Champagne and Lemon Drops: A Blueberry Springs Chick Lit Contemporary Romance (25 page)

Not like Nash. She smiled at her stable,
reliable Nash. He didn't have weird stuff hiding under the surface
that would mess up everything or cause her mass confusion.

Since the phone call, she'd stopped
sheltering everyone from the fact that she was moving on with Nash.
She no longer went out of her way to avoid ripples from her new
life rocking Oz's boat. She no longer dropped Nash's hand in
public, or refrained from kissing him in the grocery store.
Protecting Oz had only landed him and his screwed up ass in jail
anyway. She needed to live her life and be the Beth Nash had fallen
for in Paris.

She set the CDs aside. Out of sight. Out of
mind.

"You mean that was
from
your patients?" Nash
touched a dog-eared corner. "Second-hand," he scoffed, superiority
lilting his voice. He leaned against her, digging in his pants
pocket.

She shoved her curls from her face and
stated, "It's a rare compilation. My first set was stolen from Oz's
truck."

Nash turned slowly, color creeping deep into
his cheeks. "Oz?"

"Yeah. It's from Oz." She met his eye,
jutting her chin. As long as they stayed in Blueberry Springs, the
man would always be in her life one way or another, just like they
would be in Oz's.

With a smile Nash squeezed Beth's arm and
boasted, "I can top that!"

"Ooooh, this should be good." Gran placed
her hands in her lap, a snifter of sherry perched carefully on the
arm of her easy chair. "He's a good gift giver," she said knowingly
to Cynthia. She raised her eyebrows meaningfully at the bottle of
sherry Nash had given her.

Nash stood and adjusted his navy cable-knit
sweater. Clearing his throat, he addressed her family, "Thank you
for sharing your Christmas festivities with me. I hope to share
many more."

He gestured for Beth to stand and hesitantly
she obliged. "What are you doing?" she whispered. Speeches were a
bit formal for the Wilkinson clan. She blushed, shooting her sister
an apologetic look, but Cynthia kept her gaze focused on Nash, her
eyes burning through him like they were secret-popping lasers.

Nash positioned an arm across Beth's
shoulders. "As you all know, I love Beth very much."

Beth blushed. They'd only shared the L word
a few weeks ago. She'd made them both wait, wanting to be sure it
was an emotion she genuinely felt.

He lowered himself onto one knee.

Beth's pulse quickened like a panicked
jackrabbit, and her eyes darted to the exit.

Gran squealed and clapped.

Her mind yelled
run
!

This couldn't be happening.

They hardly knew each other.

She still loved Oz.

No. No, she didn't. She couldn't love Oz any
more. She loved Nash.

But Nash
had
to be joking. This
was too soon.

She licked her lips and swallowed in an
effort to moisten her dry throat. Her lungs became inflexible
steel, refusing to draw air.

Oh, my God. She still loved Oz. Ohmigod. The
room tilted dangerously to the right.

Nash was talking. Smiling. Looking up at her
with such open trust and love.

Time. We need time.

Nash continued, smiling. In his sparkling
eyes she saw calm, trust, stability, and love. Lots of love. And a
chance. A chance to dodge everything from loneliness to heartbreak
to infertility. With him she could be anyone. She could have her
dream and the freedom and support to try new things.

Right now.

He gathered her sweaty hands in his own.

He was safe. He wouldn't hurt her. She
focused on all she loved about him and that tiny, happy feeling
deep inside her, beneath the worries.

"Bethany Anne Wilkinson, will you marry
me?"

Her head started to bob.

She loved him.

Her voice wavering, she replied, "Yes," her
head still bobbing.

Gran hooted and Dan gave a strange bird call
in celebration. Nash slid a large ring onto Beth's trembling
finger. The princess-cut diamond weighed heavy and swung upside
down. Nash twisted the ring upright and it glinted in the room's
light, the diamond perfectly proportioned and massive. She would
never be able to slide her hand into her jeans pocket ever
again.

The room tilted again. Beth swayed, unable
to take her eyes off her finger.

This wasn't Paris. This was different.

She took a deep breath. Life was an
adventure. She couldn't know what she liked and didn't like until
she tried it. He was an amazing man and the potential was endless.
And she loved him. This was just a ring.

"We'll get it sized," Nash said.

"Ha! Ha!" Gran shouted. "Guess what her new
name will be?"

Beth closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp
breath. Beth Leham. Bethlehem.

Oh no.

Tears stung her eyes as she folded herself
into Nash's waiting arms, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"So, what's the rush?" Cynthia asked
quietly. "Are you pregnant, Beth?"

Beth let out a half-snort of laughter,
unburying her face from Nash's sweater. "No."

Her sister watched the two of them clinging
to each other. Dan slipped an arm around Cynthia's shoulder and
gave the newly engaged couple a cheeky grin. "Why wait, Cynthia?
Life's too short to wait around if you know who you want."

"Yes, but I worry..." Cynthia looked away
from Beth and swallowed hard.

Nash's chest expanded like he was about to
speak. She placed a hand on his chest and said, "You worry that I
am on the rebound? That this isn't what I want?"

Cynthia gave a half-nod. "Sorry, Nash."

"It's all right," Nash said. "I appreciate
your honesty. And I know you are looking out for your sister's best
interests."

"Nash and I have been together as more than
friends since Paris."

"I knew it!" shouted Gran, slapping the arm
of her chair. "Woo!" She grabbed her wobbling snifter. "Close one!"
She took a large swallow. She waved at Beth and Nash. "And in case
anyone actually cares, I approve." She shot Dan a look. "He came by
to ask permission. That man knows some manners."

Beth turned to Nash in pleased surprise.
"You did?"

He gave a self-conscious nod.

She gave him a hug. "You're awesome." There
was something about Nash that always made her feel honored and
cherished.

Cynthia finally spoke again, "You two have
only been together for two months?"

Beth nodded. "We've been friends for a long
time though." She stared at her sister, daring her to say more.
Dan's eyes rolled back slightly, like he was counting months in his
head.

"I know," Beth said impatiently. "I get it.
This seems rushed, but it feels right to me. Okay?" Tears pricked
at the back of her eyes.

Nash spoke up. "Beth is an incredible woman.
I will do good by her. We get along well and there is no reason to
wait. It would be wonderful to be married before I finish my
contract here in Blueberry Springs." He took her hand and smiled.
"I've made up my mind and it sounds like she has, too. I'd like to
make an honest woman of her." He gave her a wink and a kiss and
turned to her family. "Can I have your support?"

"Got mine already!" said Gran, knocking back
another snifter of sherry. "Damn fine stuff, my future
grandson-in-law. As long as you keep me in this stuff you can have
both the girls for all I care!"

"Gran!" protested Cynthia and Beth together,
but only Beth laughed.

"Oh, don't go getting your panties in a
knot. You know what I mean. Life's too bloody short. You both know
that. If you've found yourself some love, eat it up."

Nash piped up, "Exactly!"

"There's always divorce if you mistake lust
for love."

Chapter 15

Beth sat in the bedroom, twirling her
engagement ring around and around her finger. Unspoken words
circled her mind like a mantra: Live life. Have kids. Be happy.

Was life really that simple again? It was
mind-blowing how in less than a year she was back to where she had
started, only with a different fiancé. How did she get so lucky as
to fall in love twice?

Sitting under the tree
after all the gifts had been opened last week she'd been struck by
something she hadn't expected. The need to stay in Blueberry
Springs. Not just until Nash was done his temporary contract, but
forever. The place, as crazy and buttinsky as it was, was her home.
It always had been and it always would be. The people here knew
her. Sure, they thought she was the same person she'd been as a
teen and didn't see the girl who could break out and be adventurous
like Nash did. But they also knew her history and the things she'd
fought against. She didn't have to explain herself. This was the
place where she needed to raise her family. The people here would
take care of her, her family, her life. These were her people. As
strange as it was to admit, Blueberry Springs was
family.
Her
family.

She flipped open a thank you card she'd
received last week from a former patient's grown-up son. The card
had brought home exactly why she was still a recreational therapist
and hadn't run off to become a nanny or anything else during her
desperate moments. This card was proof that what she did every day
made a difference in the lives of others. She could provide hope
and meaning in a tough time. She had improved someone's quality of
life just by being her and by doing her job. This was who she was.
She was community. She was family.

And she didn't want to end
up where she didn't know the people walking down the street. She
didn't want to be anonymous and worry that nobody was looking out
for her family. She wanted to be a longtime resident. Someone
everyone knew and had always known. She wanted to fill the town
with
her
people—for Blueberry Springs to be the place it was for Katie
and Oz. She wanted to be connected.

The only thing she needed
to do was convince Nash that Blueberry Springs was the
place.
Their
place. And that it would be good for them both.

And the first step in showing him that this
was their place would be convincing him to have the wedding here.
The second step would be drawing Katie in to help her out.
Yesterday she sent Katie a wine basket, barely refraining from
adding a little white flag. Again, all she had to do was wait; the
girl couldn't hold a grudge forever.

Nash entered the room with
a cup of hot chocolate. He carefully handed it to her and sat
beside her, flipping open a Moleskin notebook. "I called a friend
in Dakota to see if we could get the stone cathedral on the corner
of 23
^rd
.
Dates for the spring and summer are gone, but there is a
cancellation in April and one in late August. Unless we want
mid-week or an early morning wedding?" He glanced up from his
notes.

Beth took a sip of her hot chocolate and
shook her head. No way. A morning wedding wasn't the kind of affair
she was looking for. That was for city people who were in a hurry.
A wedding was an event.

"What we need to do," he continued, "is
decide on a date. People are asking and it's been well over a week
since our engagement." Nash straightened his faded med school
t-shirt and paused to consult his list. He got up to flick off the
overhead lights, leaving the bedside lamp to light up the room.
Beth continued sipping her hot chocolate while he paced the room,
pausing to tap his notebook thoughtfully.

She absentmindedly fidgeted with her ring.
She liked the idea of a spring wedding, but it felt a bit quick.
She didn't want to seem desperate, but like Nash often said, there
were no guarantees, and if you wanted something and could have it,
why wait?

"Once we set a possible date we'll go to
Dakota and look at available venues."

Beth rolled off her socks, tossing them in
the growing heap of discarded clothes near the laundry basket. "I
thought we were getting married here," she said, slipping into her
pajamas.

"Uh... in town?" Nash's brow furrowed, and
his lips turned down. He dropped her crumpled clothes in the
laundry basket and Beth laughed at his fastidiousness. She reached
over and gave him a quick kiss.

"This is where most of our guests live and
it's where we live." Seeing how he didn't look convinced, she
continued, "It doesn't feel right to trek to the city for the
wedding." She scrunched her nose at the idea of having to figure
out the best cakes, facilities, flowers, and everything else in the
city. That would turn her into a bridezilla for sure. She knew how
to plan a wedding here. Not there. "We'd have to pay city people
for flowers and cake and there are people here who could use the
business." If she was going to start a life here, a wedding would
say loud and clear that this was the place she planned to make her
home. "It will be a lot cheaper here, too."

"This isn't about money, Beth. It's about
presentation."

Beth laughed. "You sound like Katie."

"Did she reply to your gift?" Beth shook her
head and Nash continued his argument, "Is it fair to have my guests
driving all the way out to the middle of nowhere?" He scoffed. "Are
there even hotels here?"

"Of course there is a hotel. There are rooms
above the bar."

Nash snorted. "That might not be what my
friends are used to."

"Oh, tell them to live a little. They might
find it quaint. Like the B&B outside town."

"That was last decorated in the '90s," he
said with scorn.

"It's cute!"

Nash raised an eyebrow and quirked his
lips.

"Well, we think it's cute," she said with a
giggle. "Are all your friends from the city?"