Dry Creek Daddy

by Janet Tronstad

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” she said, and he seemed to relax.

  Allie came over and sat next to her. “Mark told me the two of you are engaged.”

  The other woman had a grin on her face.

  Hannah nodded. “We’re not making a public announcement until after—” She didn’t finish, but Allie leaned over and gave her a hug.

  “I just wanted you to know I’m happy for you both,” Allie whispered. “I can’t wait.”

  “Me, neither,” Hannah said.

  The door opened again and everyone looked up as Mark came in alone.

  “He’s resting,” Mark assured everyone, but his eyes searched for Hannah. “The doctor said he’ll be here in a few minutes and give us an update, but everything looks good.”

  Mark started walking over to where Hannah sat, but before he got that far, the doctor came in and everyone stood up.

  “Quite the family here,” the doctor said as he looked around.

  Hannah held her breath and stepped closer to Mark. He put his arm around her.

  “Well, you all want to know about Jeremy,” the doctor continued. “As I told his father—” he nodded toward Mark “—the procedure was a success. There’s a good chance—ninety-eight percent, I’d say—that Jeremy will be able to keep his leg and won’t have impaired function. I believe the leukemia will be in check, too, although we can’t be sure of that at this point.”

  Hannah felt her breath return to normal as Mark rubbed her back and the others started to talk among themselves excitedly.

  “We did it,” Mark leaned close and whispered.

  “We sure did,” she said as she turned until they were face-to-face.

  Suddenly, all she could see were his eyes gazing at her with his heart full of emotions.

  “I love you, Hannah Stelling soon-to-be Nelson,” Mark said.

  She smiled, and then he kissed her long and full until she couldn’t even hear the exclamations from everyone else in the room.

  Epilogue

  It was late November when Hannah stood in the small room off the foyer of the church in Dry Creek and asked herself how much happiness a person’s heart could hold. Hers was bursting as she waited. The smell of roses permeated the whole church. The door of the side room was open an inch, and she could see into the sanctuary enough to know the stained-glass windows had cast a golden hue over the many neighbors and friends who were seated in the pews.

  Finally, the pianist started to play. Hannah stood straighter. One hand was hidden behind a large bouquet of roses and the other was tucked into the folds of the most beautiful wedding dress she’d ever seen. Her adoptive mother had worn this gown at her own wedding years ago. The white silk and ivory lace made Hannah feel like she was a very special princess.

  She looked over to where her father stood beside her. “I can’t thank you enough for the dress.”

  He acknowledged her words with a nod and a smile. “It’s right that you have it. Your mother would be proud to see you in it. And—” he looked down “—it does my heart good, too. I’m going to do better by you and Jeremy from here on out.”

  Hannah blinked. She still wasn’t used to having a parent who cared about her, but her father seemed determined to prove himself and she was going to let him. She wanted a close family tie with him even when she was married to Mark.

  “Is it time now, Mommy?” Jeremy looked up at her and asked eagerly. He was standing in front of her, his arms resting on the handles of his crutches. She was grateful for his medical care. He wasn’t going to need a wheelchair, but Jeremy did need to use the crutches for a few more months while his leg finished healing. The leukemia was in remission and the doctor thought it would likely stay that way for years.

  Just then the tempo of the music changed and Hannah knew it was time to go into the sanctuary. Mrs. Hargrove, who had remained in the entryway to help them with any last-minute adjustments, opened the door quietly and then stood aside. The older woman planned to slip into the sanctuary when Hannah had reached the front of the church.

  “You can go now, sweetheart,” Hannah whispered to Jeremy. He was wearing a boy-sized tuxedo and he had the rings pinned to his collar. As he proudly started through the doorway and down the aisle, Hannah could see the white handkerchiefs come out from pockets and purses all over the sanctuary. The whole community had cheered Jeremy on as he fought his way back to full health. Now they let their happiness show. Jeremy’s walk today was about more than the wedding; it was a triumphant march for everyone to see.

  Hannah let Jeremy get halfway down the aisle before she pressed against her father’s arm, letting him know it was time for them to begin their long walk.

  She started blinking back tears before she’d taken two steps at her father’s side. Mark was waiting for her at the end of the aisle and his eyes were glowing with love as he watched her come toward him. From that point on, she didn’t notice anyone else.

  The vows went by in a whirlwind. Mrs. Hargrove had pinned the rings on Jeremy’s collar so they came off easily into the pastor’s hands. Mark cradled Hannah’s hand as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She managed to slide his ring on almost as smoothly as he had done with hers.

  And then the pastor announced that Mark could kiss his bride.

  A smile lit up her new husband’s face as Hannah stood there, suddenly aware of the glad whispers from their friends as they rose up from the pews.

  “I love you,” Mark murmured as he lowered his head to hers.

  Hannah meant to say she loved him, too, but his lips found hers before she could form the words and then the joy of the kiss filled her so completely she was beyond speech.

  Fortunately, her son was still capable of talking.

  “Love, too,” Jeremy said as he leaned into Mark and Hannah, leaving his crutches to dangle slightly as he held on to them both.

  Hannah felt Mark’s lips pull away from hers and saw him smile as he glanced down. Together they each put an arm down to steady Jeremy as he stood with them. They were a family, Hannah told herself. She had come home.

  * * * * *

  If you liked this story,

  pick up these other heartwarming books

  from Janet Tronstad:

  Sleigh Bells for Dry Creek

  Lilac Wedding in Dry Creek

  Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek

  Second Chance in Dry Creek

  White Christmas in Dry Creek

  Alaskan Sweethearts

  Easter in Dry Creek

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Snowbound with the Best Man by Allie Pleiter.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

  Dear Reader,

  I am delighted you picked up this book to read. I love telling stories set in my small fictitious town of Dry Creek, Montana, and am delighted when readers like you choose to share the adventure with me. Over the years, the themes of my Dry Creek books have varied, but this is the first one that has fatherhood front and center. Being a parent probably changes everyone who takes the role seriously. In Dry Creek Daddy, Mark Nelson has the added challenge of having been in a coma for the first few years of his son’s life. His young son isn’t even sure he wants a father.

  I like to hear from my readers and, if you’d like to contact me after reading the book, I would be very pleased. You may email me through my website at www.janettronstad.com.

  May you be blessed with all good things.

  Sincerely,

  Janet Tronstad

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

&nb
sp; You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!

  Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.

  Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice

  OR

  EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.

  Click here to join for FREE

  Or visit us online to register at

  www.HarlequinMyRewards.com

  Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.

  Snowbound with the Best Man

  by Allie Pleiter

  Chapter One

  Kelly Nelson thrust a rose into the air and waved it around like a victory flag. “Yes!” She grinned at her daughter, cutting hearts out of leftover ivy leaves on the table beside her. “We got her!”

  “Got who, Mom?” Lulu said.

  “That lady from the wedding magazine. Samantha Douglas. The one Mommy’s been trying to convince since Christmas. She’s covering a Valentine’s Day event in Asheville, and I got her to agree to come up here afterward. I think she should do a piece on the wedding we’re having next weekend.”

  Lulu grinned. “Yeah!” She sounded so excited that Kelly wondered if she had shared a bit too much of her frustration over getting the attention of the regional bridal magazine. Lulu should never think about how hard it was to keep a business afloat. Eight-year-olds shouldn’t give a thought to how old the van was getting or how last month’s storm sprung two new roof leaks. Children ought to spend their days happy and secure, right? Lulu could certainly share in celebrating their flower shop’s successes, but Kelly felt an obligation to ensure her daughter had no sense of struggle or worry.

  “She’ll love us. She’ll love everything,” Lulu added, making Kelly smile.

  “Yes, she will. And our valley has lots to love, doesn’t it?” In the past year, the entire community of the newly christened Matrimony Valley had put its efforts behind reinventing itself. What once had been a small, struggling mill town had bootstrapped itself, bride by bride, into becoming a quaint Smoky Mountain wedding destination.

  And it was catching on. Maybe not quite fast enough to comfortably weather the seasonal nature of the wedding industry, but as one of the leaders of the Matrimony Valley “makeover,” Kelly was determined this would be the valley’s only lean winter. The coming summer was shaping up to be a promising second “high wedding season”—Kelly had floral contracts for no less than eight weddings between April and July.

  Winter, however, hadn’t been so busy. Sure, there were life’s ordinary floral occasions—birthdays, funerals, anniversaries, parties—but times were still tough. Valentine’s Day surely helped, but what would help most was the upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend wedding. Without that, it would have been a longer, colder, more worrisome winter. After all, while brides might prefer May and June, heating and water and dentist and mortgage bills showed up all year long. Things were feeling tight, and a piece praising all their town had to offer, published by Southeastern Nuptials Magazine, would go a long way toward bringing in steadier business.

  “Lots of ladies get proposed to on Valentine’s Day, you know,” Kelly explained to her daughter.

  “That’s on Wednesday,” Lulu said, pointing to the big red heart Kelly had drawn on the shop calendar.

  “That’s right. Which means on Thursday, lots of women will be thinking about where to get married.”

  “And they should get married here,” Lulu said with complete authority. Lulu’s enthusiastic promotion of her Love in Bloom flower shop always lit a mile-wide glow in Kelly’s heart. If she ever doubted she was going to make it—something she did way too much—all she had to do was look in her daughter’s eyes. Lulu had hope enough for the both of them. She always had, Kelly thought with gratitude. Even in those dark days. She’s such a blessing to me, Lord. Thank You.

  Lulu’s company made Saturdays Kelly’s favorite day in the shop. Having her daughter beside her just made everything bright and sunny, even if today’s skies were gray.

  Lulu was lining up the ivy hearts in little pairs, parading them down the counter in sets of botanical “couples,” while Kelly finished up estimates and made preparations for upcoming deliveries. A busy week was just what Love in Bloom needed.

  What it didn’t need, however, was the ominous buzzing sound and flickering lights that came from the refrigerated cooler behind her. You can’t die on me right before Valentine’s Day, Kelly silently warned the essential appliance. You’ve got to hang on until April, you hear?

  “Mom, George winked at you again,” Lulu said.

  “Why shouldn’t George like Valentine’s Day, too?” Kelly had adopted Lulu’s theory that the failing cooler Lulu had somehow named George was “winking” whenever the lights flickered rather than gathering speed toward a certain death. Denial can be its own form of optimism, she told herself.

  Lulu continued her ivy leaf processionals. “Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. Daddy asked you to marry him on Valentine’s Day, didn’t he?”

  These questions were always such a combination of sharp and sweet. If there was one thing Kelly was most proud of, it was how she’d kept Mark’s memory alive for Lulu. Her little girl never hesitated to bring her late father into any conversation. It kept Mark with them. And while the sting in her heart at the mention of him no longer stole her breath or made her duck into another room to hide a surge of tears, questions like this still made her heart ache for the love of her life now gone. “He did. And to anyone else, it might have been an ordinary holiday.” She gave Lulu a gentle poke on the nose. “But, of course, we never had an ordinary day after that.”

  Mark had been one of those rare men who could make any day extraordinary. The man could make pancakes a celebration, or a walk through the park an adventure. He’d loved his young daughter—and his wife—with a devotion and an enthusiasm few men possessed.

  Mark would have loved the idea of George the winking cooler. He’d always encouraged Kelly when her flowers were just a pilot’s wife’s little side business. It gave Kelly comfort to think of him up in heaven, smiling down in the knowledge that his life insurance payout had funded the launch of Love in Bloom as a full-fledged career.

  A career she would have loved more with Mark beside her. He’d given her a lifetime of memories, with just too much lifetime left without him to have to survive on memories alone.

  “Gone far too soon,” everyone who knew him said. They were so very right.

  “So now, with Samantha Douglas coming to watch, we’d better make this next wedding extraordinary, hadn’t we?”

  “It’s the reindeer one, right?”

  Kelly laughed. “Elk, honey. But that’s the one. We’re going to host the best elk wedding ever. Maybe the first elk wedding ever, huh?” This particular wedding was not only a welcome end to the January lull, but a creative challenge. The groom was one of the rangers from the local park known for its herd of elk. So much of the decor and wedding elements focused on the elk that everyone in Matrimony Valley had come to refer to the upcoming event as “the elk wedding.”

  “It’s going to be special,” Lulu said as she pointed to the corkboard on the shop’s back wall. Photos and drawings from Kelly’s conversation with the bride showed a bright collection of reds, flannels, burlap and pine. “I like all th
e red.”

  “Me, too,” Kelly replied. In fact, she’d been delighted at the event’s unique backwoods flair. The bride and each of the bridesmaids would be wearing red plaid flannel boleros over their dresses, as well as hunting boots with red lace shoelaces underneath their skirts. The bouquets and centerpieces boasted lots of pine. The whole event was going to be beautiful, inventive, casual and fun.

  “It’s the perfect wedding for us to show off, that’s for sure.” Maybe it would even land them a picture on the cover. A Southeastern Nuptials Magazine cover story could highlight the valley’s commitment to making each wedding special to the couple—to a degree most larger venues couldn’t match. “All those phone calls and emails to Samantha Douglas finally paid off.” Now the shop—and the whole valley—could take some serious leaps forward. No more George the winking cooler and no more worrying if the roof and furnace would withstand the next cold snap. Kelly was bone tired of adding up bills, squeaking by on materials and saying too many prayers for God to plant them on more solid financial ground.

  Lulu slid off the stool as George winked again. “Can I put the heart in the window?”

  Celebrate what you have instead of fretting about what you don’t. “Absolutely, kiddo.” Kelly reached into the drawer below the cash register to pull out a big red knitted heart. Earlier this year, Matrimony Valley’s mayor and chief wedding planner—not to mention Kelly’s best friend—Jean Matrim Tyler had instituted a little ritual Lulu loved. Jean had knitted a big red heart for each business on Main Street, a large ornament of sorts that could be hung in a shop window.

  Whenever any of the businesses in Matrimony Valley—from the Hailey’s Inn Love inn to the Bridal Bliss bakery to Marvin’s Sweet Hearts Ice Cream Shop or even Williams Catch Your Match fishing outfitters—had good news of any sort, they hung the heart in their window. Sure, it was a tad silly, but Jean was right. In the valley’s long, slow struggle to reinvent itself as a wedding destination after the mill closed, celebrating every victory—and sharing those victories with your friends and neighbors—was important. And scoring coverage for this special wedding was a victory indeed.