For the Love of Ivy - Cindy Kirk Page 0,55

the same for you.” His thumb began to caress the center of her palm and forming a coherent thought became increasingly difficult.

“No, you don’t understand. I want you to find a way to make your dreams of becoming a veterinarian come true,” Lauren explained. “Promise me you’ll see if there’s any way you can finish the program.”

The fact that Seth’s fingers remained twined with hers and he didn’t pull away gave her courage to continue.

“You have so much talent, so much compassion, so much love...for animals.” Her tongue stumbled for a second. “I don’t want to see you waste it.”

Thankfully he didn’t appear to take offense. Instead his brows pulled together and a thoughtful look crossed his face.

“I’ve thought about going back many times over the past three years,” Seth admitted. He shifted his position so he faced her. “I’ll look at the logistics again if you promise you’ll do the same.”

“Look at becoming a veterinarian?”

Seth laughed and the sun broke through the clouds. “No, I want you to look at what makes you happy. Maybe it’s teaching. Maybe it’s research. Maybe it’s counseling. Before you embark on a new career, make sure you’re following your passion, or as Stacie would say, your bliss. You’re an amazing woman, Lauren. You deserve a wonderful life.”

Lauren’s heart rose to her throat. “Sounds like we both want the best for each other.”

He reached up and—for a second—cupped her face with his hand. “That’s how it is when you lo— care for someone.”

In that moment, under the bright Montana sun, Lauren realized Seth wasn’t just the man she loved, he was her soul mate.

She was seized with the sudden urge to pull him close, to run her fingers through his hair, to feel the muscles in his back tighten beneath her fingers. To hold him tight and never let go.

But she didn’t act on the impulse. She knew her only choice was to walk away. Seth’s integrity was as much a part of him as his cowboy boots and quick smile. She wouldn’t ask him to abandon the promise he’d made to his dying wife, not even for her.

Two days later, Lauren moved back into the house Anna had inherited from her grandma. Seth hated to see her go. She was only going to be in Sweet River one more week anyway and in his mind it made no sense for her to move twice. But she insisted. Though she’d done her best to prepare his daughter, the day Lauren moved out, Ivy cried.

Seth understood. He felt as if someone had reached inside his chest and torn out his heart.

The last thing Lauren had done had been to stick out her hand. Instead of a polite handshake he’d pulled her into his arms and held her with a fierceness that surprised them both. By the time he took a step back, her eyes—and his—were suspiciously moist.

Today though, he was going to do his best not to think of Lauren. This was “Jan’s Day.” Every year since her passing, he and Ivy celebrated her birthday by doing things they’d once done as a family.

He’d gotten the idea when he’d heard a mother on the radio talking about her little boy, David, who’d passed away. Once a year on his birthday, his family celebrated “David’s Day.” It was their way of keeping his memory alive and celebrating his life.

“Ivy,” Seth called out. “Breakfast is ready.”

His daughter had gotten the cast off her arm yesterday. He’d expected her to be bouncing off the walls with joy, but she’d been uncharacteristically silent. He knew she missed Lauren. Heck, he missed her, too.

He flipped the waffle onto a platter with extra force and split it onto two plates. He added cherry topping and whipped cream just as Ivy walked into the room, the boot cast barely slowing her down. Lauren had been right. Physically, Ivy didn’t need her anymore. Emotionally, however, was another story.

Seth forced a smile and poured two glasses of orange juice. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Ivy took a seat at the table, but instead of digging in, she simply gazed down at the golden-brown waffle.

Seth sat opposite her. “Remember how Mommy used to make waffles for us every Sunday before church?”

Ivy nodded and picked up her folk. “I miss Mommy.”

“I know you do, princess.” The minute the words left Seth’s mouth he realized the pain that had always accompanied thoughts of Jan had disappeared.

For a second he felt a twinge of guilt. Until he remembered his grandmother