Madison Grace had been a surprise…in every way. Coming a year before Cash and Harper had planned to even begin trying for children, three years into their marriage, and right in the middle of Harper planning on opening up her own bakery. It hadn’t been easy, but nothing for them ever had been. They’d had to put the plans off for a few months, and now that Madison was almost two years old, they had worked it out so that Harper’s dream could come true.
“Not right now, baby girl,” Cash told his daughter as she reached for him. “We’ve got to get going or your mama’s gonna have my ass.” He made sure he had the diaper bag, grabbed up the flowers he’d bought for Harper, and checked his pocket to make sure he had his wallet and keys.
He ushered the group outside and down the front porch. The SUV they got into wasn’t the fast car he’d driven the Trail with back in his youth, but now he got his adrenaline rush with tattoos, rock climbing to stay in shape, and shooting guns at the range with some of the Heaven Hill members. Settled was a good way to describe his life—gone was the upheaval of his youth. He’d truly settled into adulthood, and if everyone was to be believed, it looked good on him.
Looking at the house in front of him as he put the SUV in gear, Cash was still surprised they’d gotten approved for it. It wasn’t more than they could afford, it wasn’t too big, it was just right, but it still amazed him that they’d been that responsible. Someone had given them $120K for a nice home in a suburb of Warren County. It also amazed him that they continued to make the payment, every month, on time.
Glancing at his blind spot, he saw Madison in her car seat, and he took a moment to smile and wink at her before he reached back and tickled her feet. She squealed, and his heart constricted. The man he was now was not who he’d ever thought he would be, the man he thought he’d never be given the chance to be, but he thanked the stars above that this had been the plan for him.
*
Harper blew out a deep breath and looked into the mirror, hoping that she at least appeared calm, cool, and collected. In reality her stomach was in knots. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had five minutes before she opened the doors to the public for her grand opening. She knew, without a doubt, everything was where it was supposed to be. She had drinks, pastries, pieces of cakes, sandwiches made into finger foods, and small bowls of side dishes laid out. There were many ways that would-be customers could sample her wares. She also knew this would be attended, she just wasn’t sure how many people would show up. She’d built up a reputation working out of the home she and Cash had purchased while she waited first for her pregnancy to be over and then for Madison to be old enough to begin this venture with her.
There was a knock on the back door, and she almost squealed with excitement as she glanced through the glass and saw her family.
“Hey.” She leaned in, giving Cash a kiss that threatened to turn hot. The passion still hadn’t died, and for that she was grateful, especially after she heard horror stories from other couples.
“Hey, sorry we almost didn’t make it,” he apologized, handing her the bouquet of flowers. “I ran over at the shop.”
“No need to apologize; you’re here now.” Harper grinned at the three of them. “I’m so nervous!”
“No reason to be, Harp,” Remy told her as he leaned over and gave her a hug, handing her Madison in the process. “We’re here for you, and so are all those people lined up out there.”
“Lined up?” she questioned. “I’ve been back here getting ready for the last hour. Nobody was lined up when I came back here.”
“Then you need to go check it out, babe.” Cash smiled at her, pride in his eyes. “You have an audience.”
She grasped Madison tighter in her arms and walked towards the front of the store. They had lucked out when they’d been searching for spaces and had scored one on the square. She was tucked not too far away from where Travis Steele’s wife worked at her hair salon.
“Holy shit,” she breathed as she saw there was indeed a line, one that went almost around one side of the square. “I don’t know if we have enough food.” She laughed, tears in her eyes. “They’re all here for me?” she asked Cash as he came to stand behind her, putting his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly.
“They’re here for you,” he confirmed, picking people out of the crowd. He saw the members of Heaven Hill, their wives, the teachers B had given sweet treats to and then had come back for orders of their own, customers of his, of Walker’s Wheels, Doc Jones (who he waved at), Natalie, Slim and Rodrigo, along with various other people. Nothing had ever made his heart feel so full.
“C’mon, munchkin.” Remy grabbed up Madison. “Let’s open the door while the folks have a moment.”
“Love you,” Madison yelled back at the two of them. It was her new phrase.
“Love you too.” Harper smiled softly at her daughter. The words came so easy now, she couldn’t believe she’d ever had a hard time saying them.
“Southern Delight is open for business,” Remy yelled loudly as he opened the doors and people began streaming in.
“Take this all in, sweetness,” Cash whispered in her ear. “Because you did it.”
“No,” she turned to him, tears in her eyes, “we did it.”
He grasped her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips, brushing a kiss against them. “We were two scared kids who needed a roof over our heads. Look at us now, Harper. We’re both business owners, home owners, parents.” His voice dropped lower, and he brought his other hand up to tangle in her hair. “And I love you more now than I did then.”
She nodded, not able to speak as her throat clogged, and she leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. “Thank you for loving me,” she whispered.
“Try and stop me, babe. We’ve run the race of our lives and look where we are.”
Harper cleared her throat. “We’re at the finish line of an amazing journey and the starting line of the next one.”
“We are.” He accepted a clap on the back from Liam as the older man walked up behind him.
Cash turned around, stopping Liam. “Thanks for being here tonight.”
“We wouldn’t be anywhere else, my man. We’re glad to see you two doing well for yourselves. You’ve come a long way.” Liam looked where Harper stood with Madison.
“You had a huge role in that, and I’ll be forever thankful.” Cash leaned in, clasping hands with Liam and giving him a half hug.
“Enjoy it.” Liam raised his glass to the two of them.
Harper handed Madison off to Remy again and turned to face Cash, listening as he spoke.
“Now, for the night, before we have more bills to pay, let’s go enjoy ourselves.”
She laughed, throwing her head back. Grabbing his hand, she led him into the mass of people and made sure they never left one another’s sides. They were in this for life.
Note From Laramie
When I decided that Cash was going to get his own story, I had no idea that it would be a trilogy. I knew that I wanted to write a little sexier, but still keep the same emotion and feeling that is apparent in the Heaven Hill books.
Cash was different and he showed me another side to myself. There certain spots where my editor would say who are you and what have you done with my Laramie? There were other’s when she or my beta’s would this is what I love about what you do.
Cash and Harper challenged me, not only in writing in a little different way than I write my Heaven Hill and Rockin’ Country books, but they were frustrating. They kept wanting to be broken apart when I just wanted them to be back together again.
I’m glad I was able to put them back together again and I have to be honest, wrote my favorite epilogue that I’ve ever written!
I hope you enjoyed Cash & Harper. Don’t be shy and let me know if you did!
Thank you, as always for the support and indulging my crazy ideas!
Much Love,
Laramie
About the Author
Laramie Briscoe is the best-selling author of the Heaven Hill Series & the Rockin’ Country Series.
Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie Briscoe has published over 10 books. She’s appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. She’s been called “a very young Maya Banks” (Amazon reviewer) and her books have been accused of being “sexy, family-oriented, romances with heart”.
When she’s not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on her DVR. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband (the Travel Coordinator) and a sometimes crazy cat named Beau.
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Other Books by Laramie
http://bit.ly/laramieb
Heaven Hill Series
Meant To Be
Out of Darkness
Losing Control
Worth The Battle
Dirty Little Secret
Second Chance Love
Rough Patch
Beginning of Forever
Rockin’ Country Series
Only The Beginning
One Day at A Time
The Price of Love
Full Circle
The Red Bird Trail Trilogy
Flagger
Collision
In-Tune
Also by Laramie Briscoe
Meant To Be
Heaven Hill Series #1
Prologue
Denise Cunningham pulled back the curtains covering the window pane in her front door with shaky hands. The knock that had sounded moments before wasn’t the gentle knock of a friend over for a visit. Staring back at her through the glass, she saw two Warren County Sheriff’s deputies holding papers. Dread rolled up in her throat as her stomach began to churn. She let the blinds fall and took two deep breaths before she unlocked the door and faced the men standing on the other side. As she stepped out, the brightness of the sun assaulted her eyes, the warmth of the summer day made it even more difficult to breathe past the lump in her throat.
“Denise Cunningham?” The taller of the two asked.
Not trusting her voice, she could only nod her head in acknowledgement of who she was.
With cold efficiency, he handed her the papers in his hands. “Denise Cunningham, I’m serving you with papers from Kentucky Housing.” He produced a pen and requested her signature.
In minutes it was over. The scene she had dreaded most over the last few months had come to fruition. Unless she could come up with six months back mortgage, she would lose her home. She stood frozen in shock as the officers walked away from the door and headed back to their patrol car. It almost made her laugh – the fact that they felt she, a single mother, was dangerous enough to warrant two deputies. As they pulled away, she realized her neighbors watched. Shame and embarrassment caused her face to burn as she slammed her door shut.
Tears came now, along with shakes that wracked her body. “God, please help me,” she whispered as she opened the packet of paperwork they had left with her. “What am I going to do?” Through the tears, she read the legal papers in her trembling hands. The amount due was more than she had seen in years. Especially now that her hours had recently been cut. She was officially screwed.
The shrill ringing of her cell phone broke into her freak-out. A number she had never seen before displayed on the screen, and she wondered if she should answer it. Along with the money she owed on her home, she owed thousands to credit card companies. They had also begun to hound her. Should she take the chance and answer it or let the voicemail pick it up? As she debated, her finger hit the accept button of its own accord.
“Hello?”
“Denise, this is Roni,” the voice on the other end greeted.
Roni was in fact Sharon Walker, another employee at the big box store where Denise had found a temporary job. They’d only spoken a time or two, and Denise hadn’t actually been sure the other woman would ever call her. To say this was a surprise was an understatement. But at this point, anything that took her mind off of what had just happened was welcome.
“Hey, Roni.”
“Did I catch you at a bad time? It took you a while to answer. I’m gonna ask you for a favor, so if you can’t do it, just let me know,” she forged ahead in a rush.
A bad time? Was it couth to tell a mere acquaintance that your home was about to be foreclosed on?
Clearing her throat Denise said, “Not at all. What can I help you with?” Accepting a favor for someone would possibly get her out of the house, the house that soon would no longer be hers. The walls were closing in, and she needed something to do. She needed something to work out halfway good for once instead of all the gloom and doom.
“Can you cover my shift for me tonight? I’ve got a little bit of an emergency with my brother, and I’m gonna need a few hours.”
Denise bit her lip. She had heard rumblings about Roni’s brother. Word around town had it that he was part of a major outlaw biker gang called the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club. Whatever Roni would be doing to help her brother would probably be illegal. Would that make Denise an accomplice?
“Would it make you a what?” Roni asked as Denise stood frozen with the phone to her ear.
Shit. She’d said that out loud. “Never mind. I’ll cover for you. What time do I have to be there?” Anything would be better than sitting here, worrying about things she had no control over.
Roni rattled off a time that would only allow her minutes to get dressed, head out the door, and make it there just in time to clock in. Quickly they hung up. Depression threatening to take over, Denise shoved the packet of paperwork under the pillow of her couch. With any luck neither of her children would see it. Their lives had been in as much upheaval as hers. They didn’t need to see this too – she felt like a failure as their mother.
Pulling out of her Plum Springs subdivision, Denise made her way to Louisville road which took her to the interstate. The interstate would take her less time than going through town. She made sure to take in her surroundings. Unless a miracle happened or she hit the lottery, her days living in this neighborhood were numbered. A red light stopped her right before she hit the interstate. To the left, blue lights could be seen swirling on top of police cars. Men were being handcuffed and put in back seats two at a time. It wasn’t unusual to see arrests right next to the interstate, but this time she noticed an influx of motorcycles. The gas station on Duntov Way, situated between a fast food restaurant and a liquor store, usually didn’t see a lot of motorcycles. The exception being Harley Weekend at the local dragstrip. With keen eyes, she got a good look at the patches that adorned the backs of the leather vests, or cuts as they called them, the men wore.
“Fuck,” she breathed, recognizing the patch on most of the men. The Heaven Hill insignia inside a skull. The bottom rocker on the cut indicated this was the Bowling Green Chapter.
It was the Heaven Hill Motorcycle Club, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, she had just seen Roni’s brother get put in the back of a sheriff’s patrol car. Probably by the same officers that had just served her. If there was one thing she knew, it was that all hell was about to break loose in small-town Kentucky.
Only the Beginning
Rockin’ Country #1
Chapter One
The crowd screamed loudly, causing her palms to sweat and her heart to race. Harmony Stewart inhaled deeply and
then exhaled, letting the breath flow through her. The relaxation technique worked. Shoulders that had been so tight she couldn’t even roll them were now loose. It was always like this, she realized. Right before she went on stage, the nervous energy started, causing her to tense up—not fully being able to appreciate the life she was living. Closing her eyes, she breathed again, feeling her muscles loosen up even more.
“Harmony, you’re up next.”
She nodded, glancing at the production tech. “Thanks.” Her voice was thin even to her own ears. This was just something that she went through, no matter how many millions of albums she sold or awards she garnered.
Looking out onto the stage, she saw the rock group, Black Friday, finishing up. A fan of the band, she tried to still the heart that threatened to beat out of her chest as they finished their song and walked towards her. The lead singer was the personification of hotness in her opinion. She had always wanted a meeting, but had never been able to approach him when they had been in the same space. This time he would have to walk right by her—not that she had deluded herself to think he would know who she even was. Pulling her shaking hands to her body, she gripped them hard as the group approached.
“Good job, guys,” she smiled as they passed her. One by one, they nodded and accepted her smile until she came face to face with Reaper, the lead singer. She only knew his stage name. What she wouldn’t give to know his real one.
In Tune (Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book 3) Page 9