by Diane Darcy
He bent his head to inform her his resolution was to get his wife to buy him a new tuxedo but was distracted by her sadness. They were in a room full of people, they were communicating by shouting and she was really looking at him. Seeing him. Acting as if his answer truly mattered to her. His stomach clenched. The least he could give was honesty. He studied her a moment longer, then leaned down. Nine! Eight! Seven!... “I want everyone to respect me and I want the body of an athlete.”
Wanting to see her face, Sam started to pull back. He needed to see if she understood, if she grasped how important this actually was to him. But before he had the chance, someone slapped his back. Hard.
Sam stumbled and turned his head. Pete Saunders was there, impaling him with that piercing black stare. Their gazes locked. Sam’s brows pulled together and he tried to turn away. Couldn’t. He needed air. His heart thumped in his chest. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out noise from the crowd. Pete’s fingers tightened, gripped his shoulder in a hold so tight Sam couldn’t have broken it if he’d tried.
He sensed Emily’s confusion. Tried to wrench his gaze from Pete’s. Tried to reassure her. Couldn’t move. Three! Two! One!...The crowd exploded. Horns blasted, streamers flew, confetti fluttered, and laugher erupted. But even the noise didn’t stop Sam from clearly hearing Pete’s deep, rasping voice, speaking as if directly to his soul. “Happy New Year, Sam Pierson.” Then, almost silence but for his heartbeat. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.
Pete smiled. A smile of such affinity, compassion, and love, that Sam’s eyes widened. His face relaxed, his mouth parted and he started to smile back, really smile, when his chest clenched in pain.
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Excerpt from She’s Just Right
Someone’s been sleeping in his bed...
Once upon a time, golden-haired realtor Honey Stevens fought with her fiancé before leaving for a three-week business trip to a small Northern California town. Following a map to the cabin in the woods where her important clients insist she stay, she goes inside and--as instructed--makes herself at home to await their arrival. What she doesn’t know is that some local boys, intent on revenge, tampered with the house numbers and she’s at the wrong place!
Divorced game warden Trevor Baron comes home after a long, hard day on the job in desperate need of peace, quiet, and a good hot meal. Instead he finds someone has been eating his dinner, breaking his chair, and sleeping in his bed.
...and she’s still there!
It doesn’t take long for Honey to realize the wrong man is capturing her heart. The question is, can Trevor let go of the past enough to let his own heart out of hibernation?
When did Happily Ever After become so complicated?
Chapter One
By the light of the moon Dylan Eley led, and his best friends Isaac and Seth followed as they crept through the trees toward the log cabin house.
It was cold, the trees were spooky, and when a noise sounded behind, a rustle in the foliage, Isaac sucked in a harsh breath. “It’s Him!” he whispered. “He’s found us!”
Dylan swallowed, his heart pounded, and his grip tightened on the hammer in his hand. He turned to scowl at his friend. “No, it’s not. We’re practically in the country, right? It’s a stray cat or a skunk or something. Besides, we rode our bikes past that building he was fixing in town, remember?” His voice wavered slightly and he knew he was trying to convince himself as well as his friends. “Let’s keep going.”
Seth started to wheeze and Dylan stopped again, turned, and put a finger to his mouth. “Shh.”
His expression serious, the moonlight glinting off round-framed glasses, Seth pulled out his inhaler, sucked medicine in, held his breath, and nodded.
Dylan sighed. His friends looked as spooked as he felt. “Come on. We can do this. We’re twelve now, right? School’s almost out for the summer so we’re practically seventh graders. We’re not afraid, right?”
After a moment Seth nodded.
“I won’t be twelve ‘til July,” mumbled Isaac.
Dylan snorted. “Close enough. Now, come on.”
A dog barked nearby, then stopped. Dylan listened for a moment, then started forward again. Thankfully, the dog was fenced, or it would’ve come after them by now. Goosebumps rose on his arms as he considered the disaster that could have been. Any dog belonging to the game warden would be extremely dangerous.
Moments later they rounded trees and bushes to peer down a gravel driveway. “He’s not here,” whispered Dylan. “The truck’s gone and the house is dark.”
Headlights flashed in the distance as a car drove toward them, and they dove back into the trees, held their breath, and waited.
The car went by, and Dylan’s sigh was heartfelt. Unreasonable as it was, he was convinced that if He were around, He would find them no matter where they hid.
Sneaking out to the front of the driveway they stood under the hanging sign and Dylan read the name. Baron. He shivered, which made him angry and, lips tightening, he hurried forward.
Lifting the hammer, he wedged the claw onto one of the house numbers attached to the wooden post. He pulled and it popped off easier than he’d thought it would. He made quick work of the other three numbers and Isaac and Seth gathered the fallen pieces of metal and threw them into the bushes.
Perfect.
“We did it,” breathed Seth.
Isaac grinned. “Yeah! We finally showed him!”
Exhilarated, his heart pounding in his chest, Dylan smiled, nodded, and considered kicking over the large, carved, wooden-bear statue beside the mailbox. He didn’t quite dare.
Maybe next time.
Another car advanced down the long road and the light caught them.
“It’s Him!” Isaac choked. “It’s the game warden!”
Even though there was no way Isaac could be certain, Dylan completely believed him. Explosive fear charged through his gut. “Run!” he said to his friends. “If he catches us, we’re dead! Run!”
* * *
“Hi, Jess. You aren’t going to believe where I am.” Honey Stevens adjusted her cell phone between ear and shoulder so she could place her keys in a luggage pocket.
“Redding, California?”
“Smart Aleck,” said Honey as she straightened. “That’s not what I meant. And technically I’m outside of Redding, sort of in the country, or maybe in the woods would be more accurate. But anyway, this is so weird. The family who I’m trying to buy property from wants me to stay with them and they aren’t here yet. They wanted me to let myself in, so I’m in their huge, log cabin home alone, and it’s creepy.”
“Creepy how?”
Honey let out a breath. Talking to her friend was already relaxing her. “Well, it was completely dark when I first got here. I couldn’t find any house numbers, so I wouldn’t have even been sure I was at the right place, except there’s a sign that says Baron, a carved bear by the mailbox, and the key was under the mat as instructed.”
“And?”
Honey walked over to the mantle and took down a family picture with ten or so people posing in a park. She noticed a bottle of woodworking glue hidden behind it. “And I’m used to going through people’s homes, but this is different. It feels like I’m a burglar or something.”
“Oh, so you’re the creepy one.” Jessica chuckled. “Besides, you like it and you know it. You’re a natural born snoop. Do I need to remind you of my diary?”
Honey groaned. “Give it up already. It was twenty years ago! I was nine! It was unlocked and the temptation was unbearable.” The people in the photo were a good-looking bunch. Mostly adults, and a couple of babies, the guys were dark-haired, dark-eyed, big and muscular. One had a full beard and was so big he looked like a lumberjack or something. They took after the dad who sat in the middle next to a pretty blonde wife. The girls, luckily, looked like mom. “Get over it, already.”
“The old ‘I was only nine’ excuse, again
, huh,” said Jessica. “Tell me, what are you doing right now? Right this minute? Are you snooping?”
Honey set the picture back on the mantle and glanced at a few others. Fishing, hunting, camping. This family was very outdoorsy. “I’m hanging up on you.”
Jessica laughed. “I knew it. I’m just saying, your overwhelming curiosity is going to get you into trouble one of these days.”
“Is your hubby there? Can he hear you? Because if you’ve told him that story about the diary, or anything else for that matter, you’re dead. Don’t forget, I have all the dirt on you, too. Does college dorm ring a bell? Victor Wilson? One in the morning? You’re not the only one with stories to tell.”
Jessica laughed again. “Okay, okay, truce.”
Honey grinned. “How’s Baby Bop doing?”
“She’s good. A handful. She misses you. She’s been asking for her Bunny. You need to come out and see her.”
A wistful feeling enveloped Honey as she thought of the chubby blonde baby. She’d like one of her own, and at twenty-nine, was anxious to start a family. “The class I’m taking lasts three weeks. I’ll come see you as soon as I’m back in Napa.”
“So now for the big question,” said Jessica. “How does Christian feel about being separated from you for that long?”
Honey blew out a breath and sank down on the leather sofa. She ran a hand across the smooth seat and thought about her fiancé. “How does he feel?” Honey couldn’t help but grimace as she thought about the fight they’d had before she left.
“I’ve actually been trying not to think about it. The short answer is, he didn’t want me to leave, but in the end it wasn’t like I had a choice. Nick was determined to send me, even though Michelle was begging for the opportunity. With the brokerage class thrown in, it seemed like too good an opportunity for me to pass up.”
“You needed this break from Christian, anyway. It’ll give you a chance to think things through, right?”
Think things through. Nice. Weren’t engaged couples supposed to be excited? Joyful? Eager? But not them. They needed to think things through. It was depressing.
“Sure,” said Honey. “But not right now. Right now it’s late, I’m starving, and apparently the clients want me to make myself at home, so I’m going to take them at their word. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay. Take care. Call me if things get weirder. Or if you find any diaries or anything.”
“I’m hanging up.”
With the sound of Jessica’s laughter still ringing in her ears, Honey headed down the hall, past a half-bath, an office with what looked like a trophy fish mounted on the wall, and into the kitchen.
It was stunning. Big and spacious, it featured a gorgeous, custom-made, log dining-room table, with cushioned ladder-back log chairs. Taller ladder-back bar stools swept up under a long, black granite counter. The kitchen sported tall, light-wood cupboards and plenty of them. French doors led outside. She really liked the layout of the house. She’d never had a taste for log cabins before, and was surprised she loved the place so much. Despite a surprising lack of frills, it felt like a home.
But to business. What was there to eat in this joint? She opened a few cupboards, hoping to find a box of cereal or the makings for toast. She wasn’t picky.
One cupboard revealed plates, another blue-tinted glasses, and finally she found the pantry. It was big, but half empty and not nearly as well-stocked as she would have suspected for people with grandchildren.
A huge bag of dog food dominated one corner of the floor. She scanned the shelves, but didn’t find any of her favorite cereals, so she lifted a box of Shredded Wheat off the shelf. It would have to do. She was hungry enough that it would probably taste like ambrosia.
Going to the counter, she found a note and lifted it to read. ‘I’ve left a plate of dinner for you in the fridge. Love, M.’
M, huh? Honey didn’t think the note was from James Bond’s superior, but you never knew. And while the love thing was kind of weird, the plate of food sounded fantastic, so she blessed M and shrugged. Some people signed everything ‘love.’ And this family did want her to stay, so they were obviously a friendly bunch.
Suddenly feeling as if she were being watched, the hair lifted on the back of her neck and she swung and quickly glanced around.
No one was there.
Shaking her head and trying to throw off the sudden uneasiness, she looked in the fridge and found the plate of food, retrieved it and peeled the foil wrap off. Yummy. It was a homemade turkey dinner, with stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans. These people knew how to live.
After popping it in the microwave, she wandered around while she waited, and finally sorted through a stack of magazines on the counter. She quickly realized they were all Fish and Game and Outdoors magazines. The Barons were definitely avid sportsmen.
She really wished she knew more about the family and the whole situation. Nick had been pretty closed-mouthed. He wouldn’t say why he wanted the property so badly, but she guessed she’d find out soon enough.
She briefly wondered if she ought to call Christian, but decided against it. He didn’t answer when he was miffed at her, and that only made her miffed at him. Wistfully, she hoped the time away would make him realize how much she meant to him. But she wasn’t going to dwell on that tonight. Especially not while she was hungry and tired. She loved Christian. He loved her and she just needed to keep that in the forefront of her mind.
To distract herself, she retrieved a glass and filled it with ice and water from the door of the fridge, then set it on one of the blue linen table mats. Next she grabbed a paper napkin from the counter and folded it neatly, then tried several drawers before she found one with a fork and knife. She set them out too, neat and tidy.
When the microwave dinged, she hurried over, retrieved the plate and, holding the edges with her palms, sped to the table. “Hot, hot, hot!” She set it down and took a seat.
It smelled divine.
Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she froze, then, heart pounding, slowly turned her head.
A big dog, so black she wouldn’t have seen him if his face hadn’t been pressed right up to the window, looked at her through the glass in the French doors.
She let out a breath and laughed shakily. “You scared me, boy.” 0At least she assumed it was a boy because of its massive size. It looked like a black lab, only bigger than average. She turned back to her food, lifted a steaming forkful of turkey to her mouth, then turned her head again.
The dog continued to watch her.
Remembering the dog food in the pantry, she put her fork down, wondering if he’d been fed. But even if he hadn’t, she realized she didn’t dare. He looked calm now, but she had no idea what he’d do if she opened the door.
She lifted her fork again, blew on the food, and when the dog scratched on the glass, she lowered the utensil once more.
She couldn’t take the poor beast staring at her. Especially since she didn’t know if he were hungry or not.
Moving her drink and utensils to the counter so her back would be to the dog, she went back for the hot plate.
Sitting down on one of the taller chairs, lifting her fork again, she took the first bite. “Ahhhh!” She shot out of the chair. “Hot! It’s too hot!” Mouth burning, eyes watering, she spit the food into her napkin, grabbed ice water and filled her mouth, but it was too cold after the hot food.
Choking, she dribbled water on the front of her shirt. Setting the glass down, she gulped for air. “Cold!”
Blowing air in and out of her mouth for a moment, she looked down at the food, then at the splotch of water on the front of her shirt. Retrieving another napkin, she wiped her mouth and dabbed at her damp shirt, glad the clients weren’t there. She glanced at the French doors. It was bad enough the dog had witnessed her bad manners.
After a quick search for a garbage can, she threw away both napkins, then looked wistfully at the food. She had no desire
to burn her mouth again. Taking a small sip of water, she let it soothe her tongue, then snagged a nearby magazine off the stack on the counter and flipped through the pages.
Luckily she found a funny article in the back, and when she’d finished reading it, tentatively tried the food again.
It was just right.
When dinner and clean up were over, Honey tried to decide what to do. She checked her watch and realized it was almost ten o’clock. She was tired, had been up since five a.m., and wouldn’t mind having an early night. But until her hosts returned home, she saw no choice but to wait. So TV sounded like a good option. How late could they be?
Wandering back into the living room, she peeked out the front blinds, but hers was still the only car parked in the driveway. She wondered if anything could have happened to the Barons. She, more than most people, was well aware that accidents happened. Sometimes tragic ones to innocent people.
She let go of the blind. She was getting morbid and it was time to think about something else.
She turned on the TV, grabbed the remote and tried the favorite settings. They were all set to sports channels. She flipped through true crime, action, weather, commercials, a couple of reality shows, nothing good until she found a romantic comedy.
With a smile, she sat in the biggest of the three log-and-cushion chairs to watch the show. But the chair was big and firm and she couldn’t get comfortable. Her feet dangled and she didn’t want to take off her shoes when the Barons could show up at any moment, so she switched to a different chair.
Better, but the big cushion was a little soft and she sank down into the seat.
“Third time’s a charm.” She moved to the last and smallest chair and settled in.
It was just right.
She pulled the comforter off the back of the chair, it stuck a little, so she gave a tug to free it, then spread it over her knees, and settled back to relax.