Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Patrice Lewis (best large ereader .txt) 📕

the rhythms of salsa music emanating from her mother’s dance studio. Owl Creek, Alaska, seemed so tame in comparison to the world she inhabited. But wasn’t that the whole point? To get away from the dangers she would be facing by continuing to live in Miami. She’d had enough drama and excitement to last her a lifetime.

It was breaking her heart to come to terms with the finality of it all. Never seeing her loved ones again would hurt worse than any pain she’d ever endured in her twenty-seven years on this earth. But she would have to suffer the agony and push through it.

“Just put one foot in front of the other,” she told herself, breathing in deeply through her nose as she listened to the GPS instructions to Kodiak Lane and slowly maneuvered the truck along snow-packed roads. As she drove through the downtown area, she smiled at the sight of numerous Christmas decorations still on full display. Although the holiday season had been over for several weeks, the town had clearly decided to keep the celebration going. Isabelle felt a smile twitching at both sides of her lips. There was something so endearing about the sentimentality of prolonging the celebratory season. She loved Christmas. She had chosen to postpone her relocation so she could have one last holiday with her family. It had been beautiful and heartwarming and achingly sad at the same time. But she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. She would hold on to those memories for the rest of her life.

She slowed down as a gold and cream sign caught her attention. North Star Chocolate Shop. It was her new place of employment. The company, North Star Chocolate, was a well-known chocolatier and famous for creating exceptional chocolates. Although she couldn’t see inside the place, the exterior was inviting. In the storefront window sat a display of confections that tempted her sweet tooth. Brightly colored teapots accompanied them. She was really going to have to resist the temptation to sample every morsel of chocolate in the shop. As she continued driving down Main Street, a fantastic aroma began to filter into the truck. Suddenly a pink neon sign came into view that explained the smell. The Snowy Owl Diner.

The establishment looked so pretty set against the white snow and the mountains. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten at an old-fashioned diner. It had to be over a decade ago, at the one back home in Miami. Her family had frequented the place when she was little. Eating there had always been an adventure.

On impulse, Isabelle drove into the lot and made her way to the entrance. Her stomach was grumbling fiercely. The nervousness she’d felt all morning had made eating breakfast impossible. Now she was starving. Nothing less would have prompted her to stop in at the establishment way before she considered herself ready to be in any social setting. Determined not to change her mind, she pushed open the door with extra force, her head held high. She heard a loud thump followed by a cry and a crashing sound. Within seconds she realized the door had hit someone.

She stood in the doorway, horror-struck at the sight that greeted her. A man was on the floor surrounded by a sticky substance that looked an awful lot like syrup amid broken pieces of ceramic. All eyes in the diner were focused on her and the unfortunate man.

Isabelle’s heart sank. Her instructions had been to blend into the fabric of Owl Creek without attracting any attention to herself. Yet her first foray into the heart of town had resulted in garnering way more attention than she wanted or needed. Although her very first instinct was to turn tail and run as far away from the Snowy Owl Diner as her legs would carry her, it was far too late to do so.

* * *

Connor North had frantically tried to save himself from falling, but once the syrup spilled, his heel slid on the sticky parquet floor and he’d landed with a thud on his backside. Pain sliced through him, and he let out a loud groan.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry! Are you all right?”

He looked up at the sound of the soft, melodic voice inquiring about his well-being. The woman he was staring up at was definitely not a resident of Owl Creek. He would have noticed a woman this beautiful before now. Jet-black hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves. Her sweet brown eyes radiated compassion. Thick, soot-colored lashes framed them.

He wondered what she was doing in town. Perhaps another tourist eager to experience North Star Chocolates and a quaint village in Alaska.

Connor sprang to his feet, wincing at the sticky sensation on his hands. He brushed them against his sweater to clean them off.

“No need to worry. I’m fine. I’m Connor North. And you are?” he asked, holding out his hand so she could shake it.

She gazed at him with wide eyes. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She looked down at his hand with a blank stare. “I… I’m Ella. Ella Perez. I’m so very sorry for making such a mess.” He withdrew his hand when she didn’t shake it.

“You’re forgiven, Ella. Accidents happen,” Connor said with a nod, trying to put the stranger at ease. She was gazing at him with a look of trepidation. Had he done something to alarm her? Maybe she thought he was upset about the fall.

“Is everything all right over here?”

Connor swung his gaze toward Piper Miller, the owner of the Snowy Owl Diner. Piper was the town’s resident sweetheart, as well as his younger brother Braden’s fiancée.

“It’s fine, Piper,” Connor said, making a face and looking down at his soggy pants. “I just had a clumsy moment. Sorry about the mess.” He pointed toward the syrup and broken dish on the parquet floor.

“No worries,” Piper said. “We’re used to spills around here. I’ll have it cleaned up