Page 36 of The Sheriff's Mistletoe Bride
“And that was the whirlwind of my family.”Matt smiled with a shake of his head.“Just imagine if my brother was in the mix, too.It can get crazy.But you fit right in.”
“Are you saying I’m crazy in a backhanded sort of way?”
“Who me?Would I suggest that?I just mean you are a lady of many talents and the way you balanced that fan was incredible.”
“No!You saw it, too?Did the whole audience see it?”
“Well, I know that the coach did, and he mentioned something about you coming over to the junior high and working your agility skills with his team.”
Ally knew she was being had.“I suppose someone told you once that you have a sense of humor and are funny?I would ask for a second opinion if I were you.”She smiled sweetly and began placing more cookies on the almost empty plates on the table.
Matt just shook his head and tried not to laugh.Somehow, she felt he might be planning some sort of retribution.He had that look about him.But he moved off to try the roulette wheel in the fifth-grade classroom.
The Fall Fest had been a success by all accounts.Ally had received so many kind comments that had her smiling all evening.She had helped this community in some small way and that made her feel connected to them.She was packing up when a text came across her phone.It was from Matt.He had been called out into the country on an emergency with his deputy.He hated to not be there to help close up.But he would make it up to her.And left it at that.
It would have been nice to finish up and have someone besides Teddy to listen to her account of the evening.Someone to share the feeling of success with.Instead, she cleaned up the kitchen where she had rushed earlier to bake the last of the cookies and left things out of place.Then she put on her nightgown and robe and settled into the comfy chair next to the fireplace.Maybe tomorrow she would figure out how to set a fire in the fireplace.That would be nice on the fall evenings that were becoming chillier.
So much had happened in such a short amount of time.Ally thought back over it all.She was amazed at how much she had gone from stranger to being praised for helping the community’s school and making friends like Tillie at the café.Helping the choir teacher and Jillie’s homeroom teacher with their classes and funding for school supplies thanks to a successful festival.She enjoyed every moment.Teddy was able to receive great vet care and was walking better already.Her car would be repaired soon, and she had found a way to have two jobs and save so much more money.Mr.Jacobs had sent her an email that morning to tell her that the papers would be ready to close on the apartment within two weeks.She would be able to pay all her other bills, including medical.And have the nest egg left that Annie had insured for her.
The only thing left would be to pay the debt Matt had shouldered for her.Even though he did not want repayment, she knew she had to make it right with herself.She had put it off because of the debt and because of the need to figure out how and when to put Annie to rest.Cade had stepped up and that detail would be handled.So all that was really left was how to say goodbye.It wouldn’t be so hard a task to even think about if she hadn’t allowed herself to get involved in the life of the small town, to like the people, and to even feel more than she should about Jillie and her dad—Matt.That was a subject she had danced around for a while.She had no problem being a buffer between him and the women in the town…get them to back off a while.But she would leave and then he would have the problem return.Unless someone else stepped into her shoes—and there were those like Frannie who would be happy to see her go.
She had allowed herself to get caught up in the dream…and ignored the reality.Primrose Inn had become the home she had never had but had been a dream.Tori had spread magic in the place she had found to make a home for herself and her siblings.And it had sprinkled some into her world, too.The people in town had become her friends.They had let her carve out a spot for herself and they welcomed her without question.How would she and Teddy find such a place when they leave?What if they stayed?Nothing would change, or would it?She could find a small apartment.They couldn’t stay in Primrose Inn.That belonged to Tori and her family.She could continue with the pastries and pies and such for the café and maybe expand to other places in the area with a commercial license.She’d have to find a second job because Tori would be back to picking up Jillie after school.Even if she didn’t, Ally needed to distance herself.Matt wouldn’t always be ignoring the women in town trying to catch his eye.One day, one would come along, and she knew she didn’t want to be watching from the outside.Because she had grown too close to Matt.
He was a good man and a great dad, and he cared about so many in his town.He was a large part of its very fabric.He deserved someone special.Someone that was not her.It would be someone who had a normal childhood, not the streets of New York.A person who fit into a big family and has ties and a history here.That is who he deserved.
She would do her best to decide how to make the transition in the coming days and be ready to move to another town hopefully by Christmas.She didn’t want to go through the holidays, still unsure of her future or her place in it.But first she would need to put Annie where she wanted to be.And she felt blessed to be part of a great love story, even if it wasn’t hers.
Chapter Seventeen
“Give.What’s thestory?”
Matt looked up from his plate of food and tried to guess what Cassie was talking about.“Story as in…?”
“The one where you are using a beautiful, sweet girl as a shield to hide behind from all the single women who want to apply for the job of being Mrs.Parker.Is that plain enough?”
“You should ask Tori.It was one of her ideas that just took on a life of its own.And Ally wants to pay me back for helping get her car fixed.It was our fault the accident happened at all… And she wants to pay for her dog’s leg surgery…again part of the accident.She insists on repaying me.Once that’s done, then she leaves.”
“And I hear that she found a second job because she’s also one heck of a great baker, and she’s helping out with Jillie while Tori is out of commission.She has a strong work ethic.Jillie clearly adores her.She fits right into this town with that festival as an example.So, what is stopping you?”
“Stopping me?”
“Have you always been so obtuse?How do you solve the crimes around here?I know you are a lot smarter than this.Or is it just because it involves someone who has finally broken through that heart of yours and made you wake up?And being a typical man, it has you running scared.”
“I’m not running scared from anything.”
“Ally Jones.Do you like her or not?”
“Why don’t we change the subject?”
“See?You’re running and that proves my point.”
“What are you trying to prove?”
“She plans to leave when her debt is paid…yes or no?”
“Yes.”
“Does she have a plan as to where she’s moving on to?”
