direction, but Grace’s feet were glued to the floor. Delia Peake bustled up, brandishing her pink-tipped walking cane like a sword.
“Go on, Gracie. They’re waiting for you.”
Grace stumbled forward as the crowd parted, clapping and shouting words of encouragement. Halfway to the platform, she realized she wasn’t alone.
“I think you forgot something else.” A familiar voice murmured in her ear.
“What?” Grace pushed the word past the lump of panic that had lodged in her throat when the mayor called her name.
“Me.” Cole’s low laugh wrapped around her heart and squeezed.
Why was he being such a good sport?
Because he had no idea what he was getting into.
Which was why, Grace decided, it was up to her to get him—them—out of it.
As quickly as possible.
“Each of the couples will be required to complete three different challenges, which I will announce right before the competition begins.” Mayor Dodd smiled when a rumble of disappointment stirred the air and Grace realized the omission had been deliberate. The competition had been advertised as one of the highlights of the celebration, but a little mystery would fan the people’s curiosity and guarantee a good turnout the following day.
“But—” the mayor motioned to someone across the room “—this might give you a hint as to what is in store for the couples.”
Happy, the lanky mechanic who was almost as old as some of the buildings featured on Grace’s historical tour, stepped out from the shadows, weighted down with tin buckets that clinked together like wind chimes as he ambled toward them.
“Inside the buckets that Happy is handing out is a coupon our couples can exchange for one item at the beginning of the competition tomorrow morning.” The mayor’s eyes twinkled. “Agreeing on that item just might be the first challenge some of them will face.”
Laughter followed the statement, which Grace knew had been his intention.
She didn’t dare look at Cole. A private picnic lunch under a shady tree was one thing, a competition in full view of the entire community was another.
“Andy will play one more song and then you can all go home and get a good night’s sleep.” Mayor Dodd grinned at the couples lined up in front of him. “You’re going to need it!”
The fiddler began to play another lively jig as Happy paused in front of Grace.
Cole reached for the bucket at the same time she did, and their hands touched. Grace’s heart began to flop around inside her chest like a freshly caught trout.
She could only hope the mayor would let her exchange her coupon for another partner.
* * *
Grace had vanished.
The last time Cole had seen her, she and the mayor had been deep in conversation.
He had a hunch what the topic of that particular conversation had been. It had occurred to Cole as he’d followed Grace to the front of the crowd, prodded by the elderly woman with a helmet of salt-and-pepper curls who resembled a swashbuckling gnome, that he’d messed up. Big time.
“I thought you might want to take a look at this.” The mayor stepped in front of Cole as he was making his way to the door to find Grace. “We printed up some brochures so people could learn a little history of the town. It mentions Samuel Merrick, your great-great-grandpa. If it wasn’t for him, this town wouldn’t exist. But I suppose you’re familiar with the story.”
As a matter of fact, Cole wasn’t. His dad hadn’t talked about Mirror Lake very often, and Sloan wasn’t the kind of man who’d propped his grandchildren on his knee and entertained them with stories about the family genealogy.
“Thanks.” Cole folded up the brochure and stuck it in his back pocket, anxious to intercept Grace before she left.
“If you’re looking for Grace, you just missed her,” a young woman pointed to the side door.
Sometimes, Cole thought, being in a small town where everyone was privy to everyone else’s business was a good thing.
As he jogged down the row of cars parked along the road, it occurred to Cole that he had no idea what kind of vehicle Grace drove. Other than a horse-drawn wagon.
“Grace’s truck is the third one from the end,” someone called. “Silver Ford.”
“Thanks,” Cole called back, unable to keep the smile out of his voice as he dodged an abandoned stroller.
A hundred feet away, he saw the silhouette of a woman with her back against the door of a compact pickup truck, the vehicle of choice in this area of the state. Grace’s head was tipped toward the sky, eyes trained on a band of moonlight that spilled through a seam in the clouds. Her lips were moving, and Cole knew she wasn’t talking to herself, she was talking to God.
Her strong faith had both mystified and challenged him when they’d first met. After his father died, Cole wasn’t sure whether to blame God or ignore Him completely. Grace was the one who’d said it was okay to be honest and simply tell Him that.
Cole felt something inside him shift and break loose from its moorings. What would his life be like if he’d told Grace the truth about his family? Would she have waited for him? Or run in the opposite direction?
Not that it mattered now. He’d made the decision for them and never looked back.
Cole took another step forward, feeling very much like the intruder that he was.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Grace started at the sound of his voice but didn’t look at him. The gravel crunched under Cole’s feet as he made his way to her side.
“It’s not your fault.” She sighed. “I should have told you the box social was the kickoff for the other events this weekend, but...”
She hadn’t thought he’d stick around.
Cole was tempted to apologize, except he wasn’t sure he was sorry things had worked out this way. A plan slowly began to take shape in his mind.
“So, what’s the next step?” he asked.
“The next step?” she repeated cautiously. “I’ll call Kate when I get home, and we’ll figure something out.”
“What’s to figure out?”
Grace blinked. “If it’s too late for me to drop out of the competition. Or if I need to find someone to take your place.”
For some reason, neither one of those choices sat well with Cole.
“It’s my fault you don’t have a partner for this little competition tomorrow,” he pointed out.
“The fact that you used the words ‘little competition’
