Never Tell Your Dreams

Excerpt

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Chapter One

“Please let this weekend go better.” Maggie squeezed her eyes shut tight. 

She stood on her tiptoes, making herself a little taller. When she leaned over, shivers inched up her legs when the cold handrail pressed against her thighs. Wanting to make sure her quarter made it to the falls, she threw it as hard as she could.

She opened her eyes to follow the coin, but the sun blinded her, leaving the ‘kerplunk’ into the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall, Grandberry Fall’s major attraction, enough proof that it did make it. 

Growing up, she’d lost one too many quarters, standing in this very spot, by tossing the coin too far or not far enough.

“Good morning, Maggie Greenlee.” The masculine voice, all too familiar, caught her off guard. “I thought that was you over here. Heard you were in town.”

Maggie didn’t have to look to see who was standing behind her.

The muscles in her jaw contracted. She loved the sound of her name when Mitch Dozier said it. Trying not to grin too big, she turned around.

“Hi, Mitch,” Maggie began, but stopped and stared. She wasn’t used to seeing him so put together or without a cowboy hat. When he gave his half grin, she continued, “You got your hair cut off.”

Mitch ran his hands down the back of his neck; his short sleeved t-shirt exposed his biceps. “I took your advice, and figured you were right. The mayor should be clean cut. Compliments of Belle, too.”

Maggie blushed when she recalled telling Mitch he needed a haircut when she saw him during her Christmas visit. 

“I heard she’s turned the Hair Pin into one happening spa.” She referred to her sister’s hair salon, and put the disastrous Christmas visit in the back of her mind. If she could forget about the last time she was here, she would.

It took Maggie another second to get past the new look. He’d never had the short, spiky hair he was sporting, nor did she remember Mitch Dozier having muscles. Well, maybe she never took the time to notice.

She noticed now.

Maybe her wish was going to come true and this was going to be a more enjoyable trip than last time she’d come home. It was off to a great start, seeing Mitch. 

“I hear you’re the man in charge.” Maggie scooted the toe of her shoe in the rocks gathered near the curb. Maggie couldn’t bring herself to look at him. After all, he had been the last person she saw at Christmas before she darted out of town. And under the mistletoe, no less.

“What can I say? Who would’ve thought?” His teeth glistened like the waterfall that flowed behind him. 

Maggie would’ve never thought Mitch would be mayor of Grandberry Falls. He was her quiet, shy, reserved friend. Not the go-get-‘em type that played sports or even chess. So when Hazel Greenlee, Maggie’s grandmother and Grandberry Falls’ matchmaker, had called Maggie to tell her the great news about Mitch being elected, Maggie had been shocked. 

Hazel couldn’t resist adding, “You could be the mayor’s wife.” It wasn’t a secret Hazel wanted Maggie and Mitch to get married. She’d been planning it since they were five-years-old.

“So, I hear Belle is throwing you a big wedding shower.” Mitch’s gaze softened and dug deep into Maggie’s soul. 

Maggie shifted her eyes down to her feet. She couldn’t bear to look into his dark chocolate eyes any longer. He could read her like a book, and she knew it. She dug her hands in her cropped jeans and looked over his shoulder at the crowd gathering at the Fatted Pig. A good greasy egg sandwich sounded really good right now, but not if she was going to fit into a size six Vera Wang wedding dress.

She’d spent her entire savings on the perfect dress and wasn’t going to ruin the possibility of not fitting in it because of one weak moment.

“I told Belle not to go to the trouble because I’ve been gone so long that I’m sure no one would want to come.” 

Maggie felt a little stupid. She hadn’t been home but a handful of times in the past six years and even then, she didn’t visit with old friends—only Hazel, Belle and Mitch. She was out of touch with everyone else in Grandberry Falls.

Mitch turned his head to the side, forcing Maggie to look at him. She should’ve called Mitch when she and Grady Cohen got engaged, but she didn’t. She left it up to him and pretty much everyone else to find out on their own.

“Well, congratulations,” Mitch said. He pointed toward the courthouse.  “I need to go prepare for a big meeting.” His voice cracked and his eyes locked with hers.

“Oh, okay.” Maggie wasn’t sure if he was uncomfortable or really did have to go. She was certain about one thing, though. He definitely wasn’t the Mitch Dozier she left six years ago. Then again, she wasn’t the same Maggie.

“Have a great party,” Mitch called over his shoulder. 

Yeah, party, Maggie sighed. She wondered who in the world was going to come. But Belle insisted on throwing the shower.

Maggie pretended not to watch Mitch walk away, but she couldn’t help herself. There was something different about him. Sure, she’d been back to visit a few times in six years, and he’d stopped by to see her. But it was never longer than a few minutes each time.

Once Mitch was out of sight, Maggie took her time walking back to her car. Grandberry Falls had changed so much in the last few years. The quaint stores had been restored to their original glory, and with the help from the new and only interior decorator, things had really started to resemble the old historic town Grandberry Falls was known to be, but a lot more charming. 

Maggie crossed the street and caught her reflection in The Purple Cow Bookstore. She ran her hands through her straight, long brown hair and ruffled her blunt bangs, trying to make it a little less flat.

She loved the new brick paved Main Street that replaced the old beat-up blacktop where weeds had seeped through the cracks. The old broken street lights that had succumbed to a few rocks, had been replaced by carriage lights—giving the old town the elegance it needed to bring it back to life.

Fresh flower baskets hung from the carriage lights, along with small banners welcoming visitors to the annual Grandberry Falls Jubilee. Being reminded of the annual festivities brought back a lot of childhood memories of not only the waterfall, but Mitch and her friends. 

Friends, Maggie sighed. What friends? 

Maggie knew she didn’t have any friends here, at least not anymore. She never returned phone calls; she never visited them when she did come back to Grandberry Falls. It wasn’t like she was determined to leave Grandberry Falls. She was trying to make her life better, and she believed living in New York City was where all her dreams would come true.

Maggie waved to the elderly gentleman cleaning the windows at the Trembling Cup. “Hi, Arthur. Are you getting ready for the Jubilee soon?” She recalled the time he called Hazel, Maggie’s grandmother, about Maggie smudging the glasswhen she pressed her face up against it. There was nothing more embarrassing than Maggie washing windows when her friends had driven by making fun of her.

He shrugged, and spoke softly, “I guess so, Maggie. Good to see you.”

Maggie waved bye, and got in her car. She had avoided her grandmother long enough. It was one thing for her friends to question her engagement to Grady, but another for Hazel to despise him.

The Buy-N-Fly was still on the outskirts of town, which gave Maggie a feeling of relief that Hazel didn’t have to go far if she needed something. Funny, but the harder she looked, the more Maggie realized Grandberry Falls really hadn’t changed much at all.

end of excerpt