Apparently she’d have to prompt him this time.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
He gave her a quick glance. Grinned. “It’s hard to keep secrets from you. You know me too well.”
“You have a secret?”
“I do. One I’m not going to reveal quite yet. Why don’t you tell me what Natalie had to say? She was thrilled with the accolade you gave her, by the way.”
Cara hesitated.
She could press him—but shedidknow him well. And from the set of his jaw, he wasn’t going to budge.
So she played along, sharing the news about Margie.
He kept the conversation flowing after that until he pulled over to the side of a street in one of the towns a short drive away from Cape.
“Why are you stopping?” She sent him a puzzled look.
He set the brake and motioned to a modern building up ahead.
She squinted at the sign.
The police department?
“Do you have official business here?”
“No. Personal business.” He angled toward her. “I have it on credible authority that the chief here is going to retire in the fall. My term’s up in November. Instead of running for sheriff again, I’m thinking a new job closer to Cape may be in order—and based on a few discreet inquiries, I think I’d have an excellent shot at this one. But before I make such a huge change, I’d need a guarantee.”
“What sort of guarantee?”
“That I won’t be starting over in a new place alone.” He reached into the inner pocket of his sport coat.
Cara’s heart missed a beat ... or two ... or three as he withdrew a small square box. When he lifted the lid to reveal a sparkling round diamond, the platinum band inset with several smaller diamonds on each side of the main stone, her voice deserted her.
As silent seconds ticked by, Brad shifted in his seat. “If you don’t like the style, the jeweler said you could—”
“No.” Cara somehow convinced her vocal cords to kick back in. “It just ... it took my breath away. Is there ... is there a proposal to go with it?”
“Yes.” His lips flexed, yet this man who was always in control and confident seemed endearingly nervous. “Would you like to hear it now, or should I save it for the romantic candlelit restaurant?”
“Anywhere I’m with you is romantic.” She twisted sideways and focused on his face.
Because she didn’t intend to miss a word of what he had to say.
“I guess I’m on.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he took her hand, cradling it in his strong fingers. “I never expected to find love again, Cara. I didn’t think Ideservedto find it again. But after you walked into my world and filled my days with happiness and warmth and hope, I realized that maybe God was offering me a second chance. A new beginning with a woman whose sweetness and grace and empathy and kindness illuminated all the dark, lonely places in my heart.”
He set the box on the console between them and cupped her face with his hands, the tremble in his fingers clear evidence of the magnitude of this moment, when both their futures were poised to change forever with one simple word from her.
“Professor Cara Tucker, I love you with every ounce of my being. Would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Pressure built behind her eyes as she gazed at the man who’d made her believe that maybe ... just maybe ... the youngest Tucker sibling had at last met the partner of her dreams. A man who hadn’t viewed the inconveniences of her deafness as an obstacle and who was willing to make a dramatic change in his life so she could continue to do the work she loved. A man of integrity and commitment and deep compassion.
“You won’t have to start over in a new place alone. Guaranteed.” Cara lifted her left hand. “Yes.”
He exhaled, as if he’d been holding his breath. Fumbled with the box while he removed the ring. Slipped the band on with unsteady fingers.
It was a perfect fit.
