The Boss's Bride (The Heart of Main Street) Read online

  Talk Of The Town

  Leaving her cheating fiancé at the altar made Gracie Wilson famous in tiny Bygones, Kansas. Now the only things she can count on are her job at the Fixer-Upper Hardware store and the store’s handsome owner. Though Bygones’s runaway bride has boosted Patrick Fogerty’s business more than any sale could, his feelings for Gracie are more than professional. But with Gracie’s heart in pieces, he’s afraid to hurt her. Gracie must somehow find the courage to run toward the man of her dreams.

  The Heart of Main Street: They’re rebuilding the town one step—and heart—at a time.

  “You okay over there?” Patrick’s strong, husky voice slipped through the cab of the truck.

  “I’m tired but I’ll be okay.” But as Patrick pulled up to her house, her stomach tensed. Half a dozen cars were parked in the driveway—so much for sneaking home and talking to her dad first.

  “Looks like company,” Patrick said, trying to sound cheery.

  Gracie wished she could smile. “Looks like a lynching to me.”

  She reached for the truck door, but hesitated. One last minute to catch her breath…or maybe one last chance to keep running.

  “I’m with you, Gracie.” Patrick’s voice immediately stilled the knots in her stomach. It was odd, knowing that this man—her boss, practically a stranger—would be at her side, made Gracie feel more secure than she’d ever felt with her ex-fiancé.

  Then, Patrick stepped out of the truck, and Gracie guessed she had to go, too. Time to stop running.

  The Heart of Main Street: They’re rebuilding

  the town one step—and heart—at a time.

  Love in Bloom by Arlene James,

  July 2013

  The Bachelor Baker by Carolyne Aarsen,

  August 2013

  The Boss’s Bride by Brenda Minton,

  September 2013

  Storybook Romance by Lissa Manley,

  October 2013

  Tail of Two Hearts by Charlotte Carter,

  November 2013

  Cozy Christmas by Valerie Hansen,

  December 2013

  Books by Brenda Minton

  Love Inspired

  Trusting Him

  His Little Cowgirl

  A Cowboy’s Heart

  The Cowboy Next Door

  Rekindled Hearts

  Blessings of the Season

  “The Christmas Letter”

  Jenna’s Cowboy Hero

  The Cowboy’s Courtship

  The Cowboy’s Sweetheart

  Thanksgiving Groom

  The Cowboy’s Family

  The Cowboy’s Homecoming

  Christmas Gifts

  *“Her Christmas Cowboy”

  *The Cowboy’s Holiday

  Blessing

  *The Bull Rider’s Baby

  *The Rancher’s Secret Wife

  *The Cowboy’s Healing Ways

  *The Cowboy Lawman

  The Boss’s Bride

  *Cooper Creek

  BRENDA MINTON

  started creating stories to entertain herself during hour-long rides on the school bus. In high school she wrote romance novels to entertain her friends. The dream grew and so did her aspirations to become an author. She started with notebooks, handwritten manuscripts and characters that refused to go away until their stories were told. Eventually she put away the pen and paper and got down to business with the computer. The journey took a few years, with some encouragement and rejection along the way—as well as a lot of stubbornness on her part. In 2006 her dream to write for Love Inspired Books came true. Brenda lives in the rural Ozarks with her husband, three kids and an abundance of cats and dogs. She enjoys a chaotic life that she wouldn’t trade for anything—except, on occasion, a beach house in Texas. You can stop by and visit at her website, www.brendaminton.net.

  The Boss’s Bride

  Brenda Minton

  Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall

  give thee the desires of thine heart.

  —Psalms 37:4

  In memory of my sweet friend Alice.

  Friendships can be found in the most amazing ways at the most amazing times. I encourage you all

  to take time for older citizens confined to

  long-term care facilities. You’ll be blessed.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Prologue

  Gracie Wilson stood in the center of a Sunday school classroom at the Bygones Community Church. Her friend Janie Lawson adjusted her veil and again wiped at tears.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Do I?” Gracie glanced in the full-length mirror that hung on the door of the supply cabinet and suppressed a shudder. The dress was hideous and she hadn’t picked it.

  “Of course you do. You look like a fairy princess.”

  Gracie groaned. “Is this another height joke?”

  Janie hugged her tight for one second. “Not at all. You look beautiful. And you look miserable. It’s your wedding day. You should be smiling.”

  Gracie smiled, but she knew it was a poor attempt at best. The frown on Janie’s face confirmed it. She exhaled and looked again at her reflection in the mirror. Janie was right; a bride shouldn’t look sad.

  “Gracie, what’s wrong?” Janie walked up behind her and peeked over her shoulder so that their reflections stared back at them.

  “Nothing. I’m good.” She leaned her cheek against Janie’s hand on her shoulder. “Other than the fact that you’ve moved one hundred miles away and I never get to see you.”

  What else could she say? Everyone in Bygones, Kansas, and probably for miles around, thought she’d landed the catch of the century. Trent Morgan was handsome, charming and came from money. She should be thrilled to be marrying him. Six months ago she had been thrilled. Five months ago she’d still been happy.

  But then she’d started to notice little signs. She should have put the wedding on hold the moment she noticed those signs. She should have slowed down and not worried so much about what everyone else would think. And when she knew for certain, she should have put a stop to the entire thing. But she hadn’t. Because once the wedding wheels had been put in motion, she hadn’t known how to stop it all from happening.

  It made her feel weak. And she’d never been a weak person.

  “You’re not convincing me.” Janie smiled tenderly, a best-friend smile reflected from the mirror. Gracie turned to face her friend, the skirt of the dress pushing them apart.

  “I’m just tired, Janie. I mean, it’s been a long three months of wedding planning, right?” Did she sound convincing?

  “And Mrs. Morgan isn’t a dream of a woman to deal with.” Janie gave an exaggerated shudder to prove her point.

  “Exact
ly.” Gracie twirled in the lace creation that had a skirt that made her look like a dinner bell or a Southern belle—she wasn’t sure which. “Do you care if I have a few minutes alone?”

  “Of course not,” Janie gave her another hug. “But not too long. You dad is outside, and when I came in to check on you, the seats were filling up out there.”

  “I won’t be long. I just need a minute to catch my breath.”

  “Of course you do. And just think, after today you’ll be going to Hawaii and you’ll have a week on the beach to catch your breath. And then you’ll move to Manhattan and your new home.”

  Gracie smiled and nodded her head, trying to pretend the idea excited her. A week in Hawaii. On the beach. With Trent.

  Janie smiled back at her and then the door to the classroom closed. And for the first time in days, Gracie was alone. She looked around the room with the bright yellow walls and posters from the Sunday school curriculum. She stopped at the poster of David and Goliath. Her favorite. She’d love to have that kind of faith, the kind that knocked down giants.

  She knew a few Davids. Ann Mars was a faith giant. And Miss Coraline Connolly. They both believed the town of Bygones could be saved. Not with stones and a slingshot but with new businesses and new people.

  And of course those new businesses made her think of her boss at The Fixer-Upper. Patrick Fogerty, one of the most genuinely nice people she’d ever met.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Today was her wedding day. Instead of worrying, she had to remember back to when she met Trent and how love had felt then. Not how it felt now—sadly lacking because he’d not only pulled away, he’d betrayed her trust. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

  “You almost ready, Gracie?” her dad called through the door.

  “Almost.”

  She opened the window, just to let in fresh air. She leaned out, breathing the hint of autumn, enjoying the breeze on her face. She looked across the grassy lawn and saw…

  FREEDOM.

  She shook her head at the word. That was the wrong word. A bride shouldn’t be thinking of freedom. She should be thinking of happy-ever-after with the man she loved. The word ached deep inside, mocking her. Love. It meant something, to love someone, to want to be with them forever. It meant loyalty.

  She closed her eyes and thought back to that day one month ago when she’d meant to surprise Trent. She’d packed a lunch for them. She’d thought a picnic would be romantic. Instead she sat in her car watching him and then she’d eased out of the parking space, driving away as if she hadn’t seen anything. That moment had confirmed her suspicions.

  It all added up. He had been seeing someone else while she’d been busy at home, planning their wedding. He had texted the other woman while they’d been sampling cakes at the Sweet Dreams Bakery. He’d called her while he and Gracie had dinner with his parents.

  Gracie hadn’t known how to end a relationship just weeks short of the wedding.

  But now she did.

  Quiet as a mouse, she slid herself and the hoopskirt through the window. Once she stood on the grass outside the window, her heart began to pound. She thought about how wrong this was. She thought about all the money Mrs. Morgan had spent.

  She thought of how things would have been different if her own mother had been alive and she’d had a woman to turn to, to talk to. If she didn’t feel so responsible for everyone else.

  It hadn’t been her plan to sneak around the side of the church, to look out at the crowded parking lot. The limo was already decorated with cans, streamers and painted windows; two teenage boys were finishing up with cans of shaving cream. She hadn’t planned to slip away and then run as fast as she could down a side street.

  But she did run.

  And she felt freer than she had in months. She felt the breeze on her face, the coolness of the air, and knew she couldn’t marry Trent Morgan. But she didn’t know where to go or what to do now that she’d left her groom standing in the sanctuary of the church waiting for a bride who wouldn’t be walking down the aisle. She only knew that she couldn’t go through with this wedding.

  Chapter One

  The stockroom of The Fixer-Upper hardware store was dark, warm and strangely peaceful. Gracie sat on a stool, staring down at the white dress that hadn’t made it down the aisle. She shifted the skirt, all lace and silk, the type of creation she never would have picked on her own. The only things of her own choosing were her white cowboy boots with sequins and the crystal ribbon on the flowers.

  She studied the bouquet Trent’s mother had picked, so different from the daisies Gracie had wanted. When Gracie had sneaked into The Fixer-Upper, she’d tossed the bouquet on a worktable. Even from several feet away, she could smell the sweetness of the flowers, a reminder that this had never really been her wedding. Even the yellow roses, which would have been okay, had been enhanced with a few exotic blooms. Mrs. Morgan had a thing for over-the-top.

  From the church to the decorations, Trent’s mother had made all the decisions. Mrs. Morgan, wife of a prominent surgeon, had taken charge. After all, as Mrs. Morgan liked to point out, Gracie didn’t have a mother of her own to take care of these things. And because Gracie’s father’s granary was struggling, like every other business in Bygones, Kansas, the Morgan family had been footing the bill for their only son to marry Gracie Wilson.

  Gracie smiled as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She’d finally made a decision of her own. She’d made the decision to bail on the whole dreadful affair.

  It seemed as if everyone was counting on this marriage. It had definitely been a big help to the Bygones economy, thanks to the Morgans. My dad. Thinking of him, she felt guilty. He’d been happy, thinking she would never have to work hard again. She was marrying up, he’d said. She’d be set for life, her brother Evan had added.

  She’d never agreed with her dad about marrying up. Her dad and her five brothers were the cream of the crop. Very few men could compete with those men of hers. Trent Morgan might have money but he was far from marrying “up” for Gracie. He’d proven more than once that he wasn’t the man she wanted to share her dreams or her life with.

  She drew in a deep breath and she didn’t cry. As difficult as tomorrow would be for her, for her family, today she could breathe. She had made the right decision. She’d made the decision she’d been afraid to make weeks ago when she first caught him cheating. She’d made the decision she should have made months ago when first she realized something was wrong.

  She’d started the relationship with Trent thinking it would be perfect. But they’d been two different people. She knew how to rely on her faith. He used his faith as a disguise.

  She had tried to do the right thing for everyone. But she hadn’t done the right thing for herself.

  She only hoped she still had a job here at The Fixer-Upper hardware store. She hoped her boss, Patrick

  Fogerty, hadn’t replaced her. She would definitely need the money, because she had a feeling Mrs. Morgan would want to be reimbursed for the wedding that hadn’t happened.

  Her dad couldn’t afford the expense.

  Somehow she’d make this right. She would get her life back. Tomorrow she’d admit to Miss Coraline Connolly, retired principal of the Bygones school system, that she’d been right. She and Ann Mars, owner of the This ’N’ That, had both questioned her in the past few days, telling her she didn’t look as happy as a bride-to-be ought to.

  Outside The Fixer-Upper she could hear cars. People were probably looking for her. She guessed her dad would have gone home to search in all of her old hiding places. No one would think to check for her in the hardware store, a business that had been in town for only two months, with an owner few people really knew.

  They’d like him once they got to know him, she thought, once they realized he wasn’t
just a city person looking for a fresh start. He was a decent man who really wanted to be a part of a community. She thought that about all the new business owners in Bygones. From the coffee shop to the bakery, they had made the town better. They were giving her hometown hope. The folks in Bygones needed hope.

  She needed hope. She closed her eyes and prayed, something she should have been doing more of. She should have paid attention to her nagging doubts about this marriage. She should have listened to God. Instead she’d listened to everyone else, to all the people telling her how great it would be to marry a man like Trent.

  Gracie swiped a hand across her eyes. A tear or two slipped down her cheeks, not for the marriage that wouldn’t be, but for her dad, her family and her community. She thought about her mom and how things would have been different if Eva Wilson had lived.

  The door chime dinged on the wall across from her. Someone had opened the front door of the hardware store. She scooted to the edge of the stool and glanced at the back door, her only way to escape. But running out the back door would set off an alarm, and the overworked, understaffed local police didn’t need more drama. They were probably busy looking for her.

  She reached for a three-foot length of rebar and held it tight in her hand, just in case the person coming in thought they could rip the place off, since everyone in town was otherwise occupied. There had been some vandalism lately. As quiet as Bygones used to be, a break-in wouldn’t be so surprising in this economy. The door to the storeroom opened. She held the rebar close, took a deep breath and waited.

  Patrick Fogerty stepped into the room, all six feet four inches of him. He looked around and then spotted her. Gracie shrugged as she watched her boss take a few steps into the room, his ruggedly handsome face masked in shadows, his dark hair a little messy from the wind.

  For the first time she really wanted to cry. It was a strange mixture of relief, sadness, guilt and anger that wrapped itself up inside of her like tangled string, none of it really making any sense. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away. Patrick offered her a sympathetic smile and that was when the tears really began to flow.