Love On The Line (14 page)

She swung to look at her brother, who had taken a few steps back to give her and Noah some space in the hospital lobby. “You did that?”

Jason nodded, a smile kicking up one corner of his mouth. “All without a scratch.”

“And this guy is going to jail?”

“He got a little scraped up resisting arrest,” Noah said. “Which is why we’re here waiting, but yeah. As soon as he’s released, he’ll be processed.” He canted his words lower again, his eyes going storm-cloud dark as he guided her back out of Jason’s earshot. “Sorry if all this rattled you.”

Noah took a step back, clearly giving her the space to walk away if she chose to, but Violet re-traced the steps to bring herself right back where she belonged.

“Sometimes it takes a little rattling to get everything where it’s supposed to be. But no matter what happens, I want to take the risk, Noah. I love you. I want
you
.”

His answer was a shocked exhale. “You do?”

“I can’t promise you I’m never going to worry. But I can promise that I want you anyway.”

Noah reached out to pull her close, and Violet felt safe in his arms, no matter what the future might bring. “I’m not always going to have the right words, but there are a couple I know for sure. I love you, too, Morgan.” He bent down to kiss her, grinning against her lips.

“And now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go.”

THE END

Violet Morgan’s Chicken and Dumpling Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

½ teaspoon thyme

A pinch to ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, to taste

1 8-ounce package sliced baby Portabella mushrooms, wiped clean

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 32-ounce container chicken stock

1 pound chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite-sized chunks

2-3 cups mixed vegetables, such as sliced carrots, small broccoli and/or cauliflower florets, and of course, for Noah, peas. Frozen works just fine, but fresh is okay too

1 cup all-purpose baking mix (for biscuits and pancakes and the like)

1/3 cup milk

½ Tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, until it ripples. Add onion, ½ teaspoon thyme, and nutmeg, cooking until soft and stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook 4-5 minutes more, until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle flour over mixture and incorporate well. Slowly add broth. Bring to a low boil, stirring often.

Add chicken and vegetables. As stew comes back to a boil, combine baking mix, milk, parsley and 1 teaspoon thyme in a bowl. Drop in level tablespoonfuls into the simmering stew and reduce heat to low. Cover the Dutch oven and cook fifteen minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with nice crusty bread for dipping and a green salad (just don’t tell Noah there are greens!)

Serves six.