by Kay Lyons
Her smile widened and as a result, Joe bent his head and kissed her, a hot, sensual caress that made her knees weak each and every time it happened.
“Wow,” she whispered when he lifted his head. “Trying to boost my confidence over the ribbon-cutting?”
Joe’s chest rumbled beneath her ear while he hugged her close. “I think it’s a great turnout. Exactly what I predicted each of the hundred times you asked,” he teased. They both looked around at their guests, the evening twilight giving the party a special warmth. “But there’s one thing that could make it even better.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Ashley leaned against him, loved the strength of him surrounding her. She’d been on her own for so long. But not anymore. She had a family now.
“How about we make this day extra special?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve already bought the rings. You’ve got a dress.” He nodded over her shoulder. “The mayor’s here. And… I sort of took it upon myself to have him bring a license with him.”
Her mouth parted. “You mean now?”
“Why not?” He took her hands in his. “You asked me to give you a walk in the moonlight once, now I’m asking you to marry me in the moonlight. Tonight.”
She gave him a teary smile. “On the porch steps with all the flowers blooming around us?”
Her soon-to-be husband laughed as he squeezed her. “Wherever you like.”
Excitement rose amongst their guests and now that she paid attention, she realized quite a few already knew what Joe asked. Small towns were like that. People always knew what you were thinking before you thought it. Asking questions that would have offended her at one time, but now made her feel welcome. Cared about.
“Well, Joe?” Hal York’s voice echoed throughout the yard.
Ashley glanced around at their guests, at their expectant, encouraging faces. Hal and Melissa York. Bryan. Joe’s father, Ted, and Wilson. Mrs. Hilliard and the whole gardening club, their families. Taylorsville city officials. Even Nam—short for Not A Mutt—lurked in the shadows with his shiny new dog tags listing Willow Wood as his home. The only person missing was Jack. A flicker of protective anger seared her before she squelched it. Joe’s brother would come home one day. And when he did, she’d be ready for him.
“Is that a yes?”
Her arms tightened around Joe’s neck, her gaze locked on his. She might not be from Taylorsville, but she lived there now and she’d protect her family no matter what. “Yes.”
“Do I still get to give you away, missy?”
“I get to stand up with Joe,” Ted added.
Ashley tilted her head back and laughed, happier than she’d ever been in her life. “And Max is the ring bearer,” she said softly. She bit her lip nervously, one small detail left. “Mrs. H., would you be my Matron of Honor?”
The older woman eagerly stepped forward while the ladies in the gardening club flew into motion and set about making a bouquet from the various plants blooming around the yard.
Ashley watched as everyone pitched in, rearranging chairs, gathering up potted plants and adding them to the stairs where she and Joe would stand. Wilson hurried inside to get a tie.
A shiver raced through her.
“Look okay to you?”
She stared up at Joe and smiled when heat flared in his eyes despite their audience. “It looks absolutely perfect.”
And exactly how she’d pictured a home to be.
* * *
DID YOU ENJOY BRODY’S REDEMPTION? WANT TO KNOW IF MELISSA GETS HER OWN HAPPILY EVER AFTER? CHECK OUT THE EXCERPT FROM FALLING FOR HER BOSS BELOW!
FALLING FOR HER BOSS excerpt:
* * *
A noise in the doorway drew his attention, and Bryan turned to see Melissa standing outside. An anxious expression crossed her face, her startling blue eyes solemn.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. The door was unlocked.”
“You’re not intruding. We’re done, right, buddy?” Bryan handed the boy a handful of stickers and a sour candy before lifting him from the exam table. After giving the mom a few instructions, the woman and child hurried out of the room and then he and Melissa were alone.
She shifted nervously and shoved her hands into her back pockets, the move stretching the material of her loose T-shirt a little more snugly across her chest. Bryan tried hard not to notice.
What was her treatment? A lumpectomy? Maybe a mastectomy? It wasn’t any of his business, but having spent his residency in one of the top cancer-treatment centers in the country, the doctor in him was curious.
“So…did you mean it?”
His eyebrows rose. No niceties, no small talk. Definitely not a flirtatious tone. Just straight to the point though a bit shy. He liked it. Her behavior was quite a change from the norm, a reminder of the girl he’d known. “The job is very real, and so is my offer of an interview.” He began putting the medical supplies away. “How did the toy drive go? Does Santa have a big haul?”
“The bin was filled three times at last count.” She moved over to where he stood and picked up the liquid numbing agent, handing the bottle to him. “But the, um, guys got called out on a domestic-violence run, and Ellen Morton left to take one of her elderly cases to the hospital.”
He glanced her way. “Any names mentioned?”
Melissa lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “My dad said something about Crimshaw Road. I…didn’t talk to Ms. Morton much.”
After witnessing Melissa’s earlier surprise firsthand, Bryan wasn’t about to touch that subject. He finished putting the supplies away in a cabinet and yanked the paper sheeting from the table with a jerk. “Sounds like we’re all having a busy night. Does this mean you’re interested in the job?”
She stared at him as though measuring his words. “Actually…I came to say thank you.”
“For what?”
A brief smile touched her lips. “Because you heard them,” she stated bluntly, “saw my not-so-subtle reaction and guessed my pride had me lying about the lead I mentioned—which I was. But you backed me up anyway. Thanks.”
Bryan smiled. “What are friends for? Anyone else would’ve done the same.”
“Maybe. The problem is that I don’t want a job offer because you feel sorry for me. So thanks, but I’m sure I’ll find something else soon.”
“Melissa, wait.” Bryan caught her arm before she could leave the room. Maybe he did feel sorry for her, but he certainly wasn’t about to confirm it, not when pity was obviously the last thing she wanted. Acutely aware of how delicate she felt beneath his palm, he released her. “I feel sorry for me, okay? I just spent the last two hours patching up a couple squirming kids, and both parents left without paying me even though I saved them a trip to the E.R. in Baxter.”
She blinked. “Really? They just left?”
He put the last of the supplies away. “Yeah. Maybe they’ll stop by Monday to settle up, but who knows? It doesn’t matter because I don’t know how to enter payments into the computer system, and I haven’t had any luck with the temp agency.”
“You sound desperate.”
He felt the heat of her stare and noted how her eyes had narrowed and her arms were crossed over her front. Unease slid over him and he knew exactly what she was going to ask next.
“So this job offer has nothing to do with you feeling bad about being the one to tell me how…my baby really died?”
Read FALLING FOR HER BOSS and the rest of the SMALL TOWN SCANDALS series! Simply click on the links or ask for them wherever books are sold.
TAMING THE TULANE SERIES:
SMALL TOWN SCANDAL
THEIR SECRET BARGAIN
CROSSING THE LINE
THE NANNY’S SECRET
SOMEONE TO TRUST
THE STONE RIVER SERIES:
WORTH THE WAIT
NOT BY SIGHT
THROUGH THE VALLEY
LEAD ME NOT
CHRISTMAS AT HOLLY WOOD
THEIR CH
RISTMAS MIRACLE
SECOND CHANCES
MONTANA SECRETS SERIES
HEALING HER COWBOY
IT HAD TO BE YOU
HERS TO KEEP
MILLION DOLLAR STANDOFF
HIS CHRISTMAS WISH
THEIR SECRET SON
SMALL TOWN SCANDALS SERIES
BRODY’S REDEMPTION
FALLING FOR HER BOSS
WITH THIS MAN
More books:
Secret Santa
COMING SOON!
Secret Santa II
For more information about Kay Lyons, please visit her website at www.kaylyonsauthor.com. You can also find her at the following:
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Dear Reader,
This note is a reminder that this is a work of FICTION. As the author, I am not anti-vaccination. I’ve been vaccinated, and so have my grown children. In no way does this work imply parents shouldn’t vaccinate their children, or that vaccinations aren’t safe. Caution is advised when taking ANY medication.
About the Author
Kay Lyons always wanted to be a writer, ever since the age of seven or eight when she copied the pictures out of a Charlie Brown book and rewrote the story because she didn’t like the plot. Through the years her stories have changed but one characteristic stayed true— they were all romances. Each and every one of her manuscripts included a love story.
Published in 2005 with Harlequin Enterprises, Kay’s first release was a national bestseller. Kay has also been a HOLT Medallion, Book Buyers Best and RITA Award nominee. Look for her most recent novels with Kindred Spirits Publishing.
For more information regarding her work, please visit Kay at the following:
www.kaylyonsauthor.com
@KayLyonsAuthor (Twitter)
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