RaeAnne Thayne - Wild Iris Ridge

If she had a better support network, maybe she wouldn’t have been left so shattered right now.

To her surprise, the women immediately walked over to her.

“Lucy! Katherine just texted us that you were here. How great to see you again!” A trim-looking woman with honey-gold hair and a sweet smile reached out and wrapped her in a hug.

It was a disorienting moment, as she had no clue who the woman was until she scrutinized her a little more closely. “Charlotte? Wow! You look fantastic!”

The last time she had seen Charlotte Caine, Brendan’s sister, had been at Jessie’s funeral, when the other woman had been about a hundred pounds heavier.

Charlotte smiled. “Thank you. It’s been a fun journey. What a surprise to see you here at Pop’s on a lovely Saturday morning! I didn’t think you ever left Seattle.”

Everyone in town would be wondering why she was back. How could she explain to them all that she had failed at the one thing she ever thought she was good at?

Maybe Brendan would tell everyone and then she wouldn’t have to. No. Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t. He might dislike her intensely, but she instinctively trusted him to keep this information to himself.

She had lost her job. The weight of her failure seemed to clutch at her chest. Who was she if she wasn’t the go-getter marketing director at NexGen?

She made herself take a deep breath, forcing away those familiar snaking tendrils of panic.

“I decided it was finally time to figure out what I want to do with Iris House,” she finally answered in a calm tone that left her inordinately proud of herself.

The woman with Charlotte—blonde and slim and stylishly, if casually, dressed—lit up at her words. “Oh, you’re the one who owns that beautiful house?”

“Yes,” she answered. It was still a tough admission. She didn’t feel she had any rights to the place. Jessica should have inherited it, should have had the chance to turn it into the B&B of her dreams. She had adored every opulent inch of it.

Instead, Jess was gone, taken far too young during pregnancy by a heart condition no one suspected. Jess was gone, Annabelle was gone. Lucy was the only one of them left.

“I heard there was a fire there last night. Is it true?” Charlotte’s friend said.

That’s right. She had dozens of reasons to be embarrassed to show her face around town. “Yes. That was my fault. I arrived in the middle of the night and couldn’t get the furnace to start. I tried to light a fire in one of the rooms and ended up with a chimney blaze.”

“Is everything okay?” Charlotte exclaimed.

“Your brother seems to think so. He says I should be safe to return there this morning.”

“That’s a relief!” the other woman said. “I can’t recall if we’ve met. I’m Genevieve Beaumont.”

Ah. This was the mayor’s daughter, who could wrap him around her finger. She thought she vaguely recalled seeing her at Annabelle’s funeral, but she had been so grief-stricken, that time was a blur.

“Hello. I’m Lucy Drake. Annabelle Stanbridge was my great-aunt.”

“She was quite a character. I’ve hated seeing her house empty these last few months. Iris House is one of those places meant to be filled with life,” Genevieve said.

“I agree,” she answered.

“What are your plans for it?” Charlotte asked. “Are you looking to sell? I can think of several people who might be interested.”

“I haven’t decided,” she admitted. “I’m actually thinking about opening it up as a bed and breakfast, if the town isn’t already glutted with them.”

“Oh, that would be the perfect place!” Charlotte exclaimed. “People would love a chance to stay in one of the early silver mansions.”

“I have no idea how much work awaits me. My plan after breakfast is to go through room by room and start making lists.”

That panic began pressing in on her again. She felt completely out of her comfort zone with the whole idea—but maybe that was exactly what she needed. Maybe she had become too settled, too complacent with her life.

“If you need any help,” Charlotte said, “Genevieve is just opening an interior design business. She does amazing work.”

The mayor’s daughter looked pleased and a little embarrassed at the endorsement. “I’m only just starting out. I’m sure Lucy has other plans in mind for what she wants to do with the place.”

“Not really. I’d love for you to take a look at it and give me your thoughts.”

Before Genevieve could respond, Dermot came out from the kitchen and spotted them.

“Why, look who’s here! It’s my lovely daughter and my lovely daughter-to-be.”

Genevieve blushed at this, and both women greeted him with kisses on the cheek. Lucy studied the mayor’s daughter more closely.

“You’re engaged to one of the Caine boys? Really? You’re a brave woman, Ms. Beaumont. No offense, Dermot.”

He laughed cheerfully. “None taken. Believe me, I know exactly how brave she is to take on this particular son.”

He hugged Genevieve again, who seemed to light up with happiness. Lucy was aware of a sharp pang of envy that Genevieve apparently had been absorbed into the huge, boisterous, loving Caine family.

“Which brother?” she asked. “Let me guess. Aidan.”

The tech genius had accrued a fortune in Silicon Valley and was worth millions, which would probably suit the elegant Genevieve. She had met him a few times over the years at various business functions.

Because of their shared connection to Hope’s Crossing, he always found a few moments to speak with her, earning her jealous snake-eyes from some of her female associates, who tended to go a little out of their heads for Aidan’s brilliant mind and his sexy-nerd good looks.

“Good heavens, no,” Genevieve exclaimed. “I barely know Aidan. I think I’ve only met him two or three times. He terrifies me, if you want the truth.”

“Jamie, then?” She never would have thought the sexy charmer of a helicopter pilot would settle down, even for someone as lovely as Genevieve.

“Wrong again,” Charlotte said with a grin.

Lucy did a few quick calculations. She knew the older two of Charlotte’s brothers were married. Surely not...Brendan. Impossible.

Why was it impossible? she asked herself. Jess had been gone more than two years. Did she really expect him to hold on to her memory forever? But still. Picturing Genevieve Beaumont as stepmother to Faith and Carter left a cold, tangled knot in her stomach.

“So you’re marrying...”

“Dylan!” Genevieve said, with obvious relish, as if Lucy couldn’t have made any other guess.

Just like that, the sickly feeling eased. “Dylan! Wow. That’s...terrific.”

And wholly unexpected. Last she heard, the youngest Caine brother had nearly died while fighting in Afghanistan and had been left with lifelong scars.

He seemed an odd pick for a woman who was obviously very aware of her appearance and who was starting an interior design business. But what did she know?

Nothing in Hope’s Crossing was turning out as she expected.

She couldn’t doubt the woman was deeply in love with Dylan, not when she saw the joy bloom on her lovely features.

“We’re having a quiet sunrise ceremony this summer in a meadow near his house in Snowflake Canyon.”

“Followed by a huge blowout bash that’s going to take over the entire ski resort,” Charlotte added dryly.

Genevieve beamed. “It has to be huge!” she protested. “What else do you expect from a double reception? Half of that is from your side.”

“Who else is getting married?” Lucy asked, feeling a little lost.

Charlotte waved her hand, which Lucy now saw sported a tasteful princess-cut diamond.