Make me fall, p.26
Make Me Fall, page 26
He stared out at the crowd and when his eyes met Bridget’s, they stayed there. “I’m Jonathan Ewan Thompson III. Call me Jack. I came to Fallbank two short months ago and you all welcomed me like family. Recently, there were rumors floating around about a hostile takeover of Timber Logging Company. That jobs might be outsourced, and the local economy was going to take a substantial hit. I’m damn happy to say those rumors are dead. Cornelius Hawthorne has agreed to be my business partner. Together we’re the new owners and operators of Timber Logging Company.”
Cheers and applause broke out from the crowd and even Bridget couldn’t help grinning and clapping. The relief that the beloved town that had taken her in as a child would endure soothed her frayed nerves. Plus, the promise of Three Sisters Apothecary’s survival for another generation also helped her breathe easier. She would only have herself to blame if things fell apart, and that was a task she was more than up to.
Jack spoke again. “We are sad to see Paul Carson retire but will carry on the legacy he began. And we’ll keep the entire business and all jobs here in Fallbank.”
More whistles and yells of happiness came from the audience.
“I can’t thank you enough for taking me into your fold and making me one of your own. As our first order of business, we wanted to be the top sponsor for today’s festival and plan to do so for many more years to come. So thank you again, enjoy the rest of the festival and make sure you stop by all the vendor booths. They could use your patronage. Happy Halloween!”
The announcer came back over and handed out first, second and third places in the rookie category, none of which Jack won. He did, however, place fifth out of ten and Bridget was proud of him. He hadn’t trained at all and was brand new to logging. She was thrilled he hadn’t killed or maimed himself, in all honesty.
As the rookies filed off stage, she walked over to the platform.
Jack jumped off when he spotted her.
“Want to take a walk?” she asked.
He lifted one side of his mouth up. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
They sauntered side by side through the lanes of tents and checked out the wares. It felt reminiscent of their first time at a festival together. “Do you think Candle would be jealous if I came home with another cat?”
Jack threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, she might be miffed.”
She caught his eyes and said, “What if I brought you home instead?”
His smile slipped as he turned serious. “I hurt you, Bridget, and I’m sorrier than I can say. I swear to make it up to you. Take your time. You don’t have to make any rash decisions.”
“I’m not,” she interrupted. “I was scared and hurt. It’s hard for me to trust and let anyone in.” She reached out and wove her fingers through his. “I understand now it’s the same for you, too. People use you for your money and family name. I let you go too easily at the first sign of conflict. I didn’t fight for us, but I know what we have together is real. That we can depend on each other.”
“I promise to have faith in you and not hide things. I never meant to hurt you and I was trying to find a solution before telling you. If problems come up, I’ll talk to you and we can find a solution together. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Bridget’s heart bounded in her chest and for once her head agreed. “I love you, Jack.”
He grinned wide and swung her up into his arms. “I love you, too. My sweet honeybee.”
Winding her arms around his neck, she lifted her face up to press her lips to his.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A six-inch layer of snow blanketed the ground and dusted the towering Douglas firs lining the road as they drove. Bridget looked up at the heavy leaden clouds above. “Looks like more snow.”
“Probably, but we’ll be back snug at home with Candle before it hits. I promise.” Jack winked.
She giggled and leaned closer to him. “I’m sure we’d find a way to stay warm if we ended up stranded.”
“Of course we would. I’d never let my honeybee get cold.”
“You are quite good at heating me up.” She stretched up just enough to nip his earlobe, making him jump. The truck wiggled a hair’s breadth under his hands and Jack shot her a look. She flashed an innocent grin and fluttered her lashes.
“Behave. We’re almost there,” he teased.
“And where is there, again? It’s slipped my mind.”
“Nice try. You’ll find out when we get there.”
To keep herself occupied, Bridget connected her phone to the truck stereo and flipped on her holiday playlist. She hummed along and thought about what to get Jack for Christmas. She was stumped on what to get him. So far she had knitted him a scarf and matching cap, plus she’d come up with a basket of skin and hair products with a unique scent of juniper, bergamot and eucalyptus for him. This would be a small batch she could recreate when he needed, but she’d keep it private and not available to customers. A personal scent just for him. But she still felt like she needed something else for under the tree.
The road curved to the left, then Jack turned off onto a dirt drive that had fresh tire tracks in the snow. They bumped down the lane until dirt ended at a clearing encircled by trees. Jack cut the engine and looked at her. “We’re here.”
“Where’s here? What’s here?” Bridget looked back and forth between the land and Jack. Bewildered, she cocked her head at him. “What is going on?”
“Come find out.”
He hopped out of the truck and she scrambled to follow. Wrapping her scarf around her neck, she came around to the front of the truck to stand next to her lumberjack boyfriend. He grabbed her hand and led her out into the open space. Snow crunched under their boots as they stopped in the center of clearing.
Jack lifted his hand to gesture off to their right. “I was thinking your garden could go back there, with French doors from the kitchen.” He pointed slightly to the left. “And your work shed could be there.”
She stared at the open space. “What…are you talking about?”
Jack turned to her. “Building a house. Our house. If you like it here. It’s only fifteen minutes from downtown, but more secluded. Larger plot of land. More nature to enjoy.”
“Our house?” she echoed. She bit down on her lower lip as her chest tightened. He wanted to build a house for the two of them? “For you and me?”
A shy smile crossed his features. “Maybe a couple of kids one day, if you want.” He watched her closely and swallowed hard. “What do you think?”
Despite the freezing temperatures outside, warmth filled her from head to toe. “Kids, huh? Yeah, I think I like that idea.”
“That’s good. Then I can do this.” He slid down onto one knee and reached into his pocket.
Bridget gasped and covered her mouth. Her heart took off like a racehorse stampeding in her chest. She blinked against the moisture in her eyes.
He opened a tiny box with a ring nestled inside. A simple square emerald adorning the center surrounded by tiny diamonds embedded into the band winked at her from the velvet. The brilliant green gem wasn’t so large that it would look ostentatious on her hand or impede her when making products. It was perfect and breathtaking.
“I know this is fast for some couples, but I don’t have a doubt in my mind. You are the partner I’ve searched for my whole life. You showed me how to trust and how to slow down and enjoy life. I want to hold you in my arms every night as we fall asleep and kiss you awake each morning. Will you marry me, honeybee?”
Her fight against tears failed as she nodded and threw herself at him. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Jack!” She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him. This gorgeous, sweet man was going to be by her side for the rest of her life and happiness overflowed within her.
She kissed him hot and hard. “Come on, lumberjack. Take me home and make me fall for you all over again.”
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Holiday Falls: Closed for Christmas
Elizabeth Coldwell
Excerpt
“Holiday Falls?” Lori scrolled across the map on her laptop screen. She prided herself on knowing the location of every store in the Becker’s Books chain, and it irked her that she couldn’t immediately place this one. At last, she found it, right at the other end of the state from where she sat in her boss’ office looking out over Harvard Yard.
“It’s one of a handful of stores we’ve been keeping an eye on.” Simon Becker paused at the sound of a knock on his door. When he called out, “Come in,” his PA, Donna, entered carrying a tray. She placed a coffee cup in front of Lori, then handed another to Simon and set a plate of cookies shaped like snowflakes and decorated with white frosting in easy reach of them both. Just another reminder that Christmas was almost on top of them, and Lori still had so much to do before the company closed for its brief holiday break.
Simon reached for a cookie and offered the plate to Lori. When she made a polite refusal, he went back to what they’d been talking about before the interruption. “You’ve seen the physical sales figures across the company, and they’re holding up well despite more customers than ever choosing to buy their books online. But the stores in Madison and Little Rock are really struggling, and much as it hurts me to let good people go at this time of year, I’ve made the decision that when they close their doors on Christmas Eve, they won’t reopen.” He took a sip of his coffee, letting Lori digest the news. “And then there’s Holiday Falls.”
“What’s the problem there?” She leaned forward in her chair.
“Well, the town is such an important part of the whole Becker’s story…”
Lori knew as much as anyone who worked for the chain about its history. How Simon Becker’s grandfather, Daniel, had opened the original Becker’s Books here in Cambridge in 1973. It had mostly sold textbooks to the students at Harvard University, but it had done so well that within a year, Daniel Becker and his business partner, Anthony Hill, had opened a second store in nearby Boston, catering to a more general clientele.
“Anthony Hill’s mother lived in Holiday Falls. She loved to read, but she was always complaining there was nowhere in town she could go to buy books.” Simon helped himself to a second cookie as he spoke. “So, he and my grandfather took the decision to open a store there, too. It’s always had a special place in the Becker’s story—hell, it’s the reason we came up with the advertising slogan ‘books for the people you love’…”
Lori sensed there was a ‘but’ coming. “Sales there are slipping?” She called up the document with the figures from the last quarter in order to check, but Simon shook his head.
“No, they’re doing quite well, actually, considering the size of the town. But you know how we always send secret shoppers to our stores on a regular basis, to see how they treat awkward customers and find out if there’s anything they can do to make the place more inviting? Well, the report we got back from Holiday Falls…” Simon sighed. “According to our shopper, they couldn’t have been more helpful. No, they didn’t have the book she wanted, yes, they could order it for her, no, it wouldn’t be a problem to have it gift-wrapped… But they didn’t try to sign her up to the loyalty program, didn’t ask if she wanted to join our mailing list so we could keep her up to date with offers and promotions. She said the whole store felt like she’d gone back thirty years in time, as if it wasn’t even part of the Becker’s chain. Lori, we need to enforce company policy, and that’s where you come in.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“I want you to go there and check it out, then report back to me. If standards have slipped in Holiday Falls, I want to know why. The manager there is a”—he consulted his computer screen—“Henry Cole. You need to make him aware there’s a Becker’s way of doing things, and if he can’t comply with it, then I’m afraid we’ll have to replace him. If that doesn’t work out, then we’ll have no choice but to close the store. I’ll let him know you’ll be there tomorrow. Shall we say lunchtime?”
“Oh, I have that meeting with the regional manager in Boston at eleven. We’ve had to reschedule twice, and if I cancel on him now, I don’t see him being available again until the other side of Christmas.”
“No problem. Go over to Holiday Falls after the meeting ends, and I’ll get Donna to arrange for you to stay there for the night, rather than driving straight back. It’s the least I can do after dumping this on you at such short notice. But we can’t afford to keep carrying the lame duck stores.”
Lori nodded. She knew exactly why she’d been chosen to make this visit. She had a reputation within the company for being unsentimental, ruthless even, when it came to business decisions. She’d acquired the nickname of the Ice Maiden around the office, though no one had ever used it to her face. If anyone could make the decision to close a bookstore that clearly meant so much to Simon, it was her. “You can count on me to give the place a fair assessment. And I’ll get my report to you as soon as I’m back in the office. I know you want to make a quick decision on this.”
“Thanks, Lori.” Simon pushed the almost empty plate toward her as she rose to leave. “Now, are you sure you won’t have a cookie?”
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About the Author
Cass is in love with love, and has been since she peeked at her first romance novel at age fifteen. When an unannounced romance hero walked into her imagination presenting his heroine and pushing her into the spotlight, Cass knew she was destined to become a romance writer. The adventure of a new book and the comfort of an old favorite are two of her most cherished pleasures. When she’s not writing or reading, Cass explores the world with her spouse and two kids. She loves chocolate, the Texas Longhorns, and the Oxford comma.
Cass loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.totallybound.com
Cass Scotka, Make Me Fall
