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Lacy Morse’s phone buzzed where it sat on the coffee table, and she shot a glance toward the couch where Piper was curled up taking an early morning nap. Satisfied that the noise of the device hadn’t woken up her young daughter, Lacy pushed herself out of the recliner where she’d been curled up with a book and grabbed her phone.
She grinned as she realized it was a text from her husband, Derek. But when she swiped across the screen and read the message, her smile began to fade.
DEREK: Hey, sweetheart. Bad news. That guy who showed up to speak at the town hall meeting this morning? He wants to turn Theresa’s old property into a warehouse and truck yard.
She frowned as she read over his text a second time, thinking through the implications that something like that would have on their charming little town. When Derek had told her about the meeting that Mayor Thornton had asked him and a handful of other business owners in town to attend, they had been excited.
They’d had fun speculating about what it could be about. A new ski resort, or a spa? They’d thought of several things that could bring in more tourists or support the long-term residents of Snowy Pine Ridge, all while preserving the spirit of the town they knew and loved—but neither of them had ever considered something like this.
Before she had a chance to type out a response, a few more texts from Derek came through. The meeting was still going on, and her husband told her that there was currently a Q&A happening. He filled Lacy in a bit more about the proposal and everything it would entail, then promised to get as much additional information as he could before signing off for the moment.
Lacy’s head was spinning, and she knew she had to share the news of this surprising development with her friends. As quickly as she could, she pulled up the group chat that she had with several other women in town—all of whom were either business owners themselves or were married to local business owners. Her thumbs flew over the screen as she relayed the news that Derek had just told her. Less than a minute later, her phone chimed with several incoming messages from Colette McKnight, Shelley Martinez, and Sarah Parks.
COLETTE: You have to be kidding me!
SHELLEY: Does this guy think that Snowy Pine Ridge is struggling or something? How does he think that this is going to benefit our town?
SARAH: Seriously. Even if it brings in money, the potential downsides far outweigh the upsides in my mind. I would love to see Snowy Pine Ridge continue to grow, but not at this cost.
Text after text popped up on her screen, and Lacy felt validated that she and Derek weren’t the only people concerned by the proposed industrial complex. She typed out a response, telling her friends that the meeting was still going on and saying that maybe there would be more developments that might ease their mind.
A second later, Mindy’s name popped up on the screen, and as Lacy read the text her friend had sent, her eyebrows shot up.
MINDY: If the meeting is still going on, I want to be there. I’m asking Allison to cover for me at the bakery for a bit, and I’m heading over to the town hall now. I’ll give this guy a piece of my mind, don’t worry!
A chorus of support rose up in the group chat as Shelley, Colette, Lacy, and Sarah all chimed in with words of encouragement for their friend. Things likeGo get ’em, MinandAtta girlfilled Lacy’s screen. Switching to a different message thread, she shot off a warning text to Derek, telling him that Mindy was on her way and asking him to get video of the showdown that was inevitably about to occur if he could. But before she got a response, Piper let out a soft sound as she began to stir, waking from her nap.
Lacy’s attention was immediately drawn to her toddler, and she locked her phone and stuffed it into her pocket without a second thought as she strode across the room to pull her fussy daughter into her arms.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” she cooed as she bounced Piper on her hip. “Sometimes I wake up from a nap a little cranky too. That’s all right.”
The sound of the toddler’s noises must have roused the dogs, because two fuzzy huskies trotted into the living room, sniffing lovingly at Piper’s toes.
“Soon, you’ll likely have a silly video of your Auntie Mindy defending our town,” Lacy told her daughter, making a funny face that had Piper’s grumpy expression turning into a smile, and then a giggle. “That’s right. Your Auntie Mindy is going to go save us from the big bad businessman. Won’t that be wonderful?”
Piper’s sudden squeal of excitement let Lacy know that the little girl agreed with her wholeheartedly.
CHAPTERTHREE
Noah shifted a bit on his feet, looking out at the crowd once more. He was almost regretting opening up the floor to a Q&A, because he had to give it to the residents of Snowy Pine Ridge—they were throwing him some real doozies.
“I understand the concerns at the sheer number of people that something like this industrial complex could draw in,” Noah said as he began to answer the question a gruff looking older gentleman in the front row had just asked. “I mean, one warehouse alone can employ a couple hundred people. But the truth is that something like this isn’t going to spring up overnight. There will be a steady but impressive influx of people moving to the area while the warehouses are being built. Then, when it comes time—”
The double doors at the far end of the room burst open, and Noah was cut off mid-sentence by the sudden sound. A woman stood in the now open doorway, and as Noah’s gaze settled on her, his mouth went dry.
“It can’t be,” he murmured to himself, the astonishment of the moment making him forget that he was standing in front of a microphone. The mic picked up his low voice, broadcasting his surprised words to the entire room.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed that he’d spoken again, since all eyes in the room were focused on the newcomer as she strode into the room.
Mindy Harvey.
She was a bright spot in the center of the room, her blonde curly hair flying around her face and her turquoise sweater all but glowing under the fluorescent lights of the meeting room. She had on a bright pink and white apron, and it had bits of flour and what looked like jam caked across it. Noah couldn’t help but wonder if the woman had even bothered to put on a coat before making her way to the town hall.
“What’s this I hear about an industrial warehouse?” Mindy demanded, squaring her shoulders at Noah. He’d negotiated with high-powered businessmen plenty of times, but for some reason, he almost flinched under the weight of this diminutive woman’s gaze. “And a trucking yard?”
“Well,” Noah replied, coughing once to clear his throat as he began to point to the displays behind him. “You’ll see here that—”
