by Ava Miles
The expectant look on his face told her what was inside.
“I had your necklace fixed. I hope you’ll wear it again. I don’t wear necklaces obviously, but I had the back of my watch engraved.” He took it off and showed it to her. “J&B, BFFs. And so much more.”
“Oh, Bri,” she whispered, fighting tears as she opened the box and tried to put it on.
When her gloves got in the way, he took his off and spun her around, fitting the clasp together. Their hands brushed the pendant.
“You’ll always have my heart.” His hand curled around her neck, fingering the chain, and pulled her by inches until their mouths all but brushed. “I love you, Jill. God, how much,” he breathed against her lips.
“I love you too,” she whispered and leaned up to fit their mouths together. Inside her, the rain receded. The sun came out. A new day dawned.
After a tangle of arms, a string of kisses, and drumming heartbeats, he pulled away. Grabbed a flower and handed it to her. “I don’t think Jemma would mind.”
She took the red daisy. Traced the gravestone with a finger tip.
“She’s not here, you know,” he reminded. “She’s here.” He pointed to her heart.
“I know,” she answered and pressed the flower to her chest. “Maybe we can go play some catch with the John Elway football.”
“Any other time, I would baulk. That’s an official autographed football. But in this case, I think Pete might like that.”
“Moving on sucks sometimes,” she whispered, thinking about their losses.
He drew her to his chest, letting them sway in the wind like the tree branches. “And sometimes, it doesn’t.”
Since she knew what he meant, she smiled. They’d both come a long way. Isn’t that what love was supposed to do? Make you better.
She took his hand and led him out of the cemetery, realizing that after every burial, there’s always a new beginning. They had theirs. And if they had a bad day and forgot about what was most important, they could always come here. Jemma would remind them.
Life really was precious. They would soak up every minute.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading about Jill and Brian coming together after so many years. It’s great seeing friends become lovers. I know I couldn’t be happier for them. Jill’s finally found her NORA ROBERTS LAND.
As always, reviews really help other readers find my books. Your opinion matters. I would deeply appreciate you giving a review if you feel so called. You can do so here.
Additionally, we’ll be giving away Don’t Soy with Me swag and other fun prizes from Dare Valley. Oh, and we’ll be having a guessing game about whether Jill is going to have a boy or girl. Should you like to participate, you can sign up for my newsletter and connect with me on Facebook.
Peggy and Mac’s love story is up next in THE GRAND OPENING. Those two are quite a pair, and with their individual family dynamics, it keeps everyone on their toes. You can take a peek at what’s in store in the excerpt. It’s a hilarious start to them coming together.
In the meantime, since many of my beta readers said FRENCH ROAST made them hungry or want to cook something fun, I’ve included the recipes for the meal Brian makes Jill on their first date. Who doesn’t love a man who cooks for her?
Thanks again for spending some time with my characters in Dare Valley. We hope to see you all real soon.
Much light,
Ava
Brian’s First Date Special
CHICKEN FRICASSEE
1 Fryer Chicken (around 3 pounds) cut into pieces
4 tablespoons of butter
In a Dutch oven, fry the chicken pieces in the butter, careful not to burn the butter. After 10-15 minutes of cooking the meat on both sides, remove the chicken and place to the side.
Add the following chopped vegetables to the butter and chicken drippings:
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
Sauté for about 10 minutes. Then add 8 ounces of quartered mushrooms to the mixture and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of flour, mixing thoroughly but slowly, and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Then add 3/4 cup of white wine and 4 cups of chicken broth. Stir gently to ensure the vegetables do not break. Add the chicken pieces back into the pot on top of the vegetables. Add a bouquet garni to the pot. After the mixture has boiled, reduce the heat to simmer and cook covered for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken.
Whisk 2 egg yolks and 1/4 cup cream together and then temper the mixture with the warm sauce. Then add this into the pot, stirring gently, and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and incorporate. Finish by adding the chicken back into the pan with 3 tablespoons of tarragon, fresh preferred, and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Stir gently for 2 minutes and then serve. Bon appétit.
POTATOES WITH BEURRE BLANC SAUCE
Sauté about 3-4 medium-size potatoes in olive oil until crispy on all sides. In a separate pan, prepare the beurre blanc sauce.
Boil 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 cup vinegar with one finely chopped shallot until the mixture is thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of cream and a dash of white pepper. Boil about 1 minute. Quickly cut two sticks of butter (1 cup) into small pieces and then add a few at a time to the sauce, whisking constantly until the sauce is thickened. For a smooth sauce, strain out the shallot (or leave the shallot pieces large enough to remove with a fork). Add in about 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, stir, and then pour over the potatoes, tossing gently. Serve.
WATERCRESS SALAD a L‘ORANGE
Wash the fresh watercress and lightly snap the stems into smaller pieces. Peel either a regular orange or a blood orange (preferred) and remove the fruit from the inside of the skin by placing a delicate cut across the top of the orange segment. Then arrange artfully on top of the delicate leaves. Make the pecans.
Honey Bourbon Pecans
1 cup pecans
1/8 cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon bourbon
Add ingredients to a shallow pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture foams and coats the nuts, about 3-4 minutes, careful not to burn the mixture. Spread the nuts onto a buttered piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and cook in the over at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes, watching the color of the nuts. You want them toasty brown. Once finished, set onto a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Add to the top of the salad and enjoy.
Coming Soon
The Dare Valley Series continues…
Book 3: THE GRAND OPENING
Peggy and Mac’s story
Available September 24
When Peggy McBride moves to Dare Valley, Colorado, the last thing she wants is to meet a man. If she’s learned one thing from her divorce, it’s that love is a messy business, and as a single mom and the new deputy sheriff, she has her hands full. But when hotel magnate and poker player Mac Maven moves to town, she becomes enthralled by the very last man she would ever consider dating…
Mac Maven has come to Dare with ambitious plans for his new project, the restoration of The Grand Mountain Hotel as a boutique poker venue. Only one person offers him a less than warm welcome: Deputy Sheriff Peggy McBride, who is dead set against gambling. But although Peggy’s a fierce opponent, Mac senses a tenderness and passion within her that he longs to free. Having helped his sister raise her teenage son, he understands Peggy, and can see past her tough-as-nails exterior.
When a threat to Mac’s hotel surfaces, he and Peggy must join forces to find out who’s responsible. Working together ignites the white-hot connection between them, and their cooperation takes a decidedly personal turn. But can Mac convince Peggy to set their differences aside and take a gamble on love?
EXCERPT FROM THE GRAND OPENING
Chapter 1
Deputy Sheriff Peggy McBride didn’t care what conventional wisdom said about men, meat, and fire. Barbecues had been invented
by women.
Some mother had come up with the idea of setting up in the backyard and throwing meat on the grill. Where else could kids run around and howl like banshees with other children while their mothers enjoyed adult beverages, conversation, and chow?
Add in the fact that you didn’t have to dress up like you did for a stuffy inside party, and BBQs pretty much ruled Peggy’s universe. Too bad she lived in the Colorado Rockies now, or she’d do this year round.
“Mom, why didn’t you let me bring my new baseball?”
“We don’t want anything to happen to another window, do we?”
Her seven–year–old son gave a mulish scowl—so like her own. “Gosh, Mom, it was an accident. Really! Uncle Tanner says things like that happen when you’re learning to play ball.”
Usually her brother was on her side. She frowned. Maybe his wife, Meredith, would back her up on this one.
“You can play baseball at his house then. Not at Jill’s.” She hoped he wouldn’t ask Jill. Meredith’s sister spoiled Keith rotten. Peggy loved that she’d gained an extended family through Tanner, but she hoped Jill would become more of a disciplinarian when she had her twins in a couple of months. Maybe her new husband, Brian, would help with that.
“But Mom…”
She tuned out the whining. If she could tune out a suspect spewing curse words, then she could certainly tune out her own son. And thank God for that. They were less than a month into school vacation, and the whines like I’m so bored, Mom were making her crack. She’d mostly gotten over the guilt.
Being a single mother, there wasn’t anyone else to share it with.
Keith tugged on her shirt, startling her. She gripped the pie in her hands a little tighter. Walking down Dare Valley’s small–town sidewalk carrying a dessert couldn’t have embarrassed her more. Did she look like someone from the Colorado Welcome Wagon? Thank God for frozen pie crusts. All she had to do was dump in condensed milk and lime juice, freeze it, and wham, she had a key lime pie. Keith went nuts for it.
His disgruntled symphony finally made her eyelid spasm. “Enough, please. We’re going to have a great time today. Jill and Brian know how to throw a party.”
“I like her new name. McConnell. Tanner says she’s like him now. A ‘Mc.’”
Leave it to her brother. McBride and McConnell. Like they were Irish ancestors or something.
“Is Grandpa Hale going to be there too?”
She smiled. Jill and Meredith’s grandfather treated Keith like he was his own flesh and blood. They played checkers and went out for ice cream. It warmed her heart.
“Yes, Arthur will be there.”
“What about Mr. Maven?”
Her lips twitched into a scowl, and her BBQ giddiness faded. The answer was yes. Jill’s boss would probably be there. He was her arch–rival in the community—a poker–playing, hotel–building slickster nicknamed Maverick—but he made her traitorous feminine parts squeal. She’d tried to stop him from building his new boutique poker hotel in town and lost. He’d taken it personally. Who could blame him? They’d basically ignored each other since the city council had approved the plans for the hotel six months ago. Come to think of it, it was pretty impressive that she’d managed to go that long without uttering a word to him, especially since Jill worked for him. He was around all the darn time, making her feel at once guilty and achy.
“Yes, he’ll probably be there.”
“Okay,” Keith muttered, kicking a rock on the street.
Her guilt spiked. Keith loved Maven, so her ‘Cold War’ with him had her son confused—he was loyal to her, but didn’t understand why she had taken such a dislike to his buddy.
How could she explain it to a kid? It was hard enough explaining why she and his dad had broken up and why Frank never seemed to remember Keith’s birthday.
“There’ll be other kids to play with. You’ll like that, right?”
He picked up a stick and heaved it across the street. “Great, ‘cause I’m never going to have a baby brother or sister of my own. It stinks. Why can’t you just find one when you’re working and bring it home?”
Her eye spasm tapped like a telegraph. “Because it’s illegal, Keith. We’ve discussed this before. You’re my number one guy.”
“I’d help you, Mom. I would, I would.”
She wasn’t stupid enough to miss the beginnings of a common negotiation. The whole If I can’t have a baby, can I have a puppy? routine.
The kid was devious. She did the same thing to suspects all the time. The famous McBride genes ran in his veins. It made her proud.
Except when it made her nuts.
“Keith, we’ll go home for a time–out if you don’t stop this. “
“But the pie will melt.” He pointed, his determined chin thrust out. “See, there’s already water on the sides. That’s consdenforum.”
“Condensation,” she automatically corrected.
A loud clatter on the sidewalk made her ears cock back. Who was wearing high heels to a BBQ? Someone looking to get laid, but the shoes didn’t sound right. More like horse hooves. She looked over her shoulder and froze.
There was a freakin’ moose behind them.
She almost dropped the pie. None of her experiences as a cop had prepared her for this Northern Exposure moment. God must have had an off–day during Creation Week. It had to be the ugliest, weirdest thing in the animal kingdom. It looked like a tall buffalo with the hump back and sweetheart–shaped face. The ginormous head bounced as it clicked along on legs that looked too spindly to support its massive body. It could have used a serious wax and trim with all that mangy hair sticking out.
Those eerie brown eyes stared at her. Goosebumps skittered across her skin. She’d seen the same look in criminals. This thing wasn’t going to leave them alone. He wanted something. Or was it a she? It didn’t have any of those horn–thingies. What were they called? Oh, antlers.
Moose didn’t eat people, did they?
Why had she moved to the Colorado Rockies again?
She tucked the pie in the crook of her arm and took Keith’s hand. “Okay, let’s pick up the pace.”
She vowed never to walk to Jill’s house again. Who cared about gas prices and fluorocarbons when they lived in Wild Kingdom? Heck, she’d heard about bears in people’s backyards, but this…
This was nuts. They were on foot with a determined moose in hot pursuit.
Ever attuned to her emotions, Keith tugged on her grip. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“We need to walk faster. There’s a moose behind us.” She’d always been honest with him. Plus, he was bound to look back and see the freakin’ thing. How could you miss a seven–foot ball of hair?
He jerked his head around. “Holy crap!”
She didn’t correct his language. Just tugged him along as she snuck glances at the moose over her shoulder.
“What do we do?”
“Umm…” She realized she wasn’t sure. She’d heard people talk about deer and bears, but never moose. Or was that mooses? Meese?
Well, except for one thing…Don’t get near one. Her blood ran cold.
Keith’s hand trembled in hers. “It’s really big.”
Understatement. They turned right. The clip–clop increased. She watched as the moose increased its pace, brown eyes gleaming.
“Mommy, it’s walking faster.” Keith darted forward, almost jerking her arm out of the socket.
The moose tossed its head. Jeez, that couldn’t be good.
Keith was onto something.
“Let’s run,” she said.
The moose snorted, sending a jolt of pure terror down her spine. Clutching Keith’s hand in a vice–like grip, she started sprinting.
The clip–clop shifted to the thundering of hooves. Peggy scanned Juniper Street, looking for options. The tree branches were too tall to climb. The houses in this part of town were tucked back from the street. Plus, what if the owner wasn’t home? She and Keith would be cornered.
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br /> The moose was gaining on them, even with that weird, lumbering body. The head dipped.
All of the saliva drained from her mouth.
If they couldn’t make it, she’d have to distract the dumb thing so Keith could get away. Like judo was going to work on this thing. Maybe running in a different direction would keep its attention focused on her? Cold sweat broke out under her clothes.
They were about four blocks from Jill’s when the moose halted, stomped its feet like a flamenco dancer, and lowered its head. She could almost hear it yell Charge! Its pounding hooves echoed in her ears.
“Run, Keith, run! Don’t stop! Get Uncle Tanner.” Her brother would know what to do. He always did.
She stopped and turned around, clutching the pie. Maybe she could use it as a shield. Right.
The moose stopped when she did, watching her. Its floppy ears curled back. The grunts issuing from its mouth made her think of the deranged sex offender she’d arrested last year.
She braced her legs, prepared to spring to the side at the last minute if it charged.
A car revved, racing down the street. She was in the middle of the road. God, what a choice—she could be hit by a car or a moose.
A red Ferrari screeched to a halt between them. The beast tossed its head and charged, hitting the car with a resounding thunk. Glass cracked. Metal bent like Superman had put his fists through it.
Shock rolled through her at the sheer destructive power of the thing. The passenger side door swung open as the moose ambled around the side dazedly. “Get in, Peg.”
Magically, miraculously, it was Mac Maven, staring at her with his stoplight green eyes, which always made her think of a traffic light telling her, Yes, go, nothing’s stopping you. She darted for the vehicle as the moose headed her way.
Keith stopped halfway up the block. “Mommy!”
“Run! Get Tanner!”
She jumped into the car and slammed the door, watching Keith run off. Thank God.
