Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0) Read online

  His hands flashed as he answered the question she hadn’t realized she’d asked aloud. “She wanted what you had with her sister and never understood that she already did, until she let jealousy get in the way.”

  * * *

  Ruth dragged another trash bag out to the curb and turned to look at the house. The police and fire inspector had been in and out all morning and finally cleared her to go in after lunch. She just wanted to get things back to normal as fast as she could. But the bread still needed to get baked and the vegetables harvested, which was why she’d shooed Corban back to his fields and her brothers to the shop. She was perfectly capable of throwing things away.

  A car beeped as it turned into the driveway. She frowned. Now what?

  Emerson climbed out, opened the back door so the boys could get out, and waved. “Go play. Stay where I can see you.”

  The boys whooped and ran into the yard.

  “How bad is it?”

  Ruth shrugged. “I don’t have a lot of experience to compare with, but it’s really just the kitchen and living room in my suite at the back. It doesn’t look like it lasted long enough for there to be smoke damage, and apparently she tripped and hit her head before she could set any more fires. So it could be worse.”

  Emerson nodded. “She’s admitted it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep. Just got a call from her former attorney, who is incredibly unhappy to have taken her on as a client and is cutting ties as fast as he can. My understanding is that she’ll probably plead out.”

  “I don’t care. I just want her out of my life.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s a done deal. Once you get everything cleaned up, I’d say you’re fine to go ahead and start taking guests again. After this incident, the slim chance she had at overturning the will is gone.”

  Ruth let out a breath. That was something, at least. “Thanks, Emerson.”

  “Not a problem. Let me know if you need anything else, okay? Pam’s over the moon about the bread, as are the boys. Oh, hey, do you ever do muffins?”

  “Muffins? No.”

  Emerson frowned. “Well, maybe it’s something to consider.”

  “Sure. I’ll mention it to Jonah.”

  Emerson called to the boys who only needed a little cajoling to get back in the car. She lifted a hand as he backed out of the driveway. Muffins. Took all kinds. She trudged inside and detoured upstairs. If she was back in business, she should make sure the guest rooms were ready and worry about her own space later.

  Chapter 16

  Corban hid the bouquet of sunflowers he’d picked up at Blossoms by the Akers when he’d been down at the garden center for some plants yesterday. He knocked on the kitchen door of the once again fully-functional B&B. As soon as she’d started taking reservations last week, Ruth had received three bookings. They’d arrived at the start of the weekend. One couple had even joined Ruth at church before heading out to explore.

  Ruth pulled open the door with a grin. “Hey. I’m sorry I couldn’t do lunch. With guests and everything, I needed to get back and tidy up a little.”

  “It’s okay. Where are the guys?”

  “Napping. All three of them. I guess getting up before the sun six days a week to bake does a number on you.” She grinned. “Come on in.”

  He whipped the flowers around with a flourish. “I was hoping you might want to go for a walk with me.”

  “Oh, these are lovely.” Ruth buried her nose in the flowers, then sneezed. “I forget sunflowers don’t smell great. But they’re so cheery. Let me put them in water and get some shoes.”

  Corban tucked his hands in his pockets as she hurried out of the kitchen, his fingers closing around the small, velvet box that held his mother’s engagement ring. His stomach jittered. Was it too soon? Not in terms of their relationship, but was there already too much upheaval in her life? Jaden, her brothers, the CSB... even the harvest, in some ways, was a change, since it had taken up lots of his previously free time during the day. He’d come by most evenings still, and they’d talked or played a game together. Or spent time kissing on the couch.

  He smiled.

  “What’s that for?” Ruth came back without the flowers and with sneakers on her feet.

  “I love you.” He reached out and took her hand.

  “I love you, too.” She breathed in deeply. “This is just what I needed.”

  “What is?”

  “Time alone with you.” She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “And probably the fresh air.”

  Corban squeezed her hand as they crossed the road and wove through the fields. Periodically Ruth would ask what one thing or another was. It was good she had interest in the farm. It was a part of him. Would she mind living in the farmhouse and running the B&B from there? His mother had never seen it as a problem, and it would free up the main floor suite as well. Though maybe her brothers would want to live there. These were all details. He was getting ahead of himself.

  “You’re quiet.”

  “Sorry.” He flashed a grin. “We’re almost there.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been over this way.” She craned her neck around as they walked.

  “Here we are.” He pushed open a white picket gate and held it as she walked through. “This was my mother’s garden. She used to spend hours out here while Dad was in the fields. In the evening, they’d come sit by the pond and listen to the fountain. I let it go for a while after they moved away. It always seemed like I was trespassing on their private space. But then came you.”

  Ruth’s eyes grew wide. “This is beautiful.”

  He watched as she moved from his mother’s rose bushes that formed a sort of wall around the space to the beds he’d planted with multi-colored flowers. When she came to the small pond with water trickling down stair-stepped rocks she stopped and turned to him. “I see why they came out here. It’s like a little piece of heaven.”

  Corban crossed the garden and took her hand again as he lowered to the wrought iron bench facing the water.

  Ruth sat beside him and sighed. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  He shifted, turning so he was facing her, his gaze locked with hers. “I’m hoping this can become our spot. A place we come to remember the beauty and romance of love, even on the days when things are harder than it seems like they should be. My parents had a long marriage, a good one, but it wasn’t perfect. They argued and they made up. And they never stopped loving one another.” Corban slid off the bench onto one knee and fished the box out of his pocket. “I want that with you, if you’ll have me.”

  Ruth’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked, but one escaped trickling down her cheek. “Oh, Corban. I want that, too.”

  Heart thundering in his chest, he opened the box to reveal the simple solitaire in a plain gold band. “This was my mother’s. It served her well and I know she’d be thrilled for you to wear it. Will you marry me?”

  She reached for the ring, eyes glistening with tears, and slipped it on her finger before gathering him into her arms. “Yes. Oh absolutely yes.”

  His lips found hers and the sounds of the bubbling water faded as he lost himself in their future.

  What’s next in this series from Elizabeth Maddrey?

  Muffins & Moonbeams

  Releasing March, 2017

  Malachi Baxter is happy to hide in the background and manage the business-end of the family bakery. He’d much rather live in the online world of computer games where he can explore the galaxy and no one has to know he’s deaf.

  Ursula Franks designs websites during the day and spends her evenings battling alien races online where relationships are easy and uncomplicated. When she agrees to design a website for the local Community Supported Bakery, she has no idea that Malachi is the real man behind her online persona’s best friend and her own secret crush.

  As the two work together on the website, they uncover an attraction, but will they be able to put aside past hurt and insecur
ity to find love?

  Want a Free Book?

  If you enjoyed Loaves & Wishes and would like to read one of my full-length novels for free, you can get a free download of Courage to Change, book two in my Grant Us Grace series, simply by signing up for my newsletter here: http://bit.ly/2g0AGvf

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Loaves & Wishes! I hope that you enjoyed it! I would appreciate it if you’d help others enjoy it too by leaving a review on Goodreads and any retail site you frequent. Word of mouth is how most people say they find new books to read, so I’d love it if you’d also consider telling your friends about it. Any success my books have is owed to readers like you who take the time to tell others about my stories. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

  I’m so excited about the Arcadia Valley series! It is great fun to collaborate with these other amazing authors who I consider not only wonderful women, but friends. I hope that you’ll continue on with us in Arcadia Valley and see how each of these new series develop.

  You can always keep up to date with my writing news via my newsletter. There’s a sign-up form at my website http://bit.ly/2g0AGvf and also on my author Facebook page http://www.Facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey.

  I continue to owe a huge debt of gratitude to my husband and sons for giving me the time to write, my sister for her unflinching support and encouragement, and my critique partners Lynellen Perry, Heather Gray and Jan Elder for catching all the times I use the same word six times in two paragraphs.

  More than anything, I’m grateful that God continues to give me words and makes it possible for me to write them down.

  I’d love to hear from you! You can connect with me on Facebook, my webpage or via email.

  Elizabeth

  http://elizabethmaddrey.com

  Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of computers, math, and organization steered her into computer science at Wheaton College, she always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. This continued through a Master’s program in Software Engineering, several years in the computer industry, teaching programming at the college level, and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology in Education. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.

  Elizabeth is the author of more than ten books, both fiction and non-fiction. She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.

  Other Titles by Elizabeth Maddrey

  The Baxter Family Bakery Series

  (Arcadia Valley Romance Multi-Author Series)

  Loaves & Wishes (in Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley)

  Muffins & Moonbeams

  Cookies & Candlelight

  Donuts & Daydreams

  The ‘Operation Romance’ Series

  Operation Mistletoe

  Operation Valentine

  Operation Fireworks

  Operation Back-to-School

  The ‘Taste of Romance’ Series

  A Splash of Substance

  A Pinch of Promise

  A Dash of Daring

  A Handful of Hope

  The ‘Grant Us Grace’ Series

  Joint Venture

  Wisdom to Know

  Courage to Change

  Serenity to Accept

  The ‘Remnants’ Series:

  Faith Departed

  Hope Deferred

  Love Defined

  Stand alone novellas

  Kinsale Kisses: An Irish Romance

  Sheltered

  Hearts

  A Romance from the Heart

  by Lee Tobin McClain

  © 2017 by Lee Tobin McClain

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed: “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  http://[email protected]

  http://www.leetobinmcclain.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Sheltered Hearts / Lee Tobin McClain – 1st ed.

  Sheltered Hearts introduces the Romance from the Heart series in Arcadia Valley Romance:

  http://arcadiavalleyromance.com/posts/series/romance-from-the-heart/

  Chapter 1

  Alex Quintana finished mopping the red tile floor of his family’s restaurant. The late-evening silence eased the knots in his shoulders and calmed his worries.

  A freak March snowstorm had made his sister and the cooks nervous, so he’d happily agreed to stay and close.

  It wasn’t like he had someone waiting for him at home.

  A thumping sound broke the silence. Probably a truck with chains driving by, though surely the snow wasn’t that bad.

  He put away the mop and emptied the dirty water, then looked with satisfaction around the neat kitchen. That hadn’t taken too long. Next, he walked out to the arched doorway between the two small dining rooms, making sure everything was clean there, as well. It had to be, for his abuela’s 80th birthday party tomorrow.

  Thump. Thump. Thump. It sounded like someone was knocking on the front door, pounding on it, really. But who?

  He opened the door, and a gust of cold wind swept in. He peered at the woman who stood outside, arms wrapped around herself, barely visible in the blowing snow. Man, that had gotten deep fast. The whole world was white.

  Below, he heard a whine and looked down. A dog? Tall, white and curly-haired, maybe a poodle, trying to push its way inside.

  “Can we come in?”

  Alex shifted to usher them inside. But, wait. The last three out-of-town women who’d showed up at the restaurant had been gold diggers. Was this woman another one? He stopped, blocking the door with his body, and studied her.

  “Please, Mister! My dog is hurt.”

  She’d brought a dog and arrived in a snowstorm. Creative, at least. “Sure,” he said with a sigh and stood back, making room for the woman and dog to enter.

  He pushed the door closed against the wind and then turned to her. Red, wavy hair down past her shoulders, strong cheekbones, and big bluish-green eyes. Okay, a knockout, but still. “This wasn’t the night to come out. How’d you know I was here?”

  She didn’t answer and he saw that her hands were red and bare as she knelt and ran them over her dog, brushing the snow off of him. Her teeth chattered when she looked up. “Do you happen to have a towel?”

  “Bring him back here. It’s warmer.” Even if she was out to take advantage, he couldn’t turn away a freezing woman and animal. He put a hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the kitchen. She pulled away.

  But not too soon that he didn’t get a whiff of the vanilla scent of her hair.

  “We can dry off your dog. Get you both something to drink.” He filled a bowl for the dog and put water in a kettle for tea. “Here, take off your coat. It looks soaked.”

  She glanced up at him, her eyes guarded, and then unzipped her jacket and handed it to him. He couldn’t help but notice her amazing figure, just before he quickly turned away to hang up her coat. “Do you want my jacket to wrap around you until you warm up?”

  “No, it’s okay,” she said. “That’s your coat. You’re closed. I wouldn’t have come here at all, but I was trying to get off the inter
state and the back roads weren’t plowed. My car slid into a ditch.”

  She was a good liar, he’d give her that. “How far back?”

  “About a mile. And the car is way stuck.”

  “You walked a mile in this.”

  “Yes, and Bear’s paw is hurt. I saw blood in the snow.” She knelt beside the dog again, biting her lip.

  “That dog’s name is Bear?” It looked more like a giant, groomed mop. He’d have guessed a name like Fifi.

  She grimaced. “His real name is Barrington. It seemed too pretentious for a dog, so I nicknamed him Bear.”

  “Why’d you come here?” Against his will, he was starting to believe her. “Nobody lands in Arcadia Valley by accident.” He handed her a clean dishtowel to dry off the dog’s paw.

  She did so, gently. “The interstate is terrible,” she said without looking up. “Cars and trucks all over the road. This was the nearest exit.”

  So maybe she wasn’t a fangirl. She didn’t even seem to recognize him. “I’m Alex Quintana,” he said, to test out his theory.

  She held out a hand to him with no sign of recognition. “Patricia Aiken. I was hoping I could get to a hotel. Is there one nearby?”

  “There’s the Sweetwater Motel. I think I have the number.” He scrolled through his contacts. “Here it is.” He read it out.