A Pineville Valentine's Day: Pineville, #3

By Anne Fons

About…

A Pineville Valentine's Day

The holiday of love – hearts, flowers, candy, and romance – but not for everyone.  When Sheriff Joseph Anderson's 'let's just get it over with' attitude meets up with kindergarten teacher Stephanie's 'much more is much better' philosophy, the results can be dicey.  Yet, the townspeople, including Joseph's brother and Stephanie's best friend, are looking forward to another sweet Pineville holiday.  How will this storm of hearts resolve?

The fictional town of Pineville, Wisconsin is a place where holidays are celebrated with the festivity of years gone by, and where town gossip is as lively as the marching band's half-time show.  The people of Pineville care about one another, their town, and finding the joy in the little things in life.

Come on over to where the greetings are friendly, and there's always something to celebrate and love.

Welcome to Pineville!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anne Fons Readers Group
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393403173

Book preview

Also by Anne Fons

-FICTION-

A Pineville Easter

A Pineville 4th of July

-NON-FICTION-

Monthly Prayers of Gratitude and Hope

Coming Soon...

A Pineville Memorial Day

Acknowledgements

This book is set during the Valentine’s Day holiday.  Here in the United States, this holiday is all about love, fun, affection - and romance.

I have been blessed with much love in my life.  My sincere thanks are always with my family and my friends.  Without them, I would never be as joyful, nor would I be as productive.

I thank my writing mentor, best-selling author, Winter Travers.  She is one of the most productive people, and one of the busiest people, I know.  Yet, she takes the time to care about others, including me.  My thanks, always.

To Valdas Miskinis, who is professional, expedient, punctual, and kind.  Thank you for being there with your wonderful cover art for yet another one of my books.  It’s perfect.

I thank my Advance Readers for this book: Rachel Auberger, Jennie Amato, Sharon Hartlaub, and Christine Unversaw.  Any writing issues or errors that remain are mine.  These caring people have gifted me their time and their vast array of talents.  They have caught many mistakes along the way.  Whatever errors remain, are mine.

To all my readers, without you, I write for myself.  I respect your time and your money in the purchase and reading of my work.

I thank God, for His enduring, forgiving love is the pinnacle of what love really means.  Through God, all things are possible, the great and the small.  This book may not move mountains, but it might make you smile.

Here’s to love – the eternal, the familial, the friendships, the compassionate, and the romantic.  May love, in one or more of its many faces, bring you joy today and always.

Happy Valentine’s Day,

Anne

This book is dedicated to my mother, Louise.  (She was Cookie Jorgensen

before Cookie Jorgenson became a Pineville character.)

Mother, when I think of you, I sometimes think of stubborn.

I always think of love.  You give love to your family every single day.  You were Daddy’s Girl, & Grandma’s more daring daughter.

You were a devoted & doting wife.

You are a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother,

sister, aunt, cousin, & friend.

How fitting you were born so close to Valentine’s Day.

I know you do not like to read.  Yet, you read my books. 

(Yes, Mother, I noticed, & it means a lot, more than a lot, that you would do that.)

I love you, Ma.

Chapter One

J ules, can you believe we’re already in February? Stephanie asked her best friend as they were making dinner together in the old parsonage kitchen.  I’m still working off those holiday pounds.  Between Thanksgiving and New Year, there’s so much food!

Julia cut the tips off the rinsed green beans and placed them in a pot of salted water.  It seems like we just took down the Christmas decorations.

Ugh, don’t remind me.  That one nasty pine needle went straight into my foot.  I had to pull it out with tweezers.  Not fun.  I so love the tree and all the decorations, and it’s sad when they need to be taken down.  Still, I can’t say I’ll miss the ‘pokey-needle’ part, though.

I must have vacuumed a half-dozen times before I stopped finding any of those, Julia said.

Stephanie washed and dried the colander that had been used to rinse the beans, getting it ready for draining the boiling potatoes that were soon to be done.  Well, she said, that’s one thing about Valentine’s Day, no pine needles.

True, said Julia.  She set the pot of beans on the stove top and set the burner to high.  Do you and Joseph have any big plans for that night?  It’s only a week-and-a-half from now, you know.

That’s one subject I haven’t brought up to him.

Why? asked Julia.

Jules, you know how he is about taking this whole dating thing a little at a time.  I think he’s still weighing out in his mind how this affects his devotion to Tracy.

Julia turned from the stove and faced Stephanie.  Steph, we all know Joseph was deeply and passionately in love with her.  She was his first girlfriend and his wife.  Having her taken from him so young was devastating on him and the children.

Yes.

He also knows Tracy wouldn’t want him to just spend the rest of his life only in mourning.  Lucas told me she was adamant about that with him.

I know that, Jules, said Stephanie.  However, every time we get a step closer in our relationship, I sense his doubts.  There’s still this little wall that says, ‘not yet.’

I’m sorry, Steph, Julia said.  This can’t be easy for you guys, and I didn’t mean to bring up a sensitive topic.

Julia turned back to the stove and stuck a fork into one of the potatoes.  Hand me that colander, if you would.  These potatoes are done.

Stephanie handed her life-long friend the large silver strainer.  Don’t apologize.  It is the way things are.  He’s definitely more comfortable being with me than he used to be.  I’m grateful for that, and I am grateful that I am dating a man who loved his wife from the time he was fourteen, on through their dating and marriage, and loves her still even after she’s been gone almost three years.  That’s both love and loyalty, and I will take that as a good sign that should the time ever be right for him to remarry, he will be there in love and loyalty again.

She smiled at Julia.  Besides, I have eighteen kindergarteners all getting antsy to start planning the class Valentine’s party, said Stephanie.  As soon as I changed the classroom over from January to February colors, they were so excited to start working on that.  Trust me, I will have plenty to keep me busy.

I remember those little Valentine’s parties we had in school, Julia said.  We decorated shoe boxes for the other kids to put their little Valentine cards inside for us.  Do you still do that?

Absolutely, the kids are always so proud of those!  I try to bring in as much of what we had growing up as possible, and see if there are any fun, new things to throw in the mix beside.

What’s new for this year? asked Julia.

I haven’t figured that out yet, said Stephanie.

Julia looked up at the kitchen clock.  Oh, the guys will be here in about fifteen minutes.  She took an anxious look around the room.  What else do we need to do?

I’ll set the table if you want to start getting the meat out of the oven and finish the beans.

Sounds good.

Hey, Julia?

Yes.

What are you and Lucas doing to celebrate Valentine’s?

He mentioned going to Main at the Bridge, Julia said as she took the roast out of the oven and set it to the side to rest.

Fancy place, said Stephanie.  You think he’s going to pop the big question?

What? asked Julia.  No!  We haven’t even dated for a year yet.  It’s too soon.

What would you say if he did ask you?

Julia pursed her lips and shook her head no.  I am not even going to think about that.  Lucas is practical, pragmatic.  He’s not one to get swept away by sentiment.

"Main at the Bridge is like the spot, Julia," Stephanie said.

It’s a special place to go when you really want to celebrate or have a very elegant meal, said Julia.  It sure doesn’t have to be an engagement thing.  If it did, they would be out of business in a week.  This is not a big town.  People celebrate everything from baptisms to graduations there."

Stephanie gave Julia a sly smile.  I’m certain one or two Pineville folks have gotten engaged at Main at the Bridge.

Quite a few, I’m told, said Julia.  However, it won’t be me – at least not this year.

We’re here! Lucas called from the living room.  With both of the guys now there, their every-other-Saturday-night home-cooked dinner for four would begin, and their conversation about the possibilities of engagements or other grand romantic moments would end.

To make certain that her dear friend would not succumb to her natural way of playing matchmaker, Julia put her hand on Stephanie’s elbow and firmly whispered, Stephanie Lucille, don’t you dare say one word to Lucas about Main at the Bridge, Valentine’s Day, or any other little hints you might want to throw out there.

You sure take a lot of the fun out of these little dinners, don’t you?

MAN, IT SMELLS GOOD in here! said Lucas.  He gave Julia a short kiss.

Joseph sniffed the air.  Yep, I’ll take the smell of pot roast over any perfume on the market.  You walk into this room, and bam, instant appetite.  This makes me want to devour whatever is in this kitchen.

I’m not sure whether to race the food to the table, said Stephanie, or put a dab of mashed potatoes and gravy behind my ear.

Stephanie was always up-front about her feelings for Lucas’s older brother, Joseph.  While not an instant match, the Pineville sheriff had captured her heart on her first visit to the little town.  Since then, they had been slowly growing closer, and where once their conversations were stilted and unsure, they were now comfortable with humor and just a bit of flirtation.

Um, I’ll get the potatoes and beans on the table, Julia said.  Would one of you guys carve the roast?

The conversation over dinner went as many of their Saturday night get-togethers did.  There was much catching up on one another’s jobs, Joseph’s children, and the rest of the families.  It was close to dessert before anyone even came close to bringing up the Valentine’s holiday.

Emmie can’t stop talking about the class party, Joseph said.  Can you give me at least a small hint about what you are planning so I can get her to calm down about it?

His five-year-old daughter was in Stephanie’s kindergarten class.  Nope, Stephanie said.  Miss Emmalyn is going to need to be patient like everyone else.

Joseph stopped eating and looked at Stephanie.  Did you say ‘patient?’ he asked.  You have met my daughter, haven’t you?

Stephanie let out a small laugh.  Oh, trust me.  She’s about as patient as the rest of the kids in the class.

"Eighteen impatient kids.  You should