All She Ever Wanted (Cedar Valley Novel Book 1)

by Christina Butrum

  “All I’ve ever wanted is a life full of love and commitment, and a house to call home; filled with children and a loving husband.”

  Liam smiled as he thought of the future with her. She could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking about them—their future—together. He gently squeezed her leg, encouraging her to continue.

  “I never got any of that from Jake,” she said. “In all honesty, I’d be heartbroken and never happy if I give him another chance.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. He liked where this was going—or so it appeared by the smile that crossed his face.

  “Anyway, I sent him a text telling him that I wasn’t going to allow him to waste anymore of my time,” she said. The thought of the hurt she may have caused him crossed her mind, but she dismissed it at the thought of the pain he had once caused her. “I’m done wasting time.”

  Liam nodded, with an understanding look on his face. He leaned back, waiting for her to say what she really wanted to say.

  Taking a deep breath and fumbling with the crumpled Kleenex, she struggled to finally say what she had needed to say all along. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m done wasting my time, our time,” she said, unable to look away from him. He stared back, fully engrossed in every word she said. “I have no idea what you need to talk to me about today, but I can only hope it’s for the best.”

  She was nervous—the butterflies in her stomach were uncontrollable. Sweat beaded along her forehead and covered her hands. She had put off having this talk with him. The time had finally come.

  “Then I guess now’s the time I should say what I’ve waited all week to tell you,” Liam said, positioning himself next to her and taking hold of her hand.

  15

  He had talked it over with his grandpa after he had first met her. It hadn’t really been love at first sight, because he didn’t believe in all of that mushy junk, after all he had been through, but he did have a thought—or two—that she might just be the one.

  He remembered the conversation he had with his gramps the Saturday night that had followed her visit. The conversation had gone smoothly, unlike other times when they had talked business. The bar had been a great investment in the beginning. Until recently, they had never had financial problems with it—it had always taken care of itself. The business, like others, had slowly gone downhill, since the economy took a hit. Small businesses were over-looked instead of helped—especially a small town bar—no one in town but their regular customers saw the need for Levy’s to stay open.

  He hadn’t wanted to bring the bar’s financial problems to her attention, but it had made perfect sense to do so when he had the conversation with his gramps. He had no choice but to talk with her about it. The opportunity would be huge for her, them, and Levy’s.

  “Are you going to tell me, or keep me waiting forever?” Her patience had limited out as she watched him silently cycle through his thoughts.

  He shifted in his seat and leaned forward. Clasping his hands together, he cleared his throat, “I have a proposal.”

  “Already?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know I said I didn’t want to waste any more time, but wow.”

  The smile he gave her was overwhelming. Everything about him was incredible, but that smile and those eyes—they could really get away with her heart if they hadn’t done so already.

  “Well,” he stammered quickly, “I’m not talking about that kind—”

  She relaxed her head against her pillow. Her heart took a hit, but she wasn’t disappointed—it was silly of her to expect that from him this soon.

  “Yet.” He said with a wink.

  She leaned forward and smiled. The nerves in her stomach had once been calm, but with that wink he gave, she was all sorts of nerves, now.

  He scooted the chair closer to her bed, lining it perfectly in front of her. He realized she couldn’t handle the suspense of waiting, her patience had gone out the open window in the room.

  “First, I want to tell you that it’s just an idea,” he said. “It’s nothing but a thought that I’m nearly running with. Second, I have to tell you that I’m not the only one who came up with the idea.”

  She raised an eyebrow, and although she had questions, she kept her mouth closed, allowing him to continue with what he had to say.

  “As you know, Levy’s is owned by my grandparents and me. My grandma helped us get it up and running. Without her, Levy’s wouldn’t be Levy’s.” There was his smile again. She waited for him to say more. “Well, with Cedar Valley there’s just one problem you may have noticed.”

  “What’s that?”

  He hesitated for a moment, but continued on briefly. “With the economy taking a hit like it did, and small towns getting smaller, small businesses take a big hit.”

  She drew a hand to her mouth. She knew what he was going to tell her. The thought of Wes and him losing their business in the bar and Levy’s closing, troubled her.

  “The bar’s losing money,” he explained. “It’s been rough trying to keep the place open the last few months. We’ve been doing the best we can, but we need more than just us. With gramps getting older, he’s not able to do the things he once did. Most of the work’s on me, and the long hours with no days off are getting to me.”

  She was speechless. She had so much to say, but didn’t know what to really say or how to even say it. She just nodded like a bobble headed idiot on the dash of a car as he talked.

  Moving even closer than he had been, he said, “We came up with this plan, but it won’t work with just him and me. That’s where you come in.”

  She straightened herself, shoving pillows behind her back. “I’m listening.”

  “First, I want to tell you that you don’t have to agree to anything, if you don’t want to. You can tell me no and you can definitely run away if you’d like.”

  She pointed to her casted leg. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m not running anywhere.”

  Their laughter busted the dreaded silence throughout the empty room, which lifted the melancholy mood that had set in.

  “Well, then,” he said with a smirk. “Gramps and I think that you’d be a perfect match for Levy’s. We want you to work with us.”

  She wasn’t necessarily surprised by the offer, but she was in fact stunned speechless for yet a second time. Would she take the job offer? Of course she would, in a heartbeat no doubt. Thoughts flooded her as she tried to envision working in Cedar Valley at the busy, small town bar.

  “We’re in the process of rethinking things and we’d like your input,” he said just loud enough to interrupt her racing thoughts.

  “I’m not an expert by any means,” she admitted. She really wasn’t—she’d barely made it through high school with passing grades—which could be blamed, mainly, on the death of her parents.

  “Rachel told me that you helped turn around that little diner, the City Diner, owned by your friend Mr. Williams, in that big city of yours,” he said.

  “Wait,” she said, holding up a finger. “You talked to Rachel about this idea? So she knew before I did?”

  He nodded, with a sheepish grin on his face. The thought of Rachel knowing and keeping it a secret was shocking. Rachel couldn’t keep anything a secret for as long as Leah had known her.

  “I’m sure it had almost killed her!” Leah blurted. “How unfair for her to know before me!”

  “She didn’t know too long before you,” he admitted.

  “Is that so?” Leah asked, crossing her arms in front of her. “Then tell me how long you’ve had this planned?”

  In his defense, he raised both of his hands in front of him and said, “Not that long, I swear.”

  She raised an eyebrow and that was all it took for him to admit how long he had truly been thinking about this idea.

  “Okay, you got me,” he said. “But, first I want you to know that this isn’t the reason I’ve taken you on dates. I wouldn’t bribe someone like that.”

&nb
sp; “How long have you had this plan without telling me?” she asked, with a stern but playful look on her face.

  His smile distracted her as she watched him hesitate to tell her the answer she wanted to hear. “Since the weekend I met you.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. He was being honest. Had he really thought about her working alongside him since the night he had met her? There was no doubt that was the truth.

  “And between then and now, how long has Rachel known about this?” she asked, finding amusement in the thought of Rachel keeping this secret for this long without saying a single word about it. She’d have to give Rachel some sort of award for the effort it must’ve taken her to keep her lips zipped shut.

  “If I were to be honest,” he said. “I’d say three weeks.”

  That made perfect sense. It had been around that time that they had their heart to heart discussion and Rachel had told her to take the chance with Liam—that there’d be bigger opportunities that waited and a brighter future. At the time, she had passed it off as a friend just saying the everyday “do it or you’ll miss out” speech.

  “Interesting.”

  “You’re not mad, are you?”

  “Mad?” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m amazed that she kept it from me this long. If you knew the Rachel I know, you’d be surprised too.”

  * * *

  “So, what’re you going to do?” Rachel asked, standing by the foot of the bed. “Are you going to accept his offer to work for him? Or is it with him?”

  Rachel winked and then busted out in laughter. Pointing a finger at Leah, she said, “First off, you can’t be mad at me for not telling you. And second, you can’t tell me that it isn’t something you want to do. You’d be lying if you said otherwise, and the Leah I know doesn’t lie.”

  “The Rachel I know doesn’t keep secrets,” Leah said, sticking her tongue out.

  “Touché, my friend. Touché.”

  The thought of working at the bar hadn’t left Leah’s mind since Liam had mentioned it to her. They needed her help and she was more than willing to give them the help she was able to. Since Rachel had insisted that she had once turned the Williams’ diner around, Leah had no way to back out of helping the bar financially; bookkeeping, finance planning, whatever it needed, she was willing to take a look, but she couldn’t make any promises—which Liam already knew and told her not to worry, they’d appreciate any help they could get.

  “Are you going to move there?” Rachel asked, interrupting Leah’s train of thoughts. Rachel sat down in the comfy brown chair next to the bed, and didn’t wait for Leah to answer the question. “He told me that there’s a room above the bar and if…”

  Leah sat up straight, readjusting her leg on the pillows. “Wait,” she said with a pointed finger. “You guys talked about my living conditions, too?!”

  Rachel shrugged, with a shit-eating grin on her face. “What can I say? I wasn’t going to let you have any reason to back out of this deal. I wanted to make sure it was planned out and ready for you to make your move, without the excuses of why you shouldn’t or couldn’t.”

  They’d been good with their little secret—so good that she’d been oblivious that they had even been talking to each other.

  “So, about the room above the bar…”

  “You tell me,” Leah said.

  “The way he described it, it’s an apartment type place, with a balcony that oversees the open land behind the bar. A perfect view of the mountains, he says.”

  The thought of waking up and drinking coffee on a balcony with such a magnificent view pleased her, along with the thought of spending more time with Liam—even if it’d be all work and no play.

  “Don’t you see it?”

  “See what?” Leah raised an eyebrow and studied Rachel like she had lost her mind.

  “Your dreams and goals in life are coming true,” Rachel said, with anticipation in her voice. Rachel was more hopeful for Leah’s future than Leah was herself. When Rachel saw the uncertainty written all over Leah’s face, she said, “Come on. How much more evidence do you need? A handsome man you’re so caught up in just offered you a once-in-a-lifetime deal. You’ll be able to live in the country again, and work with a really hot bartender. What more do you want? Then you hook up and…”

  The look Leah gave Rachel interrupted her from finishing her thoughts. Leah knew what this meant for her. She also knew that it was going to be a big change; whether she was truly ready for it or not, it’d definitely change her future.

  “Who said anything about hooking up?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Rachel asked. “It’s written all over. The unspoken chemistry between the two of you is outrageously high, and you know it.”

  “You’re right,” Leah admitted. “There’s definitely something between us.”

  “And you just wanted to stay friends, ha!”

  The thought of staying friends with Liam was simple at the time she had first met him, but dates happened and conversations occurred—they had crossed that line between friends and on to something more, without actually realizing they had.

  “I know you’re afraid of being hurt again, but honestly, I don’t think Liam would ever do that to you,” Rachel said, sounding like a broken record. “He’s had more than his fair share of hurt, too.”

  “How often did you two talk?” Leah asked. “Is there anything you two haven’t talked about?”

  Rachel snorted, choking on the ice from her drink. Once cleared, she tossed the ice into the garbage can. “Well, can you blame me? I wanted to make sure this guy was right for you.”

  “So, you asked him about his past?”

  “It kind of just came out when he was telling me about how he felt about you,” Rachel said, thumbing through her phone in an attempt to ignore Leah’s glare. It was only when Leah cleared her throat, that Rachel turn her attention away from her phone. “What?”

  “I can’t believe you had that deep of a conversation with him,” Leah said. She wasn’t upset, she was simply amused.

  Rachel tilted her head side to side as she contemplated telling Leah how many conversations she’d actually had with Liam. They were the good conversations—the juicy, need-to-know-every-detail kind. She was sure Leah would thank her later, when she was well off in her happily-ever-after life—riding horses off into the sunset.

  “You can’t be mad for the simple fact that I was doing you a favor.”

  “A favor? When have I ever asked you for a favor like that?” Leah laughed, with a hint of embarrassment. She hated the fact that Rachel had somehow managed to get this kind of information out of him before she could, but she was impressed by Rachel’s effort, and appreciated her concern.

  “You never had to ask, it was implied.”

  Leah tossed a pillow at Rachel, spilling her iced tea down the front of her shirt. Rachel stood abruptly and hollered while shaking her shirt, “Cold, that’s cold!”

  Leah laughed hysterically, until it hurt—a sharp pain reminded her of her injuries. “Ouch,” she nearly shouted, as she straightened out on the bed.

  “I need to go home and change!” Rachel said, standing at the sink, dabbing the wet mess with paper towels.

  “You’re not leaving until you give me the details!”

  Shaking her head, Rachel tossed the cup in the garbage and said, “Nope, you’ll have to get those details from him yourself, because you know, it’s not my business and all.”

  Rachel tossed the damp towels into the nearby trash can. “I’ll be back after a while. If Liam comes back, text me so I’m not interrupting anything,” she said, as she made her way to the door. She turned and blew a kiss to Leah.

  Leah rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Since when do you care about keeping things secret or not?” She hollered, but was given a quick wave with a shit-eating grin from Rachel in return.

  16

  “The nurse told me that they’re figuring out when they’re going to r
elease you,” Liam said, fluffing her pillows behind her. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “A strong mixed drink sounds great, but I’ll settle for more ice water.” He refilled her glass and handed it to her.

  “Thanks,” she said, once she’d downed half of it.

  “Hey, where’d you get all of these cookies?” he asked, pointing to the covered plate of cookies.

  Smiling, she said, “Rosie brought them in for me.”

  “You aren’t supposed to have that kinda stuff yet, are you?”

  Shrugging, because playing dumb was her specialty, she said, “I don’t know.”

  Even though she hadn’t been able to eat solids for a while, she was still thankful for Rosie’s visits. She had enjoyed Rosie’s company while they talked about relationships and what was happening in Cedar Valley. Rosie reminded her a lot of her own grandmother—a sweet, caring woman with a heart of gold. It was during her visits that Rosie told Leah of her undying love for Wes. Leah had encouraged her to tell Wes how she truly felt, before it was too late—in turn, Rosie told her to do the same with Liam. Rosie: 1 Leah: 0

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to do, once you’re released from the hospital?”

  She hadn’t given it a single thought. “I guess I just figured I’d go home,” she said, now concerned with what she was really supposed to do once she was released.

  She wouldn’t be able to work, with her broken leg. They wouldn’t want her hobbling around on crutches. The thought of not working, which meant no money, made her panic. She had made it this long without much help from others, now she had no clue what she was going to do.

  Sensing her panic, he placed a hand on hers, which had an instant calming effect on her, followed by a rush of giddy feelings.