Page 129 of Forbidden to Fall

Trying to explain to Mom and Dad why Mia was still there when Ryan and Lily had left was…difficult. They seemed to understand that it was too complicated to convey, though, and they let it be.

If Mia hadn’t been there, I would’ve found it almost impossible to focus on anything other than what must be happening in that car right now, but Mia was not one to cede anyone’s attention to mundane matters like the future of her parents’ marriage. As a result, dinner was more enjoyable and full of more laughter than I would have thought possible under the circumstances.

Whether it was Mia’s influence or their own determination to try on my behalf, my parents were more welcoming to James than I’d anticipated. Dad asked him questions about his time in Canada until Mia inevitably railroaded the conversation back to where her interests lay: a general obsession with tomorrow’s Sleepy Holler event.

She was a gentle soul, still working up the courage to watch the Moana scene with Te Fiti without covering her eyes, so the prospect of a spooky night at the stables with a lurking headless horseman was an exciting but terrifying prospect for her.

An hour passed, and Ryan and Lily hadn’t come back.

Then two hours.

When we’d finished an incredibly leisurely second course of dessert, Dad met my gaze with a little lift of one brow.

All I could do was grimace, hoping that the length of Ryan and Lily’s talk was a good rather than a bad sign.

In the end, James and I had to leave so I could stop by the store before it closed to stock up on ingredients.

I had the day off at the bakery tomorrow so that I could bake for the Sleepy Holler event and help Archer prepare. I would be driving the wagon—both for the kids’ more mellow ride and the spookier ride for adults that would follow.

Mia had done her darnedest to extract a promise from James to be on the kids’ wagon ride. Apparently, she felt that any man who could protect himself from tigers and bears could also take on a headless horseman. James had handled it as well as Mia’s heavy-handed tactics would allow, assuring her he’d be sitting next to me at the front of the wagon to keep everyone safe.

Baking my three specialties had become a streamlined process at this point. I’d gotten the entire thing down to a science, and part of me was itching to try something new.

The other part was staring at my phone like it might start ringing with a call from Ryan.

That would’ve been a miracle even without all the drama of the last several weeks.

I picked up my phone and navigated to my text thread with him several times, only to put it right back down.

James jabbed me softly with his elbow. “Just send it.”

I glanced up at him; I hadn’t realized he’d noticed.

“I’ll bet he could use some love right now.”

I blew out a breath and picked my phone up again.

Sadie

Love you, Ryan

I pressed send before I could second-guess the decision, then set my phone face down.

James smiled at me, then tossed the rag he was holding onto the counter of the sugar shack. “You know who else could use some love right now?”

“Definitely me,” I said.

His smile grew.

“Was that what you were about to say?”

He grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the counter. “Close enough.”

Just a couple of days ago, Horseshoe Holler had been a beautiful oasis for Landrie and Jaxon’s wedding. Tonight, it was cozy and spooky, with hay bales scattered around firepits, glowing with orange flames to ward off the chill.

I stood at the entrance to the wagon while parents helped their kids up the steps for our first ride of the night. The Percherons were hooked up to the wagon, lanterns attached to light the way. They weren’t wild about those, but they’d come around.

My eyes scoured the scene for Ryan, Lily, and Mia, but there was no sign of them.