“I love you, Harmony. Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?”
She finally exhaled, tears pooling in her eyes. “Yes. Oh, God, yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, Barrett.”
He put the most beautiful diamond ring on her finger amid the cheers from her family and his family and their friends. Then he stood, pulled her in his arms and kissed her.
And it was the best kiss of her life.
She looked forward to getting a lot more kisses like that in the years to come.
LOOK FOR THE NEXT
SIZZLING-HOT BOOK IN THE PLAY-BY-PLAY SERIES . . .
COMING SOON FROM
KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF THE NEXT SEXY,
HEARTWARMING BOOK IN THE HOPE SERIES . . .
COMING SOON FROM
Brady Connors was spending the day doing one of the things he enjoyed the most: smoothing out dents in a quarter panel of a Chevy. As soon as he finished, he’d paint, and this baby would be good as new.
It wasn’t his dream job. He was working toward that. But with every day he spent working at Richards Auto Service, thanks to Carter Richards, he was pocketing money that got him closer to his dream. And someday he’d open up his own custom motorcycle paint shop.
Somewhere. Maybe here in Hope. Maybe somewhere else. Probably somewhere else, because this place held memories.
Not good ones.
A long time ago—a time that seemed like an eternity now—he had thought maybe he and his brother Kurt would start up a business together. Brady would do bodywork and custom motorcycle paint, and Kurt would repair the bikes.
That dream went up in smoke the day Brady got the call that his brother was dead.
He paused, stood, and stretched out the kinks in his back, wiping the sweat that dripped into his eyes. He took a step back and grabbed the water bottle he always stored nearby, taking a long drink through the straw, swallowing several times until his thirst was quenched.
Needing a break, he pulled off his breathing mask and swiped his fingers through his hair, then stepped outside.
It was late spring, and rain was threatening. He dragged in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of fresh air.
He really wanted a cigarette, but he’d quit a little over a year ago. Not that the urge had gone away. Probably never would. But he was stronger than his own needs. Or at least that’s what he told himself every time a strong craving hit.
Instead, he pulled out one of the flavored toothpicks he always kept in his jeans pocket and slid that between his teeth.
Not nearly as satisfying, but it would do. It would have to.
He leaned against the wall outside the shop and watched the town in motion. It was lunchtime, so it was busy.
Luke McCormack, one of Hope’s cops, drove by in his patrol car and waved. Brady waved back. Luke was a friend of Carter’s, and while Brady wasn’t as social as a lot of the guys he’d met, he knew enough to be friendly. Especially to cops.
Samantha Reasor left her shop, loading up her flower van with a bunch of colorful bouquets. She spotted him, giving him a bright smile and a wave before she headed off.
Everyone in this damn town was so friendly. He mostly kept to himself, doing his work and then heading to the small apartment above the shop at night to watch TV or play video games. He had one goal in mind, and that was to save money to open his business. He saw his parents now and again since they lived in Hope, but the strain of Kurt’s death had taken a toll on them.
Nothing was the same anymore. With them. With him either, he supposed.
Sometimes life just sucked. And you dealt with that.
His stomach grumbled. He needed something to eat. He pushed off the wall and headed up the street, intending to make a stop at the sandwich joint on the corner. He’d grab a quick bite and bring it back to the shop.
He made a sudden stop when Megan Lee, the really hot brunette who owned the bakery, came out with a couple of pink boxes in her hands. She collided with him and the boxes went flying. She caught one, he caught one, then he steadied her with his other hand.
She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide with surprise.
“Oh, my gosh. Thank you, Brady. I almost dropped these.”
“You okay, Megan?”
“Yes. But let me check these.” She bent down and opened the boxes. There were cakes inside. They looked pretty, with pink icing on one and blue on the other and little baby figurines in strollers sitting on top of the cakes. There were flowers and other doodahs as well. He didn’t know all that much about cake decorations. He just liked the way they tasted.
“They’re for Sabelle Frasier. She just had twins.” She looked up at him with a grin. “A boy and a girl. Her mom ordered these for her hospital homecoming. I spent all morning baking and decorating them.”
He didn’t need to know that, but the one thing he did know was that people in this town were social and liked to talk. “They look good.”
She swiped her hair out of her eyes. “Of course they’re good.”
He bent and took the boxes from her. “Where’s your car?”