Secretly Smitten

by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, Diann Hunt

  Ethan.

  Her lips parted. Her feet moved toward him of their own volition. He looked so good. He wore a black T-shirt, jeans, and a hesitant expression that tugged at her heart. No wonder he was uncertain. She’d not only fired him, she’d sent him away. She’d thought she’d never see him again. Never see those deep brown eyes, that overgrown hair, that scruffy jaw.

  He met her halfway, stopping an arm’s length away.

  “You’re still here,” she said. “I was afraid . . .” I’d lost you for good. That my stupid pride had scared you away. That I was going to live the rest of my life wondering what might have been.

  He glanced toward the depot, and she took the opportunity to reacquaint herself with his face. With the fringe of lashes that tangled at the corners of his eyes, the sun-kissed cheeks, that little scar by the corner of his mouth.

  He looked back to her and she pulled her eyes from his lips, feeling heat flood her face.

  “So that’s pretty cool, huh?” he said.

  She didn’t know if he was referring to the railroad deal or Grandma and David. It didn’t matter. “Very cool. Thank you for your part in it.”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t really do anything. It was all your aunt’s doing. I hope she and your grandma work everything out.”

  “They will.” She was more certain of that than ever.

  They were talking about everything but what mattered. She could stand here making conversation, or she could be brave and say what she thought she’d never have the chance to say.

  “I’m sorry I sent you away. I didn’t mean it.” Her eyes burned.

  He stepped closer, his eyes softening. “I’m sorry too, for what I said.”

  She shook her head. “You were right. I was afraid.”

  He brushed her cheek with his thumb as if needing to remember how she felt. “Was?”

  His touch was driving her to distraction. “I’ve done a lot of thinking since you’ve been gone, made some changes. I moved everything around at the nursery like you suggested, and I’m looking into starting my own business, and . . .” She didn’t know quite how to say the rest.

  “And . . . ?”

  “And . . .” She swallowed hard. Now or never, Clare. “I’m thinking I might, you know, open my heart a little, give love a chance.”

  His hand moved down to her chin and he tipped her face upward. “Have anyone in particular in mind?”

  Her smile wobbled. “Actually, I do. He’s kind of a big risk, lives in a tent.”

  “Really? I heard he rented a place over on Lookaway Lane.”

  Her mouth parted. Wasn’t he full of surprises. “Really?”

  “Smitten is a mission field too.” Ethan took her face in his hands. “I have an interview over at the airport next week.”

  She smiled. “You’re going to fly again.”

  “If I get the job.”

  Her breath caught at the look in his eyes. They were saying all the things she longed to hear.

  “I missed you, Clare.”

  She knew the feeling. The past two weeks had felt like a year. “Don’t you ever go away again.”

  “Never,” he whispered, drawing near.

  She breathed him in, pine and leather. Ethan. His kiss was warm and slow, calling up wispy dreams of happily-ever-after. He pulled her closer, and she went willingly, at home in his embrace. He was the risk she’d been afraid to take, but the real risk had been in letting him go.

  He broke the kiss, leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, honey—in case I neglected to mention it earlier.”

  She relished the words she’d longed to hear, the term of endearment, the feel of his arms around her. “I love you too.”

  Somewhere in the distance a band struck up a festive tune. Children frolicked and neighbors caught up with one another. But then he kissed her again, and the sounds faded away as other senses took over.

  A moment later he leaned back, his arms still around her. “I’m sorry I missed your big birthday bash.”

  Clare gave a wry laugh. “I was miserable—worst birthday ever.”

  “Turning thirty that rough?”

  She swatted his shoulder. “I was missing you, you big oaf.”

  His lips twitched, his eyes twinkled. “That so?”

  “You don’t have to enjoy it so much,” Clare said, pulling a pout. She didn’t even want to think about that night again, or the last two weeks, for that matter.

  “I’ll make it up to you . . . dinner somewhere nice, over in Stowe. Soft music, candlelight, maybe a little dancing . . .” He swayed in time to the band.

  Clare relented. How could she help it when he was looking at her like he was thoroughly charmed by her? “It’s a start.”

  His eyes went all gentle. “I like the sound of that, Clare Thomas.”

  “It does have a nice ring, doesn’t it?”

  He was staring right into her, reminding her of the first time they’d met in a dank tool shed on that rainy spring night. It had bothered her then, that intense look, made her feel exposed. But now it only made her feel loved, cherished. There was something beautiful about being seen, right down into the darkest corners where all the secrets hid, and loved anyway. She supposed that’s just the way God intended it . . . just the way a girl should feel when she was completely smitten.

  READING GROUP GUIDE

  1. Which heroine did you most relate to: Tess, Zoe, Anna, or Clare? Why?

  2. We women can be so insecure. We wish we were thinner, blonder, and prettier. Instead of focusing on what you don’t like about yourself, what do you like?

  3. Tess mothered her sisters and everyone else but left little time for herself. What one thing can you start doing for yourself today?

  4. Have you ever had anyone in your life who was a manipulator like Ryan’s sister-in-law? How did you handle that person?

  5. Zoe didn’t want to go to college, though everyone else wanted it for her. Have you ever gone against the grain because you knew something wasn’t right for you? Was it the right decision?

  6. William carries a sea turtle with him to remind him that home is where you make it. Have you ever carried something special to remind you of something? Do you think William really wanted a place to call home and not just a reminder of it?

  7. William is a born worrier. Zoe takes life as it comes. Do you have a friend in your life who complements your weakness? How so?

  8. Betrayal in Anna Thomas’s life created a fear in her of trusting others. She finally had to let that go and trust God, the only One who never fails. Have you ever struggled with that? If so, what did you do about it?

  9. Michael let his life get out of balance with his job eating up much of his family time. That created relationship problems between him and his son. What are some ways we can keep life in balance?

  10. Anna didn’t like confrontation for any reason. Sometimes in life, however, there is no avoiding it. When you’re being confronted or you’re the one doing the confronting, how do you handle it?

  11. When Ethan confronted Clare about her fear of change, she rejected the truth and became defensive, making a decision she soon regretted. Share a time when you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.

  12. Clare discovered that dreams without a plan of action get you nowhere. Is there some dream you’ve had on the back burner for too long? Is it time for you to make a plan of action?

  13. After losing Ethan, Clare realized that “sometimes taking no risk is the biggest risk of all.” Have you discovered this to be true in your own life? Share a time when you avoided a risk only to realize it was a mistake.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  What a joy it’s been to work on our second Smitten novel! The idea for Secretly Smitten was conceived in a beautiful Indiana log cabin (we pretended it was Vermont) and met with much enthusiasm by our wonderful editors.

  As with every book, Secretly Smitten is the result of a lot of hard work done by many people. We are so blessed to work wit
h Thomas Nelson. They’ve been supportive of the Smitten series right from the start, and their enthusiasm has been contagious. Thanks to the entire fiction team led by Publisher Daisy Hutton: Ami McConnell, Natalie Hanemann, Katie Bond, Kristen Vasgaard, Ruthie Dean, Laura Dickerson, Becky Monds, Kerri Potts, Jodi Hughes, and Amanda Bostic. Love you all!

  A special thanks to our editors: Ami McConnell and LB Norton. Their expertise is truly astounding; we’re so glad you have our backs!

  Our agents Karen Solem and Lee Hough have been a huge help with this work and many others. Thanks, friends!

  We’re thankful for our families, our backbones, as we juggle life and career.

  Thanks to you, our reader—none of this would happen without you! We hope you enjoyed coming along on our journey back to Smitten.

  Our biggest thank-you goes to God, who brought the four of us together in a bond of unbreakable friendship. We’re all so different, and yet one, in our love for Christ and for one another.

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  AN EXCERPT FROM SMITTEN

  Natalie Mansfield’s heart swelled as she stood on the perimeter of the town square and watched her niece and the other children decorate the town for Easter. A gigantic smile stretched across five-year-old Mia’s face as her Sunday school teacher lifted her to place the lavender wreath at the top of the clock.

  Mia saw her and waved. “Aunt Nat, look at me!”

  Natalie waved back, her smile broadening. “She’s growing so fast,” she told her great-aunt, Rose Garner. “I love her so much.”

  Black threaded Rose’s silver hair, and her smooth skin made her look twenty years younger than her seventy-eight years. “I still remember the first day I laid eyes on you.”

  “How could you forget? I was a morose ten-year-old who snapped your head off every time you spoke to me.”

  Her aunt pressed her hand. “You changed our lives, honey. Now here you are providing a home for your niece. A full circle, just like that wreath. I’m so proud of you.”

  Her aunt’s words made Natalie’s heart fill to bursting. Being part of their family, along with her four cousins, had healed her heart. “You gave me the only stability I’d ever known. I want to do the same for Mia.”

  Aunt Rose wasn’t listening. A small frown creased her brow. “Something’s wrong.”

  Natalie looked at the men standing a few feet away in front of the hardware store. Their heads were down and their shoulders slumped. The dejection in their stances sent her pulse racing.

  She recognized one of her coffee shop patrons, Murphy Clinton, and grabbed his arm as he walked past. “What’s happened, Murphy?” she asked.

  He stopped and stared down at her with a grave expression. “The mill’s closing.”

  “That’s not possible,” she mumbled. Her thoughts raced. The mill was an institution and the main employer in Smitten. If it closed . . .

  He finished her thought. “This town is finished.”

  The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee overpowered the less appetizing smell from the drum roaster in the back room. Natalie let her cousin Zoe handle the customers at the bar as Natalie took the hot beverages to the seating area by the window where she and her friends could see white-topped Sugarcreek Mountain. Spring had come to their part of Vermont, and the sight of the wildflowers on the lower slopes would give her strength.

  “So what are we going to do?” she asked, sinking onto the overstuffed leather sofa beside Reese Mackenzie.

  “Do? What can we do?” Reese asked. Her blond ponytail gleamed in the shaft of sunlight through the window. She was the practical one in the group. Reese was never afraid of hard work, but while Natalie saw only the end goal, Reese saw the pitfalls right on the path. “We can’t make them keep the mill open.”

  While rumors about the mill had been floating for months, no one had really believed it would fold. The ramifications would be enormous. Natalie’s business had been struggling enough without this added blow.

  She took a sip of her mocha java. A little bitter. She’d have to tweak the roast a bit next time. “If the mill closes, the town will dry up and blow away. We can’t let that happen.” If Mountain Perks closed, she didn’t know how she would provide for Mia.

  And she wasn’t leaving Smitten. Not ever. After being yanked from pillar to post with an alcoholic mother until she was ten, Natalie craved the stability she had found here with her great-aunts and extended family, which included her three best friends.

  Julia Bourne tossed her long hair away from her face, revealing flawless skin that never needed makeup. “This is one of those things outside your control, Nat. I guess we’d all better be looking for jobs in Stowe.”

  Shelby Evans took a sip of her tea and shivered. Her Shih-poo, Penelope, dressed in a fashionable blue-and-white polka-dotted shirt, turned around in Shelby’s lap and lay down on her navy slacks. “I don’t know about you all,” Shelby said, “but I wanted my kids to grow up here.”

  The women had no children of their own—and none of them was even close to thinking about settling down—but that was a moot point for Shelby. She had a storybook ending in mind that included a loving husband and two-point-five children for each of them. Natalie was sure her friend would find that life too.

  Natalie moved restlessly. “There has to be something we can do. Some new export. Maple syrup, maybe? We have lots of trees.” She glanced at Julia. “What about your New York friends? Maybe you could ask some of your business friends for advice.”

  Julia shrugged her slim shoulders. “They know spas. I hardly think a spa is going to save us.”

  Reese had those thoughtful lines on her forehead. A tiny smile hovered on her full lips, and her hazel eyes showed a plan was forming. “We don’t have time for exports, but what about imports? Tourists would love us if they’d come visit. We have heart.” She took out her ever-present notebook and pen and began to jot down ideas.

  “They come to ski in Stowe anyway,” Shelby said. “All we have to do is get them here.”

  Natalie rubbed her forehead where it had begun to ache. “But what do we have to offer that’s different from any other town?”

  Julia crossed her shapely ankles. “Smitten is cute with its church and all, but cute doesn’t bring tourists. I can’t even get a decent manicure in this dinky town. People aren’t going to pay for ambience. We need some kind of gimmick.”

  Reese tapped her pen against her chin. “I have an idea,” she said. “Everyone jokes about the town name. Why not capitalize on it?”

  “How do you capitalize on a name like Smitten?”

  “What does Smitten make you think of?” Reese asked. “Love, right? What if we turn the town into a place for honeymooners?”

  Shelby adjusted the bow on Penelope’s head. “I went to Santa Claus, Indiana, once. Tons of people, even in July.”

  Natalie swallowed a groan. They’d all heard about Santa Claus too many times to count. She needed to derail Shelby before she broke into a rendition of “Jingle Bells.” “We could have love songs playing as people strolled the streets.”

  Julia snickered and nodded toward the man striding past outside the window. “I have a feeling Carson would have something to say about that. He hated all the jokes about his name in high school.”

  Natalie followed the angle of Julia’s nod. Her gut clenched the way it always did when she saw Carson Smitten. He was a man who attracted female attention wherever he went. He looked like his lumberjack great-grandfather, with his broad shoulders and closely cropped dark hair.

>   He had all the single women in town drooling over him. Except for Natalie, of course. If the other girls knew what she knew about him, they wouldn’t think he was so great.

  “I’m still thinking about my idea,” Reese said. “This will mean new businesses, new jobs, lots of revenue pouring in. We’d have to get the entire town on board.”

  Natalie’s excitement level went up a notch as she imagined the town transformed with its new mission. “The town meeting is coming up. I can present the idea there.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re a selectperson,” Shelby said. “People listen to you.”

  Natalie dug paper and a pen from her purse, a Brighton that Julia had given her for her last birthday. “There needs to be a cohesive plan. What would this love town look like? Besides romantic songs playing over speakers around town.” She peered at Reese’s list and copied down the items.

  Shelby retied Penelope’s bow. “We need a lingerie shop that sells perfume,” she said. “Fudge. Some plush hotels and bed-and-breakfasts with tubs for two.” Her smile grew larger. “Maybe old-fashioned lampposts along the path around the lake. You could put outside tables on the street and white lights in the trees. Flower boxes all around town.”

  “And we’ll need more restaurants,” Julia added.

  Natalie eyed her. “You said a good manicure was impossible to find. What if you started a spa?”

  Julia’s perfectly plucked brows lifted. She grabbed the tablet and pen from Natalie. “I don’t know. I’d like to move back to New York eventually.”

  “The honeymooners won’t spend all their time in their rooms,” Reese said, her eyes gleaming. “We offer great outdoor activities. The skiing here is as good as anywhere in the country. People just don’t know about us.” She gestured toward the mountain. “And look at that view.”