As Valerie leaned forward, Morgan’s arm slid protectively from her shoulder to her waist. “Okay, here it comes.”
The montage clip of all the brothers and some of the unexpected shenanigans came off sharp and entertaining. Neil nodded. “So far so good.”
For the next thirty minutes they watched as the old emporium came back to life, from dusty worn shelves to the glossy clean look of fully stocked with all things local.
“That was really a brilliant idea.” Aunt Eileen pushed to her feet. “Ken Brady was telling me that the weekend sales at the emporium of their wine outsell a month’s worth at the winery.”
“Sarah Sue has upped her jam production too.” Becky followed the older woman into the kitchen. “Who knew there were so many tourists passing us by.”
“Just needed a reason to stop.” DJ slung his arm across his wife’s shoulder.
One by one, and two by two, the family mulled about the kitchen until everyone was seated or hovering around the massive table and digging into their preferred dessert. It was Morgan and Valerie who held Neil’s attention as he stabbed at a slice of Aunt Eileen’s famed blueberry pie. The two hadn’t budged from the sofa. He couldn’t tell what they were saying to each other, but the intense way their gazes seemed almost unbreakably linked told him the subject matter was something more serious than pie or ice cream for dessert. The easy way Morgan’s thumb caressed her hand had Neil almost mesmerized until Valerie’s arms flew around his brother’s neck and the sweet moment turned very private.
Redirecting his attention to his other brothers laughing and ribbing each other over who knew what, Neil had a strong feeling that an official announcement would be coming soon that Valerie would be their sister-in-law. His gaze darted from one brother to the other and he wondered which would be next to fall, because he knew as sure as he knew his name was Neil Francis Farraday that much sooner than later, another Oklahoma Farraday would join the ranks of the happily besotted Farradays.
So glad you could join Morgan and Valerie on their adventure in Farraday Country. Stay tuned for Neil another Farraday Country story coming soon here.
Until then, turn the page for an excerpt from Honeymoon for One.
If you enjoyed reading Morgan, please help other readers find the Farraday Country series by taking a moment to leave even a few words for review. Reviews are a blessing to authors and readers alike. Even just a few words will do! Thank you.
If you’re looking for more books from Chris, you can find her Aloha, Farraday Country, Honeymoon, and Hart Land series on her website.
Chapter Excerpt
Something wasn’t right. Michelle Bradford stared at her cell phone. To a stranger, her best friend since kindergarten might sound perfectly normal, but Michelle could hear the slight edge in Beth’s voice. The hitch in her breath.
A knot tightened in the pit of Michelle’s stomach. Beth had been acting a bit…odd the last few weeks. Yesterday at the final fitting for the bridal party dresses, she had burst into tears and had run from the room, muttering an apology afterward about wrong time of the month and always being a bridesmaid—or in this case maid of honor—and never a bride.
Michelle should have known Beth’s reaction had to have been spurred by something more serious, but Michelle had been too wrapped up in her own wedding plans to give her best friend in the world the time she deserved. Now Beth was on her way over, and Michelle fought the miserable scenarios popping one after the other into her mind. Beth had been fired. Or transferred. She was sick. Needed a kidney. Or, oh, Lord, cancer. By the time the doorbell rang, she had her friend facing every catastrophe possible short of a tsunami.
“Go ahead and start dinner without me,” Michelle called to her younger sister on her way down the hall. Yanking the front door open wide, she was startled to see her fiancé and her best friend. “Oh, Steven. I didn’t expect your last-minute business to end so early. Why don’t you go hang out with Corrie in the kitchen? She’s eating supper. There’s extra stroganoff on the stove. I’m just going to visit with Beth a little bit in the living room.”
“Actually…” Steven stepped around Beth. “I brought Beth. We both need to talk to you.”
“Oh. Well. All right.” Adding confusion to the worry already simmering in her gut, she gave Beth a kiss on the cheek and Steven a quick peck on the lips.
Having been ushered out of the hallway and into the living room, after a moment of shuffling about, Beth and Steven took a seat on the sofa across from Michelle.
“Michelle—” Steven started.
“Let me,” Beth interrupted.
“No. I think it will be easier if I explain.”
“But this is my fault.”
“This isn’t a matter of fault.” Steven moved his hand as if to reach out to Beth and quickly snatched it back. “Please.”
Even more confused, Michelle watched the people closest to her in the world bickering, and wondered where exactly she fit into the conversation. “Somebody better tell me something, because neither of you are making any sense.”
Eyes downcast, Beth nodded, and Steven took in a deep breath. “We’ve all been friends a long time.”
“Yes. We have,” Michelle agreed.
“Please.” Steven held up his hand. “Just let me get through this.”
Michelle inched forward on her seat and wondered what horrible scenario would include both Beth and Steven.
“As I was saying,” Steven continued, “I met you and Beth at the same time. The three of us would go out together as often as you and I went out alone. The last few years, with all of Corrie’s extracurricular activities conflicting with my social commitments, I think I’ve gone to more banquets and benefits with Beth than I did with you.”
She twisted to face her long time friend. “And I can’t thank you enough for stepping in for me so often with little notice.”
Beth offered a weak nod.
“Well.” Steven’s gaze momentarily drifted away to the fireplace and then settled back on Michelle. “You and I have been engaged for almost five years. This wedding has been delayed so many times, I don’t think anyone in town expects us to actually get married. And quite frankly, I’ve been wondering for some time now if perhaps raising your little sister was just a handy excuse for not really wanting to marry me at all.”
“That’s not true.” Michelle popped up from her seat and started toward Steven until he waved her back.
“Please. Sit.” He waited an excruciatingly long moment while she retook her seat. “I’m only saying if we stop and look at the recent past, a long hard look, you’ll agree. After all this time, I think we’ve both been in love with the idea of getting married rather than in love with each other. Not the way two people promising forever should be.”
Michelle wanted to scream you’re wrong, but her mouth wouldn’t work. Of course she wanted to marry Steven. Who wouldn’t want to marry someone as kind and generous and stable as him? Waiting for Steven to continue, she noticed Beth wringing her fingers, her eyes never lifting to meet Michelle’s. Nothing was making sense.
And then it hit her. Steven was canceling the wedding and he’d brought Beth to hold her up. Keep her from falling apart. A role Beth had played well since childhood. A role that had been a lifesaver when Michelle’s parents had died suddenly leaving her responsible for a ten-year-old little girl.
“You don’t want to marry me,” she whispered. The knot in her stomach twisted and snapped, doubling her over. All the time, the money, the dress—the guests.
“Sweetheart…Michelle, I know this is hard to face now, but in time I honestly believe you’ll see the truth of what I’m saying. You don’t really want to marry me.”
Michelle lifted her head and looked at her now ex-fiancé. Only her gaze fell on his hand tightly entwined with Beth’s. Beth had stopped fidgeting with her fingers and was now nibbling on her lower lip.
Michelle sat up straighter, taking a good look at her best friend. It couldn’t be.
When Beth glanced up and nodded, Michelle almost lost her lunch.
“You?” Michelle managed to mumble.
This time Steven gave a silent nod. “Tomorrow morning we’re leaving on the first flight to Vegas. Beth and I are getting married.”
Whoever heard of a honeymoon for one?
“It makes perfect sense.” Angie Cannon, a single, attractive brunette in her mid-thirties and Michelle’s next-door neighbor for the last three years, stood with her hands on her hips staring at Michelle, as though she were completely daft.
“I…” What? Feel like a fool? Whether at sea or at home in Bluffview, feeling like a fool wasn’t going to change anytime soon. So what could she say? “I can’t leave Corrie home alone.”
“I’ll stay with her.” Without hesitation, Angie volunteered to stand in for Michelle’s missing former best friend.
Michelle shook her head. The original plan had been for Beth to stay with Michelle’s sister, Corrie, while Michelle and Steven sailed the high seas. Of course with Beth and Steven honeymooning in Vegas, that left Michelle short not only one fiancé but also one best friend and teenage chaperone. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering. So pack your bags and go have a nice vacation.”
Nice vacation? Ready to pull her hair from her head and run from the room screaming, Michelle was almost relieved at the sound of the Winchester door chimes. Almost being the key word. If she were really lucky, she’d find a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses on her front porch, but the way her luck had been running, it was more likely to be a modern day Typhoid Mary. Now wouldn’t that solve all her problems?
Not bothering with the pretense of a smile, she swung the door open and glared at whoever was on the other side.
“When you called in sick, I just knew something didn’t feel right. Then I heard the news. I tried calling you.” Pam Stuart from the office blew into the room like a gale force wind. “I got here as fast as I could. The nerve of the Back Stabber.”
Ever since word had spread through town like proverbial wild fire about poor jilted Michelle, she’d been inundated with condolence calls over the death of her wedding. She’d finally taken the home phone off the hook and turned off her cell. So far, only her neighbor and coworker had been brave enough, or perhaps cared enough, to cross her threshold.
“Pam, this is my neighbor, Angie.” Michelle waved toward the woman still standing in the middle of the living room with her hands fisted on her hips. “Pam and I work together at the newspaper.”
The two women exchanged a brief smile along with How do you do? and Nice to meet you.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Michelle asked.
Pam shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Well, then.” Angie took a seat on the sofa and turned to Michelle. “I repeat. You should go.”
“Go where?” Pam asked, slowly descending onto the nearest chair.
“On the cruise,” Angie answered Pam but kept her gaze on Michelle.
“On the honeymoon cruise,” Michelle corrected.
A bright smile slowly bloomed on Pam’s face. “Oh, I think that’s a positively wonderful idea.”
Was everyone in the room out of their ever loving minds except her? How could she explain to these people she didn’t want to go on her honeymoon alone?
Pam jumped to her feet. “Think about it. You don’t want to be here wallowing when the happy couple comes home.”
Angie hissed in a breath, scrunching her face as though Pam’s words had caused her physical pain.
Realizing what she’d said, Pam winced. “Sorry, honey. You know I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“I know. It’s okay.” But it wasn’t okay. It would never be okay. Her perfectly planned wedding and happily ever after were shot to hell in a heartbeat. It had taken all day to cancel everything. The cake, the hall, the photographer, the caterer, the musicians. Thank heaven, Angie had taken over notifying all the guests.
The only thing left to cancel was the honeymoon. The cruise had been booked and paid for. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small part of her agreed with Angie that it made sense to go ahead and take the trip. Unfortunately, for the better part of the day, the forefront of her mind had rejected good sense. A honeymoon for one could only add to the emptiness taking over her world.
Now Michelle stood in the middle of her living room, listening to both Pam and Angie plead their cases, and good sense seemed to be slowly gaining ground. After all, as Pam had not-so-subtly pointed out, the cruise would allow Michelle a brief escape from the forced smiles and pity-filled glances she would otherwise have to endure. Heaven knew she wanted to be in Bluffview when her ex-fiancé and her ex-best-friend/almost-maid-of-honor came back from their whirlwind Las Vegas wedding about as much as she wanted to suck on a bowl of sliced lemons.
“Okay, ladies. You win.” Turning on her heel, Michelle marched up the stairs before she lost her courage. “If I’m leaving on a cruise, we’d better start packing.”
Two hours later, Pam frowned down at the sleeveless cotton nightgown with pink ribbon edging as she handed it off to Michelle. “Honey, you should toss the granny jammies. What you need is to find yourself a gorgeous man or two and show them how to have fun. By the time you get back, well, it’ll all be better. You’ll see.”
To Pam, fraternizing with the opposite sex was a recreational sport, which like baseball should be played nightly with an occasional doubleheader. Of course, that could explain how, at her age, Pam had already worn out four husbands.
All Michelle could manage was a curt nod and a meager attempt at a smile that felt more like a nervous twitch.
Angie handed her the last piece of clothing to be packed. A one-piece navy blue bathing suit. A sensible, discreet design that somehow seemed to represent everything wrong with Michelle’s life. Sensible, bland—and boring.
The next morning, all packed and ready to escape, Michelle rode with Angie, and Pam to the airport. Her newfound friends stood at security waving with broad grins on their faces. These two women, who a few days ago had been hardly more than a casual neighbor and coworker, now stood by her like a pair of two-by-fours holding up a crumbling roof. Any observers would never guess she’d been practically left at the altar and was off on her honeymoon alone.
Climbing over the ample aisle seat, she slid across to the window and cursed her ex-fiancé. Of course Steven—or as Pam had so adeptly named him, the Back Stabber—hadn’t skimped. First-class seats. I made the arrangements for the trip. You deserve the best. First class all the way. Steven’s words replayed in her head on a never-ending loop. Who was she kidding? There would be no escaping Steven Williams IV on this trip. Pam was right. Back Stabber.
“Would you care for some champagne before takeoff?” Holding a tray of little plastic champagne-filled glasses, the pretty blonde flight attendant smiled. Apparently, first class got to indulge in the bubbly while the rest of the passengers battled the bulging overhead compartments and squeezed into cramped seats unfit for anyone over the age of twelve.
“No thank…” She stopped midsentence. Why not? So what if Michelle Bradford only drank the bubbly on New Year’s Eve? Did she really want to spend the next ten days sitting by, watching everyone else enjoy themselves? Pam was right. She deserved some fun. Champagne for breakfast. Caviar for lunch. Steak and lobster for dinner.
Michelle Bradford, prim and proper role model with granny jammies and sensible bathing suits, could just dang well stay in Bluffview. Michelle the swinging single had a lot of living to cram into ten days. Starting now.
Read more of Honeymoon for One available on Kobo
Meet Chris
Author of over thirty contemporary novels, including the award winning Aloha Series, Chris Keniston lives in suburban Dallas with her husband and two canine children. Though she loves her puppies equally, she admits being especially attached to her German Shepherd rescue. After all, even dogs deserve a happi
ly ever after.
More on Chris and her books can be found at www.chriskeniston.com
Follow Chris on facebook at ChrisKenistonAuthor
Chris doesn’t want to clutter your email, she only sends newsletters with a new release including providing free links to her 99 cent Flirts! For more on what she’s up to from day to day, you can like and follow her on facebook!
More Books
By Chris Keniston
Hart Land
Heather
Lily
Violet
Iris
Hyacinth
Rose
Calytrix
Zinnia
Poppy
Farraday Country
Adam
Brooks
Connor
Declan
Ethan
Finn
Grace
Hannah
Ian
Jamison
Keeping Eileen
Loving Chloe
Morgan
Aloha Series Heartwarming Edition
Aloha Texas
Almost Paradise
Mai Tai Marriage
Dive Into You
Look of Love
Love by Design
Love Walks In
Shell Game
Flirting with Paradise
Surf’s Up Flirts
(Aloha Series Companions)
Shall We Dance
Love on Tap
Head Over Heels
Perfect Match
Just One Kiss
It Had to Be You
Honeymoon Series
Honeymoon for One
Honeymoon for Three
Honeymoon for Four
Other Books
By Chris Keniston
Family Secrets Novels:
Champagne Sisterhood
The Homecoming
Hope’s Corner
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
More Books by Chris Keniston
Morgan Page 15