Home on Apple Blossom Road (Life in Icicle Falls)
Page 28
“Are you going to sit down?” he asked.
This wasn’t a sit-down conversation. She remained standing. “Why don’t you want me to marry your son?”
He blinked. “I never said that.”
“You told me yesterday not to break his heart.”
“And I meant it. You already broke it once before.”
“He’s the one who broke mine,” she said. “He left me. Colin never told you that?”
“He told me you’d found someone else.”
“He jumped to conclusions.”
Dylan exhaled a world-weary sigh. “Mia, what’s the purpose of this conversation?”
“The purpose is to find out why you don’t like me.”
He pulled back and looked at her in shock. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
Seriously? “I know you’ve never liked me.”
“And you know that how?” Oh, yes, he was, indeed a lawyer. Show me the evidence.
Heat rushed up Mia’s neck and exploded across her face. “I heard what you said to Colin in the orchard all those years ago.” The most humiliating experience of her life, bar none.
He shook his head. “Mia, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
The heat of embarrassment was so intense she was sure her face was going to catch fire and melt. She couldn’t look Dylan in the face, so she focused on Aunt Beth’s half-full mug. “You said, ‘And Mia of all people.’ That was when I knew I wasn’t good enough. I was the little girl you all took in, just a hanger-on.”
“Not good enough! Was that what you thought?”
She looked up to see him staring at her in astonishment. “What else should I have thought?”
“That I was concerned my son was taking advantage of you, that you were young and vulnerable. You’d been through enough, been hurt enough. Our family needed to be a safe place for you, and Colin needed to understand and respect that.”
Now she did sit down, falling onto the chair and placing her hands on the kitchen table to steady them. “I thought...”
“I suppose you thought I was some kind of monster,” he said. “Well, I’m not. I may not be as touchy-feely as my sister, but I care about this family.”
“And what about me?” she asked.
“You’ve always been a member of the family.”
He didn’t exactly come out and say he cared about her, too. Maybe this was as close as he’d ever get. “Your son wants me to marry him.”
“I figured as much.”
Would it hurt Dylan to smile? “Are you okay with that?”
Oh, wait. What was this? A small stretching of the lips, a slight upward curve. “Of course I am. I assume, since we’re having this conversation, that you’re going to say yes.”
“I am if I’m wanted. If I’ve proved myself.”
“You’ve never not been wanted, Mia. You should know that. And you’ve never needed to prove yourself, not to me, anyway.”
She hadn’t? She could feel tears welling up and her throat tightening.
He stood and opened his arms. “Welcome to the family.”
The tears spilled over and she hurried to hug him. “Thank you,” she managed.
He gave her back a pat and then stepped away. “I guess you and your husband-to-be had better decide what you’re going to do with your inheritance.”
She smiled at him, thanked him and then hurried out of the kitchen. She stopped to hug Aunt Beth, who was hovering in the living room, then rushed back out onto the front porch where Colin was waiting.
He was no longer sitting on the porch swing. Now he was pacing. He looked at her, brows knit. “What was that all about?” he asked.
“Just making sure everyone wants me in the family.”
He frowned. “Of course everyone wants you in the family. And even if they didn’t, I don’t care. I want you.”
You’ll always have a family, her mother had promised. Mama was right. She’d lost some important things as a girl, but the Wrights had stepped in and filled the void. They would always be there for her, a rock-solid foundation on which she could build her life with Colin. And they could build that anywhere.
“I need to call my boss.”
He nodded, lips pressed tightly together. He was willing to follow her to the ends of the world, or at least the other side of the country. She couldn’t help remembering The Princess Bride. As you wish.
She wished for so much just now that her heart felt ready to explode.
Andrea answered her phone with a curt hello.
Mia’s heart began to hammer in her chest again. “Andrea, I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it into the office.”
The silence at the other end was like the silence before the guillotine fell or the trap door opened and you wound up swinging by your neck. “Mia.”
“I know. I know what this means. I’m only coming in to wrap things up. I’ll be giving my two weeks’ notice.”
“Have you gone mad?”
“No, I’ve inherited a fortune.”
“Well,” Andrea huffed. “I hope you enjoy spending it. You’ve certainly left me in the lurch.”
“I’m sorry. But I know you’ll find someone to replace me,” Mia said, and ended the call. Considering how many hungry ladder climbers there were at GF Markets, it wouldn’t be hard. Really, there was only one person who considered her irreplaceable.
And right now he was looking at her as if she’d just chopped off her foot. “What was that?”
“That was me starting my new life.” She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, gazed up into those blue eyes, waiting for the smile to come and make them crinkle. “Colin Wright, will you marry me?”
“Babe, the sooner, the better,” he said, and kissed her, his lips hard against hers, filling her with his energy and hope. A moment later he pulled back, brows knitting again. “Are you sure? I said I’d move to Chicago and I meant it.”
“I don’t need that job anymore.”
“This isn’t exactly a fortune.”
“I don’t need a fortune.” And she didn’t need some fancy job to prove her worth. “All I need is you.”
Now it came, the smile that lit his eyes and made them crinkle at the sides. By the time he was fifty he’d have deep crow’s feet. And he’d still look gorgeous.
“We can be us anywhere,” she said softly, “but the best place to be us is right here in Icicle Falls, carrying on the family tradition.” She didn’t need to prove herself anymore. She simply needed to enjoy belonging.
* * *
She knew it. She’d always known it. Beth sauntered back into the kitchen, sat down at the table where her stubborn brother was finishing his coffee and picked up her mug.
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you ready to admit Mom and I were right?”
“You were eavesdropping” he accused her.
“Of course I was. Honestly, Dylan, it’s a good thing we all love you or we’d have to kick you out of the family.”
“I had no idea she felt like that,” he protested.
For such an intelligent man, he had a shocking lack of wisdom when it came to people. “I think you owe Mom and me an apology. Since she’s not here, I’ll accept it on her behalf.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Come on, say it. Repeat after me. ‘You were right.’”
“Yes, yes. It looks like, for once in your life, you were right.”
“And maybe I’m right about a few other things. We got Colin squared away. Now, how about you?”
“That’s okay. You should have enough to keep you busy interfering in Colin and Mia’s lives.”
“I never interfere...unless it’s necessary.”
He shook his head. “You’re hopeless.”
“No, hopeful.”
He did smile at that. “Well, it looks like you pinned your hopes on the right couple.” He downed the last of his drink, then gave her a hug. “Send them to me when they’re ready to discuss the details of the inheritance,” he said. Then he slipped out the back door.
Beth took a deep, satisfying breath. “Well, Mom. You did it.” For a minute, it seemed as if the sun shining through her kitchen window was just a little brighter and she felt its warmth on her shoulders, as if a gentle arm was suddenly wrapped around them. People probably had better things to do in the afterlife than hang around and watch their relatives fumbling and bumbling down here on earth. But Beth was sure that Mom had taken time to enjoy this happy moment when her last wandering kids came home.
Home at Last
The late-September Saturday afternoon was warm, the sun shining its blessing on the new couple.
The wedding had been simple but elegant, held on the lawn of the house on Apple Blossom road with enough chairs set up to accommodate fifty guests. Lupine Floral had provided the flowers—white roses and asters—and the three-tiered frosted gingerbread cake, a gift from Cass Wilkes at Gingerbread Haus, had been decorated to match. The cake topping, a small sugar treasure chest filled with chocolate coins, had been a hit, especially since everyone present had known about the treasure hunt. Colin’s dad had been his best man, and Uncle Mark had given the bride away. Bailey Sterling-Black had acted as maid of honor and Aunt Beth had sat in the front row and cried through the entire ceremony. The bride was resplendent in a mermaid gown, enhanced with seed pearls and sequins and made by Beth. In short, it had been a perfect wedding.
Colin and Mia hadn’t gone farther than Seattle for their honeymoon and had run into Lorelei while they were eating at Wild Ginger. She’d come in with a very fit-looking fortysomething man and had happily snubbed them.
Now they were back, strolling hand in hand in the orchard. “I still can’t believe this is ours,” Colin said, taking in the rows of trees with their evening sunshine nimbuses.
“Me, neither,” Mia said.
He looked down at her. She was so beautiful, with the sunlight making her dark hair glow. Heck, she was beautiful anytime of day. “You know what else I can’t believe? That we’re finally together for good.”
“Believe it,” she said with a smile.
He drew her to him and kissed her. Her lips were warm and she leaned into him, as solid and real as the trees surrounding them. Their history was here and their roots ran as deep as those trees. This was where they’d started out; this was where they’d ended up. This was where they belonged.
They stayed outside until the sun set, talking yet again of their plans for the orchard—all the new methods Colin was going to employ, the bees they’d be bringing in, new outlets they could find for their apples and complementary products they could sell.
Glancing around the orchard, Colin could almost see Gramps up on a ladder, trimming a tree, could see Dad in his jeans and T-shirt, pitching in to help with the harvest, could smell that apple pie baking in Gram’s oven and taste her apple crisp. For a moment there he could’ve sworn he’d caught a glimpse of a boy who looked exactly like him chasing a laughing dark-haired little girl through the trees. This orchard was as much a part of his family as the people who’d tended and loved it. Everything they could ever need or want was right here.
And would be. Someday their children and maybe a foster child or two would play in this orchard, grow up to help with the harvest.
“You know, Dorothy was right. There’s no place like home,” Mia said as if reading his thoughts.
“Come on,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go inside.”
They turned and made their way back to the house. Their house. It was time to make new memories.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from A WEDDING ON PRIMROSE STREET by Sheila Roberts.
Recipes from Gram
Beth has almost completed her mother’s cookbook. Here are a few of the recipes from it.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
2 or 3 large apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
¾ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Butter a large pie pan and arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Work together the sugar, flour and butter until crumbly. Spread over the apples and bake at 350 for thirty minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Blackberry Scones
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour (save out ¼ cup)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ cup butter
⅓ cup sugar
⅔ cup milk
1 cup blackberries
Directions:
Mix together the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Gently add blackberries and then the milk. Form the dough into two balls and knead in the extra quarter cup of flour. Shape into two flat round pieces and cut into quarters. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 425 for twelve to fifteen minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Peach Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients:
Upside-down topping:
¼ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
3 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (or 1 cup canned sliced peaches)
Cake:
1 ¼ cup flour
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
Directions:
Put butter in a pie pan and melt over a stove burner on low heat. Add brown sugar and let it dissolve. Then arrange peaches over that. Mix the cake batter and pour over peaches. Bake at 350 for twenty-five minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Mulligatawny Soup
(Courtesy of Selma Moyle)
Ingredients:
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups diced cooked chicken (2–3 boneless chicken breasts, depending on size)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large onion should do it)
¼ cup butter
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
5 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
Cook carrots and celery in 1 cup broth for twenty minutes or until tender. Add chicken. Heat, cover and keep warm. Sauté onion in butter in a large pot or Dutch oven until soft. Stir in apple, curry and salt and sauté five minutes longer or until apple is soft. Add flour. Gradually stir in the rest of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer fifteen minutes. Add vegetables and chicken with the broth they were cooked in and bring just to boiling. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with rice or sourdough French bread.
Guten Appetit!
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Floyd Stutzman, owner of the Stutzman Ranch, for taking time to allow me a glimpse into the hard work and loving care involved in managing an orchard. I want to own an orchard! Well, maybe not. It’s a lot of work. Instead, I think I’ll just come and buy apples from Floyd. Thanks also to my friend Glenn Anderson at Edward Jones for letting me pick his brain about stocks. Wish I’d bought stock in Apple way back in 2005! I sure appreciate my loyal writing buddies who try to
keep me on track—Susan Wiggs, Kate Breslin, Lois Dyer, A. J. Banner and Elsa Watson. Thank you as always to my agent, Paige Wheeler, who never fails me, my wonderful editor Paula Eykelhof for her insight and advice, and to all the dedicated staff at Harlequin MIRA for giving me such a lovely cover and so much support. I love writing stories and you all make it possible!
“Sheila Roberts makes me laugh. I read her books and come away inspired, hopeful and happy.”
—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Did you enjoy Home on Apple Blossom Road? Don’t miss a heartwarming moment in the Life in Icicle Falls series from Sheila Roberts.
Catch up on the complete series today for more charming tales of small-town romance:
Welcome to Icicle Falls (novella)
Better Than Chocolate
Merry Ex-Mas
What She Wants
The Cottage on Juniper Ridge
The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane
The Lodge on Holly Road
A Wedding on Primrose Street
Christmas on Candy Cane Lane
Complete your collection!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
A Wedding on Primrose Street
by Sheila Roberts
Chapter One
Anne, Wedding Planner and Mother of the Bride
“I don’t care what my daughter thinks she wants. We are not having daisies at the wedding. They stink.”
Anne Richardson pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to stop the headache that was forming. She loved being a wedding planner...most days. But difficult clients did suck some of the joy out of her job. Everyone talked about Bridezillas, but in Anne’s opinion Momzillas were ten times worse. And she was sure that Seattle had ten times more Momzillas per capita than any other city in the country.