I knew exactly what I was looking for. Trace Briggs. I also knew he’d never seen me like that. And he never would, because he knew me too well. He knew what I’d been through. As amazingly supportive as he’d been, I knew that Trace would only see me in one way—as a cancer survivor. So, even if, by some miracle, he had ever been attracted to me, that ship had sailed. It had probably left the dock when I celebrated my fourteenth birthday with a shaved head, compliments of chemo.
I’d tried to cancel the get-together when, just three days before, I had to take a razor to my head. But Harmony and Destiny had insisted that the party must go on. I still remember how bittersweet it had been to walk into my parents’ kitchen, feeling like a freak, and seeing that half the party goers had also shaved their heads. All the guys on the varsity football team, to be exact. The quarterback just happened to be Trace. It was a day full of mixed emotions for me. I knew he’d always be my friend, and that was wonderful—but he’d never see me the way I wanted him to.
“Honestly, I don’t know what the holdup is. Look at you. Any guy would be lucky to tap that. I know men, and believe me, guys are going to line up and sell an organ to liberate you from your current status. You, my dear, are all kinds of hot and you have your pick.” Harmony winked as she picked up her phone when it buzzed, probably a text from one of her many admirers.
If there was anyone that could claim expertise in knowledge of the opposite sex, it was Harmony Briggs. My bestie was the youngest of nine, and all of her older siblings were of the male variety. Not only did she have the fact that she’d been surrounded by testosterone since birth working to her advantage, but her dance card had always been full, as well. Guys tripped over themselves to gain her attention.
When we were younger, the male population of Wishing Well had been more than a little intimidated, considering Harmony had eight built-in bodyguards. But once she secured her license at sixteen, a dating pool that consisted of the entirety of Clover County had opened up to her. She’d wasted no time taking full advantage of the water, and since she kept it out of the city limits, her brothers were none the wiser.
Glancing over at my friend as she typed on her iPhone, I silently wished that confidence could be derived via osmosis. If it could, I would soak up every ounce like a sponge in the ocean from the girl sitting beside me, who radiated self-assurance like no other person I knew. Harmony knew her worth. Not in a stuck up way. It was just that she was fully aware that she was not only attractive, but also smart, funny, and confident enough to hold her own with anyone and everyone.
If she could bottle that self-esteem, she’d be a millionaire.
I would definitely be her first customer.
Out of habit, I tugged on the soft cotton fabric of my cardigan. The temperature was in the low nineties, but even if it were in the hundreds, I would still be this covered up. Logically, I knew that my port scar was not the worst thing in the world. I was used to it. Half of the time, when I looked at it, I saw a badge of honor. It was the evidence of my survival. But, the other half of the time I saw a glaring reminder that I was different. As much as it represented the life I’d gained it also represented the childhood and years I’d lost.
Not to mention, what girl wanted to have a scar right above her lady lumps? Maybe if I was rocking double D’s, it wouldn’t be an issue. But my B cups (on a good day!) were not anything to write home about.
It wasn’t that I thought I was unattractive. I knew I was pretty, in a plain way. Harmony and Destiny always tried to tell me that I was hot. I’d always taken the compliments with a grain of salt. Especially considering they stuck to that story even when I was in the hospital and I knew that I looked like the walking dead. They wanted to make me feel better, and, even though I was sure they really did believe what they were saying, I wasn’t so sure.
It was hard to have any kind of confidence after spending my formative years fighting Leukemia after being diagnosed at age twelve. While most girls were developing and becoming a woman, I’d been trying to survive. I’d gone into remission at age seventeen. A few months later, I’d left for college with every intention to make up for lost time. Have the experiences that I’d missed in high school. Instead of letting loose, though, I’d spent those years holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I constantly overanalyzed every symptom I experienced. Every time I woke up and still felt fatigued, every headache, every stomachache, every time I lost my appetite—I’d be sure that the C word had returned.
Thank God, it hadn’t.
Then, a month ago, I’d gotten the news that I was no longer classified as being “in remission.” After five years of clean bloodwork and scans, I’d been upgraded to “cancer free.” That news, as good as it was, caused me to hold a mirror up to my life.
Had I been living? Yes. I’d graduated from Baylor University with a degree in communications. I’d just been hired on full-time for a publication in Dallas that I’d freelanced at for two years. I had amazing friends.
I did still live with my brother, technically. But, it was in my own house. It was on his property, but it was mine.
Life was good. Just not as full as I wanted it.
Laughter sounded, causing me to glance up. I watched as a wave of congregation filed out of the large, wooden church doors. There were kids, parents, teens. Families. From the time I was a little girl, that’s all I’d really wanted. Whenever Destiny, Harmony, and I would play house in her shed, we’d pretend that our husbands were out in the field and we were fixing supper for them. I hadn’t had to pretend that much because the man that I wanted to marry, even at seven, was out in Harmony’s field.
“Oh shoot, I’m late. I didn’t realize how long Pastor Benson’s service went.” Looking up from her phone, I saw that she was in full puppy dog eyes mode, which meant that I would probably not be getting the ride home that she’d promised me. “Care bear, do you think—”
Lifting my hand, I stopped her. “It’s cool. I can find another ride.” Or, more likely I’d walk. No way was I going to ask someone to go out of their way to give me a ride. “Go get your groove back, Stella.”
For the past six months, Harmony had been in a self-imposed dry spell. She’d decided to be a little more discriminating when it came to the partners she did the horizontal mambo with, mainly for the very reasons that I wanted to get it out of the way. Her love life had been filled with encounters that she said didn’t even outrank a good bath and a glass of wine.
But, over the past few weeks, Harmony had started seeing a doctor two towns over in Parish Creek that she’d met while Destiny’s grandma had been in the hospital after fainting. Thankfully, Grandma Dixie, who was kind of like the town matriarch, had just suffered from anemia and, after a two-night stay, was right as rain.
I knew that Harmony was more than a little eager to go and see him since they hadn’t done the deed yet, and their time together was limited due to the crazy hours he had to put in at the hospital. The last thing I wanted to be was be a cock blocker.
“Oh look!” Harmony’s fingers grabbed my forearm as I was reaching down to get my purse. I froze when she called out, “Trace!”
“Hey, sis!”
The deep rumble of his voice sent a shiver down my spine and caused goosebumps to break out on my arm. Trying to mask the fact that my pulse had just sped up so fast you would think it was trying to outrun the law, I sat up straighter just as Trace’s sculpted forearms appeared at the passenger side window of Harmony’s Jeep. His face was less than six inches from mine as he leaned in the car and, before I could stop it, I inhaled sharply in awareness. His clean, musky scent wafted into the vehicle and just his nearness made it difficult for me to remember how to breathe.
Staring straight ahead, I prayed that neither Harmony nor the cause of my breathlessness noticed my reaction.
Leaning over the center console, appearing to be totally unaware of the fact that I’d forgotten how to take in or expel oxygen, Harmony asked, “Hey, are you he
aded to Circle M? Cara needs a ride home.”
No. No. No! My inner self-protective voice screamed in panic.
It was hard enough for me to deal with the fact that Trace worked for my brother Colton on the ranch. That, at any moment of any day, I would see him up at the main house, in the stables, out in the fields. The last thing I needed was to be in a confined space with him. I was scared that my over-active and under-stimulated hormones might turn me into some sex-crazed freak. I was afraid he would be the moon to my werewolf.
“Sure thing, I was just headed that way,” Trace easily agreed as he opened the door.
“Great!” Harmony chirped. Her arms wrapped around my neck to give me a quick hug as she whispered in my ear, “This conversation is not over. I’ll call you tonight.”
I nodded, unable to speak. I knew that Harmony had no idea what she had just done by asking her brother to give me a ride, and I had no one to blame but myself for that fact.
My feelings for Trace Briggs were the best kept secret in Wishing Well, and even if I spontaneously combusted from the heat that he inspired in me, I planned on keeping it that way.
Other Titles by Melanie Shawn
THE HOPE FALLS SERIES
Sweet Reunion – #1
Sweet Harmonies – #2
Sweet Victory – #3
Home Sweet Home – #4
One Sweet Day – Novella #4.5
Snow Angel – #5
Snow Days – #6
Snowed In – #7
Let It Snow – #8
Perfect Kiss – #9
Secret Kiss – #10
Magic Kiss – #11
Lucky Kiss – #12
Christmas Wish – Holiday Novella #12.5
THE CROSSROADS SERIES
My First – Book 1
My Last – Book 2
My Only – Book 3
My Everything – Book 4
Tempting Love – Book 5
Crazy Love – Book 6
Actually Love – Book 7
Fairytale Love – Book 8
My Love – Novella 8.5
About the Author
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length – a girl’s gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form – movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:
melanieshawn.com
and
facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks
Teasing Destiny (Wishing Well, Texas #1) Page 22