An Unexpected Blessing: SweetHart's Cafe Romance, #1

By Betsy Love

Emma has sworn off men!
After someone anonymously sends a picture of her boyfriend caught in a lip-lock with a gorgeous blond, Emma's broken heart might never heal.

Then Luke Blessing walks into the diner where she works, and wow, he's grown out of his gangly, awkward teen self, and her heart hasn't slowed since she laid eyes on him. Is she fickle, or could he be the real deal? With her mama's ranch in trouble financially, Luke could be the answer they've been looking for. Unless he buys the whole thing out from under them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: LoveLightPress
• Release date: Apr 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201478414

Book preview

1

Emma girl, you’re going to wear a hole in the table if you keep wiping like that. Olivia, my boss, and owner of Miracle Inn Café put her hand over mine.

Sorry. I gripped the rag and sat in the booth, looking around the nearly empty, post breakfast diner I’d been working at since I graduated high school. Then Olivia had bought the diner last year. She’d wanted to make so many changes, but her husband’s life insurance policy had left her with only enough to buy the only real restaurant in town. It probably didn’t matter that it looked old and outdated since it was the best place to eat, especially with Olivia’s cooking.

I looked up at the plaque hanging over the register; the saying fit me perfectly.

Don’t Quit!

Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion.

~Mohammed Ali

Yeah, right. How much suffering had I already experienced? First my daddy, then my barrel horse, and now my stupid ex-boyfriend. He’d given me the perfect reason to follow Mama’s advice and dump him. Was I ready to admit I would remain single the rest of my life? Was I too young to worry about being a spinster? I mean, women got married later and then started their families, right? Twenty-two was way too young to be old, wasn’t it? It’s just that the only boyfriend I’d ever had was Drew. A knot formed in my stomach.

Olivia slid into the booth across from me. What’s up, girl?

Was I ready to share Drew’s cheating on me yet? I hadn’t even told my mother what had happened. I took a deep breath. People would learn soon enough. Since my mama had become best friends with Olivia, she wouldn’t hesitate to go right to her with my news. Mama would actually be relieved. She’d already been asking questions about why Drew hadn’t been around much.

May as well take the first step in making the break-up official. I opened my phone and pushed it over to Olivia. This. The knife twisted in my gut. The picture had come to me from an anonymous source. The platinum blond laying her lips on Drew roiled my insides, like a calf getting lassoed. He’d been hinting he was going to propose to me, and now this.

Whoa, girl. When did this happen?

Almost two weeks ago.

You didn’t say anything to your mother, or she would have told me. Olivia pushed a brown strand of hair from her brow and studied the photo. That woman’s not from around here, and that doesn’t look like Mickey’s bar. She handed the phone back.

"Drew said he had to go to Houston on business." I stared at the picture for the hundredth time trying to come up with a logical explanation. I didn’t even have a clue as to who would have sent the picture.

Well, there’s only one thing you can do.

Give up on men altogether? They’re all cheaters. My daddy had told me time and time again, If he ain’t faithful, he ain’t worth keeping. Too bad he’d died before he had a chance to warn me about Drew.

Olivia slapped the table. No ma’am, you are not going to do that. I know this great dating app. When I opened my mouth to speak, Olivia held up her hand. Just hear me out. It will only connect you with single men within our area… no need to leave the state or travel too far. My brother used it last year and found the woman of his dreams.

I’m not ready to start looking. If God wanted her to find a husband, He better drop him in her lap.

Olivia stood and picked up the rag. Well, while you’re fretting, I’ve got a restaurant to run, and you have a customer at table nine waiting for you to take his order.