Page 124 of First Bride to Fall
Somehow, though, she didn’t think it would be.
“I’ll text you,” she promised them. “The minute I get there.”
…
Grant poked at his chicken parmigiana, attempting to stir up his appetite, but he was anything but hungry. He’d found this container of leftovers when he’d unpacked his groceries yesterday after coming home from the cabin. Nell must have put it together for him and tucked it into one of the grocery bags. If he’d known about it, he would have thanked her, but it seemed awkward reaching out to her now.
“This is really good,” Jordan said, sitting across from him. Wanting company for his misery, Grant had invited Jordan to dinner. He’d also had plenty of food to share.
“Yeah,” Grant answered. “It is.”
It had felt crowded at his little cabin with Nell there, but having her around had also made the place seem homier. He could still see her in his mind’s eye, sitting on the sofa by the woodstove, knitting on that silly hat of hers. He’d never forget how beautiful she’d looked when he’d come back from fishing only to find her knitting by the fire. And she’d accomplished so much. Even chopped wood. Pretty amazing.
She was pretty amazing, or she was going to be for the right guy.
My domestic goddess, sure.
He sighed, thinking of their hike in the rain and that water fight behind the cabin. As long as he lived, he didn’t think he’d ever forget that rainbow or the look on her face when she’d seen it. He’d never met anyone he’d had that much fun with, or that he’d been as attracted to, either. There’d been their teasing banter about the corny frozen vegetables and that fierce way she’d beaten him at Scrabble, and then their amazing make-out session on the couch.
When she’d hilariously made up those stories about her camping expertise and that phantom bat that had invaded his cabin, she’d been so cute and convincing he’d barely been able to resist laughing out loud and then hugging her. He’d gotten her back with his stories about being a pescatarian and his tall tale about Robby, but canny Nell had seen right through him. She was smart and determined, giving every task her top effort.
She’d been rightly proud of herself for wielding that log splitterandfor putting up that impossible tent. Nell Delaney was an impressive woman, capable of pretty much anything she set her mind to. Including, very depressingly, getting rid of him.
“You can still reach out to her, you know,” Jordan said.
Grant set down his fork. “There’s still that bet about Aidan and London.”
He frowned, wondering if she was already on a plane by now.
Jordan stared at him in surprise. “You don’t think she’s actually going to do it?”
Someone knocked at his door, which was unusual. Not many people came up this way after dark, only the occasional hiker or camper looking for his store, which was located at the top of his drive. His Alpine-style A-frame was set back a few hundred yards behind it in the woods. In the summer months, it was mostly concealed by the edge of the forest, but you could see telltale signs of his house from the main road once the leaves started to drop off the trees.
The open floorplan was simple, with a kitchen at one end and a dining area at the other. The section in the center housed living room furniture and looked out through a floor-to-ceiling window onto a deck and into the trees. He slept in a simple loft area upstairs that was only accessible by a built-in ladder.
“Who’s that?” asked Jordan.
“No idea. I’ll go and see.”
Grant stood and went to the door, switching on the outdoor lights.
When he opened it, Nell stood on his steps.
“I’m sorry to surprise you.” She shrugged with an adorable blush. “Maybe I should have texted first.”
You could have knocked him over with a feather. “No, no. It’s fine.” He tried to gather his wits. “Want to come in?”
She shook her head and looked down at a package in her hands. “I can’t stay. I just wanted to drop this off, so you have it for your birthday.”
He saw that it was a midsize gift covered in colorful wrapping paper showcasing geometric cubes. It had a big blue bow on top.
His throat burned hot. “You didn’t have to—”
“I know.” She gave a dejected smile. “But I wanted to.”
She handed it to him, and he accepted the package.
“You’re a really great guy, Grant.” Her golden-brown eyes sparkled, and for a moment he was lost in them. “You deserve to be happy.”
