Love Finds You in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

by Annalisa Daughety

  “Oh.” The disappointment came through the phone. “That’s fine. I was just thinking of getting some of our old classmates together.”

  “Maybe some other time.”

  His platitude seemed to satisfy her. He clicked the phone off and paced, lost in thought.

  After their last conversation, he’d gotten the impression that Caroline was seriously considering raising Lance and Valerie’s child. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around that concept. On the one hand, he could see how unselfish it would be, providing a loving, stable home for the other innocent victim in the whole mess. But at the same time, how would that impact her life—and his? He raked his fingers through his hair. It was too much for him.

  “Michael,” a voice called.

  He looked up and grinned. “You are a sight for sore eyes.” He lifted her into an embrace and twirled her around.

  She giggled. “A girl needs to twirl every now and then,” she said when he put her back on her feet. “I’ve missed you.”

  He pulled her to him. “And I’ve missed you.” He grabbed her hand. “Now let’s get out of here.”

  Caroline hung back. “I have a couple of checked bags.” She winked. “My sundress. Remember?” She clung tightly to his hand as they walked to baggage claim.

  He laughed. “Of course. Now we’ll just have to plan a night out for you to wear it.”

  Her face lit up. “Sounds perfect.” She grinned. “But you know what I want to do tonight?”

  “What’s that?”

  She grinned. “When we get to Lancaster, let’s drive through Five Guys and get burgers…then swing by and pick up Bandit…then go to my place and eat and catch up.”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me, but I have a little surprise for you.”

  She furrowed her brow. “What?” she asked as they stood side by side at baggage claim.

  He shook his head. “Uh-uh. Patience, please.”

  She made a face but didn’t press. “There they are,” she said, pointing to two pale-blue, paisley-printed suitcases.

  “You must have brought a whole closet full of sundresses,” he grumbled, lifting one suitcase and then the other to the ground.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I’d just as soon not have to go back to Atlanta for a while.” She shrugged. “So I brought a few things I might need.” She took the handle of one of the suitcases. “Now let’s go. I can’t wait to see my surprise.”

  He loved the way her brown eyes lit up when she was excited about something. “Lead the way,” he said.

  Caroline was happy to be back. Being with Michael almost made her forget about Valerie’s gigantic, pregnant belly.

  Almost.

  She still couldn’t believe it. She’d wanted to ask Valerie more questions, but her time had been up. Caroline couldn’t help but wonder if Lance had planned to tell her about the baby. And she also wanted to know what his reaction had been to learning that Valerie was pregnant. He’d been so adamant that he wasn’t ready to be a father. Had that changed when he learned he was actually going to be one? So many questions and no real answers.

  Caroline had no idea how to make a decision about whether to raise the child. On the one hand, it seemed crazy to consider it. But on the other hand, it seemed wrong not to.

  Michael pointed at a row of vehicles. “I’m over there,” he said.

  She followed him to his SUV. “Is the car running?” she asked.

  “I wanted it to be cool.” He grinned.

  Caroline laughed. “Silly, I’m not going to melt.”

  He lifted the back end of the SUV and there sat Bandit.

  “Oh my goodness,” Caroline exclaimed, scooping the puppy into her arms. “He’s grown so much.”

  Michael laughed. “You’ve only been gone for three days.”

  She pulled the wriggling dog to her and nuzzled his soft fur.

  Bandit rewarded her by licking her on the nose.

  She looked at Michael. “Thank you so much. This makes me so happy.” She laughed. “I’ve missed him so much.”

  “The million-dollar question is, did you miss me or Bandit more?” he said as they started toward the airport exit.

  Caroline giggled. “That isn’t fair. I missed you in different ways. I missed your conversations and his puppy breath.” She glanced over at him. “How’s that for an answer?”

  “Sounds like a cop-out to me.” He reached over and patted her leg. “But I’ll take it.”

  “Anything exciting happen at work on Friday?”

  Michael shook his head. “Not really. I’m helping to promote a half marathon that’s coming up in the fall.” He shrugged. “That’s about the only new thing going on.”

  Caroline sat up a little straighter. “You know, I might need to get some information about that. I’m thinking of taking up running again.”

  “Have you done a half marathon before?”

  She shook her head. “The longest race I’ve ever done was a 10K.” She grinned. “But the upside is that if I start training for a half marathon, I can eat all the shoofly pie I want to.”

  He laughed. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” He glanced in his rearview mirror and switched lanes. “I’m not much of a runner, but I’ll cheer for you at the end.”

  Caroline grinned. “That sounds perfect. You and Bandit can be at the finish line.” She scratched the puppy behind the ears. After the excitement of their reunion, he’d fallen asleep in her lap.

  “Great,” Michael grumbled. “You’ll probably kiss him first.”

  She laughed. “Please tell me you aren’t jealous of this tiny little puppy.”

  He glanced over at her. “I can think of ways for you to make it up to me once we get back to your house.”

  At the thought of kissing him, she blushed. “You can? Well, I’ll do my best.” She grinned.

  Michael flipped on his blinker. “Five Guys still sound good to you?”

  “Yum,” she said. “I’m totally starved. By the time I got to my gate, it was too late to grab anything to eat. And then, of course, we were delayed. We sat on the plane forever before we took off.”

  “Flying is a pain,” he said, pulling into the drive-thru line.

  She nodded. “Especially flying alone.” She grinned. “Maybe next time I have to fly somewhere, I can take someone with me.”

  “Like me?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Or Bandit. You know, most flights let one dog fly in the cabin as long as they’re crated.”

  He groaned. “You’re impossible.”

  She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m kidding. Of course I’m talking about you.” She grinned. “I’d never subject Bandit to the stress of flying.”

  Michael burst out laughing. “I’ve missed you. A lot.” His face grew serious.

  She watched the emotions play across his face. “I missed you too. It was a hard trip.”

  He reached over and took her hand. “I’m sure facing the team and the fans was difficult. I’m proud of you for keeping your head high.”

  She sighed. “The easy thing to do would’ve been to say no. I could’ve said I wasn’t ready.” She shook her head. “But, honestly, I think the whole scene helped me to get some closure.”

  “You think so?”

  “I think I’ve finally accepted everything. Lance was a big part of my life. Things didn’t turn out the way I expected them to, but he and I still did a lot of good together. The foundation that we established has helped a lot of kids. So I’m trying to just focus on the good things.” She glanced over at him. “When I threw that ball out today, I sort of felt like it was my way of really letting go of the past. I’m done.”

  “Except for the trial. And the baby.”

  She nodded. “Yes. And those will be tough to deal with. But I feel a peace now that I didn’t feel before.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Caroline grinned. “Now let’s order burgers and not talk about anything serious for the rest o
f the night.”

  He laughed. “You’ve got a deal.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Lydia Ann stuck her head through the doorway of the bookstore. “Caroline?” she called.

  “I’m in here,” Caroline said from the coffeepot.

  Lydia Ann grinned. “I want to hear about your trip.” She walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “It went okay.” Caroline motioned to a chair. “Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

  Lydia Ann sat across from her. “Was it strange to be back?”

  “Kind of. I mean, there are things I miss. Mostly material things, though.” Caroline shook her head. “I guess that sounds stupid. But some of the stuff in my house, like old family pictures and books that I love and certain things that I’ve had forever…I miss that. It was nice to be around it again.”

  “That doesn’t seem strange. There is a reason the saying says ‘comforts of home.’ I think that the things we surround ourselves with—the familiar things—have a way of bringing us comfort.” Lydia Ann thought of her own kitchen in Charm. Her mamm’s mixing bowl sat in the cabinet. Every time Lydia Ann used it, she thought back to when she was a girl and helping Mamm cook. So she could understand where Caroline was coming from.

  “But I missed you and the girls. And Bandit.” Caroline smiled. “And Michael.” She shrugged. “Overall, I’m glad I went back. I had to get some things settled with Lance’s estate. And the baseball team honored Lance at Saturday’s game, so I had to be there for that.” She met Lydia Ann’s gaze. “And I went to see Valerie.”

  When Caroline had first mentioned going to see the woman who’d shot Lance, Lydia Ann had been surprised. “How did that go?”

  A shadow crossed Caroline’s face. “I was angrier than I thought I’d be. I mean, for all his faults, Lance certainly didn’t deserve what he got.” She managed a smile. “But I thought about what you said—about it being difficult to be angry at the people you pray for. I think that helped me.” She bit her lip. “But there was something I didn’t expect.”

  Lydia Ann was glad to hear that she’d helped in some way. “What’s that?”

  “Valerie is pregnant.”

  A gasp escaped Lydia Ann’s throat.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Caroline had shared how much she’d always hoped to be a mother. Learning of the pregnancy must have been very difficult. “How are you holding up?”

  “It was a huge shock. Made even bigger when she asked me to raise the child as my own.” Caroline’s brown eyes filled with tears. “And now I’m left with an impossible decision.”

  Lydia Ann didn’t even try to hide her surprise. She couldn’t imagine how Caroline must feel. “So you’re considering it?”

  Caroline nodded. “There’s no one else. If we go too far down the family trees, I’m afraid we’ll find people who say yes just because the child will be entitled to part of Lance’s money.” She sighed. “That was one thing Valerie and I agreed on. The baby deserves to be raised in a home where it’s loved. Not in a home where it’s seen as an easy meal ticket.”

  “You’re in a difficult position.”

  “On the one hand, I’ve wanted to be a mother for so long. I keep wondering if this is my chance. But on the other, I don’t know if raising Valerie and Lance’s child is something I can handle.”

  Lydia Ann shook her head. “I will be praying that the outcome is the best for everyone involved.”

  “Thank you.”

  No matter the situation, prayer was always the answer.

  Caroline took another sip of her coffee. “Enough about that. How was everything here while I was gone?”

  Lydia Ann smiled. “Fine. Leah came and helped me on Friday. There wasn’t any trouble.”

  “Thank you so much for handling things for me. And I can’t thank you enough for letting Katie and Mary keep Bandit.”

  Lydia Ann laughed. “They had so much fun. When I went to their room to wake them on Friday morning, he was right in the middle of them. All three, sound asleep.” She shook her head. “Katie told me they’d planned on letting him sleep in his little crate. But he cried, so they let him out.”

  Caroline grinned. “He’s a little stinker. I’m glad they had fun, though.” She glanced around. “Where are they, anyway?”

  “Leah is going to bring them by a little later.” She smiled. “They’ve really taken to her.”

  “And how is Simon?”

  Lydia Ann’s face grew pink with happiness. “He’s fine. Dat invited him to dinner on Friday.” She grinned. “And Saturday I took the girls to the farm to help him.”

  Caroline raised an eyebrow. “How was that?”

  “It was a nice day. The girls enjoyed themselves.” She grinned. “And so did I.” She cleared her throat. “I told Simon that I’m considering staying in Lancaster County for good.”

  “You are?” Caroline asked. “That’s wonderful.” She grinned. “And I expect he was pleased to hear that news.”

  Lydia Ann nodded. “I think he was.” She turned questioning eyes toward Caroline. “How about you? Are you moving back to Atlanta once the trial is over?”

  Caroline had tossed and turned all last night thinking about it. “I don’t know. I guess it makes sense for me to move back there. I have a house, and I’ve been really active in the foundation that Lance and I started.” She sighed. “But at the same time, I really like it here.” Even when she took Michael out of the equation, she was happy in Lancaster County. The peace she’d found here might be worth the trouble of relocating for good.

  “The good thing is that neither of us have to decide today.” Lydia Ann smiled.

  Caroline rose from the table. “Right.” She glanced at the wall clock. “Especially now, when we’re just opening for business.”

  As if on cue, the bookstore door opened and a couple walked in.

  Caroline pasted on a smile and went to greet them. It was good to be back.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “You given any thought to that reunion I mentioned last week?” Jenny asked from the cubicle entrance.

  Michael looked up from the blog post he was working on. “Huh?” It took him a minute to register what she meant. “Oh. Right.” He leaned back in his chair. “Just let me know if you guys are going to get together. And where.” He grinned at her. “I’ll try to make it if I can.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I kind of need more input from you than that. I mean, I was doing it for you.”

  His eyes widened. “Don’t go to any trouble or anything. I thought maybe it was something you’d been planning for awhile.” The last thing he wanted was to be indebted to Jenny for anything.

  Jenny sank into the guest chair. “I don’t mind. I think it would be fun for you to see the old gang.” She smiled. “You could bring your new girlfriend.”

  She’d been so persistent about wanting to meet Caroline. It seemed like the more he declined, the more she pushed for an introduction.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. She’s pretty busy these days.”

  “Come on. I’m sure she’d love to hear stories about you from back then.” Jenny smiled broadly. “And I have a ton of stories to tell.”

  Michael grimaced at the thought of Jenny telling Caroline about him. He didn’t care to reminisce about high school. He remembered it as a terribly awkward time when he didn’t really know who he was. His late twenties might not be perfection, but he knew he wouldn’t want to be seventeen again. “We’ll see.” He turned back to his computer, hoping his answer had placated her enough to get her to leave.

  “Are you ashamed of the fact that you dated me or something?” Jenny asked.

  He looked up at her in surprise. “Of course not. But that was a long time ago. Years ago, in fact.” Michael shrugged. “We’ve both moved on. Caroline knows that you and I work together, though.”

  “I hope it doesn’t bother her that you work with an old girlfriend.” Jenny let out a tink
ling laugh. “So many affairs start in the workplace these days. I know I wouldn’t want the guy I was dating working with an ex.”

  Michael sighed. “Caroline trusts me. So it’s fine.”

  Jenny stood. “That’s good.” She paused before she left the cubicle. “I still might try and get everyone together. I’ll let you know.”

  Michael watched her walk off and tried to shake the uneasy feeling he was getting. Jenny wouldn’t give up. He was certain he wasn’t sending mixed signals to her. But she didn’t seem to be getting the hint.

  He sighed and turned his attention back to his work.

  Caroline locked the front door after the last customer left the bookstore. “Man. It’s been some kind of week.” She sank onto the love seat.

  “Sales were up this week,” Lydia Ann said as she removed the money from the cash register. “The grand-opening publicity that Michael did must have worked.”

  Caroline nodded. “It sure did.” She’d been pleased with the work he’d done. “And I think the children’s story time is really catching on.”

  Lydia Ann counted the cash into stacks. “It seems that way. Even though children don’t actually spend money, their parents do.” She placed the stacks carefully in the bank deposit bag. “How would you feel about offering hot tea as well as coffee? I had a couple of customers ask about that today.”

  “I think it sounds like a great idea. In fact, let’s see if we can purchase it from your dad’s store. I know he and Leah carry a big selection.” Caroline emptied the last bit of coffee from the still-warm pot.

  “I’ll talk to him about it tonight.” Lydia Ann picked up some stray books and placed them back where they belonged. “Do you have big weekend plans?”

  Caroline couldn’t hide her excitement. “Actually, yes. Michael and I are getting dressed up and going out tonight.” She’d been looking forward to this night all week. It had been a long time since she’d gotten all fixed up for a fun night out.

  “Where are you going?” Lydia Ann glanced over her shoulder as she put a book on the top shelf.