Chapter One

Macy

"Okay… let's make the most of the next two hours before Rory wakes up again."

Peony comes from the back of her farmhouse and over to the kitchen table, where we've both been working all morning. That is, when Rory's allowed us. He's five months old and absolutely adorable, although I think Peony would find him a little more adorable if he'd sleep and let us get on with working.

"You think he'll give us two hours?" I say, smiling at her as she fetches us both a coffee from her lovely, modern kitchen. Its sleek pale gray lines ought to look out of place in such a beautiful old farmhouse, but they don't. The design fits perfectly, as does Peony, with her long, slightly wild blond hair, and skin-tight jeans, an over-sized blue sweater on top, and fluffy socks adorning her feet. She's very much at home here, and she smiles back, bringing the cups and sitting with me at the table beyond the island unit.

"I know he didn't yesterday," she says. "But we can dream."

It seems that, over the weekend, Rory changed his sleep pattern, so when I came in yesterday morning, instead of sleeping through most of the time I spend here, he was awake. It came as a shock to both of us and we got very little done. As for today, it's already eleven, and while I've tried to work around him, it's been difficult… but I guess it's a difficulty we're gonna have to accommodate.

I've got Peony's laptop set up in front of me, and for the last two hours, while Rory's grizzled and fussed, we've been trying to map out the final plans for Tanner and Zara's wedding. These aren't people I know… any more than I know Edward and Amelia, who are getting married on the first Saturday in March, or Toby and Sophia, whose date is set for the weekend before Easter. The difference is, Tanner and Zara are from Hart's Creek. They're locals, and while they may be strangers to me, they're not to Peony… or to most other people who live here.

And that makes their wedding a special occasion.

What makes it even more romantic is that they're getting married on St. Valentine's Day.

So, we're going all out.

"Has the photographer confirmed?" she asks, pulling forward her notepad while I sip my coffee.

"Yes. And I've sent a message to Archer about the guest who's gluten intolerant."

She frowns, shaking her head. "Why they had to wait until now to inform us, I don't know."

"No, nor do I. Surely they must realize that, with just a month to go, the catering is all set."

Archer and his chef have been working on the menus since just after Thanksgiving, although I wasn't here then. Which is to say, I was living in Hart's Creek, but I wasn't working for Peony. Not quite. I started in the second week of December, arriving just days after Peony's best friend got married. It felt like there was an air of anti-climax at the time, although that didn't last for long, and I have to say, although I've only been here for a month, I'm loving every second. I just wish Peony could afford to employ me for more than four mornings a week. It would solve a lot of my problems… and probably a few of hers, now that Rory's becoming less predictable.

Still, I knew the deal when I accepted the job. Peony didn't hide anything from me… not even the fact that her husband Ryan had invested in her apple orchard, and helped her set up the wedding business which runs alongside it.

"He paid for the barn to be converted," she explained, "and while I know he'd help me if I asked him, I'm determined to make it by myself. That's why I can't give you more than sixteen hours a week."

Sixteen hours was better than nothing, and I took it, grateful for anything I could get.

And despite Rory's wakefulness, we're on top of things at the moment. So, although I might have hoped my part-time status was a temporary measure, I'm not sure it is. I think this is the way things are going to stay… and that's not necessarily a good thing. Not for me. I might love this job, but I need something more if I'm going to stay in Hart's Creek. That means I'll have to look for another job. Not to replace this one. I enjoy it far too much to leave. But if I can find something else to fill my time, that would be great. No… it would be essential, actually.

"Are we sure they're just gluten intolerant?" Peony says, bringing me back to our current predicament, rather than my own financial woes. "They don't have celiac disease, do they?" She sounds a little alarmed, and I take a breath, giving her a smile in the hope it'll calm her.

"They've said it's gluten intolerance, but I can check if you want."

"It's probably wise, although I'm sure Archer will allow for it."

"I'll check… just to be safe."

She nods her head. "I know we should focus on Tanner and Zara," she says, "but did you see the message from Sophia Norris?"

"The one about the candles?"

"Yes. She wants them in a very specific pink." She rolls her eyes, and I can empathize. I may not have been doing this job for very long, but I'm already getting to know what it's like to deal with certain types of bride. "I tried contacting our usual supplier yesterday afternoon, but they don't have anything that's right, so I think we'll have to look into having them made."

"Okay. I'll get onto that. We don't have much time, so I'll make that my priority for today. As long as you're sure we're up to date on everything we need to do for Tanner and Zara?"

"I think so," she says, her brow furrowing, like she's thinking… or maybe musing would be a better way of putting that.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, and she snaps out of her trance and smiles at me.

"Of course. I was just thinking… it's a shame Tanner and Zara aren't making a bit more of their wedding."

"You don't think getting married on Valentine's Day is enough?"

She tilts her head. "That's romantic, I'll admit, but they've just moved house, so the budget is fairly tight. I'm doing them a special deal, but they're not even going on honeymoon, and it all feels a little… sad," she says, searching for a word which she clearly feels is appropriate, although I can't agree, and I shake my head to prove it.

"Maybe they've worked out that the marriage is more important than the wedding," I say, and she smiles.

"Maybe they have, but we're not supposed to think like that… not in our business."

"I know, but it's the truth, isn't it?"

I can't speak from experience, obviously, but it makes sense to me.

"It is," she says. "It's just that Tanner's been down this road before."

"You mean this is his second marriage?"

"Yes. His first was to his high-school sweetheart, Sabrina. They'd been together since they were… I don't know… fifteen, or sixteen, I guess, but they split up about three years ago."

"They were married for a long time, then."

"Yes, but their divorce was pretty ugly. They have a son, you see, and…"

"You mean Nash? Tanner's best man?" I say, recalling the seating plan we were working on last week.

"Yes. From what I've heard, Sabrina didn't make things easy."

"Tanner must have a good relationship with Nash now, though."

"Oh, he does. He's a fabulous father. He absolutely dotes on Nash… and Zara, obviously." She smiles and tilts her head. "I guess that's why I wanna go the extra mile on this one. He's such a nice guy, and it's so good to see him happy again."

Her face falls and I have to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Oh… it's nothing." She smiles. "It's just that thinking about Tanner reminded me of someone else."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. His best friend. He was a nice guy, too… before his wife left him."

"Did she just leave, or was there someone else involved?" I ask, noting the blush on Peony's cheeks, which seems like an odd reaction.

"There was another man involved," she whispers.

"I see. And this guy… Tanner's best friend… he's not a nice guy anymore?"

"Let's just say he's struggling to come to terms with what happened, although it was over two years ago now," she says, letting out a sigh. "But none of this is helping us find pink candles, is it?"

"No, it's not."

She chuckles and I pull the laptop a little closer as she flips back through her notepad.

"Oh… just before you get into that," she says. "Can you pull up the diary?"

"Sure."

I switch screens, opening our bookings application and turning the screen slightly, so she can see it.

"Hmm… Cooper gave me four dates, and it looks like we've got all of them available, so he said to go for the earliest one, in which case…" She glances at the notepad and then back at the screen. "Can you book out March 22nd?"

"I can." I pull the laptop closer again, typing the name ‘Cooper' into the space. "What's his second name?" I ask.

"White. He's the town's dentist." She smiles. "To be honest, he's not someone I used to associate with very much."

"Oh? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Only that he's the town's dentist," she says, and I have to laugh.

"Can I assume you're scared of the dentist?"

"Who isn't? But to be fair, now I've got to know him a little better, I realize he's a lot less scary than I thought he was."

"How have you got to know him?" I ask. "Have you been forced to use his professional services?"

"No, it was nothing like that. We met up more often when Brady and Laurel got married." I frown and she smiles. "As you know, Laurel is my best friend, and Cooper is Brady's. It was a natural course of events."

"I see, and now he's getting married?"

"Yes. To his receptionist… and with just ten weeks until their big day, we'd better hope they wanna keep it simple, too."

I chuckle, entering the details, and she picks up her phone, putting through a call to Cooper White, while I get on with searching for someone who can make us ninety-six pink candles… very particular pink candles.

Surprisingly, Rory's still asleep, and during the last two hours, not only have I found someone in New York to supply the candles, and deliver them on time, but we've established that the gluten-intolerant guest doesn't have celiac disease, and that Cooper White is over the moon that he and his receptionist are going to be married in just ten weeks.

Peony made an appointment for them to come over and see her after they've finished work, to go through their arrangements. Naturally, that means I won't be involved, but I'll catch up with everything tomorrow, and she's promised not to involve anything too complicated.

"They'll understand," she says. "And to be honest, listening to Cooper, I think he's just impatient to be married. If the ceremony had to take place in a field, he'd be happy."

I can't help laughing, although I stop when the door opens unexpectedly and Peony's husband steps inside, bringing a blast of icy wind with him.

"Damn, it's cold out there," he says, taking off his coat and throwing it over the back of the couch before he wanders across to us.

"I didn't hear your car," Peony says as he tips her head back and kisses her. They celebrated their first wedding anniversary not long after I started working here, and I can't help smiling at how in love she and Ryan are… and how they don't mind showing it.

It's a novelty for me.

"That's because you were too busy enjoying yourselves," he says, pulling back and smiling across at me. "How are you, Macy?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

He smiles, nodding his head and looking back down at Peony. "And how's my beautiful wife?"

"She's okay," Peony says.

"And my beautiful son?"

"He's asleep… for once."

Ryan chuckles. "I thought I'd come home for lunch."

"This is becoming a habit," Peony says, getting to her feet. He pulls her into his arms, looking down into her eyes, and while I know I should probably look away, or pretend to be busy, I can't help watching them. They look good together. Ryan is a classic tall, dark, handsome man, who wears his handmade suit very well indeed. You might ask how I know it's handmade, and the answer is I don't. Not for sure. But Ryan is a millionaire. My aunt told me that when I announced I'd got a job here. And I can't imagine millionaires wear off-the-peg suits. Besides, it fits too well.

"Are you complaining?" he asks, holding her close.

"Never."

He chuckles and kisses her again… and this time I look away.

It's that kind of kiss.

I'm aware of them pulling apart, even though I'm focused on the computer screen, and they wander together into the kitchen. We may be separated by the island unit, but they're not so far away that I can't hear their conversation.

"How's the morning gone?" Ryan asks.

"Better than yesterday," Peony says. "We've been putting the finishing touches to Tanner and Zara's plans." I look up again, watching as Ryan fixes some coffee, while Peony opens the refrigerator, then turns to me. "You'll stay for lunch, won't you, Macy?"

"If that's okay with you?"

"We've still got a few things to finish," she says and turns away again, delving inside the fridge, pulling things out, while I get back to the email I was typing.

"I thought we'd seen the last of the big town weddings for a while," Ryan says.

"No," Peony replies, shaking her head. "We've also just taken a confirmed booking from Cooper. He's marrying his receptionist in March."

"We met her, didn't we?" Ryan says. "At the Fall Festival."

"Yes. Although I didn't realize they were serious about each other back then."

"Didn't you? I thought Cooper looked pretty damn serious." I glance up, noticing the smile on Ryan's face.

"That shows how little you know about Cooper," Peony says.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Ryan moves closer and Peony turns to face him. "Let's just say I've never thought of him as being the marrying kind."

"Neither was I, until I met you," he says, dipping his head to kiss her, just briefly. "Maybe the same thing happened to Cooper. Maybe he met the right woman."

"There's no ‘maybe' about it."

"They're not exactly hanging around, though, are they?" Ryan says, wiggling his eyebrows and smiling.

"No."

"That seems to be a common trait around here."

"Why?" Peony asks, turning back to the fridge and taking out the milk, which she hands to Ryan, who puts it down on the island unit. "Who else has rushed up the aisle?"

"Tanner and Zara," he says, and she nods her head in acknowledgement, closing the refrigerator door. "And Brady and Laurel."

Peony looks up at him, shaking her head. "They got engaged in the summer and married in December. That's hardly rushing at it."

"They might have got engaged in the summer," Ryan says. "But they didn't finalize the date for the wedding until… what was it? September?"

"They had a lot going on," Peony reasons, slicing tomatoes and shaking her head.

"I know, but do you think they had another reason for rushing the wedding?"

Peony puts down her knife and turns to face him. "You think… you think Laurel might be pregnant?"

Ryan shrugs. "It's a possibility, isn't it?"

"She'd have told me, though… wouldn't she? And anyway, it doesn't add up. I mean, if she knew she was pregnant in September, when they set the date, that would mean she'd be at least five months along by now." She shakes her head, picking up the knife again. "No… it's not possible. She'd be showing."

"I'll bow to your greater knowledge of such things, babe," Ryan says, and she chuckles, leaning in to him.

I have to admit that my knowledge of pregnancy is fairly limited, but I agree with Peony. Laurel was here last week, and although I only glimpsed her before I left for the day and the two of them went out to lunch, I didn't notice even a hint of impending motherhood. All I saw was a beautiful blonde with the kind of figure most women would kill for.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't wait too much longer, though," Peony says.

"You think they're trying?" Ryan asks, getting down some cups from the cabinet.

"I don't know. Laurel hasn't discussed it with me. But I guess now the adoption's finalized, and Addy's more settled, it's possible. She wanted to have another baby with Mitch, so…" Her voice fades and I study them for a minute as she grates some cheese, Ryan picking at it and gazing down at her.

I've never met Addy, but I know she's Laurel's daughter. As for Mitch… All I know is he was Laurel's first husband, and that whenever his name is mentioned, people seem to frown, just like Peony is now.

"How do you think Brady feels about it?" Ryan asks.

"Given how thrilled he is that Addy's started calling him ‘Daddy', I imagine he's not averse to the idea," she says.

"It's real cute, isn't it… the way the two of them have bonded so quickly?"

"It is. Fatherhood suits him well."

She leans up and kisses him, probably to let him know that it suits him too, and he smiles down at her, going back to fixing the coffee.

Brady is another stranger to me. I know he's the town sheriff, but I've had no cause to meet him yet, although I've heard a lot about him… and all of it has been good.

I've just finished my email when Ryan and Peony come back to the table. He's carrying a tray on which they've set out a plate of sandwiches, and three cups of steaming coffee, and as we help ourselves, Peony pulls the laptop a little closer to her, opening the bookings app and nodding her head.

"It's going well, isn't it?" she says, with a smile on her face and I return the gesture.

"We're really busy."

"And we're making money, too." Her eyes are sparkling with excitement, and Ryan chuckles.

"Don't sound so surprised," he says. "I never doubted your abilities as a businesswoman for one moment. You were meant to do this, although in some ways you haven't changed a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… you're still wearing that sweater, even though it doesn't fit, and you certainly look more at home here in the farmhouse than you ever would in an office. Although I don't remember the last time I saw you on the tractor, riding around the orchard."

"That's because the orchard is Simeon's domain now."

"And doesn't he just love his new title?" Ryan says, taking a bite of his sandwich. Peony and I copy him and she nods her head.

"I felt I had to make him the manager. I do practically nothing on the farm these days, other than admire his hard work."

Ryan leans forward, resting his elbows on the table, and tilts his head, looking serious all of a sudden. "I know we haven't talked about it much, but do you mind it being that way? Do you miss the life you had?"

"No," she says, putting down her sandwich and reaching over to take his hand. "I love what I do, and I love the life we've made here."

He smiles and lets out a sigh, like he was worried about her answer, which I think is cute. It shows he's not taking things for granted.

He opens his mouth to reply when the sound of Rory crying splits the air, and Peony leans back in her seat, while Ryan leaps to his feet.

"I was hoping he'd wake up while I was here," he says, rushing from the table and heading to the back of the house.

Peony gets up, too, going into the kitchen, where she fixes Rory's bottle, using their baby formula dispenser. It's a complicated-looking gadget, but she assures me it's a godsend, especially in the middle of the night. By the time the formula is ready, Ryan's back, with Rory cradled in his arms, and despite his suit, he looks every inch a happy father.

Peony hands him the bottle and he sits down, nestling Rory in the crook of his elbow, and I smile as his son gazes up at him and takes the teat between his lips, suckling for all he's worth.

He may hardly have eaten anything himself, but Ryan doesn't seem to care, and watches Rory feeding for a while before he looks up, focusing on Peony with such a loving smile, it's enough to melt my heart.

"Eat your sandwich, baby. I get the feeling you're not gonna get any peace this afternoon. He looks as bright as a button."

"Don't I know it," she says, rolling her eyes.

"I shouldn't be late home, so I'll cook, if you like… or I can bath Rory, and put him to bed. Whichever you prefer."

"You might have to do both," she says. "I've got Cooper and Mallory coming by when they finish work to go through their wedding plans, and later on, Zara's coming over to get my opinion on her wedding dress."

"Isn't that something brides normally do with their bridesmaids?" he asks.

"She's not having any bridesmaids, and she's had the dress adjusted and wants someone to see it on her, other than the woman in the shop, who was evidently very gushing."

"They have to be, don't they?" Ryan says.

"Yes. She's also bringing their dog with her."

"Their dog? Tanner and Zara's? I didn't know they had one."

"He's a puppy," Peony says with a starry-eyed smile. "He's called Bentley, and I said I wanted to meet him, so Zara agreed to bring him over. I—I hope you don't mind, but I told her you'd be okay with taking him for a walk around the orchard."

Ryan nods. "Of course I don't mind, and I'll try to come home early so you can concentrate on your meeting with Cooper and Mallory, rather than fussing over Rory."

"Did anyone ever tell you what a fabulous husband you are?" Peony says, and he smiles.

"Yes, but I'll let you tell me again later. Or you can show me, if you like?" His meaning is obvious and Peony blushes, although she doesn't say a word and while I know I should probably be embarrassed myself, I'm not. It's heartening to see a couple who are so much in love.

Ryan turns, shaking his head, a slight smile on his lips, although he's clearly decided not to pursue that line of conversation, and looks at me instead. "Sorry, Macy. I feel like we're ignoring you."

"That's okay," I say, swallowing down my sandwich.

"How are you finding life in Hart's Creek?" he asks, adjusting his position slightly, although Rory doesn't stop drinking from his bottle.

"I really like it. I might be new here, but I guess it helps that I'm living with my aunt. She may not be a native of the town, but she's lived here for almost thirty years, so…"

"So, she's almost at the point of being accepted by the locals?" he says and we all laugh.

"It's not that bad," Peony says, turning to Ryan. "We all love Bernie. She was the music teacher at the high school for years, and when she retired, she started giving piano lessons from home."

"She still does," I say, sipping my coffee. "I helped update her website when I first got here, just so she could drum up some more business. It seems to have helped. She's had two new bookings this week alone."

"That's great," Peony says. "I wish I'd known you when I was setting things up here. Building the website nearly drove me crazy, and I wasn't actually doing it myself. Ryan paid for someone to build it for me… and I still found it too confusing for words."

Ryan laughs. "You don't think being pregnant and hormonal might have had something to do with that?"

"No," she says, although she's smiling, and I have to wonder if there might be a grain of truth in his comment.

Ryan was right about something else.

Rory is in no mood to sleep, and after he's finished his bottle and had his diaper changed, he's happy to sit on his mom's lap while I finish my work and Ryan wolfs down his lunch.

"I can give you a ride home," he says to me, putting his coffee cup on the table.

"It's not exactly on your way."

"It's fine. I don't have any meetings this afternoon, so it won't matter if I'm ten minutes late getting back to the office."

"If you're sure. It would be great not to have to walk. I could use the extra time to do some research."

"Into what?" Peony asks.

"Into where I might find another job."

Her face falls. "You're leaving?"

"No," I say, shaking my head, just to be sure she understands. "I'm looking for a second job… one I can do as well as this one."

"I wish I could give you more hours," she says. "But, I can't. Not yet. We might be doing well, but it's not just about the money. There wouldn't be enough to keep us both busy, and…"

"I know," I say, cutting her off, before she gets overwhelmed by self-inflicted guilt. "I get that, Peony. It's just that I need something more… not just for the cash, but to get me out of the house. Having to spend my afternoons and evenings listening to kids strangling the living daylights out of piano chords is getting a bit wearing."

They both laugh, and Ryan glances at Peony before he turns to me.

"Do you know Dawson's bar?" he says.

"Yes." I'm not sure where he's going with this, but I twist in my seat and turn to face him properly. "I've passed it a few times, going into town." I've also seen a really handsome man outside on more than one occasion… handsome, dark, and brooding. But interesting enough to catch my attention and make me inquire about him at the delicatessen. After just the briefest of descriptions, the lady there informed me he was Dawson Pine… owner of the bar, and when I saw him again a few days later, I'll admit, the attraction was even greater. Not because I knew his name, or that he owned the bar, but because there was something about him… something that made me want to stare at him for a very long time, and hope he might want to stare back.

It was the first inkling I'd had that I might be ready to move on from James… and all I can say to that is hallelujah. It's about time. I can think of far worse people to move on with than the dark-eyed Dawson Pine.

"You should call in there," Ryan says, pulling me back from my daydreams.

"Why?"

"Because Gabe and I were walking past the other day and I noticed there was a help wanted sign in the window. I don't know if you're interested in bar work, but the hours would probably work well with you continuing here, and…"

"It's something I've done before," I say, and he smiles.

"Then it sounds ideal."

Except for one minor problem. I've already established I'm attracted to Dawson. I'm very attracted to him, if I'm being honest, and experience tells me that if he's to become my boss, there's only one way it can end.

Badly.