537 Devotion Lane: Ashbrook, Montana Saga

By Merri Maywether

It's summer and the season for friends, picnics, and nights out on the countryside.

Mayra loves planning events. Her latest endeavor, planning a surprise birthday party for Victor, should be the event of the summer.

And if she's lucky, he'll get the hint that she has a soft spot in her heart for him.

Victor is too busy for all the summer events he used to love. He's inherited a farm and will spend every free moment he has making sure things run smoothly.

When Victor and Mayra's plans go astray, they'll discover there is more to friendship and romance…and each other.

***

People visit Ashbrook for the rural Montana experience. They stay because of the friends and family they make along the way

• Language: English
• Publisher: Merri Maywether
• Release date: Jul 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223043270

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

Chapter 1

Victor

Victor checked the grain silo one last time to be sure he hadn’t overlooked anything–if he was being truthful, he was making sure nobody was trapped inside.

Everything seemed to be in order.

He slammed it shut, secured the latch, and fought the inclination to reassess.

Everything was fine.

There’d be no surprises.

By the end of the day, it would be empty. He and his cousin Eric would haul several loads to Dunkirk, making room for their new harvest.

That’s when he’d make sure everyone was accounted for.

Everything would go according to plan.

His forearm swiped across his brow, clearing away some of the dust, and he gazed across the horizon that was green with a young crop. This was why his father was always so serious. There was more work than there were hours in the day.

And Victor loved every minute of it—most of the time.

The early mornings checking on the moisture levels and crop progress, the afternoons filled with small tasks that accumulated to a job well done, the late nights tying up loose ends and reading through trade newspapers and market reports.

Thank you, Dad, for leaving a legacy. One that would probably be passed on to his niece and her husband because Victor was single and couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.

A trail of dust marked the path of his sister’s quad, leading Victor’s gaze to the front of his shop. He played a game. What would Kate want on a Saturday morning? Either she needed his signature for a check, or she was there to tell him something was broken.

Eric would have buffered the bad news with a stream of texts, some funny, some griping about the cause of the breakdown. Then he’d plant himself on the other side of the desk in Victor’s office, recline with his legs stretched out beneath the desk, and deliver the news like it wasn’t that big of a deal.

The answer was obvious. Kate was there to have some checks signed. Satisfied that he was right, Victor picked up his pace to meet her.

Kate’s hair, pulled beneath a ballcap combined with her long shorts and athletic shoes, caught him off guard. She extended her hands in the air, signaling Victor to walk in for a hug.

Kate was the negative image of Victor, who was tall, lanky, and more comfortable in jeans and a buttoned shirt. Happy Birthday, Victor!

Victor’s movements stuttered like a diesel with bad fuel until he stopped short of her reach. What?

Obviously undeterred by her brother’s hesitation, Kate breached the shortfall, walking into Victor and hugging him. You didn’t think I’d forget your birthday?

Numbers on the calendar had no real significance outside of their relevance to his routine. Victor said, Of course, I didn’t.

In his head, he groaned. His sister’s greeting was a harbinger of what was to come. People would break up conversations to remind Victor of another year gone by. There would be phone calls where he wouldn’t know what to say after a polite thank you. He shuddered at the invitations to go out for a beer. Not that Victor minded phone calls or a trip to the local watering hole.

The reminder that they were trying to compensate for his parents’ absence made his stomach clench against the discomfort.

Do you have checks?

Kate threw him a confused expression. Most people aren’t blunt when they’re expecting money for their birthday.

For me to sign. I thought you stopped over to bring checks for me to sign. Yes, it was his birthday. As he learned from the passing of his parents, life didn’t stop for grief, and especially for birthdays.

I am stealing you away for the day. Kate folded her arms in front of her, presenting her I’m ready for your arguments, younger brother stance.

Victor knew better than to argue. He’d use gratitude mixed with logic. Aww, Kate. That’s sweet, but shouldn’t you be off having fun with your daughter or hanging out with Janine.

Christine is at Volleyball camp, and Janine will join us for dinner. She’s bringing a guy she likes but won’t admit it.

Victor shared the joy behind the gleam in Kate’s eye. His niece was one of those kids that made whoever was around her want to be a better person, and Kate was as close to Janine as Victor was to their cousin Eric. Life had blessed Kate and Victor with friendships that balanced them.

She bounced to her toes and bumped into Victor’s arm. Which means you have my undivided attention all day.

What about lunch? Just the two of us. Victor tugged at his ear. There was a compromise. He’d still spend time with his sister, it