Proposing to Roxanne had been a gamble, but when Michael had been greeted with a sexy outfit, candlelight and enthusiastic lovemaking, he’d expected a different reaction. Her refusal had stunned him.

With his phone lying on the passenger seat in case she called, he stopped by the Burger Barn and picked up some food. Then he drove the country roads around Eagles Nest until he was nearly out of gas.

He wasn’t willing to go home until the Guzzling Grizzly closed. He couldn’t face walking into that happy scene and making small talk with Bryce and Tansy.

But driving around wasn’t much fun, either. He’d messed up the proposal. That much was abundantly clear. But when she’d doubted his declaration of love, it had seemed like the right thing to do.

Except he’d seen enough movies to know that a proposal should be carefully planned—complete with a ring and getting down on one knee. Instead he’d proposed naked, not the most elegant presentation. Dropping to one knee beside the bed would have looked ridiculous.

If there was a way to fix this, he wasn’t coming up with it. The GG would be closed, now. Might as well head home.

Unfortunately, everything about the place reminded him of Roxanne. Taking off his jacket, hat and boots, he stretched out on his bed with his phone next to him. If she called, he didn’t want to waste time getting dressed.

She didn’t call and he didn’t sleep, at least not much. Dawn was breaking when he turned on his computer and researched the specs he’d need to send her for creating other logo merchandise.

Maybe she’d contact him after he emailed the specs. Better shave and shower before he sent the email, just in case she wanted to see him.

His phone rang when he was in the shower. He jumped out, leaving the water running, and grabbed it where he laid it on the bathroom counter. It slipped from his hand and landed on the floor.

Snatching it up, he glanced at the screen, heart pounding. Christine Norton. Damn it! He tapped the screen and cleared his throat. “Hey, Christine! What’s up?”

“Michael.” Her voice vibrated with excitement. “It’s a go.”

Adrenalin continued to pump through his system, interfering with his concentration. “What is?”

“CNN! They’re sending a crew!”

“Hey, that’s terrific!” And he’d be happy about it once the news worked its way around the brain blockage caused by Roxanne’s rejection. “Excellent!” He reached into the shower and turned off the water.

“We’re hoping to make the East Coast six o’clock news, which means show time is four. Prep time at least a couple of hours before that. You’ll have a hell of a happy hour crowd at five. Better put on more servers.”

“Don’t worry. We will. Does Bryce know?”

“Kendra’s calling him now. I volunteered to call you. Since it’s official, the Whine and Cheese Club is doubling down. I guarantee on Tuesday the GG will be packed with t-shirt-wearing Eagles Nesters.”

“Eagles Nesters?”

“We’re going to start a campaign to promote that term. It has a certain ring to it.”

“It does.”

“People could hold up signs like Eagles Nesters love the Guzzling Grizzly and have a big red heart instead of the word love.”

“That would be great.” The word love jabbed him hard.

“The McGavins are organizing a precision drill team to perform on the street outside the GG. Traffic will be blocked off so there’s room for whatever’s happening. The parking lot needs to be cleared, too.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe the drill team will carry flags with the logo on them. We’re not sure yet, but Kendra plans to talk to Roxanne if you say it’s okay. The logo belongs to you, so—”

“No, that’s fine. When’s Kendra going to call her?”

“As soon as I give her the signal, which I just did. We’re all gathered at Kendra’s to make calls and strategize. Listen, are you sure Roxanne doesn’t want to be on camera? The producer looked her up online and liked what she saw. Thought it would be a nice angle.”

“She doesn’t want to be on camera.”

“Too bad. Another thing—do you know a good place to find a bear suit?”

“A bear suit?”

“Wouldn’t a t-shirt-wearing mascot be adorable?”

“Um, sure, why not? But I can’t imagine where you’d get one on short notice.”

“That’s the problem. Kendra’s offered to wear it if we can find one that looks friendly and not menacing. Anyway, gotta go, but we’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks, Christine. This will be good for the GG and good for the town.”

“Sure will! Talk to you soon.”

He’d no sooner put down the phone and picked up a towel than Bryce called.

“You heard, right?”

“Sure did!” Michael pumped enthusiasm into his voice. “Those Whine and Cheese ladies are something else.”

Bryce laughed. “Told you. I’m heading out in about ten minutes. If you could meet me in the office, we need to find more servers and set up a crash training program so we can handle this heaven-sent opportunity.”

“I’ll be there.”

“We’ll have to hustle for the next three days, but it’ll be worth it. Nicole asked for Tuesday afternoon off from Shear Delight so she can take part in this, and they’ve decided to close the shop for the afternoon so everyone can go.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Don’t be surprised if other businesses follow suit. They won’t have customers on Tuesday afternoon, anyway, so they might as well. Have you checked t-shirt orders this morning?”

“Not yet.”

“You’ll fall over. See you soon.”

All this good news. Looked like the town might shut down for half a day to help the Guzzling Grizzly celebrate its inaugural T-shirt Tuesday. He could use that amazing possibility as an excuse to call Roxanne, but that would be a loser move. She already knew about it.

He didn’t have time, anyway. He had to meet Bryce and figure out how the GG was going to be able to handle more customers than had ever come through the door in a single afternoon.

* * *

Michael must be over the moon. Roxanne finished emailing information to the shop in Bozeman that had agreed to make the flags for the McGavin drill team to carry. They’d be ready by Monday.

Ingrid had stopped by to say that customers at Pie in the Sky were buzzing about Tuesday’s event. The town had never been on national TV and the Eagles Nesters, as many residents began calling themselves, couldn’t wait.

Roxanne considered texting Michael to offer congratulations. But that wasn’t what he wanted from her. She couldn’t give him what he wanted so maybe it would be easier on him if she kept quiet.

Her knee was healing nicely so she’d be fine for attending the festivities on Tuesday. She’d go because she couldn’t stand not to. She wanted to share Michael’s big moment but she’d watch from a safe distance. A large crowd would help her blend quietly into the background.

In the meantime, she’d do what she always did when stress threatened to consume her. She’d work. She was in the middle of a new project when her dad called. Saving her latest version of the design, she answered her phone. “Hey, Dad!”

“Hi, honeybun. How’s your knee?”

“Healing just fine. Thanks for asking.”

“I meant to call sooner to check on you and talk about selling my art at the Guzzling Grizzly, but a section of fence was down. Pete, Wes and I spent most of the day repairing it and riding the perimeter to make sure that was the only break.”

“I’m glad you had your helpers there.”

“Me, too. But now that the fence is secure, I’m in the mood to drive to Eagles Nest.”

“Then do it. I’d love to see you.” His solid presence would be welcome

“Wes warned me that you have a lot of projects in the pipeline, though.”

“That’s true, but I’d love to see you, Dad. And besides, we have something special happening on Tuesday.” She gave him a brief rundown. “So come Monday and stay through Tuesday night, okay? Wes swears the couch is comfortable.”

“He told me the same thing. All right, you twisted my arm.”

“Great! See you soon.”

Her dad’s impending visit galvanized her and she worked feverishly the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday. She let Ingrid and Abigail know he was coming for a couple of days so he could take in Tuesday’s spectacle.

Abigail planned to close Pie in the Sky Tuesday afternoon in line with most of the businesses in town. After getting permission from Michael and Bryce, she’d created cookies in the shape of a t-shirt, covered them in dark chocolate frosting, and outlined the logo in white frosting.

When Roxanne went down to the bakery to wait for her dad to arrive, she bought six of the t-shirt cookies so he’d get a chance to see and taste them in case they sold out before he arrived. Abigail and Ingrid were struggling to keep up with the demand and had no time to sit and chat.

The atmosphere in the bakery reflected the mood of the town—slightly manic. Surely Michael was caught up in the craziness and she fought the urge to call or send a text letting him know she wished him well. Thank goodness her dad was coming. She needed to redirect her nervous energy.

When his battered but smooth-running truck pulled up outside, she grabbed the bag of cookies and went to meet him. Hugging her dad and breathing in the familiar scent of his aftershave always calmed her. Some people swore by meditation or yoga as a stress reducer. All she needed was a loving embrace from Quinn Sawyer.

He regarded her with fondness. “How’s your knee?”

“Fine, Dad. I can go up and down the stairs, no problem. I have sandwich fixings in the apartment and special cookies in this bag.”

“Sounds perfect, honeybun.” He followed her upstairs and they worked together to put together the sandwiches and make coffee. Patterns established years ago kicked in and the meal was on the table in no time.

She smiled at him. “You’re so easy to be with. We think alike, act alike. Wes and I do, too. It’s great.”

“It can be.”

“You should know. You and Mom were like that.”

“Actually, we weren’t.”

“What?”

“Your mom’s personality was very different from mine.”

“I don’t understand what you’re—”

“I know, honeybun.” Ignoring his sandwich, he rested his forearms on the table and gazed at her. “And I’ve done you kids a disservice in the way I’ve described our relationship.”

Her world shifted. “But you loved each other, right?”

“Passionately.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “That’s what I thought.”

“But I’m afraid I gave you the impression that it was smooth sailing. Pete’s old enough to know it wasn’t. Even Gage has a better understanding. But you and Wes, not so much. Grief makes people revise history, I guess. But your mom was no saint.”

“Of course she wasn’t. I’m old enough to realize that. But you two were on the same page. That’s the important thing.”

He shook his head. “We weren’t even reading the same book. Sabrina and I were as different as two people can be.”

“That can’t be true.”

“It is. I’m the guy who needs to take new ideas apart, put them under a microscope, examine them for flaws.”

“She wasn’t like that?”

“She was nothing like that. While I analyzed, she chafed at the bit, wanting everything to happen faster. We didn’t argue a lot, but when we did, it was a barn-burner.”

“That’s so hard to believe.”

“Again, my fault. I gave you a watered-down version of our life together. She was passionate and impulsive, quick-witted and highly creative. Living with her was often a challenge for me and vice versa, I’m sure.” He paused. “I see her in you.”

“Well, sure, because I look like her.”

“That’s partly it, but there’s also the passion and creativity I’ve sensed in you from day one. You’re an interesting blend of the two of us.”

She gazed at him. “That explains some things.” Like inviting a certain person up to her apartment on a first date.

“I’ll bet it does. Roxanne, I loved your mother, not despite her differences but because of them. She was the most exciting woman I’d ever met.”

Her breath caught.

“Did I hit a nerve?”

“It’s just that I’ve had that exact thought about Michael.”

He nodded. “I’m not surprised. I could tell when I met him he’s a go-getter. After listening to Wes rattle on about what a bad choice Michael would be because you have completely different approaches to life, I had to come and talk to you.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about Michael and me. It’s over.” And if she hurt like hell, too bad.

“If that’s true, it’s a shame.”

“It’s for the best.”

“Is it?” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Are you sure about that?”

“Dad, he proposed Friday night. We’ve known each other less than a month! Does that sound like someone I should be with?”

“It sounds like someone in love with you.”

“He said he loves me, but—”

“You don’t believe him?”

“I’m afraid to. We’re so different. You and Mom made it work, but it could have gone the other way.”

“You take that risk in any relationship. Do you love him?”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She took a deep breath and met her dad’s gaze. “Yes, I love him.”

“Then please consider that before you walk away. The more I listened to Wes, the more I began to wonder if Michael is the one you were meant to be with.”

“You mean like fate threw us together?”

“Something like that.” He paused. “But I can see the idea scares you a little.”

“It scares me a lot. He seems so sure we belong together, but how can he be? How could I be? At least you and mom were high school sweethearts. You had time to get to know each other.”

He smiled. “I was a sophomore in high school the first time I laid eyes on your mother. I told my buddies I’d met the girl I was going to marry. The following week I told her the same thing.”

Her heart beat faster. “Kids say nutty things like that.”

“Sure. But in this case, I had no doubt. Still don’t, all these years later. It’s possible Michael is as certain about you as I was about your mother.”