CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Hannah Leigh breathed in the sweetness of South Hill and let it wrap itself around her heart. She had no intention to let this feeling go.
Beside her, Nate tucked his hands in his coat pockets, his smile playful like he knew her thoughts. “You’re smiling.”
“So are you,” she teased.
“Guess we’ve both got a reason.”
And mercy, wasn’t that the truth? At the edge of the square, Mayor Collier, usually all business and barking instructions, stood easy among the townsfolk.
With his hat tucked under his arm, he nodded as one of the old timers told a sledding tale from ’58.
He even acted amused when Miss Sandra teased about his “politician’s tie,” and accepted a praline from Aunt Winnie without pretending he didn’t want it.
Hannah Leigh watched the corners of his mouth lift, tentative but true, and her heart eased. Truth had a way of softening the edges the past had sharpened.
“Looks good on him,” Nate murmured, pointing to his uncle.
“It does,” Hannah Leigh agreed. “Looks like hope.”
“Hope is fine,” Birdie announced, “but a column in the paper will keep the truth alive.”
Hannah Leigh nearly sloshed her cocoa. “A column?”
“Don’t act surprised.” Birdie fluffed her scarf. “The South Hill Enterprise has already given me space. Birdie’s Nest: Gossip with a Purpose. Starts Monday.”
Nate groaned. “Lord help us.”
Birdie wagged a finger. “Don’t sass me, Collier. If it weren’t for my gumption and my southern diplomacy, Margaret Jane might still be silent as a stone. A good story needs a teller, and honey, I was born to tell.”
“You definitely were,” Aunt Winnie agreed dryly, raising her glass of sweet tea. “And if you behave, I’ll even read it.”
The group laughed, Birdie bowed like a starlet, and Hannah Leigh thought maybe this town had just gotten itself a new tradition.
“Are you serious about starting that business here, and having a studio for planning sessions and smaller events?” Nate asked, his eyes steady.
“As serious as I’ve ever been,” she said, letting the words stand plain. “South Hill deserves to sparkle all year long. Weddings, socials, grand openings. I’ll even plan a party for the big fishing tournament if they want to. Women’s meetings. I want to help weave those moments.”
“And you’ll do it,” Nate said, certainty rich in his tone. “Folks will trust you with their happiest days.”
Her heart swelled. “Will you be part of it? Not just building shelves or fixing hinges, but part of it all. Part of me?”
His hands found hers, thumbs brushing warmth through her gloves. “Hannah Leigh, I don’t just want to be part of your business. I want to be part of your life. For as long as you’ll have me.”
The air caught, her heart tumbled, and joy rose like the first notes of a carol. She leaned in, kissed him sweet and sure.
Hannah Leigh turned toward Nate, her heart thudding against her ribs like it was keeping time with the rustle of the blossoms overhead. His grin was lopsided, the kind that used to drive her crazy when they were kids, and yet something steadier lived in his eyes now, something she could trust.
“Is that a proposal?” she teased, half laughing, half afraid to hope.
“I’d be happy to get down on a knee for you.” Nate’s eyes were serious.
She cocked her head, uncertain if he was playing, but then, before she could even make a joke about him ruining his jeans, he knelt.
He took her hand, rough and warm and trembling just enough to make her knees weak.
“Yes, Hannah Leigh.” His voice caught a little.
“It’s a proposal. I don’t want another season to pass without knowing we’ve got forever.
You’ve always been the one I was waiting for, even when I didn’t know I was waiting.
No one ever compared to you. It can be a long engagement.
I know this seems fast, but we’ve known each other forever. Please say you will.”
Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. She reached out, brushing his cheek with her thumb. “For always,” she whispered.
Nate pulled a ring out of his pocket.
Her jaw dropped. Surprise and an unexplainable amount of joy ran through her. “You’ve put some thought into this.”
“I have.” He reached for her hand.
She placed her hand in his, and he slipped a solitaire onto her finger, and they hadn’t even realized people had gathered around them.
Applause erupted, Birdie let out a squeal that could’ve woken the next county, and Aunt Winnie dabbed her eyes while muttering something about “finally” under her breath.
Hannah Leigh clapped and swept at her tears as Nate stood, pulling her into his arms.
After dinner, Hannah Leigh and Nate strolled down Main Street. A young couple stood before the LOVE sign, hands linked, foreheads touching as someone took pictures. Their joyful mood spilling into the cold air.
“Looks like South Hill’s got more than one love story tonight,” Nate murmured.
Hannah Leigh leaned into him, warm in his side. “And we’re part of it.”
“The best part, he said with a squeeze of her hand.
Behind them, the tree twinkled in the distance, and Hannah Leigh knew this town wasn’t just holding its history. It was holding her, too.
Two mornings later, folded between the classifieds and the editorials of the South Hill Enterprise, folks found a brand-new column.
From Birdie’s Nest: Gossip with a Purpose
SOUTH HILL—by Birdie Horn
Well, darlings, what a Christmas we’ve had!
That tree lighting shone brighter than a diamond in Miss Sandra’s Sunday hat, and hearts around here are glowing just as warm.
Yours truly had a front-row seat to history.
And let me say, it’s not every day that love stories past and present collide under the same South Hill sky.
Our Hometown Holiday Festival sparkled, Winnie’s pralines returned in triumph, and, yes, the rumor is true!
People saw romance under the Christmas tree lights.
I won’t name names (not yet), but if you were in the square, you know who you saw.
And if you weren’t, well, ask anyone. South Hill keeps its secrets, but not for long.
So, here’s my reminder this week: keep your cocoa hot, your ears perked, and your hearts open. Because second chances aren’t just for fairy tales. They’re for us, too.
Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for more stories about the recipes that will appear in the South Hill Keepsake Christmas Cookbook. Don’t miss your chance to taste the stories this Birdie can’t stop talking about.
As Hannah Leigh read the column later that morning, curled on Aunt Winnie’s sofa with Nate’s arm snug around her shoulders, she couldn’t help but laugh. Birdie had always been the town crier, but now she had an official purpose.
And South Hill, bless its heart, had never sparkled brighter.