Chapter 1

"Grace, are you coming for a beer with us after work?" Jack McDaniels, her foreman on the project, asked.

"Damn straight. Don't we always go out to celebrate after we build the maze? Now, let's get to work." Grace Conroy answered with a smile. She picked up the silver whistle she wore on a chain around her neck and blew it, producing a high-pitched sound. She waved at the truck driver who then began backing his vehicle up.

Using her arms, she directed him to the right spot. The truck needed to get as close to the new drop-off point as possible. Those bales of hay he was carrying were heavy and seemed heavier the longer they unloaded them. They weighed about seventy pounds each. The weight was necessary so they wouldn't blow around if the wind kicked up, but man, her arms ached at night after a day of unloading. It took two men to carry each bale, and no one wanted to have to carry them further than absolutely necessary. They used the forklift she'd rented whenever possible. She's already had a man get a hernia once when she'd first started her company and wasn't about to let that happen again.

Once the bales were unloaded into neat piles, she referred to the diagram she had on her clipboard. Tracing her finger around the complex design, she said, "Put those last ones over here in a straight line. Once the first layer is put in place, I can judge the corners and see the pattern."

She helped lift the heavy bales, not being the type of boss to remain hands-off. She loved to get in and get her hands dirty, to be able to say she not only designed the maze but helped build it.

"Everything looks good so far. The metal infrastructure is all in place to support the weight and height of the bales. We can start stacking them today. I want the walls eight feet high, so even tall people won't be able to look over the top. When it comes to stacking, I want us to use the forklift whenever possible — I don't want any hernias this time around. We work from the inside out. Everybody got it?" She waited for the obligatory nods and exclamations of, "Yes, ma'am!"

Four years ago, she'd stumbled across a charming little town about four hours outside of Denver. She'd been meandering, on vacation but without a destination, just seeing where the road would take her. It took her to Summit Springs, and she fell in love with the town.

For the past three years she'd been creating and running the Amazing Halloween Hay Maze on a large, rented field just outside of Summit Springs, and she'd used the same company to supply both the bales and the workers. The same group of people set up the maze and tore it down after the season was over. They were practically family—or at least good friends. She looked forward to seeing and working with them every year.

"How about we get this done so we can go for that beer and a burger?" Grace asked. She arched her back, hands on the small of it, trying to work out the kinks.

"Yeah, my stomach agrees with you," Jack said with a laugh. "You got to go back to Denver after the weekend?"

"Nope. I'm between big projects right now, and I'm telecommuting the rest of the week, but only when I have to. Otherwise, I'm phoning it in. October is my month to do my favorite thing." She grinned. Everyone who knew Grace knew her architect firm, Grace Conroy Designs, took a backseat to her hay maze come October. But when someone owned the firm, and it was the second largest in Denver, she had options.

"What's the charity again this year?" Jack asked.

"Autism and Related Disorders. I got the idea from Alicia and Jenny Mae, the two women who own Woodn't You in town. Alicia's son is autistic."

"It's so cool that every year you donate the proceeds from the maze to charity."

Grace waved a dismissive hand at him. "It's nothing, believe me. I'm a very lucky woman. I make plenty of money with my firm. I do this for fun, to relax, and because I love it. The money is secondary, and if it goes to a good cause, all the better."

"You're amazing Grace." Jack paused, then smirked. "Get it? A maz ing Grace?"

Grace dutifully chuckled. It wasn't the first time she'd heard the pun, but Jack was a nice guy, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. "Very funny."

She clapped her hands. "Okay, let's wrap things up here and finish unloading the truck. The driver needs to take it back to the farm. Now that the pattern is sorted out and plotted, we can start stacking. By tomorrow morning, I want this maze ready to roll."

They worked in companionable silence for the next couple of hours, moving the last of the bales and placing them in the exact order Grace needed under Grace's supervision. Stacking took the longest amount of time — they tried to be as precise as possible when placing the bales.

Then they hauled out the decorations from the back of Grace's Silverado: scarecrows, axe murderers and their victims, giant spiders and their cotton webs, skulls, witches, and oversized crows, and placed them throughout the maze. There was a giant pumpkin-headed horror in one corner and a nine-foot-tall werewolf dripping blood in another.

This maze is going to be even better than last year. She grinned to herself as she nudged a bale into place. It was an adult maze — no one under twelve years of age would be allowed in without an adult. It was too complicated for the little ones to navigate alone. For them, she had a smaller maze already set up nearby. It had simpler twists and turns and was impossible to get lost in. Plus, the walls weren't nearly as high. Parents could look over and watch their kiddies navigate the maze.

Finally, the last bale was set in place. She clapped her hands together, ridding them of clinging bits of hay. "Okay, I'm calling it a day. Great job, as always! Have a good night, everyone."

"I thought we were going for a beer and a burger?" Jack strode up, bits of straw sticking to his boots and jeans.

"We are, but I wasn't sure if everyone was going. George has a wife and two little ones at home, and Pete has his husband waiting for him." Grace nodded as both George and Pete waved goodbye to her and got into their vehicles. "See? Told ya."

"Okay, okay. We can still go. Meet you at the Whitewater?"

"It's a date. Well, not a date -date, but you know what I mean." Grace laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You play for the other team, damn it, or I would've asked you out years ago. That figure, those green eyes, all that blonde hair…going to waste, I tell you." He laughed at the long-standing joke between them. "Anyway, Dave, Johnny, and Stew are coming, too." Jack snorted and headed for his red Ram.

Grace hurried to her blue Silverado, climbed in, and turned over the engine. It practically purred. The truck was her favorite impulse buy — she didn't really need a truck, but she'd wanted this one the moment she'd seen it on the lot. And it did come in handy on the rare times she had to haul a lot of stuff — like Halloween decorations.

She drove the short distance to town, then navigated the crowded streets to the Whitewater Tavern. She was pleased to see the place hopping — Halloween was always one of the busiest times of year for the town, second only to the Christmas holidays.

Pulling into a spot at the rear of the parking lot — she felt lucky to find one at all — she made her way into the tavern. Looking around, she spotted Pete and a few of the guys at a table near the bar and walked over to join them. She settled onto a barstool at a high top they were sharing.

"Dude, don't bother sitting down. It's Thursday!" Dave, one of the workers, said, excitement pushing the pitch of his voice higher than usual.

Grace moaned and ducked her head. Thursdays at the Whitewater meant open mike night. Without fail, her boys would elect to get up and sing some rock anthem — awfully — and expect her to join them.

Not.

Happening.

She couldn't carry a tune with both hands and a bucket, and she knew it. The rest of the town did not need to know it. She shook her head vehemently when they asked her. "No. You go ahead. I'll be your cheering section, but I'm not going up there. And that's final."

"Come on, Grace. It'll be fun!" Pete urged her. He knew she wouldn't go but delighted in busting her chops about it.

"No, Pete. And I'll thank you to stop egging the rest of them on. You know me better than this." Grace tilted her chin down and glared at him.

He must've known she was serious, and that he'd reached the point of no return, because he backed off. "Yes, boss. Okay. Come on, guys. Let's go sign up. What do you want to sing tonight? Bohemian Rhapsody ? Oh, wait. I know. Highway to Hell !"

They walked up to the sign-in podium in a knot, chatting excitedly about their choice of song.

Grace was grateful when her beer arrived, brought by a cute brunette server with a button nose and big blue eyes. She took a long swallow and sighed contentedly.

"Long day?" The server grinned at her. She had to be at least ten years younger than Grace, maybe not long out of college.

"Yes, and it's about to get longer. That's my crew up there getting ready to belt out Highway to Hell . I doubt if they know all the words, and I know they can't carry a tune." She gestured toward her mug. "It's going to get ugly. I may need another of these to get through it."

The server laughed. "I'm Molly. Molly Sunshine, and yes, that's actually my last name."

Grace returned her smile. "Grace Conroy. I'm the one building the hay maze outside of town. Do you know it?"

"Oh, I love that maze. I go every year! It's for charity, right?"

Grace nodded. "Yup. This year, it's for Autism and Related Disorders."

"That's awesome. Do you know Jenny and Alicia Mae and their son, Micah? He's autistic."

"Yes! That's where I got the idea." Grace swallowed another sip and screwed up her courage. Molly had to be at least ten years younger than Grace, but she was getting some strong vibes from the pretty little server and decided to take a chance. "Listen, what time do you get off work here?"

Molly checked her watch. "In a couple of hours. I had the afternoon shift today."

"Would you like to grab some dinner with me? I was going to get a burger, but Italian sounds pretty good to me, too." Grace held her breath, waiting for the answer.

She didn't have long to wait.

"I'd love that. I'll meet you here when I get off shift." Molly tossed her a wide smile and trotted off to do her thing.

Grace took another sip of beer, feeling warm and gooey inside. She had a good feeling about Molly Sunshine. What had started out not to be a date -date with Pete had turned out to be an actual date with Molly.

She was in such a fine mood that she didn't even cringe when the opening notes of Highway to Hell blared out over the speakers. And when her boys finished, she applauded and wolf-whistled the loudest, even calling for an encore.

***

They settled on eating at the Club Diner, where the owner, Marco, made some delicious Italian food.

Grace ordered stuffed manicotti, and Molly ordered chicken cacciatore, which they happily shared. They each had a glass of cabernet and toasted to a new friendship.

Over a dessert of tiramisu, Grace sought to make clear the meaning of their date. She didn't want to accidentally wander into the friendship zone.

"I guess by now you've figured out that I'm gay," she said. She watched Molly's face for clues to what she was thinking. What she found was a smile.

"I'm bi. I had a boyfriend for a while, but he was a real jackass. I mean, he never got physical with me when we fought, but he was verbally abusive. And we fought a lot . And I bet that's way too much information for a first date." Her next smile was sheepish, and her cheeks pinked up.

"What's in the past is in the past. I'll bet most of us come with baggage. I know I do. I've had my share of scary exes. My last one Air-tagged me without my knowledge so she could track me."

"Now, that's a little creepy."

"You said it. When I found the Air-tag I wanted to make her eat it, but instead, I took a hammer to it and ended the relationship. She was none too pleased." Grace could laugh about it now, but at the time, it had been scary. The humiliation she felt at being tracked without her permission or knowledge infuriated her. She never wanted to feel that angry again.

"Well, here's to better days and newfound friends," Molly said, holding up her glass.

"And maybe more than just friends," Grace added, clinking their glasses together. "I'd like to see you again."

"I'd like that, too." Molly gave her a wide grin, her blue eyes sparkling.

Molly had a dimple on her right cheek that deepened when she smiled, and Grace thought she was just adorable. Combined with those pretty blue eyes they made a part of Grace deep inside tingle. Grinning herself, she reluctantly called for the check.

As Grace walked Molly to her car, she said, "Maybe you'd like to meet me tomorrow morning at the maze? It's finished, but I need to walk it before it opens on Saturday."

"Oh, I'd love it. I'll see you tomorrow morning. What time?"

"Nine is early enough if you can make it. We can walk the maze, then go catch breakfast."

"It's my day off. I'll be there."

They said goodnight, and feeling better than she had all day — which was saying something since she always felt elated when the maze was up and ready — Grace drove to the room she'd rented in a grand Victorian owned by Zoe Callahan and her wife, Emily. The place was stellar, and she felt lucky to have scored a room there. The Callahans only rented out three bedrooms during October in a sort of pseudo bed and breakfast, but they let her have one of them for part of September too, knowing she needed to be there on weekends to watch the progress of the maze.

They owned a second, smaller Victorian in town, one that was converted into an all-things Halloween store called the Pumpkin Patch. It was supposedly haunted, which was both delightful and a little weird.

The only thing that freaked her out a little was the store's mascot, a mangy black stuffed animal that could only be described as an evil monkey cat. She shivered. Those yellow eyes seemed to follow her whenever she went into the store.

But Zoe and Emily were both dear and made her feel quite at home. She let herself into the house, careful to lock the door behind her.

Although Summit Springs was a safe little town, there had been a few incidents that required locking doors at night. Sad, but true.

"How's the maze going?" Zoe asked as Grace walked toward the stairs leading up to her room.

"It's done! I have to walk it tomorrow, but it should be ready to open on Saturday." Grace couldn't help grinning.

"You look like the cat that ate the canary. Spill. What's going on?" Emily demanded.

Grace paused and shot them a small smile that held a secret. "I may or may not have a date for the walkthrough."

"A date? Who is it? Somebody we know?" Zoe bobbed up and down in excitement.

"Maybe. I don't know. Her name is Molly Sunshine, and she works at the Whitewater as a server."

"Short girl, a little plump, dimple? Adorable as a kitten?" Emily asked.

"That's her." Grace tried hard not to grin widely, or act like a middle schooler about to go on her first real date.

"She's adorbs," Zoe said. "Sweet girl, too, from what I remember. Gave us great service when we were in there last."

"Well, I'm beat, and I have an early day tomorrow. Have a good night, girls." Grace said, effectively ending the good-natured inquisition.

She climbed the stairs and went into her room. Undressing quickly, she opted out of a shower and slipped into bed, already half-asleep. By the time she got herself settled, she was snoring softly and dreaming of a certain short, dimpled server.