Second Chances Boxed Set: 7 Sweet & Sexy Romances in 1 Book

by Tracey Alvarez

  Shaking her head, she was overcome with pity for that gullible, love-blinded creature.

  A gold-framed photo on Jared’s desk caught her attention.

  On short, jerky steps she crossed to his desk and picked it up and stared at that beloved image.

  Matthew.

  Filled with sorrow, she traced a trembling finger over the photo, outlining the soft gold curls that framed his chubby face. She touched a fingertip to the smiling mouth and nearly cried out when its contours remained unchanged, forever a baby boy captured in this one transient moment.

  As she traced his shoulders, she imagined his warmth, the delicate bones beneath his baby flesh. And touching the enchanting dimple on his chin, she sighed, hungering to hear his baby laugh, but it was all gone, consigned to memory.

  There was nothing, no substance to the picture.

  No smell, no warm, vibrant life, no sound of baby laughter or his sleepy snuffle.

  And superimposed over this picture was another, that of a dead white face and sightless eyes.

  A shiver shook her.

  And guilt. Always the guilt.

  Fighting down panic, she berated herself for being a fool. How could I think I could return to this place and escape unscathed?

  She looked down the garden and bitter, futile anger scorched through her in a tidal wave. The lily pond was gone and a rose garden now thrived in its place.

  Why didn’t Harvey get rid of that damned pond when I begged him to?

  “Why are you sad, Mummy?”

  Winsome glanced at Lacey and, seeing her expression, put the photo down. The little girl was upset by an atmosphere beyond her understanding.

  “She’s sad because your grandpa has died and gone to Heaven,” Jared said.

  Winsome turned in mid-step in surprise. She’d not heard him return. He put the tray he carried on a low coffee table and glanced from her to the photo. His expression chilled her to the bone.

  She sighed soundlessly.

  “Did you know my grandpa?” Lacey asked hopefully.

  He crouched to her level, holding her hands and meeting her eyes. “Your grandpa was my daddy. That’s why everybody is sad.”

  Lacey nodded and tears glistened on her lashes. “I love my Grandpa.”

  “And he loved you.” Jared drew the little girl into his arms and held her against his heart. “I loved him too.”

  Their rapport surprised Winsome, even as she mourned the years they’d missed. Over Lacey’s head, her gaze clashed with Jared’s. For long moments they stared at each other, then he closed his eyes and shut her out.

  The sense of loss took her breath away.

  Turning, she stared out the window, afraid of her emotions that hovered far too close to the surface. This man, with his hard questioning eyes was not the man she’d married.

  He was a stranger to whom she remained tied, and this was something she was determined to change.

  “I’ve brought milk and sandwiches,” Jared said to Lacey. “Are you hungry?”

  Winsome’s smile was bittersweet.

  Lacey was always hungry and her father didn’t know even this small detail about his daughter.

  And whose fault is that? Winsome wished she could silence the too familiar, gruff voice.

  As Lacey went to investigate the tray Winsome turned to Jared unable to conceal her anger. “I see the lily pond has gone.”

  “Yes.” He ran trembling fingers through his tawny hair, leaving it dishevelled. “Dad had it removed just after you left.”

  Anger, bitter and futile was a scorching tide. “And that was far too late to save Matthew.”

  Tension crackled between them and, after one long moment, he turned away, but not before she saw his tortured expression. “It’s too damn easy to be wise with hindsight.”

  He rubbed a hand across his eyes as if he was trying to erase the memory of their dead child.

  Wracked by her own bleak memories, Winsome remained silent.

  “I have to help Mother,” he said his words hard and abrupt. “Later we’ll talk. There’s a box of toys in the corner that will help you keep Lacey amused.”

  After he’d gone, Winsome stared at the closed door feeling more bereft than she’d ever imagined it was possible.

  With a shiver she turned to Lacey only to see her eating a sandwich. “Would you like a drink?”

  Lacey nodded.

  Winsome poured her a glass of milk and then picked up the coffee, put two sandwiches and a sausage roll on a plate and walked across and sank into the chair she’d always regarded as hers. She sighed, grateful for this respite.

  “I’ve finished.” Lacey ran over to her chair. “Can I play with the toys?”

  Her face was smeared with jam and she had a milk moustache. “You need to wash your face and hands. Come with me.”

  It took every ounce of nerve to open the door into the bedroom she’d shared with Jared.

  Her hands were clammy. Stop being a wuss.

  Inside the door she halted in total shock.

  This room was completely different. It was now decidedly masculine with a Kauri sleigh bed, covered with a bold red, green and navy plaid duvet, and matching side tables and dressers.

  On the Scotch chest were two photos. One was of her, Jared and Matthew, the other her. Winsome walked closer to study them. The photo of her was one taken before they were married, before she’d ever met Gaelen.

  Shaking off the memories, she opened the door into the ensuite and helped Lacey wash her face and hands.

  This room smelled like Jared.

  She picked up a bottle of cologne from the vanity and uncapped it savouring the heady, once familiar smell.

  Too aware of Lacey’s curious gaze, she shepherded the little girl back out to the lounge and pulled out the box of toys to keep her occupied.

  These were Matthew’s toys.

  Unbidden, baby laughter echoed in her memory, followed swiftly by a breath-stealing pain, and guilt.

  Always the guilt.

  On the top of the box sat a Buzzy Bee. The pull-a-long toy was a New Zealand icon and Matthew had adored it.

  Her hand trembled as she stroked a finger over the brightly painted wood, fingers tightening around it.

  Longing swept through her in debilitating waves.

  Time had not blunted her grief for the baby boy she’d loved more than life itself. She ached to feel his arms tugging at her hair, strangling her with hugs.

  Eyes burning, she stared backwards to a time when, despite the darkness of her blighted childhood, she still possessed a certain innocence.

  To a time when she’d believed good could triumph over evil and when she had thought Jared’s love was protection enough for his family.

  Matthew’s death changed all that.

  Now his baby ghost haunted the precincts of Totara Park and everyone who lived within its walls.

  Chapter Two

  AS WINSOME WALKED beside Jared into the library her heart beat like an out of control tom-tom. She gripped Lacey’s hand in hers and this was all that kept her grounded.

  Gaelen and Paige were already seated in the leather armchairs either side of the imposing West Coast shale fireplace.

  When his sister gave her a studied, insulting look, Winsome resisted the impulse to crowd close to Jared’s side seeking protection. Statuesque like her mother, Paige had used her size to intimidate her much smaller sister-in-law in the past. Her gaze skittered past Paige and met Gaelen’s. Her expression sent heat crawling up Winsome’s neck and face.

  Don’t react. Don’t give them ammunition.

  Quentin moved between her and the two Grainger women. Always attuned to her mood, he gripped her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “You okay?”

  Her gaze meshed with his and her apprehension eased knowing she had one friend in this room. “I will be when this is over.”

  “You and me both.” He grimaced and crouched to speak to Lacey. “How’s it going, kiddo?”


  Whispering in his ear, Lacey gave him a strangling hug. Whatever she said made him laugh. When he stood, he clamped a hand on Jared’s shoulder in a gesture of brotherly support.

  The two men were very similar in height and build, but in their colouring, polar opposites. Quentin’s hair was as dark as jet, his eyes a deep grey, a sharp contrast to Jared’s tawny-gold hair and amber eyes.

  Jared guided Winsome into one of the deep leather armchairs on the far side of the room and Lacey scrambled onto her lap. He sat on the arm, one hand braced along the back, so close she could feel his heat but there was no comfort in his austere expression.

  To a casual observer they were a united family, which proved just how deceptive looks could be.

  Max Harpur shuffled papers as he sat behind Harvey’s oak desk, the sound loud in the hushed silence.

  “I don’t know why this farce is necessary,” Gaelen said, her lips compressed in a thin line.

  With sudden clarity, Winsome knew Gaelen was angry at being unable to thwart Harvey’s final wish. Death had put him beyond her power.

  “It’s a term of his will, Gaelen.” Max Harpur’s attempt to placate the widow failed.

  “Why is that woman here?” Paige gestured at Winsome.

  “My wife,” Jared gave his sister a cool glance, “is here at our father’s request. Let Max get done with this unpleasant task.”

  My wife?

  If Jared hadn’t looked so grim Winsome might have laughed. And then the implications sank in. Harvey had named her in his will.

  Max, wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose, cleared his throat noisily. With iron grey hair and stooped shoulders he looked every inch what he was—the arbiter of everyone’s fate.

  “This is the Last Will and Testament of Harvey Donald Grainger, being of sound mind and in full possession of all his faculties.”

  Paige snorted; the loud, derisive sound elicited a frosty glare from the lawyer. “I can assure you, Harvey was of sound mind and no Court would rule otherwise, Ms Grainger.”

  “Can it, Paige.” Jared gave his sister a frigid glare.

  “Do you want me to continue?” Max looked at each person in turn, his eyes magnified hideously through the lenses of his glasses.

  “For heaven’s sake, get it done.” Jared was testy with the delay.

  “To my wife, Gaelen, I leave the house in Hamilton, the established trust fund and all my stocks and shares to provide her an income during her lifetime, after which the capital assets revert, in equal shares, to my children.

  “This bequest is contingent on Gaelen removing herself and any furnishings she desires, from the homestead at Totara Park within thirty days of my demise and not setting foot on the property for the period of two full years thereafter.”

  The words fell into a stunned silence. Gaelen lifted a hand and let it fall. “He can’t do that.”

  “He has.” There was no inflection in Max’s even tone.

  “It can’t be legal.” Wounded, she lifted a pale hand to her throat as she glanced at each of her sons looking for support. Neither moved and it was Paige who responded to the silent appeal. She rose and sat on the chair arm beside her mother, a supportive hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s legal, I drew it up myself. Shall I continue?”

  Gaelen swallowed and nodded, her hand clenched on a white handkerchief.

  “To my daughter, Paige, I bequeath the industrial estate at Mount Maunganui and the beach house on Marine Parade. This bequest is contingent on Paige leaving Totara Park within thirty days of my demise and not setting foot on the property for two full years thereafter.”

  Paige spluttered, flushed dark red and muttered something vitriolic under her breath that Winsome was glad Lacey couldn’t hear.

  Winsome glanced at Jared, but gleaned nothing from his shuttered expression.

  “To my son, Quentin, I bequeath Levelly Lodge, and all the horses, livestock and dead stock on the above estate. This bequest is contingent on him not residing at Totara Park during the calendar year following my death.”

  No surprises there. Quentin hadn’t lived on Totara Park for years.

  “Dad must have been stark, raving mad.” Paige leaped to her feet, clenching and unclenching her hands in impotent fury.

  “Can it, Paige.” Quentin flared, glaring at his sister. “Max hasn’t finished.”

  Paige subsided, but no one could mistake the anger simmering beneath her barely leashed control. The vitriolic glare Paige aimed at her, made Winsome tremble.

  “To my granddaughter, Lacey, I bequeath one hundred thousand dollars to meet her future educational needs, the capital to be managed by her uncle and guardian, Quentin Grainger. The capital to be given into her control when she reaches the age of twenty-five.”

  The quiet words reverberated in the stunned silence. Winsome, caught off guard, felt shock ripple through Jared.

  “Since when has Quentin been Lacey’s guardian?” Jared demanded.

  “What’s a g’rdin, Mummy?” Lacey asked, curious.

  “Hush sweetheart,” she whispered. “We’ll talk later okay?”

  Max looked at Jared over the top of his glasses. “Lacey has been a Ward of the Court with an appointed guardian since birth. Harvey was appointed first and Quentin took over last year.”

  “Why was a guardian necessary?” It was clear to everyone that Jared was upset.

  Winsome, filled with a reckless anger, barely managed to supress the urge to shout out the reason. Catching Quentin’s eye and the infinitesimal shake of his head, knew that now was not the time. One glance at Gaelen and Paige brought her to her senses.

  “For all practical purposes Lacey is in Winsome’s care.” Quentin gave Jared a level look. “The only time I can act, and make no mistake I will, is if I think Lacey’s welfare or life is at risk.”

  “I don’t understand.” Baffled, Jared looked from her to his brother.

  Winsome’s heart raced and she trembled deep inside. Foolishly, she’d never even expected Lacey’s guardianship to be raised here.

  “You were asked to go to the hospital when Lacey was born?” Max pinned Jared with a level stare. The younger man nodded. “Had you done so, you would know why the Court was compelled to act to protect Lacey.”

  Winsome stole a glance at Gaelen through her lashes. The older woman’s eyes flared with fear, her cheeks were mottled purple.

  Goose bumps danced across Winsome’s chilled flesh. Harvey, with his outrageous decrees, had turned Gaelen into an implacable and dangerous enemy.

  “We can discuss this later, Jared,” Quentin said in a quiet aside.

  “Shall I continue?” Max’s mild question went some way to easing the tension.

  “Yes.” Jared’s voice was clipped and hard. Winsome could feel his tension and her heart raced until she was in danger of hyperventilating. What has Harvey done to me and Jared

  “The balance of my estate, namely the grazing property known as Totara Park, I leave in joint and equal shares to my son, Jared and his wife, Winsome. This bequest does not include the livestock de-pastured on the property or the plant and machinery. This is to be sold to supplement the trust to support Gaelen.”

  Colour flooded Paige’s face and Gaelen made a gobbling sound of incoherent fury.

  A cold chill settled around Winsome’s heart and for one awful moment she sympathised with the other two women’s rage.

  Max held up his hand for silence. “This bequest is contingent on Winsome returning to Totara Park within one calendar month after Gaelen, Paige and Quentin have moved out. She must remain in residence for a further two calendar years.

  “If at the end of this time she wishes her marriage to my son to end, Jared shall pay her out her share in full, at valuation. He must further agree to a divorce or forfeit his half share in the property to Winsome. If she does not return within the stipulated time then Totara Park shall be sold and the proceeds will go to the charities listed separately.”

  “Was Dad
out of his ever-loving mind? That’s so unfair.” Paige leaped to her feet no longer able to contain her outrage. She glared at Winsome. “You put him up to this.”

  “Never!” Winsome snapped, refusing to sit silent and be abused. “This will wreak havoc in my life.”

  “Sit down and shut up, Paige,” Jared snapped. “Let Max finish.”

  Paige subsided, but her smouldering gaze promised she would not remain silent for long.

  Max Harpur was the only person unperturbed. “Should Gaelen or Paige put foot on Totara Park during these two years, unless at Winsome’s express invitation and for day visits only, they forfeit their inheritance. In the event of such forfeiture, their bequests will be sold, the proceeds going to the nominated charities.

  “I regret putting these restrictions on my family but they are a necessary attempt to redress the grievous injury Winsome and Jared have suffered.”

  Jared stiffened and Winsome was too conscious of the weight of his questioning look. He was no man’s fool. She knew he wouldn’t rest until he knew what lay behind his father’s bequests.

  “If their marriage is to be reconciled, family pressure must be eliminated. I acceded to you while I was alive, Gaelen. Now, you must relinquish Totara Park to its new mistress.”

  The silence that followed was fraught with disbelief; Winsome’s as much as anyone’s. But she knew that no matter how much she protested her innocence no one would believe her. Reconciled? She hugged Lacey, comforted by her warmth. But this didn’t offset the chill around her heart.

  How dare Harvey do this to her? Regretted his restrictions? No way!

  It was manipulation from beyond the grave. Pure and simple.

  Suddenly, Jared’s stillness registered. Her frantic thoughts stopped mid-flight and one startled glance confirmed her suspicion that he wasn’t surprised.

  Somehow he’d known of his father’s intentions.

  “You conniving little slut.” Gaelen was the first to break the pulsing silence, rising from her chair, her cheeks mottled with rage. She came at Winsome, fingers curled into claws. “You’ve used Harvey’s visits to cheat my son.”