“You’re beaming.” Joel laughed. “Autumn got the outfit right, didn’t she? Or was it black stilettos instead?”
“She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater that barely rested under her chin and stretched over her hips. Over the sweater, she had a white scarf wrapped around her shoulders that she kept tugging at.”
“To a singles’ event?” Autumn’s brows knitted together. “Was she in heels?”
“She wore matching white jeans and a pair of boots.” Austin smiled. “I think she was hoping she’d get lost in the blizzard outside and never be found again. She looked extremely uncomfortable surrounded by all those men.”
“Wow.” Joel’s expression was impossible to read, even for Austin.
“What?” Austin’s right brow arched.
“I’m in shock.” Joel walked over and got his wife a glass of water from the fridge.
“Over what?” Austin asked, puzzled.
“Over many things.”
“So not your type,” Autumn muttered under breath.
“I don’t really have a type.” Austin glanced at Autumn.
“Oh, you have a type.” Autumn laughed. “Actually, you have many types, and she doesn’t sound like she fits a single one.”
“It was cold out,” Austin pointed out.
“That’s never stopped the snow bunnies before,” Autumn teased. “Dressing warm is practical. I like that you noticed a practical woman for once.”
Austin laughed and shook his head. He could always count on his family to keep him on the straight and narrow. He just never expected his brothers to find wives who’d also do the same.
And he kind of loved them even more for it.
“This incident is fascinating.” Joel wiggled his brows at his brother.
“What?” Autumn asked. “You think your older brother might be growing up?”
“Don’t forget that I am the older brother, and what makes me stand out from the pack is that I’m honest with myself and the women I date.”
“How so?” Autumn rested her chin on her knuckles.
“I don’t plan on settling down, and I make it known.”
“Plans are made to be broken.”
“True,” Austin agreed, thinking back to the mysterious woman.
“What if this woman woke up something inside of you?” Autumn’s gaze drew dreamy. “Even if she’s not the one, what if she opened up the possibility of—”
Austin threw his hands in the air. “Okay, I think the pregnancy hormones are getting to you here at the end.”
Autumn got an even dopier expression and rested her head on Joel. “All I know is that I want our daughter to be the woman who wears the sweater and jeans in twenty-degree weather, not the miniskirt.”
Joel nodded. “And she will be.”
Austin had to admit that he loved watching his brothers with their wives and fiancées. They’d all found that perfect someone, that one person where things were easy once they learned their groove. He’d found that once, briefly. But he was also of the nature of thinking that experiencing it once was all he had because he’d never had it since.
Not that he was looking, but he imagined it would show up one way or another if it existed, and it hadn’t. What had shown up was a lot of variety that kind of reiterated that he really wasn’t much for settling down.
And that was fine by him.
“Who knew it would be practicality and a fuzzy sweater that would make my brother choke?” Joel smiled warmly at his brother.
“I didn’t choke.”
“Well, you ran.” Autumn grinned, completely tickled with this North brother revelation.
“I may have choked as I was running,” Austin confessed with a chuckle. “Who knew turtlenecks would get me going?”
“Finally. A confession worth staying up late for.” Joel smacked the table.
“And this dip is pretty good too.” Autumn winked at her brother-in-law.
Joel rubbed his wife’s back, and Austin immediately wanted that.
And he didn’t even know what that was.
Unconditional love?
Someone to share late-night snacks with?
A partner to lean on?
A baby girl?
Austin groaned. How could all these ridiculous thoughts be running through his mind at a frantic pace merely because he saw a woman so turtlenecked up it was all she could do to swallow a drink.
“Well, better luck next time.” Joel stretched toward the ceiling, and Austin noticed that Autumn looked sleepy. It was kind of them to let him in to vent so late at night, but it was his time to let them get some rest.
“Pretty much.” Austin stood up and gave both Autumn and Joel a hug before letting himself out.
The freezing air woke Austin’s senses as he wandered to his truck. He didn’t feel like going back to his empty condo, and he didn’t really feel like going back to the resort bar either. It would only give the employees something more to gossip about after tonight’s events. Seldom did he kick people out of his bar, but rarely had someone acted like this guy.
Austin let out a deep sigh and climbed into the cab of his truck and turned on the ignition. He turned onto the main road leading back into Silver Ridge and decided to pull into the Silver Fry Drive-In. Apart from his resort, it was the best place to get a cheeseburger and fries. It had been a Silver Ridge staple and one of the few places open at this time of night.
He glanced around the parking lot and caught himself. He’d actually been scanning the lot for Ashley, which was utterly ridiculous. Those kinds of odds only existed in the rom-com movies. Austin shook his head and climbed out of his truck to place his order. As he decided on two fries and a cheeseburger, he realized he could probably quit all this wondering and phone the woman who put on the event.
Or he could just look up an Ashley Malone online.
And then what? Freak her out by appearing at her door with a bouquet of roses?
Yeah. Nothing about that scenario sounded traumatic for the woman.
Austin placed his order and glanced over his shoulder when he heard a woman laughing, only to be let down to see the town librarian. She was a nice lady.
But definitely not Ashley.
He grabbed his bag of food and climbed back in his truck as he wondered how every little thought was turning to a woman he didn’t even know.
Austin gripped the steering wheel and let out a low growl of a chuckle before fishing out his fries and noticing that in every direction he looked, there were happy couples.
Standing in line. Happy.
Eating at an outdoor table in freezing temperatures. Laughing.
Eating in cars parked all around him. Smiling.
“Maybe I need to get a dog,” he grumbled to himself since there was no one around to hear him. “Oscar’s a nice one. I could get one like Oscar. Or maybe a rescue. Nah. I’ve always wanted a husky.” He took a bite of his cheeseburger and noticed the couple eating outside staring at him through his windshield. They quickly turned their gazes away and chuckled.
Apparently, they saw him talking to himself.
But that did fit how the night had been going. He polished off his burger and did the thing he promised himself he wouldn’t do.
He typed Ashley’s name on the internet and started searching.
He couldn’t find her on Facebook.
He didn’t see a trace on Twitter.
But he did find a woman on Pinterest that matched her name. He quickly downloaded the app and clicked on her profile, searching for a photo or anything to confirm that it was the correct Ashley. He found nothing other than that whoever this woman was, she enjoyed gardening, baking, and toys.
Did she have kids? Would that be okay? Did it matter?
Austin closed his eyes and wondered why he cared.
He backed off Pinterest and went back to the search results where he found an Instagram account, and within seconds, he saw that he’d found the right Ashley, and she was even more go
rgeous than he remembered.
And she really liked turtlenecks. There were photos of her in the kitchen, with children, on a horse, in a garden, and lots of flower photos.
He stared at the images when something inside him clicked.
Interesting, he thought to himself. Maybe some things are just meant to be.
He logged off and sat in his truck for a few minutes, eating the last of his fries and wondering if he would regret what he was about to do.
Chapter Five
The last couple of days had been a blur for Ashley as the news settled in. She was moving away. Soon, she’d be immersing herself with a new family, getting to know each family member, and trying to memorize favorite things and learn dynamics between the parents and kids.
Ashley stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing the kids’ cereal bowls, and looked out the window. The Finns’ children were playing in the snow, wrestling around, and tossing snowballs. She’d really miss this family, the home, and town, but she was certain she’d fall in love with the next place.
Or at least that was what she promised herself.
She’d already contacted a couple of agencies, updated her website, and sent out a few emails. She even had a video conference with a family in Virginia set up for later this morning.
Ashley had more than enough money saved to get her by if nothing came up right away, but she liked the idea of stockpiling and didn’t really want to touch her savings. Her dream was to someday build a home where she could spend her days gardening and baking, but she just hadn’t figured out what to do between those two activities to support the house that she’d dreamed of building.
“How are you doing?” Sylia asked, wandering into the kitchen and heading straight to the coffeepot.
“Pretty good. I’ve got my feelers out.” Ashley smiled at Sylia, who took a sip of coffee and watched her children play outside.
“I know.” Sylia set her coffee cup down. “Even though I knew this day would come, it’s really tough. I got a call this morning from the Givens family in Virginia. It made it real.”
“You did?” Ashley asked, surprised.
She’d only emailed the Givenses her references this morning. She thought the interview would happen before they phoned references.
“I did.” Sylia smiled. “And I told him how absolutely amazing you are and how the thought of your leaving us is beyond awful.”
“Well, you certainly know how to make me feel wanted.” Ashley poured a cup of coffee for herself and saw Peter talking to his kids outside. He was beaming as if his children had just sculpted the Statue of David when staring at their snowman with the sticks barely hanging on as the arms and half of the pebble mouth falling to pieces.
“Have you thought any more about letting Peter introduce you to Austin?”
Ashley’s gaze flew to Sylia’s. “No, I haven’t given a thought to anything about that night, aside from the fact that I’m glad it’s behind me.” She was completely shocked that Sylia brought it up. No one had said a word since that night.
“Not even a thought about the one person who caught your eye?’ Sylia chuckled. “He’d be a hard one to forget.”
“Except that he was hosting the event, not participating.” Ashley grinned. “I’m perfectly happy with not getting involved with anyone right before I head out of town. It’s the logical thing to do.”
“I suppose.” Sylia sighed and leaned against the granite countertop. “But are you telling me you haven’t given Austin a single thought since that night?”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying.” Ashley laughed, knowing her boss could see right through her. “Even if it’s not entirely true.”
“I wish I had thought about introducing you two earlier, but he just never struck me as the settling down type.”
“That’s even more reason to stay away from him,” Ashley assured Sylia. “I have very little patience for the playboy types.”
“I’m not sure if he’s a playboy,” Sylia corrected and bit her lip for a brief second. “Honestly, we’ve never met a soul he’s dated. I know he does date, or at least, I assumed he dates. I mean, look at him.”
“Precisely.” Ashley chuckled and took another sip of her coffee. “Look at him. He’s trouble.”
A few seconds of silence sat between them.
“But you know,” Sylia lowered her voice. “Trouble could be kind of fun before you leave town.”
Ashley shook her head as laughter from the two women filled the kitchen.
“The thought crossed my mind.” Ashley rinsed her empty coffee cup. “But I know my luck. Something would go drastically wrong.”
“Like what? You’d fall for the guy?” Sylia looked utterly enamored with the conversation.
“Exactly.” Ashley cleared her throat and tried to push away her memory of Austin smiling that night. It didn’t help that his smile was beyond sexy and delicious, and she couldn’t help but notice the way his lips curled slightly on the edges as if he were privy to a closely-held secret.
“I have to warn you that I’m not sure my husband will play fairly.” Sylia looked out the window and watched Peter wrestle with their children. “He’s mentioned a couple of times about setting you and Austin up before you leave town.”
“I would die.” The thought frightened her more than moving clear across the country. “We don’t have anything in common. I work for people like him. I don’t date people like him.”
Sylia’s hand flew up, and she shook her head. “Get that mentality out of your head right now. There is no us and them.”
“That’s because you’re a them,” Ashley teased.
“No such thing.” Sylia rolled her eyes. “My point is that you don’t know if you have anything in common with him because you haven’t spoken to him since that night.”
“I didn’t speak to him that night either. I might have said one word to him, not even a complete sentence. I just happened to notice him as he was hauling one of my prospective life partners out the door.”
Sylia chuckled. “You’re impossible.”
“I think I might be.” Ashley was going to miss this family something fierce. She glanced at the clock and let out a short breath as her nerves caught up with her. “My video call is in a few minutes. I should probably log on, huh?”
“Might make a good impression to show up.” Sylia winked as she walked over to the sink and set her cup down and watched her husband and children.
It was moments like these that made Ashley wonder what it would be like to have a love that ran so deep it created pure bliss merely by being around them, watching them. Joy etched every feature of Sylia as she watched her family.
As much as Ashley wanted to pretend that she didn’t want that same feeling, the truth was that she wanted it so badly it was paralyzing.
Paralyzing because she’d never had it growing up, and she felt foolish for thinking that possessing that kind of love was even possible. Of course, she’d read plenty of romance novels and watched plenty of romantic comedies to see it happening all around her, especially when she nannied for families that seemed to exhibit the same traits, but that didn’t make her a true believer.
Ashley needed proof that true love existed in her kind of world because hers was a little bit off from the rest of the universe, and she knew it.
Her best friend growing up was a horse.
As she climbed the stairs to her bedroom, her nerves got the better of her.
Here she was, about to potentially meet her new family, and some crazy notion of love snarled her thoughts. She had to shake it.
Ashley closed the door and sucked in a deep breath as she turned on her laptop.
“Out with the old and in with the new,” she whispered under her breath.
Ashley sat at her desk and logged onto the video chat software but minimized the screen while she quickly checked her email to make sure the family hadn’t canceled or changed the time.
When she scanned her inbox, her heart
skipped a beat. An email from Beth, the organizer of the speed dating event, had messaged her asking permission to give her information out to Austin North, the owner of Silver Ridge Resort, as if Ashley didn’t know who he was.
Her hands trembled and became instantly damp. She didn’t have time for this and couldn’t possibly indulge in a farewell fling. It wasn’t how Ashley was wired, so she didn’t bother clicking on the email to read the rest of the message. The blurb was enough to rattle her, and she had more important things to think about, like her upcoming interview.
Ashley brought the video conference back up right when an invitation to join chimed in. She put her game face on, full of smiles and bright eyes, as she clicked on accept and waited for the Givens family to pop onto the screen.
Three children were rolling around in the family room behind Mr. and Mrs. Givens, and Ashley smiled. They were an active bunch.
“You must be Ashley Malone,” Mrs. Givens said, smiling. “I hope my children don’t scare you off before we even begin.”
Shrieks in the background turned into laughter as Mr. Givens told them to say hi.
The interview was far more laid-back than Ashley had ever experienced before, but she immediately felt at ease with the family.
The three kids introduced themselves and sat behind their parents.
“Nice you meet you all.” Ashley grinned and waved into the camera.
“You’re pretty,” the youngest girl yelled into the video camera.
“Thank you. So are you, Tonya.” Ashley’s smile was genuine as she took in the family sitting in front of her. There were two boys and a girl, all under the age of six.
“I spoke with the Finns, and they are certainly going to miss you,” Mrs. Givens told Ashley. “In fact, I think if they could justify it, they’d keep you on until the kids move out.”
Ashley laughed. “I’m fortunate. I always seem to get the best families.”
“Our kids haven’t scared you away yet?” Mr. Givens teased.
“It would take a lot more than a little wrestling.” Ashley winked, and the kids giggled.
Mr. Givens whispered something to his son, who stood and wrangled his siblings out of the living room.
A Surprising Fact About Love: Small Town Romance (Silver Ridge Series Book 4) Page 4