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Sage stepped forward to speak into the microphone. “I plan to continue to use the name Sage since I’ve grown accustomed to it after all these years. In my heart I’ll always cherish and honor my given name, Lily. My parents chose a beautiful name full of grace and beauty. I hope I’ve lived up to it.” She took a deep breath, gathering her strength to speak. “I came to Owl Creek in search of answers, but I wasn’t courageous enough to be completely open and honest with everyone. I just want to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone I may have hurt, including my family. You see, I wanted to protect the man who raised me from being implicated in the kidnapping. That man—Eric Duncan—never traveled to Alaska until recently. I just want to make it clear that he had nothing to do with the crime.”
“Miss Duncan! Will you be staying in Owl Creek? Or have you decided to return to Florida?” a reporter called out.
Sage shifted from one foot to the next. The question was monumental. How was she supposed to answer it? Her birth family desperately wanted her to stick around town in order to get more acquainted with them. Eric had also urged her to stay in town, telling her she had twenty-five years to make up for with the Norths. The idea appealed to her, but she knew it would be agonizing to run into Hank knowing how he felt about her. She cringed just thinking about all the awkward run-ins and the regrets she would feel about keeping secrets from him. She’d decided to head home to Florida for a bit to heal her broken heart and get her bearings.
Before she could answer, there was a sudden commotion in the back of the crowd. Sage craned her neck to see who was pushing their way through. She must be a glutton for punishment because although it was silly of her to think Hank might grant her forgiveness, a part of her had hoped he would show up here today. Sage sighed. It was just another one of her pipe dreams.
Just then Hank appeared in the crowd, surrounded by Piper and Gabriel. Her heart began to thump wildly at the sight of him. The last few days without seeing him had felt like torture.
“Sage!” he called out. “I need to talk to you.”
“Let her know how much you care about her,” Gabriel yelled out.
“Tell her you were a fool!” Piper shouted.
The crowd erupted into laughter. Sage might have laughed too under other circumstances. She was standing as still as a statue, wondering what was coming next. Hank was a pretty private person. She couldn’t imagine he wanted to put everything out there in front of the entire town of Owl Creek.
“Will you please be quiet?” Hank asked. “There are some things in life we need to do on our own steam. And this is one of them.”
Beulah grabbed the microphone and said in a commanding voice, “Let the boy speak his piece.” Her no-nonsense tone assured no argument. The queen of Owl Creek had spoken.
Hank’s expression was sheepish. “Sorry about my timing, but as Mama always says, there’s no perfect time to make things right. And I really want to make things right with you, Sage.”
Eric gently nudged Sage forward. “Don’t leave him hanging, sweetheart. I think he’s pretty much wearing his heart on his sleeve at the moment.” Sage stepped forward, her eyes focusing like laser beams on Hank. Suddenly her insides were doing crazy flip-flops. Was her father right about Hank? She’d practically given up all hope he’d come around, yet here he was trying to get her attention from deep in the crowd.
Please, Lord. Let him have had a change of heart. Allow him to forgive me.
Hank was rapidly making his way through the crowd and toward where she stood on the steps. The townsfolk made a wide path to allow him passage.
“Hank. What’s going on? What are you doing here?” Sage whispered once he stood within mere feet of her. She looked around at all of the prying eyes. After all Hank had said to her the other day, he was the last person she’d expected to see today. Perhaps he had come to apologize so there would be no awkwardness between them. She knew he cared deeply for the North family, so it was a possible motive for his appearance at the press conference.
“Sage, I was wrong to come down so hard on you the other day. I acted like an idiot.”
Just hearing those words allowed Sage to breathe properly for the first time in days. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest she feared Hank might hear it. She didn’t need to say a word. All she wanted to do was listen to him. The sound of his voice was like a sweet melody.
“It shames me to face it, but it wounded my pride when I realized you hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me why you came to Owl Creek. I told you about my past, so maybe you’ll understand how I felt in that moment. I’ve been burnt before by believing in someone way more than they deserved. I thought I might be reliving that nightmare all over again. I should have listened to you rather than reacting from a place of hurt. It took me a few sleepless nights and some words of wisdom from the women in my family to make me see my own truths.”
“And what are those truths?” Beulah asked. “Speak plainly, Sheriff.”
Jennings stood beside his wife looking at Hank gruffly, as if he wasn’t sure he was up to snuff for his granddaughter.
Sage couldn’t help but grin at her grandmother’s spunk. She’d asked the very question Sage wanted to inquire about herself. She would never get tired of learning more about the man she adored.
“The big one is that I love your granddaughter.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I’ve fallen madly and deeply in love with her.” He turned his gaze back toward Sage. “I have a question for you, Sage. Can you forgive a foolish sheriff for doubting you?”
For a moment Sage couldn’t speak. She could barely think straight. The last few days had been a whirlwind of joy and the deepest sorrow she’d ever known. Against all hope, Hank was standing here offering her his heart. He was giving her way more than forgiveness. He was telling the whole entire town of Owl Creek that he loved her.
When she caught her breath, she was finally able to speak. “Oh, Hank! Of course I will. As long as you’ll forgive me for not being truthful from the beginning. In case you didn’t realize it, I’m crazy about you too. I don’t know the precise moment when it happened, but you’re firmly wedged in my soul.”
A look of relief passed over his face. “I think my heart started to crack wide open that very first day on the ferry, and every day since then my feelings have increased by leaps and bounds. That big, beautiful heart of yours has taught me so much. Because of you my own has opened up so wide you could run a truck through it.”
“Enough with all the talking. Seal it with a k
iss,” Beulah barked.
Hank and Sage burst into laughter. “Who am I to go against the grand dame of Owl Creek?” Hank asked as he lowered his head and placed a resounding kiss on Sage’s lips. She reached up and placed her arms around Hank’s neck and held on for dear life. Happiness fluttered through her at the realization that against all odds everything had come together with her birth family, the terrible secret she’d been harboring, and now, reuniting with Hank was the sweetest of blessings.
Even though they could hear the cameras snapping and lights flashing, they continued to share the most tender kiss of all time. She was home in Hank’s loving embrace and it was the only place she wanted to be.
