An Unexpected Love (Treasured Dreams Book 3) Read online

  An Unexpected Love

  by

  Susan Hatler

  An Unexpected Love

  Copyright © 2015 by Susan Hatler

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

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  Cover Design by Elaina Lee, For The Muse Design

  www.forthemusedesign.com

  Titles by Susan Hatler

  Kissed by the Bay Series

  Every Little Kiss

  The Perfect Kiss

  Just One Kiss

  The Sweetest Kiss

  Better Date than Never Series

  Love at First Date

  Truth or Date

  My Last Blind Date

  Save the Date

  A Twist of Date

  License to Date

  Driven to Date

  Up to Date

  Déjà Date

  Date and Dash

  Treasured Dreams Series

  An Unexpected Date

  An Unexpected Kiss

  An Unexpected Love

  An Unexpected Proposal

  An Unexpected Wedding

  An Unexpected Joy

  An Unexpected Baby

  Young Adult Novels

  Shaken

  See Me

  Praise

  “It totally made me smile.”

  -Getting Your Read On Reviews on An Unexpected Date

  “An Unexpected Date is a wonderful and perfect release to a stressful or crazy day.”

  -Cafè of Dreams Book Reviews

  “Susan has a knack for light hearted dialogue and describing the zing in the connection between Holly and Dave….Be on the look out for this delightful morsel.”

  -Tifferz Book Reviewz on An Unexpected Date

  “Susan Hatler has a knack for writing books that draw me in from the very first page!”

  -Books Are Sanity!!! on Love at First Date

  “Ms. Hatler has a way of writing witty dialogue that makes you laugh-out-loud throughout her stories.”

  -Night Owl Reviews on Truth or Date

  An Unexpected Love

  by

  Susan Hatler

  I trekked up the mountain in my beloved small town of Whitefish, Montana, waiting for that blissful feeling that hit me every time my boyfriend, Dave, and I hiked together. That feeling didn’t come. Instead every muscle in my body tightened, because in five hours I had to make a decision that would affect my entire future. No pressure or anything.

  As my legs propelled me up the trail, my mind stayed focused on the dilemma regarding my business, Treasured Creations. Making a living beading jewelry with a view of Big Mountain out my window was pretty much a dream come true. Not that I was getting rich off my career choice—far from it, actually. I struggled to pay bills each month, but my ability to gaze out my kitchen window at nature’s beauty while I worked felt priceless.

  Just this morning, I completed setting the stones on a darling butterfly charm while watching the first snow of the season drift gracefully onto the mountain. The ethereal white flakes filled me with joy . . . until my brain spiraled back to my impending decision. Gulp. I decided to keep the butterfly charm for myself, hoping it would give me luck in making the right choice for my business, ergo my life.

  Until now, I’d sold my originally designed creations at local festivals, craft shows, and street fairs. I also had quite a lot of return customers, who purchased items from me over and over. Then two days ago, Karen, the owner of Moxie—a charming and successful shop downtown—called and made me an offer. I nearly fainted when she announced she wanted to carry a special line of my jewelry to sell in her store and online. So flattering!

  Moxie’s new website would launch this Monday, so Karen needed an answer from me right away, in order to promote my products in her announcements. I had until five o’clock this evening to give her my answer. In the back of my mind, I could hear a virtual clock ticking, and my stress level ratcheted up with each tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. . . .

  I chewed my lip and fingered my butterfly charm as I followed Dave up the steep trail, wondering what I should do about Karen’s offer. To say I was a simple girl would be putting it mildly. I’d just turned thirty, lived in the same small one-bedroom apartment I’d rented when I moved to Whitefish after college, and loved hiking, biking, skiing and basking in the surrounding beauty of the little slice of heaven where I lived. Two months ago, I’d met Dave at the Falling Leaves Festival.

  He and I shared the same love for this special mountain resort town, and all of the outdoor activities this magical place had to offer. At least once a week we hiked up this same trail on Big Mountain, with our picnic bag in tow, and ate our lunch once we reached the top.

  Each time we made our pilgrimage felt just as special as the last time. We spotted new and exciting things on every hike: a squirrel, white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, and once even a black bear. We talked about anything and everything. There seemed to be a bottomless wealth of topics we enjoyed discussing, and each new piece we learned about each other brought us closer together. If hiking the same trail kept bringing me joy, then wouldn’t the same follow to keep the status quo with the jewelry business I love so much? Why make a change when the current plan worked so well?

  Oh, yeah. Savings. Retirement. Not having to stress over paying bills. . . .

  The ticking clock in my head suddenly got louder. I wanted to talk to Dave about the offer, but the insecure part of me worried what he’d think if I made the wrong choice. I wanted to kick myself for being such a coward. Instead, I tripped over a tree root.

  “Everything all right back there, Holly?” Dave called over his shoulder, his blue-eyed gaze connecting me mine, making my tummy do a somersault.

  “I’m fine,” I said, although stressed out of my mind might’ve been more accurate.

  He mumbled something I couldn’t quite hear. Then he glanced off the path, clambered up on top of a large boulder and held out his hand to me. I reached out, curling my hand into his, and tingles skittered up my arm. Even after being together for two months, the sparks between us were stronger than ever. Shiver.

  “We’re stopping before the top of the mountain? Okay . . .” I said, feeling breathless as he pulled me up next to him. With his arm around me, we gazed out at this new of the Flathead Valley below. It was gorgeous. The jagged white-capped peaks of Glacier Park provided a powerful backdrop, contrasting our tiny town nestled below, and the shimmering blue of Whitefish Lake stretched off to the north. But the beauty dimmed slightly due to the angst my looming deadline. “Don’t you think this path gets better every time we come out?”

  “I think our path gets better every day we’re together.” He pulled me close, his eyes gleaming with such unabashed intensity that my cheeks heated.r />
  “You’re too sweet.” I dropped my gaze for a moment, wondering if he’d continue to look at me like that if I chickened out on this project, which had the potential to take Treasured Creations to the next level. Or, putting all of my stock into this one sales channel could cause my business to go under. My stomach clenched. “When hiking a trail is this good, there’s no reason to make a change. Don’t you think?”

  The corner of his mouth tipped up, then he leaned in slowly and brushed his mouth lightly across my lips. Then he pulled back and hopped off the rock. “I think it’s time you told me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours.”

  I tilted my head, my chestnut curls flopping against my shoulder. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve been clutching the charm on your necklace since we left the trailhead.” He reached for my hand that gripped the charm and gently released the butterfly from my grip, letting it rest against the round-neck thermal shirt that peeked out beneath my jacket. “You work your pendants like a worry stone when something big is on your mind,” he said.

  “I do?” A ripple of excitement rolled through me that he already knew me so well. But the feeling quickly dissipated, replaced by a weighted boulder invading my belly. When Dave held out his hand, I grabbed it like a lifeline, and jumped of the rock. We were silent as we trudged up the incline, holding hands, until we came to a fork in the trail.

  He turned to me, raising one brow. “We always go right. Is it time to make a change?”

  I closed my eyes for a moment, imagined getting zero orders through Moxie, then promptly swayed on my feet. My eyes flew open, my fingers flew to my charm, and I shook my head. “Let’s just stick with what we know.”

  “Your call,” he said, and started back up the trail. “But I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” I smashed my lips together, wondering what Dave’s advice would be about the potential deal with Moxie. He’d given up a corporate life to be a freelance web developer, so he knew about making tough business decisions for himself. And I knew he was successful in his work. But would I be successful? What if I failed big time?

  When we reached the top, we found our picnic spot, which sat on a flat, bald outcropping of rock. Small remnants of the thin layer of snow from this morning remained, and the rock still had a few icy spots. Since it was late November, the big snow would drop soon, coating the mountain in white, and holding throughout the winter. Right now the season was in transition, with one foot out the door, and one foot still inside.

  I could totally relate. Sigh.

  Up here on the summit, the view of the valley was even more spectacular. A large bird flew from a tree below, but it was too far away to tell if the dark bird was a bald eagle or an osprey. Dave and I usually dangled our feet off the edge of the rock as we ate. But with my stomach in knots, this seemed like a good time to be cautious. I turned to see what Dave had packed for lunch. He was an amazingly good cook, and our lunches always had a theme. Things like Italian countryside, which had included wine and pasta.

  “I thought we’d do a little American West today,” Dave said as he pulled out containers of vegetarian chili and homemade cornbread.

  “You spoil me,” I said, with a happy sigh.

  “You deserve to be spoiled,” he said.

  I bit into a piece of cornbread, the sweet taste filling my mouth. The corners of my lips curved upward and, once again, I felt truly lucky to have met Dave, who was so sweet and thoughtful. “This is delicious. Thanks for the wonderful lunch.”

  “There’s that smile I know and love.” He winked at me, then popped a spoonful of chili into his mouth. “You’re very welcome.”

  I breathed in, the scent of pine and earth invaded my lungs, but even that familiar scent couldn’t relax me. I knew I needed to talk to Dave about my problem. I swallowed my last bite of corn bread, a tiny frown tugging at the corners of my mouth. I felt far too vulnerable as I looked up at him. “I feel like I’m at a crossroad, and I don’t know which way to turn.”

  His brows came together. “How come?”

  I closed the container that had held my lunch, set it beside me, then took a deep breath. “I got a call from the owner of Moxie—that boutique downtown. She offered me a contract to start carrying a few lines of my jewelry. Not just in her store, but on their new website.”

  “Okay.” Dave nodded, then squinted off in the distance. He used this expression when he was listening and thinking about something deeply. “And there’s an aspect of the offer that’s obviously bothering you.”

  “Yes,” I blurted, feeling like that one word had released the block in my throat. “If I sign the contract with Moxie, then there are all sorts of things that could go wrong. I mean, after reading the contract I know they want at least two hundred pieces of jewelry initially, including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. That’s a lot of new product to create. Sure, they will be duplicates of the original design of that line, but with that heavy of an order the quality would probably suffer. Is it really worth jeopardizing quality for quantity?”

  He raised his palms. “Holly—”

  “Plus there’s the added cost of supplies. I’d need to use everything I have in stock to make the first pieces for the store, and . . . I don’t know. It’s just too scary.” A chilled breeze whipped by, blowing my wild curls around my face. My eyes stung, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t caused by the cold wind. “What if no one even buys my stuff?”

  “I don’t think that will happen.” His eyes filled with emotion as he reached toward me, and tucked my hair behind my ears. “Your designs are incredible. Like the butterfly charm you’re wearing right now. The pattern of the stones is unique, and the colors are vibrant. Just looking at that one piece brings on a lot of emotion, as if a piece of the artist is in the design.”

  An incredulous laugh escaped my lips. “That might not be such a good thing since I made the butterfly this morning while this quandary swirled around my brain. My muse probably chose the butterfly because they’re in hibernation right now, which is where I’d like to be.”

  He chuckled at my sad attempt of a joke. “I’m sorry you’re upset, angel. I want you to know that no matter what you decide about the contract, I’ll be here to support you. How long do you have until you need to make a decision?”

  “Only until five o’clock today.” I dropped my forehead against his shoulder, then buried my face in his warm neck.

  He pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “That doesn’t give you much time.”

  “I know.” I mumbled, feeling my chest tighten. I lifted my head. “Until now, I’ve been this dinky little farmer’s market/craft show seller, which I’ve loved with all of my heart. But to have my jewelry available in a popular store and online? If the items didn’t sell, that kind of rejection would be devastating to me.”

  Dave sat quiet a long time, with his arm around my waist. It felt like a comfortable, contemplative silence, and I hoped the perfect decision would come to me. No such luck. A bubble of laughter came out, and soon I rolled over giggling almost uncontrollably.

  “Whoa there,” he said, pulling me back from the edge of the cliff, even though I wasn’t nearly close enough to go over. “What’s so funny?”

  I got my laughter under control—clearly I was losing it—and sucked in a few hiccup-ish breaths. “It’s just . . . my mom actually thinks I should sign the contract with Moxie. As you know, she and I rarely agree on how my life should go. So if my mom thinks this deal is a good idea, then I should probably turn down the offer and run away screaming.”

  Dave caught my cheek in the palm of his hand, and his mouth curved upward. “Maybe she just really believes in you. Like I do.”

  With the back of my head against the cold ground, I stared up into the eyes of my boyfriend, who I never even thought I’d find, and knew he meant every word he said. He believed in me. Maybe my mom did, too. Still, there were so many things that Dave didn’t know about me—probably because I had
n’t shared them with him. Maybe it was time to clue him in on my humiliating past.

  “We should get going.” I sat up, dusting myself off. “I didn’t bring my cell phone and there’s a call I need to make soon. If this contract was a good idea, then I’d be more excited about it.”

  He gazed back at me, and his eyes held no judgment. “You’ve made your decision then?” he asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulders.

  “Yes.” I nodded, leading the way down the trail. What I had to tell him now wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t like to think of that time in my life, let alone talk about it. But if Dave could give me his unconditional support like this, then he deserved to know all of me—the good and the bad. I glanced over at him. “I haven’t told you about this pivotal moment of my childhood,” I said, my voice cracking just a little.

  “I’m listening.” He gave me a side-glance, as he looped his thumbs through the backpack’s straps.

  I gave him a weak smile. “When I was in middle school, I signed up to participate in my first craft show. My class was raising money for our trip to Washington D.C. and the students voted to have a craft show instead of a bake sale. I had the best idea for designing my booth. I wanted to make and sell friendship bracelets, since they were all the rage back then. Everyone loved them, even the boys, and I was sure I’d make a ton of money for the class. So I purchased all different colors of embroidery floss, and worked hard after school and on weekends creating the bracelets.”

  “That sounds great.” He smiled over at me as we rounded the corner to turn past the fork in the trail where I’d taken the same safe route earlier. “You were an entrepreneur even at twelve. That just shows how ready you were to launch your business when you came here.”

  “That’s not the point, sadly. I wish the results of my fundraising efforts were that I felt secure about setting myself up as business owner, but the opposite happened,” I said, my heart pounding against my ribcage so hard that I finally stopped beside a huckleberry bush to catch my breath.