Chapter 10 - THE KING AND THE NORTH COUNTRY
Six months later, summer had arrived in the North Country.
Black Spruce Lake was no longer a trap of black ice; it was a broad, shimmering mirror of deep blue water, reflecting the lush green spruce trees and the clear, cloudless sky above. Wild iris and white trillium flowers bloomed along the shoreline where the reeds grew thick and high.
On the high ridge overlooking the lake stood the new Halstead-Falco home.
It was a magnificent two-story timber lodge built of local white pine and river granite. A broad, covered porch wrapped around three sides of the house, furnished with hand-carved rocking chairs and hanging baskets of red geraniums.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a long, golden light across the green lawn.
On the grass, two massive, handsome hunting hounds—the brindle girl, named Spruce, and the black-and-tan boy, named Lake—were chasing a tennis ball, their deep, joyful barks echoing across the quiet water.
On the porch, Ramona sat in a wide oak rocking chair. She was wearing a soft yellow summer dress that showcased her lush, gorgeous curves, her dark hair pinned up loosely, her skin glowing in the warm evening light.
Sitting right beside her, his long legs stretched out, was Luca. He was wearing a simple linen shirt and dark trousers, his left shoulder completely healed, his arm wrapped comfortably around Ramona’s shoulders.
In his right hand, Luca held a cold glass of sweet iced tea. In her hand, Ramona held a small, framed photograph—a picture taken that very morning by a local photographer in Frost Valley, showing the two of them standing before their new home, holding the two massive dogs, smiling bright and free.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Falco?" Luca asked softly, turning his head to kiss her temple.
"I was thinking about the black ice," Ramona said, resting her head against his shoulder, watching the golden light dance on the lake. "I was thinking about how close I came to staying in my warm kitchen that afternoon... how close I came to letting the lake take you."
Luca tightened his arm around her, resting his chin on her hair.
"The lake didn't take me because you were out there, Ramona," Luca murmured, his voice deep, warm, and filled with absolute peace. "You saved my life. You saved my soul. And you gave me a home."
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Ramona turned her face up to his, meeting his lips in a gentle, sweet kiss as the stars began to flicker one by one in the deep indigo sky above the North Country.
The black ice was gone. The war was over. And here, in the quiet mountains they called home, their new life had just begun.
