by Cindy Kirk
Prim and Ami, as well as the twins, sat with them.
When Beck and Max skated to the side to say hello, Cade joined them.
“You guys look good on the ice.” Marigold’s gaze narrowed on the other side of the pond, where the other team warmed up, then returned to him. “Do me a favor. Grind those Ugly Pucklings into the ice.”
Cade grinned and felt himself relax. “I never knew you had such a mean streak.”
“Tim Hornsby, one of their leading scorers, cut off a big chunk of my hair when we were six.” Marigold pursed her lips. “He laughed like a hyena.”
“He was sweet on you.” Ami smiled.
“Funny way to show it,” Marigold muttered.
“He was six.” Prim glanced at the twins, sighed. “And a boy.”
“They’re going down.” Cade would have kissed her to seal the promise if Fin hadn’t been there shooting daggers in his direction.
“Who’s all on your team?” Fin asked. “Anyone I know?”
Beck answered the question, rattling off the list of names. He saved Jeremy for last.
“Jeremy’s still an excellent skater,” Marigold told Fin. “He attends every Friday Skate Night as well as being on the team, so he gets a lot of practice.”
“Fin and Jeremy had the best form on the ice.” Prim’s eyes turned dreamy. “Perfectly in sync. Remember, Max?”
“I remember. I just wish he’d show up. He’s late.” Max’s gaze scanned the crowd. A look of relief crossed his face. “Finally . . .”
Though Jeremy and Eliza weren’t touching, it was obvious as they covered the uneven terrain to the pond that they were together. In the morning light, Eliza’s face looked softer, Cade thought, and happy.
Until she spotted Fin.
Her lips tightened and the sharp edge to her features returned. She stumbled, and Jeremy immediately reached out to take her arm.
Fin’s intense green eyes remained focused on the couple. When she became conscious of Cade’s scrutiny, she abruptly shifted her gaze.
“Did you see the survey results?” Beck asked.
Schooling his features, Cade turned to him. “I saw them.”
“We’ll turn those numbers around.” Max’s determined gaze met his.
Cade shrugged. “If we don’t, I’ll be on the hunt for a new job.”
His casual tone gave no indication just how much all this mattered. But Marigold obviously knew him too well to be fooled. She placed a hand on his arm.
“I contacted Katie Ruth this morning about doing an interview with you and Travis.” Marigold must have seen his look of surprise, because she smiled. “She can’t interview you and not Travis without looking as if she’s playing favorites, especially since she’s agreed to be in charge of your social media strategy. But because your experience is so much stronger, the interview should give you a push.”
“You should be getting a text from Jeremy’s administrative assistant with dates and times of a couple of public debates,” Beck told him. “Going head-to-head with Travis will also boost your numbers.”
“Don’t forget the door-to-door,” Prim added. “I’ve got quite a list of volunteers ready to spring into action once we give them the go-ahead. Studies show most people make up their minds close to the election, so we’ll begin the canvassing ten days out.”
“We’ll be targeting both undecideds and doing get-out-the-vote canvassing. Dad is putting together a leaflet that he’ll be running by you for you and the volunteers to hand out,” Ami explained. “It will highlight your experience and include quotes backing you from both Jeremy and Len.”
“The leaflet is going to be so compelling a person would have to be a fool to vote for anyone but you.” Marigold’s earnest face made him smile. “But be warned, it isn’t all that long before you’ll be spending every free second going door-to-door.”
“Good thing you’ll be gone by then, Marigold.” Fin’s cool comment had everyone shifting their gazes. “He won’t have any distractions.”
A look of distress crossed Ami’s face. “Are you leaving soon?”
“I got offered a job in LA with a major studio.” Marigold glanced at Fin and smiled. “It’s a solid offer, but I haven’t decided whether or not to take it. I’m waiting to hear from Angelo’s.”
“Tiffany, my friend at the studio, told me they need someone to start by March first.” Fin slanted a glance at Cade.
He kept his face carefully neutral.
“Not much notice.” Prim’s strawberry-blonde brows pulled together.
“Most hairstylists would kill for such an opportunity,” Fin said firmly.
Ami worried her lower lip. “But to find a place and get settled within two weeks . . .”
“Marigold has a place to stay. My roommate moved out and I haven’t taken time to look for a replacement.” Fin waved away her sister’s concern. “She’ll move in with me. I won’t even charge her rent until she gets on her feet.”
Cade wanted to tell Fin to quit pushing and let Marigold decide what was best for her, but he kept his mouth shut.
Right now, he had some Ugly Pucklings to grind into the ice.
“I don’t see why you can’t stay for lunch.” Marigold’s puzzled blue eyes turned the color of Green Bay before a storm.
Jeremy had invited the entire Ice Holes team along with their friends and family up to his house to celebrate the victory over a meal of pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad.
“I’ve got paperwork I need to catch up on before I launch into all this election stuff.” Giving in to impulse, Cade smoothed a hand down her hair and found the simple touch eased some of the rawness inside. “Go, enjoy the time with your family. I’ll see you this evening.”
There must have been a question in his voice, because she smiled. “I’m planning on it.”
Cade had heard all about the Not-on-Valentine’s Day Dance. Apparently it was an extremely popular event, not only with locals but with visitors to the community, as well.
Set for the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, the dance would be held in the Bayshore Hotel’s main ballroom. A band from Milwaukee had been hired to play romantic melodies spanning the last seventy years.
Cade had envisioned spending a romantic evening dancing under dangling red hearts, then coming home and making love until the early hours of the morning. But that was before Fin’s unexpected arrival. Now that she was now staying with Marigold, the most Cade could hope for was several passionate kisses at the door.
“Cade.”
He looked up to find Marigold’s gaze on him, regret in her eyes.
His spine stiffened. “What?”
“I’m sorry Fin’s unexpected arrival threw a wrench into our plans.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Her gloved hand slid up his arm. Although hardly skin to skin, he felt the heat through the waterproof jacket sleeve and thermal shirt beneath. “I missed you last night.”
Yeah, they had a connection.
“Missed you, too, Goldilocks.”
That brought a smile to her lips. “Sure you won’t stay for lunch?”
He shook his head, then thought what the hell and leaned over and kissed her. “See you at seven.”
Without a backward glance, Cade headed to his Jeep.
By the time he reached the station, he was ready to dig in. Ready to take care of all the mundane tasks in the hopes that the job, the work, would take his mind off Marigold, off the fact that in barely over two weeks she’d be gone.
After finishing his review of several reports completed by a new deputy, Cade went through his e-mail.
A message from the city administrator of Village Green caught his eye. The small community in Illinois, an hour north of Chicago’s northernmost suburbs, had once been on his radar.
Filled with streets of beautifully preserved Victorian homes, Village Green was a thriving community that featured carriage rides and historical reenactments as a tourist draw. He’d applied
for the job as chief of police around the same time as he applied for the sheriff’s position in Good Hope.
Not long after the submission period closed, he’d received a form letter advising him the current chief had decided to stay another year. Cade had scarcely given the matter a second thought. By that time, he’d already accepted the job in Good Hope.
The only advantage to the Village Green position was that he’d have been appointed, no election necessary there.
Regardless of what the Bloom family thought of his chances, Travis was well-liked in Good Hope and was a lifelong resident. In this close-knit community, that counted for a lot.
So what if Travis didn’t have all Cade’s experience in law enforcement? It wasn’t as if Good Hope was a mecca for crime. Since Christmas, the hottest thing on the department’s plate was the string of recent vandalisms. Cade had just closed the book on those cases with the arrest of two subjects.
His gaze returned to the e-mail. The city administrator in Village Green wanted to know if he was interested in being considered for the position, which would come open in June. Cade keyed in no, then erased it. Saying he was interested didn’t guarantee he’d be offered the position. Even if they did offer, it didn’t mean he had to accept.
It would be an option. If he lost the election, Village Green would be a good place to settle. In time, he’d return to Good Hope and make his home here.
Cade indicated his interest, asked if they needed an updated resume, and hit Send before turning back to his paperwork.
But Marigold remained on his mind, so he composed another quick message and sent it, this time to her.
Chapter Twenty-One
The ding had Marigold placing the dress back into her closet and snatching the phone from her dresser.
Fin glanced up from Marigold’s jewelry box she’d been perusing. “Is it Ami?”
Thinking of you. Can’t wait to dance with you tonight.
Marigold’s lips curved up as a warm wave of pleasure washed over her. “It’s Cade. Just confirming plans for tonight.”
If things had been different, Marigold would have told Fin how much she liked the little texts Cade often sent her. Most for no reason other than to say he was thinking of her. She found them sweet and romantic.
In the mood Fin was in right now, her sister would likely label her girlish thoughts lame or foolish.
“You really like him.”
Marigold realized with a start that Fin was speaking to her. “What?”
“You like the sheriff.”
There was no way to keep from smiling. It was her common response whenever she thought about Cade. “I do. He’s a great guy.”
“Would he move to California?” Fin’s green eyes turned unreadable. “Or to New York?”
Marigold’s heart gave a little leap at the thought, until she told herself to be sensible. Heck, to be realistic. “He loves it here. He’s a small-town guy.”
“I thought he came from Detroit.”
“He grew up in a small town. He loves Good Hope and is totally content with his position here.”
“Doesn’t believe in aiming high, does he?”
“Don’t say that about him, not in that smug, dismissive tone.” Marigold’s voice sliced the air.
Startled surprise skittered across Fin’s ivory complexion. Her eyes, enhanced with the expert use of cosmetics to appear wide, widened farther. “I didn’t mean it as a slam.”
Fin raked a hand through her sun-streaked hair and expelled a heavy breath. “Blame it on Xander. He’s been looking for a community about the size of Good Hope to shoot his next movie. For the past couple of months I’ve found myself defending small-town life to him.”
There was a disconnect here, and Marigold wasn’t sure where it had occurred. “You don’t like small towns. Why would you be defending them to him?”
The lips Fin had covered in a bronze shade similar to the one Whitney Chapin often wore lifted slightly. “You know how it is with me. He says black. I have to say white.”
The picture came into sharp focus. “You were compelled to take the opposing side.”
“Partly,” Fin agreed. “But I love Good Hope. I see the value of small-town life.”
“Really?”
“Even if it’s not for me,” Fin hastily added.
“I imagine it was difficult.” Marigold paused. “Seeing Jeremy with Eliza.”
Fin lifted a necklace with sparkling amber stones. “I knew they’d been dating off and on for years. I just didn’t realize they’d gotten so close.”
Her heart ached for her sister’s pain. Though Fin showed no outward sign, Marigold could only imagine how it would be when she came back to Good Hope one day and found Cade cozying up to another woman. Even the thought made her knees grow weak.
“The closeness is a fairly recent occurrence.” Though Fin’s back remained to her, Marigold waved a dismissive hand. “I’m certain you and Xander are far closer than Jeremy and Eliza.”
“I thought he was going to propose.” Fin turned, her eyes as flat as her voice. “We’d had this trip to St. John planned for months. I had the feeling that this was when he planned to do it. Xander is big on setting the stage. Obviously I was wrong.”
“Ohmigod, I didn’t realize things had gotten to that point with you and him.” In Good Hope time, dating a year exclusively was tantamount to declaring your intentions. In Chicago, and places like LA and NYC, couples dated for years, often with no thought of marrying. “I’m excited for you.”
“We’ll see what happens.” Fin’s lips quirked up in a humorless smile. “For now, I’m just happy to know you and I will be in LA together.”
“If I decide to accept the position.” Marigold wasn’t sure why her sister looked so startled. She thought she’d been clear she hadn’t decided if she wanted the job. “I should hear from Angelo any day. If he makes an offer, then I’ll weigh the advantages of both and decide.”
“I want you in LA.” When Fin’s arms wrapped around her for a hug, Marigold didn’t know which of them was more surprised. Fin gave a shaky laugh as she released her and stepped back. “Sorry. It’s just that being here has made me realize how much I miss my family.”
Marigold was oh so tempted to say she’d move to California, because although Angelo’s was her dream salon, she had no family in New York. And like Fin, her time in Good Hope had helped her see how very much connections mattered.
“The Cherries outdid themselves this year.” Marigold thought the strains of classical music from a trio of musicians outside the entrance to the grand ballroom added just the right romantic touch.
“If you’re talking about the chocolate, I’d have to agree.” Cade’s voice held a hint of awe. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much chocolate in one location.”
On a table resplendent in Irish linen, a local chocolatier offered samples of Grand Marnier truffles, violet-infused chocolate squares, and raspberry bonbons. To Marigold’s mind, not sampling would be tantamount to a sin.
“I’m definitely going to have to pace myself.” Seconds later, Marigold wiped a bit of chocolate from her hands with one of the napkins from the table. “That truffle was amazing.”
Cade smiled down at her. “You missed a spot.”
He dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “If we were alone, I’d kiss it away.”
“If we were alone,” she lowered her voice until it was barely audible, “I’d make sure there was chocolate on every inch of my skin for you to sample.”
His eyes darkened with promise. Later, they seemed to say.
Cade wrapped an arm protectively around Marigold’s shoulder when she was bumped from behind. “We should sample it all.”
“I prefer to be selective.” Because having him close felt so good, Marigold rested her head against his arm. “I’m going to pick and choose and try several of something new.”
“That chocolate cake looks amazing.” With his gaze firmly fixed on the mul
tilayer tower, Cade steered them across the room.
He stopped abruptly.
“What the—”
Only then did Marigold see the Crumb and Cake banner.
Anita stood to one side of the display. Her cherry-red dress the perfect foil for dark hair worn in a fashionable twist.
She spotted Marigold the same instant Marigold saw her. For an instant Anita’s smile faltered.
“Anita.” Marigold kept her own smile in place as she stepped forward.
An unfortunate break in the crowd gave them a semblance of privacy.
“The cake is impressive.” Marigold let her gaze linger. The multilayer beauty had been frosted in white icing, then decorated with chocolate swirls. Each layer—as well as the top—held strawberries dipped in chocolate.
“It’s a chocolate buttercream.” Anita’s bright smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “A particular favorite among grooms.”
And, Marigold knew, a particular favorite of her father’s.
The area surrounding the cake held dozens of mini cupcakes. Dark chocolate ones, ones with peanut butter icing, and a German chocolate that Marigold knew was one of Anita’s signature cakes.
“May I?” Marigold’s hand wavered above a German chocolate.
“Of course.” Picking up a napkin, Anita handed it and the cupcake to Marigold.
“You’ll have to try this, Cade.” Marigold fought to keep her voice light, though the way Anita looked at her with sad eyes made her uneasy. “This is one of Anita’s best.”
“Then I’ll sample one, too,” he said gallantly.
“Is Steve, ah, is your father coming tonight?” Anita might have been striving for casual, but the look of hope in her eyes gave her away.
Marigold’s heart twisted. “I believe he’s around here someplace.”
Anita’s smile wobbled. “Well, when you see him, tell him I said hello.”
She might have said more, but several other couples stepped to the table, and Cade and Marigold slipped away.
Marigold finished off the cupcake. “That was awkward.”
“The woman might be a pain in the ass . . .” Cade paused, licked a bit of chocolate off his lips. “But she makes a damn fine cupcake.”