Drive Me Wild - Melanie Harlow Page 0,102
smiled up at him. “But I was the one with nowhere to go.”
“You did have somewhere to go. But you followed your heart instead.”
“Sort of.” Giggling, I lifted my shoulders. “I followed a sign, remember?”
“I remember. And I hope you’ll follow it again.”
For a second, I was even more confused. Then I looked beyond his shoulder, and I saw it—the billboard.
My jaw dropped, and I sucked in my breath.
It had once advertised the best apple pie in the Midwest since 1957, with a cartoon drawing of the pie and the diner’s logo. Now it had only four words on it:
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
Griffin got down on one knee and took a small ring box from his pocket, and I covered my mouth with both hands. My eyes blurred with tears.
“That sign changed everything for me,” he said, his voice cracking. “I don’t know what my life would’ve been like if you hadn’t seen it.”
“Or if I paid more attention to potholes,” I squeaked, my throat tight.
“I will happily spend the rest of my days fixing all your blown tires if you’ll let me. And now, for once, it’s my turn to ask a question.” He opened the box, and a diamond winked at me in the light of the setting sun. “Blair Peacock Beaufort, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I shouted, jumping up and down, my tiara coming loose on my head. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Grinning, he plucked the simple, classic solitaire from its satin cushion and slipped it on my finger. Then he rose to his feet and embraced me, lifting me right off my feet. I threw my arms around his neck and held on tight as happy tears dripped down my cheeks.
When he finally set me down, I looked at the sign again and shook my head. “I just can’t believe it! Was Mr. Frankel in on this?”
“Of course he was.”
“Who else knew?”
“Cheyenne, my mother, Althea Bond at the jewelry store, McIntyre, Cole and Mariah, Moretti and Beckett—”
“Oh my God, you told everybody!”
“I had a little trouble keeping it secret,” he admitted. “I was really excited.”
“I can’t believe they all kept it from me!”
Griffin shrugged. “Turns out, they can be trusted when it really counts.”
My heart spilled over with joy, and I rose up on my toes to kiss him. “This is the best day ever.”
He laughed. “You say that all the time.”
“Because you keep giving me all the best days!”
“This is only the beginning, Blair.” He kissed me, soft and sweet. “I promise you, the best is yet to come.”
THE END
Thank you so much for reading Blair and Griffin’s story! I hope you had as much fun taking their journey as I had writing it. If you didn’t get enough of them, sign up for my newsletter, and the first thing you’ll get is a Drive Me Wild bonus scene and recipe!
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Next up in the Bellamy Creek series is Cole and Cheyenne’s story, MAKE ME YOURS—it’s coming your way on November 23rd! In the meantime, bake some of Blair’s creations (recipes follow) and check out the Cloverleigh Farms Series, which begins with Frannie and Mack’s story, IRRESISTIBLE. This sweet and sexy single dad romance will have you swooning and smiling from cover to cover!
Blueberry Lemon Thyme Scones
Ingredients
3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 pint blueberries
2 1/2 c. cold heavy cream
Glaze:
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 c. powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, lemon zest and sugar.
3) Add the blueberries and incorporate into dry ingredients so they are evenly distributed. Add the heavy cream and mix just until it comes together in the bowl.
4) Turn dough over on table and fold a few times.
Note from Blair: “I like to knead until the blueberries start to break up, resulting in a nice jammy scone.”
5) Shape into a ball and pat down to form a 10" circle. Cut into 8 slices and place on parchment sheet. Make sure the scones have at least 1/2" separation between them. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Glaze: Mix all ingredients together and spread on scones once they have cooled.
Lemon Lavender Shortbread
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp dried lavender
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2) Spray 8 or 9" round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment.
3) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add