Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0)

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  Grady finally felt like he could breathe again.

  Joanna rose, trembling, but before he could reach her, Mom was there. “I’m sorry, Joanna. I think I’ve misjudged you.” She cast a glance toward Grady. “I can’t imagine Vanessa getting down on her knees to take care of Dad. He kept telling me you were different, but I felt I needed to look out for him.”

  “I love Clarence.” Joanna bit her lip. “He’s such a sweetheart. I don’t remember much about my own grandparents.”

  Mom turned to him. “Can you forgive me for not trusting you?”

  Grady slid one arm around each of his two favorite women, kissing Mom’s hair. “You were trying to protect me.”

  She grimaced. “It wasn’t my place.”

  “It’s okay. Now you know what a treasure Joanna is. Even though she doesn’t want to run a flower shop. Do you, sweetheart?” He tightened his hand on her waist and bent to burrow his face in her hair.

  “A-a flower shop?”

  He chuckled. “Never mind. There’s plenty of time for that kind of talk later.” He turned to discover Kenia pushing their grandfather into the room in a wheelchair.

  Joanna tore herself from his grasp and knelt beside the chair, lifting her face to Granddad. “Are you really okay? That was quite a tumble.”

  The old man’s fingers drifted down Joanna’s hair. “I’m okay.” His other hand reached up and touched the rakish white bandage. “Maybe knocked some sense into me.”

  “I was so worried.”

  “No need, child. It was my mistake and, besides, God has me in the palm of His hand. He has you there, too.”

  “Thank you.” Joanna leaned over and pressed a kiss on Granddad’s cheek.

  Grady’s heart was full. Full of relief that Granddad was okay and coherent. Full of pride. Full of thanksgiving and love as Joanna stepped back into the circle of his arm.

  Mom looked between them. “We’ll drive him to Retro Village. You kids can get back to whatever you were doing.”

  Oh, right. The garden beds at the old greenhouses. “I think Cameron’s got everything under control over there, but it won’t hurt to check. Besides, everyone will want to know Granddad is okay.”

  Mom touched Joanna’s arm. “Will you come for lunch on Sunday? Maybe we’ll take a picnic out to the park. Something casual.”

  “That would be nice.” Joanna’s hand caught his where it rested on her hip. “I’d love to.”

  Yes, Grady’s heart was full.

  Chapter 13

  “It looks quite straightforward.” Mr. Wattenberg passed papers around the board table in the church office. “We need to meet minimum fire standards, hire accredited staff, and submit a proposal for curriculum to the Department of Health and Welfare.”

  Joanna flipped through the paperwork. “This shouldn’t be a problem.” Visions of preschoolers — and older kids, too, after school — sowing seeds and watching them grow in the greenhouses filled her mind.

  “The church membership will need to give its approval at the next quarterly meeting.” Mr. Marshall leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

  “Absolutely.” Mrs. Poncetta nodded. “Thankfully that is coming up in just three weeks. Would you like me to create a presentation for the meeting?”

  “That would be very helpful. Thank you.” Joanna looked from one to the other, her gaze resting the longest on Grady. “I’ve been thinking...”

  Grady grinned.

  Mr. Marshall harrumphed.

  “Yes?” Mr. Wattenberg leaned forward.

  “Why stop with children’s programs? Why not have something for other ages as well? I’m thinking of Clarence. He was so anxious to see his precious greenhouses again. I’m sure he and other seniors would love the opportunity to get their hands in the dirt. He’s probably forgotten more about growing plants than the rest of us will ever know.” She nodded at Grady. “Present company excepted.”

  Mrs. Poncetta pursed her lips. “That’s a lovely idea. I think there’s room for all kinds of programming, but maybe we’ll take it one step at a time. Now tell me a bit more about this woman. Evelyn, you said her name was?”

  “Yes. Evelyn Felton is a formerly homeless woman who managed to get a diploma in business management through night classes. She’s as passionate about growing food for the needy as her daughter, Maisie. I’d like to put her name forward as manager for the trust.”

  Mrs. Poncetta’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t want to keep on?”

  Joanna shook her head. “Once the church approves the plan, my job is done. I’m not really cut out for the day-in, day-out part of running something like this.”

  Grady leaned forward with a lopsided smile. “She’d be wasted, Mrs. Poncetta. Joanna is very creative and imaginative. She thrives on new challenges. Once she’s found solutions, others can implement them while she moves on to something new. I think Evelyn is an excellent choice.”

  Joanna held his gaze for several seconds. She’d convinced him that the routine operations of Blossoms by the Akers would suffer under her management. How could there be anything worse than going into the same space, looking at the same people, and doing the same thing every single day?

  Marriage might be a bit like that. But somehow the commonplace with Grady seemed like a rock-solid foundation for adventure.

  “If you’re certain.” Mrs. Poncetta looked from one to the other. “I’m not sure how Ms. Felton can apply for a position that doesn’t yet exist, or how many hours we can offer her on an ongoing basis.”

  “A job description is on the third page of my report.” Joanna held up her copy. “Evelyn is currently holding down two part-time jobs. This administrative position interests her, and I suspect it won’t take more than five hours a week. Perhaps ten when there’s a full complement of programming in place.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”

  Did Mr. Marshall have to sound so disgruntled about it? Joanna smiled at him. “That’s my job. If there isn’t anything else, let’s close this meeting.”

  A few minutes later, Grady tucked her hand in his as they headed into the sunshine. “Well done.”

  “It’s a good set of solutions.” She couldn’t help the smug grin on her face. “Now if only Maisie and the other volunteers keep their end up...”

  “Not your problem anymore.” He guided her across the parking lot to the Eos. “But have you seen that kid? She spends hours over there, waiting for a weed to dare poke out of the dirt so she can rip it out.”

  They drove down the street, and he turned left past the greenhouses. The double row of wooden garden beds gleamed in their newness, young plants standing straight and tall. A pair of volunteers were raising a trellis for climbing green beans.

  Joanna peered out the window until they were past. She turned to look at him. “Where are we going?”

  “It occurred to me a few days ago that you hadn’t seen my house yet.” He watched her face. “Interested?”

  “Of course.” Why hadn’t he taken her before? She’d been afraid to look up the address for fear of the huge Colonial she might find.

  He must have read her mind. “It’s nothing like my parents’ house.”

  “That’s good.”

  Grady chuckled. “You might be glad to know that’s the opposite reaction to Vanessa’s.”

  Joanna arched her eyebrows. “Oh?”

  “For her, it was all about showing off wealth.” He patted the dashboard. “I wanted a splashy sports car, true, but I’d give it up in a heartbeat if you wanted.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to.”

  For all he’d said his home was nothing like his parents’, Joanna couldn’t help but notice the size of the houses increasing the further north Grady took her. Yards grew larger with immaculate landscaping. Newer cars parked in paved driveways, not gravel.

  He parked beside the curb in front of a Craftsman-style bungalow. “What do you think?”

  The mossy green house cascaded back among tall
trees with varying rooflines and a welcoming front porch with square white pillars. If she’d picked her favorite house out of a lineup, this would probably have been it. “I love it.”

  Grady rounded the car, opened the door, and held out his hand. “Come on.”

  He seemed nervous as they strolled up the curved walk. She stopped inside the door and pressed her free hand to cover her mouth. It was amazing, like something from a magazine, with its gleaming wood floors and coffered ceilings. It might not be as formal as his parents’ place, but it was no hovel.

  Beyond the living room, her gaze fell on a huge bouquet of bright flowers on a kitchen island.

  “Do you always have flowers?” Likely one of the perks of being an Akers.

  Grady chuckled. “Not usually. I brought these because I hoped you’d be coming.”

  The bouquet pulled Joanna toward them, something familiar in a space that mattered too much. “They’re gorgeous, as ever.”

  “There’s a card for you.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. He leaned against the archway, hands in his pockets, watching her.

  “Okaaay.” Her name was scrawled across an envelope that had been propped against the pottery vase. She slid her nail beneath the seal and tugged out a postcard and two smaller pieces of paper.

  “Zip the Snake?” Joanna clutched the tickets to her chest and stared at Grady from wide eyes. “You do know that’s a zipline, right? In the canyon? I thought you were afraid of heights.”

  “I’m not really fond of them.”

  “Then...?”

  He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. “I can’t spend my life wrapped in cotton. Sometimes a guy has to take a chance, you know?” He kissed her.

  She knew, all right. The situation with Pierce had been a jab in the back as she’d stood, indecisive. Moving to Arcadia Valley had felt like jumping off a platform and shooting into the unknown at top speed. Now she could hardly remember what had bound her to Salt Lake City. She’d had a few casual friends she already didn’t miss, a few favorite dining spots, a church not as friendly as Grace Fellowship... and Pierce.

  Even without Grady, Arcadia Valley was coming up roses, but with him? They’d sown more than vegetable seeds. They’d sown love. She nestled against his chest. “Taking a chance reminds a person they’re still alive.”

  He laughed. “You’re worth being alive for, definitely.”

  “Good to know.” She twitched the pair of tickets in front of his nose. “So, when are we doing this?”

  “Does Saturday morning work for you? We could make a day of it.”

  “Saturday’s good. I’m tying up another freelance project in the next couple of days. And you’re a bit less busy at the garden center now that spring planting is in? We have a lot to celebrate.”

  “We do.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. “Now let me show you the rest of the place.”

  * * *

  Joanna’s exuberant scream reverberated across the Snake River Canyon.

  If she could do this, so could he. Grady ran clammy hands over his body harness. It was buckled and adjusted, same as the last fourteen times he’d checked.

  The operator snapped the single clip in place. “Ready?”

  Likely ‘no’ wasn’t the appropriate answer. Besides, Joanna already waited for him on the next platform. Grady touched his helmet and tried to speak, but only a squeak came out. He managed a nod, and the world fell away.

  Nooooo! He clung to the thick yellow webbing, all that connected him to the trolley sliding down the cable. In minutes his feet were under him at the lower platform, by far the fastest ten thousand miles of his life.

  Joanna jumped at him the second his harness was unclipped. “Wasn’t that awesome?” she yelled. “Three more to go!”

  He fervently kissed her, thankful to have survived, thankful to have provided her with the adrenaline rush she obviously craved. Maybe mouth-to-mouth resuscitation really worked. After all, he’d lived through one jump. How much worse could the next one be?

  The fourth zip was in front of them before he knew it, this final one two lines side-by-side so they could slide at the same time.

  Joanna snapped herself to the webbing and raised her eyebrows at him. “I’ll beat you to the bottom.”

  “I don’t think so.” He matched her confident stare with one of his own. “Ready on a count of three?”

  “So ready.”

  Seconds later she flew down the line beside him. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. “Joanna!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Will you marry me?”

  She swiveled toward him. “What?” But her wide eyes told him she’d heard.

  “Will you marry me?” he bellowed again.

  “Yes!” she shrieked, a wide grin splitting her face.

  The platform seemed to fly up to meet him. As soon as he could get his feet under himself and the buckle unclipped, he dropped to one knee in front of her, fumbling with the Velcro on his chest pocket. He pulled out a small box.

  Joanna sank to her knees in front of him, gaze fixed on his hands. “You’re serious. You planned this.”

  “Never more serious.” Grady tipped the velvet box toward her. “I love you so much. Will you wear this and become my wife?”

  She captured his face between her hands and leaned in to kiss him with a passion that left him breathless. Maybe that was the relief of having survived the zipline. No, it was definitely from her eager response.

  “Yes, Grady, I’d love to marry you.” Her eyes, mere inches from his, glowed with promise.

  He slipped the diamond solitaire onto the third finger of her left hand. “Life together will always be an adventure. I promise.”

  What’s next in this series from Valerie Comer?

  Sprouts of Love

  Releasing May, 2017

  Single mom Evelyn Felton takes on a third part-time job managing a greenhouse and garden project for Grace Fellowship. Formerly homeless, she’s thrilled to offer truckloads of fresh produce to the local food bank.

  If only Ben Kujak weren’t running Corinna’s Cupboard singlehandedly, he’d be delighted to be on the receiving end. But Evelyn and her dynamo daughter, Maisie, won’t take no for an answer, even if it means restructuring Ben’s charity.

  Soon Ben finds himself wishing they’d transform his personal life, too, but can true love sprout when their pasts collide with the present?

  Dear Reader,

  Thanks for reading Sow in Love! I’m so honored you chose to spend the last few hours with Joanna, Grady, and me. You are so appreciated.

  When my fellow-authors and I began brainstorming the Arcadia Valley Romances, my first thought was to write a series about a community garden. Nothing gelled until the greenhouses came to mind. I borrowed ideas from our local community college, which ran various programs out of a pair of greenhouses for a number of years. Suddenly I had plenty of material and a cast of characters for the four stories (the novella you’ve just read and the three novels still to come) I’d agreed to write.

  Sprouts of Love, in which Evelyn Felton does not fall in love with Cameron Kraus — sorry for the spoiler! — is scheduled for a May 2017 release, with Rooted in Love and Harvest of Love following at six month intervals.

  I welcome contact from readers. At my website, you can contact me via email, read my blog, and find me on social media. You can also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of new releases, contests, special deals, review opportunities, and more!

  In fact, I offer a free short story, Peppermint Kisses, to email subscribers. Peppermint Kisses takes place after Wild Mint Tea in the Farm Fresh Romance series, and it’s not available any other way. Click here to subscribe.

  Meanwhile, keep reading — you’re almost to Danica Favorite’s novella and then Annalisa Daughety’s. Enjoy Arcadia Valley, and I hope we’ll see you back as the novels begin to release.

  Blessings!

  Valerie

  www.va
leriecomer.com

  http://valeriecomer.com/connect/enewsletter/

  Acknowledgments

  My deepest gratitude goes to my fellow Arcadia Valley Romance authors and now good friends: Elizabeth Maddrey, Lee Tobin McClain, Annalisa Daughety, Danica Favorite, and Mary Jane Hathaway. We began brainstorming this series a year before publication, and it’s been pure pleasure working with them. Which is a good thing, since we have eighteen more books in this series to go!

  I’m forever thankful for my husband, Jim. When I suggested a research road trip to the Twin Falls, Idaho, area, all he asked was ‘when do we leave?’ We spent two days, camera in hand. He’d even have gone ziplining with me if the operator had only answered his phone or called us back. Even though I am chicken like Grady.

  I’m always thankful for my fellow inspirational romance author friends at Inspy Romance and my Christian Indie Authors group. I appreciate all who walk the journey with me both personally and professionally.

  Thanks to my many readers and fans who’ve probed for information about the famed Secret Project. I hope you’ll enjoy the world of Arcadia Valley as much as my friends and I have enjoyed creating it for you.

  “It is for this reason that I bow my knees before the Father, after whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray:

  “Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood their entire beings.” (Ephesians 3:14-19 The Voice)