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It was a perfect night for a toboggan ride, Declan thought. A crisp chill permeated the air. A full moon hung in the sky. There was ample snow on the ground to make the toboggans glide like lightning down the hill. A few delicate snowflakes gently fell from the heavens. As he looked out over Deer Run Lake, he inhaled deeply. The fresh Alaskan air felt invigorating. The frozen-solid lake appeared as smooth as glass. He let out a chuckle as he flashed back to all the memorable times he’d spent in this very place with Finn and the Prescott brothers.

Declan was floating on air. A few hours ago, he had received a phone call from the FAA informing him that the accident had occurred due to a bird strike. In his specific case, birds had been sucked into an engine, striking an engine fan blade. As a result, Lucy had gone down.

He felt vindicated! Even though no one had blamed him for the plane crash, he’d placed the responsibility on his own shoulders as the pilot. Now, for the first time in weeks, he could rid himself of the albatross he’d been carrying around his neck.

A bird strike! Of all the things to force him to make a crash landing. He could hardly believe it. He hadn’t seen any birds that morning when they’d left Anchorage, although there had been a light fog in the area. Perhaps that explained why he hadn’t noticed any flying near the plane.

It was neither here nor there. He was celebrating his good news and feeling hopeful that this nightmare was coming to an end.

All he wanted to do was find Annie and grab her by the hand so he could tell her the good news. It was a pretty novel feeling for him—this desire to share life-changing news with a woman. He’d never had that relationship with anyone before. Declan hadn’t wanted that type of closeness. If he was being honest with himself, he’d resisted it at every turn. And of all the women to inspire this feeling inside him, Annie was the one woman who wanted the thing

s he couldn’t provide.

The smell of apple cider hovered in the air. He could almost taste it going down his throat, warm and spicy. Declan found himself wishing he had hustled up a date for this evening. Everywhere he looked, couples were huddled together or standing in line at the concession stand, holding hands. Almost as if he had made her appear by thinking about her, Annie came into view. She was standing by the concession stand, too, her pretty face framed by a dark pair of earmuffs. As soon as she spotted him, Annie waved at him enthusiastically.

He wasn’t the jealous type, but the sight of Dwight with Annie by his side threatened to drive him crazy. His insides twisted painfully. Not that he had any claim on her or anything! But seeing her with Dwight, of all people, was grating on his nerves. Dwight! He was the most humorless, negative person on the planet, while Annie was cheery and good-hearted.

This feeling brewing inside him felt like torture.

Humph! It served him right. He should have been quicker about asking her to the event himself, even though he had no intention of dating Annie. But they could have gone as friends. Surely there was no harm in that.

Who was he kidding? What he felt for Annie wasn’t strictly friendship. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, and his feelings were becoming more complicated each and every day. All he knew was that it scared him all the way down to his toes.

“Hey, Declan,” Cameron called out, motioning him over to the roasting fire. He was sitting with his beautiful wife, Paige, and their baby daughter, Emma, roasting marshmallows. Declan moved toward them, thankful for a distraction from the sight of Annie coupled up with Dwight. There was only so much of it he could stand before he exploded.

“How are you?” Paige asked, standing up to give him a hug. “I haven’t seen you since the accident. It goes without saying that we were mighty happy to know you made it through the ordeal unscathed.”

All of a sudden, Boone’s voice intruded on the conversation, and he felt a strong pat on his back. “It would take more than a plane crash to take this guy down,” Boone drawled. “He’s as solid as they come.”

“You got that right,” Declan said, enjoying being in the bosom of the Prescott family. “Where’s your better half?” Declan teased, looking past Boone for any signs of Grace.

“Gracie sends her regards,” Boone said, his expression downcast. “She’s beat. This little one is really wearing her mother out. Between exhaustion and battling morning sickness, Gracie is having a tough time of it.” Boone’s expression exuded concern.

“Poor thing. I know it’s tough, but she’ll be all right. She doesn’t have too much longer to go,” Paige said. “Trust me. It’ll all be worth it in the end.” She sat back down and pressed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead. Cameron gazed at his family, his face practically glowing with contentment. Declan was happy for him. He and Paige had gone through the fire before emerging stronger and more committed to one another than ever.

Emma stood up and pointed to a spot in the distance. “Dan. Dan.” She was jumping up and down with excitement. Within seconds her cousin Aidan came into view, accompanied by Liam and Honor, youngest of the Prescott children and sister of Boone, Liam and Cameron.

“She can’t say Aidan yet,” Cameron explained with a chuckle. “She’s been calling him Dan for weeks.”

Everyone laughed and enjoyed the sight of Aidan greeting his baby cousin with a sweet hug and a kiss on the cheek. The two children represented the future of the Prescott clan.

“Seems like we have another charmer in our midst,” Honor joked. “He’s going to give Declan a run for his money.”

Declan chuckled along with everyone else, but he felt a niggling sensation at the idea of being viewed as a ladies’ man. More and more he was pushing against the very idea of it. He wasn’t sure it was who he wanted to be. Frankly it was getting old.

And the truth of it was, the only woman he wanted to spend time with was Annie. Sweet, beautiful Annie. She was intelligent and caring and interesting beyond belief. He could talk to her for hours without being bored. And if he had to be stranded alone with anyone on a desert island, he’d pick her.

“Now, this is a sight for sore eyes!” a raspy voice rang out. Jasper, bundled up in a fur-trimmed parka, walked up with Hazel at his side. Declan couldn’t help but smile at the rapturous look on Hazel’s face. She really did love the old coot. He hoped Jasper appreciated Hazel’s devotion. “I love seeing this family as one big, tight unit.” He swung his gaze around the circle. “We’ve weathered some rough times, but from this point forward it’s smooth sailing.”

Declan knew with a deep certainty that Jasper was referencing his own health issues, the loss of Liam’s beloved wife, Ruby, and the town of Love’s recession. Not to mention Boone’s estrangement with his sister, Honor, and Cameron having missed the first fourteen months of his daughter’s life. The Prescott family had been through the ringer over the past few years.

“Amen!” Hazel said in a loud voice. She raised her hand in the air. “Let the blessings continue for this family.”

His family. Declan cast a glance around at all the people who couldn’t have been more dear to him if they had been blood relations. His mind suddenly veered toward Finn. At some point, he needed to patch things up with his brother. Although things always tended to be hit or miss with them, he loved Finn. Life was too short not to bridge the gap between them.

“Who wants to ice-skate?” Declan asked, holding his skates up in the air.

Boone let out a groan while Aidan started hollering with excitement. Liam sent Declan a helpless look. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was bothering Liam. He’d seen this all play out before during the last skating party.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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