Wildly, Boldly (Return to Culloden Moor #4)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

#AlaskaLife #GhostHunting #NightSky #QuietMoments

T he lodge’s deck chairs weren’t made for comfort, but Sophie didn’t mind. Stars glittered overhead like diamonds scattered on black velvet, and the night air carried the crisp scent of approaching autumn. Beside her, Wyatt seemed equally content to sit in comfortable silence.

“So,” she said finally, “about that ghost you definitely didn’t see...”

“Don’t start.” But she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m just saying, for someone who doesn’t believe in ghosts, you sure knew a lot of details about that woman in the old-fashioned dress.”

“Professional observation skills.”

“Uh-huh.” She turned to look at him, catching the way starlight softened his usually stern features. “And what do your professional observation skills tell you about tonight?”

He was quiet for a moment, considering. “That you’re different than I expected.”

“Good different or bad different?”

“Just...different.” He shifted in his chair to face her. “Most people who come here, they’re just passing through. Looking for stories to tell when they get home. But you...”

“I what?”

“You actually see this place. Really see it.”

Something in his tone made her pulse quicken. “It’s hard not to. Everything here feels...I don’t know. More real somehow.”

“More real than chasing ghosts on social media?”

“Hey, those ghosts pay my bills.” But there wasn’t any heat in it. “Though lately I’ve been wondering if maybe I’ve been chasing the wrong things.”

“What do you mean?”

Sophie looked up at the stars, gathering her courage. “I always thought home was something you had to be born to. Some magical place where you automatically belonged. But being here...” She gestured at the mountains, dark shapes against the starlit sky. “I’m starting to think maybe home is something you find. Something you choose.”

When she dared to look at him again, his expression made her breath catch.

“And what would your followers think about that?” he asked softly. “Their favorite ghost hunter settling down in Alaska?”

“They’d probably love it. Think of the content—’City Girl Goes Wild: An Alaskan Adventure.’“ She tried to make it sound light, but her voice wavered. “Though I’m more worried about what certain Alaskans would think.”

“About?”

“About someone like me trying to belong here.” She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve. “I mean, I can barely walk up a hill without getting winded. I still scream when I see moose. I think every creaky floorboard is a ghost...”

“Sophie.” Something in his voice made her look up. “You belong here more than half the people who were born here.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” He leaned forward, his expression intent. “You love this place. Really love it, not just the idea of it. You see the beauty in everything—even the parts that aren’t beautiful. Even the parts that don’t make sense.”

“Even the grumpy rangers?”

“Especially the grumpy rangers.”

She wasn’t sure who moved first. One moment they were looking at each other, the next his hand was cupping her cheek and she was leaning into his touch and then...

Oh.

His lips were warm despite the cool night air, the kiss soft and questioning. Sophie’s heart thundered in her chest as she kissed him back, trying to pour everything she couldn’t say into that one moment of contact.

When they broke apart, Wyatt rested his forehead against hers. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re leaving in two weeks.”

“Maybe I’m not.” The words surprised her even as she said them. “Maybe I’m tired of always leaving.”

He pulled back slightly to look at her. “Sophie...”

“I know it’s crazy. I know I barely know this place, barely know you. But...” She took a shaky breath. “But for the first time in my life, leaving feels wrong.”

Wyatt was quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles on her palm. Finally, he said, “I’m not good at change.”

“I noticed.”

“And I can’t promise...”

“I’m not asking for promises.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m just asking for a chance. To figure out if this—if we—could be something real.”

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and Sophie felt exposed in a way that had nothing to do with ghosts or supernatural forces. This was scarier than any haunted building, more thrilling than any paranormal encounter.

This was real.

“Okay,” he said softly.

“Okay?”

Instead of answering, he kissed her again. This time there was nothing hesitant about it. Sophie melted into him, feeling the last pieces of her heart click into place like a lock finally finding its key.

When they broke apart, breathless, a streak of green light painted the sky above them.

“Look,” Sophie whispered. “The aurora...”

They watched as more lights joined the first, dancing across the stars in ribbons of green and purple. Wyatt’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close against the night’s chill.

“Still think they’re just atmospheric phenomena?” she asked.

“Maybe.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.”

Sophie smiled, settling into his embrace as the lights painted the world in magic. Maybe Greta was right—some mysteries weren’t meant to be solved.

Some were just meant to be lived.