Authors: Courtney Rice Gager
Tess in Boots
Tess in Boots
By
Courtney Rice Gager
Copyright
2014 Courtney Rice Gager
Published by Anaiah Romance
An imprint of Anaiah Press
, LLC.
7780 49th ST N. #129
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places, names, events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any likeness to any events, locations, or persons, alive or otherwise, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. For inquiries and information, address Anaiah Press, LLC., 7780 49th ST N. #12
9 Pinellas Park, Florida, 33781
First Anaiah
Romance ebook edition December 2014
Edited by
Kara Leigh Miller
Book Design by Eden Plantz
Cover Design by Anaiah Press, LLC.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and remains the copyrighted property of the author. Please do not redistribute this book for either commercial or noncommercial use. If you enjoyed this book and would like to share it with another person, please encourage them to download their own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
For the original members of the Kourtland Vineyard crew, who taught me what a good crop is made of - prayers, blisters, and dreams.
Acknowledgements
Always first and foremost: Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours (1 Chr 29:11). Thank you to Executive Editor Eden Plantz and the entire team at Anaiah Press for making this publication possible. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for my editor, Kara Leigh Miller. Kara fell in love with Tess in Boots and wouldn’t rest until it sparkled. She was the first and founding member of #TeamThatcher, she thinks of everything, and she is simply the best. A special thank you goes to cover artist Kayelle Allen for creating the perfect visual representation of this story. Another special thank you to Hanna Oliwa and Melinda Dozier for their dedicated publicity work. I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for Heidi Norrod, who created, organized, and hosted the #AdPit Twitter Pitch Party which resulted in my first official publishing contract. Thank you to my fellow authors at Anaiah Press and to everyone who helped spread the word about this book. How do I begin to thank my supportive family and friends for your constant words of enthusiasm and encouragement? I am blessed beyond measure to have too many of you to name, but you know who you are and you’re dear to my heart. Thank you to Mom, Dad, and Andy for your stint in homemade wine-making which inspired the setting of this story, and also for reading everything I’ve ever written and loving me anyway. An enormous thank you to my incredible husband, Kyle, who’s always willing to discuss plot twists over dinner, and whose country-boy alter ego inspired much of my hero’s charm. Thank you to my sweet girl Estie for faithfully napping day-in and day-out so Mommy could have extra time to write and edit this story. And thank you, readers, because when all is said and done, this book is for you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!
Table of Contents
It wasn’t bothering me at all
.
And why would it bother me? It was such a minor thing. No one else seemed to be aware of this tiny imperfection, so I wasn’t about to let myself get all worked up over it.
Let it go, Tess.
I glanced up at Logan, and then back at the chipped nail polish.
If only it wasn’t
the
nail. All nine of my other nails were polished to perfection. Of course the one on my left ring finger was chipped.
But it didn’t matter, I reminded myself. It didn’t matter because any minute he would pull out the ring, slip it on my finger, and…
And the biggest moment of my life would be forever ruined by a stupid chipped nail.
It
did
matter.
I had to fix it. The bottle of polish was stashed in my purse. I could excuse myself, go to the bathroom, and do a quick touch
…
“
Tess? Sweetheart?” Logan reached his hand out and covered mine, shielding the nail from view.
I jumped in my chair.
“Hmm?”
“
Are you all right?”
“
I’m fine.”
He smiled. “
Good. You seem a little distracted.”
“
Is that the restroom in the corner?” I scooted toward the edge of the booth.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. But… do you think it can wait? I have a surprise coming for you.”
A waiter in a crisp
, white shirt rounded the corner, carrying a small tray covered with a gleaming silver lid. He gave Logan a knowing look as he placed it before me on the table.
I
slid back into place and folded my hands on my lap.
It was happening!
He was doing it now.
There was no time to fix the nail.
Forget the nail, Tess! Try to focus on the things that
are
perfect.
I looked into Logan’s eyes and took a long, slow breath. Aside from the chipped nail polish, it
had been the perfect evening. First, we took a walk along the waterfront, watching the river glitter under the glow of a dazzling coral sunset. And then we ended up here, at this quaint little candlelit café with its deep mahogany tables and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson. We came here once before, on our first date many years ago. Tonight it was almost empty, except for a small group of diners at the far end of the room.
Logan was
rarely spontaneous, so I knew he was planning to propose when he called earlier in the afternoon to tell me he was taking me here for a special evening. I’d waited years for this moment, and it took all my willpower to keep from jumping up and shouting, “Yes!”
But I couldn’t. Not yet, at least.
“What’s this?” I nodded toward the tray.
Logan cleared his throat.
“It’s for you. I brought you here tonight because I want to celebrate how far we’ve come since… well, since the first time we came here.”
I was so giddy I caught myself squirming a little. I couldn’t help it.
He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the handle on the tray’s lid. “We’ve both made a lot of sacrifices, but it was all worth it, Tess. Tomorrow, the whole world will know the big news. But tonight, I want to be the first to say…”
He lifted the lid
, and I let out a breathy gasp before I saw what was hiding underneath.
Then I did see it.
And it wasn’t a ring. Not even close.
It was a small white cake with the word
Congratulations
scrawled across it in purple frosting. I blinked several times. Congratulations?
Congratulations?
“Congratulations, Tess!” Logan beamed.
I shifted in my seat and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I was still baffled when the waiter reappeared, wheeling a beverage cart.
“What’s the occasion?” he asked.
“
Um… I’m not exactly sure,” I said.
“
She’s being modest!” Logan flashed him a grin. “My beautiful girlfriend got a big promotion at work. A very well-deserved one. And I couldn’t be more proud.”
My promotion.
We’re here to celebrate my promotion.
The realization
oozed from my mind down to my stomach where an uncomfortable pit was forming.
“
Ah,” the waiter said, “I’ll bring out some espresso on the house, then. Congratulations.”
“
Thanks.” My voice was almost inaudible.
The waiter
made a grand show of cutting the cake and presenting me with the first piece. Then he placed a second slice in front of Logan. “Can I get you anything else?”
“
Just the check please,” Logan said.
“
I’ll be right back with that, sir. Enjoy.”
Logan grinned as I took a bite of cake.
It was delicious.
And for some reason, that made me feel worse.
We ate our cake in silence for a few minutes, and with every delectable bite, I found myself stewing more and more over the fact Logan hadn’t proposed.
“
We’re happy, aren’t we?” I blurted it out so abruptly I even surprised myself.
“
Of course we are.” From across the table, he sipped his espresso and raised his eyebrows at me.
“
Then why aren’t we—” I lowered my fork onto the table and folded my hands. “Then why aren’t we married?”
Logan spit his coffee back into the tiny porcelain mug he was holding. There was a faint
plinking
sound as he placed the cup onto its saucer. “Tess…”
I broke
the cardinal, unspoken rule of our relationship. I said The M Word, a word reserved exclusively for use at weddings, or occasionally when referencing an acquaintance,
never
in the context of our future together.
I first learned not to mention the word
marriage
to Logan a few years back at an engagement party for one of his friends. “They’ve been dating since high school,” he said.
My eyes widened. “They
have
? What took him so long to propose?”
He put an arm around me and smirked. “Probably because she wouldn’t stop pestering him about it. Nothing scares a guy off more.”
I’d taken a sip of my drink and silently vowed to never utter The M Word to him.
But I didn’t care about the rule
now. I needed to broach the subject. I couldn’t dance around it anymore, not after tonight.
“
It’s just… do you even
want
to get married?” I tried to smile and keep calm while I waited for his response.
It was an honest question. Logan came from money, it was no secret. Sure, he built his own career and his own life. But all of it was backed by the safety net of a rich father
who had a summer house in the Hamptons and a trust fund for his two sons. Was Logan one of those guys who would never get married for fear of losing the family fortune to some gold digger? It wasn’t that big of a stretch. Why else would he have waited this long?
“
Tess, let’s not do this here.” He placed several bills into the black booklet the waiter left on the table before standing up and pulling my shawl off the back of a nearby chair. Then he wrapped it around my shoulders and led me out of the restaurant.
I told myself I would remain calm, but
my blood pressure rose with each step. My skin grew hot. I yanked the shawl off my shoulders and crumpled it into a ball.
Why won’t he answer the question?
As soon as we got out onto the sidewalk, I turned to face him.
“I’m not waiting around forever, Logan.”
It
was dark, but I could see his bewildered expression under the streetlights.
“
I’m not,” I said. “I mean it. I’ll give it until the end of the summer, but that’s it.”
And there it was. I
gave him an ultimatum. I hadn’t planned to go there. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure how it happened.
We stood there staring at each other for a long time.
What had I said? What did it mean for us?
After a while
he turned and said, “Let’s go.”
We walked in awkward silence for a few blocks until we reached my building.
“I have an early flight,” he said.
He was leaving, and I couldn’t let the ultimatum be the last thing I said to him. I needed to make things right. I had to apologize.
“Logan, I’m—”
“
I’ll call you. Good night, Tess.”
He didn’t
wait for a response. He didn’t even kiss me. He just turned and left me standing there, watching his shadowy silhouette until it faded into the darkness.