Read the book: «Snowbound With The Best Man»

Chapter One

Kelly Nelson thrust a rose into the air and waved it around like a victory flag. “Yes!” She grinned at her daughter, cutting hearts out of leftover ivy leaves on the table beside her. “We got her!”

“Got who, Mom?” Lulu said.

“That lady from the wedding magazine. Samantha Douglas. The one Mommy’s been trying to convince since Christmas. She’s covering a Valentine’s Day event in Asheville, and I got her to agree to come up here afterward. I think she should do a piece on the wedding we’re having next weekend.”

Lulu grinned. “Yeah!” She sounded so excited that Kelly wondered if she had shared a bit too much of her frustration over getting the attention of the regional bridal magazine. Lulu should never think about how hard it was to keep a business afloat. Eight-year-olds shouldn’t give a thought to how old the van was getting or how last month’s storm sprung two new roof leaks. Children ought to spend their days happy and secure, right? Lulu could certainly share in celebrating their flower shop’s successes, but Kelly felt an obligation to ensure her daughter had no sense of struggle or worry.

“She’ll love us. She’ll love everything,” Lulu added, making Kelly smile.

“Yes, she will. And our valley has lots to love, doesn’t it?” In the past year, the entire community of the newly christened Matrimony Valley had put its efforts behind reinventing itself. What once had been a small, struggling mill town had bootstrapped itself, bride by bride, into becoming a quaint Smoky Mountain wedding destination.

And it was catching on. Maybe not quite fast enough to comfortably weather the seasonal nature of the wedding industry, but as one of the leaders of the Matrimony Valley “makeover,” Kelly was determined this would be the valley’s only lean winter. The coming summer was shaping up to be a promising second “high wedding season”—Kelly had floral contracts for no less than eight weddings between April and July.

Winter, however, hadn’t been so busy. Sure, there were life’s ordinary floral occasions—birthdays, funerals, anniversaries, parties—but times were still tough. Valentine’s Day surely helped, but what would help most was the upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend wedding. Without that, it would have been a longer, colder, more worrisome winter. After all, while brides might prefer May and June, heating and water and dentist and mortgage bills showed up all year long. Things were feeling tight, and a piece praising all their town had to offer, published by Southeastern Nuptials Magazine, would go a long way toward bringing in steadier business.

“Lots of ladies get proposed to on Valentine’s Day, you know,” Kelly explained to her daughter.

“That’s on Wednesday,” Lulu said, pointing to the big red heart Kelly had drawn on the shop calendar.

“That’s right. Which means on Thursday, lots of women will be thinking about where to get married.”

“And they should get married here,” Lulu said with complete authority. Lulu’s enthusiastic promotion of her Love in Bloom flower shop always lit a mile-wide glow in Kelly’s heart. If she ever doubted she was going to make it—something she did way too much—all she had to do was look in her daughter’s eyes. Lulu had hope enough for the both of them. She always had, Kelly thought with gratitude. Even in those dark days. She’s such a blessing to me, Lord. Thank You.

Lulu’s company made Saturdays Kelly’s favorite day in the shop. Having her daughter beside her just made everything bright and sunny, even if today’s skies were gray.

Lulu was lining up the ivy hearts in little pairs, parading them down the counter in sets of botanical “couples,” while Kelly finished up estimates and made preparations for upcoming deliveries. A busy week was just what Love in Bloom needed.

What it didn’t need, however, was the ominous buzzing sound and flickering lights that came from the refrigerated cooler behind her. You can’t die on me right before Valentine’s Day, Kelly silently warned the essential appliance. You’ve got to hang on until April, you hear?

“Mom, George winked at you again,” Lulu said.

“Why shouldn’t George like Valentine’s Day, too?” Kelly had adopted Lulu’s theory that the failing cooler Lulu had somehow named George was “winking” whenever the lights flickered rather than gathering speed toward a certain death. Denial can be its own form of optimism, she told herself.

Lulu continued her ivy leaf processionals. “Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. Daddy asked you to marry him on Valentine’s Day, didn’t he?”

These questions were always such a combination of sharp and sweet. If there was one thing Kelly was most proud of, it was how she’d kept Mark’s memory alive for Lulu. Her little girl never hesitated to bring her late father into any conversation. It kept Mark with them. And while the sting in her heart at the mention of him no longer stole her breath or made her duck into another room to hide a surge of tears, questions like this still made her heart ache for the love of her life now gone. “He did. And to anyone else, it might have been an ordinary holiday.” She gave Lulu a gentle poke on the nose. “But, of course, we never had an ordinary day after that.”

Mark had been one of those rare men who could make any day extraordinary. The man could make pancakes a celebration, or a walk through the park an adventure. He’d loved his young daughter—and his wife—with a devotion and an enthusiasm few men possessed.

Mark would have loved the idea of George the winking cooler. He’d always encouraged Kelly when her flowers were just a pilot’s wife’s little side business. It gave Kelly comfort to think of him up in heaven, smiling down in the knowledge that his life insurance payout had funded the launch of Love in Bloom as a full-fledged career.

A career she would have loved more with Mark beside her. He’d given her a lifetime of memories, with just too much lifetime left without him to have to survive on memories alone.

“Gone far too soon,” everyone who knew him said. They were so very right.

“So now, with Samantha Douglas coming to watch, we’d better make this next wedding extraordinary, hadn’t we?”

“It’s the reindeer one, right?”

Kelly laughed. “Elk, honey. But that’s the one. We’re going to host the best elk wedding ever. Maybe the first elk wedding ever, huh?” This particular wedding was not only a welcome end to the January lull, but a creative challenge. The groom was one of the rangers from the local park known for its herd of elk. So much of the decor and wedding elements focused on the elk that everyone in Matrimony Valley had come to refer to the upcoming event as “the elk wedding.”

“It’s going to be special,” Lulu said as she pointed to the corkboard on the shop’s back wall. Photos and drawings from Kelly’s conversation with the bride showed a bright collection of reds, flannels, burlap and pine. “I like all the red.”

“Me, too,” Kelly replied. In fact, she’d been delighted at the event’s unique backwoods flair. The bride and each of the bridesmaids would be wearing red plaid flannel boleros over their dresses, as well as hunting boots with red lace shoelaces underneath their skirts. The bouquets and centerpieces boasted lots of pine. The whole event was going to be beautiful, inventive, casual and fun.

“It’s the perfect wedding for us to show off, that’s for sure.” Maybe it would even land them a picture on the cover. A Southeastern Nuptials Magazine cover story could highlight the valley’s commitment to making each wedding special to the couple—to a degree most larger venues couldn’t match. “All those phone calls and emails to Samantha Douglas finally paid off.” Now the shop—and the whole valley—could take some serious leaps forward. No more George the winking cooler and no more worrying if the roof and furnace would withstand the next cold snap. Kelly was bone tired of adding up bills, squeaking by on materials and saying too many prayers for God to plant them on more solid financial ground.

Lulu slid off the stool as George winked again. “Can I put the heart in the window?”

Celebrate what you have instead of fretting about what you don’t. “Absolutely, kiddo.” Kelly reached into the drawer below the cash register to pull out a big red knitted heart. Earlier this year, Matrimony Valley’s mayor and chief wedding planner—not to mention Kelly’s best friend—Jean Matrim Tyler had instituted a little ritual Lulu loved. Jean had knitted a big red heart for each business on Main Street, a large ornament of sorts that could be hung in a shop window.

Whenever any of the businesses in Matrimony Valley—from the Hailey’s Inn Love inn to the Bridal Bliss bakery to Marvin’s Sweet Hearts Ice Cream Shop or even Williams Catch Your Match fishing outfitters—had good news of any sort, they hung the heart in their window. Sure, it was a tad silly, but Jean was right. In the valley’s long, slow struggle to reinvent itself as a wedding destination after the mill closed, celebrating every victory—and sharing those victories with your friends and neighbors—was important. And scoring coverage for this special wedding was a victory indeed.

“Hang it on the special hook so everyone can see.” Kelly handed the heart to her daughter. She reminds me to be thankful, Kelly thought, as Lulu climbed into the front window and hung the heart right in front. “See any others?”

For Lulu and many of the valley’s children, hunting for the hearts was a regular pastime. Just the kind of charm Southeastern Nuptials would love to cover. Maybe she should ask Jean to knit up a souvenir heart for the magazine writer to take home.

“Ooh—there’s one in Mr. Marvin’s window!” cried Lulu. “Maybe he invented a new flavor like reindeer rainbow sherbet.”

It would be just like Marvin Jennings to whip up a reindeer-or elk-themed flavor. Of all the shops in Matrimony Valley, his Sweet Hearts Ice Cream Shop had been one of the most enthusiastic adopters of Mayor Jean’s Matrimony Valley idea. Patronizing Sweet Hearts was a Saturday tradition for her and Lulu.

“We should go investigate,” Kelly said. “Right after I send this estimate to a potential August bride.”

“Tell her we’re wonderful.”

“I will,” Kelly promised as she hit the Send button on the email.

“When does the reindeer—elk wedding bride get here?” Lulu loved meeting the brides. What little girl doesn’t love all the fuss and ruffles of a wedding—even if those ruffles are red plaid flannel?

“Miss Tina, the bride, and Mr. Darren, the groom, both come in on Thursday, the day after Valentine’s Day. That’s the same day Ms. Douglas is scheduled to arrive, too. We’ve got a big week ahead of us. But guess what?”

“What?”

“The best man is coming in early—today, in fact—to spend the week vacationing here in the valley. And Miss Hailey at the inn told me he is the father of the flower girl. So you’ll have a new flower girl to get to know for a whole week this time.”

“That’s worth two hearts. Too bad we only have one,” Lulu exclaimed.

“I’ll talk to Mayor Jean and see what I can do,” Kelly replied, delighted to see her daughter’s enthusiasm. Meeting any flower girls who came for weddings was Lulu’s greatest joy, for while Lulu had friends in the valley, she hadn’t really connected with any of the girls in that “best friend” way every mother wants for her child. Lulu’s unofficial “flower girl ambassador” role helped to fill that void, and Kelly hoped this wedding’s flower girl would be no exception. She didn’t want Lulu to feel left behind in all the wedding and Valentine tasks falling to her in the next ten days. Of all the events for Jean, the valley’s usual chief wedding planner, to be out of commission for, this one posed the biggest challenge. Jean was right, however—no hired-in planner could handle an opportunity so tailor-made for Matrimony Valley. Kelly would have to step up and serve as both florist and chief planner for this wedding. A whole week with a fun new friend could be the answer to this busy single mother’s prayer.

Lulu looked out the window at the inn across the street, where nearly all the town’s wedding guests stayed. “I wonder if she likes ice cream.”

“I think every little girl likes ice cream.” Kelly closed her laptop. “We do, so let’s go get some.” She pulled the “back in 30 min” sign from its peg on the wall and hung it on the shop door. Some day she’d have a brand-new van and more employees who could keep the store open for her while she was out. Some day she could take her daughter for ice cream on a Saturday without a hint of worry if she’d missed any business.

With Samantha Douglas covering the elk wedding for the whole region to see, perhaps that day would come soon.

* * *

Bruce Lohan watched his five-year-old daughter bounce on the hotel bed. She’d been totally unimpressed with the pile of newly purchased sticker and coloring books he’d just produced from a corner of his suitcase. He’d spent a fortune on activity books and had a stack of tourist attraction brochures as long as his arm, but Carly’s attention was captured by the mountain of flowery fabric on her bed. Flowers and ruffles. Her little-girl fascinations were growing more foreign to him all the time.

“This bed has so many ruffles, Daddy,” she said as she bounced. “Can I have one like it at home?”

“I’d never find you in all those ruffles. What would anyone do with a pilot who...lost...his own daughter?” His voice hitched just a bit on the word lost, the way it always did when the ordinary word popped up in conversation. Lost stopped being an ordinary word when Bruce “lost” his wife to cancer two years ago. The thought of losing Carly—even as a joke among a mountain of fluffy fabric ripples—was enough to make his heart momentarily ice over.

He pulled up his mental checklist of father-daughter vacation activities. “Shall we go for a walk and see how the waterfall freezes over?”

“Nope,” she declined, flopping down from the incessant bouncing to run her fingers along a pillow’s line of tassel trim. “I’m fine.”

“Well, then, let’s go exploring for animal tracks in the woods. You can wear your new boots.”

Carly rolled over onto her back. “It’s cold outside.” She wiggled her fingers up in the air. “My fingers’ll get all numbly.”

Numbly. Back in Sandy’s last days, Bruce remembered praying for numb. Pleading for God to make the pain to stop so that each breath wouldn’t feel like swallowing fire. Now, he wasn’t sure his ever-present “numbly” was any gift at all. These days, the only things he could honestly say he felt were instantaneous pangs of fear and loss. Pangs that kept poking up in his life like trip wires, driving a need to stay busy that bordered on compulsion.

Action was the only defense he had. Motion was his best protection against the niggling sensation that one of these days he’d stop feeling altogether. Except for Carly. Sweet, precious Carly. There were stretches where the fierce love he bore her felt like the only fixed thing keeping him upright. The only feeling he still possessed. And yet, even that came with the suffocating ache that his grief kept him from loving Carly well. Or right. Or enough. Losing Sandy had hollowed him out inside. Raising Carly seemed to require so much more from him than he had to give.

“Dad,” Carly moaned, her blond head surfacing from behind a tidal wave of ruffled pillows.

“What?”

“You went away again.”

How poor was a father’s lack of focus if even a five-year-old could pick up on it? No matter how he tried to hide it behind a busy day of activities, Carly still knew when his thoughts of Sandy’s absence pulled him under.

It was so much easier to hide at work. The precise demands of helicopter piloting were almost a release from the fog of daily interaction. In the air for the Forest Service, Bruce could be engrossed, analytical, responsive, almost mechanical. On the ground, where he had to be human, everything stymied him. He couldn’t hope to be happy, so he settled for busy.

But busy wasn’t happy. He had to start finding his way toward happy, or at least away from numb. This trip was supposed to help do that, but they’d been here one hour and already he felt as if he was just spinning wheels.

“Well,” he said to Carly, hoping he masked his sense of emptiness, “we can’t just sit around. You were sitting in the car all the way here.” He’d tried to make the drive an event in itself, taking Carly up North Carolina’s scenic Blue Ridge Parkway on the way to Matrimony Valley. The plan was that the route would launch the whole trip in a special way. Be more fun than slogging down the highway from their home in Kinston, right?

Wrong. He’d messed that up, as well. It had been a stupid, misguided idea to give Carly hints that there might be unicorns in the vast forest.

Carly’s unicorns. If there was anything that stymied him more than his fog, it was his daughter’s imaginary unicorns. She seemed to deal with Sandy’s loss by imagining unicorn sightings. Mom sends them, she’d explained to Bruce when he had asked, breaking the last pieces of his heart into bits.

Sandy had sent him no such signs of comfort. Or symbols that he was doing okay. In fact, an accurate description of his life would be that it was one big, messy glob of anything but okay. Maybe he’d gain some sign of approval when he did something to actually deserve it. The trouble was coming up with what that might be.

So, he’d chosen to give Carly more unicorns. He took them on the scenic mountain highway and stopped dozens of times along the way to take in the sights and allow lots of unicorns to make their appearance.

It hadn’t worked. At. All.

Instead, Carly grew increasingly disappointed that no unicorns had appeared. How had that happened? How could a little girl’s own imagination disappoint her? What did the sightings—or lack of them—mean? He had no idea, but it could hardly be a good thing that Carly had somehow chosen for her imaginary unicorns to stay in hiding today.

He’d failed her, and he couldn’t even say how. Way to be Dad of the Year—I’ve already botched the first hours of vacation. Not hard to see why Sandy never let you plan outings, is it?

And there it was, one more item for the long list of things Sandy did better than he could ever hope to. Sandy could plan one activity and make it a golden, memorable moment. Bruce could plan six and not get a single one to “stick.” How fair was it that Carly—who had already lost so much—now paid the price for his mountain of deficiencies?

“Hey,” she said, as something caught her eye. She rolled off the bed and bounded beyond him to the window, pressing her nose against the lowest pane and peering down at the row of shops along “Aisle Avenue,” the town’s main street. “Look,” she said as he walked up behind her. Carly pointed to a sign hanging from a shop across from them with a picture of a huge ice-cream cone painted on it.

“What does that sign say?” she asked coyly.

It says, “Dad, can we have ice cream?” That’s what it says. “It says Marvin’s Sweet Hearts Ice Cream Shop.”

She turned to him. “Ice cream?” Her words were as sweet as any dessert this guy Marvin could hope to serve up. “We could have some, couldn’t we?”

Bruce teased her by faking a yawn. “I don’t know. Seems like you’d rather nap in all those pillows. I know I could use a few winks.”

“Napping’s for babies,” Carly declared quickly. “You said we were gonna do lots of fun things on this vacation. So...eating ice cream is fun, right?” She returned to the window and let out a squeal. “Look! There’s a little girl like me going inside.”

As far as Bruce knew, Carly was the only girl her age invited to the wedding. Her role as flower girl was part of what would hopefully make this trip so special. Of course, Matrimony Valley was an actual town, not a resort, so it stood to reason that children and families lived here. They’d driven past a school on their way into town. And Carly was right in one respect: eating ice cream was a fun thing to do. None of his earlier suggestions lit up her face like it was now, that was certain.

“I don’t see why we can’t.” He took Carly’s hand. “Maybe all the little girls in Matrimony Valley like ice cream.”

“Everyone everywhere likes ice cream.” Carly laughed. The sound eased the tightness of Bruce’s chest. As they made their way down the staircase to the inn’s lobby, Carly chatted on about how any girl who liked ice cream must be nice. Kids made friends like that all the time, didn’t they? Sandy’s gift for friendship was so evident in Carly—every stranger was someone wonderful Carly just hadn’t met yet.

Go eat ice cream. Go be friendly, he told himself as they crossed Aisle Avenue. Shove yourself back into life this week, for Carly’s sake if for nothing else.