"Will you give Hudson another chance?" Elizabeth said, interrupting her thoughts.
Melody's heart raced. "I was wondering whether he'd be willing to give me another chance. After all, I was the one who ended the relationship."
"There's a second chance for both of you. I want my little brother to be happy, and your presence in his life will do that."
"I hope you're right." Melody wondered how she could make amends with Hudson. Would he believe she was willing to accept him and everything he liked to do? She was determined to turn her worries over to God, even the fear of losing Hudson forever. She'd put her future in God's hands.
* * *
The warm day and the cloudless sky beckoned even the most timid skydiver, and that skydiver was Melody. This was the final frontier for conquering her fears. Her stomach roiled and her heart raced as she thought about jumping out of a plane at fourteen thousand feet. But she would do this to show Hudson once and for all that she loved him and could accept whatever he wanted to do in life.
The day after Melody's talk with Elizabeth, she had called and made the appointment for a tandem jump and requested Hudson as her instructor. When she walked into the skydiving center, folks of every age were getting ready. There was an older woman who was celebrating her sixty-fifth birthday, an eighteen-year-old girl out for a thrill and a middle-aged couple and their two adult children on vacation. If they could do it, so could she. She took a deep breath as she put on her red jumpsuit.
As she finished zipping it up, Hudson walked into the room with his pack. When he saw her, his eyes widened. "Why-"
"Why am I here?"
"Yeah."
"I'm doing a tandem jump with you."
He shook his head. "Why?"
Melody laughed. "Is that all you can say?"
"I can't believe you're here, and that you intend to skydive, and you still haven't told me why."
"I don't want your love of skydiving or anything else to stand between us." Melody stared up at him. "I'm sorry my fears got in the way of our love. I love you."
"Those are the best three words I've heard in weeks. But this?" Hudson held out a hand. "You don't have to prove anything to me. Your love is enough."
"But I have to prove it to myself. I've been living with fear, and I can't continue that way."
"Lots of brave people haven't jumped out of planes."
Melody smiled to stifle her nerves. "I know, but let me do this."
"Okay. I promise you'll be in great hands."
Melody stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I know."
Saying a multitude of silent prayers, Melody listened to Hudson's instructions and explanation about what to expect. She absorbed the mental checklist. She prayed that her mind wouldn't blank and forget everything. She followed Hudson to the plane, a videographer recording this momentous occasion. As the plane took off and ascended, nervous laughter and joking filled the area. Hudson sat behind her, adjusting the harness that hooked them together. His talk was encouraging, and she loved the image of them tethered together on this adventure and in life.
When their turn came, he whispered in her ear. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but you can trust me to make this one of the best experiences of your life."
Trust. That one word spelled out the reason for this adventure. Melody took a deep breath, her stomach churning and her heart racing faster than the propellers on the plane. "I'm ready. Let's do this."
"Okay, brave girl, here we go."
They stood in the open door of the plane, and the next second they were falling through the air. She had done it. They had done it. They twirled and floated. It was like nothing she'd anticipated. The view was fantastic, but her heart, nerves and stomach were on overload. The jump was frightening and fabulous all at the same time. Her stomach had that elevator moment when the regular chute opened. Then Hudson instructed her on how to maneuver it. As they came closer to the ground, he took over and brought them in for a perfect landing.
Hudson was all smiles as he unhooked them and gathered in the chute. "What'd you think?"
Her legs shook as she managed a smile. "That was amazing. It's also the scariest thing I've ever done, and I don't ever want to do it again."
Laughing, Hudson held her close. "You're the amazing one. I can't believe you did that for me."
"Does this mean everything's good with us?"
"Better than good." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
A smattering of applause brought them out of their world for two. Hudson glanced at the people surrounding them. "Folks, I don't normally kiss my tandem partners, but this little lady and I have some future plans to discuss."
Arm in arm, they walked back to the building. Melody felt as if she was still falling through the air. She'd met her fears head-on. She had to remember that God was with her no matter what life brought her. Right now having Hudson in her life was better than she'd ever hoped for. She looked up at him. "So what about those future plans?"
"Are you willing to jump into this thing called love and see where it takes us?"
"Yes. I love you. If you race or skydive, I want to be there."
"I love you, too, and with you by my side, life will be better than ever." Hudson kissed her again.
"I'm ready for this big adventure with you." Standing in the circle of Hudson's arms, Melody gazed up at him, prepared to trust her heart to this man she loved.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from HER SMALL-TOWN ROMANCE by Jill Kemerer.
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Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for choosing to read Falling for the Millionaire, the third book in my Village of Hope series. I hope you enjoyed Melody's story. The Village of Hope is all about second chances. Melody and Hudson get their second chances at love, and she learns a special lesson about trusting God. It is important to remember that God's perfect love can take away our fears if we only trust Him.
I enjoy hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website, merrilleewhren.com, or through my Facebook page, facebook.com/MerrilleeWhren.Author. You can also write to me through the Harlequin Reader Service, PO Box 9049, Buffalo, NY 14269-9049.
May God bless you,
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Her Small-Town Romance
by Jill Kemerer
Chapter One
Bryan Sheffield scanned the parking lot as he paced under the pavilion at Evergreen Park. His students, most likely retirees and a few college kids, should be arriving any minute. He had no idea how many people would show up for the free outdoor course. Ideally, ten or twelve. If teaching this class every Saturday morning helped him land an interview at Blue Mountain Retreat, he'd gladly instruct fifty people.
A swish of wind overhead set new green leaves in motion, and sunshine spilled through the branches to the ground. Michigan's Lake Endwell in mid-April brought hungry squirrels dashing across the soggy grass. Robins flitted here and there. The park throbbed with pent-up energy after a long winter. Bryan could relate.
His watch said 7:55. Had the Parks and Recreation Department listed the wrong date on the website or something?
One tiny woman with long brown hair clutched her hands together as she weaved across the pavement. She appeared to be praying or chanting or...something. Odd. Maybe she was taking one of those prayer walks or whatever it was Aunt Sally mentioned some of the church ladies started doing recently.
He stopped pacing. What if no one showed up?
People would come. They had to.
He couldn't spend the rest of his life surrounded by his happily married siblings, not when he would never have a wife and family of his own. He loved Lake Endwell, but his heart couldn't take it anymore. He needed the change Ontario, Canada, offered.