Table of Contents
Finding Ford
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chasing Colt
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Loving Livie
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Finding Ford
By
Kristin Coley
This one is for the dreamers. Never stop.
©Kristin Coley 2016
Ford
Chapter One
Whoever was knocking was persistent. I’d give them that. I glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday. I groaned and threw back the sheet. They were obviously not going away. I looked down at my boxers, as I scratched my chest. This was decent enough for whoever’d decided to wake me up this early on a Saturday.
I threw open the door and immediately regretted my choice not to grab a shirt.
“Hannah, what are you doing here? Where’s Colt?” I asked, vaguely alarmed. I really wasn’t expecting to see my younger brother’s girlfriend on my doorstep. Maybe a dumb salesman, or someone trying to convert my religion, but not Hannah.
“Ford, hey, sorry it’s so early,” Hannah said nervously. “Is that a new tattoo? I like it. Can I come in? How have you been? The last time I was here was right before school started.” She was definitely nervous. The rambling and incessant questions were a dead giveaway.
“Sure, come on in.” I opened the door wider, gesturing her in. “I’m gonna go put on some clothes. Make yourself at home.” She headed to the island in the kitchen and hopped on a barstool. I noticed she hadn’t told me why she was here, or where Colt was. I knew Hannah pretty well, but she was always with Colt when I saw her. Something was going on, for her to show up unexpectedly at my place without him. I pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and headed back to the kitchen. She was still sitting where I left her, looking extremely uncomfortable.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked her, straightforwardly. She looked up at me, a wry smile on her face.
“You’re always to the point. I respect that,” she replied, taking a deep breath. I noticed her boobs and looked away. She’s sixteen and your little brother’s girl, I told myself. It might be second nature to look, but no need to be a lecher.
“Is this about Colt? Is he okay? Something happen I don’t know about?” I prodded, getting a little anxious. I was sure someone would have called me if something had happened to Colt, but now I was wondering.
Hannah seemed to realize my apprehension and rushed to assure me. “Colt’s fine. Nothing’s wrong with him. In fact, he’s on cloud nine, with graduation and everything.”
Colt had been offered a full ride with the University of Alabama to play football. He’d been breaking records his entire life, throwing a football. No one had ever doubted he’d play college ball, and I was pretty sure he’d make it to the pros, if he didn’t get hurt. We were planning a big family dinner tomorrow night to celebrate his high school graduation.
“It’s his dream come true. You’ll be there tomorrow to celebrate, right?” I asked her, thinking maybe she and Colt were having relationship issues.
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Hannah replied, looking at her hands.
I was trying to figure out what the issue was. Hannah was looking forlorn, but she was telling me that Colt was okay, and it sounded like she was coming tomorrow, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. I grabbed juice from the fridge and poured us each a glass. I nudged the glass towards Hannah and leaned back against the counter to wait. She took a sip then set the glass down and looked straight at me. “I’m pregnant.”
Holy shit.
I was not expecting that. I knew my brother, and we’d had the safe sex talk, multiple times. I also knew Hannah wasn’t the type to cheat on my brother. Hell, she wasn’t going to fool around and take chances either. She had a solid head on her shoulders.
“How? Besides the actual how. I do know how, but I’ve taught him to wrap it up,” I exclaimed, running my hands through my hair.
“Yeah, we were always safe. I don’t know if a condom broke, or slipped, or what,” Hannah answered in a small voice. She reached for the glass of juice and downed it. “Any chance you have food? I’m starving, and I haven’t had breakfast,” she asked, calmer now that she’d told me. I was in a daze.
“Eggs okay?” I asked, going to the fridge by rote and pulling them out, along with cheese and onions. I’ll make her an omelet, that’s a good breakfast for a pregnant woman, right?
“Yes,” she replied, and I jerked my head up, thinking I’d said the pregnant woman part out loud. She looked at me, and I realized she was answering the egg question. As I made the omelet, I remembered the first time I met Hannah.
“Dude! I’m dating the hottest girl ever,” Colt exclaimed, catching me the minute I walked in the door for dinner. I’d moved into my own apartment when I started my sophomore year, so I wasn’t around as much.
“Oh, you’re old enough to date? When did that happen?” I joked with him. I was four years older than Colt, but sometimes it seemed like a bigger gap. I’d always been the books guy, and Colt was the football player. Dad intended for me to get my law degree and join his firm. That left Colt free to follow his dream of becoming a professional football player. It seemed like a ridiculous dream, but Colt had the talent to do it.
I dodged, as he went to punch me in the shoulder. “I'm old enough to date! In fact, you’re going to meet her tonight at dinner,” Colt told me, with a smirk. “And don’t think you can steal her, college guy.”
“Pretty sure she’s jailbait, bro. But I’m ready to meet the hottest girl ever, ‘cause I only get to hang with college girls now,” I replied, dryly. I could only imagine what my baby brother’s idea of the hottest girl ever was: Short, tight skirt and cleavage; probably bleach blond hair; and a giggler, no doubt.
“Have Mom and Dad met her yet?” I asked, concerned. I wanted to enjoy dinner, not get in the middle of a fight over my brother’s girlfriend.
“Oh yeah, they met her at church last week,” Colt told me. I was instantly relieved. She couldn’t be that bad. Colt continued, “She’s the preacher’s daughter.”
Aw, hell. Yes, she could be that bad.
I headed to the kitchen to say hello to Mom. She was pulling a casserole out of the oven when I walked in. I grabbed her in a hug from behind, as she set the dish down, her curly hair tickling my nose. She l
aughed and leaned back for a second, as I growled, “Guess who?”
“My boyfriend, maybe?” she teased me.
“Well, in that case, ma'am, you have excellent taste.”
She twisted around and gave me a giant hug. “I’ve missed you! You never come around anymore,” she exclaimed, exaggerating.
“Mom, I was here last weekend!” I responded, quickly. “So, Colt grabbed me and told me I was meeting his girlfriend tonight. When did that happen?”
Mom laughed, “First day of school he comes home talking about her. Telling us how sweet she was and pretty. He couldn’t wait to ask her out and then she tells him no!”
“Seriously? I bet Colt didn’t like that.”
“I think it made him even more in love,” Mom replied, getting plates out of the cabinet. I started setting the table, as she kept talking. “She actually wasn’t playing hard to get. Her parents don’t allow her to date. We finally met them last week at church, and they agreed she could come over for family dinners. No couple dates though.”
“And Colt is cool with this?” I asked, surprised.
“So far. She had dinner with us on Wednesday, before she went to watch the kids at the church daycare.”
“She sounds too good to be true, Mom.”
“I know it, but she has been really sweet and down to earth. I think she’s good for Colt. Helps him stay focused,” Mom answered, as the doorbell rang. “That’s her. Can you get the door?”
I headed to the door, surprised Colt hadn’t beat me there. I opened the door and saw Hannah for the first time. She had a flowy skirt on with a short sleeved shirt. She looked nice, but not the hottest girl ever. She smiled at me and said, “You must be Ford.” I realized what Colt meant when she smiled. It transformed her. Where she was pretty before, now she was beautiful. I could see that if she wanted to, she could be the hottest girl in the room. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as she looked at me, and I realized I’d been staring and hadn’t answered her.
“Yes, I’m Ford. Come on in. Colt is around here somewhere,” I finally said, moving out of the door so she could come in.
“You go to Baylor, right? Colt talks about you all the time,” she said, her voice low and husky. This girl was a bundle of contradictions. Her clothes were modest, and she wasn’t wearing makeup that I could tell, but she had a voice that would haunt wet dreams. Her hair was pulled up, and I couldn’t help but wonder how long it was. It was a beautiful caramel color with streaks of blonde from the summer sun. “You don’t look anything like Colt. I don’t know why I assumed you would,” she continued, as I remained silent. “You like Baylor? I was thinking about going there. It’s close to home, and I might actually get a chance to live on campus.” Her chatter finally clued me in that she was nervous.
“I do go to Baylor. And no, we don’t look anything alike. I take after my mom’s side,” I said, pointing at my own head, full of curly hair like my mom. “You have a few years to decide about college.”
“Yeah, but my parents want me to have everything planned out and take advance courses. I’m an only child, so they watch everything I do,” she replied, as we entered the kitchen. “Hello, Mrs. Anderson, can I help you with anything?”
“Hi, Hannah. No, I think I’ve got everything. I put the dinner rolls in, so dinner should be ready in a few minutes,” Mom told her, as Colt finally showed up. One whiff, and I knew why he hadn’t answered the door. Apparently, he felt he needed to pour on some cologne before seeing his girl. I saw her nose wrinkle as he gave her a side hug, and I smirked. I might actually like this girl.
“So you met my girl?” Colt asked me, grinning.
“I did, since you couldn’t get your lazy ass to the door to greet her,” I shot back, as Mom said, “Language! We have a guest.”
I muttered, ‘Sorry’ as Hannah said, “Oh, don’t worry about me.” We glanced at each other and smiled. Colt looked between us suspiciously and said, “Y’all seem to be getting along.”
I raised my eyebrow and shook my head. No way am I touching that. Hannah jumped in and told him, “I was asking Ford about Baylor. I’m thinking about going there.”
“Oh, okay. I’m going to Alabama. That’s the team I want to play for. You should be looking at that school,” Colt said excitedly. Hannah smiled at him, and said easily, “I’ll look at them too.” She looked at my mom and told her, “The food smells divine. Thank you so much for having me over. My parents are so strict.”
“It’s no problem. I respect your parent’s decision. Kids grow up too fast,” Mom replied.
“I think it’s a little much,” Colt muttered. “I mean, we could at least go out with a group.”
“I can probably convince them when I’m fifteen,” Hannah said, hopefully.
“Make him wait,” I said, slapping Colt on the back. “It’s good for him.”
Everyone was laughing, as my dad came in.
“What’s the joke?” he said, patting me on the back and giving my mom a smacking kiss on the cheek. My mom blushed and swatted him with a dish towel.
“Talking about how waiting for something is good for Colt,” I replied, as Colt scowled at me. I grinned, as we headed to dinner.
. . .
I slid the omelet in front of Hannah, and she immediately started wolfing it down. I blinked at her. I mean, we’d had enough meals that I knew Hannah liked to eat, but this was new. She looked up at me after a few bites, and said apologetically, “I’m hungry.”
“It’s fine. I thought pregnancy made you sick,” I answered, sitting next to her and eating mine a little more slowly.
“That happens in the afternoon. I turn green, can’t keep anything down,” she said, matter-of-factly, scooping up the last of her omelet. I pushed my plate over to her with my half eaten omelet. She gave me a questioning look, as she grabbed it and finished it off.
“I’m not that hungry,” I said, in reply to her look.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I came here and dumped this on you,” she said, her mouth turned down.
“Why did you come tell me?” I asked her, curious. “I’m guessing you haven’t said anything to Colt?”
“I can’t tell Colt,” Hannah said. I was puzzled, because I knew it was Colt’s baby. Hannah read my look and answered, “He wouldn’t go to Alabama.”
I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I knew she was right, but he still deserved to know. I opened my mouth to tell her that when she jumped in, “I can’t let him give up his dream. It’s not right. He loves football.” She looked down, and I barely heard her say, “More than he’ll ever love me.” I sighed, thinking there had to be a better answer. She glanced at the clock and jumped up. “I have to get to work.” She looked at me uncertainly, and asked, “Can I come back when I get off?”
“Of course. We need to discuss this. When do you get off?”
“Six. I’ll come straight over,” she answered, relieved.
“I can grab some Chinese for dinner,” I said, knowing it was her favorite. She gave me a quick smile and headed out the door. I ran my hands over my head and scrubbed my face. I grabbed swim trunks and headed to the pool. A swim would clear my head, and maybe I’d figure something out.
Hannah
Chapter Two
I took a deep breath, as I got into my car. I felt bad for dragging Ford into my problem, but I was also relieved to not be alone with this any longer. I drove to work automatically, my mind on Ford’s reaction. He hadn’t freaked out or accused me of cheating on Colt. I trusted Ford to do what was best for Colt.
“Hey, girl! You look cute today,” I heard Olivia say, as I walked into the leasing office. I looked up and smiled back at her, flattered, since she was the most stylish person I knew. She was a mix of punk and professional today. She had a leather pencil skirt on with a gorgeous, pink silk blouse, and she rocked the look. Olivia was a business major and fashionista. She worked solely to afford the clothes she adored. I worked to put gas in the car my grandparents had given me as a sixtee
nth birthday present. It was the best gift ever, but my parents had been angry at me for accepting it. It was the biggest fight we’d had to that point.
I’d turned sixteen last August, right before school started. We had a family dinner with my grandparents. I’d known something was up, because they kept looking at each other and grinning. Gran and Pops were my dad’s parents; the only grandparents I had left. My mom’s parents had died a few years ago. I adored them, but I didn’t get to see them very often, because they lived in Maine. I usually spent a couple weeks at their house during the summer, but I hadn’t been able to go that year, because I’d taken an advanced class over the summer. When dinner was over, Pops exclaimed, “Finally! You ready for your present?” He rubbed his hands together and smiled at me. My parents sighed and glanced at each other. I could tell they were not happy about whatever the gift was. Pops guided me by the shoulders, while Gran told me to keep my eyes closed, as we headed outside.
“Are you ready?” they asked me, excitedly.
I laughed and told them, “Are y’all?”
The Anderson Brothers Complete Series Page 1