Tess in Boots

by Courtney Rice Gager

  Tess in Boots

  By Courtney Rice Gager

  Copyright 2014 Courtney Rice Gager

  Published by Anaiah Romance

  An imprint of Anaiah Press, LLC.

  7780 49th ST N. #129

  Pinellas Park, FL 33781

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places, names, events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any likeness to any events, locations, or persons, alive or otherwise, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. For inquiries and information, address Anaiah Press, LLC., 7780 49th ST N. #129 Pinellas Park, Florida, 33781

  First Anaiah Romance ebook edition December 2014

  Edited by Kara Leigh Miller

  Book Design by Eden Plantz

  Cover Design by Anaiah Press, LLC.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and remains the copyrighted property of the author. Please do not redistribute this book for either commercial or noncommercial use. If you enjoyed this book and would like to share it with another person, please encourage them to download their own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  For the original members of the Kourtland Vineyard crew, who taught me what a good crop is made of - prayers, blisters, and dreams.

  Acknowledgements

  Always first and foremost: Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours (1 Chr 29:11). Thank you to Executive Editor Eden Plantz and the entire team at Anaiah Press for making this publication possible. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for my editor, Kara Leigh Miller. Kara fell in love with Tess in Boots and wouldn’t rest until it sparkled. She was the first and founding member of #TeamThatcher, she thinks of everything, and she is simply the best. A special thank you goes to cover artist Kayelle Allen for creating the perfect visual representation of this story. Another special thank you to Hanna Oliwa and Melinda Dozier for their dedicated publicity work. I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for Heidi Norrod, who created, organized, and hosted the #AdPit Twitter Pitch Party which resulted in my first official publishing contract. Thank you to my fellow authors at Anaiah Press and to everyone who helped spread the word about this book. How do I begin to thank my supportive family and friends for your constant words of enthusiasm and encouragement? I am blessed beyond measure to have too many of you to name, but you know who you are and you’re dear to my heart. Thank you to Mom, Dad, and Andy for your stint in homemade wine-making which inspired the setting of this story, and also for reading everything I’ve ever written and loving me anyway. An enormous thank you to my incredible husband, Kyle, who’s always willing to discuss plot twists over dinner, and whose country-boy alter ego inspired much of my hero’s charm. Thank you to my sweet girl Estie for faithfully napping day-in and day-out so Mommy could have extra time to write and edit this story. And thank you, readers, because when all is said and done, this book is for you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  CHAPTER 1

  It wasn’t bothering me at all.

  And why would it bother me? It was such a minor thing. No one else seemed to be aware of this tiny imperfection, so I wasn’t about to let myself get all worked up over it.

  Let it go, Tess.

  I glanced up at Logan, and then back at the chipped nail polish.

  If only it wasn’t the nail. All nine of my other nails were polished to perfection. Of course the one on my left ring finger was chipped.

  But it didn’t matter, I reminded myself. It didn’t matter because any minute he would pull out the ring, slip it on my finger, and…

  And the biggest moment of my life would be forever ruined by a stupid chipped nail.

  It did matter.

  I had to fix it. The bottle of polish was stashed in my purse. I could excuse myself, go to the bathroom, and do a quick touch…

  “Tess? Sweetheart?” Logan reached his hand out and covered mine, shielding the nail from view.

  I jumped in my chair. “Hmm?”

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  He smiled. “Good. You seem a little distracted.”

  “Is that the restroom in the corner?” I scooted toward the edge of the booth.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yes. But… do you think it can wait? I have a surprise coming for you.”

  A waiter in a crisp, white shirt rounded the corner, carrying a small tray covered with a gleaming silver lid. He gave Logan a knowing look as he placed it before me on the table.

  I slid back into place and folded my hands on my lap.

  It was happening!

  He was doing it now.

  There was no time to fix the nail.

  Forget the nail, Tess! Try to focus on the things that are perfect.

  I looked into Logan’s eyes and took a long, slow breath. Aside from the chipped nail polish, it had been the perfect evening. First, we took a walk along the waterfront, watching the river glitter under the glow of a dazzling coral sunset. And then we ended up here, at this quaint little candlelit café with its deep mahogany tables and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson. We came here once before, on our first date many years ago. Tonight it was almost empty, except for a small group of diners at the far end of the room.

  Logan was rarely spontaneous, so I knew he was planning to propose when he called earlier in the afternoon to tell me he was taking me here for a special evening. I’d waited years for this moment, and it took all my willpower to keep from jumping up and shouting, “Yes!”

  But I couldn’t. Not yet, at least.

  “What’s this?” I nodded toward the tray.

  Logan cleared his throat. “It’s for you. I brought you here tonight because I want to celebrate how far we’ve come since… well, since the first time we came here.”

  I was so giddy I caught myself squirming a little. I couldn’t help it.

  He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the handle on the tray’s lid. “We’ve both made a lot of sacrifices, but it was all worth it, Tess. Tomorrow, the whole world will know the big news. But tonight, I want to be the first to say…”

  He lifted the lid, and I let out a breathy gasp before I saw what was hiding underneath.

  Then I did see it.

  And it wasn’t a ring. Not even close.

  It was a small white cake with the word Congratulati
ons scrawled across it in purple frosting. I blinked several times. Congratulations?

  Congratulations?

  “Congratulations, Tess!” Logan beamed.

  I shifted in my seat and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I was still baffled when the waiter reappeared, wheeling a beverage cart.

  “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

  “Um… I’m not exactly sure,” I said.

  “She’s being modest!” Logan flashed him a grin. “My beautiful girlfriend got a big promotion at work. A very well-deserved one. And I couldn’t be more proud.”

  My promotion.

  We’re here to celebrate my promotion.

  The realization oozed from my mind down to my stomach where an uncomfortable pit was forming.

  “Ah,” the waiter said, “I’ll bring out some espresso on the house, then. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” My voice was almost inaudible.

  The waiter made a grand show of cutting the cake and presenting me with the first piece. Then he placed a second slice in front of Logan. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “Just the check please,” Logan said.

  “I’ll be right back with that, sir. Enjoy.”

  Logan grinned as I took a bite of cake.

  It was delicious.

  And for some reason, that made me feel worse.

  We ate our cake in silence for a few minutes, and with every delectable bite, I found myself stewing more and more over the fact Logan hadn’t proposed.

  “We’re happy, aren’t we?” I blurted it out so abruptly I even surprised myself.

  “Of course we are.” From across the table, he sipped his espresso and raised his eyebrows at me.

  “Then why aren’t we—” I lowered my fork onto the table and folded my hands. “Then why aren’t we married?”

  Logan spit his coffee back into the tiny porcelain mug he was holding. There was a faint plinking sound as he placed the cup onto its saucer. “Tess…”

  I broke the cardinal, unspoken rule of our relationship. I said The M Word, a word reserved exclusively for use at weddings, or occasionally when referencing an acquaintance, never in the context of our future together.

  I first learned not to mention the word marriage to Logan a few years back at an engagement party for one of his friends. “They’ve been dating since high school,” he said.

  My eyes widened. “They have? What took him so long to propose?”

  He put an arm around me and smirked. “Probably because she wouldn’t stop pestering him about it. Nothing scares a guy off more.”

  I’d taken a sip of my drink and silently vowed to never utter The M Word to him.

  But I didn’t care about the rule now. I needed to broach the subject. I couldn’t dance around it anymore, not after tonight.

  “It’s just… do you even want to get married?” I tried to smile and keep calm while I waited for his response.

  It was an honest question. Logan came from money, it was no secret. Sure, he built his own career and his own life. But all of it was backed by the safety net of a rich father who had a summer house in the Hamptons and a trust fund for his two sons. Was Logan one of those guys who would never get married for fear of losing the family fortune to some gold digger? It wasn’t that big of a stretch. Why else would he have waited this long?

  “Tess, let’s not do this here.” He placed several bills into the black booklet the waiter left on the table before standing up and pulling my shawl off the back of a nearby chair. Then he wrapped it around my shoulders and led me out of the restaurant.

  I told myself I would remain calm, but my blood pressure rose with each step. My skin grew hot. I yanked the shawl off my shoulders and crumpled it into a ball. Why won’t he answer the question?

  As soon as we got out onto the sidewalk, I turned to face him. “I’m not waiting around forever, Logan.”

  It was dark, but I could see his bewildered expression under the streetlights.

  “I’m not,” I said. “I mean it. I’ll give it until the end of the summer, but that’s it.”

  And there it was. I gave him an ultimatum. I hadn’t planned to go there. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure how it happened.

  We stood there staring at each other for a long time.

  What had I said? What did it mean for us?

  After a while he turned and said, “Let’s go.”

  We walked in awkward silence for a few blocks until we reached my building.

  “I have an early flight,” he said.

  He was leaving, and I couldn’t let the ultimatum be the last thing I said to him. I needed to make things right. I had to apologize.

  “Logan, I’m—”

  “I’ll call you. Good night, Tess.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. He didn’t even kiss me. He just turned and left me standing there, watching his shadowy silhouette until it faded into the darkness.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Oh, Tess. That's…” Annie stopped stirring her coffee and looked at me with equal parts pity and concern.

  I placed my cup down on the counter and glanced around the coffee shop to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “I know.”

  “Okay, maybe it's not as bad as you think.” She went back to stirring with a determined nod. “You caught him off guard, that's all. Maybe he needs time to think. Or maybe he's planning some big surprise and wants to throw you off the scent.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” I was desperate to believe it, but deep down I knew the only big surprise Logan had up his sleeve was the cake, and I made a real mess of that one. For years, he and I were perfect. How could I have blown things so much in a matter of seconds?

  “What about after dinner? How did the night end?” Annie asked.

  “There was no after dinner. He went home to pack. He's leaving today on a business trip to Europe. He’ll be gone for ten days.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Excuse me.” A woman reached across me to grab a napkin from the counter where we stood fixing our coffee. Her hand passed through my line of vision, and I gaped at the large shimmering diamond she wore.

  I guess she didn’t scare her boyfriend away. Must be nice. I wonder how he proposed. Probably on a white horse, or maybe a boat somewhere…

  “Tess? Hello? Earth to Tess.” Annie waved her hand in front of my face.

  “Huh?” My eyes came back into focus. The woman with the ring was gone, and Annie gave me an exasperated look.

  “I said, what was the last thing Logan said to you?”

  I fidgeted with my necklace. “Oh… he said he'd call.”

  “See there? He'll call.”

  “He hasn't yet.”

  “It's early. Give him a chance to wake up.”

  I appreciated her attempt to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. “He left for the airport at six,” I said. “He always calls me first thing in the morning. Or at least texts.”

  “Maybe your phone is broken?”

  “I got your text.”

  “Maybe his phone is broken?”

  My shoulders dropped. “Maybe.”

  “Look, Tess. It’ll work out. Don't let it get to you. Not today. Today is your big day.” Annie held the door for me and we stepped out of the coffee shop, merging onto the crowded sidewalk.

  She was right. I needed to pull it together. Today was the day of the big announcement. Today, I would become Tess Dougherty, Director of Marketing. I’d technically been in the role of director for months, ever since my boss left for a VP position in sunny Florida. Today it would be announced to the entire company. Today it would all be worth it; all the years spent commuting into the city, all the late nights spent at the office, and all the vacations left untaken.

  “I knew it the day you walked into Stevenson.” Annie nudged me with her shoulder. “You’ve pretty much been running the place ever since. It’s about time they made it official.”

  Annie had been the rec
eptionist at Stevenson since a few weeks before I joined the team as a marketing intern. Well, a telemarketing intern, to be exact. Sure, it wasn't quite what I dreamed of as a fresh-out-of-college girl looking to take on the world, but in Lower Manhattan, the competition for good marketing jobs was as steep as the rent for a decent apartment. So I settled for working at Stevenson and living in Hoboken in a charming remodeled place that boasted a stunning city view from the fire escape. I’d often sit out there in the evening, taking in the sparkle of the busy skyline and feeling content because I was building something solid, something real. A steady career. A long-term relationship with Logan: gorgeous, flawless Logan, who worked in the financial district and always wore just the right amount of cologne.

  Over the years, Annie patiently listened to me in the break room as I debated over what type of flower arrangements we would have at our wedding. A wedding which, thanks to my big mouth, would probably never happen.

  “Maybe I should call him,” I said.

  “Tess! Focus.”

  We filed through the revolving doors of our building and Annie pushed the elevator button that would take us to the fourteenth floor. On the way up, I reapplied my lip gloss and checked my hair in the elevator mirrors. When the ding of the bell signaled our arrival, I waited for the doors to part and reveal the bright, bustling office like they had thousands of times before.

  Annie was right. Today was my big day. Today, things would be different.

  But I wasn't quite prepared for how different they would be.

  As soon as the doors opened it was clear something was wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong.

  The entire office was flooded with an unsettling sense of urgency. Five or six phones were ringing, but no one bothered to pick them up. Every chair was empty as frantic people milled about, some pacing around with furrowed brows, others standing at their desks and tossing papers into wastebaskets by the armful. Three security guards monitored the chaos from a makeshift post near the conference room.

  Annie and I stood frozen outside the elevator doors, taking in the scene in disbelief.

  I squinted and scanned the room. “What do you suppose…”