When is a heart too broken to fix?
Just days before his wedding, handsome, successful entrepreneur, Trace Michaels, finds out his love wasn’t enough. With a broken heart, Trace lands in Maui, hoping to find solace in the beautiful island.
What he finds is beauty, but in the form of an alluring, grieving woman. One he feels an instant and inescapable attraction to.
Young widow, Lindy Bernard, had her heart broken when her husband died. In Maui to reluctantly close a chapter in her life, she suddenly finds herself in the arms of a drop-dead, gorgeous Adonis. After his relentless pursuit, Lindy and Trace begin to find healing...only to have that endangered by a secret threatening to tear them apart.
All is not what it seems in Trace’s company, and it seems one woman has set out to ruin him. Can he juggle the odious plots against him while chasing the woman of his heart? Will she wait or are some hearts too broken to be fixed?
Deciding
to get some fresh air, I headed toward the path along the ocean. The pain in my
head had subsided and the ocean gave me an escape from the craziness I was
going through. I wasn’t sure if it was the hypnotic motion of the waves or the
calming sound they made crashing against the rocks. Maybe it was something
else, but the ocean had a way of clearing my head.
I
couldn’t help but notice a beautiful woman with long, golden hair sitting on
the rocks, gazing into the horizon. On a rock next to her sat an urn. My heart
sank in my chest. She was so young and I wondered who she’d lost. Suddenly, I didn’t
feel so bad about my own life. Someone she loved was gone forever and she was
here alone to say goodbye. Her trembling lip told me how sad and broken she
must feel. I couldn’t imagine doing something like this alone. Didn’t she have
any family? Or friends?
The
need to hear what she was saying drew me to her, so I edged closer, but she
didn’t see me in her peripheral vision. At least she didn’t look over in my
direction. Why would she? She was lost in her own thoughts…grief. Tears
streamed down her angelic face. I wanted to wipe them away and comfort her, but
I kept myself at bay.
“How
do I say goodbye to you, Dane? You’re the only one who has loved me, taken care
of me, protected me. When you died, part of me died too. Part of my soul went
with you and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. I love you so much and I
always will.”
Her
words were gut-wrenching and I assumed she was talking about a man she had been
in love with. I wanted a woman to love me like that. I thought I had found it
with Angelina, but she’d never seemed as sincere as this woman before me. An
overwhelming force took over and my heart began racing. I wanted to sit next to
her, wrap my arms around her, and tell her everything was going to be okay. She
wasn’t alone.
Her
shoulders slightly shook as more tears raced down her cheeks. She continued
pouring her heart out. “This just isn’t fair. You were too young to die. We had
so much life to live together. So many things to do. Some days, I don’t know
how I live without you. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” Then she bowed her
head. I found myself bowing so I could pray silently for her.
“Dear
Heavenly Father. Thank you so much for the gift of my husband Dane. You brought
him into my life at just the right moment and used him to bless me more than I
ever thought possible. I’m grateful that You love me so much to have given me
such an amazing man. I commit Dane to You, knowing he is with You in Heaven.
Please help me to move on in my life and have a life that You deem worthy. I
love you, Lord, and want to honor You all the days of my life. Amen.”
Listening
to her words made me choke up. I’d gone to church with my family when I was a
kid. But now I basically went at Christmas and Easter for my mom. Her prayer
was so heartfelt, so honest. Was this beauty for real? Not only did she look
like an angel, she had a genuine heart filled with love. She was a rare find.
Other than my mom and sisters, I couldn’t remember ever knowing someone like
her, a woman with such great faith.
She
stood up with the urn in her trembling hands, removed the cover, moved to the
edge of the rocks, and began tossing her husband’s ashes into the ocean. The
wind had picked up and I could see her struggling with the metal container. Her
next movement was about to become her undoing as her foot slipped and I began
watching in slow motion as her body was falling. Reacting quickly, I rushed to
her, grabbing her hand, causing the urn to fall into the ocean. Instantly, she
was in my arms, as I pulled her into my body to help ground her feet. Her
crystal blue eyes met mine and we just took each other in for a moment.
I
couldn’t break away from the gaze of her eyes and I wanted nothing more than to
crush my mouth to hers, kissing her like she deserved. A long, slow, wet kiss
that would make her melt into me. Her juicy lips were beckoning me to them.
Knowing that acting on impulse would probably get me slapped, I opted to use my
mouth for talking instead.
“Are
you okay?”
“I
think so. How did you catch me? I thought I was falling in for sure.”
“I
was nearby and saw you lose your footing. I guess I have fast reflexes.”
She
looked around at the rocks below and the ocean lapping at them. “It’s gone,”
she said, her voice cracking.
“I’m
sorry,” I said. “I couldn’t grab both you and the urn.”
Looking
back up at me she said, “Maybe it’s all for the best. Obviously, I wasn’t meant
to keep it.” I could see the sadness well up in her baby blues.
I
tucked some strands of hair behind her ear. “You’re really brave. Letting go is
very hard to do.”
She
smiled slightly and tilted her head. Searching my eyes, she just kept staring
at me. Lost. She was lost and I wanted to save her.
“Thank
you for catching me,” she said, her eyes still piercing mine. I couldn’t stop
looking at her beautiful face.
“I’m
just glad I got to you in time. The water is looking pretty rough right now.”
My
arms were still around her and then it dawned on me that her arms were around
my body too. Keeping her in my arms was all I wanted to do. This felt
right…natural. How was this possible?
“Looks
like you saved me. How am I ever going to repay you?”
“Have
dinner with me tonight and we’ll consider it payment in full.”
She
looked down for a brief moment, clearly contemplating my invitation. Maybe I
was being too forward, but I didn’t care. How else was I going to see her
again?
“Okay,”
she said hesitantly. “My name is Lindy Bernard, by the way.”
“I’m
Trace. Trace Michaels. I’ll make reservations for us at The Sea House.”
“Sounds
perfect. How about seven?”
“Seven
works.”
“Okay,
well, I’ll see you then. Thanks again for catching me,” she said letting go of
my arms.
Feeling
the heat of her body leaving mine, I instantly wanted her close to me again.
Sadly, I had to let go of her now. “Glad I could be of service. I’ll be waiting
for you at seven.”
We each smiled and Lindy began making her way
back to the path. I watched her walk away and said my own prayer to God that
she would show up at the restaurant. It surprised me how much I wanted her to
show. My heart was still hurt about losing my fiancée, but strangely, Lindy’s
gentleness felt like…a balm. I needed her to have dinner with me. Her absence
had already gripped my heart and I didn’t want to wait hours to see her again.
But I had no choice.
I have always had a passion for reading my entire life. I love it so that I dedicated my life to educating children. As a teacher, I have had the profound pleasure of teaching children to read and explore their imaginations through a good book. Just recently I decided to write a story that had been on my mind. Now I have several that I want to turn into additional books. Writing has become a passion that I dearly love.
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