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“A lot of people don’t care for chocolate-covered cherries, but they’re my favorite, bar none. I could eat a whole box myself,” Willa said with a giggle.
“They’re one of mine too,” Sage admitted, laughing at the thought of Willa devouring a whole box of the confections.
By the time the hot cocoa and cookies came, Sage felt like they were fast friends. Willa seemed fascinated by the idea of living in the Sunshine State and the differences between the Alaskan and Floridian climates. Sage was able to ask Willa about the various owls the town was known for. She told Sage about an upcoming town event called the owl walk where all the residents ventured into the woods to get a glimpse of all the town’s owl species in their natural habitat.
“I look forward to it most of all because my father-in-law, Jennings, always makes an appearance,” Willa explained. “We call him our resident ornithologist since he knows everything about dozens of bird species, owls in particular.”
There was something comforting about being in Willa’s presence. She’d had a similar experience on her first meeting with Beulah at the teahouse. Never in a million years had Sage imagined she’d be sitting here with her mother and grandmother chatting and enjoying hot chocolate.
All she’d truly hoped for in coming to Owl Creek was to get a few answers to some burning questions about her identity. Although she’d resisted the truth ever since her mother confessed about the kidnapping, a part of Sage had instinctively known it was all true. She hadn’t really needed the baby blanket to prove it. There had always been a little part of her that hadn’t felt as if she fit in as a member of the Duncan family. Although she’d always loved her parents, Sage had always felt as if a piece of her hadn’t belonged. Although she’d attributed it to being adopted, she now knew it had been far more complicated.
In the deepest regions of her heart, Sage wanted to know that the members of her birth family were happy and that they’d thrived despite the tragic events of twenty-five years ago. By finding this information out, she could finally move on with her life and put her mother’s shocking confession in the past. However, all of a sudden the decision to leave Owl Creek without revealing herself as Lily North didn’t seem so simple. Now that she was up close and personal with her family members it seemed like an impossible dilemma. Who knew what the future might hold with her Alaskan family? The possibilities were endless.
Just then Nate North strode into the room, bringing with him a vibrant energy. “There you are, my love. I’ve been looking all over for you.” He strode over to his wife and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. Sage couldn’t look away from the sight of them.
Beulah sent Sage a knowing look. “These two lovebirds have been together since their freshman year in college. Nate, this is Sage Duncan. Sage, this is my son, Nate.”
Nate frowned. “Hello, Sage. Have we met before? Your face looks familiar to me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Was it at all possible Nate was responding to her on an instinctual level? Her stomach was twisted up in knots. “I—I was at the factory the other day when you had your press conference, but I left due to the crowd. Maybe that’s why I look familiar?”
Nate still looked puzzled. “Sure. Maybe that’s it,” he said, sounding unconvinced.
Without warning, Sage felt her good mood plummet. Things were getting way too intense. Nate and Willa were the epitome of Alaskan sweethearts. She couldn’t seem to drag her gaze away from them as they held hands and looked lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Their child had been ripped away from them and yet they still adored each other. They’d suffered one of the most devastating traumas a couple could withstand and somehow they had emerged on the other side, still in love. Still committed to one another. It left her awestruck. And it spoke to her about the enduring nature of true love.
All of a sudden it all came crashing down around her. She was standing in a room with three people who were related to her by blood, yet they didn’t realize it. It felt so wonderful yet incredibly wrong at the same time. She was so terribly conflicted. What would God think about her actions?
A passage from John 3:18 came to mind. She’d been reading the Bible ever since she was a child and this particular verse had been used by her father to teach her right from wrong. At the moment it resonated with her.
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Truth? It had always been so important to her, yet she’d been dodging it like a minefield ever since her arrival in Owl Creek. And now she had to sit in her own reality. Didn’t her birth parents deserve to know what she’d discovered? Was it fair to make them suffer for a lifetime?
When it was time to leave, Sage reached out to Beulah and Willa with tight hugs. She held on to Willa for an extended period of time, realizing she might never get this opportunity again to embrace her mother. She smelled of roses and chocolate and pure goodness. Sage felt at home in her arms, and when Nate took Sage’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles in an old-fashioned gesture, the emotions bubbling beneath the surface could no longer be contained. She blinked away tears, knowing she could never explain them in a million years. It was a lonely feeling being the only one in the room who fully understood the significance of this moment.
Beulah walked Sage to the entrance and gave her one last hug. “Thanks for coming out and spending time with me today. It meant a lot.” Sage nodded and squeezed Beulah’s hand. She didn’t trust herself to utter a single word of goodbye. It was only a matter of time before she broke down completely.
When Sage turned around to take one last look at the chocolate factory, Beulah was still standing there waving in her direction. She raised a hand in farewell, then turned back around and made her way over to the truck with tears streaming down her face. Thankfully she was facing away from Beulah. After getting in the vehicle she sat for a few minutes as the engine warmed up. She’d made a big mistake in seeking out her birth family. Nothing felt cut-and-dried anymore. The thought of leaving Owl Creek and never seeing them again tore her up inside.
Willa, Nate, Beulah, Trudy, Piper and Hank were living, breathing people who had burrowed their way into her heart. And now that they were there, she had no idea how she was going to erase them from her mind when she returned home.
Chapter Nine
It was shaping up to be a beautiful night for the owl walk in Chinook Woods. The heavily forested area had been a fixture for Hank ever since childhood. It had been a place of exploration and discovery for him. He’d always been fascinated by the wildlife in the woodlands—foxes, deer and on occasion, caribou. The owls had always been the most interesting to Hank, however. They were mysterious creatures who could see in the dark of night, at which time they were most active. It was fitting that the town had created a winter event highlighting the natural beauty of the magnificent birds.
It seemed to Hank as if the whole town had turned out for the event. He had made it a point to keep away from the inn for the last few days. Instead of staying over for dinner, he’d cooked at home for himself and Addie or met up with Gabriel and Connor at Piper’s diner. He’d figured out that the best way to keep Sage at arm’s length was to limit the time he spent in her presence. Seeing her all the time was only serving to imprint her on his mind. Yet, despite his best intentions and the deliberate actions he’d taken to avoid her, thoughts of Sage still lingered. He couldn’t get her out of his mind for the life of him.
When his gaze scanned the crowd, he instantly spotted Sage. She was chatting with Zoey Thomas. With her cream-colored hat and gray scarf, Sage looked warm and stylish. He looked down at her feet. She was wearing a sturdy pair of Lovely Boots. It made him smile that she’d heeded his mother’s suggestion. She really was getting the lay of the land.
Sage had driven herself, Piper and Trudy over to the woods this evening. Piper had told him Sage wanted to be able to navigate at night if she needed to, so this served as a test run. She’d surprised him by displaying such pluck and grit. Driving in Alaska wasn’t for the faint of heart. As a Florida girl Sage clearly didn’t have much experience driving on snow-slickened roads, but she was careful and confident.
It was nice to see her making friends here in town, even though she wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture in Owl Creek. The idea of not seeing her sweet face for much longer caused a pang in the region of his heart. He was being ridiculous, he told himself. He’d only known her for a few weeks and as it was, didn’t fully trust her. Maybe she was in a bad marriage and running away from an abusive situation. The very idea of it caused all of his protective instincts to go on high alert.
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nbsp; Maybe he was completely wrong about Sage. Perhaps he was making her pay the price for Theresa’s lies and deceptions. Mama had told him he was allowing the past to color his future. But what was he supposed to do with all of his festering doubts? He hadn’t told a soul that he’d had a few niggling suspicions about Theresa back in the day, but his feelings for her hadn’t allowed him to listen to his gut instincts.
