Mich.e.l.le stood tall and proud. Without another word she climbed into her car and drove off.

With a sinking heart Josh watched her go.

Wandering in the desert? How was he supposed to know what that meant? But he did. On some level Josh had understood the instant the words were out of her mouth. He'd been running nearly his entire adult life, refusing to become involved in anything more than his work. He was good at what he did for the simple fact that his work dominated his life, leaving room for nothing else. Not a wife. Not a real home. Not a family.

With nothing else left to do, Josh drove off, too. The closer he got to Rose Harbor Inn, the heavier his heart felt. By the time he realized what he wanted, what he needed, Josh was less than a mile from the inn.

Suddenly, without the least bit of warning, he made a sharp U-turn and then paused in the middle of the road. It came to him in a mad rush that he didn't want this ... didn't want to leave ... didn't want to continue on this same path-a path that could leave him alone and bitter, just like Richard. He wanted Mich.e.l.le, to love her and make her part of his life.

He didn't stop to count the number of traffic laws he was breaking on his way back to Richard's, hoping, praying that she'd returned to the house to collect Richard's clothes. His heart sank when he saw that her car wasn't at Richard's or her parents' home.

Josh remembered Mich.e.l.le telling him she owned a condo in the Manchester area east of Cedar Cove. He didn't know where but by heaven he'd find out. It didn't take long to scout out the area. Sure enough a three-story condo building had been built along the waterfront with a bottom-floor restaurant and a small grocery.

He parked, taking up two s.p.a.ces, and went inside the store.

"Two twelve," the man behind the counter told him when Josh asked about her. "She's been gone for a few days, but I thought I saw her pull in a few minutes ago."

With his heart racing, Josh headed toward the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. He rang the doorbell but got no response. Knocking hard got him nowhere either. If she wasn't inside, where could she be? That was when he noticed the newspapers piled in front of her door. Apparently the grocer was mistaken. Mich.e.l.le hadn't returned.

The only thing Josh could think to do was to return to his car and wait. He was too keyed up to sit, though. He wanted to talk to Mich.e.l.le. This was what he got for being so oblivious, so obstinate. Everything she said about him was true, only he'd been too pigheaded to see it.

The wind off the water carried with it the scent of the sea. Josh walked down to the short pier, intent on walking off his pent-up anxiety. He'd only gone a few feet along the boardwalk when he saw her.

Mich.e.l.le stood with her back to him, looking out over the water. He paused as a surge of happiness filled him.

"Mich.e.l.le." His voice carried in the breeze and she turned and saw that it was him. He started toward her, half-walking, half-running.

Josh wasn't sure what he expected. In his mind, he'd envisioned that she'd come racing forward, that she'd meet him halfway.

She didn't.

Instead she remained motionless, her hands buried in her coat pockets, her shoulders stiff and proud.

He slowed his pace as he reached her. "I'm glad I found you."

She said nothing.

"Listen," he said, "I don't know what's been happening between us over the last couple of days, but I think it could be significant."

Still no response.

"Whatever this is with us, it's important; I don't want to lose it."

"You're the one who couldn't get away from here fast enough. In fact I'm surprised you're still here."

He ignored that and realized she wasn't going to make this easy for him. He didn't blame her. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked.

"I've already said what was on my mind."

"Yes, and I'm grateful because it made me think. I don't want to wander in that desert any longer. I want to put down roots. You said everyone needs someone and asked me who that is in my life. I didn't have an answer earlier but I do now. I want that someone to be you, Mich.e.l.le. You." He talked fast, as if he couldn't get the words out quickly enough.

She blinked a couple of times as if she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. Then with a soft sad smile, she shook her head. "Sorry, Josh. I'm no longer that overweight teenage girl who gets dissed at the prom. It's going to take more than a few pretty words to convince me you're serious."

"I am serious. Give me a chance and I'll prove how serious I am."

A smile tweaked her lips. "A chance?"

"That's all I'm asking. I'm going to woo you as you've never been wooed in your life."

She started walking back toward the condo. Josh matched his steps to hers.

"I want more than flowers and sweet talk, Josh."

"Will my heart do?"

She smiled up at him, her eyes bright. "For starters."

He reached for her hand, gripping it with his own, and then raised it to his lips. "I've lived so much of my life alone that I have trouble admitting that I need anyone. But when you drove off, I knew then that I needed you."

"It took you long enough; you're an idiot, a very lovable idiot, but still an idiot."

He grinned and kissed the top of her head. "No longer, Mich.e.l.le, no longer." He closed his eyes and then spread kisses up and down the side of her face until she turned and their mouths met.

He'd found home, Josh realized. Home was in Mich.e.l.le's arms.

Chapter 36.

Rover spent a good night, sleeping on the rug next to my bed. I wasn't sure what to expect, this being his first night in a new environment. Surprisingly he adjusted without a qualm. Despite the short amount of time he'd been with me I felt that this special dog would become a big part of my life. It felt as if he'd always been with me.

I heard Abby return to the inn close to midnight. Josh had turned in for the night sometime earlier. I didn't chat with either one for long. I did hear Josh whistling, which was a surprise, and then he asked if it would be possible for him to stay on for a couple of extra days. I a.s.sured him it wouldn't be a problem.

Abby seemed to have her head in the clouds as she went on about how wonderful her brother's wedding had been. Because she had such an early flight I wasn't sure I'd see her in the morning.

The contrast between when the two had arrived and now was dramatic to say the least, and the difference left me feeling like whistling and humming myself. The transformation was nothing short of amazing.

The master bedroom was large enough for me to have a small sofa and a television, and I tended to relax there rather than in the common areas of the inn. I needed my own s.p.a.ce and had carved this area out just for me.

I had a fire going in the fireplace and I read for several minutes with Rover sitting at my feet. After a while I set the book aside, and, basking in the warmth of the fire, I momentarily closed my eyes, content and at peace. I wasn't sure how long I sat there. Maybe twenty minutes, maybe longer. What did strike me as I lingered by the warmth of the fire was that I didn't feel that stark aloneness I'd experienced since learning about Paul's death.

Yes, I had the dog, but this feeling, this sensation was more than the company of the dog asleep at my feet.

I felt Paul's presence. And this time I wasn't asleep. Even though I knew it was impossible, my dead husband filled the room. I refused to open my eyes for fear it would dispel the moment and I wanted to grab hold of it for as long as humanly possible. I knew it wasn't real. It couldn't be. Paul was gone, and yet it felt so profoundly authentic.

For months there'd been a huge gaping hole in my life. Now, my husband was back. Though I couldn't reach out and touch him, hold him, his spirit was with me. Nothing could convince me otherwise. I clenched my eyes tightly shut, and held my breath, longing to feel my husband's arms around me once again, hungering for the comfort of his embrace.

I didn't hear audible words, but he did speak to me, and what he said would always remain with me.

This house, this inn would be a place of healing. Not only for those who came to stay here but for me, too.

After a moment my pulse returned to normal and I whispered. "Thank you."

I rose early, as I tend to do, and was already downstairs with the coffee brewing when I heard Abby carting her suitcase down the stairs, doing her best to make as little noise as possible.

"Good morning," I called out to her from the kitchen. "Do you want a cup of coffee before you leave?"

She seemed surprised to find me up and about. "That would be great, thanks."

I poured her a mug from the freshly brewed pot and carried it out to her. "I hope you had a good stay."

"It was wonderful," she said, gratefully accepting the coffee, cupping the mug with both hands. She followed me back into the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I'm pleased your brother's wedding went so well."

She smiled and nodded. "It was magical. I don't think I've attended a more beautiful wedding."

Paul had told me this inn would be a special place but in the light of day it seemed likely that the presence I'd felt the night before had been a dream. While I wanted to believe it was real, I'm too much of a realist to put stock in what could so easily have been nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Perhaps I'd made up the entire fantasy because I was so badly in need of solace myself.

But here was evidence to the contrary. I couldn't deny the changes in Abby from when she'd first arrived.

"Can I make you breakfast?" I asked. I was prepared to cook whatever she wanted although it was still early.

"No thanks," she said, quickly dismissing my offer. "I'll pick up something at the airport." Abby blushed, almost as if she was embarra.s.sed or perhaps excited. "I ... met an old friend at the wedding," she added, lowering her gaze as though she wanted to hide her reaction from me.

"How nice." She didn't mention if this friend was male or female, but from the way she acted, I thought I knew.

"Yes, Steve was my brother's college roommate. He was one of the ushers."

I stirred my coffee and grinned. So a man was involved. No wonder Abby was struggling to squelch her excitement. She hadn't given me a lot of details, but I had the impression that whatever weight she'd been carrying when she arrived had been dealt with, too.

"Steve and I dated at one time."

"So the two of you had the chance to get reacquainted," I said.

"Yes and ... amazingly ... he's single and also lives and works in Florida."

Goose b.u.mps appeared on my arms. This was more than a little amazing, and it hardly seemed like a coincidence.

"He's actually within easy driving distance from where I live. I'm meeting him at the airport this morning."

"You're on the same flight?"

She nodded, sipped her coffee, and then set the mug on the kitchen counter. "Steve sent me a text this morning. He's getting to the airport early. He's hoping to change his seat so we can sit next to each other on the flight."

I could see that romance was already in play. Just the way her eyes gleamed reminded me how I'd felt when I first met Paul. Right when I'd more or less given up on finding Mr. Right. I'd kissed so many frogs I was in danger of getting warts.

Then I met Paul and he turned my entire world upside down and sideways, too. Even if I'd known from the start that we would only be together for a short time, I would have changed nothing. Not a single thing. I knew what it was to love completely. While losing him was the most painful experience of my life, I wouldn't ever trade what we'd had.

"Thank you for an incredible weekend," Abby said as she reached for her purse.

"I'm pleased you enjoyed your stay." I followed her back to the foyer where she'd left her suitcase at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, I did enjoy it. So much." Impulsively, it seemed, she hugged me and then she was out the door.

Standing in the open doorway, I watched her pull out of the parking area, with Rover by my side, a cup of warm coffee in my hand. I felt a swell of affection for this young woman I had barely gotten to know. The first of my two guests had departed. I didn't expect to see Abby again, but I had the satisfaction of knowing that she had left a happier person than when she'd arrived.

By contrast, Josh didn't come downstairs until almost nine that morning. I had cooked bacon and was ready to fix eggs however he preferred. The orange juice was ready and the table set.

"Good morning," I greeted when he appeared.

He grinned and helped himself to the coffee. "I can't believe I slept this late."

"Apparently you needed it," I said. "How would you like your eggs?"

He sipped the coffee and hesitated as if the question were a weighty one. "Over easy. No, make that scrambled."

"You got it." I returned to the kitchen and was surprised when Josh followed me. Rover had returned to the rug in front of the fireplace for another nap so it was just Josh and me.

He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his ankles. "I hope it's not a problem for me to stay on a couple of days."

"None whatsoever." I got out the eggs and cracked two into a bowl and reached for my fork.

"I was able to make the funeral arrangements for my stepfather."

I paused as I added the eggs to the melted b.u.t.ter in the pan on the stove. "I am sorry for your loss," I told him.

"Thank you. It does feel like a loss. I'm just relieved we were able to come to terms before he died. Clearing the air helped tremendously."

"I'm glad."

"I am, too," he said and then went into the dining room and waited for his breakfast.

After breakfast, Josh left.

Rover followed me upstairs while I removed the sheets from the bed in Abby's room and then he followed me down to the laundry room. He was quickly turning into my shadow. I nearly tripped over him as I stuffed the sheets into the machine.

As I returned to the main part of the house I noticed a man wearing a dark coat walking around the front yard, carrying a shovel.

It looked like Mark. I grabbed my coat, quickly stuffing my arms into the sleeves, and walked onto the front porch. Rover followed me and stood at my side at the top of the steps. Surprisingly he didn't bark or make a fuss at the stranger in my yard.

"Mark?" I called out.