“When was Fiona here?” Camry asked.
“Well, let me see,” Roger murmured, smoothing down his shaggy white beard, then tapping his fingers against it as if counting. “Last time, it was almost three weeks ago.” He nodded toward the transmitter. “I bartered her six apple pies for that thing. But what she didn’t know was that I would have given it to her for free.” He suddenly scowled, pointing at them. “But don’t you go telling her that when you see her, you hear? It would hurt her feelings,” he said with a nod. “She was beside herself happy, thinking she was getting the best end of the bargain, ’cause I didn’t tell her it suddenly starts squawking for no reason. I spent the good part of last summer tearing this cabin apart looking for a mouse before I realized it was thatthing making those little noises.”
Camry inched closer to Luke and slipped her hand into his, taking a fortifying breath when he quietly squeezed it. “I noticed you’re a justice of the peace, Mr. AuClair, and I was wondering if you perform weddings?” she asked, squeezing Luke’s hand in return when he stiffened. “And what you might charge for your services.”
“Well now,” Roger said, his eyes glinting in the setting sunlight coming through the open door. “That would depend on what you might have that I’d want.” He arched one bushy brow. “I’d be willing to barter for that big dog of yours, seeing as how I lost my own faithful black friend almost thirteen years ago. He wasn’t half as handsome as your Max, what with his missing part of one ear and his eyes being foggy, but he was all heart, I tell you.” He nodded. “I’d marry you two up for Max, but you can keep Tigger. She’s friendly enough, but she don’t seem all that practical, what with having almost no legs and needing to wear that prissy sweater.”
“I’m sorry, but Max is—”
“Will you please excuse us, Mr. AuClair?” Luke said, cutting Cam off by dragging her out the door. “We’ll just be a moment.”
Luke led her a fair distance from the cabin, then spun around to face her. “Mind telling me what you’re up to?” he asked, a distinct edge in his voice.
“I’m accepting your proposal.”
“Now? You want some crazy old hermit to marry us?” He took hold of her shoulders. “Camry, this isn’t the time or the place. I asked you to marry me only hours ago, and that’s not enough time for you to make that kind of decision.”
Cam’s heart started pounding so hard that her ribs actually hurt. “A-are you having second thoughts?”
“No!” His hands on her shoulders tightened. “But if we’re not legally married, then you won’t believe you’re trumping the universe.”
“But he’s a real justice of the peace. I saw his certificate hanging on the wall.”
“That certificate is probably as old as the cabin.”
“No, it was issued to Roger AuClair by the state of Maine in the year two thousand and something. It’s real. It even has the Maine seal on it.”
“But we don’t have a license. Or witnesses. And I’m not an American citizen. This isn’t a decision you can make in a few hours and then do in two minutes.”
“You young folks needn’t worry about the paperwork,” Roger said, waving some papers as he walked toward them. “You’ll be legally wed. Fiona brought me your license,” Roger continued when Luke spun around in surprise. He handed the papers to him. “She filled out all your information, and she even signed as your witness.”
“That’s impossible.” Luke scanned the page, then flipped over to the next page. “Who in hell is this other witness, Thomas Gregor Smythe?” he asked, turning to Cam when she gasped.
“H-he’s an old hermit who used to live in Pine Creek. And he’s also Winter’s . . . grandson,” she whispered, her heartache turning to dread when Luke took a step back.
She glanced briefly at Roger AuClair, then back at Luke. Only instead of calmly explaining what she finally realized was going on, Cam suddenly threw herself into his arms. “I’ve spent my whole life running from the magic!” she cried. “And instead of hating me for it, the magic gave me you!” She looked up, blinking back tears as she clutched his jacket. “Please, Luke, I need you to love me uncompromisingly, unpretentiously, and . . . and unconditionally,” she ended in a desperate whisper.
Luke took hold of her shoulders and held her away from him. “But the real Fiona Gregor is only five months old. And her mother is younger than you are. Thomas Smythe can’t be Winter’s grandson, because he isn’t even been born yet,” he growled. “None of this is making any sense, Camry.”
“Miracles don’t have to make sense,” Roger interjected, drawing Luke’s attention. “That’s the unconditionalpart of love, Renoir. It’s what causes a mangy old pound mutt to hold on to a child who would love him forever for nearly an hour, and compels a mother to wait twenty years,” he said, looking at Cam, “letting the secret to ion propulsion orbit the world until her daughter is ready to take ownership of her destiny.” He nodded toward the papers Luke held crushed in his fist. “And it’s opportunities given to those courageous enough to look deep inside themselves, and accept what they see—flaws and all—as the miracles they are.
“It’s not the magic you’ve been running from, Camry,” he continued gently. “It’s your extraordinary passion for life. Your baby sister’s powers have always seemed so overwhelming that you assumed you had none of your own. But the magic works for everyone, including those who won’t accept it, and those who don’t understand it.” He shot her a wink, gesturing toward Luke. “ Especiallythose who don’t understand it.”
“Wh-who are you, really?” she whispered.
He smoothed down the front of his tattered coat with a shrug. “Let’s just say I’m a very old distant relative, shall we?” He puffed out his chest. “But I assure you both, I have the authority—and the means—to make your marriage legal and binding. That is, if you’re both brave enough to follow your hearts.”
He held up his hand when she tried to ask him another question. “As for your little worry about getting pregnant, let me assure you that the choice has alwaysbeen yours. And now Luke’s, too, of course,” he added with a nod. “Your sisters knew they wanted children, so Providence simply granted each of them their wish—though maybe not quite whenthey wished,” he added with a chuckle.
He held his arms out to encompass their surroundings. “To put this in terms you folks canunderstand, life is really nothing more than an infinite, interconnected matrix. It runs on a rather simple equation for the most part, only appearing complex when you factor in free will. And free will always trumps Providence,” he said, giving Camry another wink. “So just take having a child out of the equation, both of you, as you look deep inside yourselves and acknowledge the miracle Fiona has asked you to be for each other.”
He dropped his hands to his sides with a shrug. “You can’t make a mistake if you follow your heart. Not if you have the courage to go where it leads you. There are no wrong decisions, only the consequence of not making any decision at all by running away from life instead of toward it,” he ended gently, his eyes warm and his smile encouraging.
Absolute silence settled around them.
Roger AuClair suddenly rubbed his hands together, his expression turning expectant. “So, people, are we having a wedding or not? ’Cause if’n I can’t have the dog, then it’s gonna cost you that fancy snow machine you drove up in, and that’s my final offer,” he declared, his old hermit persona suddenly returning.
He frowned when Cam and Luke continued standing silently, staring at him.
“Okay then,” he said, holding his hands up, palms toward them. “I can see you need to think on it some. I’ll leave you to discuss it between you then, ’cause I know you two people are intelligent enough not to take marriage lightly—seeing as how you each hold a handful of fancy school degrees.” He spun around and headed to the cabin, Max and Tigger bounding after him. “Just don’t take too long, ’cause if you’re not hitched before Survivormancomes on, you’ll be unzipping those sleeping bags and finding yourselves camped at opposite ends of my cabin.” He stopped at the door and looked back at them, his sharp green eyes gleaming with amusement. “ ’Cause until I give my blessing, the entireamusement park is shut down.”