Peppermint Kisses Read online

  Sierra looked up. “Quite a bit, but not all, by a long shot. If they’d only been able to wait for a summer wedding, it would have been so much easier.”

  “I can’t imagine having enough eggs and ham in the house to serve breakfast to this many people, when we were unexpected guests. Thanks for opening your home.” She began to slice the spines out of the kale.

  “The chickens keep on laying eggs so long as we take care of them. And we filled the sunroom with tomato plants and greens last summer.”

  Like this kale? “That’s cool. I’ve never been on a farm before.”

  “Here, let me show you why it’s not difficult to have company.” Sierra turned the heat down and beckoned to Rebekah, who followed her to a door on the north side of the kitchen. Sierra opened it wide and flipped on a light.

  Shelf upon shelf of glistening glass jars in a multitude of colors lined three walls of the room. Red tomatoes, green pickles, orange peaches, and many more filled the shelves. The last wall held two large chest freezers with more shelves above them containing squashes and giant pots, along with other things Rebekah couldn’t identify. A tower of baskets beside the door brimmed with onions and heads of garlic.

  “Wow,” Rebekah breathed. “This is amazing. It’s practically a grocery store.”

  “It is. This room stores much of what we need year around.” Sierra smiled in satisfaction as she turned the light out. “This is what we’re about, here at Green Acres. Growing as much of our own food and living as sustainably as possible.”

  Foreign concepts to Rebekah. “But… everything? Like those peppermint kisses? Wade said Claire made them.”

  Sierra dumped minced onions then the kale onto the griddle along with the sizzling ham. “Yes, Claire and I made those candies as well as many of the cookies. We kept busy all of November, filling the freezer. The kisses contain cream cheese and egg whites from the farm and our own peppermint extract.”

  “They’re to die for.”

  Sierra laughed. “Well, there’s lots more where those came from, so help yourself to a handful after breakfast.”

  Heaven indeed.

  * * *

  Wade lifted the carry-on case from the bed of his pickup truck and carried it to the farmhouse. He pushed open the door, a blast of icy air accompanying him inside. The wind had died down, but the temperature remained sub-zero.

  “There you are, Wade! Just in time for breakfast.” Sierra called from the kitchen, just visible above the peninsula. “Rebekah, your luggage is here.”

  Rebekah appeared at the end of the counter, wearing a hot pink bathrobe with candy-cane-striped pajama pants peeking from below. Her blond hair had been pulled into a ponytail. She looked adorable… and surprised to see him.

  He lifted the carry-on. “I thought you might like this.”

  She blinked hard and gave her head a quick shake, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Thanks so much.”

  Wade resisted the urge to give her a little kiss as he handed off the bag to her, but there was no mistletoe and altogether too many pairs of curious eyes. “You’re very welcome.”

  Rebekah disappeared with her carry-on trailing behind her.

  “Wade, give me a hand?” Sierra called.

  “Sure.” He entered the kitchen and washed at the double sink in the peninsula. “What would you like me to do?”

  “Set out plates and cutlery, please. We’ll do this buffet style.”

  “Smells amazing.” He reached to the open shelves above the sink and lifted down plates.

  She chuckled. “Claire could have done this in half the time with twice the flavor, but she’s not here.”

  “Aw, you’re doing a great job. Thank you for taking us all in.”

  “My pleasure. Whoa, girl, you look amazing.”

  Wade pivoted. Gone was the girl in the fuzzy bathrobe. Gone was the girl in the glitzy gold gown. Standing in the doorway was a woman in skinny jeans and a lacy top over a turquoise camisole. Amazing wasn’t nearly a strong enough word.

  “Food’s up!” called Sierra. “Come and help yourself.” She scooped scrambled eggs into a large pottery bowl and set it beside the plates Wade had stacked.

  Aware of his friends gathering behind him, Wade crossed the space to Rebekah.

  “Thanks for getting my things from my car.”

  Wade touched her cheek. “My pleasure.” He could drown in those eyes and die happy. “Galena Landing still doesn’t have power so there’s no church service today, but at least they cleared the parking lot enough to get to your car.”

  Her mouth twisted. “I won’t be driving home, will I?”

  He shook his head. “I’m no expert, but I’d say the car is totaled. But hey, I’d be happy to stay until you’ve seen the adjustor and then give you a ride back to Boise. If you like.”

  “Really? You’d do that for me?”

  Did she think he went around kissing random girls under the mistletoe? “I would definitely do that.” He couldn’t resist any longer, but leaned in to caress her lips with his own. “For you.”

  * * *

  Once again Rebekah sat in the passenger seat of Wade’s truck. This time her carry-on lay tucked behind her seat and she wore her own coat.

  Wade glanced her way. “I’m sorry about your car.”

  “It was getting kind of old and not always running well. It’s probably for the best.” But what a traumatic way for it to end. “At least insurance will help me get a new one.”

  “I can help you look, if you like.”

  She turned to face him. “Would you really? I don’t know the first thing about choosing a vehicle.” More than that, he was hinting at seeing her again in Boise. Not that she’d been able to convince herself those had been pity kisses the past two days.

  “Absolutely.” He put on the signal light and slowed to turn into a gas station in Wynnton. “The beast needs fuel. Need anything from inside? Washroom stop, maybe?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.” They wouldn’t need a snack since Sierra had sent a selection of appetizers, cookies, and peppermint kisses left over from the wedding. A wedding it no longer hurt to think about.

  Rebekah walked into the gas station and looked around. The washroom signs pointed to the back. She turned the corner as a large man came out of the men’s room.

  He smirked as his gaze ran down her body.

  No. This wasn’t happening. She took a step backward then another as a chill slithered through her.

  The man waggled his eyebrows. “Hey, babe. I wouldn’t hurt you.” His elbow bumped her as he passed by and he lowered his voice. “Unless you wanted me to.”

  Rebekah slid her purse from her shoulder, grasping it by the strap. She could get a good swing in if she needed to. “Don’t touch me.”

  He slapped the light switch off as he disappeared around the corner into the store, his lurid laugh lingering.

  Rebekah swallowed a scream and lunged for the switch. Blessed brilliance flooded the small corridor again.

  Wade appeared in the opening to the store. “Oh, there you are. Ready to go?”

  She shook her head, her breathing fast and hard. “I still need to use the facilities.”

  His face looked puzzled. “Okay. Me, too.”

  Rebekah entered the women’s washroom and peeked under the stall doors. No feet. She should be safe enough in here. The girl in the mirror stared back at her with wide panic-stricken eyes set into a white face. Wade must think she was absolutely crazy. Maybe she was.

  * * *

  They drove south. Wade glanced at Rebekah, her face pale and her eyes closed. What had happened to the girl who’d laughed and talked with him earlier in the drive?

  “Rebekah? Did something happen in there?”

  Her jaw twitched, so he knew she’d heard him.

  “Are you okay?”

  Was that a tear sliding down her cheek?

  He swerved the truck into a roadside pullout. “Rebekah. I’m here for you.” He hesitated. It
was way too early to make big promises, wasn’t it? “Don’t shut yourself away. I’ll be here as long as you want me to be.” He reached across the console and slid his fingers down her cheek.

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “Sure I can. You’re something special, and I hate to see you closing yourself off.”

  “I’m not good enough for you. I’m not.”

  What had brought that on? He twisted in the seat. Scratch that. He needed to be closer. She needed it, too. Wade opened the door, jogged around the truck, and opened her side. He unbuckled her belt and wrapped his arms around her. “There’s no such thing as good enough, sweetie. None of us are perfect, but this isn’t about that. Let God cover the past, whatever is in it, and you look to the future. That’s all that matters.”

  “But you don’t know…”

  “You can tell me if you want. If it would help.” His mind looped in wild scenarios. She’d only been out of his sight for five minutes in Wynnton. If even that long.

  “That man in the gas station,” she whispered. “Did you see him?”

  Wade wracked his brain. Some older guy had come from the back as Wade approached. Was that who she meant? “What happened, sweetie?”

  She began to sob, and Wade held her against his chest.

  “It brought back a horrible memory. This guy… you don’t want to know.”

  “This same man?”

  Her voice shuddered. “No. Not him. Someone like him. I’m sorry. I thought I was ready for a… for a relationship. But I can’t. I-I’m just not good enough. Please don’t hate me. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

  “Rebekah?” He tipped up her face and kissed her forehead. “Sweetie, there’s no such thing as ‘good enough.’ You didn’t lead me on. I think God let us meet this weekend for a reason.”

  She blinked up at him. “But I’m so messed up inside. It’s a knot in my gut, and it’s not fair to make you suffer through it.”

  “God can untangle it. He can erase the bad memories and give you peace. He can.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  Wade touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. “Father God, I ask You to heal Rebekah. She’s Your child, and she needs Your peace. Please wipe her nightmares away and give her confidence in the future You’ve planned for her.” He swallowed hard. “Maybe You’ll let me be part of that future. If so, thank You, but I ask for Your blessing to rest on Rebekah, no matter what. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  “You mean that?” she whispered. “You’re not repelled by me?”

  “Not at all.” He looked into those brown eyes so close to his. “You’re something special. I want to find out what God intends for you and I, don’t you?”

  “You’re special, too. I never dreamed a guy wouldn’t let my past scare him away.”

  “God can cover all the scars and put sweetness in their place.” He grinned and reached past her to the bag of peppermint kisses on the console. He popped one between her pink lips. “Just like that.”

  Her arms slid around his neck, and she kissed him, just as much as he was kissing her.

  Thank You!

  I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of Noel and Claire’s wedding and the burgeoning romance between Rebekah and Wade.

  Thank you for joining my email list! Please don't share this story with anyone else. I really appreciate you and hope you’ll let me know what you thought of Peppermint Kisses: A (short) Farm Fresh Romance 2.5. You can email me at [email protected]. I answer all my email.

  Have you read the Farm Fresh Romance series? They're available in paperback, various ebook formats, and rolling out in audio. Look me up at http://valeriecomer.com

  Author Biography

  Valerie Comer lives where food meets faith in her real life, her fiction, and on her blog and website. She and her husband of over 30 years farm, garden, and keep bees on a small farm in Western Canada, where they grow and preserve much of their own food.

  Valerie has always been interested in real food from scratch, but her conviction has increased dramatically since God blessed her with three delightful granddaughters. In this world of rampant disease and pollution, she is compelled to do what she can to make these little girls’ lives the best she can. She helps supply healthy food — local food, organic food, seasonal food — to grow strong bodies and minds.

  Her experience has planted seeds for many stories rooted in the local-food movement, such as those in her Farm Fresh Romance series.

  To find out more, visit her website at www.valeriecomer.com, where you can read her blog, explore her many links, and sign up for her monthly email newsletter, where you will find news, giveaways, deals, book recommendations and more.

  Other Stories by Valerie Comer

  Farm Fresh Romance Series

  Raspberries and Vinegar (also in audio)

  Wild Mint Tea (also in audio)

  Sweetened with Honey

  Dandelions for Dinner

  Plum Upside Down

  Berry on Top (Winter 2016)

  Riverbend Romance Novella Series

  Secretly Yours

  Pinky Promise

  Sweet Serenade

  Team Bride

  Merry Kisses

  Snowflake Tiara

  Snowflake Tiara

  (A Christmas duo by Angela Breidenbach and Valerie Comer)

  You can also find Valerie Comer at: