Secret Sweetheart

by Liz Isaacson

  But for now, she was putting in a row of evergreen shrubs along the back fence at Knox’s house. Logan and Georgia had also found a ranch, and once they were married, they’d be living out there, leaving the white, two-story house to Knox.

  And hopefully Betsy with him, very soon.

  She loved the smell of earth, the rich color of it, the way she could move it and transform it into something she wanted to add beauty to a place. So she leveled, and dug, and planted, and by the time Knox’s truck purred into the driveway, she was sufficiently satisfied with her afternoon of work.

  “Look at that,” he said, coming to stand beside her on the lawn. Mortie and Roo jogged over to meet him, and he patted them, so maybe there was some hope for Betsy to get a dog after she and Knox were married.

  “They’re blue firs,” she said. “They look great, and they smell great.”

  “I like them,” Knox said. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m going to go shower, because wow, it’s hot today, and then we can go to dinner if you want.”

  “I made dinner,” she said.

  “At my house?”

  “You have a Crock pot,” she said. “You probably just didn’t know it.” She bumped him with her hip and grinned up at him.

  “Fourth of July picnic with your family tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Yep,” she said.

  “All right.” He walked to the back door, calling, “You made pulled pork sandwiches? I love you, Betsy!” when he reached the door.

  And while it wasn’t the most romantic time he’d told her he loved her, Betsy still felt the words curl her toes. Because she knew Knox loved her—and she loved him too. She cleaned up in the backyard before following Knox inside the house. She washed up in the kitchen and wandered over to the room behind the stairs.

  This house was a cute home, but the space was interesting. The kitchen and dining room took up the back of the house, with a walk through opening into the living room. The steps sat right through that wide arched doorway, and they led up to three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  The front door led right into the living room, and on the other side of the steps was a small half-bath. It certainly wasn’t as big as the homestead, but the house sat on half an acre, and Betsy knew she could be happy here.

  Knox came downstairs, smelling and looking fresh, and she went into the kitchen to get dinner served.

  “You’re the best,” he said as he loaded cole slaw on top of his barbecue pork.

  “Don’t be too excited,” she said. “I had to make all of this because it’s what we’re eating at the family barbecue tomorrow too.”

  “Still.” He took a big bite of his sandwich, and Betsy nudged a folder closer to him.

  “I was thinking of adding in a patio,” she said, leaving her cole slaw as a side dish. “The backyard is spectacular, and it would be nice to be able to eat out there sometimes. Picnic. Have a fire pit. Dutch oven cooking.”

  He looked at her designs, appreciation shining in his eyes. “This looks great, Bets. You can totally do this.”

  “Okay.” She swept the papers back into the folder. “I’ll keep it in mind for once we’re married.”

  Knox’s gaze flew to hers, and she gave him a look she hoped said, Well? When’s that going to happen?

  “Logan and Georgia set a date,” she said. “My mother asked me when she’d have wedding number two.”

  “I thought you wanted a spring wedding.”

  “I do,” she said. “Idaho is lovely in the spring. Georgia’s getting married at Christmastime, as if there aren’t enough Quinn Family parties at that time of year. I think my mom would be able to help with another wedding by April or May.”

  “Then let’s do April or May,” he said.

  “That’s not how it works, Knox,” she said, shaking her head. They’d had this conversation before.

  “Tell me how it works,” he said, right on cue.

  She giggled, but a part of her cried in frustration. “You have to ask me first.”

  He simply smiled and took another bite of his sandwich.

  The following day, Betsy got up early and got to work in the kitchen. Her experience at the pub at four a.m. had been good for something. But it was so much easier to get up early in the summer, because the sun was waking too.

  She set about making the hamburger buns from scratch, anticipating a huge crowd as all the Quinns from all five of Granny and Gramps’s children came to the Fourth of July picnic. Georgia joined her to get the Crock pots plugged in and the pork heating slowly.

  Betsy tried not to be jealous about the glinting diamond on her finger, but it was impossible. She allowed herself a few minutes of envy, and then Bethany and Ryder arrived. After that, it seemed like a constant stream of arrivals, and hugs, and exclamations over new boyfriends and fiancés.

  Granny finally called for everyone to go outside, and the picnic table got laden with dozens of bowls, bottles, and bags. Chips and ketchup and salads. Baked beans. Pulled pork. Cole slaw. Every new bowl made Betsy’s heart sing a little louder.

  Gramps stood at the head of the long row of picnic tables, the hubbub and chatter seemingly impossible to quiet. But Rhodes whistled, and that got everyone to quiet down and look in the right direction.

  “We love having you all out here at the ranch,” Gramps said. “What a great tradition this is.” His voice cracked, and Betsy’s heart swelled with love for her grandparents. For the extended family. For this heritage her ancestors had built in Quinn Valley.

  “I don’t normally do a big speech, and I’m not going to this year,” he continued. “But there’s someone who has something he wants to say.” Gramps nodded to someone down the row, and then he sat down.

  To Betsy’s great astonishment, Knox rose from the bench about halfway down the first picnic table. Her heart immediately tried to fling itself free of her ribcage, and when his eyes met hers, the whole world fell away.

  “Can I get you to come up here, Betsy?” Knox didn’t talk in a loud voice, but every Quinn eye was riveted to him. It felt like a very long walk to the head of the table, where Betsy sometimes stood to explain food. But she didn’t like the spotlight as much as she used to, and heat filled her cheeks.

  “I promise this will be fast,” he said. “I know we’re all hungry.” He turned to her, a wide smile on his face. “I’m in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It’s not a secret, and it never will be.”

  He dropped to both knees right there on the grass and grabbed a box perched on the end of the picnic table. “Will you marry me?”

  The whole table erupted, and Quinns were not known for being quiet. The cheers and applause felt like they filled the whole sky, Betsy’s whole soul.

  She laughed at the same time she cried, and she managed to say “Yes,” even amidst all the chaos.

  Knox slid the ring on her shaking fingers and took her face in his hands. He looked right into her eyes and said, “I love you, Betsy Quinn,” just before kissing her.

  Betsy rejoiced as she kissed him back, and when he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, she said, “I love you too.”

  Woot! More happy endings in Quinn Valley. Leave a review now!

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  Read on for a sneak peek at LANDSCAPING LOVE, the next book in Liz’s Quinn Valley Ranch Romance series. Coming in May 2019!

  And keep tapping to get the coveted Quinn family recipe for ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sliders! Serve it at your next family gathering! :)

  Sneak Peek! Landscaping Love Chapter One

  Chapter One:

  Capri Haywood sucked in a breath, her eyes taking in the dilapidated condition of the house.

  “See how the wood’s rotted here?”

  She saw it, and she nodded at the man who’d met her to let her in the house. It was only a rental, but it was also the only place Capri had to stay that n
ight. Her emotions choked her, making breathing difficult.

  “Ma’am, do you have somewhere to stay?” he asked.

  She shook her head, tight little bursts of movement that felt like they’d crack her neck. Splinter her spine.

  “I can’t believe Parker thought he could rent this place,” Gerald said, shaking his head. “There’s not even carpet on the floor.”

  Capri let her eyes sweep over the concrete before she turned away. Quinn Valley was turning out to be as bad as Crescent Lake.

  No, she told herself as she went down the front steps. Nothing would be as bad as staying in Crescent Lake.

  “Is there a hotel?” she managed to ask, her voice so unlike her own.

  “Sure thing.” Gerald looked at the truck and trailer Capri had pulled all the way from Texas. Exhaustion ran through her at the thought of trying to park the outfit somewhere in town. Maybe she could leave it here. Grab her suitcase from the back and have Gerald take her to the hotel.

  He was an older gentleman, probably in his late fifties, and he lived just down the road from the house. “The Quinn Hotel and Spa,” he said. “Best in town, and it’s close to everything.”

  “Probably not the ranch,” she said, looking at Gerald out of the corner of her eye. “Right?’

  “Oh, no, not the ranch,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s north of here. Twenty minutes or so. Can’t miss it.”

  Capri was sure of that, as the owner had said the same thing. She’d been planning to get settled in her house and take a quick trip out to the ranch, just to see it. Get a feel for the land and this new place she was about to call home.

  But now there would be no settling in that house. What was she going to do with all her stuff? Her furniture, her bed, her boxes of Christmas décor?

  The very idea that she’d brought the blue and gold balls was ludicrous. But Capri had lost a lot in Crescent Lake, and she’d held onto the stupidest of things simply because she could.

  “Do you need a ride?” Gerald asked?

  “No,” Capri said, deciding on the spot. “Maybe you could help me unhitch the trailer? Then I can just leave it here while I figure out what to do.”

  “Sure thing,” he said again, and he got to work. He had the trailer off and steady in about a third of the time Capri would’ve been able to do it, and gratitude swept through her. He would be in her gratitude journal that night.

  She only wrote one thing for each day, but today would be the helpfulness of Gerald Neis. It had taken her four days to drive to Quinn Valley, Idaho from southern Texas, and each day she’d experienced a little miracle.

  Gerald was hers today.

  “Thanks so much,” she said, forcing a smile to her lips. Such an action used to be easy, something she did without thinking. But now, after the indictment, the failed business, the lost job, the break-up….

  Capri didn’t have much left to smile about. And yet, God had provided a way for her to have at least one sentence of gratitude each day.

  She made it back to the downtown area of Quinn Valley, enjoying the quaint atmosphere of the street. It looked like it had been plucked from the beginning of a Hallmark movie, and a sense of peace stole through Capri.

  The hotel and spa sat on her left, but she went past them so she could check out the rest of the street, see what the town had to offer as far as shopping and dining. There was a pub, which looked promising, and a row of shops where she could surely kill a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.

  If she wasn’t too busy catching up on sleep or managing her brand new business. “Yeah, you’re not going to be shopping on the weekends,” she muttered to herself. She’d probably be working. Getting new clients. Researching the fauna that thrived in this new place.

  Her stomach growled, reminding Capri that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and that had been on the southern border of Utah, eight hours ago. Up ahead, she saw a huge hamburger, with plenty of bacon hanging out the side.

  Yep, that would be her first dining experience here in Quinn Valley. The Bacon Boys looked busy, but at least her truck didn’t stand out among the dozen other pickups in the parking lot.

  It was several years old, and the best she could afford. In fact, she hoped the prices for beef and bacon in this town wouldn’t break her budget, as she was down to her last two hundred dollars.

  “Be right back, Mols,” she said to her black and white Boston terrier. “I’ll get you something.” But she probably wouldn’t. She’d just feed the dog a couple of bites of her burger and most of the French fries.

  It’s okay, she told herself as she got out of the truck and headed inside. You have a job. Starts tomorrow.

  And she did. She was meeting the ranch’s owner at nine o’clock, and everything would be fine.

  Her momma’s words streamed through her head. You’re a real good girl, Capri. Everything will be fine.

  She’d clung to her momma’s promises in the past, and she’d do the same thing this time too.

  Inside the burger joint, the atmosphere was vibrant and smelled like everything Capri imagined heaven would. Cheese and beef and bacon.

  And boys.

  So many men filled the place that Capri wondered if she’d missed a sign somewhere. Men only, or No cowboy hat, no service.

  Capri didn’t fit either of those requirements, and she felt the full weight of every eye on her as she joined the line.

  This place was obviously popular for four o’clock in the afternoon, and she anticipated having to wait several minutes to put in her order.

  It’s fine, she told herself, the eyes finally going back to their own business. Her head pounded, and her stomach pinched, but she studied the menu as if she’d never eaten a hamburger before.

  She’d eat, and everything would be better.

  Then she’d go to the hotel and figure out if she could even afford to stay for a night. Quinn Valley Ranch had offered her a cabin as part of her pay, but she’d declined it. Maybe she’d need to ask the owner about that too.

  Her head swam with all she needed to do and figure out. Capri wanted to bolt right then, but she held steady in the line. Her daddy had taught her that. Wait. Watch. Listen. Learn.

  She’d be putting all of those things to use as she started her own landscaping company a thousand miles from the only home she’d ever known.

  The door behind her chimed, indicating someone new had walked in. She turned to find a tall cowboy coming in alone. He exuded an air of importance, keeping her attention on him. A smile flashed across his face, making his strong jaw a little softer and lighting his eyes from within.

  Oh, that wasn’t fair.

  Capri was well-versed in handsome cowboys, but this guy was in a league all his own.

  She couldn’t help how her eyes dropped to his left hand to check for a wedding band. He wasn’t wearing one.

  So he’s fair game, she thought, immediately recoiling from it. She was not looking for a new boyfriend. She had barely escaped Texas with her most vital organ still intact.

  She half-turned, expecting this handsome man to come stand right behind her. Maybe she could ask him what was good here, explain she was new in town, all of that.

  But he didn’t. Instead, he went right past her, almost to the front of the line.

  “Uh, excuse me?” she said before she could even think.

  In the Hallmark movie, the record would’ve scratched. The chatter in the place halted, and everyone turned toward her.

  “The line’s back here,” she said, her eyes blazing at that cowboy. Just because he was good-looking didn’t mean he could do whatever he wanted. Maybe it was the extreme hunger talking. Or the pounding headache. Or the fact that the house she’d rented—and put a thousand dollars down on—was filled with termites and completely unlivable.

  Or, or, or. Capri could honestly come up with a dozen other reasons she wouldn’t be putting up with a cowboy cutting in line.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at the men he’
d joined. “I was just taking a phone call. My guys here saved my spot.” He had the charming ability to look confused and ashamed at the same time, that confidence still oozing off of him in waves.

  Capri cocked her hip and then stepped around the few people between them. “Fine. My guys were just holding my spot too.” She looked to his equally tall, hatted, and obviously baffled friends. “Right guys?”

  “Right,” one mumbled before turning back to the cashier and putting in his order. Capri stayed right with them, ordering when they all did. She cocked her eyebrow at the handsome man who’d pushed the wrong button with the wrong woman today—and watched in horror as he paid for everyone.

  Including her.

  So he really was there with those guys, and he was most likely their boss. “You don’t—”

  “You’re one of the guys,” he said easily. “Don’t worry about it.” Then he joined his crew at the soda fountain, never once looking back at her.

  Capri huddled near the door, snatching her bag as soon as the teenager brought it to her and hurrying back to the safety of her truck and her dog. The burger tasted like manna from heaven, and with one problem solved, she went to take care of another, praying the hotel would allow pups for just one night.

  The following morning, she left the hotel much earlier than she needed to. Her nerves fired on all cylinders, and no amount of positive self-talk and family mantras could soothe her. Aurora usually kept her up-to-date on such things, and while Capri had spoken with her sister at length once she’d made it to the hotel last night, all the good vibes were now gone.

  The ranch was exactly twenty minutes north of town, and she eased her truck under the sign boasting that she’d arrived at Quinn Valley Ranch.

  “Twenty minutes early,” she muttered, moving slowly past the row of cabins on her left, paying close attention to the way she felt here. It wasn’t Texas, that was for sure, but this land felt…tranquil. And that was exactly what Capri needed in her life right now.