Epilogue
EPILOGUE
A my added a collection of mysteries to the shelf in her bookstore. The tall wooden bookcases she and Scott had found online from an old bookstore in Missouri that had closed filled the space perfectly, giving two rows of shelving that ran nearly the length of the room. They’d had to rent a truck to bring them here, but they made the store exactly as she’d pictured. About seven feet high, these gave a cozy, intimate feeling to her store that she loved.
She straightened the row of books in the wedding section, and, instead of the tension she felt when Scott had first suggested the idea, a giggle bubbled up.
Soft footsteps came down the wooden floor toward her, footsteps she knew without turning had to be Scott’s because they were alone in the store. He wrapped his arms around her. “What’s so funny?”
She turned to face him. “I actually like the idea of weddings. This shelf makes me happy now.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Happy? The entire wedding section of your store still feels like foreign ground to me.”
Her head dropped forward as disappointment surged through her. She had thought Scott had become more interested in weddings, at least when it came to the two of them.
“Hey.” He tilted her head up. “Why so glum all of a sudden?”
Amy glanced around, hoping to find something to blame for her disappointment. The front door chimed as a customer entered, saving her from a reply. Before she took a step in that direction, a second chime sounded. Then a third and fourth.
“There seems to be a rush.” She hurried down the row of bookcases but found the front of the store empty. A quick scan down the aisles of shelving turned up nothing.
Scott stood a few feet away, leaning against a bookcase. He rubbed his hands together in a way she’d describe as nervous. She wondered what on Earth had him fidgeting when he followed that by rubbing the back of his neck. Then he pointed to the front window and asked, “What’s that?”
“What’s . . .” Amy followed his guidance and found a two-tiered cake in her favorite colors of lilac and pink. Nosey sat perched on the green and gold patterned upholstered chair she’d placed near the window so the reader would have good light. “Scott, I don’t understand. Why is there a cake, and what is Nosey doing here?”
“The cake is the chocolate cheesecake you love. Nosey is here because he’s important to you, and this is a significant moment you’ll always remember.”
Her birthday wouldn’t be for months. Maybe he’d done this to celebrate her store’s first week of business. “This is all lovely.” When Amy turned to thank Scott, she found him on one knee with an open ring box in his hand.
She put her hand to her heart and gasped.
“Amy Marchant, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She tried to speak but only a squeak came out. Amy cleared her throat as she tried again.
“I love you, but this floor is even harder than the ground at the farm.”
That broke through her tension. Laughing, she ran over to Scott and gave him a quick kiss. “Of course, I’ll marry you. Today, tomorrow, any day.”
When he stood, he pulled her in and his lips again covered hers. “We should have a better kiss than that.”
Amy agreed. When they broke apart the next time, Scott said, “I think we should give our families a few weeks to get ready.”
“And Cassie. I know she’ll do a great wedding for us.” Us . She stared at the man she loved. “Moving to Two Hearts has been full of surprises. You’re the best of them.”
Nosey jumped to the floor, following that with a jump and spin she now knew was called a binky . “You too, Nosey.”
Scott wrapped his hand around hers. “Ready for cake? Our friends are outside waiting. I knew you’d want to tell everyone right away. Paige wanted to take pictures, but I told her we were keeping this story to ourselves.”
Warmth flooded through her. He’d chosen well. So much of her life had been put online to help the newspaper, which had thankfully worked and brought in subscribers. But this moment was only for the two of them. “Let’s bring everyone inside.” Not letting go of him, she pulled him over to the door, peered out, and found a group of friends waiting off to the side, including Bella with her new baby girl.
Amy held up her left hand. “I said yes!”
Join Cathryn’s newsletter to learn about sales, giveaways, bonus short stories, and when the next book is coming out. And if you’ve missed it, HOW TO MARRY A COUNTRY MUSIC STAR is the prequel to the series. You just read about Carly, Cassie’s friend and the singer at her wedding. In HOW TO MARRY A COUNTRY MUSIC STAR, she’s a down-on-her-luck country music star. Jake is the wealthy man who hires her to be his housekeeper. Get the ebook FREE here .