The Chocolate Garden (Dare River Book 2) by Ava Miles Page A

lawn, Rory and Annabelle taking turns on the swing hanging from the giant oak tree. When Daddy came out to join them, Tammy couldn’t help but wonder where Mama was.
    “I’m sorry to leave so abruptly,” Daddy said, “but your mama and I need to get on the road. It’s for the best.”
    “We really appreciated having you here, Daddy,” Rye responded.
    “I wouldn’t have missed it! You’re so lucky, son. I can’t imagine finding a better woman than Tory.” And with that, he gave his daughter-in-law a kiss and a hug, and then did the same with Amelia Ann.
    When it came time for him to say goodbye to Tammy, he smoothed the hair back from her brow like she was a child again. “I’m sorry about your mama. More than I can say. I don’t want you to listen to a thing she said. This new confidence of yours is bright as a freshly coined penny, and it makes me so happy to see it. And I can’t wait to help you move things forward with your new business, starting first thing tomorrow. You’re going to knock the socks off your clients, honey. I just know it.”
    “Thanks, Daddy,” she whispered, struggling not to cry.
    “I love you, Tammy. You’ve done right by the kids and yourself. When you doubt that, I want you to look at them. They’re happier than I’ve ever seen them.”
    She rubbed her cheek against his. “I do look, Daddy. Every day.”
    “Changes are a good thing, even if they’re hard. I plan on making more of my own. I’ll call you soon.”
    And with that he headed off to kiss and hug Rory and Annabelle. The hair on Tammy’s neck rose, making her feel as though she was being watched, and she turned to see her mama standing beside the gardenia bush at the edge of her gardens. Her silhouette was rigid, and after a moment she walked over to where the car was parked without a single wave goodbye. Not that Tammy had expected any different.
    Daddy finally headed back across the lawn with a wave, and they all watched as he and Mama drove off. No one waved as they left, not even the children.
    Rye slung an arm around Tammy’s shoulders once the car had disappeared in the distance. “Come on, honey. You need some cheering up. I’ll push you on the swing. It’ll be fun.”
    “Ah…okay.” She’d never been allowed to swing growing up. Mama had always said it wasn’t ladylike or that boys might look up her dress.
    Well, it was time to start doing everything her mama had ever warned her against—all within reason, of course.
    Her brother steered her over to the wooden seat, and she wrapped her hands around the thick rope. The push he gave her was gentle, and she rocked forward in a slow, easy arc.
    Annabelle giggled then, and the sound seemed to break all of the earlier tension.
    “Mama, isn’t swinging the funnest thing ever?”
    The wind rushed over her face as she flew closer to the blue sky with each push. Tammy knew it was upsetting her perfectly coiffed hair, but she didn’t care right now, not with the wind in her face and the world swinging beneath her feet. With one hand, she pulled out the clip that held her hair up and threw it across the yard, just because she could. It would scandalize Mama if she’d seen it, and that thought made her pump her legs for the first time.
    “That’s right, honey,” Rye called. “Let your hair down.”
    She planned to do just that and more.
    Shaking out her hair felt decadent, and she closed her eyes and leaned back, the wind rushing over her face. As she flew through the air, so high she could have touched the heavens, she kicked her shoes off in another spurt of rebellion.
    “Tammy Hollins. Aren’t those your new shoes?” her sister asked.
    She felt the stirrings of a smile as she soared through the air again and then fell back down. The slight drop caused her heart to kick, but not in a bad way. In an exciting way, a forbidden way.
    “Yes, they are, Amelia Ann. And, frankly, I don’t care.”
    Rye and Tory would be gone for the entire summer. She