Make You Feel My Love: A Small Town Romantic Suspense (Wishing For A Hero Book 1)

by Kait Nolan

  “I’m not letting her lift more than a finger to point any time soon,” Judd assured her.

  “I mean…you might want to be careful,” Autumn warned. “A girl could get used to that.”

  “Well deserved,” Miranda declared. “Also, congratulations on all this.” She waved a hand between them. “Finally. Even if you did screw my bracket. I had January in the pool.”

  “Seriously?” Judd groaned.

  “I told you no one would be surprised.”

  He pressed a kiss to her uninjured temple. “You realize I’m just going to take that as a challenge, right?”

  Resting her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes. “Can’t wait.”

  “No, I appreciate the offer. I’ll give it some thought.” Autumn’s hand stroked a lazy path down Boudreaux’s side where he sprawled beside her Adirondack chair.

  They made a picture, Judd decided as he stepped out onto the pier. The woman and the dog whose heart she owned. They both held his.

  “Mmm hmmm. I’ll let you know. Bye bye.” She ended the call and smiled up at him. “Hey you.”

  “Hey yourself.”

  The bruising on her face had hit that worse before better stage that resembled an Impressionist blend of purples, blues, and yellows, but the swelling was nearly gone and she was out of the sling. Best of all, there were no longer shadows in her eyes. He stepped around Boudreaux, scooped her out of the Adirondack chair, and settled in it himself with her across his lap.

  She snuggled in, resting her head against his shoulder. “You’ll never guess who that was.”

  “Another agent offering you representation?” Once their story had hit mainstream media, her book sales had exploded and several major players had taken an interest in her.

  “Not just any agent. Dinah McClure’s agent. She’s, like, huge. I mean, everybody in the romance world wants to be her.”

  “Didn’t she do a signing here sometime last year?”

  “Yeah, and I missed it because it was a surprise thing and I was out of town.” Her lip rolled out into a pout Judd couldn’t help kissing.

  “So are you going to take this one or keep on trucking on your own?”

  “I’m considering it. I don’t want to mess with traditional publishing, but Katerina isn’t pushing that. She’d be there to help handle audio, media, and foreign rights, which is all stuff way out of my wheelhouse. It would be pretty awesome to have someone experienced handling those things.”

  “Media? So when Lifetime shows up and wants to make us into a movie, she’s the person who’d deal with that?”

  Autumn clapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh God, don’t even put that into the universe.”

  Laughing, he tugged her hand down. “You can laugh in their faces. Or get Katerina to, if you decide to hire her. You get to drive this train, Firefly, wherever you want to take it.”

  “It’s pretty crazy to think about.”

  “Will you stick with this pen name? There’s a lot of notoriety attached to it now, and it’s certainly no secret.”

  “I’ve realized that the whole notion of a truly secret pen name is a thing of the past. Modern technology pretty well ensures that anybody determined enough can figure it out. The fact is, scandal sells. My name, Harper’s name, is making a splash in the media right now. It’s certainly not how I’d prefer to build a brand, but it’s there. I’m not going to give up that platform out of fear. Because I can use it. I want to use it to write fiction that will empower women. That’s been the absolute best part of this whole crazy ride—all the messages and emails from women who took that away from my work and used it to better their lives. I didn’t set out to do that deliberately when I wrote it, but I want to, moving forward, because I think it’s a meaningful use of my abilities.”

  Judd kissed her brow. “I’m proud of you. For finding your passion and following it. For making it a part of your plan for the future.”

  “The future’s a long way off, but it’s nice to have a destination in mind.”

  The future Judd wanted was right now.

  “What about you?” she asked. “The threat is past. You aren’t bound to the path you’ve been on for all these years.”

  “That’s actually why I came out here. I need to run into town and take care of some things.”

  She leaned back and studied his face. “You’re going to talk to Sandra.”

  “I’m going to talk to Sandra,” he confirmed, though that certainly wasn’t his only business in town.

  “Good. It’s the right decision. Do you mind if I stay here? I think I’m ready to dive in and finally get back to actually writing.”

  The non-job-related part of his errands were much better accomplished solo.

  “You sure you’ll be okay on your own?” It had taken several days to deal with all the formalities. The Sheriff’s Department and Wishful PD had done their best to leave Judd out of it so he could be home with Autumn, while she recovered. He hadn’t left her completely alone since her rescue.

  “Yeah, I think so. Boudreaux and I were going to set up on the porch. He has some hard-core napping to do, and I’m hoping to knock out a couple of chapters by dinner.”

  “If you’re going that head-down in the work, I’ll grab take out. What do you want?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Oh, I intend to.

  Judd started his parade of errands with City Hall. How much had changed since he last climbed these steps. What a difference a week made.

  He knocked on Sandra’s open door.

  She looked up, instantly rising behind her desk as she saw him. “Judd, please, come in. Sit down.”

  “Mayor Crawford.” Judd took a seat in one of the visitor’s chairs, feeling too big for the space and eager to get this conversation over with. “Thank you for seeing me.”

  “Of course. I wanted to speak with you, too. How’s Autumn?”

  The first couple of days home had been rough. But the nightmares had already stopped, and she seemed to be at peace with her father’s death. Once his body was released, he’d be cremated. She was, as she’d already demonstrated, focused on the future instead of the past.

  “She’s a remarkably resilient woman.”

  Sandra came around the desk and sat in the other visitor’s chair, facing him. “I owe you an apology. On behalf of the entire City Council. I’m sorry we questioned you. You were right and Autumn was hurt. When I think about what could’ve happened—”

  “Don’t,” he said. “It didn’t.”

  “It didn’t because you did your job, and you did it well, despite or maybe because of your personal connection to the situation. You’re an excellent cop and a good man, Judd, and you’ve done a good job as Chief of Police. We’d like you to keep the job permanently.”

  “I appreciate the apology and the offer, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m tendering my resignation.”

  “As Chief?”

  “From Wishful PD entirely.”

  Distress flickered over her face. “Judd, no. I know you took the job under stressful conditions, and you’ve had to cope with things that no one ought to have to cope with, but don’t let that drive you away.”

  “I’m not. The fact is, y’all accused me of using departmental resources for personal reasons. And I absolutely did. My entire career as a cop has been for one purpose, and one purpose alone: To keep Autumn safe whenever Jebediah got released. Now, I stand by my use of those resources because she was legitimately in danger, albeit not from the quarter I expected. But the fact is, my reason for being here doesn’t exist anymore.”

  “But you’re so good at it.”

  “I’m good at being a cop. I’m good at investigation. And that’s why I’ve accepted a position as Investigator with the Wachoxee County Sheriff’s Department. So I’m here to officially resign and give my full support to Ethan Greer’s candidacy for Chief of Police.”

  “Why him?”

  “Because he offered up his help to find
Autumn when he didn’t have to. He used the resources he had to assist in the investigation. He’s got a good mind, a good head on his shoulders, and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of this town. And he’s better at all the liaising and politicking than I’d ever be. I don’t know who your other candidates are, but he’s my pick, for whatever that’s worth.”

  “It’s worth a lot. And much as I hate to lose you, I can see your mind is made up, so I’ll wish you well in your new job.”

  Judd left her office feeling lighter than he had in years, no longer burdened by the spectre of what might happen. The worst had come to pass and they’d survived it. He could let go of the duty that had driven him for so many years and turn his attention to granting Autumn all of those dreams. It would take a lifetime, and he couldn’t wait.

  As he hit the sidewalk outside City Hall, there was a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Everything was falling into place, and he had work to do to make sure the pieces landed exactly right. The family reunion was less than a month away. If he was going to move forward on the first of those big dreams of hers, he had about a million details to sort out. Time to get busy.

  Epilogue

  For all she’d been in and out of the Hamilton household all her life, Autumn wasn’t sure she’d ever truly known how many of them there were. It was one thing to objectively know how many cousins Judd had. It was entirely another to see them all in one place. Owen was one of Pop and Nanna’s three children. Each of them had also had three children. And that didn’t even begin to cover the extended family brought in by Pop’s brother and sister and their progeny.

  Picnic tables and camp chairs covered the lawn outside the back of Pop and Nanna’s house, and there were people at all of them. Pop and his brother were manning the grill, arguing over the right ratio of charcoal. Nanna was inside with several of the other Hamilton women, finishing up enough cobbler to feed the army. The counters in her kitchen were covered with more casseroles than Autumn had ever seen in one place outside a church potluck. She sat at a corner of the back deck and absorbed the sounds and scents of life.

  “What are you smiling about?” Judd asked, dropping onto the glider beside her.

  Autumn automatically snuggled into the curve of his arm. “Just because I’m happy.”

  “You don’t mind all the crazy?”

  “It’s the best kind of crazy.”

  “Spoken like a true Hamilton,” Leo announced in a voice so loud, Autumn wondered how many beers he’d had already.

  Everybody’s attention shot their way.

  Judd lifted a brow. “Nice, little bro.”

  Leo just shrugged and grinned.

  Definitely at least two too many beers for this early.

  Judd shifted to face her. “The thing is, you’ve been an unofficial part of this family for twenty-five years. I think it’s time we change that.”

  The sudden quiet sparked Autumn’s nerves, as did the look in Judd’s eyes as he slid off the seat.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “Catching up,” he said, and sank to one knee.

  Someone—Patty?—squeaked, but Autumn couldn’t take her eyes off Judd to check.

  “When you came to us in high school, my parents could’ve adopted you. They didn’t. And it had nothing to do with them not wanting you as part of the family. You were always meant to be a Hamilton, it just wasn’t through them. They knew that, maybe before I acknowledged it myself. But the truth is, I’ve loved you since I was six years old. I’ll love you until I’m a hundred and six. So—” He pulled a box out of his pocket. “I’m asking you, Autumn Elizabeth, in front of literally the entire Hamilton clan, to marry me.” He flicked the box open.

  Autumn dimly registered the ring, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his. Her heart felt so full, for long moments, she couldn’t speak. Here was everything she’d always wanted. Family. Friendship. And more love than a body could contain.

  She reached out, cupping his face between her palms. “It’s been yes since we were seventeen.”

  The twins whooped and everybody cheered, as Judd scooped her up and kissed her until they were both out of breath.

  “Mom,” he said, “you may now hit number seven on your speed dial.”

  “Oh boy!” Patty whipped out her phone and hit the number.

  From somewhere around the corner, a tinny version of “Here comes the bride” began to play. Patty’s jaw dropped open as an older gentleman stepped up on the porch. “Reverend Prescott?”

  “She said yes,” Judd announced.

  “Got that. Congratulations!” Then the minister stuck two fingers in his mouth and let loose an ear-splitting whistle.

  From across the yard, the barn door opened and people began to spill out like clowns from a tiny car.

  “What is going on?” Autumn asked.

  Judd lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “We’re getting married.”

  “Here? Now?”

  “Well, as soon as you and Babette decide on a dress.” He nodded toward the Brides and Belles van pulling out from behind the barn.

  Autumn stared at him. “You…organized our wedding?”

  “I wasted years being an idiot. I’m not wasting another day.” When she said nothing, for the first time, uncertainty flickered over his face. “If this isn’t what you want, we can wait and do it later. I just thought, everybody’s here and—”

  She cut him off with a fierce kiss. “Whatever you did, it’s absolutely perfect.”

  “Then go find your dress, while we finish setting up.”

  Patty and Nanna spirited her to the back of the house. Babette brought in a full rack of dresses in her size, in every style imaginable. But like Autumn’s choice in men, the first one was exactly right. Ivory satin, with clean lines and a sweep of skirt to her ballet slipper clad toes, it suited her and the simple, perfect wedding she’d been gifted. Judd’s cousin, Emma, whipped out some hot rollers, while his other cousin, Amelia, started in on Autumn’s makeup. It was a bit like being put through bridal boot camp. But an hour later, she was ready to walk down the aisle and marry her best friend in front of his entire family.

  “They’re ready!” Nanna announced. “Oh my lord, don’t you look beautiful.”

  “So beautiful,” Patty sniffed and waved a hand at her face. She was already a weepy mess. “Don’t mind me, I’m just so happy. I can’t believe he did this.”

  Autumn smiled and linked her arm through her future mother-in-law’s. “I think it was as much a surprise for you as for me. And hey, you did get to use your speed dial.”

  “I did.” She gave a teary grin. “So I’ll forgive him for depriving me of getting to plan the wedding.”

  “Cheer up. You still have Eli and Leo.”

  “True, but a daughter’s wedding is extra special.”

  Autumn felt her throat go tight. “Oh hell, is this mascara waterproof?”

  “Well, clean yourself up right quick, Patty,” Nanna ordered. “The photographer’s already snapping pictures.”

  “Oh, there’s a photographer?” Autumn asked.

  “And flowers, and chairs, and music. He covered everything. All your friends just showed up in a caravan.”

  He’d made sure there were people here for her. “Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more,” Autumn murmured.

  By the time she came out of the house, the long slope of front lawn had been transformed. Rows of white chairs, filled with guests—Hamiltons and friends and even the senior center book club—had been set up in a neat rectangle, bisected by a long white runner. Little arrangements of greenery and deep blue ribbon accented the end of each row. At the front of the aisle, beneath an arbor twined with climbing roses, the minister stood, Bible in hand. Eli and Leo, both dressed in tuxes, flanked Reverend Prescott on one side and Boudreaux in a matching bowtie on the other.

  “Oh my God, you’re gorgeous!” Livia gushed.

  Autumn turned to fin
d her friend in a blue dress that matched the ribbon, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Riley stood beaming right behind in a matching dress.

  “Oh God, now I’m going to cry. He even made sure you were both bridesmaids?”

  Riley flapped a hand toward Autumn’s stinging eyes. “No, no crying until this and all the pictures are done. It’s the rule.” She handed over an enormous bouquet of lilies. Autumn’s favorite.

  Livia grinned. “Married now. Hugs later. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  As if waiting for her signal, music rolled out of speakers from…somewhere. Riley began making her way down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

  But wait. Judd wasn’t up front. They couldn’t start the wedding without him. Autumn started to call out, but refrained. Maybe he was going to come out after the wedding party was in place? Didn’t some weddings work like that? So she held her tongue as the processional continued. Livia took her position beside Riley.

  Everybody stood up and turned around, looking at her. The music shifted into the bridal march and still no Judd. Cameras flashed. Autumn didn’t move. How could she? Her groom was MIA.

  A warm hand slipped into hers. Autumn looked up. And there he was, breathtaking in his tux, as she’d known he’d be. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, her moment of doubt washed away by joy. Judd tipped his head toward the crowd.

  Ready for this?

  Autumn nodded.

  Judd tucked her hand through his arm and they walked the aisle, between family and friends, as they’d done everything else for most of their lifetime.

  Together.

  Choose Your Next Romance

  In the wake of Judd’s resignation, changes are coming to Wishful PD! Watch Over Me is a neighbor/hot guy next door romance between Reserve Officer Nash Brewer and Rowan Beale, niece of former Wishful police chief Robert Curry. Nash is another of those big-hearted, caretaking heroes you love.