TUESDAY NIGHTS WERE darts nights.
In a town the size of Carter’s Crossing, these were important events. Unless there was a birthing emergency, or a horse with colic, Tuesday nights found Nelson at the Goat and Barley with his friends.
The Goat and Barley was halfway between Carter’s and Oak Hill. It was a pub, with a halfway decent menu and an excellent selection of draft beer. It was far enough from Carter’s that not everyone would know what you’d done, and anyone who came from Carter’s wasn’t wanting to talk about you because you might talk about them.
In theory. Nelson was pretty sure his grandmother still knew everything that went on here, but she didn’t say anything, and he kept his own confidences. He wasn’t doing anything beyond playing darts poorly and drinking some beer anyway.
He leaned back in his chair. He and his buddy Dave had just been soundly beaten in darts. Same old same old. While their two friends from Oak Hill were taking a turn, Nelson had his chance to tell Dave about the conversation with his staff yesterday morning.
After his talk with the wedding, sorry, romance planner, he wanted some sympathetic feedback.
He swallowed a mouthful of beer and picked up an onion ring. Dave was watching the hockey scores over the bar.
“Hey!”
Dave turned back. “Hey, yourself.”
He’d known Dave since grade school. Maybe before. Long enough ago that they knew each other well.
“I gotta tell you what Kailey and Judy said yesterday.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with tapeworms, does it? ’Cause that was just gross, man.”
Nelson grinned. Dave was surprisingly squeamish. They’d gone through high school biology together with Nelson dissecting while Dave wrote up notes. Without looking.
“I could tell you about the Fletchers’ pig, if you wanted. But no, it wasn’t anything to do with work. Did you know Judy and Harvey were getting serious?”
Judy and Harvey were a few years younger than Dave and him, but that didn’t matter much now that they were long out of high school.
Dave stopped with his glass halfway to his mouth. “I knew they were going out.”
“He asked her to move in with him.”
Dave took a careful swallow. “That’s your big news?”
Nelson frowned. Dave was looking at him, not with a “hey, that’s interesting” face but more like he was waiting for Nelson to start talking about tapeworms.
“No, but Judy and Kailey didn’t want to tell me. They were afraid I’d be upset.”
“Were you?”
Nelson threw his hands up. “Why would I be? I mean, I like Judy fine, she’s a great assistant, even if she hardly talks, but it’s nothing to me if she moves in with Harvey.”
“That’s good,” Dave said. “Why are you telling me? I’m not interested in Judy, either.”
“They, Kailey and Judy, thought I was too fragile or something. That if someone talks about weddings or engagements I’ll freak out.”
Dave was still watching him carefully. “You’re okay, though?”
Nelson pointed a finger at his friend. “You think that, too. You think I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Dave shrugged.
Nelson ran his fingers through his hair. “What is it with people in this town? It’s been three years! I’m not going to burst into tears if someone gets married! I’m not upset.”
“You kind of seem like it now.”
“That’s just because everyone thinks I’m a romance invalid. I’m fine!”
“Okay,” Dave said soothingly.
Nelson frowned at him. “If you say ‘there, there, now’ I’m going to hit you.”
Dave grinned. “Okay, you’re fine.”
“Of course I’m fine! What is wrong with people here?”
Dave grabbed his own onion ring and took a bite. “You haven’t dated anyone since you’ve been back.”
“I brought Rachel to the concert last year.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “You and Rachel have as much chemistry as you and I do. Less. She’s been your backup date since you were kids. I mean, you each drove there separately, and your grandmother sat between you.”
Nelson crossed his arms. “Still counts.”
He knew he was splitting hairs. He’d known Rachel so long as a friend that he sometimes had to remind himself she was a woman. It wasn’t that she wasn’t pretty, because she was, in a nice, good girl way, but there’d never been a spark between them.
Dave pointed his half-eaten onion ring at him. “And you skipped out on the wedding.”
“My horse had colic!”
His voice was loud enough that patrons at the bar turned around to see where the sound was coming from.
Nelson lowered his voice. “Sparky was sick. Colic is serious. I had to deal with him.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie?”
Dave shrugged. “Before the wedding, someone said they bet you’d weasel out with some excuse.”
Nelson grit his teeth. “The horse was sick.”
“Okay, I believe you, I promise. But that’s what everyone thinks.”
Nelson let out a breath. “Sometimes this town drives me nuts.”
Dave finished his onion ring, looking carefully at Nelson.
“So you’d be okay if I told you something.”
“I’d be okay. Fine. Ecstatic. Whatever.”
“Jaycee and I are getting serious.”
This time it was Nelson with the glass paused halfway to his mouth.
“You and Jaycee? Really? How did I not know this?”
Dave shrugged. “You know how I’ve been spending Friday nights taking cooking classes?”
Nelson narrowed his gaze. “With Jaycee?”
Dave nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me because you thought I’d curl up in the corner?”
Dave shrugged. “You’re not going to do that, right?”
Nelson looked away. “You really think I wouldn’t be happy for you?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Dave shoved the basket of onion rings over to him in apology. “That’s what Jaycee said, too.”
“Jaycee is a smart woman. Except, of course, for that whole getting serious with you part.”
Dave grinned. “She is smart. And don’t tell her she shouldn’t be with me. I know that, but she hasn’t figured it out yet.”
Nelson looked around the bar. “So how many other people have been hiding their dating lives in case I couldn’t handle it?”
“I’ll tell Jaycee to spread the word. Are you good if she joins us next Tuesday, then?”
“Absolutely.”
He didn’t mind, not really. But he had enjoyed his time with just the guys. Obviously, though, that wasn’t something he could share, or he’d have people running for cover any time he showed up, expecting his breakdown.
Wait till word got out about the Romance Center in Carter’s. He hadn’t heard anyone talking about that yet. On the other hand, apparently, no one would talk to him anyway.
The next wedding-type event this town had, he’d better be there front and center or everyone would believe he was permanently damaged.
Small towns.
MARIAH LOOKED AROUND. This was the power center of Carter’s Crossing.
It was also the parlor of Mavis Grisham’s house. Mariah was reintroduced to Tiny. Tiny apparently considered the encounter at the clinic parking lot to be the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Mariah did her best to push him away while not offending Mavis.
Fortunately, Abigail was on top of this as much as everything else she did. She told Tiny to sit, and he did.
“Good afternoon. We can finally start talking about our plan for Carter’s Crossing. It’s happening, so let’s get things going.”
The room quieted as Abigail spoke.
“I think you all know by now that the new face here belongs to Mariah Van Delton. She’s been loaned to us for a year to help us implement our plan to make Carter’s Crossing a wedding destination.”
There was a smattering of applause, and some nods in Mariah’s direction.
“Mariah has just arrived, but she’s already provided valuable insight, and has, in fact, expanded the original vision we came up with. So, Mariah, why don’t you share your idea with us?”
All eyes turned to Mariah, including those of Tiny. His ears even perked up.
Mariah set down her cup of tea.
“Thank you for welcoming me here. As Abigail said, I came to help you develop Carter’s Crossing into a wedding destination. I’ve been a wedding planner for five years, so I have inside knowledge of what people expect when they book a wedding.”
She paused and glanced around the room. She was the center of attention. Tiny cocked his head, waiting for her to continue.
“Unfortunately, there are some major drawbacks to your plan.”
Everyone froze.
“I know Abigail is going to convert the old mill, but it’s not ready yet, and it’s going to take a while. Months at the minimum.”
Heads nodded. Tiny cocked his head in the other direction.
“As well, when people come here for a wedding, they’ll have guests. This is a little far for people to drive from the city, enjoy a wedding and return in the same day. Currently, there’s no hotel or other place for these guests to stay.”
Now people began to talk. Abigail raised her hand. “She knows our plans, everyone. Let her finish.”
Tiny lay down with a sigh.
“Thank you, Abigail. I know, you have every intention of setting up B&B’s, but they also aren’t ready yet.
“In any case, that will limit the size of weddings that can be put on here. And it’s okay. This isn’t going to be the place where the big, five-hundred-guest weddings take place. This isn’t that kind of destination.”
Mariah heard the rattle of a spoon on a teacup, and Tiny’s eyes closed.
“So the idea I had was that instead of making Carter’s Crossing a wedding destination, we make it a Center for Romance.”
She paused, but the silence was complete.
“Not just weddings. Romantic getaways. A place to come to make the perfect proposal. Anniversaries, vow renewals...and, also, weddings. In fact, if someone came here to propose, it could naturally lead to having the wedding here.”
She could feel the attention focused on her.
“The benefits of this kind of plan include taking advantage of the four seasons’ worth of beauty that Carter’s Crossing offers. Most weddings are summertime events, but if we’re a Center for Romance, we can have people here year-round, not just in the summer for a wedding.
“Another advantage is that we don’t have to wait until the mill is ready to get things underway. What I’d like to propose is that we plan some events to happen on this upcoming Valentine’s Day. Probably involving local people, considering the time and hospitality limits, but if we can get some publicity for this, then people will start looking at Carter’s Crossing when they think of a place to go for a romantic getaway. We’ll have the initial infrastructure here to support our plans, and we’ll have some photos and experience already.”
Mariah stopped. She hoped that was enough to get things rolling.
Heads turned now to Abigail. Tiny sat up and looked at Abigail, as well.
Abigail was smiling. “I think this idea is genius, but it will take all of us to make it work.”
Heads started nodding, and voices murmured. Then the questions started.
“What kind of events? What would they require? What do we need to do?”
Mariah explained that without the B&Bs ready, they’d need to find romance among the people already in Carter’s Crossing or surroundings. Mariah didn’t know the area and didn’t know the people. If they could find three events to stage for Valentine’s Day, the whole package would be a manageable size, while still being large enough to attract attention.
Everyone loved the opportunity to assess the dating activity in town. Mariah heard the women discuss who was together, who’d broken up, who might be getting serious. She didn’t know the names yet, but she would.
Mavis spoke up. “What about Gladys and Gord?”
Conversation ceased for a moment.
“It’s their fiftieth wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day.”
Mariah sat up straighter. “That would be wonderful. Celebrating that milestone would work beautifully. Do you know if they’d be interested in an anniversary party?”
Faces frowned at each other. “I don’t know that Gord would want to pay for a big party. Now that the mill is closed—”
Abigail’s clear voice spoke through the room. “These first events, for locals, are going to be paid for by the committee. Gord and Gladys won’t have to pay for anything.”
Eyes widened. Mavis said, “I’ll talk to Gladys. I’ll tell her we want her anniversary to be the first event for our plan, and then she won’t think it’s charity.”
“Thank you, Mavis,” Abigail said. “Now we just need two more romantic events.”
“THAT WENT WELL,” Abigail said as she and Mariah walked back to the Carter home. Fallen leaves crunched under their feet.
“I think the committee’s offer to pay for the events helped a lot.”
Abigail smiled. “It seems only fair. We need this to launch our plan, and we need local people to do that. Things have been difficult here, financially, so I—we don’t want to make this a hardship.”
Mariah looked at the woman walking beside her. She was coming to a better understanding of her partner in this endeavor.
“Tell me about this committee.”
Abigail’s eyebrows lifted. “That was the committee you just met.”
“And what is their budget, so I know what we’re spending on these events?”
Abigail shot her a sideways glance.
“I’m that part of the committee.”
“And the budget is...” Mariah said.
Abigail shrugged elegantly. “What it needs to be.”
Mariah shook her head. “You’re investing a lot in this plan.”
Abigail nodded. “I was raised to believe that the benefits my family gathered from the mill meant that we also had a responsibility to the town. I want to make sure Carter’s Crossing survives.”
Mariah wondered how much family pride was driving Abigail. This town was the Carter family’s legacy.
“I had a thought,” Abigail said. “What would you think, if this plan works, if we changed the name of the town to Cupid’s Crossing?”
Mariah paused. “Could you—would you do that?”
Abigail nodded. “I could make it happen. I thought, along with the romance idea, if we had the name, and people could post letters, or use that address for events, it would help with the marketing.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.”
Abigail nudged Mariah with her shoulder. “Together, we’re going to hit this town so hard it won’t know what’s happened to it.”
NELSON DRIED HIS hands and wandered back out to reception. Kailey and Judy were talking again. They paused when he came up to the desk, but at least they weren’t looking guilty.
“Kailey, can you let the rescue people know they can pick up those two cats tomorrow? The usual after care. They should be ready for adoption within the week, just have a little bald spot.”
Kailey made a note. “The rescue agency said to tell you they might have another horse needing help.”
Nelson considered. “Any more details? I’m still getting the chestnut settled in, so if this one needs a lot of work, I’ll have to change some fences at the farm.”
Kailey shook her head. “No details, but I’ll let you know once I hear. And, speaking of letting people know, why didn’t you tell us the romance woman is staying with you?”
Nelson took a step back. “Hold on, no one is staying with me. Are you talking about Mariah Van Delton? Is she what you call a romance woman?”
Here it was. Word had spread.
Kailey crossed her arms. “You did know. And if she’s staying with your grandmother, that’s almost as good as staying with you.”
Nelson could see a lot of ways that anything going on with his grandmother and her home had nothing to do with him. He refused to stay in the house exactly for that kind of reason. He didn’t want to know everything his grandmother was up to, and he certainly didn’t want her to know that much about him.
If he hadn’t been concerned about her, living alone in that big house and refusing anything like help, he wouldn’t even be staying in the carriage house.
And Mariah Van Delton? He wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.
“Why did you call her the romance woman?” He’d been surprised not to hear about this crazy plan of Mariah and his grandmother’s before this, and had half hoped that meant they’d reconsidered.
Kailey rolled her eyes and even Judy gave him a skeptical look.
“Are you really trying to tell us you don’t know what’s going on?”
Nelson shrugged. “I heard a bit—just a bit,” he defended himself as Kailey’s mouth opened. “And I hoped it would blow over.”
Judy gave him a look of pity. “But you said...” Her voice trailed off. It was as much of a personal conversation as he’d had with her since he’d tried to convince them he wasn’t a wounded misanthrope.
Apparently, it hadn’t been that convincing.
“I’m all for romance, and love, and marriage, and kids, and the American dream, and whatever else. But I think emotional events are best left private.”
Kailey turned to Judy. “Told you.”
Nelson frowned. “Told you what?”
Kailey shrugged.
“I told Judy she should get Mariah to help her propose to Harvey on Valentine’s Day.”
“What?” Nelson had a hard time getting his brain wrapped around that. Judy was the quietest and shyest person he knew, so he couldn’t picture her proposing. Especially not in an event engineered by Mariah. Because that event would be big and public and focus all kinds of attention on Judy.
“Yeah, I knew it was a long shot. But we need something for Mariah to set up for Valentine’s Day. I’ve been married for years, so there’s no chance for me.”
“The Donaldsons are doing a vow renewal,” Judy interrupted.
Nelson blinked. They were?
Kailey shook her head. “That’s different. It’s their fiftieth wedding anniversary on February fourteenth. Bert and I got married in June, and it’s been seventeen years, so not a milestone.”
Nelson could see his grandmother and her crew having their fingers all over the Donaldsons’ anniversary. They’d probably talked the couple into it.
“Then there’s the Valentine’s Day event taken care of.” That wasn’t too bad. In fact, celebrating that major event was kind of nice.
Kailey shook her head. “We need two more events. We’ve been running through any couples in town who might be ready to celebrate something, and that’s why I was nudging Judy.”
Nelson looked at Judy, who was staring at the ground.
“I don’t think Judy wants any nudging.” Judy shook her head, so this time he figured he had it right.
Kailey sighed. “Okay. How about Dave and Jaycee?”
Nelson shook his head. “What Dave and Jaycee are doing is entirely up to Dave and Jaycee. I don’t think Dave wants to make a spectacle out of their relationship, so why don’t we focus on the animals here in Carter’s Crossing and leave my grandmother and Ms. Van Delton to worry about their—plans?” He’d almost said nonsense.
He wasn’t sure about the looks the two women were giving him, even though Kailey had turned around to her computer and Judy was heading back to check on the two cats he’d just spayed for the animal rescue.
“And for the record, if Judy decides to propose to Harvey, I’d be happy to hear about it.”
A slight exaggeration, but he didn’t need to be handled with kid gloves.
“SO WHAT DO you think?” Dave asked Nelson.
Dave had stopped by the carriage house before they met for darts. He’d told Nelson he had a question for him.
Nelson was still processing the backstory to the question.
“You and Jaycee are that serious.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “I told you that at darts last week.”
“You said you were serious. You didn’t say you were shopping for a ring.”
A goofy grin crossed Dave’s face. “When you know, you know.”
Nelson considered. Dave and Jaycee had grown up here in Carter’s, so they’d known each other since they were kids. He didn’t think they’d been dating that long, but they’d been friends for years.
“Why not give her the ring some other time than Christmas?”
Dave shook his head. “We talked about it. We can’t afford to spend a lot, so the ring is our Christmas present to each other.”
“Then why are you asking if you need to get her something else?”
“Because I think she’s going to get me something else, and then I’ll look like a jerk if I didn’t do the same.”
Nelson wiped down his countertop. He’d just finished his dinner when Dave stopped by. The neatness he’d had to incorporate into his work spilled over into his personal life. He liked things clean and put away.
“Well, since the ring is a piece of jewelry that she wears, not you, that seems more like a present for her anyway. But if you really want to cover your bases, get her something.”
Dave slapped a hand down on the freshly wiped countertop. “But if she didn’t get me something, she’s going to be mad. It’ll make her look bad, and like I’m not listening to her.”
Nelson nudged his hand away and rewiped the spot on the countertop.
“You didn’t let me finish. You get her something, but don’t put it under the tree. You keep it hidden away somewhere and pull it out if needed.”
Dave frowned. “Okay, but what if she didn’t get me anything? I return it? What if she finds out about that?”
It was a small town. News usually worked its way around.
Nelson lifted a finger. “No, you save it for the next time you’re supposed to give her something. Like Valentine’s Day.”
Dave pumped his fist.
“Genius, man. You are a freaking genius.”
Nelson thought of the work he’d done to get his veterinary degree. The animals he’d saved. And Dave was impressed with a bit of gift-giving chicanery. People were weird.
“THANKS FOR INVITING me to join you,” Mariah said, looking at Jaycee driving the vehicle, and then Rachel in the back seat of Jaycee’s car.
Jaycee shot a look at Rachel. Mariah held in a smile.
She’d been pleased when the two women had invited her to join them for darts night. There were a limited number of women her age in town, and fewer were single women. She’d been working hard, but it was nice to take a break.
Not to mention that she was good at darts. Darts were a staple at so many places around the globe.
The whole town was buzzing with the plans for Valentine’s Day. And Jaycee was dating someone, so Mariah suspected Jaycee had a plan she wanted the Romance Committee to assist with.
It didn’t hurt that Jaycee had long dark hair offset by golden skin and would look fantastic in promotional materials.
Mariah needed a couple more good events. Her grandfather had promised to provide publicity, if she gave him something worth publicizing. So far everyone who’d approached her wanted a romantic dinner or getaway. Which was fine, but not really the kind of big thing they needed to kick-start their plan for Carter’s Crossing.
The vow renewal was sweet, but they also needed to appeal to a younger age demographic. A dinner date was nice, but currently, what Carter’s Crossing had to offer along that line wasn’t going to bring people in from the city.
She needed something big. Something splashy.
She hoped Jaycee had something more like that in mind.
“Go on, tell her,” Rachel said to Jaycee.
“Okay, I hate feeling like I’m using you, but I am glad you’re coming along with us tonight because this is the first time I’ve joined Dave and—”
“Jaycee, cut to the chase!” Rachel shoved Jaycee’s shoulder.
“Dave and I are getting engaged this Christmas.”
Mariah waited. A Christmas engagement was not a Valentine’s Day event.
“We know we want to get married, but we don’t have a lot of cash right now. We’re getting the ring for Christmas—that’s all we’re doing for gifts, because we’re saving up for a house, and the business...”
Rachel poked her friend again. “Come on, Jaycee. Get to the point. She doesn’t need to know all these details right now.”
Jaycee huffed a breath as she turned into the parking lot of a brightly lit pub called the Goat and Barley. She pulled the car into an open slot, and then turned to Mariah.
“We’re doing everything low-key, because of money, but I would love to have a big engagement party, so that everyone knows. Our first date was on Valentine’s Day. I wondered if the Romance Committee might make an engagement party one of their events.”
Okay, this was much more what Mariah needed. If she and Abigail could come up with a big enough venue, they could probably get by without professional catering, if they found a good band, and made it mostly about the entertainment. Wait, what about a skating party? Bonfires, a dance...
She realized Jaycee and Rachel were waiting to hear her response.
“Sorry, guys, my brain started firing. This might be just what we need. Do you have anything in mind? Would you want to have the proposal then, too?”
Jaycee shook her head. “Nothing in mind, just having everyone come to celebrate. I don’t think Dave’s mom approves, so maybe a party will get her on board. And no, I’m not waiting a minute longer than I have to for that ring. If we could afford it now, I’d be wearing it already.”
Mariah could believe it. Jaycee’s smile, the glow in her dark eyes, the way her fingers were tapping on the steering wheel: everything said she was happy and excited and in love.
Rachel looked just as thrilled for her friend.
Mariah wanted to throw Jaycee and her fiancé a party. She wanted to give them a chance to enjoy themselves with the support of their community, especially if his family wasn’t completely on board.
She held up one gloved hand. “It’s not my decision alone. And there are things to work out. But it sounds like a great idea to me.”
“Yay!” Jaycee and Rachel high-fived.
“Don’t say anything till I’ve talked to Abigail, okay?”
Jaycee pouted. “I have to tell Dave.”
Mariah frowned at her. “Can he keep a secret?”
“Of course he can.”
Mariah wasn’t reassured by the doubtful look on Rachel’s face.
Before she could suggest leaving Dave out of the loop, Jaycee squealed. “There they are!”
She flung her door open and raced to meet her Dave. Mariah watched her as she threw herself into the arms of an attractive blond man who got out of the driver’s side of a pickup truck, and then stopped, halfway out of the car.
Dave wasn’t alone. And she knew the guy he was with.
Rachel spoke from behind her. “That’s Dave, in case you didn’t guess. And you know Nelson, right? He’s Abigail’s grandson. You must have run into him at her place.”
Mariah pasted on a smile. It became a lot more genuine when she saw Nelson spot her, and frown. Oh, this was going to be a fun night.