Page 14 of With This Ring

Irritation coursed through Hudson on his drive to the Airbnb. His whole purpose in coming to Flowering Grove had been to stop his sister’s wedding, but so far his sister was staying her course. She also dismissed his career advice, and his aunt rebuffed his offer of buying her a new condo or car. Nothing had gone right this evening.

When he reached the rental house, Hudson parked in the driveway. The large colonial on Oak Street was more than he needed, but it was the only Airbnb in Flowering Grove available for an extended stay.

He climbed out of his vehicle and looked toward the small house next door, where a blue Ford sedan sat out front. A warm yellow glow in the front window illuminated an orange cat lounging on the sill. Hudson shook his head. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to not have a care in the world.

He gathered up his backpack and two suitcases and unlocked the front door with the keypad. With most of his stuff in storage and his apartment being sublet to a friend, he just had the basics with him. As he made his way through the large foyer, the house was still and quiet.Tooquiet. He was used to the hustle and bustle of the big city, and silence unnerved him.

He climbed the stairs and found the master bedroom down the hall, past three large bedrooms and a bathroom. He began unpacking, grateful to have left most of his custom-made Armani suits behind. Although they were essential to his line of work as a CEO, he was still most comfortable in jeans. He supposed that was due to his upbringing in a small town with mostly blue-collar workers. He was grateful for the luxury of providing for his family, but he would never forget where he came from.

While hanging the two suits he’d brought with him in the closet, he wondered what it would be like to take the offer and move to Bahrain. Did he want to be that far way? If something happened to his aunt, it would take hours to get home.

But he couldn’t even think about that right now. First he had to deal with his sister—and considering how the day had gone, convincing her to cancel her wedding was going to be even more complicated than he’d imagined.

Chapter 4

Dakota sat up straight at her desk the following morning despite tossing and turning all night. With the hums of the dehumidifier and air-moving machine serenading her, she tried to ignore the worry pressing down on her shoulders. She held her phone to her ear while the hold music played. She’d practiced her speech during her drive to the store this morning, and she was finally going to confront her insurance company about paying her for her lost dress stock.

“This is Francine,” a woman on the other end of the line said.

“Good morning. This is Dakota Jamison, and I wanted to discuss the flood in my store.” Her hands shook, but she worked to keep some pep in her voice.

“Give me a moment to look you up in the system,” the woman said.

“Yes, of course.” Dakota held her breath while the sound of keyboard clicks filled the line. She took a few moments to regroup.She was going to convince this woman that the insurance company should reimburse her for her lost gowns, and the outcome would breathe new life into her store. Then everything would be just fine. It had to be.

After a few beats Francine said, “I found your information. How can I help you?”

“Before the flood, I had ordered a line of wedding gowns for my bridal shop. The dresses were then water-damaged, so I feel I should be reimbursed for them.” Dakota worked to keep her tone even and sunny. “I’ve lost thousands of dollars in stock.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but according to your insurance policy, this loss isn’t covered. I see from your file that you’ve already discussed this issue with a representative.” Impatience radiated in Francine’s voice.

“That doesn’t make any sense to me. Without gowns to sell, I have no store.” When her voice started to shake, she took a deep breath. She had to be strong. She couldn’t allow this woman to destroy her hope. “What is the purpose of my insurance policy if my stock isn’t covered?”

“Ma’am, if you review the policy, you’ll see that you are responsible for items that are considered stock. If you’d like, I can highlight those paragraphs in the policy for you. Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll pull that up on my screen.”

Dakota closed her eyes while the woman continued to talk. She wasn’t getting anywhere. She was wasting her breath and her time.

“Do you have any further questions?” Francine asked.

“No, thank you.”

“Thank you for calling, and have a nice day,” Francine said before the line went dead.

Dakota massaged her temples and closed her eyes. Then the bell at the front of the shop rang, and she sat up straighter. Thank goodness she had a customer. She collected herself, then hurried to the front of the store, stopping by the mirror in the workroom to assess her gray pantsuit and red top.Good enough, she thought to herself. She’d tried to disguise the shadows under her eyes with makeup, but they still peeked through.

Dakota pushed through the door into the storefront. And stopped in her tracks.

A tall man with dark-brown hair cut short seemed to be examining the jewelry case,standing with his back to her as he did so.

Wow.

Broad shoulders, muscular back and arms.

Her eyes moved from his long-sleeved gray Henley shirt, which was tight around those glorious biceps, to his jeans. She smiled as she noticed how the jeans fit his trim waist in all the right places.

“Welcome to Fairytale,” she began, her chunky red pumps clacking along the tile floor. “How can I—” Both her words and her steps faltered when he spun around.

She was face-to-face with Hudson Garrity. The man who had destroyed both her heart and her faith in love seven years ago.

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