Brightly colored pole banners lined the short stretch of road leading to the Wine and Arts Festival where vendor tents beckoned attendees with unique pieces of artisan work, from glass and metalwork, to pottery and textiles, jewelry and more, along with a wide variety of distinctive fine wine. A large white gazebo stood in the center, with a four-piece jazz band entertaining the crowd.
Karyn turned to Grayson in the car. “Oh, look! There’s Dad and Joie. And Nash Billingley—and the Dilworth sisters.” This gathering was one of her favorite festivals.
“Geez, where are we supposed to park?” Grayson lifted his eyebrows as they passed a packed shuttle unloading at the gate. “I mean, look at this crowd.”
“No worries. Leigh Ann gave me a preferred parking pass.” She reached inside her bag and hung a bright turquoise-colored badge from his rearview mirror.
He grinned. “Pays to know people in high places.”
Minutes later they were parked and at the entry gate. Karyn looped her hand in the crook of Grayson’s arm and pulled him past the ticket taker with a grin and a wave.
“Let me guess,” Grayson said. “Another family perk?”
She grinned. “Yup, that’s how this Abbott family rolls.”
They strolled past a booth displaying earthenware and pottery of all colors and sizes. Grayson slowed. “Man, there’s some nice stuff here.”
“Yeah, no doubt. And a portion of all the proceeds goes to benefit the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.” The lightness in her step reflected the way she felt inside. It was a beautiful day and she was here with a great guy, someone she really enjoyed.
Hopefully, the occasional stares were in appreciation of her blue and white sleeveless dress and matching sandals, and not merely a fixation on the fact Dean Macadam’s widow was in public with another man who was not their beloved hero.
The thought prompted her to stiffen and remove her hand, a move that caused Grayson to glance her way. “Anything wrong?”
She innocently lifted her eyebrows. “No—why?”
Before Grayson could follow up, her Dad and Joie stepped from the crowd and approached.
“Hey, you two.” Her dad extended his hand, looking extremely gratified to see them together.
Grayson shook his hand. “Hey, Mr. Abbott. Nice seeing you again.”
“Please, friends call me Edwin.”
The invitation to be less formal seemed to please Grayson. He smiled. “Then Edwin it is.”
Her dad looked between them. “You two just get here?”
“Yes, only a few minutes ago,” she confirmed. “Traffic is backed up to Dollar Road. Bumper-to-bumper.” She turned to Joie, who seemed distracted. “Hey, Sis. What’s up?”
“Hey.”
Karyn recalled seeing her sister leave the lodge early in the morning and put two-and-two together. “You looking for someone?”
Joie’s head instantly flipped around. “Uh, no. Why?”
While her dad and Grayson chatted about steelhead runs up at Redfish Lake, Karyn leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I saw you leaving the lodge the other morning.”
When her sister simply stared with no response, Karyn winked and emphasized, “Very early.”
“Look, I gotta go.” Joie turned to their father and Grayson. “Catch you guys later. Nice seeing you again, Grayson.” She pivoted and walked away into the crowd, her attention buried in her phone, her fingers working furiously over the face of the device.
“Where’s Joie heading off to?” her dad asked.
She shrugged. “She didn’t really say.”
“Yoo-hoo!”
They all turned in the direction of the female voice. A slightly-built woman with a long, flowing skirt and a peasant top waved. “Oh, Edwin!”
Her dad waved as the woman approached. “Hey, Penny. Good to see you. Grayson, Karyn—this is Penny Baker. She just moved to town.”
“Nice to meet everyone,” she said, her warm eyes lighting up. She held up her glass of wine. “This pinot noir is delicious. Grown in the Willamette Valley in Oregon—where I’m from.”
Grayson nodded. “Great area.”
“You’ve been there?” she asked.
“Oh, yes. Many times.”
“Edwin!” Another female voice drew their attention from the opposite direction.
Elda Vaughn hurried toward them, carrying a large piece of yard art.
Karyn fought back a grin and inconspicuously elbowed her dad. “Uh-oh,” she whispered.
The look that sprouted on his face clearly indicated he shared her assessment of the situation.
Elda joined them and juggled her art piece to the ground. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” she gushed, caressing the intricate wrought iron. She eyed Penny. “Why, hello. You’re new here.” She said this as a statement more than a question.
Remembering his manners, Edwin stepped forward and made introductions, adding, “Penny was just telling us she grew up in Oregon.”
Elda’s icy stare melted into a warm smile. “Oh? I have relatives in Burns.”
The two women exchanged stories about their neighboring state, chattering about whales at Depot Bay, the tulip farm in Woodburn and how they both detested driving in downtown Portland.
Karyn finally interrupted. “We need to be moving on. There’s a booth I want to hit before his wares are all picked over.” She turned to her father’s lady friends. “Nice seeing you both. We’ll catch up with you later, Dad.”
A helpless look crossed her father’s face. She laughed and pulled on Grayson’s elbow.
When they were far enough away not to be overhead, Grayson gestured with his thumb pointing over his shoulder. “Let me guess. Bo-Peeps?”
A wide grin immediately sprouted on her face. “Yup.”
They spent the next minutes wandering past more vendor tents, admiring hand-painted art in unique frames, fired pottery pieces and her all-time favorite—a booth featuring Sun Valley Mustard and food items made with mountain huckleberries.
Her heart picked up a tempo when she looked over at Grayson, felt a tiny thrill when he wove her fingers with his own.
Fresh air caught and held in Karyn’s lungs as she thought about how natural it felt to be with him. How much sweeter life seemed when he was walking beside her. Kind of like how coffee gets better when you added caramel syrup and a dab of cream.
Relationships were complicated matters. Romantic connections, even more so.
She was proud of herself. Instead of remaining in a quagmire of loss, she’d boldly embraced wide-open possibility and the chance for happiness.
That was a big step.
They headed in the direction of the music coming from the gazebo with its white lattice top and hand-carved spindles. The structure looked straight out of a Hallmark movie. Of course, that was likely a result of strategic planning on her sister’s part, to give the festival a hometown feel.
Speaking of, where was her older sister?
“Who are you looking for?” Grayson asked as they stopped to enjoy the jazz trio’s talents.
“Leigh Ann,” she answered. “I expected we might run into her by now.”
“In this crowd?”
Grayson was right. More people were showing up. So much so that when they finished listening and moved on down another aisle of booths, her shoulders bumped with someone else’s several times.
Karyn looked over at Grayson. “Thank you for agreeing to come with me today.”
“Wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.” His hand tightened around her own, as he paused in front of one of the booths. “Hey, these are nice.” He lifted a delicate necklace from a display rack. The piece of jewelry featured a tiny seed pearl charm and a little metal plate with the word Believe hanging at the end of a long gold chain.
The artist, a man with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with a leather strap, stepped forward. “That particular design is hand-faceted.”
“May I?” Grayson bent his head in her direction.
The guy nodded. “Sure, go ahead.”
Karyn gave them both a bashful smile. She turned and lifted her long hair, allowing Grayson to place the pretty chain around her neck. His fingers brushed her skin as he fastened the chain, sending a tiny shiver across her shoulders.
“There,” he said, taking the hand mirror offered by the artist. “Take a look.”
She fingered the necklace as she admired the reflection. “It’s lovely. Really pretty.”
Grayson pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “We’ll take it.” He offered up his credit card.
“Oh, Grayson. You don’t have to do that.”
His eyes warmed. “I want to.”
As a sign of her gratitude, she lifted on her toes and brushed a light kiss across the surface of his cheek. As she pulled back, she paused—leveled a look at him.
His eyes met her own. They remained that way, staring intently, while the man rang up the sale.
Karyn felt his hands go to her waist. As if in a trance, she reacted and brought her fingers to his face, lightly followed the strong line of his jaw.
She realized he was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to.
He bent, his breath warm against her skin. With a low groan, he cradled her neck to capture her mouth with his own. His lips moved slowly into hers, deliberately, as he pulled her closer until their bodies met . . .
“Karyn?”
The woman’s terse voice sucked the breath from her lungs. She whirled.
There stood Dean’s parents.