Small-Town Hearts by Ruth Logan Herne Read Free Book Online Page B

to keep her distance from Danny, but if he came over to thank her for the cookies, she’d be nice. Sweet. Friendly.
    You are so in trouble, and the guy just got here. What are you thinking?
    That was just it. She was trying so hard not to think about him that she was constantly thinking about him. A bad sign. Really bad. His footsteps down the back stairs made herbreath hitch, wondering if he would turn right, toward her door, or left, toward the driveway.
    He’d gone left, every day, just like she’d asked him to, but that didn’t stop her heart from skittering every time she heard him pull into the driveway, the quiet engine and the car door closing marking his presence late in the day.
    So now she was tempting him across the divide with homemade baked goods. What on Earth was she thinking?
    Â 
    â€œMegan, you here?”
    â€œAlyssa.” Meg stepped through the candy kitchen door and beamed at her married, very pregnant friend. “Oh, my gosh, look at you. I don’t see you for two weeks and you—”
    â€œPopped.” Alyssa hugged Megan, then laughed and passed a hand over six months of baby. “That’s what the locals are calling it.”
    â€œPerfect.” Megan stood back, perused Alyssa, then grinned and nodded. “You look so happy.”
    Alyssa’s smile confirmed Meg’s assertion. “I really am. I should feel guilty about being this delighted with life.”
    â€œNo, you shouldn’t.” Megan offered her best scolding look, very nineteenth century. “You deserve to be happy. God gives us chances. Our job is to either take that chance or duck and run. You took the chance and happiness was just one of the fringe benefits. How’s Cory doing?” Cory was Alyssa’s four-year-old daughter from a former marriage. The precocious preschooler had been hospitalized the previous summer with a heart condition, a scary time for Alyssa’s family and the entire town.
    â€œShe’s wonderful. You’d never know she’d had problems, to look at her, and she’s got Trent and Jaden wrapped around her little finger. I’m hoping some of that will ease once this baby arrives to give her a little competition.”
    â€œThen Trent can spoil them all,” Megan noted. “Have you got time for coffee? Say yes, please.”
    â€œYes,” Alyssa laughed. “How about you?” She motioned toward the production area.
    â€œYup.” Meg headed into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of mugs. “I’ve got the morning work done and it’s quiet until two or so, so this is the perfect time to chat. I can’t believe we live ten minutes apart and I haven’t seen you in two weeks. Are you in a Chocolate Glazed Donut coffee mood, French Vanilla or straight?”
    â€œChocolate. Always. And gainful employment and family stuff manage to steal time, don’t they?” Alyssa smiled her approval when Megan backed through the swinging half door with two mugs of flavored coffee.
    â€œOh, yum.” Alyssa leaned forward, breathed deep, and relaxed into her chair. “This is lovely.”
    Megan laughed. “It is. And you look marvelous.”
    â€œThank you. I’m not quite to beached-whale stage yet, so I’ll accept your compliment graciously. In six weeks, I may bite your head off, so be forewarned.”
    â€œI’ll take it under consideration. Are you helping staff the restaurant’s booth for the Balloon Rally?” Alyssa’s family owned and managed The Edge in Jamison, a gracious hilltop restaurant that overlooked the valley, now doubling as a wedding reception and special-occasion hot spot. Alyssa’s mother made to-die-for strudels, and the family sold them at a rally booth every year.
    Alyssa nodded. “Absolutely. It will be fun. I kept that weekend clear of weddings because it’s silly to overbook and drive the servers crazy. We’ve got to have enough