Page 75 of Sweet Home

“You have connections, Dr. Lawrence,” she teased.

“Believe it or not, I do,” he told her. “But not from my practice. We’re here because of the farm.”

“Really?” she asked, as he parked the car.

“The owner buys all her fresh dairy supplies from Lawrence Farm,” he said. “My dad negotiated a special price for her when she opened up. He was tickled at the idea of fine dining in Sugarville Grove.”

“Fine dining?” Dulcie asked, impressed and maybe just a little intimidated.

“The owner is supposed to be a pretty serious chef. She came up here in a hurry a couple of years ago from New York,” West said. “Tripp thinks it was because of some sort of scandal—though how he would know I have no idea. Anyway, when I reached out to her to see if there was any chance she could make me a reservation over the holidays, she insisted on opening the place up tonight just for the two of us.”

“Just for us?” Dulcie echoed.

“I hope you don’t mind,” West said. “I have to admit, I’m kind of looking forward to a night out without anyone trying to show me their rash or ask if they have a disease they read about online.”

Dulcie laughed.

“Honestly though,” he said, his voice deepening. “We haven’t had much time to just be us. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”

She smiled at that, and he hopped out of the truck and handed her down.

“Where is it?” she asked, looking around at the snowy trees that surrounded them.

“This place likes to set the mood before you even step inside,” West said.

The sound of bells approaching caught Dulcie’s attention. She looked up to see a beautiful sleigh, pulled by a pair of inky black horses headed their way.

“No way,” she breathed.

“Welcome,” a man called out from the sleigh as it pulled up in front of them.

The horses tossed their silky manes and pawed at the snow, their breath pluming in the cold night air. West led her to the sleigh, and the man inside introduced himself as Samuel, then helped her in. When West was seated beside her, Samuel laid warm blankets on their laps and made sure they were comfortable.

Once they were settled, Samuel clucked to the horses and the sleigh leapt forward.

“What do you think?” West asked her.

“This is incredible,” she told him. “I’mglad we’re on a date, but I feel a little bad that Elizabeth and Delphine aren’t here. They would have loved this.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” he admitted, shaking his head. “But we’ve got horses on the farm. We’ll take them out soon.”

She smiled at the thought.

His hand found hers under the blanket and they relaxed into each other, watching the beautiful scenery, hand-in-hand, as the horses carried them deeper into the woods.

After a few minutes, the trail widened to reveal a rustic log cabin. Warm light glowed in the windows, and lanterns hung from the eaves lit the wide front porch. A plume of smoke swirled from the chimney.

“This is Mia’s,” Samuel announced. “Mia has prepared a beautiful meal for the two of you. I know you’ll have a memorable night.”

The name sounded familiar, but Dulcie couldn’t place it. Anyway, it was unlikely she would know a former chef who had opened a fancy restaurant in a log cabin in the hills of Vermont.

West hopped out first, landing as gracefully as a big cat on the snowy path below.

“Thank you,” Dulcie said as Samuel handed her out.

West took her hand again and they climbed the stairs to the restaurant.

The door opened for them, and a man who introduced himself as Remi ushered them into the warm space that was filled with the savory aroma of roasting tomatoes, bacon, garlic, and fresh bread.

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