Begin Again (Crimson Romance) Read online

  “You have to ask yourself though, why would a stranger give away that much money then walk away?”

  “But he wasn’t a stranger, not really. He’s been sitting in that diner every day for the last couple of years. We didn’t know his name, but we could count on him being there as much as anything else.”

  Ryan scratched his head. “Maybe that’s true, but will you let me have peace of mind and do a little checking into it for myself?”

  “Check away. But if he does check out, and the money is there in two weeks, will you help me decide what to do with it?”

  He kissed her cheek. “I will.” Smiling, he pulled her close. “Now, can we talk about more important things, like when I get to call you my wife?”

  • • •

  Ryan had an old friend do some digging and to his surprise, Richard Drake was, indeed, the twelfth-richest man in the world. For the last ten years or so, Drake had been finding small-town diners to give away part of his fortune to deserving people. He’d hang around for about two years learning about the people, and when he’d found the ones that his money could help the most, he’d write them a check and move on to the next town.

  Richard Drake’s parents had owned a little diner in Georgia that had burned down from a fire. The man had never married and didn’t have any known living relatives. He kept a low profile and had been a hard man to find, but an old college buddy of Ryan’s worked for the FBI. He couldn’t wait to tell Maisie what he’d learned. What Drake had done only confirmed that the world was still full of good people.

  He pulled up to Maisie’s house. He still couldn’t believe she would soon be his wife. They were having both their families over tonight to share their great news. He knocked on the screen door, and Maisie bounced over to him in a pair of shorts and a tank top.

  With a smile on her face, she threw her arms around him. “I’m so excited about telling our families.”

  His gave her a kiss. “Me, too.”

  She bit her lip, “I may have already told Cady.”

  He laughed. “I figured as much. What was her reaction?”

  “Pure happiness! She’d liked you from the beginning.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “So are you ready to tackle the bathrooms today?” She nodded to the cans of paint and rollers on the floor.

  “Well, since this will be my house, too, I guess I should pitch in.” He picked up a can of paint and looked at the label. “Buttercream?”

  “My sister’s bathroom is that color, and I like it.”

  He smiled. “Well, grab a roller. I have some good news.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Maisie’s parents were busy telling Ryan’s parents about their missionary trip while Cady and Rose laughed about something in the corner of the yard. Maisie loved having their families together, and it looked as if everyone was getting along. She stood behind Ryan at the grill. Her engagement ring was tucked inside Ryan’s pocket and her finger felt naked.

  He bent over and kissed her cheek. “I think everyone is getting to know one another. Think they suspect why we asked them all over?”

  Maisie nodded. “I’d say your sister has figured it out. Not sure about our parents.”

  Ryan flipped the hamburgers and nodded. The smell of barbecue filled her nose, making her belly rumble.

  She glanced at the back door. “The house is really coming along. I can’t wait for you to move in.”

  “Right after the honeymoon. I want to do this the right way.”

  Maisie nodded. She loved that Ryan had traditions and values. “So do you want to talk about where our honeymoon might be?”

  “I was thinking about that and had a place in mind, but I’d like to hear what you’re thinking first.”

  Maisie held the large plate as Ryan placed the cooked hamburgers on it. “Well, I remember you saying you would like to go to Italy some day, and I would like to get a stamp on my unused passport, so that was the first place that popped into my mind.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking.”

  They both smiled as Lauren walked over. “You two are looking pretty happy over here.”

  Ryan nodded. “We are, Momma.” He held up the plate of food. “Dinner’s ready!”

  Maisie went inside to get the pasta and potato salads. Cady followed her in.

  She took a bowl out of Maisie’s arms. “I think Rose knows, but I swear I didn’t tell her.”

  Maisie looked at her sister. Cady had just started showing. “That’s okay. We’re about to tell everyone anyway.”

  Cady hugged her. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “I know.” They walked back outside to find everyone already digging in.

  James came up to Maisie. “You’ve done a great job with the house. I love a home with character.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Me, too, and your son has helped a lot.”

  “He’s a good man, but I think you already know that.” He winked and walked away.

  Maisie waited until everyone was finished eating then stood up. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming to my housewarming party. But as some of you may or may not have guessed, that’s not the only reason Ryan and I asked all of you here.”

  Ryan stood up next to her and took her hand. He pulled out the ring and put it on Maisie’s finger.

  Maisie held up her hand. “We’re engaged!”

  After that, things were a blur. There was applause, laughter, and tears. Lots of tears.

  • • •

  Maisie had taken Cady out to lunch to tell her about Richard Drake. Cady took a bite of her turtle cheesecake and her eyes rolled back. “This is so good. Are you sure you can afford this place? I know you want to buy my lunch, but goodness, Maisie, this place is so expensive.”

  Maisie smiled. “Don’t worry, I can afford it.” She pulled a card out of her purse and handed it to her sister.

  Cady looked at her, surprised. “What’s this?”

  Maisie bit her lip and grinned. “Open it.”

  Her sister’s eyes about popped out when she took the ten thousand dollar check out of the envelope. “What?”

  Maisie laughed. “It’s a gift, and you can’t refuse a gift.” She’d better explain fast before Cady thought she’d robbed a bank.

  • • •

  Ryan gave the goldfish some more antibiotic drops. Fish rarely pulled through, but he’d told the lady he’d give it a try. If things went south, she planned to replace the fish without telling her son.

  Harper walked into the room. “Alice is here to see you.”

  Alice? “Oh, okay. Send her back.”

  Harper nodded.

  Alice walked in looking nervous. “Hi, how are things here?”

  Ryan smiled. “Just trying to revive a goldfish. How have you been?”

  “Great. Well, kind of great. My hubby hates his new job, and he hates the desert. We’re moving back.”

  “You are?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s great! That you’re moving back, not that your husband hates his job.”

  “Well, the reason I’m here is, I didn’t know if maybe I could come back to work for you? When Harper leaves, I mean.”

  “Alice, you couldn’t have better timing. I could use you both.”

  She let out a breath. “You could?”

  “Yes. I need to take a vacation. I’m getting married.”

  Alice’s eyes widened. “Maisie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Congratulations!”

  He smiled. “Thanks. So not only can you have your job back, I’d love it if you could start as soon as possible.”

  “Oh my gosh! I am so relieved. I loved this job and was so sad when I had to quit. Is next Monday okay?
”

  • • •

  “You want to get married next week?” Maisie paused to see if Ryan was serious.

  He nodded.

  “Uh, I’m no expert, but don’t people usually plan these things for a year?”

  “Why wait? Alice will be back to help Harper at the clinic. Our families have met. And frankly, I want to be married to you so I can start every morning off by waking up next to you.”

  Maisie smiled. “That’s sweet, and I want to be married soon, too, but won’t we be missing out on our engagement?”

  Ryan got a sad look on his face. “If you want to wait, we can wait.”

  Maisie thought for a moment. He was right. They loved each other. Why wait? It wasn’t like they needed to save money or anything. Thanks to Richard Drake’s generous gift, they had plenty of that for a while. “You’re not asking me to elope, are you?”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, my momma would kill me.”

  Maisie laughed. “Then how on earth are we going to put a wedding together in a week?”

  “I thought about that and could only come up with one thing.” He took her hands. “Who would love nothing better than to take over and make this happen? Who, all of our lives, has loved telling us what to do?”

  “Our sisters?”

  “Bingo.”

  “You really want our sisters to plan our wedding?”

  “I don’t know. How important is the planning part to you?”

  Maisie tilted her head from side to side as if weighing her options. “Not very. I’ve already went through that once, and it was pretty stressful.”

  “Then why not let our sisters do what they do best: take charge of our lives?”

  She smiled and snuggled into his arms. “Okay.”

  “Okay?!”

  She nodded.

  “We are getting married next week!”

  She took his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips. “I can’t wait to be Mrs. Ryan Tucker.”

  • • •

  Maisie stood in front of the full-length mirrors and turned for Cady and Rose to “ooh” and “ahh” over her.

  Cady dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “You look beautiful.”

  Rose clasped her hands together. “She does. I think that is the one.”

  Maisie turned to look at her reflection. The sleeveless, white satin gown was simple and classy. Little pearls were sewn to the bodice. Her first wedding, she’d worn a big, poofy dress with a long train. This time she wanted less frills. She’d even decided she wanted a short veil.

  “Should she wear her hair up or down?” Rose asked, holding the veil above Maisie’s head. She raised her eyes to look above her head and shrugged.

  Cady walked around her. “Down. Definitely down.”

  Rose nodded enthusiastically. “I agree.”

  Ryan’s plan was working out perfectly. Their sisters were thrilled to be wedding planners, although they weren’t too happy about planning a wedding in seven days.

  “And what about shoes? Heels or flats?” Rose held up two choices.

  “Um,” Cady tapped her chin. “The dress is so long they won’t show.”

  They both turned to Maisie. She shrugged.

  Rose examined the shoes. “These, I think.”

  Cady picked up the heels. “Yes, I think so, too.”

  Maisie had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. They were both on cloud nine.

  Rose clasped her hands together. “Now that that’s settled, hurry up and change. Next stop is the bakery.”

  Maisie went into the dressing room with Cady. Her sister unbuttoned the dress so she could slip out of it. Maisie was happy to be back in her jeans and T-shirt.

  “Sam is taking Ryan to order tuxedos and shoes today,” Cady told them as they were getting back into her BMW.

  “Perfect. I gave Ryan, Doug’s measurements. He should be back in town in time for the wedding,” Rose said.

  Maisie just sat back and listened while Cady and Rose discussed how many tiers the cake should have. All she really wanted was to get this wedding over with and be on her honeymoon with no distractions. No family, no diner, no clinic, no pets. Pets!

  “Uh, Cady? How would you feel about taking care of the critters while we’re on our honeymoon?”

  Cady glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Not a problem.”

  • • •

  Maisie’s head spun from too much sugar. Cady had insisted that she try every single flavor of cake the bakery offered. After a while, they all tasted the same and gave her a belly ache.

  Rose eyed the samples once more. “I know what Ryan would like.”

  Maisie wiped the icing off her lips and suddenly knew which flavor to go with.

  “So do I. The apple spice will be perfect.”

  Rose smiled and nodded.

  Cady shrugged. “Okay, but should we do two or three tiers?”

  Rose did a mental head count. “I think two will be plenty.”

  Maisie let out a sigh of relief. Another task checked off their to-do list.

  Cady ran around like the Energizer Bunny. “Flowers!”

  Rose looked at her watch. “If we hurry, we can get to the flower shop and still be home by dinner.”

  Maisie was exhausted. She didn’t want to go anywhere else today. “How about you two drop me off and then go? I need to feed Boots and Lucky.”

  Cady made a tsk-tsk sound. “You have to pick out your flowers. What if we pick out something you hate?”

  Rose nodded.

  Maisie let out a sigh. Trying to cram months of wedding plans into a day wasn’t fun. “I just want to go home. We can do the flowers tomorrow.”

  “I guess we could leave the flowers for tomorrow,” Rose said.

  Maisie heard Cady whisper to Rose, “Are you sure?”

  “I am!” Maisie spoke up.

  • • •

  Cady pulled up to Maisie’s house with Ryan standing in the driveway next to a white van and a blue pickup.

  “What is going on?” Maisie asked.

  Cady and Rose exchanged glances. “We were supposed to keep you out later,” Cady said.

  “Why? Whose trucks are those?”

  “You’ll have to talk to your fiancé about that,” Rose said apologetically.

  Ryan walked up to the BMW as Maisie was getting out. She crossed her arms and walked toward him.

  “You want to tell me what is going on?”

  He smiled. “I knew they’d have a hard time keeping you gone long enough. Follow me.”

  Maisie eyed him suspiciously and followed him into her house. He opened the basement door, and she could smell sawdust and paste of some kind. Drywall dust was everywhere as they descended the stairs.

  He looked back at her. “You remember when I said my housewarming gift was coming?”

  “Yeah?”

  He held out his arms as a couple of guys walked by with ripped jeans and tool belts hanging from their waists. “Surprise!”

  Maisie smiled. “You are finishing the basement?”

  “Not only finishing it. Now the room has steel in the walls and should stand up to storms.”

  Maisie swallowed back the tears. “You built me a tornado shelter?”

  “Well, technically, Sid and Bob are building it, but yes.”

  She threw her arms around him and kissed him all over his face. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” He took his thumb and smoothed away her tears. “You get me. You understand, and that is why I love you so, so much.”

  The pounding of hammers drowned out his response, but he took her hand and led her back up the stairs. When they got to the living room he said, “I feel the ex
act same way about you. You get me.”

  She nodded to the basement door. “How long until the guys leave?”

  “About an hour, then they’ll be back tomorrow morning. They should be finished before we leave for our honeymoon.”

  Darn, she’d have to wait an hour to show him just how much she loved him. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving. Your fridge is as empty as mine.”

  She smiled. “Pizza?”

  He laughed. “You do get me.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Maisie hadn’t known how many types of flowers a shop could hold, but now she did. Overwhelmed, she looked at the sea of color. The floral scents were overpowering. Focus.

  Rose and Cady had dropped her off alone and walked across the street to get coffee. They wanted her to narrow it down to five flowers, then they’d help her choose. Roses were classic, carnations were sweet, lilies reminded her of funerals. She had no idea what most of the flowers even were. Okay, the day is meant to be kept simple, so … She turned around in circles slowly. How would she narrow it down with this many choices?

  “Can I help you, dear?” A lady with shoulder-length white hair and a dark green apron stood in front of her.

  “Yes! I’m getting married and I’m supposed to pick out flowers. My sisters will be here in a few minutes, but they are expecting me to have my favorites picked out.”

  She nodded. “Ah, well, let’s see. Do you have a favorite flower?”

  Maisie shook her head. “Not really.”

  The lady walked over to a bucket full of lilies. “These are popular.”

  Maisie shook her head.

  The lady nodded. “Not for you. That’s okay.” She paused to look around. “Is there a flower that has special meaning to you? Has you fiancé ever given you flowers?”

  Maisie smiled. “Yes. He gave me a peony blossom out of his yard.”

  The lady nodded and walked her over to a bucket of peonies in all shades of pink. “These would make lovely centerpieces on their own, and a bouquet of peonies and roses would be beautiful.”

  Maisie picked up one of the huge flowers and the cold water from the bucket trickled down her hand. She waved the bloom under her nose and was immediately transported to their magical day at the zoo. “Yes, this is what I want!”