by Ciara Knight
Drew pointed at Davey. “That’s him. He’s the tiny dancing leprechaun.”
Davey removed his hat and held it in front of his chest. “I’m what?”
“Do you know this man, sir?” one of the burly men standing nearby asked.
Davey nodded. “I know him. Not sure I can vouch for him, but I know him.”
“Wait. He didn’t mean that. He’s upset with me. He must know about the date bet.” He faced Davey. “That’s what I’m here about. Not the only thing. I was worried when I was told you were at the hospital.”
Davey smacked his lips and put his hat back on his head. “What’s your intentions for Carissa?”
“Intentions?” Drew looked at the door, but for once he didn’t want to flee from complications and drama and mess. “I want to prove to her that she is everything I’ve been looking for in a life partner that I never knew I needed. That she is perfect in her imperfections.”
“What are you willing to do to win her over? Not that you deserve her.” Davey narrowed his gaze at him.
“Anything. I’ll do anything,” Drew said without hesitation.
Davey laughed and did a jig. “Then follow me. I got just the thing.”
The men backed off when they saw the tiny man dance.
“Told you.” Drew shrugged. “Wait, I was worried. Why were you in the hospital?”
“I wasn’t. I was visiting an old friend. I come here once a month,” Davey said in an everyone-knows-that tone.
“Do you think I’ll ever win over the town? I hate to face decades of sideways glares and snide remarks if I stay.” Drew hurried after Davey. Man, that little man could move. Wait. Since when did he decide to stay in Sugar Maple? It didn’t matter. He had. He’d been working in LA for years looking for what came next after his military service and college. He’d been lost and hadn’t known it, but now… Now he’d found himself and what he wanted, and he wanted Carissa and this crazy little town.
“You do what I tell you, and you’ll not only win over Carissa but the entire town by the end of tomorrow. Promise.”
A hint of relief relaxed Drew’s shoulders. “What can I possibly do to achieve that?”
Davey smiled like a villain. “How’s your handwriting?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Follow me. We’ve got work to do.” Davey shuffled faster than a toddler after candy.
A nervousness took hold of Drew. “Wait a second. What are you going to do?”
“Where’s your car?” Davey headed for the parking lot with a backhand wave over his head. “I don’t feel like waiting for the old fart van to get here.”
“I’ll give you a ride if you fill me in on the way.” Drew clicked the remote so he could remember where he’d left the rental.
“I ain’t doing nothing. It’s what you’re gonna do to yourself. Time for you to tar and southernize!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The clock struck eight in the morning, and Carissa knew she had to face everyone, especially her own fears.
Stella held up the cake platter. “Let’s go, girlfriend. You’ve got this.”
Carissa put on her coat, hat, scarf, and snow boots to trudge out to the town square. She opened the door and discovered the entire square covered in fall leaves. Faux trees were placed around the square, and people hustled about tweaking things.
Stella whistled. “Wow. I didn’t think it would look that good when I helped dump some leaves out of a truck this morning.”
In the center of it all was a rack of colorful dresses. They were in golds and reds but not the right hues for fall. She lifted her chin and marched across the street to the center of town, where she met Ms. Horton and Mr. Strickland. “I heard you were back from visiting your family Mr. Strickland.” Carissa hugged them both.
Knox strolled up to Stella. “Didn’t think I’d see a girl like you carrying a cake plate. Thanks for your help this morning. You’ve got talent.”
Did Stella blush? In all these years, Stella had never blushed.
“It wasn’t anything, really,” Stella said, her voice an octave higher than Carissa had ever heard.
Wait, was she acting modest? Stella was abrasive, cool—never modest, though. “You two know each other?”
“We met this morning when the leaves were delivered.” Stella twisted the plate as if to look for the best camera angle.
“Met? The truck broke down at the edge of town. We were going to have to carry wheelbarrow loads to the square. We’d never had made the shoot happen today if it wasn’t for this lady.”
Lady?
“She saved this shoot after that no-good Drew disappeared on us. And after I’d given him one more chance to redeem himself.”
“Disappeared?” Carissa asked. A flicker of worry took hold. She pushed it away. That man was out of her life before he was ever truly in it. There was no way she’d ever be with a man like that. No way. No how.
Lori stood over on the sidelines holding Roxy. That’s when she realized he’d not only left her and the town but also the kitten he’d rescued. Not that it surprised her. Drew Lancaster wasn’t a bad person. He just wasn’t her person. He didn’t belong here. This was her life, not his.
Jackie made her entrance with floating fabric and clicking of heels. “I’m sorry I’m late, but I wanted to make sure I looked perfect for you, Knox.” She took him by the arm and led him away, leaving Stella and Carissa by the cake that Knox hadn’t even noticed.
Laughter filled the square, and there were hoots and hollers coming from the other side of the table and cameras. A crowd formed, and Knox unceremoniously abandoned Jacqueline, who stood awestruck.
“What’s going on?” Stella asked.
Carissa took her by the arm. “I don’t know, but let’s find out.”
The crowd parted, showing a leaf and maple-covered Drew Lancaster.
“Dude, what are you doing? This isn’t part of the shoot,” Knox shouted at him.
“He got tarred and southernized, you goon!” Mrs. Malter shouted at him.
Knox sidestepped away from her. “You people did this to him?”
“No, I did it to myself.” Drew lifted his chin, sending a leaf fluttering to the ground in front of Carissa’s feet. On it read, I will never bet on a date with you again.
Carissa picked up the leaf and eyed him, scanning him from forehead covered in yellow leaves to his matching shoes. “I don’t understand.”
He stepped closer, and she could read more of them. I promise to always appreciate our differences. I promise to always respect Carissa Donahue. I promise to work on my perfectionist ways.
He placed his finger on a leaf at his heart. If you love me, I will stay in Sugar Maple for as long as you and the town will have me.
Stella pushed her forward. “What man is going to do that to himself if he’s not serious? No man has ever done something like that to win over Jackie girl over there.”
A rush of emotion at the realization that this man who didn’t like sticky things, who wanted everything perfect, had covered himself in syrup and posted notes to prove he meant them. All to show her how much he cared. She blinked the tears away for a moment but then surrendered to them.
The town stood silent, waiting.
She lunged into him and his icky, messy, syrupy mess, pressing her lips to his. The leaves fell over her eyes and nose, but she didn’t care. The world around her faded away, along with past betrayals, past mistakes, and past regrets. All she saw in front of her was a bright future with Drew Lancaster and the little kitten, Roxy.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The bright spotlights heated the kitchen beyond anything her oven ever achieved. Which baffled her, since she wasn’t even really cooking. It was all prebaked and sprayed with shiny stuff and fluffed with things she didn’t want to know had been added to her food.
Knox retrieved the premade artistic version of her dessert from behind the counter and set it on the counter with an air of sup
eriority, as if he’d created it himself. “Doesn’t this look delicious. I don’t know about any of you, but I’m ready to dig into this now.”
Carissa snagged two plates with precut pieces of real food and passed one to Knox. “Then dig in.” She smiled and slid the fork tines into the cake the way they’d instructed her so that the camera could capture it without her hand blocking the view.
“Mmmm, this tastes beyond what I’d imagined. I think someone in Sugar Maple called your treats a welcome-home flavor. I didn’t get it then, but I get it now.” He set his plate down, and the camera moved in close. “If you want a taste of down-home goodness, click on the link below to order your own Sugar Maple Carrot Cake, as well as many other delicious desserts Ms. Carissa Donahue will prepare for you. And for now, we’ll leave you with your own family, but we invite you back to this beautiful and friendly southern town, Sugar Maple. Until next time.”
The lights cut off abruptly, and Knox leaned in. “Don’t worry. They add the music and special affects later. I know. It’s kind of anticlimactic at the end of all this work.” He offered his hand. “It’s been a pleasure. I’ll admit that Drew was right. You were the perfect girl and business to focus on for this in-depth installment of this series. I believe my fans will love this episode.”
She took his hand and began to think this man wasn’t all about himself after all.
“I have to agree with Mr. Brevard. You were the perfect choice for this. You were fantastic,” Jackie’s sultry voice sounded, but Carissa’s brain didn’t understand her words.
Carissa wasn’t sure if Jackie said that to look good in front of Knox, but she decided to assume the best. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“You know, I was thinking.” Jackie shifted her purse from one arm to the other. “This reminds me of when we were younger, and at the end of the semester, we would all finish our exams, and then we’d hang out all night and binge on treats and talk about boys and watch a horror flick that would keep us up all night.”
Carissa’s heart filled with the memories. “I remember.”
Mary-Beth bounced up with Felicia in tow. “Hey, I’m in. That’s if Carissa can stand to be away from Drew for five minutes.”
The camera crew broke down the equipment, so Drew joined them. He kissed the top of her head, sending threads of warmth through her limbs. “I have to work tonight anyway, but you promise to meet me for breakfast?”
Carissa held tight to him, never wanting to let him go. “Sure. Sounds great.”
“Of course, I can’t promise we won’t crash your party in the middle of the night, right, Knox?”
Knox laughed. “Now that sounds like a plan.”
“Hey, Stella. You in for a girls’ night?” Felicia hollered.
Stella huffed. “If I have to, but there’s no braiding hair or painting nails. Got it?”
Jackie held up her hands. “That was one time. How was I supposed to know you’d get so upset when you woke up the next morning?”
Ms. Horton snagged one of the plates they’d taken a bite from a few minutes ago while on camera. “Hey, would you bake this for our wedding cake?”
“You set a date?” all the girls asked unanimously.
Mr. Strickland with his devilishly mature good looks and charm leaned against the counter. “Next fall.”
Drew offered his hand and shook Mr. Strickland’s. “Congratulations.”
Knox slapped Drew on the shoulder. “Hey, maybe it’ll be a double wedding. Unless, of course, you’re going to take that job in LA.”
Carissa froze, every muscle in her body tensed. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss their future plans with the segment’s filming and all the work.
“I did secure a new job at the end of this series.”
“You did what?” Knox’s voice didn’t sound like the TV personality tone that he usually did.
“That’s right. You’re going to have to survive on your own.”
Carissa’s chest hurt. Perhaps he’d visit often.
He turned Carissa in his arms and brushed her hair from her face. “It’s an online job except for the travel to scout locations, so I can live anywhere. So, if you want me to stay…”
“Do you want to stay?
Drew smiled. “Why would I ever want to leave when I’ve finally found a place to call home?”
Her insides warmed at the way he referred to Sugar Maple as home. “I read somewhere that if I will love you, you’ll stay. You wouldn’t want to break a promise, would you?”
“No, never. I never want to let you down again.” Drew pulled her into his arms and held her tight, as if promising he’d never let her go.
* * *
The End
About the Author
Ciara Knight is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author, who writes clean and wholesome romance novels set in either modern day small towns or wild historic old west. Born with a huge imagination that usually got her into trouble, Ciara is happy she’s found a way to use her powers for good. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.
Also by Ciara Knight
For a complete list of my books, please visit my website at www.ciaraknight.com. A great way to keep up to date on all releases, sales and prizes subscribe to my Newsletter. I’m extremely sociable, so feel free to chat with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.
For your convenience please see my complete title list below, in reading order:
* * *
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
* * *
Winter in Sweetwater County
Spring in Sweetwater County
Summer in Sweetwater County
Fall in Sweetwater County
Christmas in Sweetwater County
Valentines in Sweet-water County
Fourth of July in Sweetwater County
Thanksgiving in Sweetwater County
Grace in Sweetwater County
Faith in Sweetwater County
Love in Sweetwater County
* * *
Riverbend
In All My Wishes
In All My Years
In All My Dreams
In All My Life
* * *
A Christmas Spark
* * *
A Miracle Mountain Christmas
* * *
HISTORICAL WESTERNS:
* * *
McKinnie Mail Order Brides Series
Love on the Prairie
(USA Today Bestselling Novel)
Love in the Rockies
Love on the Plains
Love on the Ranch
His Holiday Promise
(A Love on the Ranch Novella)
Love on the Sound
Love on the Border
Love at the Coast
* * *
A Prospectors Novel
Fools Rush
* * *
Bride of America
Adelaide: Bride of Maryland
* * *
YOUNG ADULT:
Battle for Souls Series
Rise From Darkness
Fall From Grace
Ascension of Evil
* * *
The Neumarian Chronicles
Weighted
Escapement
Pendulum
Balance