One Step Away (Hazel Green Book 2) Read online

  A group of Scouts and their leader were floating boats that appeared to be made out of items found in the area—twigs, pinecones and bird feathers. Farther inland, the tai chi group practiced their moves.

  “Yes.” Leo took a step closer and brushed his lips against her hair. “You are so beautiful.”

  When Leo’s arms slid around her waist, pulling her close, Nell didn’t resist. Instead, she dropped her head against his shoulder and breathed in the citrusy scent of his cologne.

  “I’m glad you came to Matilda’s,” she said finally. “I wasn’t sure what to think when you just showed up.”

  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You were a little pissed.”

  “No—”

  “C’mon, tell it straight.”

  “Okay, so maybe I was a little irritated. I felt like I could handle Stanley on my own.” She blew out a breath. “He was different today. He reminded me of my mother.”

  “That can’t be a good thing,” Leo murmured, playing with her hair.

  “But mostly I was upset that you’d come because I didn’t want him to take his anger at me out on you. He could have ruined your career. He still might try.”

  “Even if he does, all that matters to me is having you in my life. Before I ran for mayor, I helped run a successful real estate development company. If Stanley somehow managed to turn the voters of Hazel Green against me, I’d happily go back to working with my brothers.”

  She turned in his arms to face him. “But you love being mayor, and you’re good at it.”

  “I do. But I could give it up.” His eyes locked on hers. “There’s only one thing I couldn’t give up, and that’s you. I love you, Nell. I can’t do without you.”

  “I come with a lot of baggage,” she reminded him.

  “Have you seen the size of my house?”

  Nell laughed and flung her arms around his neck. How had she gotten so lucky? “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I’ve got some ideas.”

  “What are they?”

  “Let’s just say they involve a ring and a promise and a lifetime together.”

  As his mouth closed over hers, Nell thought that sounded like a pretty good plan.

  Illinois 1900

  Richard and I were married six weeks after we first met. Some people you know their entire lives and they remain strangers. Some, your heart recognizes immediately. Richard’s family is lovely. They have accepted me as one of their own, simply because their son loves me. What a wondrous thing it is to not only have a husband, but a big family as well.

  Is it possible to be too happy? From the moment I set foot in this new community, I felt as if I’d found my true home. My husband, this man I love with my entire heart, told me as we watched our first sunset together, that this was going to be my town.

  I am reminded of a saying about expecting nothing but getting everything.

  I have everything.

  H.

  About the Author

  Cindy Kirk started writing after taking a class at a local community college. But her interest in words began years earlier, when she was in her teens. At sixteen she wrote in her diary: “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be a writer: After her daughter went to college, she returned to her passion and jumped straight into composing book-length fiction. She loves reading and writing romance novels because she believes in the undeniable power of love and in the promise of the happily ever after. An incurable romantic and an eternal optimist, Kirk creates characters who grow and learn from their mistakes while achieving happy endings in the process. She lives in Nebraska with her high-school-sweetheart husband.

  Also by Cindy Kirk

  Good Hope Series

  Christmas in Good Hope

  Summer in Good Hope

  Be Mine in Good Hope

  Forever in Good Hope

  Say I Do in Good Hope

  Marry Me in Good Hope

  Tie the Knot in Good Hope

  Hazel Green Series

  One Fine Day

  One Step Away

  Please see www.cindykirk.com for a complete listing of books as well as news of upcoming releases.

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