Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) (24 page)

Brooke cried fresh tears, and attempted to combat the
overwhelming sense of guilt and regret that she felt. “I can't bear the thought
of losing you again, either,” she whispered. “I couldn't survive it a second
time.” He touched a hand to her cheek, and she covered it with her own, turning
into it.

“I'm glad you gave the baby my name. That means something to
me,” he said.

“It couldn't have been any other way.” She meant it with all
her heart.

“When?” Logan wanted to know. “When was she born?”

“November, the twenty-third. She would be eight years old
this fall.” She blinked, and a single tear slid down her cheek. Logan brushed
it away with the pad of his thumb. “She died the same day.” Her voice was
barely a whisper. He touched his forehead to hers.

“It seems like all I've been doing lately is wiping girl
tears,” he said jokingly. “First Rissa, then your mom, now you. I don't think I
can take it anymore.” He smiled when she looked at him, puzzled.

“When I went to your parents' place to see you yesterday, I
ran into Rissa,” he explained. “She told me about the baby, Brooke. The whole
story. I needed to know, and Rissa didn't think you'd be able to talk about it,
not in detail. I hope you're not upset about that,” he finished.

She shook her head, the sadness in her eyes piercing his
heart. “It's okay. I'm glad she told you. At least now you know,” she said
softly. “Did you say that my mom cried all over you?” she wanted to know.

“A little, but I got through it. Barely.” She couldn't help
but laugh at the pained look on his face.

A big ball of fur came bounding out of the house on legs
that couldn't carry it fast enough, nearly knocking them down like bowling
pins.  Logan knelt down to greet Xena, who circled around him excitedly,
licking his chin. He laughed and rubbed her soft yellow fur.

“Look at you, getting to be such a big girl.” His reaction
to Xena melted Brooke's heart. She loved that he would make such a fuss over
her fur baby.
Their
fur baby, she corrected herself. “I was afraid she
would have forgotten me by now,” he said, smiling up at Brooke.

“Forget you? Impossible,” Brooke said. Xena padded over to a
cushy chair and jumped up, curling into a ball. She rested her head on her
front paws and with a loud sigh, closed her eyes. “She gives the expression
“It's a dog's life” a whole new meaning.” Brooke smiled and shook her head.

Logan drew her into his arms and held her, just held on.
When they finally broke apart, he leaned down and reached over to pluck a
flower from her garden. He held the lily in his hand and studied it. It was a
stargazer lily, its pink petals as soft as silk. It was their flower.

“Your favorite,” he said quietly. His eyes stayed locked on
hers as he carefully tucked it behind her ear. “There.” His words were
comforting, and Brooke was touched by his gesture. She smiled and closed her
eyes. It reminded her of one magical night so long ago..... Her thoughts
trailed off and her heart began to beat just a little bit faster.

“Brooke.” His voice was soft, as if he were soothing a
child. It was one single word. Her name. Even before she opened her eyes, she
knew. When her eyes fluttered open, Logan stood before her with a ring in his
hand, a beautiful ring, its diamonds catching the light and sending brilliant
little surges of sparkle everywhere. Her heart thudded as she stared at it. Her
eyes filled with unshed tears.

“It's been forever since I last laid eyes on this,” she
whispered. He bent down to kiss a tear away, and Brooke nearly came undone. “I
can't believe you still have it, after all these years.”

“Someone wise once told me that you hold onto the really
good things, because they only come around once in a lifetime, if you're
lucky.”

“Well then you must be one of the luckiest guys in the
world, because it's come around twice for you,” she said, teasingly.

He smiled then, and the joy reached his eyes. She loved
seeing it there again. He took her hand in his, linking their fingers. He loved
the way they fit. “Marry me, Brooke. I've waited my entire life for you. For
us. And I don't want to waste another minute of it.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I will absolutely marry you.” He
watched the emotions cross her face as he slid the ring onto her wedding
finger. It fit perfectly. Still. She held up her hand to admire it. “I love
you, Logan. I always have.”

“I know,” he replied.

When she raised a brow in question, he simply shrugged.
“You're a smart cookie. I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later.” She
laughed as he pulled her to him for a hug. She loved being held in his arms.
She'd gotten used to being there the past couple of months. She rested her head
on his shoulder. He was her rock, she mused, and he always had been. When she
fell silent, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Well, mostly about going back to Montana,” she responded.
“It will be nice living near my family again. Spending the past couple of
months there has made me realize just how much I've missed them.”

“What makes you think we're going to live in Montana?” Logan
asked.

Brooke's head shot up to look at him. “I just assumed we
would,”' she said. “Your family is there. Your home is there, your ranch. It
never occurred to me that you would consider leaving,” she said, slowly.

“You're my family, too, Brooke. You have a home here,
friends, a career. I know how much your position at the hospital means to you,
what your patients mean to you. I didn't think you would want to leave all of
that behind. And honestly, I would be willing to relocate to California if staying
here makes you happy.”

The love she felt for him at that moment overwhelmed her. It
was intense, powerful. She loved knowing that he understood her so well and
that he would make that kind of a sacrifice for her.

“That means so much to me, Logan. But I don't want you to. I
think it's time for me to come home. To go back to my roots. And to grow new
ones. I'm sure I can find a job in Angel Ridge, or at a nearby hospital. I
think it's time,” she said again. She smiled at him, and knew without a doubt that
it was the right thing for her. For them. For the future they were going to
share.

He nodded. It pleased him that she still felt so connected
to their childhood home. He'd felt that connection, too. “What about your
house, will you sell it?”

She didn't have to think about her response. “No, I'll keep
it. I love it too much to say goodbye to it. A part of my heart is here. This
can be our vacation home. When we want to get away and enjoy the sun and the
sand. The solitude.” She beamed at him, and he knew that he would give her
anything that was within his power to give.

“Promise me one thing,”  he said. His voice lost its
light-hearted tone of just moments before and he became serious.

“Anything,” she responded.

“Take me to our little girl's resting place.” He watched her
intently as she pulled back a little to look into his eyes. “Please, Brooke. I
need you to do that for me.”

She linked her fingers with his and squeezed gently. “I
would love to take you there. To be there with you. Together.” It was the
perfect answer, Logan thought, and he felt a sense of relief that he didn't
quite understand.

“Tomorrow,” he murmured. “Right now I'm going to take you
upstairs to your bed where I can make love to you until the break of dawn.” The
glint in his eye told her that he was totally serious, and since she was well
aware that the man had the stamina to sustain an all-night sex marathon, she
giggled.

“That sounds wonderful,” she breathed, “but why don't we
start with the beach.” She smiled when he raised an eyebrow. “We can add it to
our infamous list of places,” she said, and squealed when Logan scooped her up
and carried her down the steps toward the sandy white beach, where the gentle
waves, capped with white foam, hissed to the shore.  A million stars twinkled in
the night sky, and one, high and unwavering, shone like a beacon, brighter than
all the rest.

Since beginning this endeavor, I have been fortunate to meet
so many wonderful people along the way, and I thank you from the bottom of my
heart for supporting me and encouraging me. It would have been so much more
difficult to do this without you.

Thank you to my readers, Facebook followers, and everyone
who has shown an interest in my work. I write because I have to write, and I am
so happy that you have given me the opportunity to share this story with you. I
look forward to writing many more for you to enjoy!

I would also like to thank my Indie Gals, who have been
amazing, and who have offered endless support, advice, and much encouragement,
and who have taken time out of their own busy lives to assist me in every way
possible. You gals are awesome!

There are so many incredibly talented authors out there who
have inspired me in different ways, and I will be forever grateful to you for
writing beautiful stories that have touched my heart and characters that have
swept me away!

I would love to take this opportunity to recognize some very
special ladies in my life who have been a huge support system throughout the
years, and who always knew that I could do this, even when I didn't. My mother,
Ann, who passed on to me her intense love of reading. My sister, Rita, who
loves the written word as much as I do and who has helped me in so many ways
that it would take me forever to list them all. My (absolute favorite) cousin
Dawn, for having faith in me. And to one of my dearest friends, Olga, because
she is simply amazing. I love you ladies!!

And I would like to thank my friend, Kairee Budd (aka Kairee
Taylor), who I connected with right from the start. I really do believe we were
cut from the same cloth! Thank you for your encouragement and valuable advice.
I wish you every success on your own writing journey.

I especially want to thank two very special ladies, who are
the coolest Indie friends a girl could ask for. Amber Nation (and not because
I'm returning the favor LOL), but because you have been so sincere and so
supportive. I've enjoyed our long and enlightening conversations so much. And
Rachel Mizer, who I just clicked with from the beginning. You're a great
friend, and a truly talented writer. I've loved beta reading for you, and
laughing so hard sometimes that I nearly fell over. And, of course, chatting
with you endlessly, even in the middle of the night. Gotta love the three hour
time difference!

Much thanks to Rachel Mizer of Shoutlines Design AGAIN for
designing my absolutely beautiful book cover. You went above and beyond my
expectations and I truly love it! I can't wait to work with you on the next
one! You are so multi-talented it's ridiculous!

I really have to thank Tami Norman of Integrity Formatting
for the beautiful job formatting my manuscript. You're awesome....and a total
lifesaver! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A great big thanks to all of the bloggers who signed up to
participate in the cover reveal, book release blitz, and blog tour for Second
Chance at Love. You ladies play a big part in making it possible for we authors
to do what we love to do! Thank you so much for all that you do for us each and
every day!

And finally, I especially want to thank Ena Burnette of
Enticing Journey Book Promotions, who hosted it all. You are so amazing, and
you don't miss a beat. Thank you so much for all of your patience, hard work
and dedication. I appreciate it more than you know!

Tara Paradise is a wife,
mother, lifelong reader, and author of Contemporary Romance fiction. She lives
in beautiful Upstate New York in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, on
Great Sacandaga Lake.

Tara has been reading romance
novels since she first picked up one of her mother's paperbacks at the age of
16, and writing since she could first hold a pencil. She has always had a vivid
imagination and loves creating characters and stories that readers can fall in
love with.

Second Chance at Love
is her debut novel.  It is Book One of The MacKenna
Born & Bred Trilogy and is the stormy, sexy and sweet story of Logan and
Brooke.  Book Two of the trilogy is titled
Forever In My Dreams
, and
tells the wonderful story of Karissa and Seth. Book Three,
With Every Last
Breath
, is the final and exciting story of Ashley and Chase.

Read on for an Excerpt from
Forever
In My Dreams
, Book Two of the MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy ...