A Love So Sweet for Tru Read online

  A Love So Sweet for Tru

  Spruce Valley Sweet Romance: Book Three

  Katie Carver

  A Love So Sweet for Tru

  Copyright © 2020 Katie Carver

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without the express written permission form the other, except for the use of brief quotations in review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  To find out about giveaways and deals or to learn more about upcoming books, please visit my website at katiecarverooks.com

  Also by Katie Carver

  Spruce Valley Sweet Romance Series

  A Loan for Christmas: Book One

  The Season for Ginger Snaps: Book Two

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Three Months Later

  Chapter One

  Tru Allen turned on the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees and checked on the rising dough sitting on the long, stainless steel island of the Murphy Inn kitchen. It would have to be worked into knot rolls and baked before she even began the side dishes for the wedding that was being held there tonight. She’d worked for the Murphys for the past three years and she knew her way around that kitchen now better than she’d ever thought possible. The Inn’s head cook, Thelma, had worked there for more than thirty years and no matter how well she knew the place, Thelma would always know it better. She’d gotten lucky finding this job when she’d graduated from culinary school. It didn’t hurt that both of her brothers worked for the Inn helping with the Tree Lot during the Christmas season. At first, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice, but it was the right choice at the time. She’d chosen to be a cook so that she didn’t have to stay in Spruce Valley, but paying off school and being new to the business left her with few options. Now that her debts were finally paid, she could start saving and branch out to wherever she wanted. Her opportunity to get away from her small town was almost within reach. Tru knew she’d never regret staying while she paid her loans, it was the most logical choice and what Thelma had taught her she would’ve never been able to learn anywhere else.

  Thelma was the best cook she’d ever had the privilege of knowing and no matter where she ended up, she knew that would always remain true. Thelma had a certain way of doing things and it took Tru a while to get the hang of it. Once that happened, they began to run the kitchen like a well-oiled machine. They could knock out a wedding dinner for two hundred people in a few hours without worry. It was a good thing, too. The Murphy Inn was becoming well-known for its weddings and they seemed to get busier and busier as the years went by. She knew that it was due to Annie Murphy, the wife of the owner and the person who coordinated all the events. She had more energy than any other person Tru had ever met and stayed positive through anything. Tru wished she’d picked up a little of Annie’s spunk along the way, but that wasn’t something that could be learned. Annie just had that spark inside of her. She did pick up a few time-management tricks from her over the years, though. Annie had two kids and two jobs and juggled it all better than Tru thought possible. Tru looked at the clock, it was almost one and Thelma had been gone for over an hour. She was acting a little strange earlier in the day and Tru hoped she was feeling okay. She had seemed distracted. Thelma didn’t make it a habit to be distracted, in fact, if you wanted to get anything by her, you’d have to be a magician. She never missed a beat. Tru was extremely fond of her and thought of her as a friend as well as a mentor.

  “Are those rolls done yet?” Thelma asked walking through the swinging door that led from the Inn’s dining room to the kitchen.

  “I have the oven preheating and I was just about to start,” Tru said.

  “Mmmm. Well, you better get on them or they’ll fall. No one likes flat rolls, honey,” Thelma said and cocked one eyebrow up. “Where are we at, Trudy?”

  Tru never minded that Thelma used her full name. A lot of people in town did and she was used to it. Though her close friends and family called her Tru, some people were stuck on Trudy and it would never change. “Everything is ready to go. I’ve done the prep on most of it. It shouldn’t be too difficult once we get started.”

  “Good. We’ll need to get everything together before too long. I wanted to speak to you before we start, Trudy,” Thelma said and took a seat at the kitchen island. Thelma wasn’t one to typically mince words and her easing into a conversation had Tru a bit worried.

  “Is everything okay?” Tru asked taking the seat next to her.

  “Fine, honey,” Thelma said and adjusted herself on the chair. “The thing is, well, I’m not even sure how to say it, so I’ll just blurt it out. I’m retiring.”

  Tru covered her mouth in shock. Thelma had never once slowed down since she had started there and to hear she had even contemplated leaving her position was a complete surprise. Thelma’s cooking and the Murphy Inn went hand in hand. There just didn’t seem to be a possible way that one could exist without the other.

  “Why, Thelma?” Tru asked when she recovered. “I don’t understand. Why do you want to retire?”

  “There isn’t a reason, really. It’s just time to slow things down. I’m getting old, honey,” Thelma said and patted Tru on the leg.

  “No, you aren’t. You whip around this kitchen faster than I do.”

  Thelma chuckled. “I don’t know about that.”

  “What are you going to do?” Tru asked. Thelma’s whole life was tied to the Murphy Inn and Farm. Even if they weren’t related by blood, the Murphys were her family. She lived on the property and had no other relatives. She lived and breathed the Farm, just as the others did.

  Thelma shrugged. “I haven’t thought too much about it. A little of this and a little of that. Maybe I’ll take one of those cooking classes you seemed to enjoy so much. I could use a little more laughter in my life and watching those instructors that taught you would be comical.” Thelma gave a small smirk.

  “Will you stay in Spruce Valley?”

  “Obviously. The Murphys aren’t going to kick me out of my home,” Thelma said evenly. “Besides, I’m not leaving those adorable babies of Annie’s and Spencer’s any time soon. I may visit Mary from time to time, but I’ll just see what happens.”

  Tru knew that Thelma was fond of the Murphy kids and Mary, Spencer’s sister, didn’t get in town as much these days. If anyone could find things to do, it would be Thelma. Tru couldn’t imagine her staying still for too long.

  “I’m happy for you, as long as it’s what you want. I’m not sure what this place will do without you, though. How are the Murp
hys taking it?”

  “They knew it was coming, so they aren’t too surprised. I made sure to drop enough hints so that even Spencer would have picked up on them,” Thelma smiled.

  “I’m surprised. I had no idea. I could have used those hints, Thelma.”

  “Honey, I gave you a bunch. Why do you think you’re basically running the show?”

  Tru hadn’t given much thought to her new responsibilities but Thelma had been turning over most of the duties to her over the past few months. She’d taken over the ordering and the meal planning and even some of the Inn breakfasts. “I really didn’t notice, I guess I just figured you trusted me more.”

  “I do trust you. You do a wonderful job. I trained you, remember?” Thelma smiled.

  “Oh, I remember. I’ll never be able to forget,” Tru said and laughed.

  “That was my plan,” Thelma winked.

  “When are you doing all of this?” Tru asked.

  “At the end of the summer. I’ll get through the busy season and then, come fall, I’ll be out the door. No point in delaying it.”

  “Fall? That soon?” Tru was expecting a long drawn out exit strategy for her. Whoever would be taking over would need to be trained by her first and she knew first-hand how particular Thelma was about how things should be done. “How will that give the new person enough time to learn everything?”

  “The new person already does, honey,” Thelma said and patted her on the leg.

  “Me?”

  Thelma let out a loud belly laugh. “Yes, you!”

  “You want me to take over?” Tru asked in disbelief. “I’m just your assistant. Don’t the Murphy’s want someone in here who has more experience?”

  “You have plenty of experience. Don’t sell yourself short. You know what you’re doing and you can handle this. If I wasn’t absolutely sure, I wouldn’t have suggested it to the Murphys. They want you to take over just as much as I do. You’re family, too, honey.” Thelma gave her a sweet smile.

  Tru had never explored the idea of staying on at the Murphy Inn and running the kitchen. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I guess just say ‘yes’ when they ask you. I can’t imagine it’ll be that hard.” Thelma shook her head. “I swear, Trudy, I don’t know what you are going to do without me.”

  Tru felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. “I don’t either,” she said sadly.

  “Oh, now stop that! You’ll get me started and we have work to do!” Thelma commanded. “There’s no reason to be sad. This is a happy thing. New beginnings are always good, they lead to happy endings,” Thelma said gently. “Now go start on those rolls before I have to get on you about slacking!”

  Tru wiped her eyes. Thelma was right, there was too much work to do to begin a crying fit. She would finish that up later tonight when she thought about working without Thelma by her side. “Okay. I was going to make knot rolls.”

  “Perfect, honey,” Thelma said and smiled as she placed a hand on Tru’s shoulder. “See, you got this.”

  Tru nodded and rose from the chair. “Congratulations, Thelma. I’m happy for you, I swear.”

  Thelma got up and hugged her tightly. “I know, honey,” Thelma said.

  Thelma walked over to the pantry and began to gather ingredients. Tru looked at the dough on the island and took a deep breath. When she had woken up, it had seemed like a typical day. It would be busy, but anything out of the ordinary was a rare occurrence in her world. That was one of the reasons Tru wanted to get away from Spruce Valley. Nothing seemed to ever happen to her, good or bad, and without leaving, she feared it never would. She worked and enjoyed time with friends, but there was never anything exciting to look forward to; no bend in the road that would take her down a different and thrilling path through the unknown. She knew everyone in town and they all knew her. Going away to school had been the only change she’d ever known and it gave her a taste of what the world could be like away from her sleepy, small town. She wanted to live her life taking chances, to be more adventurous. There weren’t many opportunities to do that and she doubted that she’d ever find any if she stayed. If she took the promotion, she’d never leave. She knew herself well enough to know that she’d get comfortable and never venture out of the town. It was a perfect job. She worked for a family that she adored and they treated her well. Even though she did the same things every day, there was enough variation in the meals and the events that were held at the Inn to make it interesting. It wasn’t the job that was the problem, it was the location. If she had the ability to move the Farm and Inn to another town, one that didn’t all but shut down at eight in the evening, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Since that wasn’t an option, her only choice would be to find a job she could do outside of Spruce Valley and hope that it would have some of the same qualities.

  Tru doubted that Thelma was exaggerating when she had told her the job was all but hers. It would make the most sense for the Murphys to transition to someone that Thelma had personally groomed and someone with which she felt comfortable turning over the kitchen. It would make it the easiest on Thelma knowing she left the Murphys well taken care of and even if Tru didn’t feel that she deserved that categorization, Thelma made it clear that she had. It made Tru proud that she’d achieved Thelma’s respect and approval. She would have to make a difficult decision when it came down to it. If she stayed, she’d never know what else was out there, but if she left, she’d risk disappointing people she cared about and losing what would possibly be the best job she’d ever have. Either way, she would lose something. Tru shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on the rolls. She was already losing Thelma and that was more than enough for the time being. She had some time to think it over. She only hoped that she would choose the right path.

  Chapter Two

  Charlie Perkins heard a quiet knock and looked up to see his assistant, Rachel standing in the doorway.

  “Just got a call from Bobby. His wife had the baby this morning. Isn’t that wonderful?” Rachel asked with a smile.

  “Already? I thought she wasn’t scheduled to have the baby until next week,” Charlie said.

  “You do know babies aren’t always born on their due date, right?” Rachel asked and laughed.

  Charlie rolled his eyes. “Yes, Rachel, I’m aware. I guess I wasn’t expecting it so soon.”

  “I don’t think Bobby was either,” Rachel said and smiled, revealing bright, white, teeth between her bright red lipstick. “He says that the baby and his wife are doing well; I’m not so sure about him, though.”

  “I’ll call him later to congratulate them. Can you send flowers to the hospital and a stuffed animal or something for the kid?” Charlie asked.

  “Sure. Do you want me to use the company card?” Rachel asked.

  “No, just call the flower shop in Spruce Valley and have the owner, Victoria, send me a bill. I’ll cover that personally,” Charlie said. Bobby had been his first delivery truck driver when he started the business. He didn’t want it charged to the company as an expense; even if he didn’t currently work for him, he’d have wanted to send Bobby something. He’d be indebted to Bobby for a good time to come, since he had helped him get his business off the ground he didn’t want to send it to him as his employer but rather sent to him as a friend.

  “We don’t have a temp scheduled yet. Do you want me to have them send the person over today?”

  “Yes, that’d be great. Thanks, Rachel,” Charlie said with a quick nod.

  Rachel hadn’t worked for him very long. It had only been about two months since she began, but some days it felt like an even shorter period of time. When his last assistant had retired and chose to spend more time traveling, he wasn’t sure he’d find anyone who he liked as well, but Rachel seemed okay. His last assistant took care of most of the heavy lifting and he wasn’t yet at that point with Rachel. He hoped he’d be able to give her more to do eventually. So far, she was handling the job well enough for simple tasks and he didn’t
see any reason she wouldn’t be able to take on more of the workload, though she hadn’t shown much initiative. There were traits of Rachel’s that he wasn’t a fan of, but he was willing to give her time to acclimate. Charlie hoped it would be sooner rather than later. He had never wanted to be stuck in an office all day and it was starting to get to him. He longed to be back at his farm, enjoying the outdoors and doing the work he loved to do. When he began his produce business, Pleasant Produce, he hadn’t really thought about how much work would have to go into the daily running of the place. He never had time to figure it all out, it just seemed to sort of happen. What had started with just wanting to take it to the next level ended up being five delivery trucks spanning four regions. The business was up and running before he ever had a plan on how to run it. That was one of the reasons he was so grateful for Bobby. If it hadn’t been for his help, Charlie would have never made it past his first year. He leaned on him for a lot of things back then and owed him a lot more than flowers and a stuffed animal.

  “Hey, Charlie!” Rachel shouted from her desk outside his office.

  Her tendency to yell was one of the traits Charlie didn’t care for much. “Yes, Rachel,” Charlie said evenly.

  “The temp agency said the person who Bobby trained isn’t available any longer. He got a full-time position somewhere and left their place. They won’t be able to send a different person out until Monday. They said they’ll give you a price break for the inconvenience. Want me to call the other guys and see if anyone can cover his route?”

  “No, I’ll take care of it. Can you print me out his route for today and call the dock and tell them I’ll be over in a minute?” Charlie sighed.

  He didn’t want the price break, he wanted someone there. Monday wasn’t too bad, at least it just left today to cover. He was relieved because it could have been much worse. The last thing Charlie had wanted to do was to take over a delivery route. He’d done it when he first opened the business and it was one of his least favorite things to do. Being cooped up in a truck was even worse than being cooped up in his office. He was also not very good at it which just compounded the problem. Hopefully, Bobby’s deliveries for the day weren’t too hectic. He’d only have to get through one day of it and then he’d have one of the other guys train the temp. He could distribute Bobby’s route until the new person was ready. He didn’t mind paying the drivers overtime, he just hated to add more work to them if he didn’t have to do it.