Dedicated to the One I Love

PRAISE FOR BETH K. VOGT “I adored this sweet, funny, clever story. Vogt handles a large cast of loveable characters splendidly, but Kylie and Joe absolutely shine! A touching, original, and utterly romantic tale. You won’t want to miss it!” DEBORAH RANEY, AUTHOR OF BREATH OF HEAVEN AND BRIDGES “Charming. Another winner from Beth Vogt. This delightful romance will be with you long after you read the last line.” RACHEL HAUCK, NEW YORK TIMES’ BESTSELLING AUTHOR “Dedicated to the One I Love is a fun, sassy romance between two people who are determined not to fall in love. Reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail and The Lost City, Vogt pens a sweet romance with quippy characters, charming antics, and a tender look at grief. Readers will want to keep turning the pages as they cheer for Joe and Kylie’s happily ever after.” LISA JORDAN, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR WITH LOVE INSPIRED “Dedicated to the One I Love is more than a lighthearted “will-they-or-won’t-they?” romance. And that’s just what you’d expect from Beth K. Vogt. She portrays the love between father and son, longtime friends and new competitors, brothers and sisters, and the writer and story, taking readers on a journey to the heart. There, we discover that the joy of what is found transcends the pain of what was lost. Funny and Spirit-filled, Dedicated grabs you right away, and you’ll both chide and cheer for Joe and Kylie from the very first page.” ROBIN W. PEARSON, CHRISTY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR “Beth K. Vogt’s long-awaited return to the romance genre is chock full of all my favorite tropes: pen pals, professional rivalry, love after loss. Following in the footsteps of gems like You’ve Got Mail and Beach Read, Dedicated to the One I Love is sure to please Vogt’s long-time fans and earn her scores of new ones. Don’t miss this fun summer story!” CARLA LAUREANO, TWO-TIME RITA AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR “Dedicated to the One I Love has it all. I truly don’t remember the last time I enjoyed the experience of reading a book like I did with this latest offering from author Beth K. Vogt. First, it was literary and who doesn’t love books about books and those who write them? But the best thing of all was how hard I fell for the characters. I never wanted the story to end, yet when it did, I was utterly satisfied! A fun romp, with all the feels! Definitely, a book that will become dog-eared as I read it again and again and again.” EDIE MELSON, DIRECTOR OF BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINCHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE “Charming, engaging, and relatable – Dedicated to the One I Love is an absolute pleasure to read! I love a good push and pull between a hero and heroine, and Kylie and Joe have that in spades. From their tangled writing careers to a surprise romance, they tugged on my heart and kept me turning pages. Beth Vogt’s latest is a delight!” MELISSA TAGG, USA TODAY BESTSELLING, CHRISTY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE Beth K. Vogt Dedicated to the One I Love Copyright © 2023 by Beth K. Vogt. All rights reserved. Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Management. www.booksandsuch.com. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental. Dedicated to Rob, the one I love TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Epilogue Acknowledgements CHAPTER 1 Good morning, Joe. It’s a beautiful May morning here in Monument. By “beautiful,” I mean it’s snowing. Springtime in the Rockies, right? There’s just a dusting on my back porch, so I won’t attach the all-too-familiar photo of lawn furniture covered in snow. Here’s a question for you: What’s the largest snowflake ever recorded? I still can’t believe I got stumped by your last trivia question. I had no idea the speed of a computer mouse is measured in “Mickeys.” The only Mickey I’m familiar with is Mickey Mouse. Hope all is well in your corner of Colorado. Kylie Despite what some people thought—specifically her mother, her best friends, and her agent—Kylie was fine. Just because her cat Remington kept her on schedule didn’t mean he ran her life—what was left of it. Remington leaned his furry body up against her legs as Kylie sat at the kitchen counter, his purr a soft vibration of comfort. “Come on, Rem.” Kylie abandoned her tepid cup of Irish Breakfast tea, tucked her phone in the side pocket of her leggings, scooped the cat into her arms, and headed for her office. She paused in the hallway before entering through the open door. Her favorite books were color-coordinated on the built-in white shelves—writing books and fiction of every genre. Copies of her novels, in order of publication. Awards and favorite photographs with her agent, editor, and other author friends hung on the walls that were painted a lush periwinkle—her favorite color—thanks to her husband. Her laptop sat in the center of her desk. Nothing else. No open books, pages of notes, no bowl of salted popcorn with a glass of cold ginger ale, no ice—nothing that hinted at the creative mess caused when she was in pursuit of “The End” for a story. Kylie released Remington, who strolled away without a backward glance, and sat behind her desk. Opened her laptop. Closed her eyes as it powered up. Offered a silent prayer for inspiration. Waited … waited … No spark. Nothing. Kylie buried her face in her hands with a groan. She was a writer. Writers produced words—spark, or no spark. Today wasn’t a writing day. Yesterday hadn’t been a writing day. She’d ignored her unfinished manuscript for one thousand ninety-five days. Three years. She resisted the urge to