“I will. Thanks.”

  Jeff was out the door, and Carla turned to interrupt Philip’s orderly life even more by invading his home. Maybe he was right; maybe she should take her things and head back to Seattle. No, she wouldn’t do that. Things between them had to be settled now.

  The first thing that caught Carla’s attention was the hand-carved marlin that she’d given Philip. He’d set it on the fireplace mantel. A photo of them together in Mexico sat on his dresser. Carla was smiling into the camera as the wind whipped up her soft russet curls. Philip’s head was turned and his eyes were on her. There was so much love in his expression that Carla breathed a soft sigh as she examined the framed photo.

  Her letters to him were stacked on the kitchen table. Each one had been read so many times that the edges had begun to curl. Carla took one look and recognized again that there wasn’t any man on earth who would love her as much as Philip did. And, more important, there would never be anyone she could love as much.

  After a reassuring phone call to her parents, she took a long shower and slept fitfully.

  * * *

  —

  She waited until noon the next day before venturing outside the condominium. Driving Philip’s car to the hospital proved to be eventful. Twice she got lost, but with the friendly help of a local gas station attendant, she finally located the hospital.

  A nurse on Philip’s floor gave her a suspicious look as she walked down the wide corridor carrying a guitar.

  One loud knock against his door was all the warning she gave.

  “Carla.”

  She suspected it was relief she heard in his voice, but she didn’t pause to question him. Instead, she pulled out the chair beside his bed, sat at an angle on the cushion, and strummed one discordant chord. With that, she proceeded to serenade him in the only song she knew in Spanish.

  He started to laugh, but quickly grimaced and tried to contain his amusement. “Why are you singing to me the A, B, C’s?”

  “It’s the only Spanish song I know all the way through. However, if you’d like to hear parts of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ I’ll be happy to comply.”

  Extending a hand to her, he shook his head. “The only thing I want is you.”

  “That’s a different tune than you were singing yesterday.”

  “Yesterday I was an unreasonable boor.” He pulled her closer to his side. “I’m glad you’re here. Today I promise to be a much better patient.”

  “Once we’re married, I suspect I’ll have ways of helping you out of those irrational moods.”

  The room went quiet as Philip’s eyes sought hers. “Once we’re married.”

  “You did ask me, and you better not have changed your mind, because I’ve already given my two-week notice at the hospital.”

  “Carla.” His gray eyes reflected an intensity she had rarely witnessed. “Do you mean it?”

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life. But I won’t have you holding out on me. If I’m going to be your wife, I expect you to trust me enough not to try to shield me from whatever comes our way. I’m stronger than I look, Philip Garrison.”

  “Far stronger,” he agreed, as his hand slipped around her waist. “You’ve already convinced me of that. I love you, Carla Walker—soon to be Carla Garrison.”

  Tenderness surged through her as she slipped her arms over his shoulders. “But not near soon enough,” she said with a sigh of longing as her mouth eagerly sought his.

  BALLANTINE BOOKS BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

  Cottage by the Sea

  Any Dream Will Do

  If Not for You

  A Girl’s Guide to Moving On

  Last One Home

  Rose Harbor Inn

  Sweet Tomorrows

  Silver Linings

  Love Letters

  Rose Harbor in Bloom

  The Inn at Rose Harbor

  Blossom Street

  Blossom Street Brides

  Starting Now

  Christmas Novels

  Alaskan Holiday

  Merry and Bright

  Twelve Days of Christmas

  Dashing Through the Snow

  Mr. Miracle

  Starry Night

  Angels at the Table

  For a complete list of books by Debbie Macomber, visit her website at debbiemacomber.com.

  About the Author

  DEBBIE MACOMBER, the author of Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series, is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is also the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

  debbiemacomber.com

  Facebook.com/​debbiemacomberworld

  Twitter: @debbiemacomber

  Instagram: @debbiemacomber

  Pinterest.com/​macomberbooks

  #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Debbie Macomber delivers a heartwarming novel of love, self-discovery, and family in

  Window on the Bay

  Continue reading for a special sneak peek

  Available soon from Ballantine Books

  Prologue

  Where It All Began

  Jenna

  “We need to talk,” Maureen said as we walked across the University of Washington campus.

  Maureen and I had been study partners in our college French class for two years. At the end of the course we were scheduled to travel to France, which for the two of us would be a dream come true.

  Paris. We were dying to see Paris. I’d fallen in love with the city as a young teen after watching Casablanca for the first time. When Ingrid Bergman looked deep into the eyes of Humphrey Bogart and whispered, “We’ll always have Paris,” I was captivated.

  The city of love had beckoned me. It was the very reason I’d taken six years of French classes—four in high school and now two in college. I couldn’t wait to see Paris. I wanted to walk in the moonlight along the Seine, tour the Louvre, and see the view of the city from the Eiffel Tower.

  Maureen and I had spent endless hours talking about the trip we planned to take following our graduation in June. We’d both taken part-time jobs to pay for the trip; we’d sacrificed our weekends, saved, and dreamed.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked, holding my textbooks close to my chest. It was spring—my favorite time of year—and I’d spent a good portion of my French literature class daydreaming about spring time in Paris. I could see myself walking along the river, viewing artists busily painting on their canvases while a love song came from a distant accordion, the sweet notes drifting through the air and filling the warm sunshine.

  “I can’t go to Paris,” Maureen blurted out.

  “What?” Her words took my breath away. I was sure I’d heard her wrong.

  “I won’t be able to go to Paris the way we planned.”

  Dumbfounded, I stopped walking and stared at her. We’d planned this trip for months, going over every detail, checking prices for flights, hotels, and budgeting our money down to the penny.

  Maureen lowered her eyes. “I’m pregnant. Peter and I have decided to get married as soon as we graduate.”

  I knew she’d been seeing a lot of Peter Zelinski but had no idea their relationship was this serious. Maureen had taken on the role of tutoring students as a means of earning extra money for our Paris trip. Peter had been one of her calculus students.

  I was dating, too. Kyle Boltz was a first-year medical student, and I was beginning to hope we would have a future together. Kyle had a lot of schooling ahead of him and I would soon be graduating with a nursing degree. We’d met at a party and we had clicked.

  “Say something,” Maureen pleaded.

  That was the problem. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t fully assimilated that everything—all our plans, our prep work, the anticipation—had changed overnight. And my best friend was pregnant. This changed everything.

  “You should still go,” Maureen added.

  “Not without you.” I refused to entertain the thought. It wouldn’t be the same without my best friend.

  “I’ve ruined everything,” Maureen said, biting into her lower lip.

  Giving her a big hug, I did my best to comfort her. “You didn’t ruin anything. A baby is far more important than a trip to Paris. We’ll get there one day.”

  Maureen’s mouth wobbled with the effort to smile.

  “And I get to be in your wedding.”

  “Maid of honor,” Maureen said. “I wouldn’t have anyone else.”

  “Deal.”

  Yes, I was disappointed, but we had our whole lives ahead of us. Paris would wait.

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