Read Online Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance by Sarah Paisley - Free Book Online Page A

make it clear to everyone that they were dating again. It was an idea that Kassidy did not want anyone to start to imagine.
    “I’m not sure if I’m going,” Kassidy lied. “My, um, my mom has a big cake order that day that she needs my help with and I don’t know if I’ll have time.”
    “Ah,” Paul said, and Kassidy was about to hope she was off the hook, but then he said, “I see the issue. A few too many eavesdroppers. How about we head outside and talk?”
    Part of Kassidy thought that was a good idea. Get the people staring at them to give them a moment alone, but on the other hand, talking to Paul alone might give him the wrong idea.
    But being alone meant being away from prying eyes and she decided it was for the best. Better to turn him down without anyone watching. She was sick of her over-percolated cup of coffee anyway and she set it down before she followed Paul outside into the early afternoon sun.
    The sun was bright in her eyes and it took a moment for the swirling red and black to fade as her vision adjusted, but when it did she forgot all about Paul.
    Up ahead, leaning on the church’s sign announcing service times, was a familiar man wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, and a baseball cap.
    If she hadn’t met Levi before, she never would have guessed it was him. The hat and shades did enough to make him look like just another guy, but she knew the truth.
    Paul called after her as she walked over to Levi, but she ignored his voice. She knew his pride was too big to follow her and she’d be left alone to talk to the man she would much rather spend her time with.
    “Hey,” she greeted him and he took his sunglasses off when she approached.
    “Hey,” he replied as he shifted his back to the people who were starting to come out of the church. “You look really nice.”
    “Thanks,” she said with a swish of her skirt. “It’s my favorite color.”
    “With good reason,” he said, careful to keep his voice down.
    “Oh,” she giggled, her cheeks warming again. She struggled to keep her involuntary reaction under control and cleared her throat in an attempt to make her brain stop being so flustered.
    “So are you free now?” he asked. “I thought maybe we could go and do something together.”
    “Sure,” Kassidy said, but when she looked behind him she saw people watching them and realised that continuing their conversation there was a bad idea. Even her parents were outside now and the look of disappointment was obvious on their faces. “I know where we can go.”
    She knew it meant a lecture when she got home, but she needed to live her own life and be her own person. This was what she wanted, and no one was going to respect her if she kept doing whatever everyone else said was best for her.
    Not far up the street from the church, the sidewalk ended and the trees encroached upon the sides of the road. Kassidy wasn’t wearing the right shoes for their adventure, but she tried to ignore the blisters that were already forming on her toes as she led Levi down a hidden pathway.
    “Where are we going?” he asked her as he reached past her shoulder and pushed a low hanging branch out of her way.
    “Nowhere special,” she told him, though that was a bit of a lie. As a girl, she and her friends would head down to the path all the time and play pretend down by the little creek that ran along the edge of town.
    The path had gone too long without attention now that the kids spent their time at ShopMart and playing video games, but she still knew the way and Levi followed behind her until they reached a clearing in the brush where the creek widened. There were some fallen logs to serve as benches and hollowed out tree trunks where the kids used to hide snacks and other treasures.
    “This doesn’t look like nowhere special,” Levi said as he walked passed her and sat on one of the logs.
    “We used to play here as kids,” she said. “It’s a nice, private