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They enjoyed a companionable silence as they ate the food Hazel had prepared. Sitting down for a meal at Hazel’s table allowed Annie to feel the sweet warmth of home. Sunday dinners at Gram’s table had always been a festive affair. Each week she would hand-select members of their congregation to break bread with them at their home. The table would be laden with too many dishes to count—ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken and salad. Over the dining room table they had enjoyed fellowship and laughter and the best food in all of Maine. Those get-togethers had filled their house with so much light and love that her heart overflowed. If it was possible to go back and gather those memories in a bottle to preserve them for all time, she would do it in a heartbeat. What she wouldn’t give for one more day with Gram. Or simply to hear her tinkling laughter ring out.
“There are plenty of other gals staying here at the cabins. All of ’em c
ame to town as participants in Operation Love,” Hazel explained. “Nice bunch of ladies. A few already found their fellas and are planning weddings or have tied the knot.”
Weddings! “Wow. That’s exciting,” Annie said. “How many have gotten married?”
Hazel looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Her lips were moving, and Annie could tell she was counting in her head. “Since this whole program began, I think there have been five marriages. It’s really hard to keep up with all the engagements.” Her mouth quirked. “There have been a few breakups, too.”
“That’s only natural, I imagine. Declan told me about Boone and his wife.”
Hazel’s face lit up. “Grace! What a sweetheart. Boone and Grace were the first couple to get married as a result of Operation Love. Jasper was sure tickled about his grandson being part of the inaugural couple.
“Do you have a type, Annie? I might be able to steer you in the right direction,” Hazel said with a grin. “We’ve got a lot of good, faith-driven men here in Love. And some of ’em are mighty cute.”
Declan’s face popped into her mind. She did her best to stuff down all visions of Declan threatening to flash before her eyes. What woman wouldn’t envision him as her type?
Tall. Easy on the eyes. Funny. A sigh slipped past her lips. She didn’t need to set her sights on a confirmed bachelor, particularly one who seemed to be a magnet for every single woman in town.
“A type? Not exactly,” she answered. “As far as looks go, I’m open to all types. I don’t want a lady’s man, though.”
Hazel leaned in a little bit across the table. “Sounds like you’ve been burned before. Am I right?”
Annie didn’t like to share her romantic past with people. It made her feel foolish to admit that she had been played for a fool in the game of love. But something in Hazel’s sympathetic gaze encouraged her to open up. “Yes. It’s true. A few years back, I was dating someone who turned out to be quite unscrupulous. He was seeing several young ladies throughout the state of Maine, all the while telling each one of us he was true-blue.”
“What a cad!” Hazel said angrily. “How did it all end?”
Annie’s cheeks felt flushed. It was hard dredging up her disastrous romance with Todd Wenkelman. She tried her best never to think about him and his duplicity. Her first and only romantic relationship had ended in a grand deception. “His fiancée showed up at my door, and the jig was up. She was tracking down all his girlfriends so she could expose him. There was even a story in the newspaper about him and how he had duped so many women. They called him ‘the lying lothario.’”
Hazel reached across the table and patted Annie’s hand. “Rest assured, Annie. You won’t find anyone like that here in Love. If any man ever acted like that, we’d run him out of town on a rail.”
Fatigue was beginning to seep into her bones. Although she had slept last night, it hadn’t been a restful slumber, thanks to the bat drama and anxiety about being rescued.
Hazel made a tutting sound. “You look beat. After all you’ve been through, rest is the best medicine.”
“I can’t argue with that, Hazel. I think the fading sunlight is confusing me a bit. It feels much later than it actually is.”
“Let me drive you down to your cabin. Sorry that you won’t be able to sleep in tomorrow morning, but if we’re going to get the library up and running, we’ll have to start working on it bright and early. I’m part of the set-up team.”
“No problem,” Annie said in a chirpy voice. “I’m used to it. Librarian hours. And it will all be worth it when we can open our doors to the community.”
Hazel drove her down to her cabin. Annie let out a squeal as she spotted the pretty sign with her name on it, accompanied by streamers and stuck to her front door.
“Sophie did all that for you. She lives a few doors down from you. Sweeter gal you’ll never find if you’re looking for a friend,” Hazel said.
After giving Hazel a tight hug and taking her keys, Annie went about the business of settling in. Her cabin was no frills. The decor was varying shades of brown. The couch looked sturdy, and the bed seemed pretty comfortable. The trunks of clothes she had sent ahead weeks ago sat in her new bedroom waiting to be unpacked. Thankfully she had shipped some items from home that would jazz up her place. A living room rug. A cozy comforter. Her Gram’s quilt would look right at home at the end of her bed. By the time she added her own personal touches to the cabin, it would resemble something from a vintage-chic magazine.
After she unpacked her belongings, then switched to her pajamas to head off to an early slumber, she remembered to say her prayers. Despite all the drama she had endured to get to this wonderful town, there was still so much to be thankful for.
Thank You for getting me here safely, Lord. And for being by my side throughout the ordeal. Although I’m still mad at Declan for trying to stand in the way of my library, please keep watch over him. He took care of me and made me feel safe when I might have fallen apart otherwise.
As Annie bundled up under the covers and laid her head down on her pillow, she willed herself to stop thinking about Declan O’Rourke. Yes, he was gorgeous and funny and heroic. But she had no intention of getting involved with a playboy who had the ability to charm all the ladies in town.
She had come to this quaint village to find the love of her life—a true-blue guy who would make an excellent husband for her. She didn’t need the likes of Declan O’Rourke messing up her plans.
* * *
After leaving the pier, Declan headed straight home to the log cabin where he had grown up. It was about ten minutes from town, with a clear view of Deer Run Lake and the mountains. He took a moment to stand in his yard and survey the property. It had come a long way since he had inherited it from his grandfather Killian O’Rourke. Being good with his hands had allowed Declan to make the renovations on the house without breaking the bank. With a new roof, updated cedar log siding and the addition of a front porch, he now owned a home that was rustic, up-to-date and functional.
