Cover art © 123rf.com, iStockPhoto.com/craftvision
For Ralph, as always.
Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
EPILOGUE
About the Author
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
CHAPTER 1
“Mandy, are you sure you don’t want to wear your glasses? You’ll miss seeing your own wedding?” Amy Crane held her cousin’s thick lenses, trying to persuade the soon-to-be bride to put them on.
“You’re my dearest friend and my maid of honor, but you just don’t understand.” Mandy patted the vivid red curls piled high on her head. She’d spent the morning at Wonderful Waves, the only beauty salon in Heart City, Iowa. “I want Judson to see me as the most beautiful woman he’s ever known. Fifty years from now when I’m old and gray, he can look back on our wedding and remember how gorgeous I was.”
“Judson Carter has been your boyfriend since the eleventh grade. He must love you with glasses, or he wouldn’t be marrying you,” Amy assured her, although it was no use trying to change Mandy’s mind when it was made up.
“I do wish you’d gotten used to contact lenses,” Mandy’s mother, Linda Ferguson, said. “Your father did offer to take you to an eye specialist in Des Moines to see if you’d have better luck.”
“Mom, they hurt my eyes. Anyway, I’ve been wearing glasses so long, I feel naked without them.”
“All the more reason to wear them when you walk down the aisle,” Amy pointed out, giggling with her cousin.
“Anything I can do to help?” Amy’s mother asked, poking her head into the small room in the church used by bridal parties.
“Aunt Alice, you can find Hannah before she rips or soils her pretty little flower girl’s dress,” Mandy said. “Have you seen Judson’s little brother? I can’t possibly walk down the aisle unless he holds my train.”
You could if you’d wear your glasses, Amy thought, but she didn’t say it. This was Mandy’s day, and whatever made her happy was okay.
The bride finally stopped peering nearsightedly into the only mirror in the room, so Amy moved in front of it to catch a quick glance. The two bridesmaids were wandering around somewhere in sunny yellow gowns with adorable little jackets, but Mandy had insisted Amy wear a shade of green that reminded her of the pet frog she’d had in third grade. It did absolutely nothing for Amy’s honey blond hair and deep blue eyes, but if it made her cousin happy, she could tolerate it for one evening.
The door flew open and Hannah bounced into the room, her flower girl’s halo of silk flowers hanging precariously on her blond curls.
“People are coming! Daddy and that tall boy are showing people where to sit.” This wasn’t seven-year-old Hannah’s first wedding, but it was her first opportunity to star as the flower girl.
Amy smiled at her sister Natalie’s daughter and wished weddings were still exciting for her. Most of her friends were married, and she’d lost track of how many times she’d been a bridesmaid. No way did she regret getting her pharmacy degree while most of her high school friends were getting married and pregnant, but weddings were an emotional roller coaster as she watched everyone she knew taking the plunge.
“Let me fix your halo,” she offered, trying to secure it without pulling her niece’s long curls.
“I need my basket of flowers,” Hannah said with the self-importance of a child suddenly elevated to stardom.
“Your mom will give it to you when it’s time to walk down the aisle,” Amy assured her.
“This is just like a fairy tale,” Hannah said, waxing eloquent while Mandy reclaimed the mirror to check out what had to be a fuzzy image of her face. “When I grow up, I’m going to marry Prince Charming.”
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you did,” Amy said, smiling at her adored niece.
The organ began playing, and the wedding party hurried to the narthex. When the wedding began, Hannah took her own sweet time scattering flower petals down the aisle, the groom’s attendants looked as if they’d enjoyed the bachelor party too much, and Mandy’s father stuttered with nervousness when he had to say his piece about giving his daughter away.
When everyone moved to Veterans’ Hall for the reception, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Her cousin had been duly wed without tripping on her train, and Amy had gotten through the ceremony without any waterworks, a first since she was prone to crying when friends tied the knot.
She lost it when the bride and groom cut the cake, and Mandy nearsightedly smeared frosting on Judson’s neatly trimmed blond mustache and beard. Her cousin was a married woman now, and one more of Amy’s childhood friends would be starting a family of her own.
Her eyes swimming with tears, Amy rushed through the back exit and found herself on a paved area behind the building, a basketball court where the vets worked with youth. A security light made eerie shadows but was hardly needed. The June moon was huge, and stars flickered in the sky like distant fireworks.
Amy dug into the front of her bra for her emergency tissues. Of course, it was silly to cry at each and every wedding she attended, but by all accounts, her Great Aunt Beatrice had been the same way. People in town had sometimes left her off guest lists because of her tendency to bawl louder than the minister could talk.
After some careful blotting, Amy’s tears dried up, hopefully without smearing her mascara until she looked like a raccoon.
“Don’t cry, Aunt Amy. Some day you’ll marry Prince Charming. Then you won’t have to cry.”
“Hannah, I didn’t hear you come outside!” Amy was startled and more than a little embarrassed because her niece had seen her weepy episode. “I have something in my eye, is all.”
“You shouldn’t fib,” Hannah said self-righteously. “Mommy says lies hurt people.”
Yes, that sounded like something her sister would say, Amy thought, although she had to admit her older sibling had been a perfect child — when adults were watching.
“Oh, look!” her niece cried out in excitement. “I saw a shooting star!”
Amy peered at the sky, but if there had been a falling star, she’d missed it.
“You can make a wish on the first star of the evening, but wishing on a falling star is even better,” Hannah said. “I’m going to make a wish for you.”
“Oh, no, you should make one for yourself.” While Hannah was looking upward, Amy dropped her damp tissue. She felt guilty about littering, but she didn’t want her niece to notice it. Maybe she could pick it up when Hannah went inside.
“I wish Aunt Amy will find a Prince Charming to marry, and I want to be the flower girl,” Hannah said in an earnest voice.
“You’re a sweetheart,” Amy said, reaching down to hug her niece. “But wishes don’t always come true.”
“They do in fairy tales,” the little girl insisted. “Especially if you wish on a shooting star. It happens all the time.”
It happens in stories, Amy thought. She cried at weddings, but it didn’t mean she was unhappy. She loved her job as a pharmacist at Warner’s Drug Store, and when the owner retired, she fully expected to take over the business. Because Heart City was a small town with no major roads leading to it, Main Street was still a viable shopping area. The pharmacy did well, and Amy took great pride in the role she played in the town folks’ health.
“Hannah, what are you doing out there?” her mother called from the doorway
. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“She’s been with me,” Amy said, knowing it was better to pacify her sister than argue. She loved her, but Natalie wasn’t exactly flexible.
“I need both of you,” Natalie said. “Mandy is ready to throw her bouquet.”
Groaning inwardly, Amy dutifully went to the hall where the bridesmaids in yellow were ferreting out all the single women under the age of ninety. Even though she’d caught the bouquet at three other weddings, Amy knew it was futile to beg off. Instead she stood at one end of the group, hoping Mandy would throw it straight at the girl in the middle instead of at her.
“Is everybody ready?” the bride called out, blinking to focus because she was still refusing to wear her glasses. She’d have to watch the wedding video the groom’s Uncle Jake was shooting to know what happened on her big day.
Several teenage girls squealed and jockeyed for position, but Hannah managed to get in front of them. If she caught the bouquet, would she give it back to Mandy? At some weddings, it was the job of the maid of honor to secure and return it, but Mandy hadn’t asked her.
“Here it comes,” the bride called out, turning her back for an impartial toss.
Only then did Amy remember her cousin pitched in a softball league. Yellow roses and white carnations became a flying missile as she threw with gusto — right into Amy’s face.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mandy said, rushing over as cries of alarm spread through the losers. “You’re bleeding!”
Amy let the flowers fall to the floor and reached up to assess the damage. Who knew bridal bouquets came with enough wire to pen a herd of cattle? Her fingers came away with a smear of blood, and she could feel it trickling down the side of her face.
“Get Doctor Prince,” someone behind her cried out.
A practical wedding guest grabbed a handful of the napkins printed with the bride and groom’s names in silver and handed them to Amy so the blood wouldn’t stain her dress.
“I’m fine, really,” she insisted, more embarrassed than hurt.
“You’re bleeding like a stuck pig,” Joel Hayes, her sister’s husband said.
“Head wounds bleed a lot,” one of the bridesmaids said, as she flitted around Amy.
“Do we have a wedding casualty?” a deep masculine voice asked from behind her.
Hannah rushed over and tugged on Amy’s free hand. “It’s Dr. Prince. He gave me a shot. It hardly hurt — well, not very much.”
Amy turned and met a pair of blue eyes so vivid it was like plunging into the lake on a sunny day. As if they weren’t enough to take her breath away, the man peering at her forehead had a picture-perfect mass of curly black hair and the body of an athlete. His exotic cheekbones, nicely sculpted nose, and strong chin would make him stand out anywhere, so it was particularly unnerving to see him in Heart City.
She knew there was a new physician in town, but, surprisingly, no one had mentioned he looked like a Greek god. Of course, he’d been there such a short time, he hadn’t even phoned in a prescription during her shift at the pharmacy.
“This is a first,” the doctor said, gently lifting the wad of napkins from her forehead. “A wounded bridesmaid.”
“Maid of honor,” Mandy said, hovering close and looking distressed. “Dr. Dan Prince, this is my cousin, Amy Crane. I feel so bad about this. You told me to wear my glasses.”
“It’s okay, Mandy. I’m sure I’ll live, and it will give you one more wedding memory,” Amy said, wishing people would stop staring at her.
“Keep pressing the napkins and come with me,” the new doctor ordered. “I didn’t bring my bag, but there’s a first aid cupboard in the kitchen.”
“Good thing I invited the new doc to the wedding when I went to see him for — a little problem.” Judson flashed a slightly guilty look at Mandy, but of course she wasn’t seeing anything very clearly.
Dutifully following the doctor to the area where the vets prepared their famous pancake breakfasts, Amy was feeling increasingly silly. Of course, she’d wanted to meet the new physician. It was a very big deal for the town to have him practicing in the offices old Doctor Graham had occupied before retiring.
Unfortunately, Dr. Prince would only be there two years. A special program had paid his medical school fees in exchange for two years of practicing in Heart City. In the kitchen, his short tenure seemed especially unfortunate for the town when he charmed the hovering bridesmaids, calmed Mandy down, teased Hannah, and worked on her forehead, all at the same time. The man had talent, and it wasn’t all medical.
“You won’t need stitches. It’s only superficial,” he said. “Next time duck.”
Some bedside manner, Amy thought, feeling like a sideshow exhibit as more people, including her mother, crowded into the kitchen.
Patching her up only took a couple of minutes, but making an escape from the crowd was trickier. They weren’t there to see her. Everyone in town was curious to watch the new doctor in action. No doubt his appointment schedule would fill up fast now that so many women had seen his tall, dark, and handsome good looks.
“Is it going to scar?” her mother asked.
“Highly unlikely,” the doctor said. “Is that music I hear?”
The small three-piece band, seldom-employed musician friends of Judson’s, had started to play.
“How about we have the first dance?” Dr. Prince asked Amy. “Show people you’re not seriously wounded.”
Apparently he didn’t know the bride and groom were supposed to have the dance floor to themselves for the first one. Or maybe it wasn’t a custom in Santa Barbara, California, where he’d grown up. Amy was surprised she remembered that fact, but his life history had been front-page news in the town’s weekly newspaper.
“I don’t think … ”
She really didn’t want to dance, not with all eyes focused on the doctor, but he took away the option of refusing. Taking her hand, he led her out to the open area in front of the band. Her discomfort grew when even the bride and groom stood watching. Poor Mandy! Even though she didn’t seem to realize it, she’d just had her big day hijacked by a California cutie who just happened to be the town’s temporary physician.
“I don’t want to steal the spotlight from the bride and groom,” Amy whispered, all too aware of his hand on her waist.
“I suspect you already have,” he purred close to her ear. “I never could understand why brides pick their prettiest friends for the wedding party.”
If that was his idea of a compliment, why did it sound like teasing? Amy tried to concentrate on following his lead. She knew what was to come. The whole town would be buzzing for weeks about the way the doc had swept her off her feet, and she’d spend half her working time at the store explaining it meant absolutely nothing.
So much for enjoying her cousin’s wedding!
CHAPTER 2
Dan questioned what he was doing as he took the pretty little accident victim in his arms on the dance floor. He’d sworn to himself not to get involved with any women in the little hick town where he was fulfilling his obligation. He was totally focused on getting back to California and joining a practice that would allow him to enjoy the sun, surf, and relaxed lifestyle on the coast.
“Your name is Amy, right?” he asked. She seemed to float across the floor in his arms as the amateur band hammered out a sentimental number.
He liked to dance, but short women were usually hard to lead. His ideal partner was close to six foot, only a few inches shorter than he was.
“Amy Crane. I’m a pharmacist at Warner’s Drug Store. Maybe I should sit down. I feel a little dizzy.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you topple over,” he said, wondering even as he said it why he wanted to finish the number with her. “Did you pick that dress yourself?”
It was no
ne of his business, of course, but he couldn’t imagine a worse color to go with her lively hazel eyes and halo of dark blond hair. Or a worse color — period.
“Goodness, no! My cousin — the bride — insisted on it.”
He didn’t rub salt in the wound by telling her he’d dissected something that color in freshman zoology. In fact, he was trying to be on his best professional behavior even though he felt like a fish out of water in the small Iowa town.
“So, Pharmacist Amy Crane, how long have you been working at the drug store here?”
“Not quite three years.”
He’d pegged her as barely over twenty, but when he calculated the years it took to get a pharmacy degree, he was surprised to learn she was only a couple of years younger than he was.
“What made you decide to work in Heart City?” He was genuinely curious. She could probably make twice as much in a hospital or pharmacy in a bigger city.
“It’s my home. My mother’s a widow, so I wanted to live fairly close to her.”
“Yeah, I can understand that. I was raised by a single mom.”
He was exceedingly proud of his mother. She’d worked her way from being a temp at the museum to executive secretary to the director. His father had been killed in a multiple-car pileup on the freeway when Dan was only four. His memory of him was fuzzy at best, mostly based on photographs his mother still kept on display.
The music ended on a sour note, but he had to give the three-piece combo credit for trying. He’d been wondering how the people in Heart City made a living, but obviously it wasn’t as musicians. So far, he thought the town existed mostly to provide shopping and services for farmers. Already in June, the fields around the town were shades of vibrant green as corn and soybean crops pushed through the rich, dark soil. The rural scenery was pleasant to drive through, but he had no clue what people did for entertainment.
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