Piece of Cake: Small Town Stories, #1

By Merri Maywether

In the charming backdrop of small-town Montana, Lacey's journey takes an unexpected turn when a simple gesture intertwines her life with that of the captivating Colton Hughes, known to her as Mr. Golden Eyes.

 

Lacey finds herself swept off her feet and into the vibrant tapestry of life in this close-knit community. Each delightful encounter leads her closer to unraveling the truth—that perhaps Three Creeks is her new home.

 

Through life's unexpected twists and turns, Lacey learns that love and laughter often flourish in the face of obstacles

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Merri Maywether
• Release date: Jul 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386519515

Merri Maywether

Twenty years ago, Merri Maywether went on a date with a very sweet man from Montana. Three weeks later they were engaged and they have lived happily ever after. This is Merri taking over the biography section...When I write my romance novels, the characters are the people that I see on a day to day basis. Up here in what I like to call the far, far north, people work hard, live fiercely, and love knowing that they have a community of people behind them. We support each other through the hardships and celebrate the victories. The best part...similar to the characters in my stories, at the end of a long day or a rough week we have stories to share for the years to come.

Book preview

1

YOU'LL LOVE LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN

Y ou’ll love living in a small town, Paul Sanders promised his younger sister Lacey.

He followed it with, It’s like the programs we watched on television when we were kids. After years of hints, suggestions, and outright challenges, Lacey had finally agreed to give Three Creeks a try.

And, she was happy to admit that her brother was right. Three Creeks, Montana, was the enlarged version of the images people used on puzzles. It had a main street lined with small businesses, a city hall in a large red brick building in the center of town, and a large park with a picturesque white gazebo surrounded by mature trees. The town was named after the three different creeks that met in various areas on the outskirts of the town.

Just as the scenery in and around Three Creeks was beautiful, the people were equally amazing. It took a while for Lacey to figure out that when people waved, they were greeting her. At first, when it happened, she checked to see if they directed the friendly gesture to someone behind her.

On this sunny Saturday afternoon, most of the town had converged in the high school gym to recognize the success of roughly thirty high school seniors. Balloons people stashed with congratulatory greetings decorated the edge of the high school gym and swayed with just as much enthusiasm as the room full of well-wishers. The edges of the rows of chairs were decorated with black and red streamers. In the chairs, well-wishers attentively watched the final moments of the high school experience.

Other than the small class size, the graduation ceremony followed the typical routine. There was a guest speaker followed by the valedictorian. During the reading of the scholarships awarded to the soon-to-be college students, Lacey clapped with pride. They announced that her niece, Noelle, had acquired a little more than fifty-two thousand dollars in scholarships.

There was just enough activity to make them forget that they had already sat in the same space for roughly forty-five minutes. Right when the small children were getting restless, and the older friends and relatives were beginning to notice their joints getting stiff, a montage of photos that captured their school experience signaled nearing the end of the program. People laughed, cried, and commented on the memories.

Lacey, who loved her life before moving to Three Creeks, felt pangs of wistfulness. She wished she belonged to a community like this. With the population being so small, everyone mattered, and their endeavors were acknowledged accordingly. When the graduating class of 2017 gleefully flung their caps into the air, the people who supported them clapped, hooted, and hollered in celebration.

Before the graduates went off to face the world, they had one last celebration. Parents and teachers stood behind tables lined in a row and offered various slices of cakes baked by the local baker. Lacey was talking to Noelle about the irony of their situation. Her niece, by marriage, was eager to leave her small-town roots, and Lacey was making Three Creeks her home.

She was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn’t see the person behind her reach for a fork at the same time as her. As her fingers touched the fork, a strong hand came down on top of hers. The touch lasted for less than a second. However, it was long enough to send a spark that began at Lacey’s fingertip and shot straight to her heart.

It was as though someone briefly turned on a light switch. She turned to apologize to the person behind her and saw the most amazing golden-brown eyes. It looked like a band of gold circled the golden-brown irises.

At a loss for words, Lacey mumbled her apology and hurried to get away from the situation. She felt the eyes on her and turned to get one last look at them.

The man offered her one quick smile and, having in hand what he went there for, left the line. With each step further into the crowd, Lacey felt the light from the spark dim. She sighed in admiration and allowed herself to be pulled into the world as it was before she met him.

2

MR. GOLDEN EYES

Y ou chose the perfect time to move here. Paul’s wife, Gracie, handed Lacey a crock pot full of little smokies that had been cooking in a barbecue sauce all morning. I’m not saying that so I can put you to work.

The bowl of potato salad in Gracie’s arms was large enough to feed a small army. Even if the entire army ate until they were full, they’d most likely have leftovers. In addition to potato salad, they had a macaroni salad, baked beans, a jello salad, and fruit platters with almost every rainbow color in them. After setting the potato salad on the table, Gracie took the crock pot of smokies and placed it between a pot of miniature meatballs and another with a spinach cheese dip. The two of them had spent the better part of two days preparing food for a gathering that would most likely number in the hundreds.

People pop in, chat for a bit, and go on to the next party, Gracie explained while smoothing a hair on her temple. The waves of hair seemed to have given in to the excitement and tried escaping the well-groomed look her sister-in-law favored.

Once she was satisfied with her attempt to look smooth, Gracie continued her explanation of the events to come. We’ll have plenty of burgers and dogs. Depending on how many other parties they’ve been to before ours, our guests might want to graze on finger foods.

For Gracie’s sake, Lacey