Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set

by Lucy McConnell

  Cat found the rhythm, and their feet step-step-quickstepped in sync. Nice enough that Sam stopped counting and worked in a spin here and there. The first song ended and the second one started up.

  The two of them didn’t even slow down. By the third song, Sam was able to spin her out and away and bring her back, their arms tangled in harmonized chaos. Cat smiled, giggled, and sighed intermittently, making it difficult for Sam to pay attention.

  “Ha!” She winked when they’d completed a more advanced move. Sam pulled her close, his feet slowing and his heart rate speeding up. Sure, they were in his garage with a few old lanterns and some candles, but it might as well have been a ball at Buckingham Palace. Cat was worth more than the crown jewels in his eyes.

  He brushed his finger across her cheek, amazed at how soft her skin felt and the acceptance he found in her gaze. Every moment up to this point flashed before his eyes, and he could see the dance they had done that brought them together. His uncertainties and doubts, her desire to be friends first. All of it choreographed to bring them together in this perfect moment. It was that very look of acceptance that stirred a yearning in his soul.

  The first time Sam attended a wedding was when he was fifteen years old. When Pastor John said “love and honor,” Sam’s thoughts got stuck like a truck in a mud bog. He looked up the meaning of honor that night and found the synonyms esteem and reverence. Slamming the dictionary shut, he vowed that he wouldn’t get married until he found a woman he could esteem and reverence.

  Cat was that woman.

  He was awed that she, the most beautiful and tender person in Montana, would want him. Overwhelmed with the love building inside, Sam took her face in his hands. As Clint Black serenaded them, Sam kissed the woman he’d been born to love.

  Chapter 13

  Sam bounded out of his truck. He was taking Cat snowmobiling behind his cabin, and then they were going to watch a movie with Mercedes and Chet. Since he could easily get lost in Cat if they were alone, he decided double-dating was a good idea.

  “I’ve got it!” he heard Cat yell from behind the closed front door when he knocked. Her footsteps pounded down the stairs, and then the door flew open and she was rosy-cheeked and smiling. “Hi.”

  “Hi back.” Sam stepped in and Cat stepped into his arms. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.” Grabbing her jacket, Cat popped her head into the living room. “I’m going snowmobiling. Do you need anything?” she asked her grandpa.

  He’d been up and about the last couple of days. He’d even finished the painting for the bunkhouses—with Aiden’s help. Cat said that the shot seemed to do the trick. Sam was happy to see her worry gone, and he was glad that Edward was moving again.

  Edward lifted a hand. “I’m good. Have fun.”

  “We will.” She threw her arms around his neck, and Sam smiled against her lips. She did this spontaneous kiss thing that stirred his heart. He wasn’t used to it, and he hoped he never would be.

  “Not too much fun!” Edward called.

  Cat laughed. Her phone rang, and he pulled back enough for her to reach it in her pocket. Now that he had her in his arms, he didn’t want to let go. They could go snowmobiling anytime …

  She answered without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

  Sam pressed his lips to her temple, drinking in the peach and sawdust scent that was uniquely Cat. Being this close meant he could hear the person on the other line.

  “Hi, honey. How are things?”

  Cat winked at Sam. “Things are good.”

  Sam kissed her neck, knowing she would giggle. She swatted at him. He stopped, but only because he hadn’t met her dad yet and didn’t want to make a bad first impression.

  “I went ahead and scheduled your flight with our extra miles. Your mom and I will be at the airport to pick you up.”

  Cat went stiff in his arms. “That’s … great.”

  “The whole department is taking you to lunch on your first day.”

  Cat looked at him with a mixture of panic and remorse.

  Flight? Sam’s hands went cold. First day? That didn’t sound good at all.

  Cat looked up at Sam. “Dad? I’ve got to call you back.”

  “I can’t wait to have you home, honey. With Mercedes marrying Chet, which we’re happy about—don’t get me wrong, we’ve missed you. We were planning on you both coming back and I can’t tell you what this means to your mother and I.”

  Sam’s arms dropped.

  “Thanks, Dad. I love you.” They said goodbye, and Cat slipped the phone back into her pocket. “Sam.” She reached for him.

  Sam stepped back. “You’re moving?”

  Cat blew out a heavy sigh. “Yes? I mean—there’s this job …” She stared at her boots, not even bothering to look him in the eye.

  “Then what was this?” He wagged his finger back and forth between the two of them.

  “I, I didn’t plan on this. I mean, I want it but I can’t pass up this opportunity and my dad…”She bit her lip.

  “I see.” He did see. He saw all too well. He’d followed his gut, and his heart was tossed aside. “Congratulations.”

  “Sam …” Cat’s hand went to her neck and she brushed her fingers over the spots he’d kissed.

  Only minutes before, he thought he had found his partner. His eternal best friend. The woman he could start a family with—and she’d played him. Her kisses hadn’t felt fake—they felt like love and tasted sweeter than blackberry honey.

  If he had known …

  He had known better. He’d vowed to use his head and not his stupid instincts.

  “I’ve got things to do.” Like sign up for a heart transplant. Even though he’d been down this road before, this one hurt. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a rain check on the movie.” If he stayed any longer, he’d crumble. He bolted from the house, looking like a coward but somehow not caring.

  “Sam!” Cat called behind him. He didn’t slow down. His breath came in jagged chunks. He blamed it on the cold, constricted feeling around his chest. Winters in Snow Valley were like that—they could freeze the breath in your lungs. The truck heater didn’t bring him relief. He finally pulled over and clutched his fist to his chest. There was only one reason Cat could hurt him so deeply: he loved her. He loved her, and she was leaving.

  Groaning, he bumped his head against the headrest.

  Chapter 14

  A week passed, and the pain still crushed him. Sam had held the perfect woman in his arms, and she’d run away. He could easily forgive and forget the other women who had played him—after all, dating was a game. But Cat wasn’t a game to him. She was the real thing—yet he’d lost. He’d lost so much more than he’d realized was on the line when he walked out that day.

  He’d lost love.

  He’d lost his future wife.

  He’d lost their children.

  He’d lost the ability to dream of a life beyond being single.

  No wonder he was a mess.

  Staring at the clock, he watched the minutes tick by, knowing that the bank manager was probably trying to get hold of him right now. He’d shut his phone off last night and not bothered to turn it on again when he woke up. He couldn’t bring himself to go into town and sign on the dotted line. The dream no longer felt attainable.

  He didn’t need more land. There wasn’t a point to working himself to death if there wasn’t anyone at home to remind him why he lived. Without Cat, there was nothing.

  Keep your head down, Sam. Keep your head down, and don’t think about how perfect you almost had it.

  Chapter 15

  “To enter the quiz scores, you go here and then select the student. They’re listed in alphabetical order.”

  Cat nodded numbly. A week had gone by since she’d watched Sam’s truck slip and slide its way down the road, carrying Sam right out of her life. She’d packed up her clothes, boarded a plane, and hugged her parents at the airport.

  Her mom hovered
, sensing something was amiss in Cat’s heart but not pressuring her to share. She was so different from Grandpa that way. He would have planted his behind on her bed and folded his arms, waiting for her to spill her guts.

  However, the privacy was welcome as Cat sorted through her emotions. Each day was lonelier than the last and void of the romance she’d come to love.

  She’d published the book about the orchardist, having finally looked up the title for one who owns an orchard. The manuscript was well received by her readers, and she was almost done with the one she’d started to keep her mind off Sam. The plan wasn’t working at all. Once again, he was on every page. Whether it was his tan work hat or his creased leather boots, Sam was in her every thought.

  And she didn’t feel any better. If anything, the hole in her heart had widened with time.

  Training for her new position as an adjunct faculty member didn’t take her mind off Sam either. Eating dinner with her parents didn’t fill the gap where his laughter once resided. Lying in her old bedroom didn’t bring the comfort his arms could produce. Everywhere she looked was emptiness.

  “Cat?” asked Tom, the department secretary tasked with Cat’s orientation.

  “Alphabetized names,” she repeated to let him know she’d heard. It didn’t matter if she listened. She could always ask her dad for help if she needed it, and as Tom took her to another screen, her mind was taken back to Sam’s garage and a lantern-filled night of chocolate and dancing.

  She thought she’d missed the glitz of city life, but Boston was no longer her home. Her home was in Sam’s arms.

  Silently, she prayed for confirmation. Where was she supposed to be? Here, pretending to be a professor, or in a log cabin tucked away in Snow Valley? The longer she thought about Sam, his home, his orchard, his kiss, the stronger the burning sensation in her chest. Unable to withstand the prompting to act, she got to her feet. “Excuse me.”

  Tom stopped mid-sentence and lifted one gray eyebrow. “Yes?”

  “I have to go.”

  “Go? But we’re only halfway through the orientation packet.”

  “I’m sorry. But I have a plane to catch.”

  “A plane?”

  Cat left a sputtering Tom in her wake as she ran through the halls, determined to right the wrong she’d done.

  “Dad!” She burst into his office.

  Her dad started as if she’d shot a gun into the air. Cat smiled. Montana, with its wide open sky and life lived by the land was in her blood. She pushed forward, feeling strong in the knowledge that she loved Sam and that the Lord was cheering her on. “Dad, thank you so much for this opportunity, but I can’t stay here.”

  “Catrina.” Dad’s tone was full of censure and confusion.

  “I haven’t been entirely up front with you and Mom.” She squared her shoulders. There was more to this moment than confessing her feelings for Sam—it was time to claim the woman she’d become. The person she’d made herself into. The person she was proud to be. “When I moved to Snow Valley, I switched from writing historical novels to historical romance novels—and I love it. I love what I do. I don’t want to teach here. I don’t want to teach anywhere. I want to be an author.” She took a deep breath and plunged forward. “And I met a man—a man who is every bit the gentleman. He’s sweet and innocent and says the best things, and I don’t want to be without him. I’m going back to Snow Valley and back to Sam.”

  Dad took his glasses off and wiped them with the bottom of his polo shirt. “Catrina, I’m not even sure what we’re talking about.”

  “I know, Dad. I know. It’s a mess—a beautiful mess.” Cat cried and laughed at the same time, thinking of Sam calling her that very thing: a beautiful mess. He’d seen it all along.

  “Did you say romance novels?” Dad’s forehead creased.

  Cat laughed. “Christian romance.” Why do I always have to explain that part?

  “Ah.” He looked relieved and confused. “Cat, this is the first time since you’ve been home that you’ve looked happy. Above all else, that’s what I want for you. That’s what I’ve always wanted for you.”

  She hugged him fiercely. “What about the faculty position?”

  “Maybe I’ll pick up a couple night classes—sounds like we’ll be flying back to Snow Valley for another wedding.”

  “Maybe you should retire there.”

  “I’ll have to think about that one—your mom loves her shopping.”

  “And Tony’s gelato.”

  “Ah, gelato.”

  Cat laughed. “Thank you, Dad.”

  “I love you, kiddo.” He hadn’t called her that in years. “Now, go get your cowboy.”

  “How’d you know Sam’s a cowboy?”

  “My girls seem to have a thing for them.” Dad settled in behind his desk. He’d taken everything in stride, although Cat wasn’t sure he had processed the whole romance writer thing yet. That might be a conversation for another day. Until then, she’d focus on getting herself back to Snow Valley and doing what she should have done in the first place—romance the gray velvet hat right off of Sam.

  Chapter 16

  Sam took to walking around Snow Valley instead of driving. The cold air reminded him that he could feel something since his heart had gone numb. He figured that’s what happened when the hopes and dreams leaked out like a balloon with a hole in the side. Stuffing his felt hat low on his head, he trudged up Main Street, avoiding Big C’s because it reminded him of peaches and Cat and amazing kisses. He headed towards Dove’s instead.

  Not paying attention, he nearly ran into someone coming out of the bank. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he muttered.

  “I don’t believe I will,” replied Cat, her hands at her hips. With a grin, she threw herself against him. His arms reacted, holding her as close as their coats would allow.

  It can’t be.

  But Cat wasn’t in Snow Valley. She was across the country, and his mind was playing cruel tricks on him.

  “Sam!” Cat bounced on her toes.

  Sam didn’t return the sentiment. He’d had several startlingly real dreams of holding Cat again, but this one took the prize for most real. He could even smell peaches.

  Cat pulled back and met his gaze. “Sam?”

  Shaking his head, Sam moved to go around her, hoping the dream would end with him resting in his cabin. Although that wasn’t how these dreams usually went. He usually woke up in a cold sweat from watching Cat run away while his boots had been nailed to the floor and he couldn’t follow. He tucked his chin to his chest and focused on the snowy sidewalk.

  “Sam.” Cat grabbed his arm to slow him down.

  Her tug felt real, and Sam was starting to think he wasn’t dreaming. Stomping his feet brought about a sense of tiny needles. He was awake. And Cat was here! He rounded on her, angry and hurt that she’d left and confused that she was standing in front of him and so darn happy to see her clutching a folder and grinning like everything was right in the world when everything was not right. “What?”

  Cat blinked at the harsh tone in his voice, but she pressed on. “I have a favor to ask.”

  He dropped his chin to his chest. He must love her. Love her like the fool he was. Even after the heartache she’d caused, Sam couldn’t turn her away. “Yes?”

  “I just bought forty acres that would be perfect for a peach orchard, but I don’t know the first thing about being an orchardist. Will you teach me?”

  Sam stared hard at her. “You bought land … in Snow Valley?”

  Cat nodded.

  “Forty acres?”

  She nodded again.

  She couldn’t have … “Is this land, by chance, near my cabin?”

  Cat grinned. “Yep.”

  Sam narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  She stepped closer. “Because this is my home.”

  “Snow Valley?” he asked.

  “No.” She put her arms around his neck.

  Sam found his hands sliding around her back. He coul
dn’t help himself. Holding Cat was what he was meant to do in this life.

  “This is my home. And I’m here to stay.”

  Sam’s heart told him to tread carefully. “Promise?”

  “On one condition.” Cat’s eyes sparkled.

  “What’s that?”

  “We never, ever have chickens,” she said with a serious face.

  Laughing, Sam picked her up, the loan papers crinkling between them. This was how it should be. He and Cat would go in as partners in every way. “Deal.” They locked gazes, and Sam saw all his hopes and dreams reflected in her eyes. “I love you, Cat O’Shae.”

  “I love you, Sam Miller.”

  Sam’s instincts frizzed, bleeped, and hummed, and he said something that was totally stupid. “Will you marry me, Cat?”

  Cat threw her gloves into the snow and put her bare hands on both sides of his face. “Took you long enough to ask.”

  “Ha!” Sam sealed the promise with a kiss, much to the delight of Snow Valley Main Street traffic. Car horns honked. People rolled down their windows and cheered. And Sam swung Cat around and dipped her low. Oh, he knew life wouldn’t be all peaches and honey, but with Cat, it would always be sweet.

  One Date Deal

  A Return to Snow Valley Romance

  Veronica (Ronnie) Martin wasn’t planning on helping a stranded motorist on her way out of Snow Valley. But, as one of the small town’s two mechanics, she couldn’t leave a neighbor stranded. When that neighbor turns out to be Grady Owens, her older brother’s best friend and business partner on his way into town for a short visit. Ronnie’s long-time crush waves her over to the side of the road. Neither one of the small business owners has been back to Snow Valley in years. After a few minutes of flirting, Grady asks her out. Ronnie is ecstatic, until she realizes he doesn’t recognize her. She accepts his invitation, but when he finds out who she is and tries to cancel, she makes a one-date deal.