Small-Town Sweetheart (The Spring Grove Series Book 2) Read online

  She isn’t lying, but before either of us can comment, a soft melody begins and the McElroys start up the center aisle. Shirley wears a beautiful black dress that falls on her like a drape. She’s always been a bigger lady but still so beautiful. Her strawberry-blond hair is down, framing her sweet, pudgy face, but it’s hard to look at her with all the tears rolling down her cheeks. Ambrosia holds on to her mother, looking more like her momma every day. Bright-red hair down to her shoulders and tear-filled green eyes, wearing a plain but fitted black dress, which only brings out her fair skin. All the McElroys are pale—well, except Reed. He’s got more olive skin, and damn it, I shouldn’t be lusting over him in the middle of his dad’s funeral. It’s so hard, though. He walks with such confidence, his shoulders back and his eyes in front of him.

  Unlike Devin and Reed, who both wear crisp black suits, Bryce wears his sheriff’s uniform. He’s been the sheriff of our town for the last five years, and everyone adores him. Devin too; he’s the lead distiller and just so kind. I don’t miss the way everyone glances and whispers as Reed brings up the rear.

  Both men are crying, but not Reed. He just looks livid.

  I can’t blame him.

  I’d be a whole lot of pissed if I lost my mawmaw—along with heartbroken.

  But thankfully, I don’t need to think of that at this moment.

  No. Instead, I’ll mourn a good man.

  And only lust a bit over his rebellious son.

  Shirley hugs me tightly, her tears wetting my neck.

  “Thank you for coming,” she cries, and I hold her tighter. “It means so much to us, and all the food y’all prepared… You didn’t have to do that.”

  I pull back, bending down a bit since I’m so much taller than she is, to look into her sorrow-filled eyes. “We wanted to. If y’all need more, let me know. I’m a call away.”

  She cups my face, kissing my cheek. “You are such a sweetheart, Delaney Kate.”

  I smile as she and Mawmaw wrap up in a tight hug. Ambrosia looks to me, and I reach for her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you, and thank you for the cookies. I ate the whole sheet of them.”

  I smile against her shoulder, holding her tight.

  “Good. You deserve them all.”

  “Can you make me more?” she asks tentatively, her eyes swimming. She’s always been the quiet one, the one no one has a clue about because she doesn’t cause a fuss. She doesn’t stick out; she just loves her books and her library that her daddy had built for the town. Man, McElroy loved her, and I’ll make her all the cookies she wants just to bring a bit of happiness back into her life.

  I nod, my own tears threatening to fall. “I’ll do that as soon as I get home.”

  “You’re the best, Del.”

  She gives me a weak smile as she follows her momma. I watch them for a bit before Bryce takes me in his arms. His lips come to my cheek, and I melt in his embrace. In another time, in another world, I’d be attracted to Bryce McElroy. Problem is, when he asked me out, I was still caught up on his brother and believed he’d come back.

  Again, pathetic.

  He takes in a deep breath, holding me close. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course,” I say, and then Mawmaw is fussing over him, which is my out. I can’t do this anymore. Devin is not holding it together, and there is no way I’m facing Reed right now. The whole funeral, I couldn’t stop looking at him. His jaw was so strained, thick, and I wanted to rush to him and hug him. Don’t ask me why, ’cause I sure as shit don’t know. I can hear Mawmaw gushing and fussing over them as I head to the side of the church, where I know Theo and Holden ran off to.

  When I round the corner, though, it isn’t just the boys standing there.

  Reed is there too.

  And they’re smoking.

  His green gaze stuns me in place, and I stare back, my heart jumping up in my throat. Reed has a bit more than just a shadow of hair on his jaw; he hasn’t shaved in days, and it’s rugged. Sexy. Lord. Boy Reed was really beautiful, but Man Reed is sexy as hell. I shake my head and try to keep my wits about me as I ignore Reed completely. “Ooh, Theo, Gen is gonna have your ass.”

  He brings in his brows. “Don’t tell her. Today sucks.”

  I nod before leaning into Holden. “It sure as hell does.”

  A silence falls over us, and I can’t help but let my gaze wander. If I thought Reed was big earlier, it’s nothing to being this close. I swear, he could swallow me whole in those arms of his. I thought he was a vet? He shouldn’t be able to fill out that suit so perfectly, straining the back of that coat of his. But I guess Reed has to be buff to carry around dogs, cats, and whatever else he carries. Just like that, I’m jealous of an animal, which is downright tragic. Reed didn’t want anything to do with me then, and I doubt he does now. Plus, I can’t still be crushing on him. That would be sad. And anyway, I’m swearing off men. Especially a man with green eyes that could easily scorch my panties off with one look.

  “It was a beautiful service,” I say softly, and everyone agrees with a nod.

  I still can’t believe Old Man McElroy’s gone.

  Or that Reed is here.

  “It was,” Theo agrees, taking a long drag before passing the cigarette to Reed to finish off. “Shirley did a damn fine job.”

  “Yeah, she and Ambrosia did it all,” Reed says then, squeezing the cherry of the cigarette out of the butt and then tucking the cigarette into his pocket, I guess to throw away later. Man, it’s like déjà vu. Countless times, we stood like this as they all shared a cigarette and we decided what we were doing next. I was the pain-in-the-ass little cousin Holden couldn’t get rid of. But now, we’re all adults with lives and know what we want.

  Like how I wouldn’t mind pulling at that tie of Reed’s and sucking on his thick neck.

  Oh. My. God.

  What is wrong with me?

  Reed wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and makes a face. “Yup, that didn’t do shit for me. I’m officially a nonsmoker.”

  The guys all laugh as I quirk my lips. Theo nods as he says gruffly, “Me too, man. Me too.”

  Holden shakes his head. “Wasn’t my jam anyway.”

  A silence falls over us, and when I feel a gaze on me, I find that Reed is, in fact, staring at me. I push off of Holden and meet Reed’s gaze. His gaze moves along me like a warm trickle of honey before his eyes snap back to mine. He looks at me expectantly, and I look back at him, widening my eyes.

  “Damn, Del. No, ‘Hey, how ya doing?’” he finally asks, his words sharp. And to my surprise, he’s still got that raspy voice. I thought he’d grow out of it, but none of that matters when his eyes focus on mine in his no-nonsense way.

  I want to be a smartass, Lord do I ever, but the man just lost his daddy. “Hey, Reed, how are you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” he says, and then his eyes narrow a bit. “You?”

  “Livin’,” I say simply. “I’m real sorry about your daddy.”

  “Thank you,” he says, his eyes not leaving mine. When his lips turn up at the sides, my breath catches. I know that look. “I swear you haven’t changed a bit.”

  I hear Holden take in a sharp breath, and then Theo gawks at Reed as he demands, “You’re kidding, right?”

  Reed’s eyes stay locked with mine, mischief swimming deep in those shiny emeralds. “What? Just like everyone and everything in this town, she hasn’t changed either.”

  Oh, how I wish I had a come-filled shirt at this moment since my mawmaw won’t give me my Louisville until the softball season starts.

  I glare, and again, I’m not one to toot my own damn horn, but I’ve lost almost a hundred pounds—naturally. I don’t look a damn thing like how I did when he left! Not even sort of. I know he is taking a dig at me, trying to ruffle my feathers. He loved doing that. I’d get so mad that I’d chase him. But at over two hundred pounds, it was easy to say I never caught him. It was just what we did. He’d take a dig at me, I’d take