Sweet Town Love

by Maggie Ryan

  It never came.

  Mid-Winter Melt Down by Beth Bennett

  Sharon Blake is still hurting from a difficult divorce when she moves back to her old hometown along with her children, Bobby and Megan. A winter storm has blown into town and the city streets aren’t the only things that have frozen over.

  Sharon can’t believe her eyes when Tom Sydney, her old high school flame, comes knocking at her front door. Despite her frosty reception, Tom, the town’s police chief, sets about turning up the heat.

  Will Tom’s love be able to melt even the iciest of hearts? Come join the fun as Sharon finds herself in the middle of a full blown, mid-winter melt down.

  Chapter One

  I can’t believe I chose the worst winter on record to move back to this crummy old town. Sharon Blake was busy trying to shovel through three feet of snow. She felt as though her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. Who knew shoveling snow made you feel like you were going to keel over after only five minutes? She’d finally managed to get a path from the backdoor to her garage, but the shovel suddenly hit solid rock. What? She brushed away a bit more snow. There was an entire sheet of ice beneath all the loose powder. It made her want to scream. I could just kill Jerry the Jerk for forcing us to move here!

  Recently divorced, Jerry’s name had become synonymous with jerk and a lot of other four letter words. She’d managed to keep her thoughts and her words to herself for the kids’ sake, but it hadn’t been easy. I’ll spread some salt and hope the sun comes out enough to do the rest. She leaned the snow shovel against the back door and whacked an icicle off the house for good measure. Stomping the snow off her boots, she entered the utility room. Stuff sat everywhere. They’d only moved two weeks ago. Just ahead of this storm, she thought wryly. All the disorder was driving her crazy. Putting on the coffee pot, she rifled through the cabinet for something to eat. Geez, I need to go the grocery store.

  Sharon could hear Bobby and Megan screaming as they played out front in the snow. The best sledding hill in the whole town ran right past their house. She went to look out the front window to make sure the screams were ones of joy and not of pain. Good grief. There were so many kids out there. They looked like colorful, squirming ants, against a backdrop of white.

  Just yesterday, her mother had brought two brand new sleds by the house. “They’re calling for the biggest snowstorm in a century. This will be so fun for your kids.”

  “Mom,” Sharon had complained. “That’s going to make a huge mess. They’ll freeze to death out in that stuff. Did you have to go and buy them sleds?”

  “Yes, I did. That’s what grandmothers are for.”

  The kids had jumped up and down, fist pumping the air, and screaming in joy. There was no way Sharon could say no. “All right. Take them out to the garage.”

  Now they were out on the hill, having the time of their lives. It made Sharon happy to watch them. Bobby and Megan had been through a lot. They had all been through a lot. Everyone said it got better after the first year. Well, two years had gone by since she and Jerry had separated, and still, Sharon barely felt like she had her head above water. At least the divorce was final. She spied little Megan clambering up on top of Bobby’s sled. It seemed she was happier making him haul her up and down the hill than walking and riding on her own sled. The little imp was wearing a double pair of socks on her hands instead of gloves. Her mittens were lost in the moving mess. Just one more thing to add to the list of her, “bad mother of the year,” award thought Sharon.

  She took a sip of coffee and watched as a group of kids narrowly missed hitting a tree. Another group was involved in a snowball fight. Megan and Bobby were riding down the hill together. Bobby was such a good big brother. Ever since the divorce, he had tried to be the man of house, but he was only ten. Hence, the reason they had moved back to Flat Rock. He doesn’t need to be the man of the house. He simply needs to be a little boy. Sharon took another sip of coffee. Thank goodness Mom still lives here. She’ll be a big help. Besides, living in a small apartment isn’t the way I want to raise the kids, and the schools are better here. There is a sense of community here. The kids will be safe here. Sharon breathed out a big sigh. And I will be bored out of my cotton pickin mind, here. Oh well, Bobby and Megan’s well-being is the most important thing.

  Sharon suddenly noticed a town police car. It was parked at the top of the sledding hill and an officer was getting out of the car. Oh great, they can’t even let the kids have a little fun. Right at that moment, Bobby and Megan’s sled was hit by a fast moving teenager on a boogie board. It was a total wipeout. Megan was thrown off one side and Bobby the other. It all happened so fast, she wasn’t sure if they were okay or not. She ignored the coffee spilled on the windowsill and took off out the front door.

  Bobby was slowly getting up, but Megan wasn’t moving. One of those panicked screams from deep inside was forming in Sharon’s throat. Before it could make it out her mouth, the police officer was kneeling in the snow and helping Megan up. Sharon raced toward them.

  “Baby, baby, are you all right?”

  Megan giggled. “That was fun.”

  “Good grief, Megan, you scared me out of my mind.” Sharon laid her hand across her chest to try to still her pounding heart. She reached out to brush the snow from Megan’s hair. A sock lay dejectedly over to the side. Megan’s hat was a few feet in the other direction. “You all have been out here long enough. I think it’s time you came in.” Sharon went to pick up the scattered clothing items. By this time, Bobby had trudged over, dragging his sled behind.

  “Aw, Mom. We’re not even cold yet.”

  The police officer interjected. “I think the little girl is okay, ma’am.” He turned to Bobby. “How about you, son?”

  “Aw, I’m fine. One little wipeout ain’t nothing.”

  “Isn’t,” Sharon corrected. “You two have just given me the scare of my life. I need a break, even if you don’t. To the house, now.”

  Bobby and Megan looked dejected, but obediently trudged toward the house. It was Sharon who was freezing now. She couldn’t feel her toes at all. Her snow boots had been untied, and her feet were completely wet. She stood out in the middle of the freezing cold without a coat.

  The policeman tipped his hat. “I’ll get their other sled. The kids left it at the top of the hill. You better go inside. I’ll bring it to the front door.”

  Before Sharon could protest, the cop turned and jogged away. She caught up with Bobby and Megan and hustled them into the house. “It’s freezing out there. How did you kids stand it?”

  “For one thing, we had a coat on,” Bobby said.

  “Yeah, well, that’s true. Just leave your wet things here by the front door. There’s some hot chocolate warming on the stove. You go get changed, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a minute.” Sharon hurried to her room and put on some wool socks. I may have to put my feet in a hot bath.

  The doorbell rang. What is it now? Sharon stomped to the front door. I swear, if it’s those neighborhood kids wanting Bobby and Megan to come out again, I’m going to scream. She opened the front door in a huff. Her hair was flat, and needed a good shampoo. She wore a big droopy sweatshirt, no bra, and baggy old jeans. There stood the cop holding Megan’s sled by its pink rope. His breath made frosty clouds around his head and he was grinning a very familiar grin. She immediately crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  Oh no, it can’t be.

  “Hi, Sharon. I thought it was you.”

  Moments by Paige Parsons

  A family crisis brings her home. A gift of love brings them back together. Share in the moments that take them from friends to lovers. Beulah Isabelle Grayson and Jacob Martin meet in the seventh grade and experience life side-by-side from puberty to college. A broken heart and misunderstandings tear them apart, after their high school graduation, and Belle decides she never wants to see him again. Ten years later, Jake is back in her life and saving the day. Belle knows she owes him
the one thing she hasn't been ready to give, a chance to explain. Clearing up the past finally gives them the opportunity to create the future they've both desired.

  Meetings

  Mrs. Ross was set up to welcome another year of brand new seventh graders to her class. The transition from elementary school to middle school was a tough one and she hoped, like she did every year, that each child would find their niche for a happy and successful school year. She also hoped for no fights, no overbearing parents, and a quiet class (that hated excessive chatter as much as she did). The last one was unlikely, but she held out hope.

  The morning went well and she was thrilled that her only new student, Jacob Martin, was off to lunch with a great group of kids and their gregarious little leader. Beulah Isabelle Grayson was the daughter of a Black, stay at home mom, who was a painter, and a White, physician father. She was smart, funny, friendly, and a force. She was small in stature, but huge in spirit. A bit of a tomboy, Belle (who refused to use her first name) never shied away from a challenge. The last one in class who would turn twelve, she was younger than her peers and a little bit smaller, with a head full of tightly wound curls and huge eyes. She worked as hard on her dribble in PE as she did in her advanced math class. If she were determined to make something happen, nothing could deter her. Mrs. Ross was glad that Belle wanted the handsome boy to be a part of their group.

  “Come on, you have to have lunch with us,” Belle said, taking Jacob’s hand without any of the reservation of a typical eleven-year-old girl.

  A tall, lanky Black boy came up and clapped him on the back. “If Belle-of-the-Ball says so, it’s so. Come on. I snuck a family size bag of chips out of the house this morning. We might as well enjoy them because my mom is going to kill me when she finds out.”

  On the other side of Belle was a pixie of a girl. She was shorter than everyone in their circle and looked closer to nine than twelve. She wore her jet-black, waist length hair in a single braid and her red glasses covered her face from brow to cheek.

  “This is Axe and this is Kasey. Kasey and I are best friends and he just follows us around everywhere.”

  “Ah, ah, ah! Wounded to the core.” Axe proceeded to die a very dramatic death right at the classroom door.

  Mrs. Ross was not amused. “Axel Asa West, get yourself off of that floor right now. And, the rest of you get going to the cafeteria.”

  “Lead the way,” Jake said.

  “Right, we do not want to be last in line on tater tot day.” Belle dragged her new companion to the cafe-gym-a-torium.

  Jake followed. He couldn’t wait to get home and tell his parents about his first day at Tucker Junior High.

  Dance

  “Mama, I have to wear my hair out.”

  “Okay, honey, so let’s go get it straightened.”

  “Oh no, the last time grandma did that my ears were burnt for weeks. No thank you.”

  “How about we go to the salon in the city then? I’ll even spring for you to get a manicure.”

  “Mama, I love my curls.”

  “I love them too, baby, but neither of us will survive another bout of detangling. You wear it straight or it goes up in a bun. Your choice.”

  “Can I get my nails painted any color I want?”

  “Within reason.”

  “Okay, deal.” Belle was glad she and her mom were getting along so well and that she was even willing to splurge so much on the dance. Mrs. Grayson did not embrace the idea of a fancy dance for eighth graders.

  Belle felt her parents out, where having an actual date was concerned, but when her dad balked at even the idea of a girl having a serious date at thirteen, she quickly reminded him that her friends would be going as a group.

  She might be arriving as a group, but Belle planned on letting every girl know that Jacob (everyone calls him Jake now) Martin was all hers.

  The dress, the hair, and even the scent she wore, were all chosen with his likes in mind. Unfortunately, across town Jake was preparing, in a less aware manner, oblivious of the importance of the evening ahead.

  Tryouts

  Belle was doing everything in her power to convince Kasey to tryout for cheerleading with her.

  The summer between ninth and tenth grade hadn’t been as generous to the friends as they’d been to others. Puberty was a mystery. The boys seemed to suddenly look like men. Jake and Axe came home from football camp huge, and all of the girls entered the fall season with sweaters full to the brim. Everything was bigger on everyone, but puberty had left the girls behind. Kasey handled it a little better than Belle, but only because she knew genetics worked against her. Being Vietnamese, she came from a tiny people. Her own mother was only five feet tall. So, Kasey created her big through her hair, her make-up and her personality. When it came to Belle, well the only thing bigger than her hair was her attitude and her temper. She wasn’t really a mean girl, but she was a tough one. Belle mostly fought with words, but they could be biting and cruel. Her parents were told to encourage her to participate in a school activity, so she would become more a part of the high school experience, instead of railing against it all of the time.

  “Belle, cheerleading? You can’t be serious? We don’t do rah-rah high school stuff. They won’t pick us anyway. You’re great at basketball and they didn’t pick you for that.”

  “Yeah, I’m good, not great. You can knock the skin off a softball and they didn’t pick you. So what? We’re still athletes. I don’t want to do this without you. Besides, you’re always saying you need every advantage for your college applications. Schools love spirit and nothing says spirit more than pom-poms and tiny skirts.”

  “What is this really about? Tell me or it’s an automatic no. Spill it!”

  “It’s Jake. He doesn’t even notice us.”

  “You. You think he doesn’t notice you. Why is cheerleading going to change that? Unless?” Kasey smirked and tossed her friend the box of tissues on her nightstand.

  “I don’t plan on stuffing my bra. But, he’s always tied up with practice and team activities. Cheerleaders participate in a lot of those activities. I just need more face time, with him during the season.”

  “So, this would be sanctioned stalking.”

  “Smart ass! Look, if I’m being honest, this gets my parents off my butt and my butt closer to Jake. I need him to start seeing me as more than another one of the boys.”

  “I tried to get you to wear a little lip gloss and if you let me do your eyes—”

  “I’ll do both, if you come to tryouts.”

  “Blackmail of the highest order. Fine. I’m in. But, you better get me some time with Axe too.”

  “Um, what? Axe? Really?”

  “Promise.”

  “Done. I don’t know how, but done!”

  Piper in a Pickle by Chula Stone

  Piper Gowan regretted her decision to turn Blake down when he asked her for a date, but having the handsome doctor rescue her from being stranded by the side of the road wasn’t how she wanted to let him know she had changed her mind. In typical Piper fashion, she put off doing anything about it at all but Blake had no intention of wasting the opportunity that had come his way. He was back in her life and meant to stay there. He just hoped that his inclination to turn her over his knee when she needed a firm hand wouldn’t come between him and his old-fashioned girl.

  Chapter One

  “I’ll be perfectly safe walking back to the intersection, Mr. Silberman.” Piper Gowan tried again to get out of her old clunker, but her passenger was the strongest ninety-year-old she had ever met. He grasped her seatbelt and held on, effectively trapping her in the car. In a strange and ironic counterpoint, the radio was blaring one of her favorite songs. I’m just an old-fashioned girl…

  “On a road with no shoulder and no streetlights? Little lady, if you were mine, and if I still had knees, I’d turn you over them and paddle your fanny but good! Don’t you even think about trying it!” His strong fingers patted the clasp of the se
atbelt as if in emphasis while the song continued. Living in a hurry-up, modern world.

  She turned the radio off, preparatory to leaving the car. “But we’ve been out way too long and you’re out of insulin. We’ve got to get back to your apartment.”

  He popped the knob and the song rang out again. “We’ll be fine here until somebody drives by.” With the lights too bright… “Put on your flashers and tie something to the radio antenna. Somebody will stop. This is Brampton, for goodness sakes. We’ll have ten people lined up along the road trying to help within twenty minutes.” And the jeans too tight and the lights too bright…

  “We would if it were twelve noon, but I don’t think our luck will be quite the same at twelve midnight.” She turned the music down so they could understand one another, but the words were still clear. And good-byes too easy to say…

  “I shouldn’t have kept you out at the lake so long. I’m sorry, little lady. It’s all my fault.” Fast living it up is getting me down.

  “I’m glad to do it, Mr. Silberman. I enjoyed watching the moon rise over the water as much as you did.” A pause in the conversation let the song’s lyrics ring out. A string of broken hearts left all around town.

  Not for me. I’m longing to be an old fashioned girl all the way. He seemed to be trying to keep a comment quiet, but eventually it burst out of him despite his efforts. “You should be watching it with a boyfriend, not some old codger like me who can’t even walk out of the trouble he causes.” The elderly man banged frustrated fists on the stubs of his legs.