“You got a deal,” Anna Grace said. “I’m not quite ready for the fish-cleaning lesson just yet.”
“Honey, I’ll always take care of getting the fillets ready, and I’ll be the master of the grill at our house if you’ll always have a dessert ready.” Tommy stopped and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
“That sounds good to me,” Anna Grace agreed as she climbed into the truck behind Darlene. “That was so much fun. Can we go again soon?”
“You and Tommy should go together. Take a blanket with you and some beer. If you don’t catch a single fish, you’ll still have fun.” Darlene winked at Cricket.
Sweet Lord! Had Bryce told her that he and Cricket had gone fishing and wound up making out on a blanket?
* * *
On Sunday morning, Bryce knocked on the door of his folks’ RV. “Y’all awake in here?” he asked.
“Come on in,” his mother said and stood back to let him enter. “We had breakfast burritos. There’s one left. You want it?”
“You bet I do. I just grabbed a doughnut and a glass of milk.” He felt cramped in the tiny trailer, even when he sat down at the small, booth-type table with his father.
“We’re going to drive the RV to the church parking lot so we can leave right after services,” his father told him. “I want to know how you really feel about Cricket.”
“That was blunt,” Bryce said.
“We like her a lot,” Darlene said. “She speaks her mind, and she’s so much fun to be around. We don’t want to influence you, but she fits right in with our family so much better than your other girlfriends.”
“I really like her a lot,” Bryce confessed. “I feel like I’ve known her forever, like we grew up next door to each other. I was disappointed when that other opportunity for a small drugstore fell through, but I’m so glad it did because I’ve got Cricket in my life now.”
“Good enough.” Tim grinned. “Finish up that burrito and let’s go to church.”
When he’d finished eating, Bryce helped his dad get things unhooked and ready to travel, got into his SUV, and rolled down the window. “Wait for us in the parking lot, and we’ll all go in together,” he said.
Tim waved in agreement, and Bryce hummed Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” all the way to the farm. When he knocked on the door, Anna Grace answered and motioned for him to come on into the house. “Cricket will be out in a minute. Would you mind if Tommy and I rode with y’all this morning?”
“Not a bit. Afterwards, let’s all four go down to the café and have Sunday dinner,” Bryce suggested. “I hear that Laura Kay has a chicken and dressin’ special on Sundays.”
“I’d love that,” Tommy answered for them. “I’ve never eaten at that café, but now that the cat is out of the bag about me and Anna Grace, we can go in there together.”
“I’m ready,” Cricket said, coming in right at the end of what Tommy was saying. “I broke the strap on my sandal and had to find another pair of shoes. I almost decided to put a toe ring on and go barefoot.”
Bryce tucked her hand into his and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Anytime you want to do that, let me know, and I’ll do the same.” He led her outside.
Anna Grace and Tommy headed on out to his SUV and got into the backseat.
Bryce stopped and said, “Hold up just a minute.”
“Is something wrong?” Cricket asked.
“How do you think her old friends are going to react to her decision? This will be the first time she sees them since she moved in with you.” Bryce had something else on his mind, and he knew he was stalling, but he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for her answer.
“She’s pretty tough,” Cricket said in a low voice. “I think she’ll be fine with whatever comes her way today. I heard you offer to take them to dinner with us. That was so sweet.”
“I’m a sweet guy,” he said with a smile, “who would be even sweeter if he could tell everyone that Cricket Lawson is his girlfriend.”
Cricket looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “Really?”
“Never been more serious in my whole life,” he said. “I want us to be dating exclusively. I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”
“Yes!” she squealed. “Yes, I will be your girlfriend, and honey, after spending so much time with you this week, I don’t even want to date anyone else.”
He picked her up and swung her around until they were both dizzy. “I’m so happy that…” He stopped and kissed her. “There are no words, except that I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“Me, too,” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck and tiptoed for another kiss. “And I love this feeling.”
Epilogue
Several weeks later.
“Good morning,” Anna Grace called out as she came in the back door of the bookstore. “Looks like it’s going to be another hot one.”
Cricket looked up from her desk. “How was the honeymoon?”
“It was amazing.” Anna Grace smiled. “Mama called this morning and offered to give me my old job back, and Daddy wants to buy us a house right here in Bloom as a wedding gift.”
“And?” Cricket’s heart fell to her shoes. She didn’t want Anna Grace to leave the store. If Bryce hadn’t moved in with her the previous week, she would have been super lonely at the farm. Jennie Sue and Rick didn’t pop in as often now that gardening season was over.
“I told both of them no,” Anna Grace said. “I like it here, and we’ve found an old farmhouse on an acre of ground about halfway between Sweetwater and Bloom that we will be signing a contract on this week. It’s a lease-to-own thing, so that all the rent money goes toward buying it in three years. It will be a great place to raise the six kids we want to have.”
Instant relief washed over Cricket. “Have you seen the Bloom Weekly News? I picked one up off the newsstand on the way in today.” She flipped the newspaper to the society page and pointed. “Who would have thought we’d get our pictures in the paper in the same week?”
“Well, would you look at that.” Anna Grace smiled and read the first few lines of the article out loud: “Anna Grace Cramer of Bloom married Thomas Arrington Bluestone of Sweetwater in a private ceremony on the beach at Padre Island. Bluestone’s brother, Harry, served as best man. Cricket Lawson served as her friend’s bridesmaid…
“I told Mama if she didn’t put it in the paper exactly as I wrote it that she would never see her six grandkids.” Anna Grace laughed. “Besides, by now Lettie and Nadine have already spread the news. Folks just read the paper to be sure those two haven’t lost their touch.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Cricket smiled and flipped the paper around so she could read: “Cricket Lawson and Bryce Walton have announced their engagement. They plan a December wedding right here in Bloom. Bryce is the owner of the Bloom Drug Store, and Cricket is the proprietor of the Sweet Seconds Book Store in Bloom…”
“One marriage, one engagement. Hopefully, by Christmas next year, there will be two baby announcements,” Anna Grace said.
“One marriage, one engagement, and one very good friendship that started most of it.” Cricket held up her coffee.
Anna Grace took a bottle of sweet tea from her purse and clinked it against Cricket’s cup. “May the friendship last forever!”
“Amen.” Cricket nodded.
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About the Author
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author and RITA finalist who has sold more than 8 million books. She presently writes both women’s fiction and cowboy romance. She has written historical and contemporary romance, both stand-alone titles and series. She lives in southern Oklahoma with her husband, a former English teacher who is not
allowed to read her books until they are published. They have three children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.
For a complete listing of her books (in series order) and to sign up for her newsletter, check out her website at CarolynBrownBooks.com or catch her on Facebook/CarolynBrownBooks.
High Praise for Carolyn Brown
“Carolyn Brown makes the sun shine brighter and the tea taste sweeter. Southern comfort in a book.”
—Shelia Roberts, USA Today bestselling author
“Carolyn Brown is one of my go-to authors when I want a feel-good story that will make me smile.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Carolyn Brown writes about everyday things that happen to all of us and she does it with panache, class, empathy and humor.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Carolyn Brown always manages to write feel-good stories.”
—Harlequin Junkie
“Fans of romance series filled with small-town charm and a cast of supportive family and friends will appreciate this.”
—Publishers Weekly on Cowboy Rebel
“Lighthearted banter [and] heart-tugging emotion…make this a delightful romance.”
—Library Journal on Cowboy Bold
“There’s no one who creates a rancher with a heart of gold like Carolyn Brown.”
—RT Book Reviews
Also by Carolyn Brown
The Longhorn Canyon Series
Cowboy Bold
Cowboy Honor
Cowboy Brave
Cowboy Rebel
Christmas with a Cowboy
Cowboy Courage
Cowboy Strong
“A Perfect Christmas” story in Little Country Christmas
The Happy, Texas Series
Luckiest Cowboy of All
Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas
Toughest Cowboy in Texas
The Lucky Penny Ranch Series
Wild Cowboy Ways
Hot Cowboy Nights
Merry Cowboy Christmas
Wicked Cowboy Charm
Digital Novellas
Wildflower Ranch
Sunrise Ranch
Small Town Charm
Looking for more Western romance?
Take the reins with these cowboys from Forever!
SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH
by Carolyn Brown
Jesse Ryan is shocked to return home after twenty years and find the woman he could never forget gave birth to a little girl about nine months after he left—his little girl. Addy Hall has her hands full as a single mom. The last thing she needs is Jesse complicating her life even further, especially since she’s always had a crush on the handsome cowboy. But the more time she spends with him, the more she wonders what might happen if they finally became the family for which she’d always hoped. Includes the bonus story Small Town Charm!
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ONLY A COWBOY WILL DO
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After a lifetime of helping others, Jenna Owens is finally putting herself first, starting with her vacation at the Meadow Valley Guest Ranch to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Colt Morgan, part-owner of the ranch, is happy to help her have all the fun she deserves, especially her wish for a vacation fling. But will their two weeks of fantasy lead to a shot in the real world, or will their final destination be two broken hearts? Includes a bonus story by Melinda Curtis!
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ONE NIGHT WITH A COWBOY
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Wes Harding is known as a devil-may-care bull rider—but now, with his sister’s pregnancy at risk, Wes promises to put aside his wild ways and take the reins on their ranch’s big charity event. Only he didn’t count on his co-hostess—and little sister’s best friend—being so darn distracting. One kiss with Thea Davis throws his world off-balance. But with her husband gone, Thea’s focused only on raising her two rambunctious children. Can Wes convince her that he’s the man on whom she can rely? Includes a bonus story by Carly Bloom!
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MUST LOVE COWBOYS
by Carly Bloom
Alice Martin doesn’t regret putting her career as a librarian above personal relationships—but when cowboy Beau Montgomery comes to her for help, Alice decides to see what she’s been missing. She agrees to help Beau improve his reading skills if he’ll be her date to an upcoming wedding. But when the town’s gossip mill gets going, they’re forced into a fake romance to keep their deal a secret. And soon Alice is seeing Beau in a whole new way…Includes the bonus novel Big Bad Cowboy!
THE HEART OF A
TEXAS COWBOY
(2-in-1 edition) by Katie Lane
Enjoy these two Western romances heating up the Lone Star State! Slate Calhoun’s longtime flame, Hope Scroggs, is back in his life, but the feelings between them are unlike before. By the time he discovers “Hope” is her identical twin, Faith, he’s head over spurs in Going Cowboy Crazy. Colt Lomax can’t forget the night of passion he once shared with local sweetheart Hope Scroggs, a night he wouldn’t mind repeating. She tries her darnedest to resist his Texas charm, but something unexpected is about to tie their fates together…and oh, baby, will it ever in Make Mine a Bad Boy!
Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch Page 34