Chapter 21
Solar lights. Check. Ryder had picked up a set from Sheffield’s on his way home.
Blankets and pillows. Check.
The food basket Tina handed him when he went inside to pay for his uneaten lunch. Check.
“A portable charcuterie board,” she said. “Cheese, meats, crackers, fruit, and veggies. And a bottle of wine to toast your engagement. Nothing fancy, but it elevates things, don’t you think? You are going to propose, aren’t you? A kiss like that says proposal.”
Portable speaker he never used? Check.
Playlist of American Standards on his phone. Check.
Ring hidden in the basket. Check.
He’d never admit it to anyone, but he’d googled “romantic proposal” to spark some ideas. Since he left a voicemail proposal from the fire tower, he knew the in-person moment had to be here too. What better place than where they’d shared their unusual and unforgettable first kiss?
Words to say? Not checked. Repeating his voicemail felt uninspired. Coming up with something Shakespearean felt phony. He’d be himself and trust the right moment would come along.
“I love you. Will you marry me?” he whispered over and over until he heard the sound of her footsteps on the tower stairs.
“Hey,” she said, stepping into the fire tower cabin.
“Hey.” He slapped his hands against his jeans, nervous.
“The tower looks great.” She smiled. “I love the lights and pillows. Is that Tina’s charcuterie menu?”
“Yeah, she gave it to me when I—”
“Ryder,” Elizabeth said, setting down her handbag by the blankets and pillows. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer you. It was rude and cowardly. Selfish. I don’t want to be that kind of woman.”
“To be fair, a voicemail proposal deserved a bit of silence.” He pressed play on his phone, and the melody of “As Time Goes By” filled the square box. “Can I have this dance?”
Elizabeth stepped into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder as they turned in a slow sway.
“Granny prayed with me,” she said, leaning back to see his face. “To know God’s heart.”
“And what did God say?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Ryder ended the dance. “But not because you need a new goal? Or feel like you have a future, so I’m it?”
“Maybe, a little. I’m still me, Ryder Donovan.” She gripped his hand. “But truth is, I’m completely head over heels in love with you. The women in my class complained ad nauseam about not being able to find a good man, yet I’d let one go.”
Ryder gathered her to him again and buried his face against her skin. “Will you be happy in Hearts Bend?”
“I’ve always been happy in Hearts Bend, Ryder. It just took me a few years to admit it.”
The song changed to “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Ryder knelt by the basket, reaching in for the ring.
“Beth Dorsey, I’m not sure I can top a voicemail proposal, but now that I’m live and in person…” He opened the ring box. “Will you marry me?”
She dropped to her knees in front of him and held his face in her hands. “Try and stop me, Ryder Donovan.”
“Oh, I know better than to—”
She pressed her warm lips to his. “I’m going to need a lot of these.”
“Good, I have a lot to give.”
Ryder slipped the ring on her finger. “This ring has a story.”
“It’s so beautiful,” she said, her smile brighter than the diamond. “I love stories.”
After a few more kisses—well, a lot of kisses—they settled into the pile of pillows and dug into the charcuterie basket.
While dining on cheese and crackers, prosciutto and salami, grapes and almonds, Elizabeth regaled him with stories of Wharton, and he gave her the latest details on the TWRA investigation.
“The FBI has made a few arrests. A senior accountant at the TWRA had been hiding money for years. Her husband worked at Dorsey Mill. She ordered the cherry and teak using my name, then he fulfilled the orders. Someone else picked it up. She paid the invoices out of a hidden account. They kept the orders below the amount required for authorization by her superiors. She could do it on her own. Then she had to cool her jets and stopped paying for things. Thus, the flagged account at Dorsey.” In the distance, a bird sang its song.
“So you’re exonerated.” Elizabeth rested her head on Ryder’s shoulder. “And I’m free from all my striving. Love did that, Ryder. Now tell me about the ring.”
He bent forward for a kiss. “Do you know where Earth-n-Treasures used to be?”
The air in the fire tower cabin shifted, and the bird singing the song rested on the tower steps as he told her about the mysterious Jewell and the gift of the ring.
“I tried to return it, but the new owner said he’d never seen it before. Said he couldn’t buy it from me ’cause he didn’t have the capital yet. We went round and round, me trying to return it and the man saying he couldn’t afford to buy it.”
“So this ring just showed up at your house? That’s crazy.” She held her hand up to the evening light. “I don’t understand. Who is Jewell, and why’d she give you the ring?”
“I don’t know, but I think I have to simply have faith and believe.”
“Simple faith?” she said. “That’s hard for me.”
“Then let’s do it together. For the rest of our lives.” He kissed her again, sealing their love to the gravelly sounds of Jimmy Durante singing “As Time Goes By.”
All her life, she’d believed that if she worked hard enough, she’d achieve her dream. That’s what they said. And in so many ways, they were right. Except they forgot to mention life’s greatest achievement: love.
It’d been a week since Ryder proposed. Since then, they’d gone to Boston to meet her parents. Ryder pulled Dad aside to ask for his blessing, which he gave. Mom thought Ryder hung the moon, and Jonathan said, “He’s okay. I’ll accept him as a brother.”
Last night, they’d dined at Ryder’s with his parents. He grilled kabobs and made his soon-to-be-famous chocolate cake. Or so Elizabeth claimed.
When his mom asked to see the ring, she said, “Oh, good, you found your great-aunt Georgia’s ring.
I was afraid it’d been sold along with her estate when she died.
” Mrs. Donovan turned to Elizabeth. “She never had children and was always partial to Ryder. A woman of faith too. Believed God moved in mysterious ways. I’m quite envious of that these days. ”
Elizabeth exchanged a glance with Ryder. “You mean this ring belonged to your family?”
“Yes, but in all the hubbub of storing and selling, we thought we’d lost it. I was heartsick about it. Ryder, where’d you find it?”
“In the corner of the kitchen counter.” He winked at Elizabeth and covered her hand with his.
That moment, she began to truly believe in the love and mystery of God.
Today Elizabeth was executing the rest of her fall-in-love-move-to-Hearts-Bend plan. Dressed in a soft-gray suit with a white blouse and heels, she headed down to Granny’s kitchen.
“Look at you,” Granny said. “Dressed like a boss.”
“I have an interview.” She poured a cup of coffee to go.
“In town? Where? Does Will know?”
“Not yet.” Elizabeth snatched a slice of toast from the pile Granny had just buttered. “I’ll be home for dinner. Ryder is coming over.”
“Have you picked a wedding date? You know the Wedding Chapel is booked a year or more out.”
“We’ve talked to Taylor. She’ll fit us in. We can get married on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon.” Elizabeth kissed Granny, then headed for the mudroom exit. “I actually love living in a town where everyone knows my name. If not mine, someone in the family.”
Down River Road, with the radio playing softly, Elizabeth Dorsey whispered a prayer for the day, trying to talk to God a bit more.
At the next light, she turned left into Dorsey Furniture and parked in a visitor slot. Checking her appearance in the rearview mirror, she stepped out of her VW Bug with her messenger bag, résumé inside.
At the front desk, the receptionist, Harmony, greeted her with a quizzical look.
“Elizabeth? What are you doing here?”
“Is Will in?”
“In his office.”
Elizabeth knocked on his door.
“Hey, come in. You’re back from Boston. Did your dad give his blessing?” But he knew the answer. Pops had announced it in the family chat.
Elizabeth gently set her résumé on his desk. “I’d like to interview for the CFO job. For when Dan Harper retires.”
“I see.” Will picked up her résumé. “Okay, Miss Dorsey, have a seat.”
For the first time in her life, Elizabeth Dorsey understood how all the paths of her life had led her to this moment: to Ryder, to Hearts Bend, to who she was meant to be.
Want more Hearts Bend?
Return to Hearts Bend for more small town romance in the next book, Anyone But You by Rachel Hauck and Carrie Padgett.
All she wants is a fresh start...
Chloe Beason LaRue left Hearts Bend after high school, determined to never look back.
She shed her unrequited crush on Sam Hardy, moved to Paris, went to pastry school, found a good job, fell in love, and got married.
She was happy in France. Then her husband tragically died.
Now, Chloe just wants to move forward…but when her mom’s health is in jeopardy, Chloe heads right back to Hearts Bend where she’s hired as head baker for Haven’s, the premier bakery in town.
She has no idea that moving home will push her right into the arms of the man who broke her heart.
He's not looking to fall in love...
Tennessee Titans quarterback Sam Hardy has too many broken memories in Hearts Bend to Return.
But when he’s sidelined by an injury, he desperately needs to invest in something to safeguard his future.
Haven’s Bakery is up for sale—and his business partner believes the deal is too good to pass up.
He has no idea that the owners have hired the one girl he can’t seem to forget…
and the last thing he expects is to be her boss.
But it’s a recipe for romance…
Back in Hearts Bend for the first time in ten years and thrown together at Haven’s Bakery, Chloe and Sam have a second chance at first love.
Indeed, the more time Sam spends selling pastries, the more he sees a new future.
But when Paris beckons Chloe back, where does her heart belong?
Can they find the recipe for leaving regrets behind and start something new?
Escape to Hearts Bend for a sweet story of romance, faith, and an unexpected happy ending.
Previously published in 2o22 as One Fine Day.
Keep reading for a sneak peek…