A Little Secret About Love

by Karice Bolton

  “Yes,” she squealed, squeezing Bella Grace and hopping up on her toes as Sam stood back up and slipped the ring on Dina’s finger.

  But before she had a chance to say or do anything else, Autumn took Bella Grace back out of her arms, and Sam scooped Dina into his and carried Dina toward their friends and family.

  “Put me down, Sam North. I mean it.” She laughed, unable to believe he’d proposed, but completely confused as to why he did it away from everyone he’d invited here. “Put me down.”

  “Not until you walk away with me as Mrs. Sam North.” He laughed, carrying her as he walked them through the brilliantly colored garden toward their friends and family.

  “Sam, what are you talking about?” Her eyes connected with his and he just smiled. “Come on, Sam. What’s going on? We’re not…Are we?” Her eyes brightened with excitement at the thought. Leave it to Sam to solve a problem. None of her engagements stuck so they were just going to skip over that part.

  “You said you wanted a surprise wedding when you were talking to Emilia so…”

  “You heard that?” Dina asked, nearly speechless.

  Sam smiled and nodded as he set her down near the arbor adorned with white climbing roses. The little red studio Autumn had built for the B&B had the doors wide open with tables of food inside and a beautiful wedding cake.

  “So, I’ll ask again.” Sam smiled. “Will you marry me this very second in front of our friends and family?”

  “I will.” Dina looked into Sam’s blue eyes and saw nothing but the kind, gentle, and loyal man she loved.

  He knew she got nervous every time he brought up an engagement, but he also knew her well enough to know she couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone else.

  Autumn handed Bella Grace to Sam’s mom as Sam held Dina’s hand in his and led her to the arbor where their pastor was waiting.

  Sam leaned toward her and whispered, “You ready for this?”

  “More than you can imagine.” Dina smiled and Sam kissed her.

  The pastor cleared his throat and all of their friends and family laughed as Sam broke his lips from Dina’s. He could kiss her all day, and maybe some day, he would.

  As Dina stood at the altar in the middle of her best friend’s garden, she couldn’t imagine a wedding she’d rather have. Her daughter was here, her friends, and Sam’s family that would soon become hers were here, and she realized that she finally learned the secret about love.

  The secret to love was that there were different kinds for different people for different times with different meanings. None were right or wrong. They were all just different.

  One kind of love sneaks up on you slowly until one day you realize you can’t live without that person in your life. Another kind of love comes on so fast and strong it will consume a person so wholly life can’t be imagined another way.

  There’s love that helps care for a dying parent who might not have always been kind, and there’s love so pure for a child that every time you hold them, your heart bleeds a little thinking about the moment they will grow up and leave. There is also the kind of love that will let that child spread their wings. There is love for friends who will do anything to make you realize that you’re about to make a mistake in life and also help praise you for your accomplishments.

  Dina glanced at Sam North, and her heart filled with every kind of love imaginable. He was her friend, her lover, her partner, her hero, her reason for trying love again, and she couldn’t imagine living her life without him.

  “Do you take Dina Romano to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

  “And forever after,” Sam said, bending down to kiss Dina once more.

  One thing was certain in the world. Love was good, no matter the kind, and for once in Dina’s life, she had plenty.

  Would you like to receive FREE exclusive novellas, epilogues and new release information? Be sure to sign up for Karice’s newsletter here at Karice’s website!

  I hope you enjoyed the second book in the Silver Ridge Series! The third book, A Funny Thing About Love, is coming this Spring. Emilia is coming to Silver Ridge! You can preorder it now.

  A Funny Thing About Love Preview

  Emilia Hudson has never been one to consider arranged marriages, especially if it meant her seventy-five year old parents would have a say, but with her dismal love life, she’s almost reconsidering.

  After her latest dating disaster, Emilia writes a simple blog post that goes viral. Worse yet, people start considering her a relationship expert, and all she feels like is a fraud.

  As the emails and speaking engagements start rolling in, she realizes her only option is to take the bull by the horns and run with the unexpected fame.

  What she doesn’t want to do is talk about the real reason why she won’t ever fall in love again.

  But when she gets an offer she can’t refuse from a major publisher, that’s all they want her to write about.

  It isn’t until she meets the man behind the proposal that she realizes why…

  Click here to view on Amazon!

  Irresistible Love Excerpt

  Chapter One

  I’m sorry. I’m a chicken, but I don’t drive in snow. I know you’ll have a blast with the other girls. Think of me as you finish that second66 bottle of wine tonight. See you soon.

  I stared at the text, groaned, and tossed my phone on the couch. Apparently, Gina didn’t know I’d already gotten texts from our other three friends bagging out on our girls’ weekend because of the freak snowstorm.

  One way or another, I was going to enjoy a spa weekend with the girls, or more aptly a girl. A weekend in the woods with me, myself, and, I, with no worries or stress from home, and it would start with the first at-home spa treatment.

  Grabbing the plastic wrap, I looked around the cozy cabin I’d rented for a spring getaway—spring being the keyword—and suddenly wondered if I should hightail it out of the mountains too. I plopped on the oversized, red microfiber chair, draped my legs over the arms, and stared at all the groceries I’d hauled with me.

  This wasn’t exactly what I’d envisioned when I begged all my friends to ditch their men and come up to the mountains for the weekend.

  I imagined us all running around with clay face masks, sipping wine, eating chips, watching movies, and dishing on everything that made us drink the third glass of vino.

  I didn’t mind being the only single female among all my friends, but sometimes it was just nice to get away without feeling like a third wheel.

  Now, I was left with four family-sized bags of potato chips, three bags of corn chips, two gigantic cheese and meat platters, a sandwich platter, frozen hot wings, too many bottles of wine to admit to, juice, and cupcakes that took up the entire kitchen counter.

  Actually, that wasn’t really a negative.

  More of a challenge, and one I would happily accept if needed, which was why I still clung to the plastic wrap.

  I’d wanted to make this a completely girly weekend, which wasn’t something that exactly came easy to me. I was more of a no makeup and wet hair in a bun kind of girl. The one exception was that I got weekly manicures because I was also the hand model where I worked, modeling the lavender hand creams.

  Anyway, I’d heard a lot about belly wraps, so I did a little DIY investigating and figured if we all wrapped our waists in cling wrap, we’d sweat out all the toxicities like tortilla chips and guacamole or so goes the legend.

  Truth be told, I could never in good conscience consider chips of any kind toxic.

  I’d also read that if a person were really advanced, they’d coat the cling wrap with coconut oil—because according to Pinterest that stuff worked on everything—and wrap the legs, arms, and stomach of the willing participant. Now, I knew the wrap wouldn’t make me lose weight, but it would make me feel proactive as I gorged myself on all
the snacks I bought.

  On that note, I stood, lifted my grey sweatshirt, and began tugging and pulling the overly clingy plastic around my waist until I felt like I’d lost at least one size. I glanced at myself in the reflection of the flat-screen television and rubbed my shiny stomach. Spa treatment number one had officially commenced.

  When I’d arrived this morning, the sun was shining and the temperature neared sixty. How this all happened in a matter of hours only the man upstairs fully knew, but now I was left with a huge decision.

  Stay or Go?

  I glanced out the window and saw the snow coming down in more frenzied bursts as if it had a mission to keep me here. It wasn’t the fluffy kind of snow. It was the icy kind that made everything slippery the moment the flakes touched the ground and refroze.

  I shivered and hugged myself. I’d only brought three pairs of yoga pants, sweatshirts, a couple pairs of shorts for my overly optimistic—or naïve—outlook on spring in the Northwest, and a lightweight jacket.

  I noticed the small amount of stacked wood next to the fireplace. If I were to stay, I’d definitely need more wood. I wandered over to the front door and swung it open, surprised to see a set of footprints leading away from my front door. There hadn’t been a knock, so why’d they come and go without a word, whoever they were?

  The tracks were at least double my size six feet and the width looked like a Sasquatch had been visiting. I glanced in the direction of the trail, and it appeared the tracks went in the direction of the main lodge, but I also noticed a path to the living room window, which was a little odd in a scary movie kind of way. I knitted my brows in confusion right before a blast of cold air blew in, and I quickly shut the door.

  Seeing the footprints on the porch was a little unnerving. So much so that if I hadn’t only packed flip-flops and a pair of sneakers I’d make my way to the lodge and ask who was snooping and why.

  I itched the plastic under my sweatshirt, unsure how much of this I could really take, and walked over to the kitchen for a bowl of chips while I contemplated my options.

  It wasn’t like I was afraid of driving in snow. I’d grown up in Colorado, but I was smart enough to not put myself in dangerous situations, which was why I completely understood my friends not wanting to make the trek once they saw the forecast.

  The very forecast I knew wasn’t accurate. Guessed wrong on that one.

  But being leery of weathermen started long ago. One very misguided weatherman changed the entire course of my love life.

  Maybe that was a little exaggerated, but it certainly started my love life. Enough about that.

  Decision made.

  I would stay and I’d pamper myself. I’d smear clay on my face in silent protest, pour some wine, eat some cheese and enjoy the peace and quiet that Netflix would offer.

  Err…I mean the peace and quiet the mountains would offer. Either way, it sounded like heaven.

  I picked up my phone and quickly texted back Gina. I didn’t want her to feel bad.

  Okay, maybe I did a little.

  Totally understand. It looks like the girls’ weekend turned to a girl weekend-lol. Better luck next year! I’m about to pop a cork, gnaw on some prosciutto, and binge on Netflix.

  She texted back almost instantly.

  Oh no! I feel horrible. We definitely owe you. You name it. We’ll do it. Maybe there will be a sexy hunk lurking in the woods.

  I giggled and texted back. The idea of anyone, no matter how hot, lurking in the woods was really creepy.

  Careful what you promise…I could come up with some humdingers in IOUs! And no to strange men! I’ll just enjoy myself and a dozen cupcakes all by myself… thank you very much.

  I smiled, turned on the television, and began surfing through the Netflix options as I crunched on potato chips. I wasn’t embarrassed to admit that I was beyond thrilled to find out that these cabins had wi-fi and Netflix. Hildie, my aunt and current employer, suggested this place. It had looked really cute online, but it was even more darling in person.

  The stone fireplace was in the corner of the great room, which opened into the dining and kitchen area. A large wrought-iron chandelier hung in the dining room and a rustic white pine coffee table centered the room, where a tan sectional wrapped the wall, along with two oversized red chairs. It actually reminded me a lot of my parents’ home in Colorado.

  Finding the perfect show to begin, I clicked my selection and wandered over to the fireplace to get some heat going.

  This was going to be a great weekend.

  Once the fire was roiling, the groceries put away, the clay mask rubbed all the way down my neck, and glass of wine by my side, I finally sank onto the couch with another bowl of chips and a plate full of meats and cheeses.

  I let out a long drawn-out sigh and felt all the stress leave my body. Moving from Colorado to Hound Island off the coast of Washington had certainly been an unexpected move, but I’d prided myself in being somewhat impulsive. I didn’t want to be stuck in life because I was afraid to take risks and that even spilled over into my love life.

  I turned up the volume and took another sip of wine.

  Alone time was exactly what I needed. Albeit, I’d never do this dumb wrap again because finding a comfortable position as it pinched and sucked me in from every direction was impossible. The plastic either dug into my sides or rolled up on my back. I really wasn’t a spa girl.

  In fact, by the time I’d finished my second glass of wine and plate of snacks, it was downright awful, but I couldn’t find the end piece to start unwrapping myself. I stood up and frantically began looking for a way to get the slippery plastic off.

  As the music built on the Netflix show, so did my anxiety. I seriously couldn’t get this wrap off of me.

  All the moving and twisting on the couch had somehow turned the plastic into a tangled suit of armor, and I vowed to never go cheap on spa treatments again.

  No.

  I vowed never to do spa treatments.

  Period.

  I wanted to scream, but the mask on my face made it nearly impossible to sip my wine, let alone open my mouth. I saw myself in the reflection in a mirror and couldn’t believe what I was looking at. My brown hair stuck out in several directions from the top of my ponytail, and my brown eyes were the only visible sign there was life behind the dried, muddy mess.

  A loud knock at my door nearly made me jump out of the cling wrap. I reached up to touch my face and felt the grainy clay under my fingers.

  This wasn’t good.

  Or maybe it was perfect because no one would be able to recognize me once I rinsed it off.

  Another knock echoed into the room, only this time it was louder.

  “Miss Sahler?” A deep, sexy voice came through the solid wood door. “Are you inside?”

  I ran my fingers along my cheeks, but the grime wouldn’t come off. I shut my eyes, took in a deep breath before letting out a long yes in the form of a groan.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  There was a familiar cadence lacing his words, but I couldn’t quite place it.

  “Yes, sorry. May I ask who it is?” I peeked out the window and saw the left side of the man who fit the footprints perfectly.

  Whoever was standing at my door had to be over six-feet tall, but I could only see the side of him. Considering he was holding a bundle of wood, he seemed like an important person to let in my life.

  “I wanted to drop off some more wood for your fireplace. I didn’t exactly expect it to snow like this or I would have stocked up your cabin.” He was still talking as I reached for the door. “I don’t really trust weathermen. It’s this whole crazy thing from when I was a kid.”

  I pulled open the door and froze in place. If my jaw could drop, it would have, but it was firmly cemented in place thanks to the clay mask.

  “Kyle?” I mouthed, barely above a whisper.

  “In the flesh.” He smiled, holding a bundle of wood, his eyes narrowing on me. “It’s
good to see you, Brooke.”

  Kyle North all grown up.

  Darn him!

  He looked good.

  My gaze fell to the wood floor, and I felt my cheeks redden. I said a silent thank you to the heavens above for this clay mask. He wasn’t the man I wanted to blush in front of, anything in front of actually, considering our past.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  My eyes flew to his, and I felt an immediate charge.

  Just like old times.

  “Didn’t Hildie tell you?” his low, gravelly voice teased me almost as much as his gaze.

  His sapphire-blue eyes nearly took my breath away, just like all those years ago. But I’d matured a lot since our teenage tryst. I no longer got tripped up by silly things like eye color, sexy smiles, or muscular builds.

  Surprisingly, tree forts no longer did it for me either.

  “Tell me what?” I crossed my arms and grimaced the moment my elbow pinched the plastic wrap into my belly.

  “You okay?” His dark brows shot up, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

  “Fine. Just a little spa thing I’ve got going on. Anyway, what did my aunt so aptly forget to tell me before recommending this place?” I rubbed my stomach through my sweatshirt.

  “I don’t think face masks are supposed to hurt like that.”

  “It’s not the mask that’s a problem but quit dawdling.” Between the facemask and the wrap squeezing all the life out of me, I felt empowered. Like this was my last stand and I was going to make it a good one.

  “I own these cabins.” He looked proud, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he owned this property, or that he’d managed to get one by me.

  “Yeah. She definitely forgot to mention that part.” I attempted to scowl, but judging by the tightness on my face, my expression never moved. “Well, they’re lovely. Your wife did a great job decorating.”