Wrong Side of the Tracks: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  All of the bad had been drowned out when I received the call days ago telling me he’d been shot while trying to save my friend Eden from some very bad men.

  “We’re not sure he’d gonna make it, sweetheart,” Lincoln had said through the line. I wanted to collapse to the floor, but if he was truly dying, there wasn’t time. I had to get to him.

  It was amazing how the mind worked. In times of tragedy or stress, it was only the good we held onto. I didn’t care that he’d broken my heart. I didn’t care that he’d been my best friend until the day he cast me aside, breaking my heart when he pushed me away. None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that he pulled through this, because I needed him to come back. I could live in a world where he wasn’t a part of my life as long as he was happy and healthy. But a world where he didn’t exist at all was unimaginable.

  “You should go home, get some real sleep,” my friend Nona said, rounding Cord’s hospital bed and coming to rest her hand on my shoulder. “You look wrecked, doll.”

  “I...” My gaze slid back to the bed and my throat grew uncomfortably tight. Cord’s naturally olive-toned skin was frighteningly pale. The man who’d once been so imposing looked frail. I hadn’t thought it possible for a man with his size and personality to look so weak. It was terrifying. “I can’t,” I managed to whisper. “I just... I don’t want him to wake up and be all alone.”

  “She should be here,” Nona bit out, her voice as harsh and unforgiving as stone.

  My fear gave way to anger, just as it had every time I thought about her. Laurie Dutton. The woman who held Cord’s heart and the reason he’d thrown everything we were to each other away. In the three days I’d been sitting vigil, she hadn’t shown her face once.

  “Don’t bring her up,” I clipped. “Not here. Not now when he’s...”

  Her voice softened immediately. “All right, honey. I’m sorry.” She gave me a moment to pull in a calming breath before speaking again. “I’m not gonna be able to convince you to take a break am I?”

  I didn’t bother replying to a question she already knew the answer to.

  When I didn’t say anything she let out a heavy sigh and squeezed my shoulder. “Okay, Ror. But if you need me, you just call, okay? Any time. I’m here. All your friends are.”

  She left a minute later and I resumed my task of counting each of Cord’s inhales. Bone deep exhaustion from constant worry and lack of sleep tugged at my senses and weighed my eyelids down. My vision began to blur, that weariness started to seep deep into my bones and pull me under when a sudden noise gave me a jolt.

  My gaze shot up to Cord’s face just as his eyes fluttered and his lips parted on a craggy, pained groan.

  Uncurling my legs, I shot to the very edge of the chair and leaned over to gently take his hand. “Cord?” His eyelids continued to flutter for a second more before they finally opened all the way. Those dark forest green eyes were glassy from the medication, but that didn’t make them any less beautiful. The sense of relief I felt when his gaze landed on mine was so strong it brought tears to my eyes. “Hey, sweetie,” I whispered, smiling so big my cheeks ached. “Welcome back.”

  “You’re here.”

  “Of course I’m here, Cord. I’ve been waiting on you.” A watery laugh slid up my throat as my tears broke free. “You scared the life out of me.”

  “You’re here,” he repeated, pulling his hand from mine and lifting it to caress my cheek, brushing the wetness away with his thumb.

  Leaning into his touch, I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and pulled in a shaky breath, silently thanking God for bringing him back to me. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I whispered. “So, so glad.”

  Cord’s hand traveled up and into my hair, coming to stop at the base of my neck. His fingers put pressure on the back of my head, forcing me to bend lower as he lifted off his pillow.

  His lips pressed against mine, and time suddenly stopped. The world stopped turning, and my breath froze in my lungs. When my lips parted on a surprised gasp, Cord’s tongue slid inside, and I was lost. Completely and happily lost in all that was him.

  With that one kiss, all the dreams I’d started having the moment Cord Paulson came into my life, all the dreams I’d locked inside a box and tucked into the back of my mind for the past year and a half came spilling back.

  As gentle and slow as it was, that kiss was the best kiss of my life. Melting into him, I caressed his cheek as I took it deeper, brushing my tongue against his.

  His fingers in my hair tightened as he pulled me even closer. A ragged moan rumbled from his chest, and I swallowed it down greedily, desperate for more.

  It felt like an eternity passed before we broke apart, both panting and desperate for oxygen.

  I rested my forehead against his, feeling his feather-light breaths whisper across my face as his eyes drifted shut again. His grip on my hair loosened as his arm went slack and his head dropped down onto the pillow in exhaustion.

  Then he spoke. One word spoken with a reverence that shattered the illusions I’d let creep back in and give me hope.

  On a heavy sigh, just before he slipped back into sleep, he whispered, “Laurie,” effectively breaking my heart beyond repair.

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  More From Hope Valley

  After years of war, Lincoln Sheppard thought he’d left the violence and ugliness behind. He was content with the life he built for himself. Then the woman down the street came in and shook everything up.

  All Eden Brenner ever wanted was to have a place to call home. She finally found that in Hope Valley. Then she went and fell in love with the man a few houses down the first time she laid eyes on him. There was just one problem. Women like her didn’t catch the attention of men like him. He was totally and completely out of her league. And to make matters worse, when her past comes knocking, the beautiful world she’s built for herself is at risk of crumbling to the ground.

  When danger forces Eden into his arms, Lincoln begins to see her in a whole new light, and he suddenly finds himself wanting things he never expected. And he wants them all with the shy, clumsy woman from down the street. But when the truth comes out, that proves nearly impossible. Now he’s fighting the hardest battle of his life, and the stakes are higher than ever. Protect the woman he’s falling for while trying to win her heart at the same time.

  Temperance Levine had her entire world ripped away from her at eighteen. What had once been a life full of light and happiness was torn to shreds in the blink of an eye. With nothing left but a broken heart and painful memories, she ran away from the only home she’d ever had and tried to start over somewhere else. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and sometimes all you can do to heal old wounds is come back home again.

  The day Temperance left him was the worst day of Hayes Walker’s life, and he’d spent every one since then merely existing. The future he’d imagined had gone up in smoke, and all he could do was take life one step at a time. But when tragedy brings Tempie back to Hope Valley, he knows this is the only shot he’ll have at getting his happiness back, and there’s no way he’ll let this chance go to waste.

  After years apart, Tempie and Hayes are finally starting over and looking toward the future. But when their sleepy little town is rocked to its core, Hayes will be forced into a battle he never saw coming. Now he’s not only fighting for the future he always dreamed of, but also trying to protect the only woman he’s ever loved.

  It wasn’t hard for Nona Fanning to fall for Trick. He was strong, kind-hearted, loyal, and unbelievably handsome. He was the man of her dreams, and all it took was one night to give her a taste of the beauty he had to offer. But while she’d been opening her heart to him, he’d kept his under lock and key.

  After Patrick “Trick” Wanderly’s wife left him, ripping away their picture-perfect life, he convinced himself that she’d taken the best pieces of him with her. He wasn’t rea
dy to move on and give his heart to someone else. Then his whole world flipped upside down after spending one night with Nona.

  It took awhile for him to see what he had standing right in front of him, but now Trick’s eyes are open, and he’s determined to fix what he broke. But when danger threatens to tear Nona’s world apart, it’s up to Trick to help hold those pieces together while fighting to protect the woman and the new life he’s come to cherish.

  Discover Other Books by Jessica

  HOPE VALLEY SERIES:

  Out of My League

  Come Back Home Again

  The Best of Me

  Wrong Side of the Tracks

  CIVIL CORRUPTION SERIES

  Corrupt

  Defile

  Consume

  Ravage

  THE PICKING UP THE PIECES SERIES:

  Picking up the Pieces

  Rising from the Ashes

  Pushing the Boundaries

  Worth the Wait

  THE COLORS NOVELS:

  Scattered Colors

  Shrinking Violet

  Love Hate Relationship

  Wildflower

  THE LOCKLAINE BOYS (a LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP spinoff):

  Fire & Ice

  Opposites Attract

  Almost Perfect

  THE PEMBROOKE SERIES (a WILDFLOWER spinoff):

  Sweet Sunshine

  Coming Full Circle

  A Broken Soul

  GIRL TALK SERIES:

  Seducing Lola

  Tempting Sophia

  Enticing Daphne

  Charming Fiona

  STANDALONE TITLES:

  One Knight Stand

  Chance Encounters

  Nightmares from Within

  DEADLY LOVE SERIES:

  Destructive

  Addictive

  About the Author

  Born and raised around Houston, Jessica is a self proclaimed caffeine addict, connoisseur of inexpensive wine, and the worst driver in the state of Texas. In addition to being all of these things, she’s first and foremost a wife and mom.

  Growing up, she shared her mom and grandmother’s love of reading. But where they leaned toward murder mysteries, Jessica was obsessed with all things romance.

  When she’s not nose deep in her next manuscript, you can usually find her with her kindle in hand.

  Connect with Jessica now

  Website: www.authorjessicaprince.com

  Jessica’s Princesses Reader Group

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  authorjessicaprince@gmail.com