Page 10 of Fighting Happily Ever After

She still felt a little bit ridiculous every time she said her self-affirmations, but her coach was right; they worked.

Stephanie slipped her sunglasses on, and with her makeshift disguise in place, she set out into town. Before she went out to Ever After Ranch, she wanted to try the bakery that the girl at the front desk had recommended. She’d said the honey buns were to die for, and if the mouthwatering smell coming from the tiny shopfront was any indication, she hadn’t been lying.

To hell with her trainer and her nutritionist. One bun couldn’t hurt.

And it didn’t. Stephanie ate every single crumb of the bun and licked her fingers afterward as she sat in the little park next to the waterfall.

“They’re pretty good buns, aren’t they?”

Startled, she spun around to see Logan Langdon behind her.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But I saw you sitting over here and thought I’d come say hi. I was just across the street at my sister’s shop.”

Stephanie’s hands immediately went to her hat to be sure it was in place, covering her distinctive red hair.

“Don’t worry,” Logan said before she could ask anything. “I never would have recognized you if I hadn’t met you yesterday.”

“Oh, good.” Her body instantly relaxed and she smiled. She knew it was inevitable that she’d be recognized at some point, but until then, it would be nice just to enjoy her time without having a crowd wherever she went. “It’s not that I’m…I’m just…”

“I get it.” He laughed. “Well, I don’t get it because despite my best efforts, I was never able to really convince everyone in Glacier Falls that I was a pretty big deal.”

“A legend in your own mind, then?” She laughed, instantly at ease.

He grinned broadly. “You know it.”

“Did you say your sister had a shop?” Stephanie changed the subject. She leaned around him, trying to see which one it might be.

“Sure does.” Logan pointed. “The Hub. It’s brand new, but it’s really cool. She rents and sells outdoor equipment so all the visitors we get can go explore the mountains.”

“Explore?” Stephanie’s eyes opened wide. “Like hike?”

Logan nodded. “And mountain bike and kayak and—”

“Kayak? Like on the river?”

Logan laughed, and even though she was certain he was laughing at her, she didn’t care. It had been years since she’d done anything like kayak on a river.

“That’s exactly what I mean. There’s all kinds of routes, from super chill river floats, to more challenging rapids. But I don’t recommend those without a professional guide. Why? You interested?”

He smirked because clearly she was; still, she nodded.

“Absolutely. Do you think I could hire someone to take me?”

Logan’s face turned serious and he shook his head. “No.”

Her heart sank. Of course. As soon as she found something she was excited about, it wasn’t available. She knew she could simply throw money at it and she was absolutely certain she would be able to find someone more than willing to take her out, but before she could offer that as a suggestion, Logan was once again laughing.

“We’re not going to charge you to go out alone,” he said. “Floating down the river is way more fun in a group. That is, if you’re okay with letting one or two people know you’re here?”

ChapterFive

“Obviously I thinkit’s a great idea,” Faith said for the third time since Logan had told her his idea of taking Stephanie Starz on a float down the river. “It’s been years since I’ve done a float and it’s a super fun time.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

What was the issue?She tried not to sigh as she looked around the barn at the reception site that had only been half set up for the wedding they were hosting in two days. There was still so much to do, never mind the fact that Hope and Levi were set to arrive on Saturday as well. It was bad enough she wouldn’t be there to pick them up from the airport and bring them home. Thankfully, Logan’s mom, Debbie, was more than happy to do it. But still, she wanted to—

“Everything will be fine here.” Logan interrupted her thoughts. “We can get most of this set up tonight and then after the float, we’ll get the last-minute touches ready and it will all be fine.”

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