A Second Chance at Love: A Hometown Hero Series Novel Read Online Free Page B

entire basin, and in the middle, there was a fountain made from mosaic tiles and copper.
    “You can go.”
    She didn’t turn around. Her father was a stubborn ass of a man, but she knew she needed to wait until he’d finished his tea. With only the sound of the porcelain clattering against the saucer, and his heavy, laboured breathing, Madeline stared out at the immaculate grounds and let herself be pulled inexorably back through the thick wool of time.
    This spot, in this library, was where she’d stood when Kenneth had shown her how impossible it was for her to pursue a future with Harrison Samson.
    CHAPTER THREE
    Eight years earlier.
    Madeline’s heart turned over in her chest. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you, Harrison!”
    A smile spread across his handsome face, and his eyes seemed to flash with complete pleasure. “I know it’s not much,” he said apologetically, as he slid the dainty ring onto her finger. “When my position becomes official, and I get promoted, we can upgrade it.”
    Tears sparkled in her eyes as she looked down at the star shaped ring. True, it was modest, but it was beautiful too. “I love it. I don’t want an upgrade. It’s the ring I would have chosen, if I’d had a choice.”
    He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the bench, high in the air. “I love you, Madeline May Bartlett!” He shouted, scaring a flock of gulls into flight.
    “I love you too,” she smiled back, putting her hands on either side of his face and kissing him soundly, as he slowly slid her feet to the ground. “I just can’t believe this.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. “I had no idea you were even planning this.”
    His eyes showed his scepticism. “I’ve been planning this since the first moment I met you.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “You are my everything, Maddie.”
    Her heart turned over. She’d never been anyone’s anything. The love Harrison gave her was completely rare, utterly valuable, and the most magnificent feeling in the world. “But you’re in Whitegate and I’m in Boston.”
    He nodded. “We’ll work out the details later. I have to be here at least another year, then I should be able to transfer to a different squad. I don’t care where I work, honey. One good thing about being a cop is that we’re needed just about everywhere.”
    She pressed her forehead against his chest. His heart was beating firm and fast. This man was everything good in this earth, and he was all hers. Forever.
    “Same with lawyers,” she grinned.
    “See? Details don’t matter. Maddie, I’d go anywhere with you. Just so long as you become my wife.”
    Her eyes sparked with tears and she blinked to clear them. She was too happy to cry, even tears of joy. “Then why wait?”
    “Huh?”
    “I mean, I know I have to finish school, and you have to finish your training, but let’s just… get married.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I think I could put together a pretty decent wedding in a week.”
    He stared at her with a bemused expression. “But… will your folks go for it? I mean, baby, I’m hardly their favourite person anyways. Why not give them a chance to warm up to the idea?”
    Her spine stiffened. “You didn’t propose to my parents. And it doesn’t matter to me what they think of you. I love you. I know you’re the best person that’s ever lived. I want to marry you. And I don’t see any point in putting that off just so we can tick all the boxes and have some boring, expensive, showy ceremony.”
    He laughed, wrapping his beautiful Madeline tighter in his arms. “Okay. On one condition. Let’s go talk to your parents and at least get their approval.”
    She tried not to react, but she didn’t think that idea had any merit. “I’ll talk to them.”
    His eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m not going to shirk my responsibilities, Maddie. If I’d thought your dad would say yes, I would have spoken to him before asking you. Now that I