A Surprising Fact About Love: Small Town Romance (Silver Ridge Series Book 4)

by Karice Bolton

  “Yeah. Why? Do you know her?” Mrs. Givens asked her brother.

  “That’s the bit—” He glanced at his nieces and nephews and stopped himself. “That’s the woman who had me thrown out of the singles’ event.”

  Mr. Givens hid a chuckle as Mrs. Givens gasped.

  “She’s a little princess who thinks she’s better than everyone and—”

  “That’s enough.” A voice Ashley never expected to hear boomed through the baggage claim.

  Everyone froze except Ashley, who quickly turned around to see Austin North charging toward them with the biggest bouquet of red roses.

  “What is it with you?” Austin asked, coming up on Jerry rather forcefully.

  The kids were off playing by the carousel, and Ashley wasn’t sure if she should go take care of them or if that should be the Givenses. She was pretty sure whatever job she was worried about keeping might be lost soon anyway. Or judging by Jerry’s distaste for her, it might have never been the moment the connection arose, which was fine by her. The thought of facing Jerry at family events was bone-chilling.

  “Not you again.” Jerry rolled his eyes, and Austin towered over him.

  “Apologize to Miss Malone for tonight and the other night.”

  “My brother will do no such thing.”

  “He tried to get her to up to a hotel room without her consent. Touched her repeatedly when she asked him to stop. Do you think that’s acceptable?”

  “Of course not.” Mrs. Givens shook her head. “Apologize to her, Jerry.”

  Jerry muttered something no one could understand, but it didn’t matter.

  Ashley was done. She was no longer going to be afraid of falling in love, losing love, or creating love.

  “Mrs. Givens.” She looked between the wife and husband. “Mr. Givens, I think this isn’t the right fit for any of us.”

  “No kidding,” Jerry retorted.

  “I do apologize for this turn of events, but I never could have seen it coming.” She smiled. “When my boxes arrive, I’ll be sure to arrange to have them shipped back to me.”

  Mr. Givens nodded and glanced at Austin North. “We completely understand.”

  Mrs. Givens nodded and then followed Jerry to where her kids were playing.

  “And Ashley, I do apologize for my brother-in-law. He’s an ass. Always has been.”

  “Thank you.” Ashley smiled and watched him walk away to join his wife.

  “Surprise.” Austin held up the roses, and Ashley smiled. “So, this wasn’t quite how I thought tonight would go.”

  “Really?” Ashley giggled. “I thought you set this up to show your muscle again.”

  “If only I were that clever.”

  “Well, I think you’re pretty clever . . . and sexy.” She took the roses from him, and he scooped her into his arms, spinning her around.

  “I think it’s high time you start thinking about starting your own family, Miss Malone,” he growled softly.

  “Only if it’s with you, Austin North.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Yes. Do tell.” Autumn giggled. “I can only imagine.”

  “I came for support, not to be ridiculed,” Austin grumped into his coffee, loving every second of the story. After all, it was how they finally made it official.

  “Then you came to the wrong place. You can’t have one and not the other,” Autumn teased. “Besides, you already have the girl. I see the way she looks at you.”

  Joel laughed. “The same way he looks at her. Like two puppy dogs in love.”

  “It’s not that bad.” Austin laughed.

  “Oh, it’s worse.” Autumn chuckled as she shifted Briella in her arms.

  “I’m sure she thinks I’m a raving lunatic the way I darted out at them all in the airport.” Austin stretched in his seat and looked around the kitchen.

  Not much had changed since Autumn married Joel and she moved into his home. She even kept the same pine furniture. Most women he knew would want to come in and tear everything out and start again. Or worse yet, move. But not Autumn. She fit right in and fell in love with Silver Ridge. Really, all of his brother’s fiancées and wives did. He supposed that was why they were together.

  “So she didn’t even know you were there yet?” Joel’s eyes widened.

  “Nope.” He let out a sigh.

  “It’s a story to tell your children.” Autumn burst into laughter and Austin couldn’t help but laugh too.

  “And you’re supposed to be the older, wiser brother?” Joel shook his head. “Wait until the others—”

  “You’d better not tell a soul.”

  “Why? You think maybe, just maybe, you might have a heart and care for someone?” Joel smiled, knowing his brother had more than a heart. He had a sincere desire to settle down and spoil a family of his own. “Cat’s already out of the bag, my brother. Mom and Grandma saw the way you fawned over her at her going-away party and knew it was only a matter of time.”

  “You know what I’m happy about?” Autumn asked. “That you’ve stopped running away.” Autumn put a plate of cookies between the brothers and wandered out of the kitchen.

  “I wasn’t the one doing the actual running,” Austin hollered after her, trying to point out the obvious fact.

  It wasn’t like Austin to run in the opposite direction from an attractive and intelligent female. No. That definitely wasn’t Austin’s style.

  “Do you think you might have stumbled into a woman who’s going to make you settle down and start a family?” Joel asked.

  “I’m settled, and I’m ready to go.” Austin wagged his brows, and his brother rolled his eyes. “Seriously, though. I don’t want to rush it. I’m letting it happen at her pace.”

  Austin’s gaze fell to the cup Joel was drinking out of.

  The mug had a photo of Autumn and Joel wrapped around it.

  How cute.

  “You know, it’s only a matter of time.” Joel smiled at his brother.

  “For what?”

  “Before you get a whole set of these mugs for your birthday.”

  Austin laughed and looked out the window at Ashley, who was planting some white and purple petunias in Autumn and Joe’s planters out back.

  “That woman can’t help herself. She just can’t stop moving. Always busy.”

  “Sounds like someone I know.” Joel’s brows furrowed.

  “You know . . .” Austin sat back in the chair. “I’ve been thinking of showing her my place.”

  “You mean the one down the pass a bit?” Joel took a sip of his coffee and glanced over at Ashley. “The one near Cherry Hill you bought out of college?”

  Austin nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Wow.” Joel looked surprised.

  “You kind of abandoned that whole property when—” He stopped himself.

  “When I lost my soul?” Austin chuckled.

  Austin would never deny that he had certain privileges most could only dream of, but he and his brothers always tried to keep things in perspective, but when he was barely out of college, he’d bought a piece of property he could develop for his future family, complete with a red barn. There was a beautiful farmhouse on it that needed to be remodeled and plenty of land for growing vegetables and flowers, raising animals, and even raising kids. The thought made Austin smile.

  The moment Ashley had mentioned a farm with a red barn, Austin had to keep his excitement to himself so he didn’t look like a raving lunatic.

  But she’d painted a picture of his dream. The dream he’d had since college. He wanted to landscape, remodel, and build a life for his family on this piece of property.

  The very piece of property Ashley described.

  “I’m gonna show her tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Joel’s eyes widened. “As in now?” He looked at his watch.

  “Yup.”

  “Is there more to the story?” his brother asked.

  “Not that I want to tell.” Austin smiled and watched Ashley come ins
ide with rosy cheeks and a pink nose. She had a slight limp, but he already knew why because she’d told him so earlier when they’d gotten out of bed in the morning. He also knew she was facing surgery in less than two weeks, so he didn’t have time to waste.

  But that was what he always wanted with Ashley Malone. He wanted to share in her secrets, her desires, her dreams, and he wanted to become part of them.

  “What in the world have you two been talking about?” she asked, taking her gardening gloves off.

  “Not much.” Joel couldn’t wipe the grin off his face, and Austin rolled his eyes, hoping the surprise wouldn’t be ruined.

  “You ready?” Austin asked, pretending to stretch as if nothing was about to happen.

  “Sure. I’m starving. Let me go say bye to my little Briella and Autumn.” She hurried up the stairs, and Austin smiled after her.

  “It’s a lost cause. The sooner, the better.” Joel cleared his throat as Ashley popped back into the kitchen.

  “We’re off?” Ashley asked, and Austin nodded, putting his mug in the sink.

  Austin kissed her forehead, and Ashley smiled. “You’ve got hot lips.”

  “It’s their coffee. I swear they boil it.” Austin waved at his brother as they let themselves out of their house.

  “Those petunias are beautiful, and Autumn’s so excited about them. She felt bad since she hasn’t gotten to do anything like that since Briella’s birth.”

  “I’m just so happy the Finns are letting me use their greenhouse.”

  “You give them most of the vegetables and flowers, so I’m sure they’re pretty happy about it.” Austin laughed, climbing into the car.

  He loved how she always thought of doing things for others. She’d even felt sorry for how things went down with the Givenses, but she said she knew the moment she started getting frantic texts from them on the plane that it wasn’t a good fit.

  “Where are we headed?” Ashley asked as they pulled out of Joel and Autumn’s driveway.

  “With yesterday being the first day of spring, I thought you might be interested in seeing a little place I own between here and Cherry Hill.”

  “Besides the cabin near your mom’s house?” she asked, her brows pulling together.

  “Yep. I started buying properties early on, but this one has special meaning.” He glanced at her and smiled.

  “Really? Tell me more.” She seemed genuinely excited and interested, which made Austin sail down the mountain.

  “When I realized that it wasn’t in the cards to become a landscape architect, I’d already purchased this place. The property called to me the moment I saw it.”

  “Wow. Must be special.”

  “It is.” He nodded. “And kind of familiar-sounding.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, shifting in her seat.

  “You’ll see.” He slowed as they came to a private road and turned onto it.

  “Wow. So many woods. Such a pretty entrance. Is it a piece of property?”

  “Kind of.” He continued down the road, and his palms grew clammy. He’d hired a caretaker nearly as soon as he’d bought it and realized he’d had the wrong girl and what he’d thought was the wrong dream. He just hadn’t realized he’d had the right dream with the wrong girl.

  When he turned the corner down the final stretch, Ashley gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. “A white farmhouse with a metal roof.” She looked to her left. “A pond. A red barn?” She shook her head frantically. “I don’t understand. It’s like you stole my dreams right out of me. How long have you had this property? This can’t be.” She turned to look at Austin, who loved every second of her reaction.

  It was precisely how he felt when he’d bought it so many years ago.

  “It’s twenty-five acres.”

  Her mouth dropped open as he parked the car and they both climbed out. The snow had mostly melted, but there was still a light coating near the pond and barn. The bright yellow daffodils were starting to poke out from the soil, and the cherry and plum trees had just begun to blossom. The tiny, closed pink and purple buds dotted the trees surrounding the pond.

  Ashley slid her hand into his, and he pulled her toward the pond where there was a picnic table. The caretaker had laid out a light dinner for them.

  “Austin, what’s going on?” Ashley said, her voice almost trembling.

  “I’ve known since the moment I saw you, Ashley Malone, that we were meant to be together. Your fire and tenacity. Your sweetness, intelligence . . . it’s nearly more than I can handle, but it excites me every single day I think about spending with you. We’re learning so much about one another, and yet, there’s so much more to learn.”

  Austin felt his stomach knot when he grabbed the ring box out of his pocket and turned to kneel on one knee, holding Ashley’s hands.

  “Ashley, I want to spend my days growing old with you. I want to continue to discover the things that make you you and all the things that will make us us.” He drew a breath and saw tears glistening in Ashley’s eyes. “You’re an incredible woman, and I don’t want another day to go by without your being mine. You’ve opened a whole new world for me, Ashley Malone, and I want to be your husband. I want to take care of you in good times and bad.”

  Ashley smiled, and a tear fell down her cheek as her hands trembled in his.

  “I want us to be a family, Ashley. When I’m with you, I feel like I’ve already found my home, and I want us to create that together. A place here, where we can live out our dreams and build a family. Our family. Ashley Malone, will you marry me?”

  Austin swallowed the lump building in the back of his throat as he waited for Ashley’s response. He’d never considered she might say no, but as tears streamed down her face, he no longer knew what reality he was in.

  “Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you.” She held out her arms, and Austin hopped up, bringing her into his embrace as he kissed her like he never had before.

  And he realized that the most surprising fact about love was that if you stopped running from it, the right kind of love just might find you.

  I hope you loved A Surprising Fact About Love! I had so much fun writing about these two and as I kept writing, Erika's story kept evolving too. I can't wait to share the next book in the Silver Ridge Series and see who Erika winds up. Thank you so much for reading my series. If you haven't read the Island County or Beyond Love Series, there are more than seventeen books available between the two series.

  If you'd like to find out when my next release will be, sign up for my newsletter! Subscribers find out about sales, new releases, and gain access to novellas, excerpts and all kinds of fun stuff. Keep reading for a glimpse of Finding Love in Forgotten Cove (Island County #1)

  Silver Ridge Series Available Titles:

  A Happy Truth About Love

  A Little Secret About Love

  A Funny Thing About Love

  A Surprising Fact About Love

  Finding Love Excerpt

  Chapter One

  The last of the students shuffled out of the room, and I leaned against my desk wondering what in the world I’d signed up for. The silence wrapped around me and so did the dawning realization that I’d be stuck on the island all summer. It seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago, but once I arrived, I started having immediate doubts. Maybe teaching tenth grade summer school wasn’t the best idea to keep busy. I had more than enough to occupy myself with managing my dad’s affairs and getting his house ready to sell, but it was too late now. I’d signed a contract, and I needed to make the best of the situation. It was very clear none of the students wanted to be here and I didn’t blame them. Who would want to spend a summer indoors on the island? I needed to come up with a plan to get them interested and keep myself focused along the way.

  Easier said than done.

  I looked around the dull and dingy classroom and eyed the yellowed Shakespeare poster that been on the wall since I’d attended school here, and I didn’t need to count the years
to know that had been a very long time ago. The beige walls were spotty from years of touch-up paint, and the only improvement I’d noticed was that the individual scarred wooden desks had been replaced with long, plastic tables. This space was dismal. I totally grasped why the kids wouldn’t want to be stuck inside this room all summer while their friends got to run around the island.

  I’d always loved summers on the island, but that was before my family splintered apart with never the hope of coming back together again.

  I kept in a sigh and began organizing the students’ papers in a folder. So much of this place had stayed the same. It was like going back in time and the only thing that had managed to age during the process was me. Not a very amusing thought since there were moments l still felt like a teenager inside.

  A breeze swept through an open window in the classroom lifting up one of the loose papers from the desk. I reached over and snatched the sheet out of the air and plunked it back down, anchoring it with my empty coffee mug. The sound of a metal ladder clanging along the side of the brick building caught my attention, and I glanced out the window to see the most well-defined stomach peeking out from under some guy’s shirt as he climbed up the ladder. My eyes were glued to his abdomen as he reached up to work on whatever it was he was doing, and it appeared I really had been flung back into high school.

  I needed to get out more.

  Instead of turning my attention away, however, I kept staring at this small gift from above and trundled over to the window as he worked his way up the ladder. Complete disappointment washed over me when his shirt fell to cover his stomach, but I still stood at complete attention hoping for one last glimpse. It wasn’t until I heard a woman clearing her throat behind me that I realized how close I’d gotten to the window and the man outside it. I had no idea what had come over me.

  I spun around, and my eyes met with the woman who’d hired me and two other female teachers who I’d seen around the campus.

  Such was my luck.

  As the embarrassment slowly permeated every ounce of my body, I noticed all of the women displayed a sort of knowing smile, but none of them said a word so I stood in place, cheeks flaming. My mind raced in every different direction to come up with a clever comeback, and of course, nothing of the sort came to mind.