Chapter Nine: Rosie

Never say never.

Rosie stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she carefully applied her makeup.

The instant she told Levi didn’t plan to date anyone ever again, she knew she’d made a mistake.

She believed in love. She believed in marriage. She always had, and she couldn’t let Terry take that from her, too.

She wouldn’t let him.

Damn, this was embarrassing. When Levi asked her to go to the festival with him, she’d cut him off so abruptly. Like pulling off a Band Aid.

How would he react if she approached him? Some men liked to do all the chasing, their egos didn’t tolerate the woman taking the initiative.

But Levi did seem different. And anyway, if he did turn her down, then she’d know he was not the one for her.

However, she was certain Levi was the one for her. She could feel it in her bones. No, deeper than that, she could feel it in her very soul.

From the first moment she’d seen him, she’d felt a connection to him. Something unexplainable.

Love at first sight?

She pulled a face at herself in the mirror.

Love at first did not exist outside of books or movies. It certainly did not exist in her world.

Why did she always do that? Put herself down.

Because her inner voice had somehow started to mimic Terry’s.

When she met Terry, his career had been on the ascendant. He wasn’t simply a rock star, he was on his way to being a rock god.

And made sure everyone around him knew it. She’d been so na?ve. So enamored of him. But then she’d been young and impressionable.

She was sure Terry loved her. She still was sure Terry loved her. But he was also cruel, self-centered, and thoughtless. He didn’t think about how his words, how his behavior might affect others around him.

But it was only when she gave birth to Elliott that she finally saw Terry for what he was. Even though she’d hoped Terry might change when he became a father, it soon became clear that was never going to happen. If anything, he got worse, and then the affairs started.

Affairs that Rosie had turned a blind eye to, not because she didn’t care, not because they didn’t hurt her, cut her to the quick.

But she’d stayed for Elliott, for the life they had, for security.

And then had come Terry’s downfall.

His face was all over social media after he had an affair with a groupie, a woman in her twenties, half Terry’s age.

Terry’s record contract was not renewed. But he was not ready to give up his rock star status and so he’d mortgaged the house, unbeknownst to Rosie.

And lost everything.

“Mommy.” Elliott stood in the bathroom doorway, dressed in a pair of clean jeans and a button-up shirt. “Are you ready?”

“Nearly.” She turned around and looked at him, a smile on her face as she said, “Don’t you look smart?”

Elliott grinned cheekily and tugged his shirt down at the front. “What is a festival?”

“It’s a bit like a party,” Rosie told him.

“Do we have to take a gift?” Elliott asked.

“No, it’s not that kind of a party,” Rosie said. “It’s a celebration. Tonight is all about celebrating Bear Creek and the people who live here.”

“If we lived here, would they celebrate us?” Elliott asked.

“I don’t know, I suppose so,” Rosie said.

“But they are celebrating Levi?” Elliott asked.

“Possibly. His family has lived here for a long time, so yes, they might be celebrating Levi,” Rosie replied as she turned back to the mirror and finished applying her makeup. “Okay, shoes on, and then we’ll get going.”

“Okay.” Elliott spun on his heel and trotted off to get his shoes. Rosie could not help laughing to herself. He was adorable, even if she did say so herself.

Which made her sad for Terry. He did not know what he was missing.

And that was on him. Rosie checked her reflection in the mirror and pressed her lips together, before staring at them critically. Was her lipstick a shade too bright?

Who cared?

She was certain Levi wouldn’t.

“Shoes on!” Elliott called from the living room.

“Coming!” Rosie replied as she packed everything into her makeup bag and headed out of the bathroom.

“You look nice,” Elliott told her.

“Why thank you, Elliott.” She tugged at the skirt of her dress and gave a curtsy. “And would you do me the honor of walking me to the car?”

Elliott cast her a confused look before he slipped his arm through hers and said, “Sure.”

She giggled as if she were the five-year-old as she grabbed her purse and led Elliott toward the cabin door. As she opened it, she sucked in a deep breath of mountain air, and smiled as she closed the door behind them and headed to the car.

This festival was going to be amazing. She was going to grab hold of life…or Levi…and allow herself to be swept off her feet.

Rosie helped Elliott into the back seat and buckled him into his seat. Then she climbed into the driver’s seat and inserted the key into the ignition. Turning the key, she started the engine.

The drive into town was uneventful, with Elliott counting trees and telling her about all the animals he spotted in the fields. It was great to see him without his game console in his hands whilst in the car.

“Here we are.” Rosie glanced up at a sign that read “Welcome to Bear Creek Festival.”

She parked the car and helped Elliott out of his seat. Clutching his hand, they joined the throng of townsfolk and visitors mingling between stalls and games. Sweet scents of cotton candy and roasted nuts wafted through the air, mingling with laughter and the distant twang of banjo music.

It sure had a different feel to any other festival she’d ever been to, but it was easy to get swept along in the party-like atmosphere.

“Can we get some cotton candy?” Elliott asked.

“Sure,” Rosie said as they cut through the crowd and joined the short queue. As they waited, she scanned the crowd, looking for Camille.

Or maybe she was looking for Levi. He might be easier to spot since he was so tall, with broad shoulders and a mop of blond hair.

“It’s like eating a cloud,” Elliott said after they had been served, as he stuffed a large piece of cotton candy into his mouth.

“It is,” she agreed, as she caught a tuft of sugary sweetness in her fingers and stuffed it in her mouth.

“Hey.”

“Levi!” Elliott grinned from ear to ear, while Rosie nearly choked on her cotton candy as she turned around and nearly bumped into his broad chest.

“Hi, Rosie. Having fun?” Levi asked, his voice deep and warm.

Rosie coughed lightly to clear her throat and managed a smile. “Yeah, we are. Elliott was just saying how this is like eating a cloud.” She held up her sticky fingers, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Levi chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “I’ve always thought the same.” He ruffled Elliott’s hair, making the boy giggle. “Want to try your hand at some games? I’m pretty good at the ring toss myself.”

Elliott’s eyes lit up. “Can we, Mommy?”

Rosie nodded, her heart doing a strange little jump at the idea of spending more time with Levi. They followed him through the crowd. Thankfully, he was so tall he stood head and shoulders above everyone else, making him easy to keep track of. As they approached the ring toss booth, Levi handed a couple of bucks to the attendant and picked up the rings with a confident grin.

“You just need a steady hand,” he advised Elliott, demonstrating the perfect flick of the wrist.

Elliott watched, wide-eyed and eager, before taking the rings into his small hands. He mimicked Levi’s motion, sending the ring sailing through the air—it clinked against a bottle but didn’t settle around it. His face fell for a moment, but Levi patted his back.

“Almost!” Levi encouraged Elliott to try again, his tongue poking out in concentration. The ring flew, and this time landed snugly around a bottle. A cheer erupted from Rosie and Levi, and the attendant handed Elliott a small stuffed bear, which he accepted with a grin.

“Your turn,” Levi said, nudging Rosie. She took the rings hesitantly, acutely aware of Levi’s gaze on her. The first ring spun out too wide, missing its mark by inches. She bit her lip, focusing harder on the bottles that seemed to taunt her with their clustered silence.

The second ring was different. It left her hand with a determined twist, arching gracefully through the air before it landed neatly around a bottle, securing itself with a satisfying clank. Rosie’s face lit up in surprise and delight, mirroring Elliott’s earlier triumph.

“Nice shot,” Levi complimented, his voice tinged with pride. She looked up at him and saw something warm flicker in his eyes. It was a look that stirred something deep within Rosie, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since before the bitter end with Terry. They held the gaze for a moment too long and the world around them seemed to still.

“Mommy won! Mommy won!” Elliott’s voice brought them back to the festive reality of the fair. The attendant handed Rosie a small, plush fox, its faux fur soft under her fingers. She smiled at Elliott, then at Levi, her heart doing a few more somersaults.

They strolled away from the ring toss booth. Rosie could almost picture them as a family. Levi was such a natural with Elliott. But it wasn’t real, she reminded herself.

“I think we’ve earned a drink,” Levi said as he nodded toward the bar where the music was coming from, its lights flickering like tiny fireflies in the encroaching dusk.

“I’m so thirsty,” Elliott said rather theatrically as if he had not drunk water for a week.

Rosie nodded, feeling a dryness in her throat that wasn’t just from the excitement of the fair. Or the sweet cotton candy.

But it might be from the sweet man at her side.

“Hey, Rosie!” Camille waved and beckoned to them.

“I should have mentioned a good number of the Thornberg clan are here,” Levi murmured. “They would love to meet you.”

Suddenly nervous, Rosie glanced around, wondering if Elliott might get distracted and insist on them playing another game. But he was too busy playing with his stuffed bear.

Not that Rosie didn’t want to meet Levi’s family. It was just a little overwhelming.

Or maybe the truth of it was that she would rather spend time with Levi alone.

Like on a date.

The kind she said she had given up forever.

“You look like you’re having fun,” Camille said as she came to meet them and flung her arms around Rosie. “How about you, Elliott?”

“I won a bear!” Elliott held up his stuffed bear as proof. “And Mommy won a fox.”

“Did she now?” Camille glanced at Levi. “And what about you, Levi? What did you win?”

Levi rolled his eyes at Camille, and then said, “Oh, I was the coach. I have the best throwing arm of the family.”

“That sounds like a challenge if ever I heard one,” Ezra said as he came to join them. “Good to see you again, Rosie. And this must be Elliott.” Ezra held out his hand to the young boy. “Howdy.”

“Are you a real cowboy?” Elliott’s eyes went wide when he saw Ezra’s hat.

“I am.” Ezra took his hat off and placed it on Elliott’s head, where it dipped down over his eyes. “I hear you are coming to help out at the ranch one day soon.”

“We are!” Elliott said.

“Drink?” Levi whispered in Rosie’s ear as the music ended and the crowd clapped loudly.

“I’d love a soda, please,” Rosie said. “Since I am driving.”

“Sure thing,” Levi said.

“And Elliott will have the same,” Rosie said, then she clutched her purse and said, “I should get them since you paid for the game.”

“My treat,” Levi said.

“Thank you.” She locked eyes with him. “This is fun.”

“Oh, the fun is just beginning,” Ezra said as he linked arms with her. “While Levi gets the drinks in, I am going to introduce you to the rest of the family.” He glanced over his shoulder at Levi. “Don’t worry, we’ll tell Rosie all your most embarrassing stories.”

As Ezra led her away, Rosie had the distinct feeling Levi’s family thought they were dating.

And if they did, she was all right with that.

She was just going to blame it on the festival. And deal with the consequences tomorrow.