by Dylann Crush
“Of course. Just tug me in the right direction, and oh—” My heart leapt into my throat as Theo got down on one knee.
“I apologize. This is kind of an impromptu thing. I didn’t really plan ahead, but I’m wondering, since we both agree we’re better together…” He paused, maybe hoping for some sign of agreement from me.
I nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“Well, how about we make it official? Will you be my lifelong mate?”
A laugh broke through the lump in my throat. “Your mate?”
“Yeah. In a roundabout way, bats brought us together. I figured it would sound romantic if I said ‘mate’ instead of ‘wife’.” He squinted up at me. “Although now that I’ve heard it out loud, maybe partner might have sounded better?”
“I love it. And I love you.” I knelt down next to him. “Yes, of course I’ll be bat gal to your bat guy.”
He groaned, his mouth turned up in a smile. “This isn’t going to be a lifelong thing now, is it? The bat references?”
“You know…you never did answer my question about how bats do it.”
“You’re right. I didn’t.” Before I could react, he got to his feet and scooped me up into his arms. “It’s kind of hard to explain, so I think I’ll be better off just showing you.”
I swatted at his chest as he carried me down the hall toward the bedroom. The past few months had taught me so much, but the most important thing I’d learned is that everyone deserves to be loved. Even this small-town girl livin’ in this lonely world. The one who’d almost given up on happily-ever-afters.
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Have you read Book One in the Lovebird Cafe series yet?
Sweet Tea & Second Chances
The boy next door is about to rock my world...again.
And when I say "rock" I mean he's going to turn me topsy-turvy, leaving my head spinning and other parts of my anatomy aching for his touch. But there's no room in my new life for an old flame. Especially not when the sparks still smolder.
The only way to claim my big city future is by cutting ties with my small town past, and I find myself caught between a rock of regret and the hard planes of Robbie Jordan's chest.
I only need to survive until he fixes up my grandparents' house and I can cash out. But he's got a truck full of tools and knows exactly how to use them. Not to mention the things that man can do with a hammer...
Snag your copy of Sweet Tea & Second Chances today and relax into Swallow Springs, Missouri, where a cocky rooster rules the roost and all of life's problems can be solved while sipping on a nice cold glass of sweet tea.
Available on Amazon or FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited!
For a peek at Chapter One of Sweet Tea & Second Chances, turn the page…
Acknowledgments
Huge thanks to all of my readers for continuing to buy my books and support me on this crazy journey! I hope you enjoy visiting the Lovebird Café again.
To my critique partners, editors, proofreaders and pre-readers, especially Christina Hovland, Serena Bell, Amanda Hash, Jolene Perry, and Shasta Schafer… I appreciate you!
A special shout out to bat biologist Jeanette Bailey for answering my questions about all things bat and cave related. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
To my family…love you more. Thanks for always having my back, always showering me with your love and support (even if it’s sometimes reluctantly), and for trying to not interrupt during my writing time. You are now and will always forever by my why.
Lemon Tarts & Stolen Hearts - Sneak Peek
Want a sneak peek at what happened before Sweet Tea & Second Chances?
Turn the page to read the first two chapters in the prequel novella to the Lovebird Cafe series…
Misty
I rolled the giant lemon around in my hands. It was the perfect degree of ripe for a batch of my mama’s lemon tarts. If only a heart could be tested for ripeness just as easy. I’d been back in Swallow Springs for two days now and still hadn’t mustered the courage to follow up on the reason I’d returned—Jake Duncan.
“Are you going to put it through the juicer or pulverize it with your bare hands?” Mama nudged her chin toward the lemon.
“Oh, sorry. Where’s that hand-held doohickey that grandma used to use?” I’d told Mama the little white lie that I’d taken some vacation time because it looked like I might get laid off from my job. I didn’t want to deal with the fallout yet of revealing the real reason I’d returned was to win back Jake’s heart. If she knew I’d only come back to rekindle a flame that had been snuffed out years ago, she’d send me back to Omaha faster than I could say “See you next time.”
“It’s in the drawer where it’s always been.” Mama tucked a package of tissues into her purse. “You sure you’ve got everything under control?”
“Of course. I’m just whipping up a batch of lemon tarts. Then I’ll nose around town and see if anyone has any Help Wanted signs in the windows.” My parents had been happy to see me, but they weren’t terribly excited when I said I might move back to Swallow Springs. As far as they were concerned, job prospects up in Omaha seemed much more promising. I just wanted to prep them for the possibility of me moving back. If I couldn’t win Jake back if wouldn’t matter. I’d have no choice but to head back to Omaha and leave him in my past for good.
Mama pursed her lips and smoothed her hair back, tucking an errant strand into her bun. “I still don’t understand what made you decide to come back. Seemed like you couldn’t wait to get out of town when you and Jacob broke up.”
My heart skipped a beat. She was right about that. But that was back when the draw of the city seemed too hard to deny. When I thought of Jake as a backward country boy who had no sense of adventure. I’d tried to convince him to come with me, that we could strike out on our own and leave Swallow Springs behind.
But he’d wanted to stay in the tiny town in southern Missouri where he’d been born and raised. It had just about killed me to leave him behind, but at the time I felt like I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t get out of Swallow Springs I was sure I’d suffocate and wither away.
So I’d left and he’d stayed. As much as I loved my studio apartment and hard-won job, I’d been trying to move on for over a year. Every other part of me embraced my new life. Every part except my heart.
“Make sure you clean up after yourself.”
“I will. Go on and have fun.” I gave Mama a quick hug, eager to be left on my own.
“I’m going to a wake, sweetheart.”
I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn’t noticed she had on her black suit, the one she usually wore to church events. “Oh, sorry. Please give my condolences to…” I tried to remember who’d passed. With Daddy being the local pastor, my mom was always following him to a funeral, a wedding, a baptism, or a variety of other gatherings.
“It’s Patsy’s husband, Duke.”
“The ones who own the Lovebird Café?” The café was an icon in downtown Swallow Springs. It was where I’d first met Jake when I’d moved to town as a high school sophomore.
“That’s right. It was a blessing he didn’t suffer, but I don’t know what poor Patsy is going to do now.”
An ache of longing bubbled up inside my chest. Patsy and Duke had been together forever. Theirs was the kind of love story people talked about when they needed an example of what true, long-lasting love looked like. The kind of love story I hoped to write with Jake.
I had to see him. He’d always been a sucker for mama’
s lemon tarts. I’d finish up a batch and take them over. If I showed up with baked goods he’d have no choice but to talk to me.
Jake
“Oh, hell no.” I ducked into the open doorway of my co-worker Haney’s office. Either my eyes were playing some nasty tricks on me or I’d just caught a glimpse of Misty Greene chatting up the admin at the front desk.
“Can I help you with something?” Haney shuffled some papers into a pile and set it on the corner of his desk.
“Yeah, um…” As I racked my brain, trying to come up with a plausible reason for darting into his office, I peered around the edge of the doorway.
Haney cleared his throat. “Everything okay?”
“Of course.” I straightened, turning to face him. “I wanted to make sure everything was on target for the fundraiser this weekend.”
“Nothing’s changed since you asked me about it an hour ago.” The old chair squeaked as he leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head. His office could have been lifted right out of the 60s. That was probably the last time the city had updated any of the furnishings.
“Great. Just making sure.” The sound of footsteps click-clacked on the tile in the hall, heading our way. I ducked behind the doorway.
“Jake?” A frown creased the middle of Haney’s forehead. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Shh. Don’t say my name.” My pulse thundered through my veins. I wasn’t prepared to see Misty. Not yet. Probably not ever. The last time I’d seen her she’d cut out my heart and left me sitting in our favorite booth at the Lovebird Café.
“What the heck is going on?” Haney leaned across his desk, craning his neck to look through the doorway.
I waved my arm, motioning him to sit down. “It’s Misty. She’s back.”
“Misty Greene?”
“Shh. She’ll hear you.”
“Haney, is that you?” Misty stepped into Haney’s office. She only stood about five-foot-five, even in heels, but her presence filled the doorway. Sucked all of the life out of the room and all of the breath right out of my lungs.
“Well hi, Misty. What brings you back to town?” Haney stepped around the desk and offered her an awkward half-hug.
She hugged him back. “Just back for a quick visit.”
I tried to disappear, fade into the peach-colored cinderblock wall. My feet wouldn’t move. I knew I’d run into her eventually. Her parents still lived in town. Of course she’d come back at some point. But I figured by then I’d have moved on, started a life with someone else. Someone who looked nothing like the woman who’d shot me down and hulled out my chest cavity.
She pulled back first. “It’s nice to see you, Haney.”
“Nice to see you, too.”
Then she turned her gaze on me. “Jake.”
“Misty.” As I forced her name through my lips my voice cracked.
The edges of her eyes softened, just like they had the last time we’d been together. When she thought she was letting me down easy.
“So…” Haney rocked back on his heels.
Heavy silence shrouded the room. I wouldn’t speak first. Didn’t want to give her the satisfaction.
“How have you been?” Misty asked.
“Fine. I mean, great. Yeah, I’ve been doing fantastic.” The lie spun out before I had a chance to consider my response.
“Good. I’m really happy to hear that.”
Damn, why did she have to look so good? Her long, dark hair fell around her face in waves. Bright-blue eyes peered up at me through those thick, dark lashes. And her lips. Rosy red, and plump as a ripe strawberry, just begging to be kissed.
“How about you? What have you been up to?” I didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to hear about her new life in Omaha—the life she had to have.
“Things have been, well, good. I got a promotion.”
“That’s great.”
“Uh, congratulations,” Haney offered.
I’d forgotten he was even in the room. Misty had that effect on me. Or at least she used to. Those days were over though. Like hell I’d let her see how she still made my heart rev.
“I brought you something.” She held out a plate wrapped in cellophane, tied up with a sparkly red bow.
My mouth watered at the sight of the platter she held in her hands. I hadn’t had a taste of her mama’s lemon tarts since Misty moved away. But it would take more than a plate of sweets to make up for the way she left things. “No thanks.”
She looked down at the platter, her tentative smile turning into a frown. “They used to be your favorite.”
“Yeah, well, things have changed around here since you left.” My heart seized. I couldn’t believe those words had come out of my mouth. She might have broken my heart, wrenched it right out of my chest, but I couldn’t stand to be the reason for her frown.
“I was hoping we could talk.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, suddenly not so sure of herself.
Haney prodded me with his eyes, glancing back and forth from me to Misty. I shook my head.
“Thanks for stopping by, but I’m really busy.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans, doing my best to appear unaffected by her sudden appearance.
“Maybe tonight then?” The way her lower lip caught on her teeth, making her look so unsure, so vulnerable, made me want to pull her into my arms. But she’d played me before like a fucking fiddle, and I wasn’t about to let her get to me again.
“Wish I could, but Haney and I have plans.”
“We do?” Haney asked.
“Yeah, happy hour at the Dive Inn, right?” He’d been asking me to join him for the weekly Wednesday night happy hour for weeks. Karaoke had never been my style, so up until now I’d declined.
“Oh, right.” Haney nodded, apparently catching on.
Misty tilted her head, assessing me with those blue eyes that could go from warm and welcoming to frosty as an Alaskan iceberg. Right now they lingered somewhere in between. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”
“Oh, it’s guys’ night,” I said.
“Not really.” Haney shrugged. “We’d love to have you stop by.”
My jaw clenched. Why did I get stuck with such a moron for a friend?
“Great. I’ll see you later on tonight.” Misty made a move toward the doorway. Before she reached it, she turned back. “Say, Haney, do you want some lemon tarts?”
I tried to catch his eye before he reached for the platter. “Thanks, Misty.”
“You’re welcome. I sure hope you enjoy them as much as Jake used to.”
My mouth watered, anticipating the tang of lemon nestled into the perfect shortbread crust as she made her way down the hall. Her hips swayed from side to side in the clingy dress she had on. Reminded me of days gone by when the sight of her sashaying away would drive me to catch up to her, dip her into a deep, slow kiss, and run my hands all over those soft curves. No more. I waited until she disappeared through the double glass doors, wanting to make sure she was really gone.
“Give me one of those.” I reached for the platter as Haney snatched it away. He’d already slipped one of the tiny tarts into his mouth.
“These are really good,” he said, trying to talk around a mouthful of what should have been my lemon tart.
“I know they’re good. Give me one.”
“You didn’t want them. She gave them to me.” He stepped behind his desk and set the platter on the credenza behind him.
“Fine. I didn’t want one anyway.”
“Right.”
I could tell he didn’t believe me, but I didn’t care. As long as I’d made it clear to Misty that her tarts had no hold over me anymore, that’s all that mattered.
Except they did.
So did she.
And she knew it.
“See you later, Haney.” I had work to do. Work that went beyond stuffing down any lingering feelings I might harbor for Misty Greene.
“Want to head over to the Dive Inn around six?”
Haney asked.
The Dive Inn. Dammit. I had no intention of wallowing in my beer tonight while I tried to figure out what brought Misty back to town. Haney would have to handle the wild karaoke crowd on his own. “Maybe next time. I feel a headache coming on.”
A headache that stood about five-foot-two with pouty red lips and curves that went on forever.
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Also by Dylann Crush
Holiday, Texas Series
All-American Cowboy
Cowboy Christmas Jubilee
Cowboy Charming
Lovebird Café Series
Lemon Tarts & Stolen Hearts - Prequel Novella
Sweet Tea & Second Chances
Mud Pies & Family Ties
Hot Fudge & a Heartthrob
Tying the Knot in Texas Series
The Cowboy Says I Do
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Dylann Crush writes contemporary romance with sizzle and sass. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she's not dreaming up steamy storylines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota.
Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, a clumsy Great Dane, a lovable rescue mutt, and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors and fans of tequila. You can find her at www.dylanncrush.com.