A Bridge to Dreams

by Sherryl Woods

  “Come on, everyone,” her mother insisted. “It’s time we get out and leave these two alone. They have things to talk about that are none of our concern.”

  “I am not leaving her alone with him,” Frank said.

  Her mother reached over and grabbed him by the ear, oblivious to the ridiculous picture it presented. “Out! Now!” she ordered. “The rest of you, too.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Karyn said, giving her a hug.

  “Just remember what we talked about. Don’t worry about what makes sense. Just worry about doing what feels right.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Jared blustered, just as his mother latched onto his arm and yanked him toward the door.

  “Nice to meet you, young man,” Mrs. Chambers said politely. “Don’t mind this troupe. Sometimes they just don’t have sense enough to know when to butt out.”

  “I appreciate your help,” Brad said.

  “Don’t be fooled,” she retorted. “Right now, I’m on your side. Hurt my girl, and I’ll be the first one to load a shotgun.”

  Brad grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  While everyone was getting out, Karyn went into the kitchen area and poured herself another cup of coffee. She held up the pot and gestured toward Brad.

  “Please,” he said, then took the cup she held out for him. “Are you coming back in here or are you going to hide behind the counter?”

  “I think I’ll stay right here,” she said, refusing to be taunted.

  “Coward.”

  “I think I have every right to be a little cautious with a man who apparently changes women more often than he changes shirts.”

  “That’s overstating things a bit, don’t you think?”

  “I wouldn’t know. All I know is what I read in the papers.”

  “I may be a great defender of freedom of the press, but that doesn’t mean those particular rags have much interest in accuracy. Besides, I never pretended to be a saint prior to our meeting.”

  “But now you’ve gone and sprouted the wings of an angel?”

  “No, sweetheart, I’m only a man. There have been a lot of times in my life when I’ve been a very lonely man. Relationships have helped to fill the empty hours.”

  “And is that what I was doing, filling the empty hours? You had a few days off and didn’t want to spend them alone?”

  “You know better than that. I had to turn a few things upside down and backward to get that time off. I thought it was worth it to get to know you.”

  “Was it?”

  He smiled for the first time since he’d walked into the apartment and Karyn felt something shift inside her, making way for the first ray of hope that he wanted to work things out as badly as she did.

  “You know it was,” he said. “I fell in love with you. I thought I was going to teach you a lesson, that I was going to bring a new perspective on living into your life. Instead, you’re the one who taught me. I learned something about loyalty and loving that will make all the difference in the rest of my life.”

  “Glad to be of service,” she said dryly. “Should I charge for this lesson?”

  “You won’t be giving it again, except to me. Marry me, Karyn. I swore I wasn’t going to come back here and pressure you, but I couldn’t stand being apart another day.”

  “If you hadn’t come, I would have come after you,” she admitted.

  “You would have?”

  “I finally realized what I was thinking of giving up. I couldn’t do it. Not without talking things out, at least.”

  “You want to talk now?”

  She nodded, never taking her eyes from his.

  “Okay. I understand why you blew up at me for taking over and trying to handle things with your brothers. I promise it will never happen again. It’s just that you’re so much more innocent, so much less jaded than other women I’ve known, it brings out a protective streak in me. I guess I’ve always wanted to be a dragon slayer for someone.”

  “I can slay my own dragons,” she said quietly. “And even when I can’t, that doesn’t mean I want you to step in and do it for me.”

  “I’ll try to remember that. I really will, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sit by and let you be hurt, not if there’s anything in my power that I can do to stop it.”

  In a way Brad’s promise seemed only to bring them to a stalemate. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to recognize the difference,” Karyn admitted. “I’m so scared of becoming dependent on you for my happiness, of taking the easy way out and letting you do things for me.”

  “I have a feeling you’ll never hesitate to tell me when I’m getting out of line. You’re stronger than you think. You walked out on me, didn’t you? Even though you wanted to stay.”

  The hint of masculine self-confidence grated. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”

  “I’m sure of what we feel,” he corrected. “Even your mother could see it. That’s the only reason she left you here alone with me.”

  Karyn sighed. “Despite everything she’s been through, my mother appears to be an incurable romantic.”

  “So am I,” Brad said. “I believe with all my heart that we have the makings of a forever love. That’s why I came back.” He grinned ruefully. “That and the fact that my father swore he’d wind up having another heart attack if he had to watch me pacing around the office much longer.”

  “Your father’s back at work?”

  “Part-time. Long enough for us to go on a honeymoon, in fact.”

  “But we’ve just had a vacation.” As soon as she uttered the mild protest, Karyn knew that what she’d really said was yes…to their love, to working on their problems together, to marriage, to a honeymoon filled with long, lazy hours in Brad’s arms.

  “Consider that practice,” he said, stepping closer until she could feel the whisper of his breath on her cheek. “This time we’ll do it for real.”

  “You could take me to Paris or Greece or Tahiti, but you will never give me a more romantic vacation than the one we just had,” she murmured as she found herself back in his arms, her head resting against his chest.

  “Then we’ll stay home for our honeymoon. I’m not choosy. As long as you marry me. Will you?”

  “I will,” Karyn said with absolute certainty.

  Her acceptance was captured and stolen by Brad’s kiss. As their breath mingled and their hearts pounded, Karyn had second thoughts.

  “Maybe I spoke too soon,” she murmured against his marauding mouth.

  “Oh?”

  “I think Paris would be a fine idea.”

  “No problem,” Brad said, nibbling on her lower lip.

  “And maybe Greece.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “And I’ve always wanted to see the place where Gauguin painted all those wonderful pictures.”

  “Tahiti. Absolutely, if that’s what you want.”

  Karyn sighed happily. “Let’s not leave just yet, though.”

  “Okay, when?”

  “I ought to be ready to leave this bed right here in another five or ten years.”

  * * * * *

  “Sherryl Woods writes emotionally satisfying novels about family, friendship and home. Truly feel-great reads!”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

  Love can be found in the most unexpected of places...

  And sometimes, it takes a family’s help to find it.

  Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods and the Carlton family in the Perfect Destinies saga, where true love, a little matchmaking, second chances and a sassy tale of revenge (with an unexpected twist) await:

  Isn’t It Rich? (March 2016)

  Priceless (April 2016)

  Treasured (May 2016)

  Destiny Unleashed (June 2016)

  Looking for more great reads from Sherryl Woods?

  Catch up with the O’Brien family in Chesapeake Shores, where stories of friendship, family and love are on
ly just around the corner—you may never want to leave. Collect the complete series!

  The Inn at Eagle Point

  Flowers on Main

  Harbor Lights

  A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

  Driftwood Cottage

  Moonlight Cove

  Beach Lane

  An O’Brien Family Christmas

  The Summer Garden

  A Seaside Christmas

  The Christmas Bouquet

  Dogwood Hill

  Willow Brook Road

  “Woods’s amazing grasp of human nature and the emotions that lie deep within us make this story universal.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Driftwood Cottage

  Or take a trip to Serenity, South Carolina, where the Sweet Magnolias are always in season and sweet romance is only ever a stone’s throw away:

  Stealing Home

  A Slice of Heaven

  Feels Like Family

  Welcome to Serenity

  Home in Carolina

  Sweet Tea at Sunrise

  Honeysuckle Summer

  Midnight Promises

  Catching Fireflies

  Where Azaleas Bloom

  Swan Point

  “Woods employs her signature elements—the Southern small-town atmosphere, the supportive network of friends and family, and the heartwarming romance—to great effect.”

  —Booklist

  Order your copies today!

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  Harlequin.com/Newsletters

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  Read on for a special first look at Sherry’s latest Chesapeake Shores novel, Willow Brook Road, now available from MIRA Books.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The original Mick O’Brien–designed cottage on Willow Brook Road had been built with weathered gray shingles, white trim and a tiny back porch barely big enough for two rockers side by side. They faced Willow Brook, which fed into the Chesapeake Bay. The backyard sloped gently to the brook, with the graceful branches of a trademark weeping willow touching the lawn at the water’s edge. The peaceful setting was just right for quiet conversation or relaxing with a good book.

  In front the cottage featured a small yard with an actual white picket fence and a climbing yellow rosebush that tumbled over it with a profusion of fragrant blooms. Bright red and hot pink geraniums filled pots on the stoop in a vibrant display of clashing colors. The property oozed picturesque charm.

  With three cozy bedrooms and a fireplace in the living room and a surprisingly large eat-in kitchen, it was the perfect Chesapeake Shores vacation getaway or a starter home for a small family, but Carrie Winters had been living there alone and at loose ends for almost six months now. The only personal touch she’d added beyond the mismatched furniture she’d acquired from various family attics was the portrait of the whole O’Brien family taken at the Christmas wedding of her twin, Caitlyn.

  These days, sitting in one of those rockers for more than a minute or two made her antsy. After two years in a pressure-cooker public relations job at which she’d excelled, being idle was a new experience, and one she didn’t particularly like. She was too distracted for reading anything deeper than the local weekly newspaper. And though she loved to cook, making fancy meals for one person just left her feeling lonely.

  Worst of all, she seemed incapable of motivating herself to get out of this funk she’d been in ever since coming home. Chesapeake Shores might be where she wanted—or even needed—to be as she tried to piece her life back together and reevaluate her priorities, but it had created its own sort of pressure.

  While the rest of the O’Brien clan was unmistakably worried about her, her grandfather Mick was bordering on frantic. O’Briens did not waste time or wallow in self-pity, which was exactly what Carrie had been doing ever since the breakup of her last relationship. Timed to coincide with the crash and burn demolition of her career in the fashion industry, the combination had sent her fleeing from Paris and straight back to her loving family.

  Carrie sighed and took a first sip of the one glass of wine she allowed herself at the end of the day. Wallowing was one thing. Getting tipsy all alone was something else entirely. Even she was wise enough to see that.

  An image of Marc Reynolds, the fashion world icon she’d thought she loved, crept into her head, as it did about a hundred times a day. That was down from about a million when she’d first flown home from Europe after the breakup. If it could even be called that, she thought wryly. Truthfully, she’d finally realized that Marc thought of her more as a convenient bed partner and workhorse whose public relations efforts for his fashion empire had helped to put it on the fast track to international acclaim. Unbeknownst to her, his heart apparently belonged to a she-devil, self-absorbed model who treated him like dirt. Carrie could relate, since Marc had pretty much done the same to her. She was still struggling to understand how her judgment could possibly have been so clouded that she hadn’t seen that sooner. Surely the signs had been there. Had she been so besotted she’d missed them? If so, how could she possibly trust her instincts about a man again?

  Not that she was going to let that be an issue anytime soon. She was swearing off the male of the species until she figured out who she was and what she truly wanted. At the rate she was progressing on that front, it could take years.

  Enough! she told herself firmly, carrying her almost-full glass inside and stepping over a scattering of toys as she went. She smiled as she picked up a floppy-eared bunny and set it gently in a chair. A stack of children’s picture books sat on a nearby table.

  Taking care of her twin sister’s little boy Jackson McIlroy was about the only thing that gave her a sense of fulfillment these days. With Caitlyn serving a medical internship at Johns Hopkins, and Caitlyn’s husband, Noah, running an increasingly busy family medicine practice here in town, Carrie had volunteered for daycare duty whenever they needed her. More and more often they’d come to rely on her, which suited her just fine, but seemed to be making everyone else in her driven family a little crazy. Babysitting wasn’t considered a suitable career goal for the granddaughter of the town’s founder.

  She picked up a few more toys, put them in the brightly colored toy box she’d painted herself one particularly dreary winter day, then grabbed her purse and walked into town. Ten minutes later she was at O’Brien’s, the Irish pub her second cousin Luke had opened a few years back. She knew she’d find a good meal there, even if it came with a serving of family meddling from whichever O’Brien happened to be around.

  When she walked in the door, she was startled to find it mostly empty.

  “Hey, Carrie,” Luke said, automatically pouring a glass of white wine for her.

  “Where is everybody?” she asked, as she settled on a stool in front of the magnificent old bar that Luke had found in Ireland and shipped home to be the centerpiece of his pub.

  “It’s barely five o’clock,” he pointed out. “We’ll be filling up soon.”

  Carrie glanced at her watch and groaned. Today—a day without the baby to watch—had been endless. Apparently it wasn’t close to being over, either.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she said, as Luke polished glassware and readied the bar for this evening’s business.

  He studied her face for a moment, then came around the bar and sat down beside her, giving her his full attention. “What’s on your mind?”

  “You were the youngest in my mom’s generation, right?”

  “Oh yeah,” he confirmed.

  “Did you feel pressured to accomplish something?”

  He laughed. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Not even a little bit,” she said seriously.

  “You know all this, but let me remind you. By the time I finished college, your mom was a fin
ancial success story on Wall Street. Kevin had served in the military, then jumped onto the bandwagon to preserve the bay with Uncle Thomas. Connor was a hotshot divorce lawyer in Baltimore. Bree had opened a successful flower shop, then a local theater, where she’s now writing and directing to critical acclaim. And Jess was barely into her twenties and already turning the Inn at Eagle Point into a successful regional destination.”

  He allowed that to sink in, then added, “That’s what I was up against. On top of that, my brother started working with Uncle Mick as an architect straight out of college, and my sister is all but running the real estate business here in town with my dad. O’Briens seemed to know what they wanted in the womb, all of them except me.”

  “And me,” Carrie lamented. “Funny how you were the youngest and felt lost. Cait and I are the oldest in our generation. She recognized her destiny even before she got out of high school. She’s determined to be a doctor and save the world. Not even marriage and a baby have derailed her plans.”

  Luke grinned. “And your goals aren’t that lofty?”

  “I’m not sure I even have goals,” she admitted. “I thought I did. I enjoyed PR work well enough. I was good at it, too. And I liked being in the fashion industry, but that was more about being with Marc than the work. It didn’t break my heart when another job in fashion didn’t materialize right away. Working with him is what I miss most, so that must be telling me something.”

  Luke studied her with a commiserating look. “Have you figured out the message?”

  She shrugged. “Nope. All I know is that I hate being at loose ends.”

  “What about that trip you took with Uncle Mick to Africa? Any inspiration there?”

  Her grandparents had gone to Africa to check out several villages in dire need of medical help, especially since the outbreak of ebola had had such a devastating impact. Mick had been drafted by Cait and a doctor in Baltimore into designing small medical facilities for the villages to provide the care they so desperately needed. It had been an eye-opening trip with an idealistic mission she admired.

  “Sure. It made me realize how lucky we’ve all been. I’ve donated a ton of money from my trust fund to the cause because I’ve seen firsthand how worthwhile it is, but I don’t want to return, not the way Cait’s chomping at the bit to go. She was so envious that I got to go with Grandpa Mick and Grandma Megan. Me?” She shook her head. “I could hardly wait to get back home.”