On Lavender Lane
Page 1
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF JOANN ROSS
One Summer
“Ross has a wonderful knack for creating a story so lovely that readers want to stay immersed in it forever. One Summer pulls readers into the wonderful world of Shelter Bay and holds them close, like family.”
—Romantic Times
The Homecoming
“Family and passion [are] Ms. Ross’s trademark[s].…Filled with captivating characters, humor, and an enduring love story.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Race to Shelter Bay as fast as possible. You won’t be disappointed.”
—Once Upon a Romance
“A charming story of family, old friendships, and new love.…I eagerly await the next Shelter Bay novel.”
—Joyfully Reviewed
“One of the best books I’ve read this summer.…Ms. Ross penned such emotion into her story line and created characters that you easily fall in love with.”
—Night Owl Romance
“The Oregon coast has no better publicist than JoAnn Ross, and starting over can be as invigorating as a breeze coming off the ocean bringing the love of our life.”
—Bookreporter.com
“It isn’t often readers find characters they’re willing to spend a weekend with. However, that’s exactly what Ross accomplishes…enveloping the reader in the lives of two endearing, albeit flawed, characters…an entertaining stay in Shelter Bay.”
—Romantic Times
Breakpoint
“This is probably the best book I’ve read this early summer. This hot novel has everything a reader might want in romantic suspense, from sexy, complex characters, to a fascinating setting and intense intimacy.”
—The Romance Readers Connection
continued…
Crossfire
“The plot is riveting, the characters sizzle, and the ending will blow you away. Trust me, you do not want to miss Crossfire. But keep in mind, once you pick it up, it’s impossible to put down.”
—Fresh Fiction
“[A] can’t-put-down-forget-the-housework-cereal-for-dinner book. The chemistry between Quinn and Cait screams off the page and practically singes your fingers.”
—Romance Junkies
Freefall
“A page-turning mix of danger, suspense, and passion.”
—New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen
“A romantic thriller that sizzles with passion and danger…a page-turner leading up to an ending you must read to believe. What an incredible story!”
—Fresh Fiction
“An intense thriller…the perfect edge-of-your-seat mystery. JoAnn Ross is one author who delivers and will most definitely blow you away.”
—Romance Reviews Today
No Safe Place
“Sizzles with the sensuality and danger fans of her romantic thrillers have come to expect.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A page-turner.…Hop on the Ross Express for a lightning ride.”
—New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard
“A spellbinding read.…I was blown away. An amazing author and this latest story proves it once again.”
—Fresh Fiction
Impulse
“Spine-chilling.…a good mix of suspense and romance.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Richly drawn characters, a powerful story, and a heart-stopping ending.”
—Fresh Fiction
Blaze
“Seamlessly plotted.…Ross keeps the heat on right to the last page.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Dynamic.…fast-paced, utterly engrossing.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Out of the Storm
“Out of the Storm sizzles! A captivating and entertaining blend of romance, mystery, and suspense.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Out of the Blue
“[An] adventurous, exhilarating story. Danger and intrigue are a constant presence. Highly passionate.…outstanding.”
—Romance Junkies
“The best kind of romantic suspense: heart-stopping terror and a heart-tugging romance.”
—Romance Reviews Today
River Road
“Skillful and satisfying.…With its emotional depth, Ross’s tale will appeal to Nora Roberts fans.”
—Booklist
“The romance.…crackles and the verbal sparring keeps the narrative moving along at an energetic clip.…delightful.”
—Publishers Weekly
Confessions
“[A] hot, steamy.…page-turner.”
—A Little Romance
“Touches of humor nicely relieve the suspenseful nature of the intriguing and intricately plotted tale. Bravo!”
—The Paperback Forum
Also by JoAnn Ross
Shelter Bay Novels
The Homecoming
One Summer
High Risk Novels
Freefall
Crossfire
Shattered
Breakpoint
ON LAVENDER LANE
A SHELTER BAY NOVEL
JoAnn Ross
A SIGNET BOOK
SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, January 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © The Ross Family Trust, 2012
All rights reserved
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
Printed in the United States of America
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher ha
s received any payment for this “stripped book.”
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Moonshell Beach
Again, to all the men and women of the U.S. military—and their families—for their service and sacrifice.
To the Ladies of Orcas Ridge, for the warm
welcome and fun lunches.
And, as always, to Jay—who once bought me a bag of saltwater taffy at the Oregon coast, where Shelter Bay is set, then proposed.
Here’s to many more years of memorable
beach days together.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, with heartfelt appreciation to my fabulous agent and cheerleader, Robin Rue. And her assistant, detail goddess Beth Miller.
Again, with thanks to the supersupportive team at NAL, who make writing such a joy. Between moving back to my beloved Pacific Northwest and coming home to my first publisher, my life is now pretty much perfect.
With gratitude to Paul Janovsky, for creating such beautiful watercolor art for One Summer and On Lavender Lane. And who (yay!) has signed on for future Shelter Bay covers.
And last but definitely not least, I was remiss in not acknowledging our own dear Shadow, eldest brother of our three current rescued dogs, and the model for Marine photojournalist Gabriel St. James’ dog in One Summer. As Gabe learned, rescues rule!
1
Madeline Durand was braising short ribs in an Omaha department store when her husband’s sex video went viral.
The day, which would go down as one of the worst in her life, hadn’t exactly begun on a high note. Her early-morning flight from New York was delayed for three hours because of a late-spring storm that had barreled into Nebraska, bringing with it tree-bending winds, snow, and ice.
Lots and lots of ice.
On the plus side, when she finally did arrive in Omaha, she was greeted by a sixtysomething woman wearing a puffy down coat the same color as her weather-chapped cheeks, and a red knit hat pulled down over salt-and-pepper hair. Her down-to-earth midwestern friendliness gave Madeline hope that her luck may have taken a turn for the better.
“Hi, Chef Madeline! I’m Birdy Hinlemeir,” she said enthusiastically, pulling off a red and white striped mitten and thrusting out her hand. “Head of the store’s special events department. We’re all so excited about hosting your cooking demonstration today.”
“I’m happy to be here.” Which was the absolute truth. After holding her breath while the pilot landed in what appeared to be near whiteout conditions, Madeline was infinitely grateful to be back on solid ground.
“Sorry about the weather,” Birdy said as they walked out into air thick with swirling white flakes. “We tend to have four seasons here: almost winter, winter, still winter, and wow, this has gotta be the hottest summer ever!”
“I take it we’re in ‘still winter.’ ” Madeline sucked in a breath as a freezing mix of snow and sleet pelted her face.
“Yep. We don’t tend to get snow this late, but the weather’s been really strange the past couple years. I guess Mother Nature had one more storm up her sleeve.”
“You needn’t apologize. Fortunately, I won’t be cooking outdoors.”
“Oh, the store will definitely be warm enough,” the older woman assured her. “Your dish for the finished part of the demonstration arrived this morning, all packed in dry ice, so my assistant’s heating it up for you.”
“I appreciate that.” Short ribs took three hours in the oven, so, following Julia Child’s motto that a few simple steps ahead of time could make all the difference in the end, Madeline had preprepared a dish to serve to the audience.
“Good thinking, going with beef, since we’re definitely a meat-and-potatoes crowd out here. It’s not that often we get a celebrity at the store—usually it’s just some local selling homemade jam or sausage—so we wanted to do it up right.”
“I appreciate the effort. But I’m not a celebrity. I just cook.”
“Well, to us you’re certainly a TV star. I’ve never missed an episode of Comfort Cooking, but your new show, Dinner at Home, got my family sitting down at the table together again.”
“That’s always lovely to hear,” Madeline said through teeth she’d clenched together to keep them from chattering.
“Of course, my own three kids have left the nest,” Birdy confided. “But my daughter got laid off from her management job at ConAgra. The same week, her cheating husband left her for the woman who claimed to be her best friend. Yeah, right. That’s a real good friend.” She shook her head in disgust. “Anyway, with money tight right now, she and her kids have moved in with me until she gets back on her feet.”
“I’m sorry about her marriage.”
“Oh, in the long run, it’s probably for the best. He was a no-good louse from the get-go. I tried to warn her, but what can you do?” She shrugged well-padded shoulders as she clicked a remote, causing a tomato red SUV a few cars away in the lot to chirp. “They never had anything in common. Nothing like you and that sexy French chef you married. Is it true one of his ancestors cooked for Napoleon?”
“So they say.” Maxime had never been shy about mentioning that bit of family history.
“It’s good to know your roots. One of my greats, going back several generations, came here to Nebraska on a covered wagon from Philadelphia. She had a baby along the way, and both mother and son lived to carry on the family line.” She opened the hatch of the SUV, took Madeline’s carry-on bag, and tossed it into the back.
Desperate for warmth, Madeline scrambled into the passenger’s seat, only to find the inside of the car as cold as outside.
“We’ll get the heat going right away,” Birdy promised as she switched on the car, causing icy air to blast out of the dashboard vents. “Does your husband ever come with you on any of these trips?”
“Not so far. But running all his restaurants involves a lot of traveling of his own. He’s currently in Las Vegas.” And probably lounging by the pool while she was in danger of becoming a Popsicle.
“Small world. My Heather and Tom, her ex, got ma
rried there,” she said as they headed out of the parking lot. “By one of those Elvis impersonators, which should’ve been Heather’s first clue that they weren’t exactly compatible. Tom’s into all the typical outdoors stuff. Hunting, ice-fishing, four-wheeling…”
“I imagine those would be popular activities here.”
“True enough. But Heather prefers reading and going to museums and such. She volunteers at the library. I don’t think they have a cookbook she hasn’t read. She’s the one who got me watching cooking shows. Two years ago, Hamburger Helper and a green-bean casserole were about as fancy as I got. Now I can whip up a three-course meal from what I find in the pantry.”
“That’s a useful skill to have.” It was also something Madeline stressed on both her shows.
“You betcha. That’s our Dancing Cranes.” Birdy pointed toward a huge statue that was barely visible through the horizontally blowing snow. “It’s the largest bronze statue in North America.”
“That’s impressive.”
“We like to think so. I realize that a lot of people on the coasts never think about us out here in the flyover heartland, but we’re not all hicks in sticks. Kool-Aid and the Reuben sandwich were both invented right here in Nebraska.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It’s true. Too bad you’re not going to be here longer. There’s even a Kool-Aid exhibit in the Hastings Museum, just a couple hours from here. Did you know that during the Depression, one of those little packages cost more than a loaf of bread?”
“I had no idea.”
“It sure enough did. But people bought the stuff anyway. Imagine that. Hastings got an offer from some marketing folks to change the name of their town to Kool-Aid, Nebraska, but they declined the honor.” Her dry tone suggested how ridiculous she’d found the suggestion.
“I think they made the right choice,” Madeline said. “I haven’t always lived in New York. I spent my childhood in an Italian village with my parents, and then, when I was thirteen, moved to an Oregon coastal town that’s kept its small-town flavor.”