Hot times in heart falls, p.1
Hot Times in Heart Falls, page 1
Hot Times in Heart Falls
Heart Falls Vignettes & Novellas Collection
Book 5
Vivian Arend
Contents
Message from Vivian
Heart Falls Series
Heart Falls Family Tree
A Night of Contrasts
Chapter 1
Seize the Moment
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Wedding in a Box
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
The Start of Us
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Gifts of the Heart
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Ugly Sweater Redux
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
About the Author
Message from Vivian
Here we go again!
For one final time, we’re gathered up the tidbits and flashes of life beyond the happily-ever-after for our Heart Falls friends. Or…almost final.
As always, these slice of life moments were written specifically for you, the reader has already enjoyed the main stories. This time, some of these visits with favourite friends are on the hotter side. Life carries on with that part of the story, as well.
You’ve seen a couple of these already, or a part of them, at Christmas time, or ahead of a new release.
This collection also contains three brand new stories for you!
I have to admit that one of these stories has been taking up space in my brain for far too long. Yes, I finally get to share the story of when Ginny and Tucker became a secret couple. I can’t wait to share that with you, as well as a story for a more recent couple to appear in the books, Edison (nurse at the Heart Falls clinic) and Kevin (from High Water).
And finally a holiday visit with all the people associated with the firehall!
Check the intros first to see where the individual stories fit into the full series reading order if you want to avoid spoilers for books you haven’t yet read!
There’s also a reading order on the next page if you want to make sure you’ve read all the books so far. I’ve jumped around a little between series, so if you’ve missed any, now’s the time to catch up!
I hope these stories make you smile.
With love from me and your friends in Heart Falls.
* * *
Viv
Heart Falls Series
If you would like to read all the Heart Falls books in Chronological reading order:
A Rancher’s Heart (The Stones of Heart Falls, Book 1)
Surprised at Bootstomp Point (Heart Falls Vignette Collection Vol.1)
A Rancher’s Song (The Stones of Heart Falls, Book 2)
A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift (Holidays in Heart Falls, Book 1)
A Rancher’s Bride (The Stones of Heart Falls, Book 3)
Heartfelt at Heart Falls (Heart Falls Vignette Collection Vol.1)
The Cowgirl’s Forever Love (The Colemans of Heart Falls, Book 1)
A Wild Horse Wedding (Heart Falls Vignette Collection Vol.1)
The Cowgirl’s Secret Love (The Colemans of Heart Falls, Book 2)
The Cowgirl’s Chosen Love (The Colemans of Heart Falls, Book 3)
Glamour & Truth (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 2)
A Soldier’s Christmas Wish (Holidays in Heart Falls, Book 2)
Oh, Baby! (Heart Falls Vignette Collection Vol.1)
A Hero’s Christmas Hope (Holidays in Heart Falls, Book 3)
Ashton’s Birthday Surprise (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 2)
A Rancher’s Love (The Stones of Heart Falls, Book 4)
The Start of Us* (Heart Falls Vignette& Novella Collection: Vol. 5)
A Cowboy’s Christmas List (Holiday in Heart Falls, Book 4)
Mischief at the Fire Hall (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 2)
A Rancher’s Christmas Kiss (Holiday in Heart Falls, Book 5)
Sharing Secrets (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 2)
A Forever Family (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 2)
Rose’s One Night to Forever (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 3)
A Night of Contrasts (Heart Falls Vignette& Novella Collection: Vol. 5)
A Rancher’s Vow (The Stones of Heart Falls, Book 5)
A Cowboy’s Bride (The Skyes of Heart Falls, Book 1)
A Cowboy’s Trust (The Skyes of Heart Falls, Book 2)
Wedding in a Box (Heart Falls Vignette& Novella Collection: Vol. 5)
Fern’s Date with Destiny (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 4)
A Cowboy’s Claim (The Skyes of Heart Falls, Book 3)
Gifts of the Heart (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 5)
Ugly Sweater Redux (Heart Falls Vignette & Novella Collection: Vol. 5)
Still to come: A Heart Falls Cowboy Christmas (The Skyes of Heart Falls, Book 4)
*this story is actually the first chronologically in the Heart Falls world but won’t make sense if you start with it. We recommend reading it after A Rancher’s Love.
Heart Falls Family Tree
A Night of Contrasts
A cold wind is blowing through Heart Falls. In some cases, it’s not even noticed as things heat up, in more ways than one. But not everyone has found what they need to be warm through and through. Not yet.
* * *
Featuring: The Stone families: Walker, Ivy & family, Ashton & Sonora, Caleb, Tamara & family, Luke & Kelli, Ginny & Tucker, and Dustin
* * *
Timeline: This scene is set the December after Rose’s One Night to Forever.
1
December 29, Heart Falls
A cold wind rushed over the bare branches of the larch trees that grew in the fold of the mountain. The snow that had fallen that day swirled skyward as if a genie had tossed an enchantment in the air. The flakes traced the path of the wind as it swooped down toward the foothills then past the small town of Heart Falls.
On the outskirts of town, the lonely shapes of memorial stones buried under snowy hillocks lay in the graveyard. Here everything was quiet. Lives that had been lived to the fullest—or not—everyone here was now equal.
Peaceful. Complete.
Sorrow was there reflected in a fresh bouquet fading under the snow.
Contentment was also represented in the shared names of couples who had passed after twenty, thirty, forty or more years spent walking the earth together.
All now lay silent except for the wind that rustled through the trees lining the edge of the yard.
The small solar lights that dotted the graveyard were covered with snowy caps, creating a magical impression of stars fallen from the sky to land in the quiet place.
A streak of light spilled from the house next door as the back door was shoved open, spotlighting the trampled snow of the backyard. Noise poured out as well, as two children tumbled into the yard, laughing so hard the dog that followed them out burst into an excited chorus of yips that echoed off the nearby headstones.
The wind whirled, spun, and danced around one child as he scooped up snow into a ball and bit down desperately…
* * *
Inside the house, Walker held his hands up even as Ivy pointed a finger at him. “I didn’t do anything,” he protested.
“It wasn’t Daddy,” five-year-old Harper agreed. She stood in the doorway watching as her big brother and sister and their still barking dog dragged themselves out of the snow and returned to the porch.
Ivy was on her feet, shaking her head, but amusement shone in her eyes. “Of course, you didn’t do anything. Mister One Chip Challenge.”
She handed seven-year-old Chloe and nine-year-old Carter each a towel as they reentered the house. “New rule. No matter how hot your mouth gets, you don’t get to run outside in the middle of winter without coats or boots.”
“Dry your feet,” Walker instructed with as much seriousness as he could muster. Then he tugged back the chair beside him and waited for Chloe to return. “I take it you thought that sample was pretty hot?”
Chloe’s grin said it all. “Nope. I didn’t want Carter to feel left out.”
“Hey.” Carter blinked then pouted briefly as he settled next to Ivy.
Faithful, the family’s golden retriever, bounded over and waited for Harper to sit in her chair again so he could lovingly lay his chin on her leg.
This night wasn’t what Walker had expected if he thought back to a year ago. Here he was, playing a game with his family. His children.
His gaze met Ivy’s. His everything.
She gave him a wink, and that warm spot inside his chest pulsed another time. Contentment and joy bubbled up.
“Everyone ready for the next challenge?” Ivy asked.
Faces went as serious as a gathering of professional poker players. All attention turned to the small takeout container Walker placed in the middle of the table before passing around five clean spoons.
Carter had been the one who had heard about the spicy challenge and decided he wanted to do it for family night. Walker agreed to help organize if Carter went along with a few key changes to make it a little more tender-taste-bud friendly.
Instead of eating a ghost-pepper-or-higher level chip that would’ve been all about pain and no fun, Walker found increasingly spicy options to offer his children. The bonus part was most of them involved potential meals for the family to enjoy in the future.
Possibly with the heat turned down a little, but who knew how this was going to end?
“So other than the little snowy excursion, everybody okay after eating Uncle Luke’s chili?”
“Why’s it called chili when it’s supposed to be hot?” Harper balanced her elbows on the table as she peered into the new takeout container and took a deep sniff. “This one smells good.”
“You think all of them smell good.” Carter frowned at his littlest sister. “Is your mouth not on fire?”
“Nope.” Harper stuck her spoon in the container then glanced at Walker. “Oops. Sorry, Daddy. I’ll wait.”
His heart still gave a leap every time he was called daddy.
Walker chuckled. “Looks as if Harper’s hungry. This is lamb korma that JP, the cook at Silver Stone, made for us.”
Everyone scooped a bit on their spoon. As usual, Chloe was the most cautious, mostly dipping her spoon into the sauce and leaving the meat alone. Ivy took a teeny bit, but Walker knew what he was getting into and scooped up a nice big chunk.
Carter, who wanted nothing better than to imitate Walker, took a heaping spoonful as well.
Walker debated saying something, but the spirit of the game meant he had to keep his mouth shut, and it wasn’t as if a little spice would hurt the kid.
It was Chloe’s turn. She checked to make sure everybody was armed with a loaded spoon before starting the countdown. “Three, two, one—”
Spoons slipped into mouths, licked clean in an instant, then laid on the table with a crash as per the preestablished rules.
Then the entertainment began.
Across the table from Walker, Carter’s eyes widened as he chewed the piece of lamb he’d scooped up with the sauce. He swallowed then opened his mouth, fanning his hand in front of it. “Oh. That’s good. Ouch, oh boy.”
Ivy rocked in her chair, sipping water as she clearly fought against laughter. “JP will take that as the highest compliment. Ouch. Oh boy.”
Carter wrinkled his face at her then flashed a huge grin.
Chloe had put her spoon down at the same time as everyone else, but she didn’t seem to have swallowed her mouthful.
She continued to grimace until Walker took pity on her and offered a quiet reminder. “You don’t have to eat it. This is for fun.”
She shook her head vigorously, mumbling with her lips still pressed together.
Her choice. All the same, he watched with concern until she took a deep breath, reaching for her glass of grape juice and chugging down almost half of it.
When she did speak it was with great conviction. “Spicy.”
“It is,” Walker agreed. “Did you like it?”
Chloe wiggled her fingers. “It might be too hot.”
Across the table, Carter folded his arms across his chest as he examined Harper. She’d swallowed her mouthful and was now scratching Faithful between the eyes as she waited.
“Are you even eating anything?” Carter demanded. “Or are you feeding it to Faithful?”
Walker’s youngest daughter looked outraged. “I’m no cheat.”
“But you can’t be just sitting there. That’s impossible.”
She stuck out her tongue at him.
Before Walker could intervene, Carter narrowed his gaze.
“Here, try this.” Carter grabbed one of the plain tortilla chips that were in bowls around the table meant to nibble on to cool things off. Only he scooped up a healthy serving of the salsa labeled extra spicy and passed the chip across the table. “Eat it.”
“Carter,” Ivy said softly.
Harper wasn’t perturbed. “You do it too,” she ordered as she accepted the chip from him.
Walker had shared enough meals with his youngest to know exactly what was about to happen. The kid had an iron-lined stomach and a flame-retardant mouth. Why Carter hadn’t clued in to this fact yet, Walker had no idea.
Eye to eye as if locked in epic battle, Harper and Carter put the spice-laden chips into their mouth at the same time.
There was no possible way to call a cheat this time.
Five seconds later, Carter’s eyes started to water. Ten seconds, and he panted lightly. His little sister, however, calmly swallowed down her chip as if she were lapping up ice cream.
When Harper grabbed the bowl of salsa and the chips and casually scooped up another serving, Carter snorted. “You’re impossible.”
Harper glanced at Walker. “More spicy things, Daddy?”
“I think Harper wins,” Chloe announced, raising her hands and clapping. Then she leaned in close enough to pat her little sister on the back. “But Carter’s right. You’re impossible.”
Faithful barked as if agreeing.
The wind rattled against the door hard enough that Walker got up to make sure the latch was firmly locked. “Spicy challenge is done. Everybody grab a snack bowl, and we’ll go watch a show together.”
The fact Harper took the chips and salsa with her didn’t surprise anyone.
* * *
The wind swirled away from the little house, the laughter and eager voices fading in the distance as it moved toward the nearby lake.
It paused to rattle the chimney at the house beside the animal rescue. Through the window, an older couple were visible cuddling on a couch in front of a fire. An old dog lay curled up at their feet.
With Ashton’s arms around her shoulders, Sonora pressed a hand to his cheek as she leaned in and touched their lips together.
Another swirl, and the wind crossed the wide meadow toward the nearby ranch. Light shone from the windows at the three main houses and the barn. The soft glow of the yard light over the arena flickered on the snow that had begun to fall.
The man-door to the barn opened. Closed.
Four figures, from a tall woman down to a toddling child, walked slowly together through the darkness. The warm glow of the lantern held in the teenager’s hand created an oasis of golden light around them.
Up ahead, the wind hit the main house. The ranch-style building, low and wide, forced the wind to sweep over the roof before sliding past the kitchen window as it cranked open, and the rich scent of chocolate spilled onto the air...
* * *
Caleb glanced out the window, swearing as he saw the bobbing light of a lantern halfway between the barn and the house. They were coming back too soon.
He glanced at the oven timer to see three minutes remained.
Resisting the temptation to open the oven door and check on the cookies, a bubbling sound and the scent of something not quite right pulled his attention back to the stovetop.
He jerked the pot of hot chocolate to a different burner and stirred rapidly, leaning down to give a cautious sniff.
“Thank God.” He hadn’t burnt it.
Another quick peek out the window followed, even as Caleb tried to ignore the rising sense of panic caused by the approaching quartet.
It was just a holiday snack, for heaven’s sake. Surely he could manage this for his family.
By the time the mudroom door opened and the cold rushed in, he had successfully poured the hot chocolate into everyone’s favourite mugs and lined them up on the counter.
