
Her heart leaped in her chest. Owen was watching her anxiously. She tried to think of something intelligent to say, but the words got mixed up in her brain. “I don’t… I mean…” she stammered.
“It’s okay,” he managed through chattering teeth. “I understand if you think it’s too soon. I had a list of things I was going to tell you about why we’re perfect for each other, but I’ve forgotten what they were.”
Harper took off her jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders. “That’s because your brain cells are freezing. Why was the bottle floating in the lake?”
“It was supposed to be romantic. The bottle should have been close to the shore,” he whispered through lips that were turning blue. “I had it all planned out, right down to what you’d say after I asked you to marry me. If the bottle went off course, Steve was supposed to catch it and bring it back, but this is a total disaster.”
Harper took off her woolly hat and yanked it over his head. “It’s not a total disaster. I got to open one of your bottles and you asked me to marry you.”
“But you don’t want to marry me.”
She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him away from the edge of the water. “I didn’t say that. I was shocked, that’s all.” Owen stopped walking, and she yanked harder. “Come on. We need to get you inside.”
“Do you want to marry me?” Given how cold he must be, the hopeful look in his eyes was oddly endearing.
