by Sara Daniel
The stormy look in her eyes made him doubt they’d ever get another chance, and he knew he had only himself to blame. But he didn’t just want to sleep with her. He’d realized he loved her when he thought she’d leave after her business was trashed. He wanted to share those feelings with her, not risk hurting her with a sex-only approach.
“I believe I’ll do that afternoon patrol before I pick up Harriet to go to the diner,” Larry said, rising from his seat. “Final voting for the cocoa contest is tonight. Will I see you two there?”
“I’m going,” Becca said. “I’ve tried to ask Connor to join me, but since he won’t return my calls, I figured I’d come here to see why he couldn’t give me the courtesy of a reply.”
Larry winced. “I’ll see you when I see you, I guess.” And he bugged out of the station.
Connor braced himself and met Becca’s gaze. “You’re mad at me.”
“I didn’t expect you to be the type of guy who’d stop returning a girl’s calls as soon as you slept with her. I didn’t realize I’d only signed on for a one-night stand. We might as well have just done it in high school and finished things off a decade ago.” Her hazel eyes shone extra-bright.
He jumped to his feet. He hadn’t meant for their first time to be a sex-only encounter, either, and she’d clearly decided since then that she wanted more than to simply settle the past, as he’d feared. The last thing he ever wanted was to make her cry. “I never thought of it as a one-night stand. I’ve just been busy here, and…” He held out his hands helplessly, not having a good excuse.
“And I’m not a priority,” she finished.
“You are.” In his heart, she absolutely was number one, and he needed to do better showing it with his actions too. “I didn’t want any grumblings about me giving you favorable treatment on the case because we were together, so I thought if I dealt with it first, I could come to you without any complications. The counseling from the VA is also helping with the PTSD, and I kept thinking if I waited just a little longer, I’ll be a little more worthy of your love.”
Her gaze softened. “You’re an idiot. You’ve always been worthy of my love.”
“Aren’t those two statements at odds?” He tried to keep his tone light and not read in to the real, heavy emotion his brain wanted to associate with the L-word.
“I don’t think so. If anything, it means I have a soft spot for idiots.” She quirked a smile. “Anyway, as a public service announcement, if you haven’t heard, I’ve decided to invest most of my vacation fund into the fitness center and helping Toby pay for damages so we don’t have to sell our house. I still want to travel, regardless of how unstable the world is.”
He bit his tongue. He’d done his best to make Kortville into a protective bubble from the outside world, but he watched the news. He knew evil could strike the most tranquil settings. He could be prepared and proactive about protecting his community without becoming paranoid and phobic about going beyond the limits of his jurisdiction.
“Since I’ll be staying in town for at a least a year before I can even manage a short trip, we’re going to end up seeing each other all the time. We need to tackle this awkwardness of avoiding each other now that we’ve slept together and the night’s over.”
“We’re not over. We’re just getting started.” Connor rounded the counter to stand in front of her, desperate to stop the Dear John soliloquy. “Please, I want to keep seeing you. I want to create a future with you.”
He might not be worthy of her yet, but the best way to get himself there was to place himself in her hands and allow her to work her magic on him until he caught up.
She raised her index finger to his jaw, touching him tentatively. “If you mean it, come to my place when you’re done here. We have a cocoa contest to prepare for.”
“Really? Don’t we have more important things to discuss than a silly contest?”
“Nope, I don’t think so,” Becca said with a smile. “Pauline has gone out of her way to support me and my business. I’m going to do the same for her. I’m a meaningful part of the community, and here in Kortville we take our cocoa seriously.”
Connor lifted her finger to his lips and kissed the tip gently, wanting nothing more than to help her kick cocoa butt. “I just have to lock up here, and I’ll be right over.”
…
Becca finished lining the cocoa ingredients on her kitchen counter as the doorbell rang. She pulled the elastic from her ponytail and finger-combed her hair, her best attempt to show Connor she wanted him as he was, faults and all, without any extras or improvements.
As she opened the door, his gaze swept over her loose hair, and he smiled. “Are you going to keep it down all the time now?”
“Only for you.” Heat sizzled between them as she closed the door.
He glanced toward the living room with the new recliner, then to the kitchen where she’d been preparing. “Where’s Toby?”
“He went to Mrs. Parker’s to escort her to the diner. Her arthritis was bothering her so much she didn’t want to drive.” She took Connor’s hand and led him into the kitchen.
“So we’re alone.”
“Yep.” Her confidence wavered, and she squeezed the ponytail holder in her hand. He had said he wanted to create a future with her. Knowing he was thinking forward to any future at all illustrated his progress, but she wouldn’t rush him into something long term he wasn’t prepared for. So she’d focus on the immediate future of tonight’s contest. “My idea is to combine your turtle cocoa with my banana cocoa to make caramel banana pecan. People will either love it or hate it, but even if we lose, it’ll be our unique creation.”
“We can’t lose,” Connor said confidently. “Not as long as we’re together. I love you, Becca.” He cupped his hands around her cheeks and kissed her until he’d erased every doubt she had about their future. Whatever it entailed, Connor would be with her.
“I love you too. I never stopped.” Becca lifted her arms around his neck, holding him to her, their togetherness made all the sweeter because of the long and winding road they’d taken to finally get here. She wouldn’t see the world like she’d once dreamed, but she was living a bigger dream come true than she’d ever imagined. With Connor. Surrounded by the town she loved.
…
By the time they rushed off to the diner much later, their relationship had progressed far beyond a one-night stand and settling up the past, and Connor had never felt more relaxed and content. He strode into the restaurant, carrying their oversized thermos of cocoa.
“Before this contest gets started, I have an announcement,” Veronica’s grandfather Ron shouted from the counter. “As you know, I have a history of donating crazy things to the town whenever I feel like it, and I didn’t think getting your name printed in the menu was enough of a prize for this contest, so I decided to give the winners two tickets to Italy.”
Connor froze halfway to the counter. He’d thought about taking Becca with him next time he went into Chicago, maybe even getting a hotel room for the night. But he wasn’t ready to venture across the world. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready for that.
Becca covered his hands with hers on the thermos. “Let’s go home. Toby’s hanging out here, so we’ll have the house to ourselves. We can make love and drink our special cocoa in bed.”
The tickets were for Italy, though. They’d planned to go together in high school, and more than ever he wanted to give her the opportunity to live that dream. But it would mean giving up having an ocean between himself and the horrors he’d experienced, giving up the security of Kortville and being utterly reliant on foreign security. Worse, he wouldn’t just be putting himself at risk. He’d be risking Becca’s life, too.
She was making this easy for him, giving him an out. He could turn around and leave the diner without entering their cocoa, so they wouldn’t have a chance to win. She was willing to give up her dream for him—because she loved him, because he meant more to her than traveling. Now
he had to show her that she meant more to him than his fears and nightmares.
He marched to the counter and held up the thermos for the entire room to see. “Caramel banana pecan cocoa. It’s so good you’ll be raving about it for weeks.”
“Connor, are you sure?” Becca asked, her eyes troubled and her voice full of concern while the rest of the room bubbled with excitement.
“Yes, I’m sure. I can’t promise we’ll win, but I’m going to start campaigning for votes right now.”
She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. “I love you, and whether we win or not, whether we use the tickets or not, I am so proud of you.”
No matter how much his stomach knotted, he wouldn’t let her down by chickening out. “If we win, we’re going right away, so I need to talk to Wilbur and Larry and make sure the town will be protected.”
He kept his arm around Becca as he and his deputy explained their vision for the police force to the mayor. Wilbur listened, looking much more agreeable to their plan than to Larry and Harriet’s cocoa. “Why isn’t this cocoa hot?”
“It’s iced cocoa, you know, like iced coffee,” Harriet proclaimed.
“It does taste like watered-down chocolate milk,” Larry admitted with a grimace.
“Sorry to say, you’re not winning this contest if my vote counts for anything,” Wilbur told them.
“Good, because if Becca and I win, I’ll need Larry to cover for me while I’m gone.” Connor took a deep breath as he realized he couldn’t let the whims of a contest determine if he was going to take Becca on the vacation of her dreams. He needed to prove that his love for her came first without letting the last vestiges of PTSD hold him back. “Whether we win or lose, I’m taking Becca to Italy anyway, so I’m going to need the whole town to fill in.”
She turned in his embrace, staring at him open-mouthed. “Why are you doing this? You don’t ever want to leave Kortville for any reason.”
“I do for one very good exception. I want to go wherever you’re going. I love you.”
“I’ll watch Toby for you,” Mrs. Parker called.
“Connor and Becca’s caramel banana pecan cocoa is the official winner of the Couple’s Creative Cocoa Contest,” Pauline shouted, despite customers still rating their sample cups.
“Veronica and I will watch over Mrs. Parker and Toby,” Matt said over the roomful of applause.
“I’ll watch your house,” Zelda said. She pointed at Larry. “I’m going to need your direct phone number before Officer O’Malley leaves, and you better answer your phone so I don’t wake up Harriet.”
“I’ll take care of the fitness center for you,” Jake said.
Around the room, everyone offered to pitch in and keep everything running for when they returned.
“I can’t leave my brother,” Becca whispered urgently.
“Go,” Toby insisted. “I’ll take care of whatever the others missed. Just get back in time for my graduation.” He lifted his gaze to Connor. “She kept her promise to look after me. Now I need you to promise you’ll take care of her.”
Connor swallowed and offered his right hand, not only honored by the request but humbled by the redemptive power of Toby’s words, having no doubt Becca would take care of him every bit as much as he cared for her. “I promise.”
When he finished shaking hands, Becca was staring at him, eyes shining. “I love you, Connor O’Malley.”
“And I love you.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, swinging her in a slow circle. “Wherever in the world we are is perfect as long as you’re with me.”
Epilogue
The beaches, gondola ride, wine tasting, and magnificent ancient architecture were all fantastic. But Becca’s favorite landmark was the Kortville city limit sign as they returned to town.
Days later, inside her beautifully renovated fitness center, she surveyed the remains of Toby’s graduation party. A few wadded napkins had fallen short of the garbage can. Clumps of blue and yellow frosting and a handful of crumbs were all that remained of the sheet cake. Luckily, she’d thought to squirrel away a piece for Connor when he got off duty from the long day of traffic patrol and extra security. Even with Larry pitching in, graduation day proved exhausting for Kortville’s finest.
“If you don’t need me to clean up any more, I’m going over to Otto’s party,” Toby said, picking up the napkins and stuffing them into the already full trash.
Becca waved him off. “Go. And Toby, congratulations. I really am proud of you. Mom would have been proud too.”
He smiled. “You’ve said that a million times already. I’m just glad you’re happy, Becca. And I’m glad you’re staying in town with me, even if it means I never get my own bathroom. Mostly, I’m just happy you’re so happy with Connor.”
Becca smiled even more broadly as Toby disappeared out the door. She was unbelievably happy. A few weeks ago she’d been counting down to today so she could get out of town. Now the day had turned into one of the happiest of her life because she knew without a doubt she only wanted to stay here.
“I’m late, aren’t I?” Connor said from the doorway, interrupting her thoughts.
“Just in time to start a private celebration in the most perfect place in the world.”
His green eyes gleamed so brightly she didn’t have a single doubt about his love and where she ranked on his priorities. His nightmares were fading, leaving him more relaxed every day. Even across the world he’d only woken up on their very first night away, and then he’d turned and made love to her with such fervor she’d almost wished he’d awaken more often. Together, in this town, the present and future eclipsed every shadow of the past.
“I waited our whole Italy trip for you to say that.”
“Say what?”
“Declare you’ve found the most perfect place in the world.”
“Every time you asked me how I rated a place, I said, ‘it’s really nice. But it’s not as good as being home in Kortville,’” Becca remembered, sliding her hand along his jaw.
“So I spent the entire trip with a ring in my pocket.” He lifted out a single solitaire diamond on a simple gold band.
Her heart stopped, then thudded. “I had no idea.”
“Well, I have to keep a few surprises. And as much as I couldn’t wait to propose, I agreed with you every time. I couldn’t propose in some second-rate location.”
“I know I’ve hardly traveled anywhere at all, and I still have a lot of places I want to visit, including Greece. But I already know this,” Becca said with conviction. “We live and work and love in the most perfect place on earth.”
Connor pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth. “I’ll make you my best deal. If you say yes to this question, we’ll honeymoon in Greece.”
Becca bit her tongue to keep from yelling yes before he asked the question. But it didn’t matter. Neither of them had a single doubt as to the question or her answer. She couldn’t have dreamed of a better future for herself.
Connor dropped to one knee in front of her, holding up the ring, his face full of love, joy and hope for her, for their future, and for the town they both loved. “Becca, will you marry me?”
Acknowledgments
I was editing Construction Beauty Queen when Stacy Abrams planted the idea of a sequel using continuing characters. Becca and Connor immediately let me know they had a story that needed to be told, and the “Small Town, Big Dreams” series was born. The seeds of their story needed a lot of nurturing, and this book would not be what it is today without the fabulous editing guidance of Wendy Chen and Stacy Abrams. Thank you! Big thanks also to Alycia, Danielle, Katie, Jessica, Misa, Sarah, Liz and everyone at the fabulous Entangled Publishing.
Special thanks to Marilyn Brant, Erika Danou, Simone Elkeles, Karen Dale Harris, and Lisa Laing—amazing writers who always have my back—and to the “wenches” for continuous online support. No thanks would ever be complete without mentioning my family, especially Davi
d for his love and unconditional acceptance of my writing dream.
About the Author
Sara Daniel writes what she loves to read—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. On the personal side, Sara is a frazzled chauffeur, chef, personal assistant, lawn care specialist, guidance counselor, event planner and slave to her children. She’s obsessed with country music, stock car racing, and squirrels, not necessarily in that order. As the author of nearly a dozen romance novels, novellas and short stories, she is proud to claim her own happily-ever-after with her hero husband. She is also the author of Construction Beauty Queen, first in the series. For pictures that inspired her while writing Love Him or Leave Him, visit the “Small Town, Big Dreams” Series board on her Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/ssaradaniel
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Visit a small town with big dreams in
Sara Daniel’s
Construction Beauty Queen
Chicago socialite Veronica Jamison is determined to shake off her sheltered lifestyle and overbearing parents. She heads to her grandfather’s small town of Kortville, ready to roll up her sleeves and work for the family construction business. She’ll prove her worth, even if it means answering to the company’s ruggedly handsome co-owner, Matt.
Matt Shaw just wants to run his business, spend time with the niece he’s raising on his own, and give back to the townspeople who have stood by him. Managing a spoiled-rotten princess he knows he’ll never be good enough for? Not part of his plan. But as he gets to know Veronica, he learns there’s more to her than her beautiful looks and designer clothes. She’s got a heart as rich as her background.