Page 34 of Sweet Home

“I can get up with her,” Dulcie offered, scrambling to her feet. “It’s not a problem.”

Please don’t let him change his mind about keeping me here.

“That’s okay,” West said, the hint of a smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. “You’re doing so much for us already. I’m glad you’re here, Dulcie Bloom.”

She smiled up at him, completely smitten.

“Goodnight,” he said.

“Goodnight,” she echoed.

He turned and left, but Dulcie stayed right where she was for another minute, trying to piece together what had just happened.

Growing up the way she had, Dulcie had learned to trust her instincts, and those instincts were telling her that there was something between them. Sparks of that wild expression and his hidden smile still sent little shocks through her heart.

But if West didn’t want to acknowledge it, then wild horses wouldn’t drag her feelings out of her again.

Besides, she didn’t need him to love her back. Just being here, in a safe and happy home, with people to take care of was all she had ever dreamed of. And she would be earning money too, which gave her hope that she might see her sister again soon.

This is like a fairytale,she thought to herself.I’m going to hold onto it with everything I’ve got.

12

DULCIE

Dulcie looked around the park the next day feeling absolutely amazed.

Sugarville Grove had been pretty and charming yesterday, and she was pretty sure it was always like that. But today, with snow falling softly, and the whole town out and about, it felt like she had fallen into a storybook. Bright decorations and winter coats made a cheerful contrast to the soft white blanket of snow. And the sweet, fresh air was filled with the sounds of people greeting each other and children giggling on the playground.

“We’ll just take a quick look around the park, and then head over to theBean Countersfor hot chocolate,” West said. “The snowball fight is going to start soon, and it gets a little wild.”

“The snowball fight gets wild?” Dulcie asked.

“Not really,” West said with a smile. “It’s one of our newer traditions in town. The bigger kids love it, and theycan get a little competitive, that’s all. When Elizabeth is a little older, she’ll probably want to join in with them.”

“I don’t like snow in my face,” Elizabeth said in a bright, clear voice.

“You sure don’t,” West agreed. “We can watch from the café. Does that sound good?”

Elizabeth nodded regally, and they continued on past the skaters toward the pavilion.

Along the way, people were pretty much constantly waving and saying hello to West. Most of them also glanced at Dulcie curiously. But West didn’t seem to be worried about the fact that they looked at her like they thought something might be going on between the two of them.

Or maybe he doesn’t even notice?

After last night, she had been stunned when he invited her to attend today’s Christmas events in town. But she was very happy to accept. She only wished Delphine could be here with them.

She had even texted her sister last night about the town snowball fight.

Delphine would love something like that. She would love all of it—hot chocolate, Christmas decorations, people shopping and waving to each other. They were all so relaxed and happy, as if sharing the holidays together was the most important thing in the world.

Money lets them act like that,a more jaded version of herself might have said. After all, not having to worry about where your next meal or rent payment was coming from probably made it a lot easier to relax and have fun.And it was true that these people were all doing better than anyone in her old neighborhood back in the city.

But there was more to it than that. She was sure of it. There was something in the air in this little town, a sense of community that actually meant something and wasn’t just a way to tell people to stay where they belonged.

“Look at you, young lady,” a familiar voice cried.

She looked over to see the older man who had rescued her in the snow approaching with a delighted expression. A sweet-looking lady with pretty, white hair and a big, purple purse walked by his side.

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