by Unknown
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Other Books by Rachael Anderson
Dedication
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
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Coming Next
Author's Note
Acknowledgements
About Rachael Anderson
Recommendations
© 2014 Rachael Anderson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of HEA Publishing, LLC. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.
ISBN: 978-1-941363-09-6
Published by HEA Publishing
Other Books by Rachael Anderson
Novels
Prejudice Meets Pride Working it Out
The Reluctant Bachelorette Divinely Designed
Luck of the Draw
Minor Adjustments
Novellas
Righting a Wrong
(A Ripple Effect Romance Novella)
Twist of Fate
(from the All I Want Anthology)
The Meltdown Match
(From The Timeless Romance Anthology: Summer Wedding Collection)
For Cassie. You are darling.
Seven months earlier
A red rose landed on the top of the closed mahogany casket. Cassie didn’t know who had thrown it. She simply watched as it slid to the left then stopped, its long stem hanging precariously over the edge. She hadn’t thought to bring flowers—only the two halves of a geode that had rested on the sleek, black shelf in her family room. They felt rough and hard against her palms, as though they, too, would rather be anywhere but here. She slowly bent down and placed them on the top of the casket.
They didn’t move or slide like the flower had. They just sat there with the crystallized insides winking up at her. She quickly retracted her fingers and took two steps back, unable to look away from them.
The day Landon had proposed, he’d given Cassie a small gift box. Surrounded by his family and friends, her fingers shook as she’d opened it, only to find an ugly gray rock inside rather than the hoped for ring. It had been the equivalent of getting a lump of coal in her stocking for Christmas.
With a deep chuckle, Landon had taken the rock from her and tapped it against his parents’ outdoor fireplace like he was cracking an egg. Two quick flicks of his wrist, and it had split open in a clean break, revealing an inside covered in light blue crystals. Resting against the beautiful backdrop was a large diamond ring.
Cassie had gasped, her fingers flying to cover her mouth.
“This geode symbolizes us,” he’d said. “This part is you; this part is me. Together, we make a whole.” Then he’d knelt down, holding out the half that contained the ring. “Say you’ll be my other half, Cassidy Ellis. My better half.”
Her heart had become a puddle at her feet, tears stung her eyes, and all she could do was nod. A grin split Landon’s face, and he quickly slid the ring onto her shaking finger before jumping to his feet and drawing her into a kiss that made one of those spinning rides at an amusement park seem tame. Whistles and applause echoed around them, beating in her ears like a powerful bass drum.
Normally, Cassie wasn’t one to seek the limelight, but in that blissful moment, life had never felt more perfect. She was marrying the man of her dreams—the man of most girls’ dreams. Landon was handsome, intelligent, suave, and wealthy. He was prince charming, offering her the promise of a happily ever after.
But, as things turned out, it was the promised “happily ever after” that was the fairytale. Not her life.
How naïve she’d been back then.
“Oh, sweetie, my heart hurts for you.” Cassie’s mother’s well-padded arms squeezed her tightly from the side. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you tonight?”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Cassie returned the embrace half-heartedly, unable to pry her gaze away from the casket. At the young age of twenty-four, Cassie was a widow.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” her mother insisted. “I’m worried about you.”
Cassie blinked, trying to feel something, anything. But her heart felt like that geode. Hard on the outside and hollow within. The only difference was that when cracked, her heart didn’t have any pretty crystals inside. It was just… empty.
“I really think I should stay.” The finality of her mother’s words made Cassie snap out of it.
“No. Really, I’m fine. I just need to be alone right now, that’s all.” More than anything, Cassie wanted this day to be put to rest with Landon’s body. She was tired of playing the part of the grieving widow when she wasn’t grieving at all.
Her mother still looked hesitant. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“At least let me drive you home. Dad can drop your car off later.”
Cassie shook her head. “There’s something I need to do first, and I need to do it alone.” No one else would understand her errand, and she wasn’t ready to make them understand. “Please. You go home with Dad, and tell everyone thanks for coming. I promise I’ll call you tomorrow.” It was an empty promise, and they both knew it. Cassie simply wanted the phone calls and condolences to go away.
A tear eased from the corner of her mother’s eye, but she nodded anyway, gave Cassie a squeeze, and rejoined her husband.
Several yards away, her father nodded in parting, her two sisters and their husbands offered sympathetic and tentative waves, and her brothers and their wives watched with pity-filled eyes. Nearly her entire family had come to offer their support—from a distance. Always from a distance.
She let her gaze linger on her family briefly before she turned back and met the cold, hard stare of Landon’s mother. Her steel blue eyes were filled with accusation. Cassie was the undeserving girl who’d stolen her prized son, ruined a marriage, and now look what had happened. It didn’t matter that Landon had made the choice to drink and drive. It didn’t matter that he’d nearly killed a young girl in that accident. In his mother’s mind, Cassie had driven him to it.
Their gazes locked, and for a moment, it felt like a stand-off. Which one of them had loved Landon the most? Who would stay at his graveside the longest?
You win, Cassie thought. Hands down, you win. She adjusted the strap of her purse, gave
the coffin one last glance, and turned away. Her feet stumbled as she crossed the uneven grass in the uncomfortable three-inch heels, with her dark pencil skirt hugging her knees together. They were clothes that Landon had picked out. It had been her final show of respect to a man she didn’t respect at all. The Colorado summer sun heated her neck as, one step at a time, she walked away from one life and toward another. Her white sedan came into view, and Cassie focused on that. Ten steps… seven… five… three, two, one.
She yanked the door open and slid inside. Her hands refused to stop shaking as she started the engine.
Goodbye Landon, she thought as she tugged the black scarf from her neck, shrugged out of the tailored black jacket, and tossed her heels in the back.
Goodbye.
Present Day
In his driveway, Noah killed the engine of his battered and beaten brownish Ford truck and studied the hand painted “Happy Birthday, Adelynn!” banner stretched across his front porch. Vines and flowers wrapped around each letter of his daughter’s name, and purple and turquoise crepe paper streamers draped from the sign, hiding the front porch and the family room window beyond. A small smile touched his lips at the sight. His sister had worked her artistic magic yet again. Adi was one lucky girl.
If only Noah had been there to see the look on his daughter’s face when she’d jumped off the bus and found the surprise waiting for her. If only he’d been there to help Emma hang it up or make the cake or wrap the presents or prepare the dinner.
If only he still had a job.
The weight of responsibility squeezed Noah like a vice. He needed to shake this off, go inside, wrap his now nine-year-old girl in his arms, and swing her around while wishing her the happiest of birthdays. He needed to make her smile, make her laugh, and make this a day she’d remember all year long.
And he would do it. He just needed a few minutes to regroup and remember all the good things in his life. He still had his two beautiful, spirited daughters. He had Emma and Kevin next door, and Becky and Justin across the street, with Sam not too far away. And he had the rest of his life before him, just waiting to be figured out.
As his mother had once wisely told him, “Only after the rain comes the rainbows.” Right now, his life was raining. Not pouring, just raining. All Noah needed to do was wait it out—maybe even dance with his daughters in it.
With a sigh, he pulled his keys from the ignition and opened the door to the frigid January weather. His breath fogged the air around him as he made his way across his newly shoveled driveway—Kevin’s doing, no doubt—and toward his house. He pushed the front door open and spied his two girls at the bar, swiping their little fingers across the back of a turquoise, Barbie doll cake. Noah grinned, knowing exactly what his sister would say if she caught the little snitches.
“Hey,” he called out. “There’s a sign out there that says it’s somebody’s birthday. Which of my girls seems to think she’s another year older?”
“Daddy!” they both cried, sucking the frosting off their fingers as they raced toward him, faces glowing. They threw their arms around his waist, and Noah suddenly found it easy to forget his troubles. Life was still really good.
“It’s my birthday, silly!” Adi’s dimples appeared as she smiled up at him. She tugged on Noah’s fingers. “Come look. Aunt Emma made a ballerina cake with turquoise frosting, and Uncle Kevin is making my favorite dinner ever—hamburgers!”
“I helped,” Kajsa interjected with a pout.
“And Kajsa helped,” added Adelynn.
“I can see you’re also helping yourselves to the cake,” Noah pointed out.
They both had the grace to look sheepish. “We did it for you,” blurted Kajsa.
“Me?”
“Yeah. We were just… making sure it doesn’t taste awful.”
Noah chuckled and grabbed them each around the waist, lifting them off the floor and tipping them upside down. “I thought I told you both that you’re not allowed to have any more birthdays. No more cake, no more presents, and no more getting older. I forbid it.”
The girls were giggling when Emma came in from the backyard, bringing with her a draft of chilled air and a plate of steaming hamburger patties. She wore a white baseball shirt with red sleeves. A circular sports logo decorated the front. Noah only noticed because it wasn’t her usual style, and yet it looked good on her. It had probably been a gift from her sports-loving husband—one of his favorite teams or something. Kevin followed her in and untied his apron, wearing a similar shirt.
When Noah had first moved in, a wall separated the kitchen from the front room. But Emma had made him tear it down and replace it with a bar so the space would feel larger and more open. Now here they were, over three years later, and Noah still admired their handiwork. He loved renovating, building, and creating. He loved change—at least when it came to houses. When it came to jobs, he could do with a little more consistency.
“Well, look who finally came,” Emma teased. “Your timing is impeccable, bro, as usual. Always showing up after the work is done. Ever heard the story of The Little Red Hen?”
“Ever heard the story of the Good Samaritan?” he countered.
Emma rolled her eyes while Kevin chuckled, throwing his apron over a chair. He kissed his wife on the forehead and said, “He got you there,” before stealing the plate of patties and setting them on the table.
The front door burst open, revealing their shivering neighbor, Becky, and her husband, Justin.
“Brrr, it’s cold out there,” said Becky. “You should have asked for warmer weather for your birthday, Adi.”
“You got that right.” Kevin draped an arm around his wife, pulling her close. “Adi insisted on grilling hamburgers. Though with Emma’s reputation for burning things, it’s no wonder.”
Emma elbowed him in the stomach, making him grunt. “Will you stop saying that? I only burn like ten percent of the things I cook.”
“Not great odds when you want your birthday dinner to be perfect, right Adi?”
She giggled and nodded in response, and Kevin received another elbow to the gut.
“I didn’t burn her cake,” Emma defended.
“I don’t know, did you? It was covered with frosting by the time I saw it. Is the cake burned, Kajsa?”
Kajsa shook her head. “Aunt Emma set the timer.” This made everyone laugh, with the exception of Emma, who directed a scowl at Kajsa.
Becky held up a bowl as she made her way toward the kitchen. “The chips and potato salad are here, along with the world’s best present. If the burgers are ready, let’s get this party started.”
“Yay!” Adelynn and Kajsa darted to the table, nearly knocking over two chairs in their haste.
“Girls, careful,” Emma chided, but Noah only grinned. He didn’t mind their excitement. They lived life the way it should be lived—with gusto.
They all settled around the table, prayed, and dug in. The burgers tasted wonderful—the way they always did when Kevin cooked. For the millionth time, Noah thanked his lucky stars that his sister and brother-in-law lived next door. He couldn’t imagine coping as a single father without their help. Emma was always there if the girls needed something during the day, and Kevin was like a second father to them. And if that wasn’t enough, Becky could always be counted on to swoop in and save the day if needed. Even though Noah missed the companionship he’d once shared with his late wife, he was never alone.
“Time for cake and presents!” Adelynn announced. Noah frowned at his half-eaten burger before he glanced at Adelynn’s plate. She’d only taken about one bite of everything.
He shook his head. “Not gonna fly, Adi. You need to take at least two bites of everything before you get any cake.”
Adelynn grabbed her burger and took another bite, then shoved in a spoonful of potato salad, followed by a chip. “There,” she mumbled through a mouth full of food.
“Really?” Emma said dryly. “Two bites, and that’s it? After all our hard
work?”
“It’s her birthday,” said Noah.
“And if it wasn’t her birthday, you’d still let her get away with it.” Emma gave a small smile and shook her head. “You’re such a pushover.”
“And you’re not?”
“I’m her aunt. I’m allowed.”
Adelynn balanced the cake under two arms as she carried it carefully to the table. She looked so old and independent, like she was nine going on twenty. Noah wanted time to stop, or at least slow down. He wanted to keep his girls young and innocent for as long as he could.
Instead, he grabbed a lighter and lit the candles.
“Happy birthday to me,” Adelynn started the song, and the others quickly joined in, singing faster than usual to keep up with the birthday girl. Before Noah could catch his breath, the candles had been blown out, and Adelynn was racing to the bar where all of her presents were on display.
“Can I open them, Daddy, please?” Her dark eyes were large. Happy. So beautiful. So impossible to say no to.
“Sure,” he said.
She ripped into his presents first, squealing when she found the Barbie ballerina doll she’d been wanting, along with a Princess-opoly game, some new winter boots, and a turquoise sweater. “Thank you, Daddy! I love them,” she said, throwing her arms around him. Emma and Kevin’s gift came next—a new art set, the same gift they gave every birthday. The girls adored them. They both wanted to be artists like their Aunt Emma.
Before Adelynn could reach for the last gift, Becky snatched it up. “I need to explain something before you open it. This is a birthday gift for both you and Kajsa. We’re just giving it to Kajsa a few months early because… well, you’ll see.” Becky waved Kajsa over to help open the gift, and the girls pulled out two pairs of black ballet-type shoes and some textured white socks. They stared at them in confusion.
“They’re dance shoes and poodle socks,” Becky explained. “Remember when I measured your feet a couple weeks ago?”
They nodded.