Yes, she’d decided she was perfectly happy with where she was in life. After all, how many women had their very own chocolate factory?
Still, as Friday wound down, she found herself looking out the office window at the Wenatchee River, thinking about her life and sighing. Something was missing.
Make that someone.
She shook her head. What was the point of revisiting that old dream? She needed to move on with her life. Maybe she’d take some evening classes at Cascade Junior College, try her hand at writing a novel. Or possibly submit some more magazine articles. “How to Survive a Breakup,” by Muriel Patrick, chocoholic. Except moping probably didn’t count as good advice.
She was just locking up the gift shop when she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming down the street. She turned and saw a lean man in jeans and a black leather jacket with blond hair. Short blond hair? Still, there was no mistaking who it was.
“Stephen!” She dropped her purse and ran to meet him, barely giving him time to stop and turn off his bike. “You’re back,” she said gleefully, stating the obvious. Then she grabbed his arms and kissed him, right there on the street for anyone passing by to see.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
“Is that why you’re back?” This was too good to be true. Was he really here? She held on to his arms, sure he’d vanish if she let go.
“Yeah, it is. I need you in my life.”
“I’ll go away with you.”
“No. You’d just be helping me run away from my own insecurities. Anyway, this is where you belong so this is where I need to be.” He smiled. “It’s where I want to be.”
“Oh, Stephen!” she cried, and kissed him again.
“Get your purse, then hop on back,” he said. “I’ll take you home. It’s time your dad and I had a talk.”
* * *
If her father was surprised to find Stephen in the living room, sipping lemonade with Muriel and Mother when he came home from work, he didn’t show it. “I see you’re back.”
“Yes, sir, I am. I came to talk to you.”
“Come on, Muriel,” Mother said, “let’s go see about dinner.”
She didn’t want to see about dinner. She wanted to stay right here in the living room and supervise this all-important talk.
“We’ll be fine,” Stephen assured her, and Mother nudged her out of the room. Daddy made it final by shutting the pocket door in her face.
Happily, the phone rang. Her mother picked up the kitchen extension. “Oh, hello, Betty.”
That was a gift. Mother would be talking to Mrs. Green for a good fifteen minutes. Muriel escaped and hurried down the hall, where she positioned herself by the pocket door. She pressed her ear to it.
“I see you cut your hair,” Daddy was saying.
Muriel had to stifle a groan. This wasn’t going well.
“It’s easier to take care of when it’s short.”
“Is that what you’re about, young man? Taking the easy way?”
“If it was, I wouldn’t be here, sir. If it was, I’d have gone to Canada instead of ’Nam.”
“You were in Vietnam?”
“Yes.” The word came out curtly.
“Well,” Daddy said slowly. “I had no idea. Did a tour in Korea myself. A man sees things.”
“Yeah, he does.”
“So, why are you back in town?”
“I think you can figure that out, Mr. Patrick.”
Muriel smiled.
“You could’ve come to me the first time, you know,” Daddy said sternly.
“I could have. But Muriel made it clear you didn’t want to meet me.”
All that sneaking off to meet him, it had seemed like such a smart idea. Now she realized it had been immature and foolish and had done nothing to help the cause.
“Did she?” Daddy said thoughtfully. “Well, she was right. You didn’t look like the kind of man I want for my daughter. And I’m still not convinced you are. What are your plans for the future?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Stephen admitted. “But one thing I do know—Muriel’s the most important part of it.”
It was all she could do not to open the door, fly into the room and throw herself into Stephen’s arms.
“Look, I’m not a bum,” Stephen said, “and I want to marry your daughter.”
“She’s too young,” Daddy told him.
“I’ll wait until she’s old enough, then.”
“And just what will you do while you’re waiting, ride around on that motorcycle of yours?”
“I’ll do whatever I need to do—dig ditches, drive a delivery truck.”
“And that’s how you plan to support my daughter?”
Muriel knew that tone of voice. She pressed a fist to her mouth.
“No. There are colleges nearby. I’ll go back to school on the G.I. bill.”
Now all Muriel could hear was silence. She pressed her ear harder against the door.
“Okay, son,” Daddy said at last. “Show me you mean business and then we’ll talk.”
“No offense, sir, but I’m not waiting four years to date your daughter.”
Good for you, Stephen. Good for us! Muriel smiled. She thought she heard her father chuckle.
“Tell you what,” Daddy said. “You get a year of school under your belt. Go back to Swede’s or get a job in the grocery store. If you can hold down a job for a year and I hear good things about you, then maybe I can find a place for you at Sweet Dreams.”
Muriel could hardly believe her ears. It was like the king promising a peasant part of his kingdom.
“You’ve got a deal,” Stephen said.
A moment later, her father called out, “You can come in now, Muriel. I know you’re out there listening.”
How had he known? Who cared? She entered the room smiling and linked her arms through Stephen’s. “I told you that you were wrong about him, Daddy.”
“Time will tell,” said her father.
Chapter 6
COME CHRISTMAS THAT YEAR, MURIEL had an engagement ring.
“It’s beautiful,” Pat said, when she’d stopped by to exchange gifts. “I’m so happy for you.” She handed over Muriel’s present. “I hope you’ll like this.”
Muriel opened the box to find a photo album inside. “Someplace to put the pictures of you and Stephen.”
It was a perfect present, and Muriel thanked her and hugged her. Then she pulled a small box out from under the Christmas tree. “And here’s yours.”
Pat opened it and gasped in delight at the sight of the silver heart necklace. She picked it up and read what had been engraved on it. Best friends forever. “It’s perfect,” she said. “I love it!”
“That’s us,” Muriel said. “Let’s never forget it, because friendship is the best gift a woman could ever get.”
Epilogue
“STEPHEN WOUND UP GOING TO college, and after he graduated he went to work for my father,” Muriel said to the girls gathered around her. “A few months later we were married. Sweet Dreams turned out to be a perfect fit for my husband. He fell in love with the business, and he and my father actually became good friends. Eventually, Daddy retired and Stephen took over running the company. I helped out in the early days, but then I got busy running our home. And writing.
“We had three wonderful daughters and a wonderful life together. So, as you can see, all ended well for us.”
“You lived happily ever after,” Aurora said dreamily.
“Because my grandma didn’t steal your boyfriend,” Clara added, and shot an angry look at her former BFF.
“No,” Muriel said gently. “Because we both wound up with the men we were supposed to be with. Jimmy Wilder came to town and your gr
andma found the man of her dreams, too. And one of the things that’s made me so happy all these years is my friendship with her. I’d hate to have lost that because we quarreled over a man.”
“Anyway, people can’t help who they love,” put in Bailey.
“If a guy’s not into you he’s not the right one for you,” Cecily added.
“Besides, being mad at your friends is bad for your digestion,” Dot said, and popped a mini quiche into her mouth.
Clara frowned, still not convinced that losing the boy of her dreams was a good thing.
Cecily sat next to her on the floor and put an arm around her. “I have a feeling that the perfect boyfriend for you is right around the corner.”
Clara looked at Cecily as if she knew the secrets of the universe. “Who?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Cecily said. “But I can tell you he’ll be worth the wait.”
“So that means you can keep your girlfriend,” Bailey added.
“Keep the girlfriend and lose the guy,” Dot advised. “Men are a pain in the patootie.”
That made the girls giggle and Dot’s friends frown in disapproval.
Aurora stole a look at Clara, who was suddenly very busy picking lint off her sweater. “Want to get some punch?” she ventured.
Clara nodded and they made their way to the punch bowl with the other girls following suit.
“Crisis averted,” Samantha said as she watched the two girls hug each other. “Good job, Mom.”
Muriel smiled and shook her head. “I can’t really take credit for that. The girls would have made up eventually.”
“Yeah, but you saved us from having to endure teen girl drama,” Dot said.
“And maybe you opened their eyes just a little,” Pat said. “Friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts.”
“Right up there with family,” Cecily said, and smiled at Bailey.
“And so is being together at Christmas,” put in Olivia.
“Gack,” said Dot in disgust. “Next, one of you is going to say, ‘God bless us, everyone.’”
“God bless us, everyone,” Samantha said, deadpan, making Dot frown and the other women laugh.
Dot shook her head. “Never mind all that sweet, syrupy stuff.” She raised her cup of punch. “Let’s stick to our traditional toast,” she said to her friends. “Here’s to us, none like us.”
“Amen to that,” said Pat, raising her cup. “And here’s to Christmas and to being able to gather with family and friends.”
“To love and BFFs,” added Cecily, looking at the next generation, gathered around the punch bowl and giggling.
Muriel followed her daughter’s gaze and smiled. Family, friendship, romance—love had a way of working things out no matter where trouble sprang up. Oh, yes, it was going to be another wonderful Christmas in Icicle Falls.
* * * * *
Starstruck
Dear Reader,
When I was twelve years old, I was desperately in love with Shaun Cassidy. Yes, that dates me, I know! Along with my best friend (who felt the same way about Andy Gibb), I used to spend hours making up romantic tales involving us and our celebrity heartthrobs. I believe that’s where my love of both storytelling and romance began.
In Starstruck, Ashley Barnes has the chance to meet Justin Hartford, her adolescent celebrity crush and the father of one of her kindergartners. With some help from a darling little matchmaker, the schoolteacher ends up falling in love with the honorable man he has become, now that he’s left Hollywood. Writing their journey toward finding each other was an absolute delight and reminded me once again of the magic and joy of daydreams.
Please visit my website, www.raeannethayne.com. And I hope you’ll enjoy Snow Angel Cove, the first book in a brand-new series.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas,
RaeAnne
Also available from RaeAnne Thayne and Harlequin HQN
SNOW ANGEL COVE
WILD IRIS RIDGE
CHRISTMAS IN SNOWFLAKE CANYON
WILLOWLEAF LANE
CURRANT CREEK VALLEY
SWEET LAUREL FALLS
WOODROSE MOUNTAIN
BLACKBERRY SUMMER
Contents
Prologue
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
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Prologue
AS USUAL, THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS party at Carson and Jenna McRaven’s house was crowded, crazy and her absolute favorite night of the year—next to Christmas Eve itself, of course.
Ruby Hartford sat with her three BFFs, Destry Bowman, Gabi Parsons and Ava Webster, in their favorite corner, looking through the big glass windows into the pool inside the McRavens’ supercool house.
They had a big plate of delish snacks in front of them—cookies of every description, a few melt-in-your-mouth brownies and these little swirly appetizer things that looked as if they would be gross but were absolutely fantastic.
Her best friends, Christmas decorations and music all around them, and good stuff to eat. Best. Party. Ever. In all her thirteen years, she’d never been to a better one.
She glanced through the glass and spied the very cute Drew Wheeler standing at the pool’s edge. He seemed to be talking to his little sister Jolie, but his attention was most definitely on her and her friends.
Ruby nudged Destry. “He’s so checking you out. I told you. I think Drew has a thing for you.”
“What happened to that kid?” Gabi said. “Last year he was this quiet kid in glasses who always had his nose in a book. This year he’s suddenly, whoa.”
It was definitely true. In the board shorts he was wearing, Ruby could see the muscles that had suddenly popped out overnight and he must have shot up a foot since the Christmas before. He wasn’t as built as his brother Hayden, but Hayden was sixteen and in high school.
“He is cute, I’ll admit,” Destry said, peeking out the corner of her gaze at him and then quickly turning back to them. “Why would you think he’s looking at me?”
“Just trust me. He is,” Ruby assured her. Even though he was a year ahead of the rest of them in school, Ruby considered herself pretty good friends with Drew since their ranches were close to each other and they rode the bus together.
More than once, Drew had not-quite-casually asked about Destry, but she didn’t want to betray their friendship by admitting that since she knew it would embarrass him.
Gabi, always the skeptic, gave a snort. “He doesn’t even have his glasses on. He’s not looking at anything. He probably doesn’t even know we’re here.”
“Oh, he knows,” Ruby insisted.
“Who is he and what does he know?”
At the curious adult voice, she turned around and saw her mom and dad had wandered over. They were holding hands, as usual, which always made her heart happy.
“Oh, nothing. I think Drew likes Destry, that’s all.”
“Ruby!” Destry exclaimed, her face turning almost the same red as the ornaments on the tree next to them.
“I just think you guys would be cute together. What’s the harm in a little matchmaking? Tell them what a good track record I have at it!”
Her dad made a face but her mom only smiled softly. Ruby never
called Ashley her stepmother. Even though her parents hadn’t married until she was six, Ashley was the only mom she had ever known.
“Who else have you brought together?” Ava asked curiously.
Ruby grinned and pointed at her parents. Yeah. She rocked at matchmaking.
“Really?” Destry asked, eyes wide. “I always wondered how a Hollywood movie star met and married the best kindergarten teacher in Pine Gulch.”
“It’s a great story,” Ruby assured her.
“I bet it’s so romantic,” Ava said, her voice barely a whisper. It weirded Ruby out, but Ava—who used to be so normal—could barely talk around Justin Hartford after watching several of his movies with her cousins when she went back to Chicago for a week over the summer.
“Oh, yeah.” Her father grinned. “Romantic. I was a regular knight in shining armor.”
“You were. Eventually.” Her mom gave him the kind of secretive, goofy look they were always exchanging. “Of course, it took a while for me to see you that way after you thought I was some kind of celebrity stalker and threatened to have me arrested.”
“Oh, you have to tell us the whole story now!” Destry exclaimed.
“Well, if you insist.” Her mom handed Ruby’s little brother Jess over to Ruby’s dad and settled onto the sofa next to Des. “You see, it all started with a rascal of a kindergartener who wouldn’t do her schoolwork....”
Chapter 1
JUSTIN HARTFORD WAS A JERK.
Ashley Barnes leaned against the hood of her car glaring at the locked gates to the sprawling Blue Sage ranch and repeated the words like a mantra. Jerk. Jerk. Jerk.
He was a narcissistic egomaniac who thought the entire world had nothing better to do but impinge on his personal space. Of course he would have locked gates. He wasn’t about to give mere mortals easy access to him.
Too darn bad. She had to talk to him today. If repeated phone calls, letters and emails weren’t going to do the trick, she would just have to bust down these gates until the man agreed to talk to her.
Together for Christmas: 5-B Poppy LaneWhen We TouchWelcome to Icicle FallsStarstruck Page 26
