The late afternoon sun gave the town square a warm golden glow.
Piper stood off to the side of the large crowd at the cake auction. Katie had left already, leaving Piper to meander about on her own. All the while, she continued to try to reconcile what Joe participating in the dunking booth had meant. It had been more than just doing his duty. He’d been smiling, laughing, and good-naturedly taunting the ball throwers, making the huge audience erupt in laughter. Had she been wrong about him? Was he capable of letting go and rolling with the punches?
Her mother’s cake was auctioned off, and it sold for the highest price so far. Piper got a smile out of how her mother beamed, as though she’d actually cracked the eggs and mixed the batter herself. For her mother, it was all about appearance. Piper doubted she’d ever change. Now if only her mother would accept her as she was.
Mrs. Sanchez was in charge of the auction. She was great at twisting people’s arms so they’d pay more than they’d intended. Now, she held up a pitiful lopsided chocolate cake. “And this was donated by Whistle Stop’s newest eligible bachelor, Joe Montoya. Did you hear that, all of you single ladies? Here’s a hot guy who is good with his hands.” She winked at Joe. “Oh, and he bakes, too.”
Piper’s body tensed as the single, beautiful women turned interested glances his way. She knew without a doubt that he’d be walking away from this auction with nothing less than a handful of phone numbers, but more than likely he’d have some beauty on his arm. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach. The more she thought of him with his arm around someone else, the more the uneasiness stirred.
Mrs. Sanchez continued to work up the crowd. “Come on, ladies, let’s show Joe our appreciation for going out of his way to help the auction with this amazing cake.”
Hoots and hollers erupted in the crowd.
“She might not be saying that if she tasted it,” Joe whispered in Piper’s ear.
She nearly jumped out of her skin. While she’d been checking out the competition, he’d moved to stand next to her. Piper searched for a response, but her mind was buzzing with a million thoughts at once, the main question being: What was he doing standing with her?
She swallowed hard. “I...I’m sure it’s good.”
“Don’t tell anyone, but it’s out of a box.”
Something wet pressed to Piper’s hand. She immediately glanced down, finding the chocolate Lab sitting next to Joe.
“Well, hello.” She knelt down to pet Java. “You look very happy.”
“He ought to be. I think he’s about to eat me out of house and home. Luckily, Mrs. Sanchez doesn’t mind a four-legged houseguest.”
“She’s always so generous.”
Joe patted the dog’s head. “I suppose you’re going to want Java back when the festival is over.”
“I don’t know about that. Looks like you two were meant to be together.”
Joe asked the dog if he wanted to stay with him, and the dog barked before licking his hand.
“Guess that’s your answer.” Piper smiled, knowing that Java would have a wonderful home with Joe. She glanced back at the podium. “I think the bidding on your cake has started.”
Piper was truly impressed that he’d taken the time to bake a cake. She couldn’t help herself. She placed a bid. In the very next breath, some blonde outbid her, followed by some other eager young ladies.
Not about to be outdone, Piper raised her hand to bid again, but Joe pulled her hand down as the bidding ensued between three very eager women.
When Piper frowned at him, he said, “Let them have the cake. It’s probably not very good anyway. However, if you’re in the market for a very foolish man who’s madly in love with you, I hear he can be bought at a very reasonable price.”
Her heart leaped into her throat. Her gaze searched his eyes, looking for the truth. “What...what are you saying?”
“I’m saying if you’d like to bid on this novice baker, I can be had for a good price.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. He was flirting with her.
She swallowed hard, searching for the appropriate response. “Really? And how much is this novice baker?”
“Hmm...let’s see. Why don’t we start with a couple of kisses and see where things go from there? But first, there’s something I’d like to propose.”
Oh no. The smile slipped from her face. “What would that be?”
“Well, you know how I’m rebuilding the coffee shop?” When she nodded, he continued. “I was wondering how you’d feel about putting in a connecting door linking your bakery with my coffee shop.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I thought it’d make things so much easier for us to go back and forth.”
Her heart raced. “And...and why would we do that?”
He turned to her and pulled her close. “Because if you hadn’t noticed, I’m absolutely crazy about you. I know I didn’t handle things well, but I love you.”
Happy tears welled up in her eyes. “I love you, too.”
His head dipped as he caught her lips with his. Being in his arms was like coming home. Nothing had ever felt so right.
Applause jarred them out of their little world.
He whispered in her ear, “How about we take this someplace more private?”
“Not yet.”
Joe frowned at her. “What else could be more important? After all, the festival is a smashing success. They don’t need us any longer.”
“You’re forgetting something important.”
“Nothing could be more important than this.” He leaned forward and kissed her again.
She pressed a hand to his firm chest. “As good as that is, and it is very good indeed, there’s something else more pressing.”
Joe shrugged. “Well, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The hot air balloon. You promised me a ride.”
At last, he smiled again. “And so I did.” He held his hand out to her. “One hot air balloon ride coming up. And then can we do more of the kissing and stuff.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for more kissing and stuff.”
“Oh good.”
They’d started toward the balloon when her mother stepped in their way. “Piper, you did an excellent job with the festival. Everyone is very impressed.”
“Thank you, Mom. But I couldn’t have done it without Joe.”
Her mother turned to him. “Thank you, too.” Just as quickly, she turned back to Piper. “And you look fantastic. I’m so glad those supplements are helping you lose weight. See? You should have listened to me sooner.”
There was no way Piper was going to stand by and let her mother take credit for the hard work she’d put into getting fit. “Mom, I lost the weight in spite of you, not because of you. So going forward, any discussion about my weight is off-limits. Oh, and one more thing. You might want to be nicer to Joe since he’s going to be a permanent part of my life.”
Her mother gaped at them as Piper took Joe’s hand and started to walk away. But Joe didn’t budge. When she turned back, he was still staring at her mother.
“You should also know that I would love your daughter no matter what she weighs. She’s beautiful inside and out. You’d see that if you weren’t so worried about appearances. Your daughter is very special just the way she is. And I’m honored she wants to share her life with me.”
Piper couldn’t believe she’d almost let the man of her dreams get away.
She’d never ever make that mistake again.
Thanks so much for reading Piper and Joe’s story. I hope you had a really nice visit in Whistle Stop and that you’ll stop back again soon. If you did enjoy the book, please consider...
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Happy reading,
Jennifer
Coming Spring 2016...
A MOMENT TO CHERISH – A Whistle Stop Romance, book #4
Change is coming to the small town of Whistle Stop, but not fast enough for Mason Noble. His business is in big trouble and if he doesn’t do something drastic, he’s going to go bankrupt.
Bella Nez was born into a life of scandal, disgrace and poverty. Her mother had been Whistle Stop’s town drunk and she never knew her father. It’d taken all of Bella’s strength and determination to make something of herself.
When Mason starts working day and night with no explanation, Bella does her best to be the understanding fiancée. But when he surprises everyone by throwing his hat in the ring to run for mayor of Whistle Stop, she can’t stand by quietly. She never ever wanted her painful history rehashed. Now feeling like she’s in this relationship alone and about to have her life dissected by the media, she calls off the engagement...only later to find out that she’s pregnant!