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8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 159
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 259
ldquoWith profound truths on one page and laugh-out-loud hilarity
on the next Like Never Before quickly became one of those
novels I didnrsquot want to end Melissa Tagg has penned a delight-ful story that took hold of my heart and didnrsquot let go Superbly
well donerdquo
mdash Katie Ganshert bestselling award-winning author
ldquoIn Like Never Before readers are invited to revisit the much-
loved Walker clan in a story that delivers on the promise that
even if lost once love can be found again In true Melissa Tagg
style the dialogue is smart and the romance is real and raw in
all the right places This series is witty storytelling at its bestrdquo
mdash Kristy Cambron author of the H983145983140983140983141983150 M983137983155983156983141983154983152983145983141983139983141
series and The Ringmasterrsquos Wife
ldquoLike Never Before is a gem of a story I never knew Iowa could
be so charming until I met the Walker family from Maple Valley
Logan and Ameliarsquos story is pure delightmdashfunny sweet roman-
tic poignantmdashand it even has a touch of historical mystery
The perfect weekend readmdashMelissa Tagg just keeps getting
better and betterrdquo
mdash Susan May Warren RITAreg and Christy Award-winning
bestselling author of the C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983155983141983150 F983137983149983145983148983161 series
ldquoIn Like Never Before Melissa Tagg once again delivers a won-
derful romancemdashand a fun little mysterymdashwith her signature
swoon-worthy characters and laugh out loud moments that
will make every reader fall in love with both the story and the
author As always a wonderful read by a very talented writerrdquo
mdash Sarah Price
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 359
ldquoLike Never Before is like a warm embrace from the Walkers
with the added sweetness of a heroine who feels like your best
friend Amelia just wants a home Logan just wants to keepmoving Both are burdened by deep pain from the past In Like
Never Before you will be reminded that love is worth the risk
no matter what has hurt you in the past And by opening your
heart you may just find a home This is another keeper from
an author who somehow makes each novel better than the lastrdquo
mdash Cara Putman award-winning author of Shadowed
by Grace and Where Treetops Glisten
ldquoIn Like Never Before author Melissa Tagg once again wel-
comes readers to the fictitious town of Maple Valley even as she
crafts characters you come to care about like real-life friends
The story woven through with Taggrsquos trademark humor high-
lights an abiding love of family and the importance of anchoring
yourself to God when life is hard One of my favorite booksby this authorrdquo
mdash Beth K Vogt 2015 RITAreg Finalist author
of Crazy Little Thing Called Love
ldquoWarm witty and insightful no one crafts a romance like
Melissa Tagg After just a few pages I found myself sighing
with happinessmdashprepare to be charmedrdquo
mdash Hillary Manton Lodge author of Reservations for Two
ldquoReading a Melissa Tagg novel is like sharing coffee with a close
friend in cozy diner where the conversation and laughter flow
freely Like Never Before offers readers a charming setting with
passionate characters snappy dialogue heartfelt moments and
threads of faith woven throughout the story to pull everything
together Another book on my keeper shelfrdquo
mdash Lisa Jordan author of Lakeside Redemption
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 459
Books by Melissa Tagg
Made to Last
Here to Stay
T983144983141 W983137983148983147983141983154 F983137983149983145983148983161 B983151983151983147983155
Three Little Words A Walker Family Novella
From the StartLike Never Before
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 559
L i k e N e v e r
B or e Melissa Tagg
5
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 759
To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 859
For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 959
9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 1159
Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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ldquoWith profound truths on one page and laugh-out-loud hilarity
on the next Like Never Before quickly became one of those
novels I didnrsquot want to end Melissa Tagg has penned a delight-ful story that took hold of my heart and didnrsquot let go Superbly
well donerdquo
mdash Katie Ganshert bestselling award-winning author
ldquoIn Like Never Before readers are invited to revisit the much-
loved Walker clan in a story that delivers on the promise that
even if lost once love can be found again In true Melissa Tagg
style the dialogue is smart and the romance is real and raw in
all the right places This series is witty storytelling at its bestrdquo
mdash Kristy Cambron author of the H983145983140983140983141983150 M983137983155983156983141983154983152983145983141983139983141
series and The Ringmasterrsquos Wife
ldquoLike Never Before is a gem of a story I never knew Iowa could
be so charming until I met the Walker family from Maple Valley
Logan and Ameliarsquos story is pure delightmdashfunny sweet roman-
tic poignantmdashand it even has a touch of historical mystery
The perfect weekend readmdashMelissa Tagg just keeps getting
better and betterrdquo
mdash Susan May Warren RITAreg and Christy Award-winning
bestselling author of the C983144983154983145983155983156983145983137983150983155983141983150 F983137983149983145983148983161 series
ldquoIn Like Never Before Melissa Tagg once again delivers a won-
derful romancemdashand a fun little mysterymdashwith her signature
swoon-worthy characters and laugh out loud moments that
will make every reader fall in love with both the story and the
author As always a wonderful read by a very talented writerrdquo
mdash Sarah Price
8202019 Like Never Before
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ldquoLike Never Before is like a warm embrace from the Walkers
with the added sweetness of a heroine who feels like your best
friend Amelia just wants a home Logan just wants to keepmoving Both are burdened by deep pain from the past In Like
Never Before you will be reminded that love is worth the risk
no matter what has hurt you in the past And by opening your
heart you may just find a home This is another keeper from
an author who somehow makes each novel better than the lastrdquo
mdash Cara Putman award-winning author of Shadowed
by Grace and Where Treetops Glisten
ldquoIn Like Never Before author Melissa Tagg once again wel-
comes readers to the fictitious town of Maple Valley even as she
crafts characters you come to care about like real-life friends
The story woven through with Taggrsquos trademark humor high-
lights an abiding love of family and the importance of anchoring
yourself to God when life is hard One of my favorite booksby this authorrdquo
mdash Beth K Vogt 2015 RITAreg Finalist author
of Crazy Little Thing Called Love
ldquoWarm witty and insightful no one crafts a romance like
Melissa Tagg After just a few pages I found myself sighing
with happinessmdashprepare to be charmedrdquo
mdash Hillary Manton Lodge author of Reservations for Two
ldquoReading a Melissa Tagg novel is like sharing coffee with a close
friend in cozy diner where the conversation and laughter flow
freely Like Never Before offers readers a charming setting with
passionate characters snappy dialogue heartfelt moments and
threads of faith woven throughout the story to pull everything
together Another book on my keeper shelfrdquo
mdash Lisa Jordan author of Lakeside Redemption
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 459
Books by Melissa Tagg
Made to Last
Here to Stay
T983144983141 W983137983148983147983141983154 F983137983149983145983148983161 B983151983151983147983155
Three Little Words A Walker Family Novella
From the StartLike Never Before
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 559
L i k e N e v e r
B or e Melissa Tagg
5
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 859
For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 959
9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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ldquoLike Never Before is like a warm embrace from the Walkers
with the added sweetness of a heroine who feels like your best
friend Amelia just wants a home Logan just wants to keepmoving Both are burdened by deep pain from the past In Like
Never Before you will be reminded that love is worth the risk
no matter what has hurt you in the past And by opening your
heart you may just find a home This is another keeper from
an author who somehow makes each novel better than the lastrdquo
mdash Cara Putman award-winning author of Shadowed
by Grace and Where Treetops Glisten
ldquoIn Like Never Before author Melissa Tagg once again wel-
comes readers to the fictitious town of Maple Valley even as she
crafts characters you come to care about like real-life friends
The story woven through with Taggrsquos trademark humor high-
lights an abiding love of family and the importance of anchoring
yourself to God when life is hard One of my favorite booksby this authorrdquo
mdash Beth K Vogt 2015 RITAreg Finalist author
of Crazy Little Thing Called Love
ldquoWarm witty and insightful no one crafts a romance like
Melissa Tagg After just a few pages I found myself sighing
with happinessmdashprepare to be charmedrdquo
mdash Hillary Manton Lodge author of Reservations for Two
ldquoReading a Melissa Tagg novel is like sharing coffee with a close
friend in cozy diner where the conversation and laughter flow
freely Like Never Before offers readers a charming setting with
passionate characters snappy dialogue heartfelt moments and
threads of faith woven throughout the story to pull everything
together Another book on my keeper shelfrdquo
mdash Lisa Jordan author of Lakeside Redemption
8202019 Like Never Before
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Books by Melissa Tagg
Made to Last
Here to Stay
T983144983141 W983137983148983147983141983154 F983137983149983145983148983161 B983151983151983147983155
Three Little Words A Walker Family Novella
From the StartLike Never Before
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 559
L i k e N e v e r
B or e Melissa Tagg
5
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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Books by Melissa Tagg
Made to Last
Here to Stay
T983144983141 W983137983148983147983141983154 F983137983149983145983148983161 B983151983151983147983155
Three Little Words A Walker Family Novella
From the StartLike Never Before
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 559
L i k e N e v e r
B or e Melissa Tagg
5
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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L i k e N e v e r
B or e Melissa Tagg
5
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 659
copy 2016 by Melissa Tagg
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington Minnesota 55438
wwwbethanyhousecom
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group Grand Rapids Michigan
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any meansmdashfor example electronic pho-
tocopy recordingmdashwithout the prior written permission of the publisher The only
exception is brief quotations in printed reviews
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNames Tagg Melissa author
Title Like never before Melissa Tagg
Description Minneapolis Minnesota Bethany House a division of Baker
Publishing Group [2016]
Identifiers LCCN 2015039202 | ISBN 9780764213083 (softcover)
Subjects LCSH Man-woman relationshipsmdashFiction | GSAFD Christian fiction |
Love stories
Classification LCC PS3620A343 L55 2016 | DDC 8136mdashdc23 LC record available
at httplccnlocgov2015039202
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible New Living Translation copyright copy 1996
2004 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers Inc Carol Stream Illinois 60188 All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction Names characters incidents and dialogues are products
of the authorrsquos imagination and are not to be construed as real Any resemblance to
actual events or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental
Cover design by Faceout StudiosKara Davison
Melissa Tagg is represented by MacGregor Literary Inc
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 959
9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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To my nephew Ollie
Someday yoursquoll be old enough
to read this and understand
how much your strength
and personality inspire me
For now Irsquoll settle for spoiling you
every chance I get
I love you buddy
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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Like Never Bore
16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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Like Never Bore
18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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For I am about to do something new
See I have already begun Do you not see itI will make a pathway through the wilderness
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
mdashIsaiah 4319
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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Like Never Bore
14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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Like Never Bore
20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
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9
1
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Subject Hello
Hi Logan
Yep itrsquos me again Amelia Bentley I know yoursquod think after
three unanswered emails Irsquod give up But reportersmdasheven
small-town Iowa onesmdashhave spunk Except hmm maybe
yoursquore some Lou Grantndashtype and you hate spunk
In that case Irsquove got persistence determination and fine a
fair bit of stubbornness
Which is why Irsquom writing you this third email to see if you have
any interest in coming back to work for the News Since Fred-
die passed away wersquore short a reporter I know you live in LA
now so this is probably crazy talk But you told me yourself
you miss the newspaper world So I canrsquot help asking
Amelia Bentley
Editor Maple Valley News
ps It just occurred to me that maybe the reason you havenrsquot
replied is you donrsquot remember me I was the reporter at your
sisterrsquos boyfriendrsquos nonprofitrsquos grand opening last month
8202019 Like Never Before
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10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
8202019 Like Never Before
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
10
(World record for most possessive nouns used in one sentence)
We talked for a few minutes You complimented my Nikon
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Subject RE Hello
Ameliamdash
I do remember you And your Nikon Sorry that I havenrsquot re-
sponded until now My inbox is like something out of a horror
movie
And I remember telling you I miss reporting I have to be hon-
est That might have been mostly small talk Yeah I miss it now
and then But I donrsquot have a ton of desire to go back to writing
about school board meetings and really tall asparagus )
mdashL
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
If thatrsquos a crack at how often small-town newspapers run pho-
tos of oversized produce well then okay (This is Iowa
after all)
So would you consider coming back if I promised to cover ALL
the school board meetings
Just kidding I knew it was a long shot But arenrsquot the best re-
porters the ones who chase long shots
mdashAmelia
ps Is signing off with just an initial an LA thing
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
There are long shots and then there are looooong shots
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
11
But hey itrsquos almost graduation time Check with the area col-
leges I bet you can find a journalism major in need of a job
mdashLogan James Walker (There More than an initial this timeHappy)
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
I donrsquot want a journalism major I want you
And yes I realize how that sounds Donrsquot get smug or anything
Irsquom just saying your award plaques still line the office walls
When you worked here subscriptions topped 5000 Freddie
talked about you constantly If you change your mind
mdashAmelia Anne Bentley
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
The only thing Irsquom smug about is the fact that I finally figured
out the Lou Grant reference in your earlier email Mary Tyler
Moore Show right
By the way I shouldrsquove said earlier Sorry about Freddie He
was a good guy great editor I wish I couldrsquove made it home
for his funeral When I heard he died I kept kicking myself for
not keeping in better touch since moving out here
mdashLogan
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
He knew you were busy And he always talked about how
proud of you he was
Truthfully Freddie was ready to be done with the newspaper
biz long ago too The flood last year did a number on him
(not to mention our equipment) He was in the process of
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Like Never Bore
12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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Like Never Bore
30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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Like Never Bore
32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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12
selling the paper and retiring before he passed He only
passed on the editor mantle to me a month ago Itrsquos all up
in the air nowmdashwe donrsquot even know who our current owner
is
Thatrsquos not meant to be a guilt trip by the way Just letting you
know why Irsquom grasping at straws and trying to talk an Iowa boy
home
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
I get it And I do appreciate you asking me to come back
Believe it or not I did actually consider it for a few nostalgic
seconds Most of my five years at the News were good ones
But my life and work are here now
Besides Irsquom not a reporter anymore
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Aw come on Newspapering gets in a personrsquos blood You
donrsquot just stop being a reporter
mdashAmelia
mdashmdashmdash
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Whatever you say Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
To Logan Walker
From Amelia Bentley
Hildy
mdashmdashmdash
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
13
To Amelia Bentley
From Logan Walker
Yoursquore a reporter Figure it out )
On days like thismdashwhen sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny
glistening jewels and a crisp quiet brushed through the coldmdash
Amelia Bentley could almost believe shersquod never led another
life
Never stood in front of an altar one morning to begin what a
hastily scrawled signature smudged by tears would eventually
end Never carved open a chamber of her heart only to later
lock it tight hiding away the goodbye shersquod never asked to say
Amelia pulled open the front door of the Maple Valley News
office bells chiming overhead as she stepped into a cocoon of
warmth and familiarity
Today there were no brick-heavy yesterdays Only the inky
scent of newsprint and the embrace of this wintry townmdash her
town Well and the yipping voice at the back of her mind
reminding her she wasmdash
ldquoYoursquore laterdquo The Newsrsquos receptionist peered over thin bi-
focals silver-tinted hair coifed with enough bobby pins to pick
every lock in the countyAmelia loosened the turquoise scarf at her neck camera bag
slinking down her arm ldquoI know Just need fresh batteries for
my flash But Mae rdquo The rubber soles of her fur-lined boots
squealed against the laminate floor as she slid to the reception
desk Her voice lowered to an awed whisper ldquoItrsquos snowingrdquo
ldquoYou think I donrsquot know that Yoursquore tracking it all over my
spacerdquo
Amelia glanced down at the puddle forming around her feet
ldquoSorry Itrsquos pretty though donrsquot you thinkrdquo
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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14
ldquoIf it were December sure But itrsquos the middle of March No
way yoursquoll hear me calling snow pretty in Marchrdquo
ldquoYou just said snow the way most people say oral surgeryOr taxes Or beetsrdquo
Mae only harrumphed and turned back to her computer
Amelia nudged the camera bag back up over her shoulder
stomped the last of the snow from her boots and hurried
through the room that contained the ad departmentmdashif two
women and a part-time intern counted as a department She
waved at Kat Mikaela and Abby as she passed Pin-ups of adsfor this weekrsquos issue dangled from the cloth-covered cubicle
wall separating their desks and sunshine spilled in through
generous windows
She pushed through the newsroom door
Just inside Owen swiveled in his chair ldquoYoursquoremdashrdquo
ldquoSave it Already got the third degree from Eeyore at the front
deskrdquo Amelia dropped her bag onto the sprawling island coun-ter that gulped up most of the newsroomrsquos space Back issues
of the News and other area papers covered the high tabletop
ldquoThe fire chiefrsquos already called twicerdquo
ldquoIrsquom not even five minutes late You told him to keep his pants
on rightrdquo She bypassed her own cluttered desk and bee-lined
for the row of pale blue cupboards lining the back wall She
hoped that at some point shersquod remembered to pick up a pack
of spare batteries
Owen stood straightening the gray vest that matched his
slacks lavender shirt underneath He was the only sports re-
porter shersquod ever met who dressed like he belonged at InStyle
magazine rather than a small-town weekly with a circ of barely
3500 He perched on the corner of his desk arms folded ldquoNo
I did not tell him to keep his pants on I didnrsquot think that the
best choice of words considering your little incident last yearrdquo
Amelia opened a cupboard hiding her almost-smile ldquoHow
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
15
was I supposed to know theyrsquod just gotten back from a drill
How was I supposed to know that door in the station led into
the room where they changerdquoNineteen volunteer firefighters in various states of undress
Some things you couldnrsquot un-see
Nor could she apparently live down
ldquoTwelve months Irsquove endured the taunting of the entire Maple
Valley Fire Departmentrdquo But ooh score a foursome of double-
As loose in the cupboard ldquoWhat are the chances theyrsquoll drop
it one of these daysrdquoldquoNot gonna happen They love teasing you Same with the
police The EMTs Every farmer at the co-oprdquo Owen moved
away from his desk unzipped her camera bag and pulled out
the flash
Behind him the mockups of this weekrsquos paper still hung
from two long metal strips on the opposite wall held in place
by magnets Twenty-four pages final edits visible in red inkFour spreads less than the issues theyrsquod put out even just two
months back
But short a reporter and with both circulation and advertis-
ing down Amelia was doing good to churn out a paper at all
Her gaze slid to the dark closet of an office in the corner How
many mornings did she waltz in to work still half expecting
to see Freddie settled in his raggedy chair slurping on a vanilla
shake for breakfast The window in his office looked out on the
riverfront where late afternoon brushed shades of tangerine
and pink through the skyrsquos wispy clouds and the Blaine River
ice-frosted and calm cut through the center of town
ldquoAdmit itrdquo Owenrsquos voice cut in ldquoYou may not be a native
but yoursquore the whole townrsquos kid sisterrdquo
ldquoIf thirty counts as kidrdquo But Owen had a point Shersquod wan-
dered into town a wounded heart three years ago The people of
Maple Valley had begun sweeping up her broken pieces before
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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Like Never Bore
32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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Like Never Bore
34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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16
shersquod even decided to stay Shersquod spent the time since doing all
she could to repay that gift Made sense that shersquod earned some
friends along the wayldquoYoursquore forgetting Mae thoughrdquo She took the flash from
Owen ldquoShersquos never warmed to merdquo
ldquoMaersquos never warmed to anyone Except maybe her cat By
the way Cranford called while you were outrdquo
A groan worked its way up her throat and she chucked the
flashrsquos dead batteries at an already-overflowing trash can Missed
They hit the wall and clunked to the floor ldquoWay to bury the lederdquoldquoYou canrsquot keep ignoring thisrdquo
ldquoWhy Itrsquos been working okay for a few weeks nowrdquo She
reloaded the flash
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBesides lawyers are still hashing out if the sale was even
final before Freddie died Until I know for sure Cranford Com-
munications is the new owner of the Maple Valley News Idonrsquot feel any obligation to take CJ Cranfordrsquos calls Especially
since I know exactly what hersquoll sayrdquo She plopped the flash back
in its bag ldquoHersquoll do to us what hersquos done to dozens of small
papersmdashdissolve us and roll us into a larger regional pub He
owns the Central Iowa Communicator you knowrdquo A four-color
beauty of a paper with a tri-county reach She could admit to
ogling the Communicatorrsquos zingy headlines and pretty photos
each week
Didnrsquot mean she wanted to see it swallow up the News
Owen only shrugged and picked up the batteries rolling
across the floor
Maybe she shouldnrsquot expect him to share her worry He was
a twenty-four-year-old transplant from Omaha with his eyes on
grad school Shersquod seen the applications he worked on during
his lunch hour the ones he minimized on his computer screen
whenever she walked past
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
17
He couldnrsquot understand Ameliarsquos ties to this town the
paper Didnrsquot knowmdash couldnrsquot knowmdashhow theyrsquod filled up the
hollowed-out spaces inside her ldquoDid Cranford leave a messagerdquoldquoMaersquos the one who took the call but according to her
Post-Itmdashrdquo He walked to Ameliarsquos desk and peeled the note
from her monitor ldquoHersquos coming to town and wants to meet
with yourdquo
ldquoWhenrdquo
ldquoDoesnrsquot say But therersquos a numberrdquo
ldquoHersquos going to have to wait until after the fire departmentphotordquo Which could end up being one of her last tasks as
editor Because if Cranford did own the News now what were
the chances shersquod still have a job after he swooped in Even if
he did keep the paper open hersquod probably take one look at her
empty reacutesumeacute and her nonexistent college degree and wonder
why Freddie ever hired her
Owen stood close to her now fingers still wrapped aroundthe strap of her camera bag ldquoLook itrsquos going to be okayrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not so sure but I appreciate the optimismrdquo She started
to turn but Owenrsquos hold on her camera bag halted her
ldquoJust return the call okay Meet with the manrdquo His expres-
sion took on an abrupt intensity ldquoYoursquoll impress him like you
do everyonerdquo
She blinked at his shift in demeanor but reached up to pat
his cheek ldquoYoursquore a good guy Owen Berry But I gotta runrdquo
He released her bag and she angled around the counter but
stopped halfway to the door ldquoHey does the name Hildy mean
anything to yourdquo
He shook his head ldquoNo whyrdquo
ldquoJust a reference that has me stumpedrdquo Two weeks and she
still couldnrsquot figure it out
She retreated the way shersquod come Mae was helping a cus-
tomer as she approached the receptionistrsquos deskmdasha tall woman
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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Like Never Bore
32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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Like Never Bore
34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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18
with the kind of burnished chestnut hair Amelia could only
dream about and lipstick a jarring shade of magenta Mae
glanced at her as she passed ldquoAmeliamdashrdquoldquoI know Irsquom laterdquo She swung to face Mae arms out ldquoIf
Chief Daniels calls tell him to hold his horsesrdquo She fingered
on one glove ldquoAnd if CJ Cranford calls again tell him hersquos
got the wrong numberrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoBetter yet pretend you called him and try to order a large
pepperoni pizza If he laughs and goes along with it wersquoll knowmaybe just maybe hersquos not the corporate buzzkill Irsquom imagin-
ing him to berdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo Mae barked
Amelia fumbled pulling her second glove from her pocket
ldquoWhatrdquo And why was the woman at the counter looking at
her like it was a hand thatrsquod just fallen to the floor not merely
her glove
Mae gestured to the woman ldquoTherersquos someone here to see
yourdquo Her words were slow measured ldquoThis is CJ Cranfordrdquo
Ameliarsquos breathing hitched Her glance darted from the
woman to Mae and back to the woman Oh no No no no
The woman stepped forward held out one palm ldquoYou must
be Amelia Bentley Irsquom CJ but you can call me CorporateBuzzkill if you like Now that was a large pepperonirdquo
A few neatly arranged words clever and concise shouldnrsquot
be enough to make or break a reputation
Then again if they werenrsquot Logan Walker wouldnrsquot have
a career
ldquoI canrsquot believe wersquore driving forty-five minutes in stupid LA
traffic just to find a napkin from dinner three nights agordquo Impa-
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
19
tience rattled in Theodore Tompkinsrsquos voice and the drumming
of his fingers on the armrest of the passengerrsquos door
ldquoFour nightsrdquo A blast of cool from the carrsquos rasping air-conditioner chafed over Loganrsquos skin He may have lived in
California for a good seven years now but the Midwesterner
in him still hadnrsquot adjusted to eighty-degree weather in March
ldquoTrust me itrsquos a piece of rhetorical brilliance written on that
napkin You and the senator will be glad we fought the freeway
to get it from my apartmentrdquo
He glanced over at his friend sandy blond hair still leftoverfrom the manrsquos past as a competitive surfer These days Tomp-
kins was all pressed suits and glossy-hued ties
Not that Logan was any different Sure hersquod loosened his
tie into a droop unfastened the top button of his shirt and
abandoned his suit jacket in the backseat before theyrsquod left the
firm But just like Tompkins had deserted his surfboard and
tan Logan had traded in the life of casual jeans and tees witha reporterrsquos notebook in his back pocket plenty long ago
Logan veered his Ford four-door around an SUV and then
onto an off-ramp Only ten minutes from his apartment build-
ing now Maybe he shouldrsquove waited until tonight to ditch the
office and go in search of the napkin hersquod used as a notepad
earlier this week but frankly he welcomed a midday stop at
home A chance to see Charlie for more than his usual too-few
minutes at the bookends of each day
Besides his house was on the way to tonightrsquos legislative
fundraiser
Theo pulled out his phone ldquoIf what you wrote on that napkin
was so brilliant why canrsquot you remember itrdquo
ldquoBecause Irsquom a thirty-four-year-old single dad whose brain
is at capacity This morning I called the nanny Kristy instead of
Kristardquo The phrase If looks could kill had taken on a whole
new meaning ldquoShe pretty much eviscerated me with her scowlrdquo
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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Melissa Tagg
21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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Like Never Bore
22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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Like Never Bore
36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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Like Never Bore
38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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20
ldquoEviscerated Nice word Thatrsquos why yoursquore the speechwriter
and Irsquom just the measly political strategistrdquo Theo tapped his
phonersquos screen ldquoBut maybe start writing those fancy words onsomething other than napkins Just a thoughtrdquo
ldquoWhen the muse hits I scribble on whateverrsquos handy my
friendrdquo
A siren screeched somewhere in the distance Not an uncom-
mon sound in this claustrophobic city even in the relatively
nice neighborhood where Logan and Emma had settled down
Nice or not theyrsquod sworn the apartment was only tem-porary a short-term campout until they picked a house to
call home Then in a blink and a phone call everything had
changed
And Logan hadnrsquot been able to make himself leave
He reached for the sweating water bottle in the cup holder
between the seats
ldquoWhat themdashrdquoLogan dropped his bottle at Theorsquos outburst It plunked to
the floor and rolled to where his foot had just slipped on the
accelerator ldquoMan trying to drive hererdquo
ldquoSorry but this canrsquot be for real Seriously It canrsquotrdquo
Logan steered onto Shoreline Road stretching cement apart-
ment buildings lined up like a welcome crew Lanky palm trees
bowed overhead the only brush of color on an otherwise beige
and gray canvas Even the sky seemed tinged with an ashen hue
With his left foot Logan kicked the swaying water bottle out
of the way ldquoFantasy surfing team lose againrdquo
Theo slapped his phone to his thigh ldquoYou will use any excuse
to bring that uprdquo
Logan pushed a flopping piece of dark hair from his forehead
Emma wouldrsquove made me cut it by now She wouldrsquove called
the barber scheduled an appointment driven him there herself
if she had to andmdash
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21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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Like Never Bore
32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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21
He swallowed the swell of memories before he had a chance
to taste them In the distance the sirenrsquos peal grew louder
ldquoIrsquom just saying rdquo The words took extra effort ldquoFantasysurfing Whatrsquore you going to pseudo compete in next Fantasy
tetherballrdquo
ldquoYou going to keep mocking the only hobby I still have time
for or you going to let me tell you about the email I just read
Yoursquore copied on itrdquo
ldquoFine Talkrdquo Parking on both sides of the road narrowed his
lane the street seeming to shrink as he reached the final turntoward his unit Eight more congested blocks
ldquoItrsquos an email from Roberta S Hadley She wants to meet
with usrdquo
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Two-term senator Party darling Shoe-
in contender in next yearrsquos presidential primaries
ldquoRoberta S Hadleyrdquo Theo drew out each syllable awe hov-
ering in his voice ldquoYou know that can only mean one thingrdquoldquoRoberta S Hadleyrsquos putting together an exploratory com-
mittee Shersquos gonna runrdquo
ldquoAnd shersquos actually considering usrdquo
Of its own accord Loganrsquos foot nudged the brake and his
car slackened to a crawl He glanced at Theo ldquoIs it weird that
we canrsquot say her name without saying the full thingrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos weird is we work this campaign and two years from
now if she actually winsmdashmaybe even if she doesnrsquotmdashwe could
have jobs on Capitol Hillrdquo
Washington DC A political speechwriterrsquos Mecca Every
homily hersquod ever begun on a napkinmdashor Post-It or magazine
margin or even his handmdashhad been a resting place for his own
hopes and dreams
rsquoCourse the thought of uprooting Charlotte held about as
much appeal as stepping in hot tar Not even four years old yet
and shersquod been through so much already People told him one
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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22
day hersquod consider it a blessingmdashCharliersquos young age at the time
of the accident Meant she wouldnrsquot remember it they said
Yeah well what kind of blessing was it knowing shersquod growup with so fewmdashmaybe nomdashmemories of her adoptive mother
That she had to make do with a father whose career though
promising was too often all-consuming
ldquoWersquoll schedule it as soon as possible of courserdquo Not even
a hint of a question in Theorsquos voice
ldquoA presidential campaign though Think of the time commit-
ment Wersquod basically be putting the rest of our lives on holdrdquoTheo snickered ldquoWhat lives Itrsquos not like either of us is swim-
ming in free time right nowrdquo
True Running an independent political consulting firm didnrsquot
exactly equal a life of leisure ldquoBut donrsquot you ever miss the old
daysrdquo Pillars of smoke rose in the distance ldquoYou know back
when we were working on local campaignsrdquo
ldquoAre you crazy Low-profile races that drew as much atten-tion as ants on the sidewalkrdquo
A fire truckrsquos lights appeared in his rearview mirror and he
pulled over to let it wail past ldquoYeah but to this day Irsquove never
had more fun than that first campaign back in Iowa Therersquos
something about local politics Makes a person feel like they
really have a voice you know
ldquoMaybe but it also pays a lot less If I never see another
package of ramen itrsquoll be soon enough Yoursquore just having a
homesick day That reporter or editor or whoever got to you
more than yoursquore letting onrdquo
He started forward again grin stretching past his hesita-
tion No Amelia Bentleyrsquos emails a couple weeks ago hadnrsquot
gotten to him not really Theyrsquod made him laugh more than
anything Leave a career on the brink of actual success to go
back to small-town reporting No thanks
But he could appreciate her persistence
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23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
23
ldquoTheo all Irsquom saying ismdashrdquo He broke off as the scene ahead
came into view and dread burrowed through him Fire trucks
police cars people milling about on the sidewalk all lookingtoward
His apartment building
Instant fear lodged in his throat ldquoOh nordquo
Theo had gone silent eyes wide
Logan swerved his car to the curb yanked it into Park and
bolted from his seat
ldquoLoganrdquo Theorsquos call and the sound of his door closing fadedas terrified instinct sent Logan flailing down the sidewalk and
toward his building Smoke tunneled from windows halfway
up its rise
Charlie
He pushed through the barrier of people crowding the lawn
behind the emergency respondersrsquo activity his first prayers in
forever beating through him in spurts and fitsLet her be okay Let me find her
His phonemdashhersquod left it back in the car in a cup holder still
silenced following a morning meeting What if the nanny had
been trying to call andmdash
Strong arms pushed against him A firefighter blocking his
path ldquoSir this isnrsquot a drill You canrsquot go inmdashrdquo
ldquoMy daughterrsquos in there Charlie Charlotterdquo He hurled
forward once more but the firemanrsquos arm jutted out to stop him
ldquoPlease stay hererdquo
The manrsquos firm grip held him in place his face hidden be-
hind his helmet He heard jogging steps coming up behind him
Theorsquos panting breath
The firefighter looked over his shoulders ldquoYour friendrdquo
Theorsquos rasped ldquoyesrdquo drew a nod ldquoMake sure he stays here
okay Irsquom sure his daughter is fine Wersquove already evacuated
almost the whole buildingrdquo
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24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
24
In a daze Logan watched the man hurry away terror twist-
ing every nerve inside him and a voice from the past feeding
his dread as he stared at the buildingldquoIrsquom so sorry Logan If yoursquod gotten here ten or even five
minutes ago rdquo
The shake of a doctorrsquos head
An ER nurse unable to stop her tears
ldquoYou almost made itrdquo
The snap of his heart like a broken guitar string sharp and
callousingAlmost wasnrsquot good enough
Theorsquos hand found his shoulder ldquoCome on Letrsquos start asking
around Shersquos probably out here with the nanny somewhererdquo
Logan nodded blinked tried to reach through the fog of
alarm for something solidmdashcommon sense or courage or
something
NothingldquoMr Walkerrdquo
He pivoted at the frantic call Krista The nanny
Without Charlie
She reached him tears streaming down her face head shak-
ing before he could even ask the question ldquoI couldnrsquot find her
I called and called and I couldnrsquot find her The alarm and
then this firefighter made me leave the apartment and rdquoBeside him Theo sprang into action running after the fire-
man theyrsquod just talked to Krista kept talking waving her hands
But Logan couldnrsquot hear over the roaring waves of his own
panic
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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25
2
L
ogan couldnrsquot make himself let go of Charlie
A chugging breeze carrying the bitter odor of smoke
sent his daughterrsquos reddish curls tickling against his jawand cheek her head buried in his neck Her limbs hung loose
around him her breathing heavy Amazing that shersquod been able
to fall asleep amid the clamor of angst-ridden residents and
firefighters swarming the lawn
Itrsquod been forty-five minutes since the fireman had come jog-
ging from the apartment building Charlie in his arms and
Loganrsquos pulse still hadnrsquot steadied
ldquoI heard someone say it was a microwave firerdquo
Theo was still here Had he been standing next to Logan
this whole time The muscles in Loganrsquos arms pinched ldquoBadrdquo
ldquoNot from the sound of it I bet theyrsquoll let residents back in
soon I already called the committee for the fundraiser let them
know you wonrsquot be thererdquo
ldquoThanksrdquo His voice was flat even if his heart rate wasnrsquot
Didnrsquot matter if the fire hadnrsquot amounted to any real dam-
age Didnrsquot matter if he ever found that napkin scribbled with
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
26
whatever important wording about whatever important political
issue
Only thing that mattered was his little girlAnd those minutes of terror when hersquod instantly morphed
into the same Logan Walker whorsquod stood by Charliersquos crib the
night of Emmarsquos funeral three days after the drunk driver had
stolen his wife from him suddenly so horribly abandoned de-
spite the relatives who still lingered in the living room
Convinced he couldnrsquot do this by himself
AloneldquoShersquos okay Walkerrdquo
Theo Theo with his wife waiting for him at home at night
Theo who couldnrsquot possibly understand despite his best inten-
tions
ldquoTell me yoursquore going to fire that nanny thoughrdquo
Logan shifted Charlie to his other shoulder She barely stirred
at the movementldquoHe doesnrsquot have to fire me I quitrdquo
Both Logan and Theo pivoted at the voice Krista stood
with her hands on her waist ponytail askew and frown glued
in place Gone were the tear streaks from earlier In their place
a biting resentment hardened her eyes
ldquoYou quitrdquo Loganrsquos arms tightened
ldquoThatrsquos what I saidrdquo
Theo visibly bristled ldquoYoursquove got some nerve kidmdashrdquo
Logan cut Theo off with a glance then pinned Krista with the
kind of glare he used to give when his younger brother hustled
him at basketball ldquoYou left my daughter in a building on fire
and yoursquore the angry onerdquo
She cocked her head ldquoYeah Irsquom angry She wouldnrsquot answer
Charlotte never answersrdquo She flung her hand toward Charlie
ldquoIrsquom yelling for her panicking looking everywhere I can think
of Do you have any idea how freaked out I wasrdquo
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27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
27
ldquoYou were freaked out Irsquom her dadrdquo
ldquoThen act like itrdquo The words burst from Krista pummeling
Logan with their force ldquoGet her some help Shersquos three Sheshould be talking by now She should at least be able to answer
when someone calls her namerdquo
Every defensive nerve in his body surged anger throbbing
through him ldquoYou have no idea what yoursquore talking aboutrdquo
Their argument had begun to attract attention He could feel
the curious stares of neighbors hersquod never had time to get to
knowldquoKeep telling yourself that if you want but it doesnrsquot take
a child psychologist to know somethingrsquos not rightrdquo Krista
swung her backpack over her shoulder ldquoAnd I canrsquot handle just
standing by and watching while you neglectmdashrdquo
ldquoThatrsquos enoughrdquo Theorsquos firm voice severed Kristarsquos tirade
ldquoYou obviously donrsquot know the person yoursquore working for Ne-
glect isnrsquot even in Walkerrsquos vocabulary You want to quit quitBut no one needs to hear your lecturesrdquo
Kristarsquos frown deepened and she looked from Theo back to
Logan then to Charliersquos still-sleeping form draped over Loganrsquos
shoulder For a fraction of a second her expression softened
She met Loganrsquos eyes ldquoIf you need two weeksmdashrdquo
ldquoI donrsquotrdquo
She nodded stiffly and turned as if to leave But then she
looked over her shoulder once more ldquoDid they say where she
was hidingrdquo
ldquoMy walk-inrdquo The fireman hadnrsquot needed to be any more
specific Logan had known Emmarsquos side of the closet behind
her dresses wrapped in the tulle of her wedding gown
A shudder ripped through him now the ache pleading for
release And Krista saw it didnrsquot she Saw the panic-induced
pain threatening to undo him right here on the lawn in front
of everyone
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Like Never Bore
28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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28
But she only turned walked away
Logan made himself blink Swallow One deep breath and
then another And the second hersquod lured the grief back intoits hiding place a bevy of questions rocketed to the surface
What would he do without a nanny Who would watch Char-
lie during tomorrowrsquos press conference Was their apartment
still livable
Charlie stirred in his arms a tiny whimper feathering against
his skin He pressed a kiss to her head Hersquod figure it out Hersquod
figure it all out Because thatrsquos what he did What hersquod beendoing for two years now
ldquoListen I should probably get backrdquo
He blinked for what felt like the hundredth time and turned
to Theo ldquoOf course Need to take my carrdquo
ldquoAlready called a cabrdquo Theo patted Charliersquos back ldquoGlad
shersquos okayrdquo
But she wasnrsquot okay was she Krista was right Charliewould celebrate her fourth birthday this August and she had yet
to start really talking beyond a word or two here and theremdashno
full sentences
A pediatrician had momentarily quelled Loganrsquos concerns
last summer Explained that without an older sibling to mimic
it might simply take her longer ldquoBring her back in six months
if she still isnrsquot talking But I bet shersquoll be jabbering your ear
off in no timerdquo
The beating sun heated him now Six months Itrsquod been eight
And he hadnrsquot even called to schedule an appointment
ldquoOh before I go we should probably get back to Hadley
ASAPrdquo Theo had his phone out as he moved toward the taxi
thatrsquod somehow wound its way through the crowded street
ldquoYou okay with me taking the leadrdquo
Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he and Theo had
gushed about the senator Dreamt about futures that looked
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29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
29
like something off The West Wing ldquoSure go for itrdquo His voice
came out dull croaky as if hersquod been the one to enter the smoke-
filled buildingBut he hadnrsquot Someone else had been watching his daughter
before the fire Someone else had rescued her during it
He was just the guy who clung helplessly to her in the after-
math
Just like so many evenings when he arrived home hours
after dark only minutes before Charlie drifted off to sleep for
the night Hersquod rock her long after she nodded off trying toconvince himself this was working this single parent thing
But it was getting harder and harder to believe his own as-
surances
A male voice speaking through a megaphone blasted in ldquoAt-
tention pleaserdquo
Theo paused leaning over the open taxi door ldquoDonrsquot do it
to yourself WalkerrdquoLogan glanced at his friend Was he that see-through
ldquoDonrsquot beat yourself up for not being there earlier or think
yoursquore a horrible dad Anybody would admire the way yoursquove
raised Charlie since Emma rdquo
The firemanrsquos voice droned in the background letting the
crowd know therersquod been only structural damage to a couple
apartments Most residents could reenter the building in a few
minutes A couple units on the sixth floor thoughmdashLoganrsquos
floormdashhad suffered heavy smoke damage
ldquoIrsquoll tell you what Roberta S Hadley says after I talk to her
okayrdquo
Logan grasped for the interest he knew he should be able to
muster Roberta S Hadley Presidential campaign She wants us
Minutes later he watched the taxi cut a path through the
maze of vehicles and fire engines blocking the street He felt
the softness of Charliersquos palm on his cheek and looked down
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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30
at her Shersquod awakened emerald eyes grinning at him whatever
fear had driven her into his bedroom closet now gone Did she
even remember being carried from the buildingldquoHowrsquos my Charlierdquo He touched his forehead to hers and
she giggled ldquoDaddyrsquos home early Sounds like we might need
to camp out in a hotel for the night Maybe one with a poolrdquo
Her lips rounded into a surprised and happy O and for an
elastic moment that stretched with hope he thought she might
actually verbally reply Come on honey let me hear your voice
But instead she only clapped her hands kissed his cheekHersquod take it For now hersquod take it
Charlie wriggled then and tapped his back She may not talk
all that much but she didnrsquot have any trouble communicating
He bent over to slide her around his body piggyback style and
started for the apartment building
ldquoLogan Walkerrdquo
He paused and turned squinting against the evening sunand saw the silhouette moving toward him A mailman
ldquoYesrdquo Charliersquos feet bumped against his sides
ldquoGot a piece of certified mail for you Yoursquoll need to signrdquo
Hard to do with Charlie on his back but he managed ldquoSur-
prised you could find me in this mess of peoplerdquo
ldquoSomeone pointed you out Most of the rest of the build-
ing will have to wait for their mail rsquotil tomorrow Fire truckrsquos
blocking the mailboxesrdquo
Logan glanced at the manila envelope Maple Valley address
A law firm
ldquoGlad I could at least deliver this though Certified usu-
ally means importantrdquo The mailman winked at Charlie and
moved away
Afternoon warmth tinged with coastal humidity curled
around Logan as he tore open the envelope and pulled out
the packet of papers Skimmed what looked like a cover letter
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31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
31
crowded with legalese until his attention hooked on Freddie
Fitzsimmonsrsquos namemdashthe old owner of his hometown paper
his one-time mentorAnd the words last will and testament
ldquoWant to tell me why wersquore sitting out here in the cold Is
there a reason we couldnrsquot talk at your officerdquo
Amelia winced at the impatience huddled in CJ Cranfordrsquos
voice The woman rubbed her hands together breath forming
clouds of white and heels tapping against the shoveled sidewalk
underneath the park bench
ldquoJust waitrdquo Amelia dipped her chin into her scarf ldquoYoursquoll
seerdquo
ldquoWill I Or will my eyeballs get frostbite firstrdquo
So maybe this hadnrsquot been the best plan evermdashthe short trek
around the block toward downtown Wasnrsquot it enough Amelia
had already blown any chance at a good first impression with
the woman who might be her new boss
But if CJrsquos presence in Maple Valley meant what it had
tomdashthat Freddie had indeed signed all the documents before
hersquod died gone and sold the News mdashthen there was only one
thing to do Convince Cranford the paper was worth salvagingForget the flood-damaged equipment Forget the paltry ad-
vertising numbers Forget all the reasons print publications in
small towns were folding around the country The News could
be the exception
Because it wasnrsquot just any old newspaper And Maple Val-
ley wasnrsquot any old town In about five minutes CJ would see
for herself
The downtown fanned in front of them like a quiet audiencemdash
quaint storefronts brushed with the peachy-pink hues of an
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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32
ambling dusk The shadows of bony trees and globe-topped
lampposts patterned the blanket of white covering the town
squareCJ glanced over ldquoYou do know eventually wersquore going to
have to talk businessrdquo
ldquoI thought thatrsquos what we did back at the officerdquo After beg-
ging Owen to cover her scheduled photo Amelia had given
CJ a quick tour of the Newsrsquos domain Shersquod recited recent
headlines and rattled off newspaper historymdashlike the fact that
this summer the News would celebrate its 100th year An effortat damage control that may or may not have done any good
Because all CJ had done after Amelia ran out of words was
tilt her head and say ldquoCoffeerdquo
ldquoThat wasnrsquot talking businessrdquo CJ said now ldquoThat was a
tour A very perky tinsely onerdquo
Because shersquod overdone it hadnrsquot she Pumped too much
cheer into her voice and brown-nosed it ldquoSorrymdashrdquoldquoYou like your job Nothing wrong with thatrdquo CJ crossed
one leg over the other The zigzag stripes of her tights were
the one standout feature of her attiremdashblack blazer over black
pencil skirt Black heels Black purse
ldquoI do like my jobrdquo
ldquoWhich is why yoursquove been avoiding my callsrdquo
Couldnrsquot argue that Across the square Mr Baker locked
the front door of his antique shop under a flapping awning
He turned caught Ameliarsquos gaze waved and then hunched
his way toward his station wagon ldquoI did mean to get back to
yourdquo Eventually
The first light in the park flickered as Mr Bakerrsquos engine
sputtered down Main ldquoOh here we go Itrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoWhatrsquos about to happenrdquo
ldquoYoursquoll seerdquo
Just a breath later as if tapped by a magic wand every-
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
33
thing blinked to life at once a glow of yellowy-white against
the deepening skymdashthe globe lights atop the lampposts the
lanterns hanging from the band shell strings of twinkle lightsdraped over wrinkled branches
ldquoWowrdquo CJ released the word in an awed sigh
ldquoPretty isnrsquot itrdquo Wind-dusted snow sparkled against the
light
ldquoMagicalrdquo CJ uncrossed her legs and leaned forward el-
bows on her knees ldquoPossibly worth the coldrdquo
Satisfaction warm and sweet glided through AmeliaUntil CJ tilted her head ldquoI wonder how much it costs the
city to keep it lit up like thisrdquo
The question landed with a thud ldquoThe lights donrsquot stay on
all nightrdquo
CJ stood ldquoSo wherersquos the coffee you promisedrdquo
Amelia swiped at her disappointment as they retreated the
same way theyrsquod come their footprints from before alreadysmudged out of sight Silly probably thinking a few minutes
and some pretty lights might change a businesswomanrsquos mind
But then that was the problem with Amelia Always hop-
ing in the wrong things Almost three years post-divorce and
apparently the lesson still hadnrsquot sunk in Some minds donrsquot
change Some fights you donrsquot win
Yeah well CJ wasnrsquot Jeremy
And Amelia wasnrsquot the same Amelia shersquod been back in Des
Moines broken emptied drained of any fight
The riverfront came into view as they rounded the block Sheets
of ice bobbed in the tumbling waterway that split the town in
half The river had flooded early last fallmdashdamaging not only the
News office but the bridal store next door and the coffee shop
they were about to enter Amelia had been out here sandbag-
ging with the rest of the town in the hours before the flood had
its way That same summer theyrsquod been pounded by a tornado
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34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
34
But therersquod been happy times in the last year too Seth Walker
had turned an old abandoned bank building into the coolest
restaurant around An exndashNFL quarterback had moved to townand opened up a nonprofit The community had pulled together
to keep its historic railroad running
And in the midst of all the big things everyday life moved in a
rhythm not all that different than the riverrsquosmdashfast and whoosh-
ing some days slow and serene others But always it moved
ldquoYoursquore upsetrdquo CJrsquos heels clipped against the sidewalk as
they neared the coffee shopldquoNot upset just frustrated Itrsquos not only paper and ink
wersquore talking about Itrsquos peoplersquos jobs Wersquore a family in that
office Katrsquos a single mom trying to put two sons through col-
lege Owenrsquos saving up for grad schoolrdquo
ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoIf you close the office their jobs will go awayrdquo Along with
her dream of running the paper herself finally cementing herplace here in Maple Valley If shersquod had the money shersquod have
bought the News herself the second Freddie mentioned selling
ldquoIrsquom just asking you to considermdashrdquo
ldquoWhat in the worldrdquo CJ halted in front of the coffee shop
focus hooked on its stretching windows a clamor of rising
voices along with the brisk aroma of Coffee Coffeersquos brew
eking outside
Amelia glanced at the crowd inside ldquoNot unusual for Coffee
Coffee to have mobs reminiscent of Depression-era bank runs
Wersquove sorta got a town-wide caffeine dependencyrdquo She cupped
her hands to the window and peered through ldquoBut this looks
way more organized than usualrdquo Yes there was Mayor Milton
Briggs up near the order counter waving his hands from his
perch atop a chair
Great Just when she needed this town to make a good im-
pression
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
35
ldquoWhateverrsquos happening the only important question is can
we still get coffeerdquo
ldquoOh wersquoll get you your coffeerdquo This one thing she could getright She pushed through the entrance the jingle of bells above
the doorway mingling with the commotion inside
ldquoNow I know itrsquos confusingrdquo Mayor Milt with his salt-and-
pepper beard and usual cardigan stood on a chair up front
exaggerated exasperation in his voice ldquoBut since the mother
insists she doesnrsquot like the traditional pink and blue yoursquoll see
the ribbons are green and yellow Green for a boy yellow fora girlrdquo
All around the eclectic coffee shop townspeople sat at tables
of varying heights and lounged in leather furniture Behind the
mayor an espresso-hued counter fronted the back wall with
its chalkboard menu and mosaic backsplash
ldquoWhat is thisrdquo CJ leaned toward her ldquoA community-wide
baby showerrdquoldquoI donrsquot think sordquo She wouldrsquove heard about that kind of
thing This smacked of exactly the kind of impromptu town
meeting Mayor Milt loved to throw
ldquoSo pick whatever gender you think the baby will be Wear
the ribbon any time you come in to Coffee Coffee until next
week to show your support for Meganrdquo
Megan Of course
The pang started in Ameliarsquos heart and landed in her stomach
ldquoDouble shot espressordquo
Amelia blinked Right coffee ldquoGot it Irsquoll be backrdquo
She arced around the throng and made for the counter
scooted behind it andmdashnot seeing any employees in sightmdash
went for the espresso machine She had the cup half filled the
machinersquos whir nearly drowned out by the crowd before the
voice cut in behind her
ldquoWhatrsquore you doing back here Bentleyrdquo
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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Melissa Tagg
37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
8202019 Like Never Before
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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36
Amelia finished filling the cup before turning toward the droll
voice Megan the coffee shoprsquos young ownermdashjet-black hair
and charcoal-like eyeliner as surly as she was resilient Meg hadbeen forced to close for nearly a month after the flood last year
But that hadnrsquot been the biggest of the young ownerrsquos chal-
lenges
Amelia glanced at Megrsquos protruding stomach under her
purple apron and felt the knobby ache grappling through hermdash
familiar dense with memories
What should have been one of the happiest days of her lifetaking a sudden and harsh turn
Danirsquos decision to back out of the adoption
Maryrsquos wails in the hospital nursery
And the chafing realization that Amelia wouldnrsquot be the one
to soothe her Not now Not ever
Should it still sting so much this many years later
ldquoWellrdquo Megrsquos fists were on her waist And oh she remindedAmelia of Dani in that moment
Amelia swallowed ldquoIrsquom making sure you get at least one
paying customer out of this chaos thatrsquos whatrdquo
The girl who couldnrsquot be older than twenty-one or twenty-
two lifted one pierced eyebrow ldquoCan you believe this town I
tell one person Irsquom finding out the gender next week and before
I know it theyrsquove turned it into a full-blown event Maple Val-
ley will use literally anything as an excuse to celebraterdquo She
pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes ldquoEven a single girlrsquos
unplanned pregnancyrdquo
Amelia had to work not to flinch ldquoI thought you didnrsquot work
on Thursdaysrdquo
ldquoKeeping tabs on my schedulerdquo
ldquoUh no not keeping tabsrdquo But maybe truthfully avoiding
Was it so wrong to know her weak spots To do her best to
keep the whispers of her past entombed where they belonged
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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37
Focus CJ Cranford The News The jobs you need to save
Things she might be able to change
Versus things she couldnrsquot No matter how hard she triedMegan kneaded the small of her back just below her apronrsquos
knot ldquoHired a new girl last week and turns out shersquos about as
dependable as an untrained puppyrdquo
ldquoToo bad I gotta run but herersquos hoping you survive the next
weekrdquo She handed Megan a five ldquoKeep the changerdquo
She didnrsquot run from the counter but she might as well have
for all the polish of her escape Meg probably wondered whather deal was They used to be friendsmdashor friend-ish at least
Amelia had even worked a few shifts at the coffee shop just to
pad her income Meg had asked her back when shersquod reopened
after the flood
But by then Amelia had heard the news about Meganrsquos sur-
prise pregnancy
And she just couldnrsquotShe found CJ where shersquod left hermdashnow wearing a green-
and-yellow ribbon
ldquoTwinsrdquo CJ said as she accepted the cup from Amelia
ldquoThatrsquos my voterdquo
ldquoDonrsquot say that too loud or Megan might chuck a sugar
shaker at yourdquo
ldquoWill I get in trouble for voting even though Irsquom not an of-
ficial Maple Valley citizenrdquo
ldquoAre you kidding The mayormdasheveryone reallymdashwould love
the thought of sucking in an outsiderrdquo
Amelia followed CJ to a counter crammed with coffee sup-
plies CJ set down her cup and reached for the sugar ldquoListen
I need to get back and we havenrsquot even touched on why Irsquom
here yet You clearly think I want to talk about the closing of
the Newsrdquo She popped the lid off her cup ldquoYoursquore wrongrdquo
ldquoI amrdquo
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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38
ldquoFreddie never finalized the sale I donrsquot know who your new
owner is but itrsquos not Cranford Communicationsrdquo She mixed
her coffee with a stir stickldquoI shouldnrsquot be smiling right now should Irdquo
ldquoDonrsquot get too excited Our board is already prepping a
package for the new owner whoever he or she is Wersquoll likely
acquire the News by the end of the summer The new owner
would be crazy not to sell Itrsquos not a financially solvent business
you have to know thatrdquo
ldquoFinances can change We can work on upping our subscrip-tions maybe put together some new ad packagesmdashrdquo
ldquoLike I said Irsquom not here to talk about thatrdquo
The ruckus of the disorganized town meeting still rose
around them
ldquoItrsquos gonna be a girl I can tell by her stomachrdquo
ldquoA boy No doubtrdquo
ldquoItrsquos a crapshoot and you all know itrdquo
Amelia swallowed too many distant moments trying to
swarm in Jeremy The hospital nursery The social workerrsquos
gauzy voice ldquoIrsquom sorry this happens more often than wersquod likerdquo
ldquoAmeliardquo
She blinked
ldquoIrsquom not here to talk about the future of the News Irsquom hereto talk about your futurerdquo CJ lifted her cup ldquoIrsquod like to offer
you a jobrdquo
ldquoYoursquore not seriously doing thisrdquo
Logan momentarily ignored Theo as he accepted a stack of
files from the intern Alena would put an executive assistant at
a Fortune 500 company to shame
ldquoThe senatorrsquos office still needs wording for that energy pol-
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
39
icy press releaserdquo She added another folder to the pile in his
arms ldquoAnd the Cohen Foundation wants a bullet-point overview
for the governorrsquos fundraiser speech next weekrdquoldquoNot happeningrdquo Logan pulled the pencil from between
his teeth eyes on the top file He perched on the corner of the
mahogany desk that claimed one corner of the small office
So much to get done today Especially if he meant to pack up
and travel back to Iowa this week Which he did Theo might
throw a fit but what could he do That certified letter from the
law firm in Maple Valley hadnrsquot left him much choiceOh Freddie you were great in so many ways But why me
Couldnrsquot he have left his newspaper to someone who
well wanted it And how horribly ungrateful was that
thought
ldquoAre you even listening to me Walkerrdquo Stress curved Theorsquos
brow from where he stood behind Alena
ldquoTheyrsquore concerned the governor will go over his allottedtwenty-five minutesrdquo Alena said as she moved around him to
straighten the contents of the plastic shelf on his desk marked
Inbox The one he rarely remembered to riffle through
Logan dropped the files onto his chair attention darting to
Charlie playing in the corner Books dollsmdashhersquod brought all
her quietest toys to the office today ldquoGov goes over one time
and suddenly wersquore incapable of pacing his speech Tell them
the speech will be perfectly timed down to his every pausemdash
twenty-three and a half minutes with ninety seconds for ap-
plause before and afterrdquo
Alena used the edge of her shirt to dust off his laptop ldquoWhat-
ever you say boss Though I think itrsquod be funny if you pared
the whole thing down to oh fifteen minutes Just for shock
value Let the event organizers scramble to fill the extra ten
minutesrdquo She stopped cleaning his desk and stood in front of
him playful smirk in place
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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40
He nudged up the glasses he wore today instead of bothering
with contacts ldquoBetter yet we give them their bullet pointsmdash
ninety minutes worth Then take bets on how long itrsquoll take forthe foundation director to callrdquo
Laughter bubbled from Alenamdashand then Charlie who obvi-
ously had no idea what she was laughing about But she giggled
all the same leaving the play mat hersquod set up for her and walking
to him She stretched her arms and he stooped to pick her up
Two nights in a hotel while the apartment aerated obviously
hadnrsquot bothered her ldquoWhat do you think kid Make the foun-dation squirm just for the fun of itrdquo
Alena reached forward to straighten the barrette Logan had
attempted to fasten in Charliersquos hair this morning ldquoYou should
bring her to the office more oftenrdquo
ldquoIrsquod never get another page writtenrdquo
Alena kissed Charliersquos cheek then picked up a stack of papers
from his printer ldquoIrsquoll proof these for you by this afternoonrdquoShe retreated from the office leaving Logan to face the disap-
proval written all over Theorsquos face ldquoWhatrdquo
ldquoShe likes yourdquo
ldquoOf course she does I keep her stocked in punch cards for the
coffee cart Itrsquos the least I can do since shersquos not getting paidrdquo
ldquoYou know thatrsquos not what I meantrdquo Theo walked to the
mini fridge against one wall He plucked a water bottle from
inside ldquoShersquos got a crush on yourdquo
ldquoYou should start a stand-up act Yoursquore funnyrdquo
ldquoWasnrsquot jokingrdquo
ldquoI bet shersquos what Ten years younger than me Probably
has a boyfriendrdquo
ldquoShersquos so into you she might as well embroider I Love Walker
onto a shirt and wear it to workrdquo He took a swig from his water
bottle ldquoTattoo your name on her armrdquo
ldquoYoursquore seeing thingsrdquo
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41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
41
ldquoWhateverrdquo Theo capped his bottle ldquoNot here to talk about
your love life anywayrdquo
Logan let Charlie down and returned to his desk pickingup the files Alena had delivered ldquoThen what are you here forrdquo
As if he didnrsquot know Hersquod figured the second he pressed
Send on that office-wide memo hersquod have Theo in his office
ldquoYoursquore taking a personal leave of absence So nice of you
to tell me first You didnrsquot even say how long yoursquore going to
be gonerdquo
ldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo I hope His gaze fastened on the slitof a window carved into the wall which let in just enough
sunlight to keep alive the one plant on the corner of the desk
His focus flitted to the plant now wilted and brown Well
almost alive
ldquoIs this because of your apartment I told you Jill and I would
be happy to put you up in our guestroomrdquo
ldquoItrsquos not thatrdquo Although the apartment did smell like a forestpost-wildfire And the unit next door was going to be under
construction for weeks
But it wasnrsquot their living space thatrsquod kept him awake the
past two nights It was the fact that Freddie had gone and left
him a businessmdashand with it employees obligations It should
be good news a sign of the manrsquos fondness and respect But
it felt weighty Another responsibility when Logan could
barely keep up with the ones he already had
But maybe this is a good thing
The same whisper wandered in now that had last night when
hersquod finally made the decision to go back to Iowa Maybe this
is exactly what you and Charlie need
A break A chance to spend real time together Vacation
The word tasted foreign
Theo took another swig of his water ldquoYou couldnrsquot have
worse timingrdquo
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
42
ldquoI could actually We could be mid-campaign We could be
dealing with a PR crisis Itrsquos political off-season right nowrdquo
ldquoTherersquos no such thing as off-season and you know it Wersquoredrowning in work Your home and nanny situation are up in the
airrdquo Theo pointed to the plant ldquoYou canrsquot even keep a plant
alive No way do you have time for thisrdquo
Logan dropped his files onto the desk with a thud his last
grip on restraint slackening ldquoYou want to talk about time I
have poured myself into this business Theo I havenrsquot taken
more than a handful of days off in two years I forgot what aweekend feels like forever agordquo He could hear his voice notch-
ing forced it down ldquoI barely see my daughterrdquo
ldquoLogmdashrdquo
ldquoAnd if therersquos anything I really donrsquot have time for itrsquos an
argument about how I donrsquot have time You heard Alena I have
a dozen things to finish before tomorrowrdquo
ldquoTomorrow Yoursquore leaving tomorrowrdquo Statement not aquestion Theo abandoned his water bottle on the windowsill
and stepped closer to Logan blocking his view of Charlie Voice
low deliberate ldquoWe have a flippinrsquo presidential candidate vet-
ting us for her campaign team And yoursquore just going to leaverdquo
ldquoA man I hugely respected diedrdquo Hersquod already told Theo
about Freddie yesterday Not just about inheriting the paper but
about Freddie himself How hersquod offered Logan an internship
at the paper when Logan was still in high school Taken him
under his wing when Mom first got sick and Dad had been so
consumed with caring for her
Why couldnrsquot Theo muster some understanding
ldquoIrsquom sorry about that editor I am But this is everything
wersquove worked forrdquo
ldquoYeah well I wonrsquot be any good to Hadley if Irsquom burnt out
Yoursquore the one who just said I canrsquot even take care of a plant
That speech Alena had mentioned Irsquove been trying for days to
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
43
get it right Usually Irsquod whip it out in a few hours This is what
I need What Charlie needsrdquo His voice was a strained whisper
now ldquoThat stuff her nanny saidmdashrdquoTheo shook his head ldquoShe was frightened and blowing off
steamrdquo
ldquoShe was right Irsquove been pretending things are fine for way
too longrdquo
He brushed past Theo Charlie held a book toward him green
eyes so much like Emmarsquos most people never wouldrsquove guessed
she was adopted The resemblance to Emma made sensemdashChar-lottersquos birth mother was Emmarsquos little sister after all
ldquoSo this is for surerdquo
He looked back Resignation marred Theorsquos expression
ldquoYesrdquo
The Logan from a few years ago wouldrsquove thought longer
Wouldrsquove prayed about it
But he didnrsquot have the luxury of time or the comfort of faiththis time around No what remnants of belief loitered in his
spirit these days were immobile passive
He had to figure things out on his own
ldquoAnd Hadleyrdquo
ldquoIrsquoll do whatever I need to Irsquoll fly back heremdashor over to DC
if thatrsquos where she wants to meet This is just temporaryrdquo He
walked to Charlie sat down beside her and accepted the bookldquoTwo weeks topsrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Dear Mary
If you were my daughter Irsquod tell you about how Iended up in Maple Valley Iowamdasha little town west of
Ames tucked into a rolling landscape of quilted fieldsand patches of trees and prairie grass We like to call
ourselves a tourist spot with our heritage railroad andmore antique stores than any one town needs
I came here on a whim looking for a man Irsquod nevermetmdashhis name was Kendall Wilkins I was two years toolate
I didnrsquot find Kendall But what I found instead was
home
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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45
3
Y ou have a potentially career-altering decision to make
by tomorrow but instead of hashing it out or making a
procon list or even just flipping a coin yoursquore making
cookies for a woman who doesnrsquot like yourdquoAmelia couldnrsquot help but smirk at the exaggerated disbelief
in Raegan Walkerrsquos tone As if her friend was one to talkmdashshe
and the revolving door that was her employment status
Amelia opened the stainless-steel door of the oven in the
Walkersrsquo kitchen heat billowing over her cheeks as the impa-
tient rhythm of Raeganrsquos nails tapped behind her She couldrsquove
made the cookies in her own kitchen But there was something
enchanting about the Walker family homemdashnestled into a clear-
ing between a cornfield and a twisting tree-packed ravine The
spacious kitchen with its cherry cupboards and coppery-beige
tiled floor the collage of photos stuck to the fridge the window
above the sink overlooking a frosty backyard dappled with pale
moonlight and evening shadowsmdashall of it tingled with peace
and calm and family
And on nights like tonightmdashwhen indecision buzzed like
a plague of mosquitos it was just what she needed Yes she
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Like Never Bore
46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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Like Never Bore
50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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46
owed CJ Cranford an answer tomorrow Accept the job at the
Communicator and move Or stay in Maple Valley holding out
hope that the News somehow survived its change in ownershipShe was no closer to a decision tonight than shersquod been nearly
a week ago when shersquod stood in Coffee Coffee listened to CJrsquos
out-of-the-blue offer and for the first time in three years con-
sidered leaving the town thatrsquod become home But the Walker
house and Raeganrsquos company made up for a world of confusion
Amelia used one oven-mitted hand to pull out the metal sheet
chocolate chip cookies goldened to perfection ldquoMae may notlike me but she loves my cookiesrdquo
ldquoShe doesnrsquot even know theyrsquore from yourdquo Raegan twirled
in a half-circle atop a barstool edged up to the counter in the
middle of the room her feet bumping against its base
True Amelia had taken to dropping off baskets of cookies
at the News receptionistrsquos house late at night or early in the
morning Sometimes she left a plateful in Maersquos little HondaThank you small-town Iowa people for not locking your car
doors As far as she knew Mae didnrsquot suspect a thing
ldquoShe doesnrsquot need to know theyrsquore from me Irsquom convinced
shersquos simply lonely Thatrsquos why shersquos so grouchy all the time
The cookies let her know someone caresrdquo
Raegan stilled on her stool ldquoYoursquore kind Amelia Bentley
you know that A little weird way too into grunge rockmdashrdquo
ldquoLong live the ninetiesrdquo
ldquomdashand obsessive about wintermdashbut kindrdquo Raegan slipped
a shock of blue-streaked blond hair behind her ear She was
one of the first people Amelia had met when shersquod moved to
townmdashand easily the most buoyant Amelia might have a few
years on her but theyrsquod become fast friends
Amelia used a spatula to pry a cookie off the tray ldquoSpeaking
of things Irsquom obsessive about rdquo
Raeganrsquos laugh rang through the kitchen and she shifted
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
47
to pull a wad of rolled-up papers from the back pocket of her
faded jeans then held the papers in the air ldquoIrsquoll trade you for
a cookierdquo She snatched one and took a bite ldquoMake that twocookiesrdquo
Hands still encased in oven mitts Amelia nabbed the papers
from Raegan focus immediately landing on the words in the
upper right corner
Logan Walker speechwriter
Tompkins amp Walker Consulting
ldquoOne of these days Irsquom going to start charging you moneyfor transcripts of my brotherrsquos speechesrdquo Raegan stood ldquoI
need milk And donrsquot get me wrong Your cookies are de-lish
but the way you gobble up Loganrsquos writing I have a feeling I
could make some serious moolardquo
ldquoJust as long as you never tell him Irsquom the one who reads
themrdquo Amelia scanned the first few lines the same awe as always
settling in her stomach Raeganrsquos brother could write Oh hecould write And every time she read one of his speeches it was
a reminder of why shersquod taken up writing herself
Words could impact They could shape opinions and per-
spectives They could move a person to action
Maybe given enough time they could even heal
Raegan poured milk into two glasses offered one to Amelia
ldquoDonrsquot worry I wonrsquot tell him Logan still thinks his little sister
is all fascinated with his career Probably hopes itrsquoll influence
me to find one of my ownrdquo
Amelia glanced at her friend as she accepted the glass of milk
Rae often seemed younger than her twenty-six yearsmdashthe hair
that always changed colors the graphic tees the fact that she
still slept in the daybed in her childhood bedroom Was it hard
to be the youngest in a line of such successful siblings Beckett
the lawyer in Boston Kate the movie scriptwriter and novelist
whorsquod just moved home from Chicago
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48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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Melissa Tagg
51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
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Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
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Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Like Never Bore
48
And Logan The guy who could weave emotion with words
Therersquod been a time when Jeremy had been the one to woo
Amelia with his speeches back before his fame and her failurecurdled her dreams for the future
She sluiced the thought with a shake of her head ldquoDoes it
bother you Raerdquo
ldquoYou mean the fact that I have a hodge-podge of part-time
jobs instead of a career -careerrdquo Raegan shrugged took an-
other bite ldquoNot usually Just every once in a while Irsquoll get this
feeling that everyonersquos waiting for me to figure out what Irsquomgoing to do with my life And I just want to say whatrsquos wrong
with being content right where I amrdquo
That was exactly what Amelia had wanted to say to CJ
Cranford last week The woman had offered her the job of
Features Editor for the Communicator Reminded her the paper
was one of the statersquos leading weeklies
ldquoWe own publications in three states You know that rightIrsquove read your stuff Bentley You should be writing for some-
thing with an actual readership Itrsquos a guaranteed step uprdquo
Amelia hadnrsquot been able to find a reply behind her surprise
CJ had kept talking while shersquod stared across the crowded
coffee shop watching Megan rub her belly
Problem was shersquod stopped believing in guarantees long
ago
The sound of the front door banging open drifted through
the house pulling Amelia to the present Probably Case Walker
Raeganrsquos dad Or Seth the cousin who lived in the basement
Whoever it was bypassed the kitchen footsteps sounding on
the stairs that led to the row of bedrooms on the second floor
She settled on a stool beside Raegan bit into a perfectly
chewy cookie How many evenings had Amelia spent in this
house pretending she was part of this close-knit and support-
ive family They were one of Maple Valleyrsquos staple familiesmdash
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
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55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
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56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
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57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
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58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
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Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
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Melissa Tagg
49
the kind everyone loved and not-so-secretly wanted to be a
part of
The kind of family she used to think she and Jeremy mighthave before
ldquoSo are we ever going to talk about thisrdquo Raeganrsquos voice
cut in
ldquoMy job offer The possibility of the News going underrdquo
ldquoNo the fact that yoursquore in love with my brotherrdquo
ldquoWhatrdquo Amelia choked on a cookie crumbs spewing to
the counterldquoAt least admit yoursquove got a crush on himrdquo
She downed half a glass of milk in one swallow ldquoYoursquore
delusionalrdquo
ldquoIrsquom rightrdquo
ldquoI love his writing Raegan Therersquos a big difference between
admiring someonersquos talent and whatever yoursquore thinkingrdquo She
shuffled the speech papers into a pile and dropped an oven mitton top ldquoIrsquove only met him one timerdquo
Hersquod been in town for Colton Greenersquos press conference an-
nouncing his new nonprofit A former NFL player Colton was
an old friend of Loganrsquos Hersquod come to Maple Valley last fall
for a temporary stop thatrsquod turned permanent once hersquod fallen
for Kate Walker
ldquoI know I was there I saw you turn about a dozen shades
brighter than theserdquo Raegan wriggled her fingers in the air
hot pink polish coloring her nails
ldquoI did notrdquo
Except that she had She could still feel the way the warmth
had practically scrambled over her cheeks It was that mellow
baritone voice that did it the dancing laugh Logan had seemed
observant a little quiet Which made her think there probably
wasnrsquot much he and those inky-dark eyes missed
And then therersquod been the disheveled hair and crooked tie
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Like Never Bore
50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
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51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
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Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
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Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5059
Like Never Bore
50
And fine maybe for a few ridiculous minutes there Logan
Walker had made her think it really was possible to finally forget
JeremyBut that was only in-the-moment silliness The man had
unknowingly become her writing heromdashthree years of reading
his past articles listening to her old editor talk about him and
following his speechwriting career could do that to a person
Shersquod simply had a fan girl moment thatrsquos all
ldquoLook at you yoursquore blushing right nowrdquo Raeganrsquos smirk
dared her to argueldquoAm notrdquo
ldquoI could roast a marshmallow from the heat on your face
Donrsquot feel bad Most girls who meet my brother who arenrsquot
related to him fall for him And some who are related to him
I have this third cousin who I swearmdashrdquo
Amelia fumbled off her bar stool sweeping up her empty
milk glass and plate ldquoIrsquom regretting coming over hererdquoldquoI could set you guys uprdquo
ldquoRaemdashrdquo
ldquoBesides you havenrsquot gone on a single date since I met you
Somdashrdquo
ldquoShouldnrsquot you be at one of your forty jobsrdquo Her voice came
out harsher than shersquod intended punctuated by the clatter of
her dishes in the sink
And Raeganrsquos silence
She whipped around ldquoRae I didnrsquot didnrsquot mean rdquo
But Rae was standing wiping crumbs from her fingertips
refusing to meet Ameliarsquos eyes
Why had she said that Obviously Raeganrsquos lack of career
direction bothered her more than she let onmdashand Amelia had
gone and trampled on what was already a sore spot
ldquoYour next batch is burningrdquo Raegan thumbed toward the
stove then left the room
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5159
Melissa Tagg
51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5259
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5359
Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5459
Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5159
Melissa Tagg
51
With a sigh that was as much frustration as regret Amelia
flicked off the oven and pulled out the tray of overly brown
cookies She transferred them to a cooling rack plated up theleftovers from her previous batch and covered them with Saran
wrap then went looking for Raegan Up the stairway leading
to the second floor Down the dim hallway
She stopped at the soft lilt of a voice A low whisper singing
a gentle melody she didnrsquot recognize coming from one of the
bedrooms shersquod never been inside
And she couldnrsquot help it She slipped closer to the open doorallowed herself to peek inside Her heart turned to liquid at
the sight Someone leaning over a bed pulling the covers over
a curled bundle hushed song melting to an end
Logan
She peered in Canrsquot be him Hersquos in LA
Whoever it was she shouldnrsquot be intruding on this moment
So why was she standing in the doorway Watching the manarrange the covers Holding her breath
He leaned over to kiss the child in the bed then stood ldquoGood-
night Ladybugrdquo
And then Loganmdashyes definitely Loganmdashturned He started
only for a moment when he saw her there And before she real-
ized what was happening hersquod crossed the room and wrapped
his arms around her pulling her to a solid chest Her face landed
in the crook between his shoulder and a stubble-covered chin
that brushed over her forehead And oh he smelled goodmdash
woodsy masculine
Did he think she was Raegan or Kate
She could feel the muscles in his arms as they tightened
around her
Men donrsquot hug their sisters like this
What was she thinking leaning into the hug as if she be-
longed there Words not fully formed climbed up her throat
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5259
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5359
Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5459
Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5259
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5359
Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5459
Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5359
Melissa Tagg
53
than embarrassment Try mortification Partially because of
the hug but mostly because of the stinging whiplash his mind
and heart had just gone throughAnd the stark reminder Emma Gone Two years
ldquoSorry for walking in I just heard you singing and well rdquo
ldquoYou heard thatrdquo
ldquoIt was sweetrdquo She nodded to the bed ldquoYour daughter
Raersquos told me about herrdquo
She was friends with Raegan then That explained what she
was doing here Too the laughter hersquod heard from the kitchenwhen hersquod first walked into the house Hersquod purposely skirted
past the main living area intent on getting Charlie to bed before
his family could get ahold of her Theyrsquod rile her up and hersquod
never get her back to sleep
He followed Ameliarsquos gaze toward Charlie now She sighed
in her sleep turning to her side a stray curling drooping over
her foreheadldquoAbout that hugmdashrdquo
ldquoItrsquos really okayrdquo
He met Ameliarsquos eyesmdashhazel flecked with amber He re-
membered meeting her back in February Shersquod rambled on
about how shersquod read all his old articles while hersquod stood there
thinking hersquod never seen irises so shifty in color Like sunlight
through autumn leaves
And the way she looked at him now it was like she knew
all about Emma
ldquoLoganrdquo Raeganrsquos squeal bounded into the room ldquoWhat
in the worldrdquo
She barreled toward him And it wasnrsquot a minute until half
his family barreled in Seth his cousin Kate and Colton And
of course Charlie woke up Laughter rounds of hugs Then
Dad too wandered in
Ten minutes and a drawn-out explanation later they found
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5459
Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5459
Like Never Bore
54
their way to the kitchen The smell of cookies hovered in the
air voices all talking over one another Charlie was already
playing catch with Colton a pair of rolled-up socks for a ballKate was pouring glasses of milk and handing out cookies
ldquoIrsquom making decafrdquo Raegan held up a coffee pot
He felt a palm on his shoulder Dad
ldquoYou sure know how to turn a house into an uproar Loganrdquo
ldquoSorry to get here so late I know the plan was tomorrow
but once we hit Nebraska I got eager You sure yoursquore okay
with us staying for a couple weeksrdquoDad grinned eyes on Charlie Colton had once said Dad
reminded him of John Waynemdashsame height and broad build
Same etched face But to Logan Dad was just Dad The man
he most admired in the world ldquoAre you kidding me You know
I love having a full houserdquo
Which was exactly what he was about to have Although
surely Kate and Colton would end up married before long andKate would move out once more
For the first time in a long time Loganrsquos heart hitched on the
thought of well love he guessed The kind of romance that
looked to be a lifelong thing
Then again he knew more than anyone that lifelong wasnrsquot
a guarantee
No not more than anyone
He looked back to Dad now sliding onto a seat at the island
counter The crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled the
rumble of his laughter belying the heartache his father had been
throughmdashthe slow-churning tragedy of losing Mom to cancer
But Dad had healed hadnrsquot he Settled into running Maple
Valleyrsquos historic railroad and depot museum carved out a new
life for himself
Unlike Logan who mistook a random woman for his dead
wife
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5559
Melissa Tagg
55
ldquoAmeliardquo Her name slipped out
Raegan paused at the coffee pot ldquoOh yeah wherersquod she gordquo
He had no idea Shersquod come down to the kitchen with themand gathered up some papers on the counter while everyone
else was a tornado of activity
The coffee pot moaned and Raegan pushed it under the
counter ldquoI hope she didnrsquot think she needed to leave because
this suddenly turned into a family night Irsquoll go seemdashrdquo
ldquoLet merdquo Logan interrupted and pivoted from the room
before anyone could question him He toed on his shoes in theentryway Sharp cold pricked his cheeks as soon as he stepped
outside The light over the garage hummed against the still of
the night
He scanned the driveway before his attention hooked on
footprints leading to the side yard And there she was build-
ing a snowman
The porch swingmdashthe one where Mom and Dad used tosit at night their muted voices drifting up to his screened bed-
room windowmdashcreaked in the breeze He followed the footsteps
ldquoAmeliardquo
She turned at the sound of his voice his snow-packed steps
ldquoOh hirdquo
He stopped in front of her breath visible in front of his face
ldquoWhat are you doingrdquo
A gust of wind sent a cloud of snow curling off the roof and
into her hair ldquoI coerced Raegan into building a snowman with
me earlier this evening When I came out to leave I noticed his
head had fallen offrdquo She shrugged ldquoDecided to help Frosty outrdquo
ldquoDo you often play in the snow at ten orsquoclock at nightrdquo
ldquoI love snow Irsquod play in it any time of day I think Irsquom the
only person in all of Iowa who mourns the end of winterrdquo
How could he have possiblymdasheven for a hazy yearning
secondmdashmistaken her for Emma The hair shouldrsquove been a
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5659
Like Never Bore
56
giveaway Or the frame Emma was slighter Even with a coat
he could see Amelia had
He cleared his throat ldquoYou didnrsquot have to leaverdquoAlthough now he kind of wished hersquod let her He was coldmdash
shouldrsquove grabbed a jacket on his way outmdashand he was embar-
rassed all over again uncomfortably cognizant of her probing
study
ldquoI figured you Walkers could use some family time So what
are you doing home Did your family know you were comingrdquo
Her grin turned playful ldquoDecided to take up my job offerrdquoMoonlight brushed streaks of gold in her hair and eyes
ldquoYou ask a lot of questionsrdquo
She shrugged ldquoIrsquom a reporterrdquo
Yes at the paper he now owned The paper he planned to
sell Because it made sense Because his life was back in LA
Because he had a presidential candidate waiting on him and
because hersquod promised TheoAnd because for all the good times hersquod had working with
Freddie at the News one lousy story had been enough to sour
him Local politician Big secret Scandal and a wrecked career
And Loganrsquos name in the byline
This many years later he shouldnrsquot still feel guilty But it
made the desire to sell even stronger
Amelia dotted two eyes into the snowmanrsquos face with her
finger He should tell her
Instead he found himself reaching down for a handful of
snow patting it into the side of the snowman ldquoYou know if
yoursquod made the base bigger the head might not have fallen offrdquo
ldquoWay to critique my snowman-building skills instead of an-
swering any of my questionsrdquo
He laughed An honest-to-goodness unadulterated laugh
Possibly his first since leaving California ldquoHowrsquos the news-
paper bizrdquo
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5759
Melissa Tagg
57
ldquoFine Could be better I guess Therersquos a strong chance wersquore
going to get sold off And I was offered a job at the paper thatrsquos
likely going to buy us out I have to make a decision by tomor-row A logical person would take it but I happen to love the
News this town First place thatrsquos felt like home since forever
and I keep thinking if I can just come up with the right plan
maybe I can save the News andmdashrdquo She broke off ldquoI donrsquot know
why Irsquom telling you thisrdquo
Cold burrowed through his thin coat ldquoAnd I donrsquot know why
I hugged you earlier thinking you were rdquo He coughed breathforming clouds of white ldquoAnyway again sorry about thatrdquo
ldquoAgain itrsquos really okayrdquo Her voice was soft She drew a smile
onto the snowman with a stick ldquoI guess Irsquod better get going I
still have cookies to deliver after allrdquo
ldquoYou made the cookiesrdquo He trailed her from the yard to
the driveway
ldquoMy one and only specialtyrdquo She stopped at the tiny two-door that must be hers ldquoRaegan told me yoursquore a health nutrdquo
ldquoNot a health nut Just a believer in the food pyramidrdquo
ldquoWell try one of my chocolate chip cookies and you might
be tempted to give them a spot on the pyramid I burned the
last batch but if you snag one of the early ones yoursquoll seerdquo
ldquoYoursquore modestrdquo
ldquoOr just honestrdquo He reached for her car door but before
he could grab it she stopped with a questioning look ldquoHey
Logan how would you do it Save a dying newspaper I meanrdquo
Tell her ldquoAmeliamdashrdquo
ldquoJust hypothetically If a newspaper you loved was about to
go under how would you turn the tide Impress a new ownerrdquo
He sighed ldquoHypothetically Irsquod work my tail off enticing
advertisers Shave off a couple spreads to lower print costs
and make sure the space I have is filled with good materialrdquo
He shrugged ldquoAnd Irsquod go hunt for a riveting front-page story
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5859
Like Never Bore
58
Something Irsquom passionate about Because passion shows and
a good story canrsquot hurtrdquo
He could practically hear her latching on to hope at his ad-vice He could kick himself ldquoAmeliardquo he began fully intent on
finally being honest as he opened her car door But the second
the door opened a sheaf of papers came fluttering out They
slapped against each other and he rushed to catch them before
the wind stole them away
Amelia managed to catch one of the rustling pages He
snagged the other two and started to hand them to her butstopped when his gaze landed on familiar words Wait a sec
ldquoMy education speechrdquo His gaze whipped to Amelia ldquoWhat
are you doing with thisrdquo
ldquoI Rae rdquo
Either her winter coat and scarf werenrsquot nearly warm enough
or that was a blush plain as day painting her cheeks ldquoAmeliardquo
ldquoI read your speeches sometimes okay I think theyrsquore greatRaegan gets you to send them and she passes them on to me and
I just like reading them all rightrdquo Her words released in bullets
ldquoI bribed her with cookies for this one Go ahead and laughrdquo
ldquoIrsquom not laughingrdquo Though he couldnrsquot have stopped the
tease from infusing his voice if hersquod tried ldquoI am however en-
tirely flatteredrdquo
She snatched away the papers he held ldquoDonrsquot get smug Itrsquoll
ruin my image of yourdquo
ldquoYou have an image of me And tell me how do my speeches
match up to your cookies Am I as at the top of my game with
my skillset as you are at yours Allegedly anywayrdquo
She thrust the papers inside the car and turned back to not-
entirely-convincingly glower at him ldquoTherersquos no allegedly about
it Go inside and eat a cookie Logan Walkerrdquo She dropped
into her car
One hand on her door handle he leaned over ldquoHappy speech-
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for
8202019 Like Never Before
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulllike-never-before 5959
Melissa Tagg
readingrdquo He closed her door and her engine sputtered He
turned back to the house to see Dad waiting on the porch
But before Logan made it up the stairs he heard a car doorclosing again and pivoted to see Amelia outside once more
ldquoHis Girl Fridayrdquo
Even from across the driveway in the dark he could see her
eyes light realization dancing through them
ldquoHildy From the classic movie His Girl Friday Cary Grant
Rosalind Russell Caryrsquos the editor who keeps trying to get
Rosalindrsquos character Hildy to come back to the paperrdquoOh right from that email exchange Hersquod called her Hildy
and told her to figure it out ldquoWell donerdquo he called back at her
Behind him Dad whistled ldquoFlora would be proudrdquo
Mom had loved old movies So much so that hersquod wound up
with an impressive storehouse of trivia
Except Amelia looked more impish than impressed She
shrugged as she leaned against her car ldquoI got the movie righteven if you got the characters wrongrdquo
ldquoSay againrdquo
ldquoIn our scenario Irsquom Cary Grantrsquos Walter Burns trying to
lure you back to the paper Yoursquore Hildyrdquo She straightened one
eyebrow lifted ldquoIf yoursquore going to whip out a classic Walker
donrsquot botch the referencerdquo
And then she dropped back into her car and backed out ofthe driveway
Dadrsquos chuckles then his footsteps sounded in the snow be-
side Logan Gawking stars blinked overhead
ldquoShe doesnrsquot have any idea yoursquore her new boss does sherdquo
Dad said
Logan folded his arms the heaviness hersquod felt ever since
receiving that certified letter finally whisked away at least for