Can’t Hurry Love by Nadine Millard (primary phonics books .txt) 📕

“Still no luck with getting him to back off the library?” Beth asked sympathetically.

Paige sighed and rubbed a hand across her forehead. “No…” She sighed. “…and with the festival and everything, I haven’t even had a chance to look into how I can stop him.”

Beth felt immediately guilty. She knew she’d been distracted by Josh and not around as much as she should be. It had been because of her that Paige had agreed to throw the festival in the first place, and Beth had just abandoned her. Sure, she was helping a little, but not as much as she would have if she hadn’t been spending so much time with Josh.

She’d stayed last night at his place so she could get to the bakery earlier this morning and set up for the brunch. But she could have just as easily stayed with Paige and checked in with her friend about everything.

The problem was that she craved time with him. Even this morning, as busy as she’d been, she’d missed him. She had it bad. Really bad. And because he had turned out to be not as wonderful as she’d imagined, but even more so, it was impossible not to want to be around him every second of every day.

But Beth had never wanted to be one of those women who forgot all about her friends just because she was in a relationship.

She reached under the counter and pulled out a slice of pecan pie, Paige’s favourite, before setting it in front of her friend.

“Eat this,” she instructed. “I’ll get you some tea, and then tonight, we’ll have dinner and lots of wine, and see if we can’t figure this out.”

“You’re not busy with Dr. Larson?” Paige smiled.

“Free as a bird,” Beth said, even though she had made plans to eat with Josh this evening. But he’d understand. “You text Brooke. I’ll tell Jenna and Zoe.”

“Okay,” Paige said brightly, already looking happier. “Besides, you need to fill us in on what’s going on with Thor.” She giggled.

Beth rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

“Hey, that reminds me. Should we invite Tara? Since she came up with the nickname, I figure I owe her the details, too.”

“Yeah, I’ll call into Bella’s on my way back to the diner,” Paige said, picking up her fork to dig into her pie. “Thanks, Beth,” she said softly. “I feel better already.”

“You listened to me about Josh for a year,” Beth said. “The least I can do is listen to you about Mason Decker.”

“At least yours is a love story,” Paige said, that glint in her eye again. “This one is most definitely not.”

Beth, remembering that look Mason had given Paige’s retreating back, wasn’t so sure about that. But given Paige’s current mood, she wasn’t brave enough to say so.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Josh’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he waved Mr. Newman out the door. The old man was crotchety as all get out, but Josh was used to him now.

Like everything else in Rocky Valley.

He’d been distracted all morning, not great for a doctor, admittedly, but thankfully, there wasn’t anything major happening requiring his attention.

Beth was on his mind. He couldn’t believe how much he missed being around her. But it wasn’t just Beth he’d been thinking about. Since dinner at her place on Monday night, Josh had been really considering his life, his choices. He’d told Beth last weekend that he wasn’t sure how long he’d be hanging around Rocky Valley.

But the more he thought about leaving, the more the idea left him cold. And it wasn’t just because of her, though she played a big part in that.

He’d thought that being anywhere but Chicago would have helped him get over everything that had happened with Elaine. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

He couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else. The idea of going back to a city hospital left him cold. Small town life suited him a lot more than he ever would have imagined. He liked the pace of life. Liked that people still looked out for each other. He’d made some good friends. Gotten to know his patients.

And yeah. He’d fallen in love. Real love. Not feelings developed by moving in the same social circles or attending the same types of schools or living in the same worlds. Feelings that came from a connection that happened all on its own. Sexual attraction, sure, but it was more than that.

Last night he’d managed not to burn steak and potatoes, and Beth had brought home some brownies from the bakery. They’d eaten and talked and just gotten to know each other on a level Josh had never experienced. Not even with his wife, which was a pretty good indication of just how doomed that relationship had been.

Beth had told him about her upbringing as the youngest and only girl in a big, raucous family. And he’d told her about his as the only child of two socialites. On paper they couldn’t have been more different. Yet Josh had never felt more like his true self as when he was with her.

But for all his happiness, he still hadn’t mentioned Elaine or the baby. Still hadn’t told her why he’d been afraid to make that leap. Did it even matter anymore though?

Part of him thought it didn’t.

He’d tell her, of course he would. But now that things were going so well, did he need to bring up something so awful? Every day he felt its hold on him loosen. Every day he felt surer that he could really shake it off and move on. The idea of marrying again, something that even just weeks ago had felt impossible, didn’t scare him anymore. And before, planning a future with someone had been so far outside of the realms of possibility that he couldn’t have even considered it.

But now — now he couldn’t imagine a future without Beth in it.

In some ways, he was