Epilogue
Two months later
Kyla had traded her standard uniform for a casual yellow-and-white sundress, perfect for a casual potluck. The Coleman House’s U-pick store had been transformed for the big end-of-summer potluck. Neighbors from up and down the road came to share produce from their farms. Everything from vegetable dishes, summer salads, watermelons, fruit desserts and grilled chicken dishes were available on two long tables.
Lights were strung around the barn, and Rollin’s collection of old-school music played through the speakers.
“Look at them,” Tracee said as she walked up next to Kyla. “I need to grab my phone and take a picture.”
Kyla stood alongside Tracee and observed her parents looking happier than she’d seen them look in a long time. A week after accepting the offer from Parker Edmunds, they’d found a nice little home with all the modern conveniences her mother longed for and enough room out back for her father to start a small garden.
Instead of Miles producing genetically modified produce on her family’s land, he’d taken a step into the future by investing in her friend Rory’s natural postharvest produce protection. The investment would allow them to start production.
“You know what I hate about potlucks?” Corra asked as she joined them.
“I know. The cleanup afterwards,” Kyla said.
“Bingo. You think any of these folks will volunteer to stick around and help us?”
Kyla looked at Tracee, who was shaking her head.
“Well, do you know what I do like about our potlucks?” Kyla asked.
“All the different foods?” Corra guessed.
“No. The fellowship. I mean, what better way to celebrate the end of the summer’s harvest than with all of this wonderful socializing. Look over there at the other end of the table—our guests are mingling with our neighbors. Everybody’s sampling all this good food.”
“And getting drunk,” Tracee added.
Corra laughed. “They’re only giving out small wine samples. It’s not enough to get anybody drunk.”
“Girl, that homemade stuff is potent. It goes straight to your head. Trust me, I know,” Tracee stated.
“But that’s what I love about these get-togethers. You might not have known there was a winery in the community, or a goat farm, if we didn’t have these little gatherings. I love it,” Kyla said.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. When Tayler suggested we start this, I was right there with her,” Corra said. “Every month somebody shows up who wasn’t here last month. Like Uncle Ernie. I haven’t seen him in over a month.”
Kyla glanced back at the table, where her parents were joined by her Uncle Wallace and Aunt Rita. “I know. Daddy never gets down here. Don’t they look so peaceful? They’re all having such a good time.”
“I’m going to get my phone. This is a picture moment I can’t pass up,” Tracee said as she took off for the house.
“I’d better go find Chris and make sure he eats something before he grabs Rollin and they start pitching horseshoes. You know once that starts they’ll be playing until it gets dark.”
While Corra went to look for her husband and Tracee her phone, Kyla joined her family. Every time a car came up the driveway she turned around, looking for a black SUV.
Finally, Gavin came over and sat next to her. “Did you hear the news?”
Kyla shook her head. “No, what?”
A few weeks after selling the farm, Gavin had landed a position with LSC Communications, a global leader in traditional and digital print services. He also had plans to go back to school. He and his family were staying with Donna’s parents while looking for a home.
“We found a house,” he said, beaming.
“Gavin, that’s great! Where is it?” Kyla asked.
“Smile, you two.”
When Kyla looked up, Tracee started snapping pictures.
“Well, the cavalry has arrived,” Tracee said, lowering the phone and looking beyond them.
Kyla turned around to see Miles in his dark shades, along with Glenda and Brandon, coming across the grass. Her stomach still quivered at the sight of him. In the last two months, their relationship had blossomed into something she’d been looking for her whole life. She’d ended her summer stay at the B and B, and moved back to Lexington, closer to school and Miles.
He stopped to shake hands with Kevin before proceeding toward the barn. She watched as recognition slowly grew on some of their neighbors’ faces. She no longer cared about keeping their relationship private. She wanted the world to know that Miles Parker was hers. She stood up. “I’ll be right back,” she said before walking out to meet him.
Miles greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.”
“I see you brought reinforcements,” she said.
“The more the merrier. You did say this was a party.”
After he released her, she said hello to Brandon and reached out to hug Glenda. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“As much as Miles talks about this place, I wouldn’t have missed it.” Glenda hugged Kyla back. “And thank you for inviting us.”
Kyla shook her head. “Everybody’s welcome.”
“Where’s your father?” Miles asked, looking around.
She gestured to her parents sitting at a table just inside the barn. Then she turned back to Miles. “I don’t know how to thank you.” Tracee had been right; Miles had been a godsend for her family and for her.
He reached out and stroked her cheek. “No. Thank you.”
They walked inside, where Miles exchanged greetings with everyone at the table.
Kyla’s father, although happy about his new house, was still a little testy about having to sell the property in the first place. She stood back as Miles walked over to him.
“Mr. Coleman, it’s nice to see you again, sir,” Miles said as he reached his hand out.
Ernie Coleman stood and shook Miles’s hand. “Mr. Parker, I’m surprised to see you here, but yes, it’s a pleasure.”
“Please, call me Miles.” He took a deep breath. “Sir, if you have a moment, may I speak with you alone?”
Kyla held her breath as her father and her man walked out of the barn.
“What’s going on?” Tracee asked as she walked up to Kyla.
Kyla turned to her sister with wide eyes. “He loves me, Tracee.”
* * *
Miles asked Ernie Coleman to walk down to the gazebo with him, where he pointed out where Kyla held her workshops. He was nervous and stalling, he knew.
Ernie crossed his arms as he stood eye to eye with Miles. “So, what’s this I hear? First you came after my land...and now you want my daughter?”
Miles took a deep breath and smiled at the man he hoped one day would be his father-in-law. “Yes, sir. You might say I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy, but I wanted to speak to you and let you know how much your daughter means to me. Kyla is the woman I’ve been looking for all my life. We share the same passions in life, and together I know we can change the world.”
Ernie tilted his head and gave Miles his best poker face.
“I wanted to let you know how much I love her, and respect her. She’s the most beautiful, intelligent and loving woman a man could ever ask for.” Miles cleared his throat. “And with your blessing, I’d like to ask her to marry me.” The rolling feeling in Miles’s stomach made him nauseated. He couldn’t move as he waited for Ernie Coleman to say something, anything. The man took so long to respond, beads of sweat formed on Miles’s upper lip and forehead.
“Does she want to marry you?” Ernie finally asked.
“Yes, sir. We’ve had numerous discussions about it. I know we haven’t been together long, and we’re not getting married tomorrow, but I don’t need to wait any longer. I kn
ow she’s the woman for me.”
“What about her PhD?” Kyla’s father asked.
Miles nodded. “I will fully support her in anything she wants to do. We’ve even discussed expanding her program after she receives her degree. I want to invest in her vision.”
Ernie smiled, and held out his hand. “You have my blessing. And thank you for asking.”
Miles exhaled. “Sir, there’s one more thing.”
* * *
When Miles and her father walked back into the barn several minutes later, Kyla was talking with Glenda and Brandon. She caught Miles’s eye and the corner of his lip turned up into a smile. She loved him for what he’d just done. She’d been on pins and needles, but he was confident asking her father’s permission was something he had to do. Miles walked over to her while her father joined her mother.
“Were you scared?” she asked.
Miles shook his head. “Nervous maybe, but not scared.”
Her father rapped his hand against the table to get everyone’s attention. Kyla turned around as Miles stood behind her and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Could I get everyone’s attention please? Somebody grab my other daughter over there, talking her head off. I need everyone’s attention.”
Kyla looked back at Miles with narrowed eyes. “What is he doing?”
Miles shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Rollin and Tayler walked over to the table, along with a few neighbors. Corra, Gavin, and her Aunt Rita and Uncle Wallace were already at the table. Kyla whispered to Miles, “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, first I’d like to thank my nephew Rollin for hosting this end-of-harvest gathering. All this good food and fellowship, it’s wonderful.”
The group clapped, and Rollin nodded.
“Well, that’s all I’ve got to say, but this young man here has something to say.” Ernie pointed toward Miles and sat down.
A knot formed in Kyla’s neck when Miles turned her around. She couldn’t swallow. What was he doing? Glenda had moved in close to them and was wiping her eyes.
“Kyla, you know you’re the woman I’ve spent thirty-two years looking for. I love you with all my heart. I love your intelligence, your beauty, your laser-sharp attitude.” The crowd laughed at that last one. “But most of all, I love your passion for helping others, for doing what you do every day to make the world a better place.”
He took a step back, reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a ring. Kyla covered her mouth with her hand. He reached out for her other hand and dropped down on one knee. The crowd gasped, and she wanted to faint. Everyone was just as shocked as she was.
“Ms. Kyla Coleman, you’ve already made me the luckiest guy in the world just by giving me your time. But—” he slid the ring on her finger “—will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?”
Kyla screamed so loud that everyone on the farm heard her. “YES!”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from TO TEMPT A STALLION by Deborah Fletcher Mello.
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To Tempt a Stallion
by Deborah Fletcher Mello
Chapter 1
The ballpoint pen in Nathaniel Stallion’s right hand shook ever so slightly as his real estate agent pointed out each line on the purchase contract where he needed to sign. With each Post-it arrow, the lot of them multicolored in neon pink, orange, yellow and blue, which she removed after he’d inked his name, his heart beat a little faster.
Twenty minutes later he was the proud owner of the prettiest piece of real estate in Carmel, California. The property was perched on one of the world’s most iconic stretches of coastline. With pristine views of the Monterey Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean, it was the ideal spot for his newest business venture and it was all his.
Nicholas Stallion wheeled himself around the table to shake his twin brother’s hand. “Congratulations! I’m very excited for you,” he said as he locked his wheelchair in place.
Nathaniel took a deep breath to steel the last of his nervousness. “Thank you,” he said, his own smile galvanizing. “Now the real work begins. I only have six weeks before the grand opening.”
Nicholas laughed. “Only you would buy a restaurant and only give yourself a month and a half to renovate and reopen!”
“Natalie would do that, too!”
“Yeah, but you know better. Our baby sister has always been impulsive.”
Elise Montgomery gave them both a bright smile. The former fashion model was Carmel’s leading real estate agent and her exuberance over the six-figure commission she’d just earned had her beaming like an LED lightbulb. “Well, this is definitely cause for celebration!” she exclaimed excitedly. A tray holding crystal flutes seemed to appear out of nowhere. Elise popped the cork on a bottle of champagne.
The two men watched as she filled the flutes with bubbly, passing them both a glass. “Congratulations,” she said, lifting her own glass in salute. “May you have a lifetime of prosperity with your newest venture.”
“Hear! Hear!” Nicholas echoed before taking a small sip of the beverage.
“So tell me,” Elise said as she set her glass down on the table. “Do you two call each other in the mornings to plan your attire?” She looked from one to the other, pointing out their identical polo shirts and matching slacks.
Nathaniel laughed. “Never! It’s our twin thing. We have the same tastes and shop in the same stores.”
“Even when we try not to dress alike, we dress alike,” Nicholas finished.
Laughter rang warmly through the conference room.
“I really need to get something to eat,” Nicholas said as he put his still full glass onto the conference table. It’s a little early for me and I have to take my meds.”
“Would you like to join us for lunch?” Nathaniel questioned, turning his gaze toward Elise.
“I actually have another closing in two hours so I’ll have to pass, but maybe you and I could finish this bottle of champagne later over dinner?” Her eyebrows were raised suggestively.
Nicholas smiled. “I think I’ll get a head start toward the car,” he said. He extended his hand. “Elise, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure was mine. I hope we’ll see each other again soon. I’d love to meet your wife. I’ve heard wonderful things about her.”
�
�Tarah is an amazing woman,” Nicholas said. “I look forward to you two getting to know each other.” He winked an eye at his brother. “I’ll see you outside.”
Nathaniel nodded. “I’m right behind you,” he said as Nicholas rolled himself out the door. When his twin was out of sight he turned his attention back to the woman who was still eyeing him like he was a slab of meat for the taking.
Elise took a step closer to him, drawing her palm against his chest. “So, what about that dinner?”
“I wish I could,” he said, his tone apologetic. “But I really won’t have any down time for the next few weeks. Too much to do. I’m actually meeting with the contractor this evening. Can I get a rain check?”
Disappointment washed over Elise’s face. She took a deep breath. “You owe me, Nathaniel Stallion. I think this is the third time you’ve turned me down.”
Nathaniel chuckled. He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You scare me, Elise. I’m not ready for a serious relationship and you want a husband.”
She laughed. “I’m sure if we give it some thought, Mr. Stallion, we can come to a happy medium. Something like best friends with privileges, maybe?” Her coquettish expression was teasing as she batted her eyelashes at him.
Nathaniel shook his head ever so slightly. “I need to run. I will call you and maybe then we can make plans.”
“Promise?”
“We’ll see,” he said as he winked his eye at her and headed for the door. “Have a good afternoon, Elise!”
Minutes later Nathaniel and his brother were laughing heartily together. They sat at a corner table in Dametra Café, dining on fried calamari, dolmas, spanakopita and moussaka. The cozy restaurant with its assortment of Mediterranean cuisine was one of their favorites and the two brothers ate there every time Nicholas came to visit.
“Why don’t you just tell that woman you’re not interested?” Nicholas asked.
Nathaniel shrugged his broad shoulders. “Because I might be interested once I get my head clear. Right now though I have too much on my mind. The restaurant, my medical practice, you.”
Something About You Page 19
