by Carol Lynne
Table of Contents
Legal Page
Title Page
Book Description
Dedication
Trademarks Acknowledgement
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
New Excerpt
About the Author
New Excerpt
A Totally Bound Publication
Journey to Lobster Cove
ISBN # 978-1-78430-445-4
©Copyright Carol Lynne 2015
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright February 2015
Edited by Sue Meadows
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 1.
Cattle Valley
JOURNEY TO LOBSTER COVE
Carol Lynne
Book thirty-two in the Cattle Valley series
Spreading acceptance one town at a time.
When the town of Cattle Valley runs out of room for new construction, Asa Montgomery begins to look into alternative locations. He discovers a picturesque fishing village in Maine for sale and begins to make plans to purchase Lobster Cove. Unfortunately, setting up a new community takes him away from his partner, Mario, who isn’t pleased about being left behind.
Meanwhile, after years of dancing around their mutual attraction, Cullen Bryant decides the time has come to lay his feelings for Joseph Allenbrand on the line. Unfortunately, his plan is cut short when Joseph sends him away with no other explanation than he should move on.
Joseph knows sending Cullen away is the kindest thing to do for the younger man, but when he hears Cullen truly may be moving on, he realizes it’s time to reevaluate his life. Will he work out his issues in time to save what he’s spent years denying?
Dedication
For Theresa and Lorelei, the two women who help keep me sane each day.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
iPad: Apple, Inc.
Range Rover: Jaguar Land Rover
Xbox: Flextronics International, Inc.
Froot Loops: Kellogg’s
Kool-Aid: Kraft Foods
UPS: United Parcel Service of North America Inc.
Brawny: Georgia-Pacific
Chapter One
Vigorously brushing his teeth, Asa Montgomery stepped out of the bathroom to stare at the handsome man who still refused to get out of bed.
Mario Benta glanced up from his iPad and grinned. “Don’t look at me like that. How many times have we waited for Nate, Ryan and Rio to get to a council meeting? It’s my turn to make them wait.”
With a shake of his head, Asa strode back to the sink and spit out the minty foam. “We’ve got over a hundred applications to go through before we can call an end to the meeting. The sooner we get there, the faster we can get back to doing better things,” he said over his shoulder.
“I found an entire town that’s being auctioned off,” Mario replied from the bedroom.
Chuckling, Asa leaned against the doorframe. He crossed his arms and stared pointedly at Mario, hoping to get his partner up and moving. “Tired of Cattle Valley already?”
“Hell no.” Mario held out his iPad. “Stop being a smart ass and look at it while I wash my cock and put on clothes.”
Asa strode to the bed and took the device from Mario. He’d heard of towns being auctioned off, but he also knew it wasn’t the actual town being bought but the expenses involved in running a town. “Buying a town is a poor business decision. Vanity, pure and simple.”
“Just read the goddamn thing and watch the video,” Mario said moments before the shower turned on.
With a sigh of exasperation, Asa sat on the edge of the mattress and looked at the iPad. “Charming oceanside town Lobster Cove to be auctioned,” he read aloud. He tapped on the attached video that showcased the small but picturesque town on the coast of Maine. At only three minutes and twenty seconds long, the video did a good job of highlighting the town and surrounding landscape. He turned his attention to the written article. Lobster Cove had been a thriving New England town until the local economy suffered a devastating blow when the boatyard located at the edge of town had gone bankrupt. According to the article, more than two-thirds of the community’s houses were currently empty.
“Shit,” Asa cursed. He played the video again.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Mario asked, running the towel over his short black hair.
“Yeah.” Asa set the iPad aside before reaching for his shoes. It hadn’t been an easy choice to sell his various businesses and concentrate solely on Montgomery Enterprises, but he’d done it in an attempt to carve out a more peaceful life. His gaze slid to Mario. Yeah, being able to spend each night in bed with his partner had definitely been worth the changes to his portfolio. He’d be crazy to consider taking on another project that would take him away from the man he loved.
* * * *
Mario Benta sat between Asa and Hearn Sutherland at the long city council table. The special meeting had been called to weed through the incoming applications. The final phase of housing was near completion, signaling the need to handpick the future residents of Cattle Valley. He was silently pleased he hadn’t been put through the rigorous application process when he’d decided to pull up stakes and move to the small Wyoming town.
Mario read through the application in front of him. He was impressed by the guy on paper, but he also knew the final thirty residents selected would also have to go through a short interview. “Hey, Ryan, do you have openings at the sheriff’s department?”
Ryan Blackfeather, sheriff of Cattle Valley, glanced up and shook his head. “No, why, you got someone good?”
“Yeah.” Mario passed the manila folder to Ryan. “Mick Hennessey. Originally from a small town outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, he took a job with the NYPD right after graduation. Worked his way up to detective by the time he was twenty-eight. Says in his application that he needs out of the city and is willing to do damn near anything we need for a spot.”
“Sounds like a good man.” Ryan put Mick’s folder on top of the stack of finalists before turning his attention to his partner, Nate. “There room in the budget for another deputy?”
Nate shook his head. “We barely squeezed out funding for the last two we hired. Sorry, babe, but we can’t do it.
”
Mario glanced at the folder on top of the stack. He hated this whole fucking process. So far, there hadn’t been a single application that he’d put on the no pile. “Does anyone else feel like we’re playing God or something?”
Several men around the table nodded, including Asa. “Unfortunately, it can’t be helped. Housing’s at capacity and we’re out of room to add more.”
Frustrated, Mario shoved his pile toward the center of the table. “We’ve been at this for hours and we’re not getting anywhere.” He stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Can we call it a night and work on these later?” He wasn’t one to shirk his council duties, but he was tired and out of sorts. All he wanted was to get back into bed with Asa and fuck out his mood.
Mario moved to stand behind Asa. “Please?” he begged, bending down to kiss his partner’s neck.
“George’s on shift tomorrow night, and Trick’s on the road, so I don’t have anyone to watch Lucy,” Carol Manning said.
“Bring her along,” Nate replied. “I’ll bring Hannah and she can watch the little sugar demon.” As mayor, Nate had the final word on forestalling the decisions for another day.
“I’d rather just power through.” Asa reached behind him to give Mario’s leg a squeeze. “It shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”
Mario scraped his teeth across his lower lip in an attempt to keep his biting reply to himself. Of course, Asa would want to stay. Despite claiming otherwise, Asa was a workaholic, and Mario was getting sick and tired of evenings spent alone in their monstrosity of a house. “Forgive me for wanting to have a few hours with you before you run back to the office.”
“Mario,” Asa said.
Mario threw up his hands in disgust and moved toward the door. “I’m going home. I’ll be more than happy to stop by after work tomorrow to go through my share.” He turned his attention to Carol, their nearest neighbor. “Do you mind giving Asa a ride home?”
“Not at all,” Carol replied.
“That won’t be necessary.” Tapping the stack of folders with his forefinger, Asa got to his feet. “I’m not sure what my schedule looks like tomorrow, but I’ll let you know.” He shot Mario a narrow-eyed gaze as he left the room without another word.
Mario caught sight of Ryan’s smirk and shook his head. “Shut up.”
Ryan held up his hands. “Didn’t say a word.”
* * * *
“You ready for that test?” Cullen Bryant asked from his position in front of the television.
“Yeah, I think so,” Jared, a sixteen-year-old under Cullen’s care, replied as he headed up the staircase. “Right now, my bed’s calling.”
“Sleep tight,” Cullen called out before Jared made it to the top. He grinned at Jared’s groan of protest. Sixteen was a tough age, especially when you were used to being on your own. Of all the teenagers at the Second Chance ranch, Jared reminded Cullen most of himself. On the streets at fourteen, Jared had resorted to selling his body in order to stay alive. It had been Joseph Allenbrand, an ex-priest, who had rescued Jared from the streets of Washington, DC.
Cullen rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. Even after two years living and working on the Second Chance ranch, he hadn’t been able to get over his crush on Joseph.
“Shit,” he spat. It wasn’t a crush. No way in hell would a physical attraction last nearly five years.
Mandy walked into the living room before flopping onto the sofa beside Cullen. “The house is locked up tight.”
Cullen lifted his arm and welcomed Mandy against him. The two of them had gone through hell together when they’d lived on the streets of DC and had grown even closer since moving to the ranch.
“I should go to bed,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
Cullen tensed, praying the something Mandy wanted to talk about didn’t include Joseph, because as much as he loved Mandy, he was tired of her pity. “Okay.”
Instead of speaking, Mandy began to pick at a hole in her striped sock. Cullen sat, trying to be patient for about two minutes before clearing his throat. “You wanted to talk?”
Mandy buried her face against Cullen’s chest. “I think I wanna take Asa up on that scholarship.”
Cullen breathed a sigh of relief. It had been seven months since Mandy had graduated high school with the offer from Asa. Mandy had put their billionaire benefactor off by saying she needed time to decide whether or not college was something she was interested in. “That’s good, right?”
Mandy shrugged. “I thought I could go to the community college in Sheridan a few nights a week. That way, I’ll still be able to live and work here.”
Cullen shook his head. As much as he needed Mandy near him, she deserved better. “No, sweetie, you need to go away and get the full experience.” He brushed the blonde curls away from her face before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “You’ve earned it, and you won’t have time for work here if you’re still planning to go into veterinary medicine.”
“I’m not.” She looked up at him. “I’ve been thinking about social work.”
Cullen’s breath hitched. After her grandmother’s death, Mandy, then thirteen, had been thrown into the foster care system where her foster parents had abused her, both physically and sexually. “To help other kids like you?”
“No, to make sure there are fewer kids like me.” She pulled away from Cullen and sat up. “I’d like to concentrate on the foster parents. I think that’s where I can do the most good.”
Cullen bumped his shoulder against Mandy’s. “Great idea.”
“Yeah, so you see, there’s no reason I can’t go to the community college for a couple years.”
While Cullen understood her point, he still didn’t like the idea. He knew what she was doing. Hell, it was the same thing he’d been doing for the last few years. They were using the ranch as a safety net, both afraid their happiness was due solely to their location.
Conjuring up his best smile, he poked Mandy’s ribs with his finger. “You’ll flourish in college.”
“Yeah? Then why didn’t you go?” she countered.
Cullen snorted. “I had to take my GED three times before I passed.” He sobered when he noticed the scowl on Mandy’s pretty face. “Some people are meant to work with their hands instead of their minds. I’m one of those.”
“Stop selling yourself short,” Mandy barked, genuine anger in her stormy gray eyes.
“I’m not. I promise. I’m not saying I’m stupid. I just don’t have the drive it takes to complete a degree, and I know it. I get bored. I like working with my hands.” To earn extra money and learn a trade, he’d been working with Hal Kuckleman’s construction crew for the last year and a half. “Besides, Hal says I’m a quick learner. I can damn near do everything except the electrical and plumbing and Collin Zeffer’s promised to teach me that the next house we build.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Mandy mumbled. “I love you, Cullen.”
His eyes filled with tears as he fought to speak. As shitty as Mandy’s life had been before finding the shelter, his own life had been so much worse. “No one’s ever said those words to me,” he confessed.
Mandy hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said them years ago.” She stared up at him. “You’ve always looked out for me, and I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”
Cullen rolled his watery eyes. “No kissing,” he warned.
Mandy giggled before giving him a light punch in the stomach. “I don’t want in your pants, asshole, just your heart.”
“Good because you’re already there,” he replied.
* * * *
Joseph Allenbrand continued to pace the community room in the shelter he ran for runaways. It was after one in the morning and Pip hadn’t returned from his part-time job that had ended hours earlier. Joseph knew better than anyone the temptations and dangers that lured seventeen-year-old boys into the darken
ed alleys between the shelter and the small diner where Pip washed dishes.
He glanced at his closed office door. Inside the safe Drake had ordered be installed was another locked box containing a gun. Joseph had argued with Asa’s chief of security over the ridiculousness of having a firearm in a home with troubled teens, but Drake had been adamant about leaving it.
The neighborhood surrounding the Rainbow Youth Shelter for homeless GLBT teens had tried to revitalize several times since Joseph had obtained the property. Unfortunately, families with small children didn’t last long in the area because so many of Joseph’s kids came with the kind of baggage that captured the attention of dealers, thugs and pimps. It hadn’t been easy to get his boys off the street and the scourge of the city hated him for dipping into their profit margins by taking one of their recruits away from them. The last time Joseph had pissed off one of the dealers, the shelter had been burned to the ground. Thanks to Nate Gills and Asa Montgomery they’d rebuilt in time for the cold, harsh DC winter.
The sound of the buzzer startled Joseph from his thoughts. He immediately strode toward the front of the shelter and stared at the high-tech security screen Drake had also installed. Bile rose in his throat as he stared at the bloody teenager.
No! Joseph quickly unlocked the door and caught Pip as he fell into his arms. He eased Pip’s limp body to the floor before shutting and locking the door. “Hang on,” he urged, reaching for the phone.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” the calm male voice asked.
“I need an ambulance at the Rainbow Youth Shelter.” Joseph rattled off the address as he tried to assess Pip’s condition. There was so much blood.