Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

“A romantic evening with Pumpkin?” Marissa asked Danny as he slid back into his brand new 4Runner after stopping at Marissa’s to pick up her dog. His old SUV had been totaled, and thanks to insurance, he been able to get a new one with all the bells and whistles.

He glanced at her and laughed. “I said it was a surprise, not a romantic evening.”

“But there’s wine and a picnic basket in the back seat. What am I supposed to think?” she asked.

“That I have a surprise for you… and Pumpkin.” Danny smirked at her.

“You’re the worst.” She sat back in the seat, her arms crossed over her chest as she pretended to be annoyed. But when Pumpkin nudged her with her nose, Marissa relented and tugged the happy creature into her lap. “Just a couple of kisses and then into your car bed. Understand?”

Pumpkin licked Marissa’s face twice and then laid down in her lap.

Marissa chuckled to herself, knowing her dog would be quite content to ride right there, but Marissa wasn’t taking any chances. She took a moment to get Pumpkin settled in her car bed in the back seat, and once Marissa was back in her own seat and buckled up, she said, “Okay. I’m ready to be dazzled.”

“I’m just the man for the challenge,” he said and put the vehicle in gear.

Marissa stared out the window of the 4Runner at the scene in front of her, speechless. Hundreds of luminary bags were lit up on the otherwise empty property, shaped in what appeared to be the outline of a house.

“Danny?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Come on, love. I want to show you what I’ve been planning.” He slipped out of the 4Runner and hobbled around to her side of the vehicle. By the time he got there, Marissa had already freed Pumpkin from her travel bed and was waiting with her hand out.

He took it and kissed the back of her hand. “Someday soon, I’m going to be fast enough to be opening doors for you again.”

She chuckled. “I’m sure you will.”

Pumpkin stayed right at their feet, despite the fact that there wasn’t a fence or anything to keep her from exploring the area .

“You’re just as curious as I am, aren’t you, little girl?” Marissa said to her.

Pumpkin looked up and wagged her tail, giving her confirmation.

Danny took Marissa by the hand and led her over to the luminary lights. “You already know that I rent the barn apartment on the farm next door.”

She nodded. “Sure. This isn’t part of their land?”

He shook his head. “No. When I moved to Christmas Grove, my plan was to buy a place, but when I couldn’t find anything remotely suitable, I decided to buy land. A place to build my forever home.” He waved a hand at the acreage in front of them. “This is the land I chose.”

“You own this?” she asked, shocked. She’d had no idea that he’d put down roots that deep in Christmas Grove. She knew he owned his gallery and adjoining studio, but in a town like Christmas Grove, those could always be sold or rented out fairly easily if things didn’t work out.

“I do. The reason I rent the apartment next door is because I met the owner one day while I was contemplating where to put a fifth wheel while I built something, and he offered the apartment to me. It was an easy decision. And since then, I’ve been trying to decide what type of house to put here. Now it seems important that I ask you that same question.”

She let out a soft chuckle. “It’s not my house, Danny. Why would you ask me?”

He smiled down at her and said, “I’m hoping to change that.”

“What?” She blinked at him .

“This way.” He nudged her forward, and together they walked carefully toward the lighted display. When he stepped over the first row of lights, he picked up Pumpkin and gestured for Marissa to join him.

“What are we doing?” she asked with a nervous chuckle.

He set Pumpkin back down and took both her hands in his. “A few weeks ago, before all the stuff with Sophie and her sister started, I had a dream about this house. Right where we’re standing is where the swing was on the porch. We were sitting here in the early morning, enjoying the crisp air and view of the mountains. It was heaven. You and me together. Forever.”

“It sounds like heaven to me,” she said, her heart suddenly trying to beat right out of her chest.

“I wanted it to be one of my visions.” He gave her a wan smile. “I didn’t think that was possible, since we both know that I never dream my visions. They just come on out of nowhere. But there are two things that make me think that maybe, just maybe, this time my dream might become a reality.”

Her throat was dry when she forced out, “What two things?”

He glanced at Pumpkin. “This little one, who I hadn’t even met yet, came bouncing out of the house to sit with us. You called her Pumpkin in my dream.”

Marissa sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling awash in the love he had for her. Her head swam as emotions overwhelmed her, the emotions she hadn’t felt from him in over sixteen years. “And the second thing? ”

“You also called me Mr. Garland. At the time, I thought for sure it was just a weird dream thing, but then?—”

“You won Mr. Garland at the Christmas Tree Festival,” she finished for him as a laugh bubbled up from the depths of her soul.

He nodded. “Exactly. So here I am, hoping that the rest of my dream becomes a reality.”

“But I don’t understand. How did you see all that in your dream?” she asked. “Are your powers changing?”

“Maybe. But if they are, it’s because of you. I told you years ago that you bewitched me. I don’t think that’s ever changed.”

“You always did call me your little witch,” she said, pressing her hand to his cheek.

Using his cane, Danny very carefully lowered himself so that he was kneeling on one knee. Then he pulled the small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a large round diamond ring. “Marissa Cane, my little witch, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Only this time, no matter what comes our way, it’s forever.”

She stared down at him with tear-filled blurry eyes and then looked up at the lights all around them and the shadowy mountains in the distance. Her heart calmed, and when she met his gaze again, this time with clear eyes, she smiled softly and said, “Yes.”

Danny let out a long breath, labored to his feet, and then crushed her in a hug, holding on so tight she would have laughed if she was able. She nudged him gently, sucked in some air, and said, “Okay, show me our house. ”

He grinned. “It’s a farmhouse, just like we always used to talk about. You’re gonna love it.”