THE FIVE OF them entered the Goat and Barley. They found a table, and Nelson avoided Mariah, sitting by Rachel. She nudged him with her shoulder.
“You playing darts?” She was holding back a grin, brown eyes sparkling.
Nelson had done complicated surgery on expensive thoroughbreds without making a wrong move, but he couldn’t hit a bull’s-eye to save himself. It didn’t stop him from trying most nights.
Not tonight, though. He didn’t need Mariah getting the best of him. Not when he was absolutely, one hundred percent certain she was a ringer. And no one else caught it.
He was certain when she shrugged and admitted she had played before, while not claiming any special skill. He was certain when Dave offered to play for the next round of drinks. He thought of warning Dave but decided to let him find out what Mariah was really like.
After this, Dave might listen to him if the time came to warn him about something more serious. He wished he’d had someone to talk to when he’d been up to his eyeballs in wedding plans. Someone other than Sherry Anstruthers.
Mariah and Rachel teamed up against Dave and Jaycee. Rachel was almost as bad as Nelson was, but Nelson still would have bet his money on that team. And he was right. Mariah was an ace.
Dave bought the next round when they returned to the table. He was laughing, and making Mariah promise to play with him against the Oak Hill guys.
Nelson was quiet, watching Mariah charm his friends.
Dave shot him glances, and Rachel poked him in the ribs, both concerned with his uncharacteristically quiet behavior. He ignored them and took a break to hit up the men’s room.
He took his time, trying to work out a plan of action.
This engagement party had raised all his suspicions. Jaycee blurted out that Mariah was going to throw an engagement party for Dave and her as soon as they’d met in the parking lot.
Dave was obviously surprised by the news. Jaycee had never been much for big parties, so obviously this was Mariah’s idea. She needed more events for her Valentine’s Day plans, so she’d roped Jaycee into it. He didn’t know how she’d done it, or what she’d promised, but he knew how bad things like that could get. He’d been through this before.
He wasn’t sure what to say. He hadn’t shared all the details about the disastrous end to his wedding, and he didn’t want to do so now. But he’d have to explain his problem with Mariah. He could see the worry on his friends’ faces.
His reticence had probably contributed to the town’s belief that he was still wounded from his aborted wedding ceremony. The truth was that he hadn’t wanted anyone to know what a jerk he’d been. He’d hoped to avoid that. Rachel was the only one who knew most of the details, and she still didn’t understand.
Why did his grandmother have to decide to make the town a wedding destination—no, a romance destination?
He stopped at the bar to get the next round. Rachel slipped into the seat beside him, strands of her long brown hair falling from her ponytail.
“What’s up, Nelson?”
He turned to her, waiting for their drinks.
“Is it the wedding planner thing? Too soon?”
He crossed his arms. He knew exactly what everyone believed the problem was. That he was upset because of Mariah’s job. Well, he was, but not the way they thought.
“It’s been three years, Rachel. I’m over it.”
He could see she didn’t believe him. “I’m over being upset about it. But what happened was the result of a bad decision I made, based on bad advice I got. And that bad advice I got was from Mariah’s boss.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped.
“Does she, I mean, does your grandmother—”
“Grandmother thinks Mariah deserves a chance. But I’m a little...skeptical.”
Rachel’s brows lowered. “I’m sorry, Nelson. I had no idea. Would you rather leave now?”
Part of him did. But he couldn’t tell Rachel he didn’t want to leave Mariah alone with Dave and Jaycee. Even he could see that would sound a little...paranoid, at best.
But Rachel hadn’t been through what he’d been through. He was the one who’d gotten too wrapped up in plans, and he was the one who’d been advised by Mariah’s boss that he was right, and that Zoey just had nerves.
He hadn’t understood that Sherry’s primary interest wasn’t in making their wedding day something they’d always look back on and remember with happiness and joy. Sherry had been interested in her fees, her reputation and impressing the next potential client.
Nelson had been stupid and had made the wrong decision. He’d made it because he’d put his goals ahead of what Zoey wanted and needed. He didn’t exempt himself from that. But he’d trusted Sherry and relied on her advice, not his own instincts. He thought they both bore blame.
He didn’t think every wedding planner was evil. He wasn’t that stupid. But he knew, absolutely, that Sherry was selfish and greedy. He’d heard Mariah say she’d learned everything from that same Sherry.
His grandmother thought Mariah deserved a chance. Nelson wasn’t sure he agreed, but he’d promised not to interfere. And he wouldn’t, unless Mariah’s schemes were going to hurt people he cared about.
He finally told Rachel he was happy to stay. When she looked skeptical, he explained, “I need to do this, Rach. It’s come to my attention that the people in this town think I missed that last wedding because I couldn’t face it, not that Sparky really had colic.”
Rachel looked guilty, and he shook his head.
“You, too? My horse was sick. I swear. But if I run away every time Mariah is around, those rumors are going to continue. I don’t like her, but I’m not afraid of her. I’ll stay and hang out with my friends.”
Rachel chewed on her lip, but she didn’t get a chance to respond before their drinks were slapped down on the bar top.
Nelson led the way back to their table, happy to see that Mariah had vanished.
It was too much to hope that she’d left, but at least he could enjoy his friends’ company without her. Then he saw who she was talking to.
Harvey. Judy’s Harvey.
It was a small town, but couldn’t she insert herself into the life of someone other than the people he hung out with and worked with? Was it too much to ask?
MARIAH WASN’T SURPRISED when a stranger asked if he could talk to her. It hadn’t taken long to discover that she was known to everyone, and everyone knew why she was there.
This time the young man, named Harvey, had a good idea for her. He wasn’t the first to approach her, but his idea was one she could work with.
She sympathized with the many people who’d been undergoing financial hardship and wanted to take their partners out for a dinner on Valentine’s Day, but that wasn’t what they needed right now as a Valentine’s promotion.
She let Abigail know about all these requests, and each time she could see Abigail take that responsibility on her own shoulders.
Mariah was impressed by how hard Abigail was working to keep the town alive. And Mariah wanted to help. She was learning to like these people.
She caught a glare from Nelson.
Most of these people.
She wanted this romance plan to work, and to bring life and prosperity back to Carter’s Crossing. She needed something better than a dinner out to promote the town. And Harvey had something better.
He wanted to propose to his girlfriend.
These days people didn’t just go down on one knee or have a ring show up in a dessert to ask someone to marry them. Proposals had become elaborate, complicated and sometimes expensive. And often went viral.
A proposal that took advantage of what Carter’s Crossing had to offer, things that other places didn’t, was exactly the kind of event she needed.
Mariah didn’t remember hearing about a Harvey when the committee had gone over the dating prospects in town, so she wasn’t sure if she’d missed it, or this was one they didn’t know about. In any case, she’d happily help Harvey with his proposal.
As always, she cautioned, “It’s not just my decision in this. But it sounds really promising. I’d have to get approval, but assuming I did—”
Harvey had an anxious look on his face. “I want to surprise her. I don’t want her to hear about it from someone else.”
Mariah nodded. It was a valid concern, from her short experience in Carter’s Crossing.
“I’ll just talk to Abigail for now. But I can’t approve this on my own.”
“It’s okay if Mrs. Carter knows. She’ll be careful. But a lot of people talk in this town.”
That was the truth.
“Assuming this all works out, what kind of proposal were you thinking of?”
Harvey chewed on a cuticle.
“I want something special. I want her to be able to tell all her friends about it. I want to show her that she’s special.”
That was sweet. And perfect.
“Why don’t you tell me about her, what makes her so special and what it is that’s special between the two of you? What you have in common that other people don’t? We want it to be something unique, but also something she loves.”
“Sure.” Harvey stopped chewing. “Her name is Judy, and she’s beautiful. She works at the veterinary clinic.”
Mariah closed her eyes. No. Way. Another chance to bump into Nelson Carter? The man made a face like he’d sucked on lemons every time he saw her.
It was annoying. And provoking. And puzzling.
She’d decided she should avoid him as much as possible. And now she had two events that were going to impinge on him. She’d noticed his reaction when Jaycee blurted out about the engagement party. It hadn’t exactly been a happy face.
And now a proposal for someone who worked for Nelson. Was this town really that small?
Harvey had stopped.
“Sorry, you were saying Judy works at the vet clinic?”
He nodded. “She’s wonderful with animals. Loves them all, and they love her. She can’t have a pet at home, because her sister is allergic, but once we get married, we can buy a house and have as many animals as she wants.”
Harvey might not be the handsomest man in Carter’s Crossing, but he was in the running for sweetest, Mariah thought.
“So are animals the bond that brought you together?”
His eyes widened. “Oh, no. Not that. We’re both big fans of The Walking Dead. We love that show. We dress up for Halloween, and go to cons together...in fact, that’s what I’d like to have for the proposal. Can we do a Walking Dead one?”
Mariah blinked, and blinked again. A zombie proposal.
Yeah, that wasn’t what she’d been expecting.
THE PROBLEM WITH small towns was that avoiding someone was almost impossible. Well, there were other problems, but this was the one troubling him now. In theory, a wedding or romance planner and a vet shouldn’t cross paths often. But the odds were not shaking out in his favor.
It didn’t help that his grandmother still expected him to join her for dinners that were no longer for two, but three. He would have liked to avoid them, but as much as he didn’t like spending time with Mariah, he still wanted to know what she was up to, and who might be in the path of her impending explosions.
Not that it was much of a secret.
“Nelson.” His grandmother caught his attention at the next dinner. Beef bourguignonne. Another dish he liked. Another one he couldn’t properly enjoy with Mariah at the table. But he was eating it anyway.
“Yes, Grandmother?” She couldn’t complain about him having a tantrum. He was eating, and he wasn’t staring at Mariah. At least, not once he realized he was doing it.
“I’m not asking for your assistance, or involvement, but you are aware that Dave and Jaycee have asked to have an engagement party this Valentine’s Day?”
He took a moment to make sure his voice was even.
“I heard that their engagement was being considered for one of your parties, yes.”
Mariah narrowed her eyes at him. “It was Jaycee’s suggestion.”
Nelson believed that the words had come from Jaycee, but he had suspicions as to where the idea had come from. Since it wasn’t a question, he didn’t respond.
“I had no idea their first date had been on Valentine’s Day,” Mariah continued, glaring at him with a laser focus. Was she reading his mind? No, or she’d be throwing something at him.
Grandmother interrupted the one-sided argument.
“As Dave’s friend, we need to know if you’re attending, and if you have any suggestions, or comments to offer. This is obviously not an endorsement of my plans,” she added, the sarcasm unmistakable, “but it would be appreciated so that we can make this event something that they will both enjoy and remember.”
Nelson heard the challenge. She’d said she wouldn’t involve him, but it was an empty promise. In a town this small, people he knew would be part of the Romance Lives in Carter’s thing she and Mariah had going. He couldn’t boycott everything they did without hurting people he cared about and who cared about him.
And even if he’d wanted to avoid any event they came up with, he couldn’t, because the town already believed he was still scarred from his own aborted wedding. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t avoid the next wedding-type get-together.
With jaw gritted, he forced a smile. “Dave is my friend, and if he invites me to his party, of course I’ll be there. As far as the event itself, Dave and Jaycee are small-town people. Our events are usually small-town, as well.”
Mariah rolled her eyes. Grandmother stared at him under lowered brows.
What did they expect? It’s not like he and Dave had ever discussed their dream engagement parties. He was willing to bet all the money his grandmother was investing in this project that Dave didn’t have a Pinterest board on the topic.
“Those kinds of events aren’t going to keep this town alive, Nelson.”
He understood, but he didn’t believe their town was going to survive big wedding plans, either.
He wasn’t going to bring that up again. He and Grandmother had agreed to disagree.
Nelson had managed to finish his plate, so he stood.
“Dave and I play baseball in the summer, watch hockey in the winter, and drink beers and play darts on Tuesday nights. He doesn’t like dressing up, and he hates broccoli. That’s all I’ve got for you, so I’ll clean up after myself and let the two of you get to work.”
An hour later he was at his farm. The horses had all come into the indoor pen for the night, since temperatures were dropping. He checked that the barn was warm enough and fed them some hay. He noticed that the new chestnut stayed inside while Nelson was in the building now but wouldn’t come to get any of the food while he was leaning on the rail.
He stayed where he was. The new guy needed to learn. His frustration with Mariah and his grandmother melted away as he watched his horses.
Sparky was the oldest, and needed the most attention to his physical care, but the chestnut was the most vulnerable right now. Nelson wanted to give him time with a nonaggressive human nearby, letting him know that not all people were bad, and not all of them would hurt him.
He watched his horses eat, rubbed necks and muzzles as they were offered and let the calm and quiet work on his perspective.
One party was not going to destroy the town, or his friends. He’d let Dave know he should feel free to refuse anything that made him uncomfortable. That would take care of him.
Maybe it was time for him to start working on the house here at the farm. If Mariah was living with Grandmother, he didn’t need to stay so close. Maybe space would be good for both of them.
He thought he’d made over his life for the better, here in Carter’s Crossing. He’d pulled back on his competitive, take-charge side, and found a life beyond his practice. But ever since Mariah Van Delton had stopped in his parking lot, things had gotten complicated.
He wished she really had been lost.
THE NEXT TUESDAY night it was an all-guy dart night, and Nelson was careful not to let on how much that pleased him.
“Did the girls not like playing darts?”
He didn’t know why they wouldn’t. Thanks to Mariah, the girls beat every comer.
Dave shrugged. “I don’t quite get it. Jaycee had wanted to come for weeks, and now all she wants to do is plan this party.”
Nelson straightened up. This was his cue.
“Are you sure you want to have this party?” Okay, he’d promised his grandmother he’d stay out of it, but she’d asked him for advice on what Dave liked, so he decided that gave him wiggle room. Maybe what Dave liked was to not have a party.
Dave shrugged. “It was Jaycee’s idea, but I’m happy if she is.”
“Are you sure?”
Dave gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“I wondered if Grandmother and...Mariah had the idea first.”
Dave frowned. “I’m not sure. I first heard about it from Jaycee, last week, when we got here. You heard her.”
Nelson swallowed some skeptical, and impolite, words. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, you know.”
Dave speared an onion ring. “I don’t care, myself. But Jaycee is pretty excited about it.”
“Really?” Jaycee had always been a practical, down-to-earth type of person.
Dave nodded, and swallowed. “She thinks it will help my mother come around.”
Nelson paused in midreach for his own onion ring.
“Your mother? What’s she got to do with it?”
“Jaycee doesn’t think Mom likes her.”
That surprised Nelson. Jaycee was hardworking, kind and pretty. Watching her with Dave last week had convinced him that the two truly cared for each other.
“Why wouldn’t your mom like her?”
Dave’s cheeks flushed. “Jaycee has a point. Mom has never gotten over when I dated your sister.”
Nelson glared at his friend. “That was junior year of high school, and you swore nothing happened.”
It was the single incident that almost ended their friendship. When Dave told Nelson he wanted to ask Delaney out, Nelson almost hit him. Well, once he got over the shock that anyone wanted to date his sister. That shock dealt with, he wanted to wrap her up and keep all guys away from her.
After the short dating event with Dave, Nelson had had to clue in. His sister was a lot prettier than he’d realized, and someone else had wanted to go out with her not long after Dave took her out. Then he and Dave united in trying to keep her safe. Safely single.
He thought Dave was long over that. His sister hadn’t been back to Carter’s for anything more than a flying visit in years.
Dave held up two fingers. “Nothing happened, scout’s honor. But Mom seems to think that something might yet. Jaycee thinks Mom likes the idea of being connected to the Carters.”
Nelson almost choked on the beer he’d swallowed.
“Is your mom crazy?”
Yes, Abigail was awesome, but she could focus that awesome on someone in uncomfortable ways. And the rest of them? His parents were working in—was it Azerbaijan now?—and his sister was totally a city girl. His aunts and uncles and cousins had all moved away.
Dave screwed up his lips. “Possibly. Jaycee says in Mom’s eyes she’s still from the wrong side of the tracks.”
“That’s messed up, if your mom thinks so.” Nelson had friends from both sides of the literal train tracks in town, and the side of the tracks had nothing to do with the character of the resident.
Dave nodded. “I know. I think Jaycee is overreacting, but Mom does like your sister, and tells me everything she hears about her. I figure, if the party makes Jaycee happy, I’ll do it. She’s promised they’ll do all the planning, and I just have to show up.”
Those words sounded familiar to Nelson.
Dave bumped his arm. “You’ll come, right?”
“Of course,” Nelson agreed. “Unless I get a call—”
Dave’s brows came down. “You’d better be there, or I want pictures to prove something was wrong with your horse. I don’t want to go through this alone.”
Nelson remembered his own engagement party. And to his shame, he remembered how little of it he’d spent with his fiancée.
“I’ll be there, unless an animal is dying. And you can come with me for proof if I get a call.”
MARIAH SAT DOWN across from Abigail Carter. They each had a notebook, and Mariah had her laptop open. This was business.
“So, Jaycee and Rachel and I sat down and did some brainstorming last night.”
Abigail nodded. “You came up with something promising, right?”
Mariah tapped a pen on her notepad, which was covered in scribbles.
“I think so. Can you assure me that the mill stream will be frozen solid by mid-February?”
Abigail stared past her. It took her a minute to respond.
“I can remember only two years where the stream didn’t freeze. And I remember a long way back. I’d say there’s probably a ninety-five percent certainty that the water will be frozen. It’s not too deep there, so it freezes more quickly than south of town.”
Mariah bit her lip. “Then we’ll need a plan B, but I’m hoping a skating party will work.”
Abigail sat back. “A skating party. I didn’t expect that.”
“We want to invite most of the town. We can’t do an event for everyone who asks, but almost everyone can come to this. Jaycee and Dave know a lot of people, and since we’re going to use this to promote Carter’s Crossing, we need to show something big. We want the whole town to feel a part of this. Jaycee is on board for that.
“Since we don’t have a big indoor facility—”
“Not yet,” Abigail said.
“A skating party would be a good outdoor event. If we do it at the mill, we can stage everything there, and if needed, provide indoor space. The stream is beautiful, and we can do it up with lights and music. There’s enough potential ice space to have more than one ‘rink,’ so different ages and skill levels can be separated.”
“Lights. An evening event?”
“Afternoon-to-evening event, but days are short here in winter, and we don’t want things to look dark. We don’t have the facilities to provide full catering, but we could have hot chocolate and cider, fire pits to cook s’mores and hot dogs on sticks and, of course, some champagne to toast the happy couple. Then there are the practical things to think of, like heaters and Porta-Potties.”
“A skating party seems very retro, kind of Norman Rockwell.”
Mariah nodded. “That’s something we can make the most of about the town. With the older homes, the lack of chain stores and restaurants, we need to focus on what makes this place special. I think the skating party works for that, and Jaycee assures me she and Dave can skate. She’s even considering a skate/dance for the two of them to their song.”
“What’s their song?” Abigail asked.
Mariah bit back a grin. “Jaycee is still deciding on that.”
“I thought songs were supposed to arise spontaneously from a particular moment.”
“Jaycee is going to make the moment happen.”
Abigail smiled. “I do like that girl. It’s a wonderful idea, and we should be able to pull it off. Let me know what you need, and I’ll get the committee working on it.”
Mariah looked down. “I’ll take the notes we made last night and work them up. Then we can discuss with the committee what we can do, and when.”
Abigail ticked off a line on her own notebook.
“Now, about this proposal you mentioned.”
Mariah crossed her arms. “This one is a little more difficult. Harvey wants to use a Walking Dead theme.”
Abigail tilted her head. “Excuse me?”
“Apparently, he and Judy are big fans of the TV show. It’s what brought them together, so he wants to use that in the proposal.”
“I’m not familiar with this particular show. What’s it about?” Abigail had a wary look on her face.
Mariah screwed up her nose. “Why don’t I play the first episode for you?”
Abigail came around the table to sit beside her while Mariah moved her cursor until she found where she’d located the pilot episode.
Mariah had never dreamed that setting up Carter’s Crossing as Cupid’s Crossing would entail watching a zombie show with Abigail Carter.
She hit Play and waited to see how Abigail would respond.
She was quiet until the credits rolled.
“No.”
Mariah had been racking her brain for ideas for a zombie proposal. Trying to make it suitable for Valentine’s Day, rather than Halloween, had been a challenge. She hadn’t expected Abigail to have much in the way of ideas for the proposal, but she hadn’t expected a no, either.
“No, we aren’t doing the proposal?” Mariah wanted it clarified. A proposal on Valentine’s Day was a truly romantic event. But the zombie part was trouble.
“No, we aren’t doing a zombie proposal.”
Mariah opened her mouth, but Abigail continued before she could interrupt.
“I know Judy. She and Harvey may love that television show, but Judy does not want dead people proposing to her. I know a couple of young women who would enjoy something a little shocking for an event like that, but Judy is not one of them.”
Mariah blinked. She’d been assuming Harvey knew what his fiancée wanted, but Abigail could be right.
“If Harvey believes this is what Judy wants, and he wants to surprise her, how do we check out what Judy really does want? Does she have a close friend we could ask who could keep the secret?”
Abigail considered, and shook her head.
“I wouldn’t trust her sisters, and she doesn’t have a lot of friends. She’s very reserved. Harvey is a good match for her, but he is not a man of imagination.”
Mariah tapped her notebook again. She had to question Abigail’s statement, because a zombie proposal sounded like something that required a lot of imagination, maybe more than Mariah had.
She wanted to make this proposal work, but she didn’t know how. Normally, she just asked her client. She’d never planned a proposal before where she was in the dark as to what the askee liked.
“Her mother?”
Abigail shook her head. “Kailey is our best bet.”
“Kailey?”
“Kailey works with Judy at Nelson’s clinic. Kailey is older and settled and can keep a secret. And most important, she has access to Judy forty hours a week. If Kailey can’t get the information out of her, I don’t know anyone who can.”
Abigail frowned, and Mariah could imagine the planning going on in that well-coiffed head.
“It would be best if you took Kailey out for lunch. She’s busy outside work with three kids and a husband to take care of. Nelson’s staff gets an hour for lunch.”
Abigail smiled at Mariah. Mariah smiled back, less happily.
Nelson avoided her, and barely talked to her when he couldn’t. Mariah knew there was a story there, but Abigail wouldn’t tell her, and Nelson never hung around long enough for her to ask him again. Even if she asked, she couldn’t imagine him telling her.
She did her best to keep away from him. She didn’t want to stir up any more animosity. Abigail swore he wouldn’t get in the way, but Mariah was learning how impossible it was, in a town this size, to avoid someone.
He was going to flip when he found out she was spending time with one of his employees. And she could imagine no scenario in which he didn’t find out.