Page 49 of Ella and the Enchanted Bookshop

“Asher, take Ella somewhere quiet so she can calm her nerves. Harper and Jaelyne?” she called to the girls, who were still watching, horrified, through the window. “Come with me, girls. We’re going to have a good breakfast while the sheriff calls your grandparents to come get you.”

I looked up at Asher in awe. “How did she–”

He gave me a wry smile. “I’ve learned to not even ask.” Then he took a deep breath. “I think she’s right, though. Let’s go somewhere quieter.” He paused. “Actually, let’s go to my car. I have something for you, now that I think about it.”

I was slightly disappointed, as I had been hoping that calming me down would mean more time in his arms. But as he led me by the hand to his truck, I found myself curious. What could he possibly have for me now that he hadn’t last night?

But when he unlocked the door and pulled out my boots, I laughed. “Thank goodness you remembered!” I exclaimed, reaching for my boots. Much to my relief, Margaret’s gem decorations were completely gone, and the leather boots were soft and supple once again. But instead of handing them over, he pulled them back and knelt instead.

“A beautiful princess left these at my house last night,” he said. “And I think it only right that I help you try them on to make sure they’re yours.”

I shook my head but couldn’t help laughing again as he gently guided the boots onto my feet.

“You’re ridiculous, you know,” I said as he stood.

He nodded slowly. “Possibly. But no one could ever accuse me of being less than chivalrous.”

That was an understatement.

“You also forgot something else,” he said, suddenly stepping closer and wrapping his hands around my waist.

I looked down at my boots. “But you already–”

“Not those,” he said. And then he bent forward and gave me my first real kiss.

26

A Princess-Cut Diamond, Twinkle Lights, & Books

Casey went to jail. My parents’ ranch fully belonged to me. And by Thanksgiving, I had thrown myself into the business the way I’d always wanted to. Namely, I’d hired Derrick and one of his nephews full time.

I was also signed up to restart my degree online. I was still doing just one class at a time, but I promised myself that once Derrick and I had a new rhythm going and everything running as it should, I would start taking more. Even better, Amanda had moved in with me, rather than me moving in with her the way she’d once suggested. And not only was she a great roommate, she surprised me by quickly learning her way around the ranch as well.

“With training,” Derrick told me one cold November evening, “she’ll be working full time here soon too.”

The biggest difficulty had been saying goodbye to Jaelyne. After the arrest, Harper wanted nothing to do with me, even though I’d offered to let them stay in their rooms until their grandparents came to pick them up, so she and Jaelyne stayed with Margaret instead.

Jaelyne, however, made it hard to say goodbye.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she sniffed as Harper climbed into their grandparents’ car. “Are you making me leave the ranch?”

“Oh, baby, no!” I whispered as I rearranged her hair. “No, love, you are welcome to come back here anytime your grandparents allow it. And to prove it to you,” I said, reaching into my backpack, “I want you to have this.”

Jaelyne’s eyes grew wide. “Your… your tiara?”

I smiled and nodded. “I’m going to miss you. And every time you wear this, I want you to think of how you insisted I become a princess.”

Jaelyne swallowed and rolled her eyes. “No, I told you that if you had to be a princess, you might as well be a good one.”

I chuckled. “Either way, this is your invitation. You’re allowed to come back whenever you want. Whether that’s now, or in six years when you’re all grown up and on your own.”

Jaelyne took the tiara before bursting into tears once more and throwing her arms around me. “Okay,” she sobbed. “I will!”

Winter came cold and early that year, and by Thanksgiving evening, when we all gathered at Miss Margaret’s for dinner, I couldn’t help mourning the passing of autumn.

I couldn’t mourn for long, though. Doing so would have been impossible with such a happy gathering crowded into her little cottage. Asher had gone back to his base just hours after Casey’s arrest, and he’d been so busy that Thanksgiving was the first time he’d made it back since. Then there was Jay, of course, and Derrick, his wife Amy, Brianna, and Derrick’s nephew, Davon. Amanda was there, too, as her flight back to visit her parents had been cancelled. And Miss Margaret just glowed as we all sat around her table (which seemed oddly larger than it had been the last time I’d been there) to feast on the countless steaming dishes that never seemed to grow cold.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed that much. Between Jay’s constant stories about Asher’s childhood mishaps and Brianna and Derrick’s teasing, and Margaret’s affectionate bossing, there was hardly a moment when someone wasn’t in stitches.