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Lacy had to hide her grin, thankful for her husband’s perfect segue.
“Speaking of Mindy…” She turned off the burner so that the eggs wouldn’t overcook, then launched into a full rundown of everything that Mindy had told her and the other ladies the previous day.
Derek’s eyes widened with interest as he listened, and he helped her finish up breakfast before they took their plates and Piper’s over to the dining table and began to eat.
“So,” Lacy prompted when she’d finished her story. “Do you think it’ll help? Do you think Mindy will be able to get him to see the beauty in this place?”
Derek considered for a moment before giving a single, quick nod. “I hope so. If anyone can, it’s probably her.”
Lacy smiled at her husband, agreeing with him wholeheartedly as the two of them took turns feeding their daughter and also themselves. A comfortable silence fell between them, interrupted only by the soft babbling of Piper who sat between them.
“I’m not from here,” she said after a while, softly enough that she wasn’t entirely sure Derek had heard her until he glanced her way with a quizzical look.
“I know. But what do you mean by that?”
“Well, I think maybe I was a bit like Noah seems to be at first,” Lacy admitted thoughtfully. “I just wanted to get here, deal with the property I’d inherited, and get out. But then I met the people of Snowy Pine Ridge. I metyou. And I didn’t just fall in love with you, I fell in love with the town. Maybe that will happen for Noah too.”
“Let’s hope so,” Derek agreed, and the two shared a soft, warm smile.
As she sat there with her husband and her daughter, Lacy decided that was exactly what she was going to do. She would hope that Snowy Pine Ridge would do the same thing for Noah that it had done for her. That it would find a way to remind him what the important things in life truly were.
* * *
The lock on the door slid into place with a click as Mindy closed up the bakery for the evening, turning to wave goodbye to Allison before striding down the freshly shoveled sidewalk toward her home. After glancing at her phone to check the time, she realized that it was a little later than she’d anticipated, and she let out a sigh. Now she’d have to rush to get changed before Noah showed up at her house.
Hugh Brockton had texted her earlier that day, confirming what time she would be closing up and where he should tell Noah to meet her. Not wanting him to see the bakery just yet, Mindy had gone with the first other thought that had popped into her head and sent Hugh her address. It was something that she was doubting now, wondering if maybe she should have just had her ex-boyfriend meet her at the town hall, or Hugh’s office, or even Sweet Thing before they got started on their tour. She would have preferred somewhere neutral, and she was a bit annoyed that she hadn’t thought this through more clearly.
“Well,” she said aloud to herself as her cute, small house came into view down the street. “There’s nothing that can be done about that now, is there?”
The moment she opened the front door, Gus began jumping around her heels, making her chuckle.
“Hey, buddy,” Mindy said fondly, stopping long enough to scratch him behind his ears in welcome.
He was still wearing his sweater from earlier that morning, and he pranced around in it proudly as Mindy walked through the house, following close on her heels. She let him out into the backyard so he could do his business while she changed, and the moment Gus was outside, she quickly made her way toward her bedroom, wrenching open the closet door and rifling through her clothes.
Not wanting to scare Noah off with the loud prints she usually wore, she searched and searched until she found a plain black sweater and skinny jeans. She tugged them on and then sprinted to the back door to let Gus back in.
Mindy hurriedly put her pup’s dinner in his bowl, telling herself that as soon as she was done, she’d do a quick refresh on her makeup. But when a knock sounded at the door, she realized she was out of time.
She paused just long enough to smooth down the ringlet curls that she knew were frizzy and untamed around her face before striding toward the entryway. When she pulled the door open, she was unsurprised to find Noah standing on the other side of it.
As much as Mindy hated to admit it, he looked handsome. His dark hair was, as always, styled perfectly away from his face with just the right amount of product. And his green eyes shone brightly as a hesitant smile tugged up the corner of his full lips.
“Hey,” he said awkwardly as he shifted from foot to foot. “Your house is cute.”
“Thanks,” Mindy replied, trying her best to keep her own nerves from leaking into her tone. “I just need to grab my purse, if you want to step inside?”
She took a few steps to the side, allowing Noah to walk past her into the entryway of her home. Gus, who must have finished his dinner, was standing in the hallway. Upon seeing Noah, the dog gave three loud barks.
“Gus?” Mindy frowned, furrowing her brow in confusion as she walked toward her pup.
“I’m assuming that’s your dog?” Noah cleared his throat, and when Mindy glanced over her shoulder at him, he was eyeing Gus with open trepidation.
She nodded, walking toward the furry little animal with her arms outstretched, but rather than letting her pick him up, Gus darted between her legs. He gave Noah a little growl as he ran past him, disappearing into the living room and hiding under the couch.
“Huh,” Mindy murmured, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at the couch where Gus had disappeared. “That’s so strange. He usually loves people.”
“Yeah, well.” Noah grimaced. “I’ve never really been great with dogs.”
