Chapter 33 #2
“Well, I will for a while, until Abby can be discharged and move with me. But I interrupted my schooling when I moved here. I’m not a gift shop manager. I’m a chemist, and I belong in Winnipeg, finishing my PhD.”
Emily nodded slowly, as if considering what she’d said carefully.
She dabbed at the damp spots on the bedspread and her slacks.
“You know, I’ve always believed that the best scientists are the ones who find a way to think outside the box.
In life, and many times in science, there is more than one solution to a problem. ”
Jules wrinkled her nose and chewed her bottom lip. “You think there’s an outside-the-box solution I’ve missed?”
Emily raised her eyebrows and gave her a gentle smile that reminded Jules of Cal’s.
“I’ll give you a hint. The University of North Dakota in Red Grove has a very good science department from what I hear.
” She handed Jules back her drink and patted her on the knee before she stood.
“Just something to think about. I’d hate for you and Cal to throw away love without considering all the options. Hmm?”
Jules couldn’t speak. The muscles in her throat had contracted so hard she could barely breathe, much less answer the older woman. She nodded, though, and blinked as she felt tears slide through her eyelashes.
She walked to stare out the window at the greens and browns of the vast tundra beyond the Colton property. Stay in Red Grove?
She shifted her attention to the manicured flower bed and landscaped lawn where the family had gathered for the Fourth of July.
I’m guessing falling in love with my son wasn’t part of your plan.
Oh, heaven help her. She loved Cal. But love had never been an emotion she could count on. She’d tried to love her parents, but they’d let her down in so many ways. Emotions were too unreliable, too unpredictable…especially love. So how could she love Cal? Loving Cal was…risky. Scary.
A squeak-like mew pulled her from her deliberations, and she looked down to find Joy rubbing against her leg.
The kitten looked up at her with innocent green eyes, and she marveled at how the wild kitten had made a turnaround in just a few days.
Because she felt safe now. She wasn’t frightened anymore. She trusted Jules…
A new sensation stirred in her belly now. Something in her chest cracked and swelled, filling her to bursting.
Cal was more than an achingly handsome man. More than a cheerful antagonist to her sarcasm and a mood booster when she was discouraged. More than a trustworthy lawman. He was…so much more. His honor and integrity were bone deep. His care and concern were genuine.
He was a man she could feel safe with, trust with her future. Someone she could allow herself to love.
Jules stooped to pat the kitten and whispered, “I get it now. Thank you, Joy.” She lifted the cat for a quick kiss on her furry head, then put her down on the bed. “You stay here. I need to go find Cal.”
Cal looked up from his phone where he was texting with Matti, checking on her and young Sam.
Jules stood at the door to the family room, her face blotched with red as if she’d been crying again, and her expression as shaken and uncertain as he’d ever seen her.
His pulse tripped seeing her this way. Jules was not a timid person.
She was brash and bold and confident. What had happened?
“Jules? What’s wrong?” He put his phone down on the end table, and as he started to stand, she rushed to him and sat in his lap, hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder and drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
Cal would have sworn his heart stopped. “About what?”
“Pushing you away. I never meant to hurt you.” She lifted her head then and met his eyes. “I do trust you. Maybe I didn’t at first, but everything you’ve shown me over the past weeks has proven to me that I can trust you.”
He stroked a hand along her cheek and tucked damp hair behind her ear. Her admission did little to quell the uneasy feeling in his gut. He nodded, though, and said, “That’s good. I’m glad.”
“So… I was thinking about why it was so hard to trust you… Before…”
“Well, your frequent disappointments with other law enforce—”
“No. I mean, that was part of it. Yes. But I mean trusting you. Trusting my feelings for you.”
His muscles tensed, and she put a hand on each of his cheeks. “Love had never been a safe place for me before. Besides Abby, of course. But…my parents didn’t… I was scared to be—”
“Love?” he blurted, and she stilled.
After a few beats, she exhaled and said, “I love you, Cal Colton. And it’s still kinda scary for me. But I do trust you. I do feel safe with you, so I want…”
He waited, holding his breath for her to finish the thought.
“I want to think outside the box for another solution. I want to stay in Red Grove with you. I want a future with you and also a chance to be a chemist. To finish my research and earn my PhD.”
Her green eyes were wide and expectant as she held his gaze. “Maybe I can do that at UND here in Red Grove?”
He couldn’t contain the smile that rose from deep inside him. “I hear good things about their science department.”
“That’s what your mom said.”
He jerked his chin back. “My mom?”
Jules lifted a corner of her mouth. “Yeah. I’ve never had the kind of mother I could have a heart-to-heart with like that. It was…really nice.”
“So then, you’re staying?”
“If you’ll have me.”
He laughed. “You have to ask? Jules, I will have you today, tomorrow and forever. I love you.”
Her hesitant expression melted away, replaced by a smile that reflected pure joy. “Good. Because I love you, too. So…you’re stuck with me.”