SunnyWithAChanceofTrueLove Read Free

They’re animals, and they’re going to do as they please, no matter what the chamber of commerce or the armadillo whisperers have to say about it.”
    Clementine propped her hands on her hips, shooting him a glare that would have been scary on a larger, less adorable person.
    “Clementine Rae, you stop that. I swear, if looks could kill…” Tulsi took Clem by the shoulders and shifted her daughter to her other side. “I’m sorry, Ross. We didn’t get much sleep last night. By the time we got back from Reece’s engagement party, it was after midnight and you-know-who gets cranky when she hasn’t slept well.”
    “I heard that,” Clementine grumbled from her mother’s side. “I’m not cranky; I’m hopeful. There’s nothing wrong with being hopeful.”
    “Of course not,” Ross said, wanting to make amends. He didn’t get to see Clem as much since she and Tulsi had moved to Montana and he didn’t want her to go home angry. “I should have kept my mouth shut. Who knows, maybe there will be a miracle.”
    No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a high pitched humming noise filled the air, coming from the dusty road leading back to town. Ross turned toward the sound, watching a solitary figure on a scooter buzz toward the Armadillo Day gathering as the first sliver of sun peeked over the butte. The golden rays glinted off the rider’s magenta helmet and the long, golden braids swinging behind her in the breeze.
    Even from a quarter mile away, Ross could tell this woman wasn’t from around here—no one in Lonesome Point rode a baby blue Vespa or wore helmets that looked like they could double as psychedelic bowling balls. The rider’s tourist status was confirmed long before she pulled to a stop in the makeshift parking lot beside the road and swung a leg over her bike, but there was still something about her that was strangely familiar.
    Familiar, and so compelling Ross couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from her slim form. Instead, he watched as the woman in the hot pink sweater and blue jean overalls hurried toward the group gathered beside the armadillo’s burrow with a burgeoning feeling of excitement. It felt like something big was about to happen, something he’d been hoping for for a long time, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was until the woman came to a stop beside Clementine, whipped off her helmet, and asked in a breathless whisper—
    “Did I miss it?” Her hand danced through the air as she gestured toward the burrow. “Am I too late?”
    Her princess face had filled out since they were kids, but the big blue eyes and long blond braids were exactly the same. So was the way that looking at Elodie Prince made him feel—happy, excited, and certain something magical was about to happen.
    “Elodie?” Ross grinned so hard his cheeks started to hurt. “What are you doing here?”
    She looked up, and after a beat, her eyes softened with recognition. “Ross.” She laughed. “You grew up!”
    “So did you. But you still look the same, braids and all,” he said, fighting to get control of his goofy grin as he remembered he had an audience. “You remember Tulsi from back in school.”
    “I do!” Elodie clasped the hand Tulsi offered and gave it a firm shake, proving she wasn’t the shy girl she used to be. “So good to see you, Tulsi.”
    “You too,” Tulsi said with a smile.
    Elodie’s gaze shifted to Clementine. “And I assume this brilliant child is your daughter?”
    “How did you know that I’m brilliant?” Clementine asked, wonder in her tone, summoning a laugh from her mama.
    “It’s in the eyes,” Elodie said with a wink as she set her helmet on the ground by her feet. “They’ve got a brilliant kind of sparkle.”
    “Yours, too.” Clem grinned, obviously approving of the newcomer. “And don’t worry, you’re not too late. Adolf’s coming out any second. I can feel it.”
    “Oh, good!” Elodie pulled off her leather gloves and stuffed