Rick stared at her. “Lizzie, you don’t—”
“You wanted me to get to know the community, right?” She smiled wider. “What better way than from the back of a convertible?” She turned to Dan. “So where’s Martha? Let’s see what she has.”
Dan grinned back at her, and she was struck by how good the Allyn boys looked. “I knew I liked you. Come with me.”
* * *
RICKWATCHEDFROMthe sidelines as Lizzie, dressed in a pink sparkly dress, passed by sitting on the back of a red convertible. She even blew a kiss to him. Or perhaps to the kid standing in front of him, but it landed in his general direction. He’d take what he could get.
When the parade ended, he locked up the diner and joined the crowd as they walked down the street to the park, where rides and booths had magically appeared over the past few nights. He found Lizzie still standing near the convertible, surrounded by a group of local men who were trying to get her attention. When she turned and smiled at him, he lost his breath.
Must be the gasoline fumes.
He moved through the crowd and parked himself closest to her. “Madam, I believe we have a date.”
She raised one eyebrow. “We do?”
“With a deep-fried pickle. I believe I promised you one?” He put his hand at the small of her back. “I know where they sell the best.”
She sighed deeply as they left the crowd. “Thanks for the rescue.”
“Part of my service.” He steered her in the direction of the large tent at the center of the park. “They’re smitten with shiny new things.”
She ran her hand down one hip. “Miss Martha does wonders with sequins and a short deadline.”
“You look fabulous.” He motioned to the open tent flaps. “Now, prepare yourself for a culinary treat that few can top.”
He grabbed her hand and walked behind the counters. They skirted past several deep fryers and walked to the far end of the tent. Rick pulled a basket out of one of the fryers and tipped it onto a cloth-covered plate. He held out a golden disk to her lips. “Open.”
Lizzie opened her mouth, and Rick placed the deep-fried pickle on her tongue. “Now, tell me that isn’t the best thing you ever ate.”
She chewed slowly. “It’s good.”
“Good? It’s fabulous.” Rick took one and popped it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and let the flavors play on his tongue.
She swallowed the pickle and looked around the tent. “Are you allowed to come back here and help yourself?”
“My question exactly.” His mom walked around the tables and poked a finger at Rick’s chest. “Who’s watching the diner?”
Rick rubbed his chest. “It’s closed until five for dinner, Ma. It’s fine.”
She shook her head, then glanced at Elizabeth. “Miss Brown County?”
“Not quite. Elizabeth Maier from—”
“True Love. Yep.” Rick’s mother glanced at Elizabeth’s outstretched hand but didn’t shake it. “Thought I recognized you. What are you doing here?”
“Ma...” He should have known his mother wouldn’t be happy Lizzie was there. “She’s in town on business.”
“As long as she’s not here to mess with you again.” His mom looked back at Lizzie. “Are you?”
Rick put his hands on his mother’s shoulders. “It’s business, Ma.”
“I asked her, not you.” She moved around him and walked up to Lizzie.
“Ma...” Not that his mom would take the warning, but at least he could say he had tried. He braced himself for the confrontation.
Lizzie looked down at her feet, then up at his mother. “I assure you, Mrs. Allyn, I have the best intentions.”
His mom stared her right in the eyes and gave her the look he’d dreaded as a kid. It meant she knew what he was up to and she wasn’t having one bit of it. “And was it your best intention for my son to get dumped on television?”
“No, but it is my intention to find him a wife.” Lizzie took a step closer so that she could tower slightly over his mom.
Rick watched as the two women squared off, neither one conceding. “Ma, I’m going to show Lizzie more of the festival. But we’ll see you for dinner tomorrow?”
He leaned over and kissed his mom’s cheek. Then he held out his hand to Lizzie. “Now that you’ve tried the fried pickles, you have to taste the dill-pickle soup.”
Lizzie wrinkled her nose, but she followed him.
* * *
THISSMALLTOWNcould do things to a person. She’d only been in Lake Mildred two days, and part of her was wondering what living there would be like. People smiled and said hello. Acted as if she’d been one of them for years. She didn’t feel rushed or anxious. She hadn’t thought of her voice mail or email for hours. In fact, she hadn’t glanced at her cell phone since the parade two hours before.
Rick turned toward her when she sighed. “It gets to you, right?”
She shrugged and pulled on the hem of her dress. She should have changed after the parade. Or at least after they’d sampled the fried dill pickles, the dill-pickle soup, the gherkin mousse. She should have passed on that last one. But the pickle pâté had been fabulous. The lure of the festival had kept them in the park, enjoying the booths and the people surrounding them. “I guess it is getting to me.”
He stopped at the ticket booth and purchased two wristbands, then tied one to her wrist. “Which ride should we try first? The tilt-a-whirl or the scrambler?”
She put a hand over her stomach. “I’d like to keep my lunch down, thanks.”
Rick laughed. “Where’s your sense of adventure? Your joie de vivre?”
“It prefers not to spend life with my head in the toilet.” She looked around at the rides. There had to be something tame. “Why not the Ferris wheel?”
Rick glanced up at it, then grabbed her hand and sprinted toward the line. “You won’t believe the view up there. You’ll be able to see the whole town.”
“All square mile of it? Can’t wait.”
When they reached the beginning of the line, Rick let her take a seat first before joining her. They got locked into the seat, then took a deep breath as the operator gave a thumbs-up.
The view at the top took Elizabeth’s breath away. Trees grew lush and green. The sunlight glinted off the lake and winked with the promise of fun times. Small homes were built around the town square and farther beyond. Cottages lined the lakeshore. Part of her suddenly yearned for a place in this community.
Rick nodded. “I told you it was spectacular.”
“You weren’t kidding.” The camera would love it. She turned to him. “You understand that our coming here would forever change the peace and quiet. We couldn’t leave this place as it is now. For months, it would be chaos with the contestants and crew. We’d clog your streets and your businesses, and leave the mess for you to clean up. And then the gawkers would descend.”
“What I know is that it would bring jobs and money to people who need both more than you know.” He pointed at a home with a tree house in the backyard. “It would mean Steve wouldn’t lose his house.” He pointed to another with a covered porch. “Or that Shelly could feed her kids this winter.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes. She knew what it was