The Cottage on Juniper Ridge

by Sheila Roberts

  Why did temptation have to be so...tempting? Damn it all, he wished he’d never met the woman.

  * * *

  You don’t have to go out for a fancy dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. In fact, you don’t even need to have a sweetheart. What’s important is to make sure you’re with people you care about, having fun together. Anyway, sex is overrated.

  Jen looked at what she’d written for her blog so far and frowned. Nobody was going to buy that. She deleted the last sentence and continued.

  I had fun this past weekend checking out the chocolate festival in Icicle Falls.

  No lie. She’d had a great time until she’d seen Garrett. She wrote some more about the festival and posted a couple of pictures, then added her recipe.

  CHOCOLATE MADNESS SNACK

  (makes 4 cups)

  1 cup M&M’s

  1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1 cup white chocolate chips

  1 cup Hershey’s Kisses, whatever kind you like

  (my fave is the one with caramel)

  Mix everything together and enjoy while watching a great chick movie.

  She typed in her last paragraph.

  I’ll be taking this to my book club tonight. We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day early and we’ll probably overdose on chocolate. What will you be doing for Valentine’s Day?

  She hit Publish and sighed. What she’d written was fine in theory, but in reality she was bummed that she didn’t have any romantic plans for Cupid’s big day.

  Well, she’d do...something. Maybe she’d treat herself to some Sweet Dreams chocolates and watch a vintage chick flick. That would have to do for this year.

  She got to Stacy’s house to find the book club was ready to celebrate. Stacy had made chocolate-dipped strawberries in honor of Valentine’s Day, which was just a couple of days away, and Cecily had brought treats from Sweet Dreams. Cass had contributed iced gingerbread hearts, and Charley and Chita had provided champagne.

  “This is probably as romantic as it’s going to get for me this year,” Chita confessed as Charley popped the cork on the champagne. “This is also about as much romance as I have energy for,” Chita added.

  “Romance is overrated,” Cecily said.

  Jen wasn’t so sure about that.

  “No way.” Stacy held up a glass to be filled. “Not if you have a man who’s truly romantic.”

  “I had a fiancé who was the most romantic guy in L.A.,” Cecily said.

  “So, how did he get to be your ex, then?” Stacy asked.

  “I found out he was being romantic with his former girlfriend whenever I had to work.”

  Stacy shook her head. “What a bumsicle.”

  Cecily shrugged. “They’re everywhere.”

  “Not in Icicle Falls,” Juliet insisted.

  “So, who’s the best catch in Icicle Falls?” Jen asked. Garrett Armstong, whispered a naughty little voice at the back of her mind. She told it to shut up.

  “Luke Goodman,” Cecily replied, making Charley raise an eyebrow at her. “Not for me,” she clarified, “but for...someone.”

  “You’re the only someone he wants,” Charley pointed out. “Cecily’s been collecting men since she moved back,” Charley explained to Jen. “Her production manager at Sweet Dreams is crazy for her. So’s Todd Black. He owns the Man Cave.”

  “He’s gorgeous.” Juliet sighed. “That man should be on the cover of a romance novel.”

  “There’s more to life than gorgeous men,” Cecily muttered, and the others laughed at her.

  “What about Garrett Armstrong?” Jen asked, trying to sound casual. “Is he with anyone?”

  Charley gave a knowing grin. “So, you’ve been bitten by the Garrett bug.”

  “No, just wondering,” Jen lied.

  “He’s sort of with Tilda Morrison, the cop,” Charley said. “They’ve come into Zelda’s for drinks a few times. But I don’t think he’s that into her. I don’t think he’s into anyone. His ex did such a number on him, the man is love shy.”

  “Is she still around here?” Jen asked.

  Charley popped a strawberry in her mouth. “Oh, yeah. That woman is a piece of work. She’s always in the bar trying to hook up. Bad enough she broke his heart, but he’s got to put up with her being the mother of his kid on top of it. A lizard would be a better mother than that woman.”

  So, her sexy fireman was nursing a broken heart. That meant he was hanging out with Tilda because...he thought she was safe? Were they just friends? Friends with benefits? She couldn’t imagine Tilda not wanting to take their relationship beyond that. Would Garrett be interested, though—with Tilda or anyone?

  Charley and Stacy had finished filling the champagne glasses and were passing them around.

  “Here’s to a great Valentine’s Day, however we all choose to spend it,” said Stacy.

  “By myself,” Chita said, “doing something I want to do.” She grinned. “I took your advice last month,” she told Stacy, “I’m no longer a Girls of America leader.”

  Stacy clinked glasses with her. “Good for you. Hey, maybe now you’ll have some time for romance.”

  “I’ll be happy just to find time to watch Project Runway once in a while. And get our monthly book club selections read.”

  “Speaking of books, how are we all doing with making changes in our lives?” Juliet wanted to know.

  Silence descended on the room.

  “I’m enjoying my simple life,” Jen ventured. She smiled at Cass. “And I’m enjoying my new job.” Cass was an easygoing boss and Jen was finding that she really enjoyed interacting with the townspeople who came in for a sugar fix.

  “It’s great having you there,” Cass said. She took a sip of champagne. “Once Jen is trained I’ll have more time.”

  Jen felt as if she was pretty much trained already. Still, Cass continued to come into the bakery; she was beginning to suspect that her employer was a workaholic.

  “I’ve delegated some stuff to Neil,” Juliet announced. “He’s in charge of dinner two nights a week now. And I’m giving myself Saturday afternoons off. I do some shopping in town or take a book to Bavarian Brews and read. Last week I finished the new Vanessa Valentine.” She turned to Charley. “How are you doing?”

  Charley frowned at her glass of champagne. “I don’t think I’ll be able to simplify my life until after I’m married. And even though we’ve put the wedding off until June, I still feel stressed. The other day I was looking at flowers in Lupine Floral with Dan and I burst into tears. All because I couldn’t decide between the taupe satin flower bouquet or the blue-and-white bouquet with white roses and hydrangeas.” She set aside her glass with a frown. “I’m tired all the time. Dan asked me what I wanted to do for Valentine’s Day and you know what I said? Sleep. How’s that for sexy?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Chita said.

  “You guys are too young to feel this old. Heck, we all are,” Stacy said.

  “So, what are you going to do?” Charley asked her as they drifted from the kitchen to the living room.

  “I’m making us a romantic dinner using the fondue pot and the heart-shaped cake tin I found at the Kindness Cupboard yesterday.”

  “I thought you were lightening your load. How much stuff have you bought since we went to Seattle?” Charley asked.

  “Not that much,” Stacy said. Just a few things for the house—plus a coat with a faux-fur collar and some great jeans from a thrift store
in Wenatchee.... She glanced around the living room. “Okay, so maybe I was a little carried away. But I saved a fortune on everything I got.”

  “I love how you rationalize everything,” Cass said with a smile.

  “Heck, everyone rationalizes.” Charley shrugged. “Whether it’s our overwork or our overstuffed closets.” She sighed and slumped down among the sofa cushions. “It shouldn’t be that hard to simplify your life. And it shouldn’t be so exhausting to plan a simple wedding.”

  “You know there’s no such thing as a simple wedding,” Chita told her.

  “There’s no such thing as a simple anything,” Charley muttered. “Even Valentine’s Day is going to be ridiculous. The restaurant is booked solid, and I’ve almost made myself insane planning our Valentine special. Now Dan’s arranged some crazy getaway. How am I supposed to leave the restaurant on Valentine’s Day?”

  “You do have a general manager,” Cass reminded her.

  “I know. But, well, I like to be there on an important day.”

  “Your love life is important, too,” Cass said gently.

  * * *

  Cass is right, Charley told herself as Dan drove his truck over the mountains toward Seattle. Getting away was a great idea. She just hoped that wherever they were going, it wouldn’t take long to get there. And wherever it was, she hoped they had a hot tub. Now, if only she could wheedle their destination out of him. The back of the cab held two overnight bags and a garment bag, and he hadn’t let her so much as peek in any of them.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, not for the first time.

  “I told you, the airport.”

  “That doesn’t tell me anything,” Charley complained. “And how can I be sure you packed what I need?”

  “Trust me, baby. I’ve got what you need.”

  “I know that,” she cracked, and smiled at him.

  “Anything I forgot you can pick up when we arrive.”

  He’d had a hard time convincing her to leave the restaurant on one of their busiest days of the year, but now she was glad he’d succeeded. She could already feel the stress falling off her shoulders.

  She looked out the window at the snowy landscape slipping by. It was probably just as well that she’d abandoned the idea of getting married at the restaurant. They would’ve lost a ton of business. Getting married on Valentine’s Day was romantic, but it sure wasn’t practical. Darn.

  “So I guess that means we’re not going to the ends of the earth,” she deduced.

  He sent her a smile. “You don’t have time to go to the ends of the earth.”

  No, she didn’t. These days she barely had time to go to the bathroom. So much for simplifying her life.

  He’d printed their boarding passes ahead of time and had them hidden in his bag, and their luggage was carry-on, so she didn’t find out their destination until they’d gotten to security. “Las Vegas?”

  “We’re getting married there. At the Chapel of Love,” he added, waggling his eyebrows and making the TSA agent smile.

  “What?” Was he insane? “We can’t just go to Vegas!”

  “Sure you can,” said the agent and stamped her boarding pass.

  “What about my family?” she said once they were through security and on their way to the gate.

  “Your parents and sister are meeting us for drinks tonight at the Bellagio, along with my folks and my brother. So is Cass.”

  “Cass!”

  “She left on an earlier flight, along with Samantha and Cecily. Your pal Ella is meeting us for breakfast tomorrow.”

  He’d planned all this? “No way.”

  For a moment he looked doubtful. “You were serious about wanting to do this simply, right?”

  “Yeah, of course.” She’d done the big church wedding with Richard. She didn’t want to repeat any of that history. Still...

  “When you broke down in the flower shop I got to thinking.”

  “That you were marrying a crazy person?”

  He chuckled. “That you were going to a lot of trouble for something I didn’t care that much about. What you said made me think that maybe you didn’t, either, that you were just doing all this because you thought it was expected. You said, ‘Why does a simple wedding have to be so much work?’ So I figured we should go back to what we originally talked about and just have fun with this. Why spend all that money on something that’s stressing you when you can have a kick-ass vacation and a no-fuss wedding?”

  “You’re right.” She’d complained her way through every aspect of planning their wedding, from the cake to the dress. But then she’d picked out a great cake. And she’d found that dress... “I just wish I had my dress,” she said sadly.

  He held up the garment bag. “What do you think this is?”

  “You thought of everything.” And she still couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe all her plans had vanished with a poof. So had the stress.

  “I did, as a matter of fact. Tomorrow afternoon you’re going to the spa and then shopping. We’re getting married at six and then we’re doing a progressive dinner, starting with appetizers at Mon Ami Gabi, followed by spicy crab salad at Alain Ducasse’s Mix at Mandalay Bay. Then we’re hitting Sensi for our main course and finishing up with Bananas Foster at Bradley Ogden.” He spread his arms wide. “A simple wedding dinner.”

  Charley was rarely speechless. She stood there staring at him.

  Now he looked worried. “Uh, happy Valentine’s Day?”

  “Happy everything!” she cried, and threw her arms around him.

  * * *

  Stacy was feeling very pleased with both her thrift-store purchases and herself as she and Dean enjoyed a fondue dinner by candlelight. “This is amazing, babe,” he said, scooping out the last bit of fondue with a piece of French bread. He popped it in his mouth. “But we could’ve gone out, you know.”

  “I know. I just thought it would be nice to do something simple at home for a change.” Not that the raspberry-white chocolate cake had been simple, but when she’d first bitten into it and her taste buds had an orgasm, she’d known it had been worth the effort.

  “I didn’t realize we even had one of these...what is this again?”

  “A fondue pot. I got it at the Kindness Cupboard.”

  “Is it my imagination or have you been bringing home a lot of stuff from that place lately?” Dean asked.

  “It’s your imagination,” she assured him.

  After they’d finished eating, Dean left the table. He returned a moment later with a long, slender jewelry box. “I know you’re trying to get rid of stuff, but I figure this won’t take up much room.”

  She opened it to find a bracelet glittering with diamond chips. “Oh, Deano, it’s gorgeous.”

  “Just like my wife,” he said.

  “This must have cost a fortune,” she protested. With two kids in college they couldn’t afford this kind of Valentine extravagance.

  He grinned. “I learned a thing or two from you. I got it on sale last month.”

  “In that case, I’ll keep it,” she said, taking it out of the box.

  “How about modeling it for me?” He fastened the bracelet on her wrist, and she stretched out her arm, watching the diamonds wink in the candlelight. “It doesn’t show very well with that sweater on,” Dean said. He stood behind her and helped her take off the sweater, kissing her neck in the process.

  “Now how does it look?” she asked.

  He cocked
his head, studying her. “I think you should lose the blouse.”

  The blouse followed the sweater.

  “That’s more like it,” he said, “The jeans are kind of a distraction, though.”

  She lost the jeans, too. And the bra and panties.

  Dean approved, and led her over to the fireplace for the second dessert course.

  Ah, yes, there was nothing like a simple, romantic Valentine’s celebration.

  They’d just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. Who on earth would be calling? Her mother! But Mom and Dad were going to Zelda’s.

  Her mother barely gave her time to say hello. “Stacy, your nana’s had a stroke.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sometimes it’s good to ask yourself, “Do I own my things or do they own me?”

  —Muriel Sterling, author of Simplicity

  Please, God, don’t let Nana die, Stacy prayed as she and Dean rushed to Mountain Regional Hospital. At least not until I’ve had a chance to say goodbye. The thought of losing her sweet grandma made her eyes prickle with tears.

  Dean reached across the seat and laid a comforting hand on her leg. “It’ll be all right.”

  It probably wouldn’t, but she appreciated him for saying it, anyway.

  They got to the hospital to find her family all in a waiting room. Her uncle Jack sat nursing a cup of coffee and talking on his cell phone, alerting family members. Her father was missing, most likely outside, smoking. Her aunt Vivian was the oldest of Nana’s three children, but she normally worked hard to look young, keeping up the illusion that she was still a blonde, maintaining a svelte figure and dressing well. Tonight she wore sweats and she looked as if she’d aged ten years, every wrinkle in her face a deep crevice of pain. She was slumped in a chair, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Stacy’s mother wasn’t in much better shape. She was the youngest of Nana’s children, but tonight she looked old and tired. She hadn’t bothered with makeup, which made the dark circles under her eyes even more prominent than usual. She was pacing the room as if she could somehow walk her way out of this trouble.