Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Chase couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed and stress-free. Being away from his high-powered job and the fast pace of New York City and his life there, this town was a whole different world. And he genuinely loved that he didn’t know anyone. There were no expectations of him, and there was no need to impress anyone. It was an incredibly freeing feeling, one that made him feel peaceful and content, even if he knew it was only temporary.
Still hand in hand, they continued toward a large marble fountain that was surrounded by a lush green park with families and children enjoying the beautiful day. Before they could cross the street to head in that direction, Lauren came to an abrupt stop in front of what appeared to be a clothing boutique and let out a soft little gasp when she looked at the mannequin in the window display.
The fiberglass model was wearing a long gown in a lavender hue, with a slit up one leg and a fitted bodice. The shoulder straps were accented with crystals that matched the ones defining the waistline of the dress. It was a simple, but very elegant gown.
“Oh, wow,” she breathed in awe, her eyes wide. “Marie is such an amazing seamstress and always makes the most stunning dresses. This one is just beautiful and lavender is my favorite color.” She turned her head and smiled impishly. “It’s silly, but when I was a little girl I’d always walk by her store and imagine wearing her dresses one day.”
“Why don’t we go inside and you can try it on?” he suggested.
She immediately shook her head. “It’s much too fancy.”
“We’re going to a wedding tonight,” he pointed out with a grin. “That’s the best place to wear something special and fancy.”
She laughed and shook her head once again, trying to minimize her initial interest and the wistful look he’d seen in her eyes. “A new gown isn’t in my budget. I have a dress that will be just fine for tonight.” She started to walk away from the boutique, tugging him along. “Come on. I want to show you something I think you’ll appreciate.”
They crossed the street to the community park, and she led the way to the marble fountain. At the top was a bronze statue of a saluting soldier sitting atop a horse from the Civil War, the Union side. There were plaques all along the circular base of the fountain, embedded into the marble. He immediately noticed the name Connelly engraved into the metal a few times, along with dates that matched when the war was fought.
“This is my great-great-grandfather and two uncles on my dad’s side of the family,” she said, running the pad of her finger across the names before moving on to the name Patterson and pointing them out, too. “And this man right here was my gramps’s great-grandfather, and his uncle, too, who all served in the Union Army.”
Her family was more ingrained in this small town than Chase realized. “That’s a lot of generations living in Fairview.”
She nodded and smiled up at him. “The Connellys were part of a group of settlers who founded the town, and have lived here for six generations.”
A light breeze blew, and he raised his free hand and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek, just as an excuse to touch her. “Looks like you broke tradition by moving to New York.”
She shrugged. “I probably would have lived my entire life here and raised my own family in this town… had I married Greg,” she said, but there wasn’t an ounce of regret in her tone. “It’s a lovely community, for sure, but I’ve never had any doubts about moving to the city. It’s where I belong.”
Now that he knew Lauren, he could easily agree. She was much too vivacious to be confined to a stereotypical small town box for the rest of her life. Obviously, she still loved Fairview because it’s where her roots were, and where the rest of her family resided, but he understood how someone like her thrived in New York City.
A distinctive melody filled the air, and Lauren glanced past him and grinned. “Pete’s here!” she announced, and he followed the direction of her gaze to see an older man pushing what looked to be a food cart of some sort. “How about an ice cream?” she asked. “Pete makes his own and it’s so good.”
Seeing the excitement sparkling in her eyes, as if this was something she’d enjoyed many times growing up, he couldn’t deny her request. Not that he could refuse this woman much of anything, Chase realized.
“Sure,” he agreed, and let her pull him over to where the older man had parked the cart, that tinkling music still trilling in the air and drawing families to the treat.