Lois Richer - Spring Flowers, Summer Love

“Yes, I am,” she assured him.

“Don’t bother. I shouldn’t have questioned your authority. I won’t do it again.”

“Until tomorrow, anyway. I’m not kidding, Connor. These men work for me. If I went to your staff without talking to you, you wouldn’t like it.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’ve already apologized, Rowena.”

“Yes, you have.”

“You want me to repeat it?”

She almost smiled at the thought of Connor Wingate apologizing twice for the same misstep. “No… What is it about me that’s so hard for you to trust? Do I look like a crook or something?”

“Hardly. You look like a beautiful woman.”

Beautiful? With mud and dirt oozing from every pore? “Now you’re just being mean.”

“Mean?” Confusion darkened his eyes.

She so was not going to argue about her un-beautiful self.

Sneaking a flashlight under the blankets, hiding in a thicket of Caragana bushes where no one could see, pushing books into socks to take to camp—those are just some of the things Lois Richer freely admits to in her pursuit of the written word. “I’m a book-a-holic. I can’t do without stories,” she confesses. “It’s always been that way.” Her love of language evolved into writing her own stories. Today her passion is to create tales of personal struggle that lead to triumph over life’s rocky road. For Lois, a happy ending is essential. “In my stories, as in my own life, God has a way of making all things beautiful. Writing a love story is my way of reinforcing my faith in His ultimate goodness toward us—His precious children.”

Lois Richer

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So humble yourselves under the mighty power of

God, and in his good time he will honor you.

Give all your worries and cares to God,

for he cares about what happens to you.

—1 Peter 5:6-7

For Josh. With love.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

“A toast, girls.”

Piper Franklin lifted her iced tea high in the air.

“To what?” Rowena Davis frowned, certain neither of her best friends knew her secret yet.

“To the Bayside Trio, of course.” Piper giggled. “It seems like only yesterday that we left Serenity Bay. Here’s to coming home.”

“Hear, hear.” Ashley Masters clinked her glass against Piper’s.

Rowena took a sip, and grimaced. Tea of any sort didn’t appeal to her. But this place did. Serenity Bay. Home. Piper had been back for two years, Ash for one. Finally she was back, too.

Rowena took in the view of the shimmering blue water and the surrounding hills decked out in autumn’s blazing hues. She had done the right thing, hadn’t she?

“I wish we could think of a way to get Row to move back, Pip. Then the Bayside Trio would be back on the Bay, together again.” Ashley sighed. “That’s my dream.”

Rowena allowed her smile to creep out. “Then your dream just might be coming true, Ash.”

“What?” Piper jerked upright, stuck out her pink-tinted toenail and jabbed Ashley’s foot. “Did she say what I think she said?”

“I’m not sure I heard right.” Ashley cleared her throat. “Does that mean you’re thinking about moving back here, Row?”

“Come January, if things work together as I plan.”

“Yes!” The other two enveloped her in the group hug ritual they’d perfected through six years of boarding school. Once her two best friends were again seated, Rowena noticed their exchange of funny looks.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.” Ashley’s gray eyes opened wide innocently.

Rowena wasn’t buying it. “Tell the truth.”

Ash held out her left hand and let the sun light up the diamond facets on her rings. “I was just thinking that Pip and I both found our Prince Charming here. Maybe the same will be true for you.”

“The Wingate brothers are sixty-five if they’re a day. I don’t think they qualify, Ash.”

“At least they have a kingdom.” Piper smirked.

“I don’t want someone else’s kingdom. I’m going to get my own back. You two already know that.” Rowena leaned back, closed her eyes and wondered if she’d finally bit off more than she could chew.

“Maybe you’d better explain what coming back to the Bay has to do with Wingate Manor.”

“The Wingate brothers hired me to redo the Manor’s landscape.” She leaned forward, a picture forming in her mind. “You know how they’re always trying to expand their reputation, be more than a fine place to dine or host wedding receptions and anniversary parties?”

“Of course.” Piper frowned. “Henry’s held garden tours for the last two years. And now Wingate hosts summer stock performances for a couple of months. They have a great space for private birthday parties, too.”

“Last year they started patio barbecues,” Ashley added.

“They’re going to expand even more.” Excitement skittered up and down Rowena’s spine. “They intend to reorganize the patio spaces for more private functions, make a tearoom to generate afternoon traffic from the garden tours—lots of new things.”

“Wow. I’ve heard rumors but nothing of this scope.” Piper was probably thinking how this would impact the town. As economic development officer, Piper liked to know about everything that affected Serenity Bay.

“Michael and I went there for dinner not long ago,” Ashley told them. “The chef is fabulous. But how do their plans affect you, Row?”

“I came up with an idea to revamp the grounds, make them an attraction in and of themselves. Henry wants fountains, little vistas where artists can paint, a summerhouse where the horticultural society can meet, or rent for private parties. Once I’m finished, Wingate will offer the perfect backdrop for couples to take their wedding pictures, winter and summer.”

“It sounds like it will cost the earth,” Pip mused.

“That’s the best part.”

“You’ve got a funny look on your face, Rowena. Spill it.”

“I’ve agreed to handle the landscaping in exchange for the land once owned by Davis Nurseries.”

“So you are moving back!” Ashley crowed.

“Next January, yes.”

Piper frowned. “Wait a minute. This revamp—it’s coming out of your pocket?”

Rowena nodded. “I get the land free and clear in exchange for the job.”

“Which means you’ll quit at Yelland Gardens.”

“Yes. If everything at Wingate comes together as I’ve planned, I can decide whether or not to return to my old job later.” Their doubts echoed her own. “The opportunity to get the land back was there. I couldn’t ignore it.”