Kara waved her off, like no apology was necessary. “Of course.” A pause. “On second thought, maybe I should come with you—just in case. The boys too.”
“No,” the twins yelled in unison, causing both Chloe and Kara to jump.
“He was very specific,” Randy said. “He needs Chloe.”
Will added, “And only her. Now.”
Despite it beginning to sound like the plot of a terrible horror movie, Chloe didn’t ask any more questions, which showed how much trust she placed in Will and Randy. She spun away and hurried around the hedges. As she suspected, Somsak’s boat was tied to the dock at the river.
There was something different about it, though. As she drew closer, she realized it was much nicer than the boat they’d gone in two days earlier. No holes. The covering on top was new, not bleached by the sun.
Chloe glanced around but didn’t see Somsak. Was this the boat of a competitor? She hoped not. What little business Somsak had would disappear overnight.
It wasn’t until Chloe had reached the dock that Somsak emerged from inside the vessel. He grinned when he saw her and immediately launched into rapid Thai, leaving Chloe struggling to keep up. The boat had been sanded and polished, and Somsak ran a hand over the smooth wood as he pointed out all of the new features of his refurbished boat. He was most excited about the new seats that had replaced the wooden plank.
Somsak said that with a boat so nice, he’d be able to triple the number of customers he had. That meant he’d be able to visit his family more often, and not just when the tourists wanted to visit the sanctuary.
Chloe smiled and congratulated him but couldn’t help but wonder how it had all come about. “You’ve done an amazing job,” she told him in Thai.
“It wasn’t me. It was your friends. That is why I sent for you. So I could show you the good they did for me.” His gaze landed on something over Chloe’s shoulder, and he switched to English. “Come, come. Tell her what you told me.”
She turned and saw that Davis stood behind her. He was wet with sweat, remnants of the old boat scattered on the ground around him. He froze, his toolbelt hanging from one hand.
“I thought I’d have time to clean up before you discovered what we’ve been doing down here,” he said, looking like he wanted to hide.
“But tell her what you told me,” Somsak pressed.
It took another moment for Davis to register Somsak’s words. “I just told him the truth. That he needs a better boat, especially if we’re going to hire him to haul all of the supplies we need for the orphanage. Can’t have the boat springing a leak.” He gave a small shrug. “I might have helped him fix a few things.”
“No, you do not fix a few things,” Somsak told Davis. “You fix everything. And your brothers. So strong. And kind. You worked all day yesterday. All night. And then again today. For me.” He turned to Chloe and switched back to Thai as he told her that Davis wouldn’t accept money for any of it. His eyes shone, like he was trying not to cry.
“I…don’t understand,” Chloe said, turning to Davis. “You said you can’t stay. That this isn’t your life. Why go to the trouble…”
Davis took a few steps toward her, his gaze intense. “Because I was wrong. I realized that I have been playing make-believe, but not here.” He took another step toward her. “I hadn’t truly lived until I came to Thailand. This is what is real. The kindness I’ve seen in every face, the connection I’ve felt… Maybe it’s selfish. Maybe it’s wrong to be this happy. To love this deeply. But I’m willing to take that risk.” One more step. “I know you might not want me working with your organization. I don’t blame you. But know that, regardless, I’m going to be here. And whatever you need, I’ll—”
Chloe closed the gap and stopped his words with a kiss. She pulled away, cupping his face with her hands, wanting him to see what she’d been trying to show him all along. “I want you. And I need you. I have since the day you stumbled into my life.”
“I know you mean that in the most literal sense,” Davis said, laughing. “But my stumbling days are over, and I’m happy to be of service. Wherever you need me.” He hesitated. “What about Travis?”
Oh, no, not this again. Was he still worried that something was going on between them? “What about him?”
“It’s just that…well…will this be awkward for him? Will there be problems with me working for you…and more than working for you?”
Chloe leaned back, taking in Davis’s dusty hair and laughing eyes. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had puked on her shoes his first day in the country. But it went to show how much he’d needed Thailand…and how much it needed him.
“Actually, Travis quit, and as it turns out, I have a job opening. You interested in being more than a volunteer? I can offer you crappy hours, worse pay, and you rarely get a day off.”
Davis pursed his lips, as if thinking it over. “What are the rules about fraternizing with your boss?”
“Highly recommended.”
He gave a curt nod. “Then I’m in.”
That was when they heard a squeal from the hedges.
“It worked, honey! Didn’t I tell you it would?”
Davis groaned, and Chloe laughed.
“Looks like we were played,” she said. “Just like you suspected.”
He wrapped an arm around Chloe’s waist, and they walked toward the garden where his family still hid, undoubtedly congratulating themselves on a job well done. “I won’t tell you that I told you so.”
As they drew closer, she heard one of the twins ask, “So, if Davis stays here, who’s going to run the store in Starlight Ridge?”
Chloe glanced to Davis, knowing he’d no doubt thought about it. But even he didn’t seem to have an answer to that one. And knowing that he was still taking the plunge, even without having all the details worked out, meant everything to Chloe.
Davis was finally home. And he was hers.
And then the answer hit her. “I think I know who can manage the store,” she said. She couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to her before. The man had been going on about wanting a family and friends and a community. Backpacking through Europe wasn’t going to give that to him. “I need to make a phone call.”
Epilogue
Travis breathed in the salty air. Chloe had been right—this was perfect. He couldn’t believe that Davis had given all this up in exchange for sleeping in a tent year-round. Sure, Thailand had been fun for a while. And the people they had helped made it all worth it.
But still, after six years, it took a toll.
Especially when the woman you loved was always just out of reach.
There was no Chloe here, though. No memories. Nothing but a fresh start.
Travis walked down to the beach, immediately regretting not taking off his shoes first. Three steps in and they were already full of sand.
A group of bikini-clad women played volleyball nearby, though it seemed more competitive than your average game. They were shouting out tips to each other and discussing strategy like they were practicing for something important.
Not Travis’s kind of thing. He turned in the opposite direction, making his way to a lifeguard shack where a shirtless guy sat reading. It didn’t seem like he saw much action around here.
“Hey,” Travis called up to him. “Is it always this quiet?”
The lifeguard started, then lowered his book. “Not when tourist season hits in about three weeks. Enjoy it while you can.” He paused, seeming to size Travis up. “You just passing through?”
“No, I’m going to be managing the hardware store that’s up on the boardwalk. The owner is supposed to be flying out here tomorrow to help get me oriented—teach me the ropes.”
The lifeguard sat up, suddenly much more curious. “The owner,” he said slowly. “As in…Davis?”
Travis nodded. “Yeah. You know him?”
“Everyone knows everyone around here.” The lifeguard jumped down from his post a
nd stuck a hand out to Travis. “I’m Isaac.”
Travis was so used to the wai gesture that a handshake felt awkward and foreign, and he hesitated before taking the outstretched hand. “Travis.”
“Is this a…temporary situation?” Isaac asked. When Travis didn’t answer right away—unsure what the lifeguard meant by the question—Isaac tried again. “You expecting to stay long?”
Travis’s gaze took in the ocean and the picturesque boardwalk with its colorful shops. “I hope to.”
Isaac nodded slowly, like he still wasn’t sure what to make of Travis’s presence. “Strange that Davis hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving town. You know where he’s moving to?”
“Thailand.”
Isaac tilted his head, pantomiming pouring sand out of his ear. Like he couldn’t have heard right. “Uh…we’re talking about the same Davis, right? Davis Jones?”
Travis’s lips tilted up into a smile. “You wouldn’t recognize him over there. Thailand brought out a different version of him. The real one, I think. I’m sure meeting Chloe didn’t hurt either.”
“So. He met someone.” Isaac’s face lit up with a boyish grin. “Good for him.”
That was when something smacked Travis in the head so hard, it felt like his teeth were rattling. He grabbed the railing of the lifeguard shack and waited for the stars to clear.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman running after a ball as it rolled toward the ocean. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail, her skin red from what looked like landing in the rough sand several times too many.
“Sorry,” she called over her shoulder. “It doesn’t normally get away from us like that. If that’s how we play in the tournament, we won’t make it past the first round.” She scooped up the volleyball and turned toward where her team waited, but Isaac called her back.
“Eliza,” he said. “This is Travis. He’s going to be managing Davis’s place for a while.”
Eliza turned back toward them, an eyebrow cocked. “Is that so?” She threw a glance at Isaac. “Does Jessie know?”
“Just sent her a text.”
“Who is Jessie?” Travis asked, his words slow.
Eliza was quiet for a moment, like she was trying to figure out the best way to say it. “Everything that goes on around here is because of Jessie. But more importantly for you, she’s head of the welcoming committee. So expect to not have to shop for the next week, because with all the food baskets you’ll be receiving, you won’t go hungry.” Eliza glanced back toward her teammates, who were calling for her to hurry up. “Gotta go, but nice meeting you.” And then she disappeared, but not without another confused glance over her shoulder.
It didn’t seem like they had new people come into town very often. And maybe even less often did people move out.
“You dating anyone? Got someone special back home?” Isaac asked, his gaze flitting between Eliza and Travis.
“No. Life in Thailand wasn’t very conducive to that kind of thing.”
Travis hoped that Isaac wasn’t getting any ideas. No offense, but he wasn’t interested in someone like Eliza. He was done with the young, beach volleyball type. Travis had had plenty of those opportunities in Thailand, and this was his chance to start over. To show the world that he wasn’t just brawn and no brains.
“A guy like you, single? That won’t last long.” Isaac had almost seemed to say it to himself, but it was enough to cause Travis a world of anxiety.
Sure, he’d told Chloe he wanted a family. But on his own terms.
Travis had a feeling that Starlight Ridge had other plans for him.
Enjoy Building on Love? Read Travis and Eliza’s story in Winning his Love.
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Arrested by Love takes place 25 years before Diving into Love, the first book of the Starlight Ridge series. In this novella, you’ll meet new residents, as well as see some much younger but familiar faces.
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* * *
Winning his Love
He’s done playing the dating game—this small town won't let him quit.
After spending six years in Thailand while working for a service organization and chasing after the only woman he’s ever loved, Travis Matkin is done playing games. Desperate for a new start and a chance to settle down, he moves to California to manage a small-town hardware store. The people of Starlight Ridge are all too happy to have a new face and promptly set their sights on pairing Travis up with one of their many eligible bachelorettes—through a charity auction.
* * *
Eliza Meyer has always been competitive, and her beach volleyball team’s five-year winning streak is proof. But she doesn’t train hard to win—she trains hard to live. Determined to outwit the disease that has cursed her family for generations, she’s doing everything she can to stay ahead of the game. Her competitive streak doesn’t end at athletics, however, so when Starlight Ridge starts up their first community charity auction, she knows she needs to win. Eliza only wishes she would have realized what she was bidding on.
* * *
Winning his Love is the fifth book in the Starlight Ridge romance series. If you can’t get enough of witty banter, sweet kisses, and small-town meddling, you’ll want to read this small-town romance.
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Pick up Winning his Love and let Travis and Eliza win your heart today!
Also by Kat Bellemore
BORROWING AMOR
Borrowing Amor
Borrowing Love
Borrowing a Fiancé
Borrowing a Billionaire
Borrowing Kisses
Borrowing Second Chances
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STARLIGHT RIDGE
Diving into Love
Resisting Love
Starlight Love
Building on Love
Winning his Love
About the Author
Kat Bellemore is the author of the Borrowing Amor small town romance series. Deciding to have New Mexico as the setting for the series was an easy choice, considering its amazing sunsets, blue skies and tasty green chile. That, and she currently lives there with her husband and two cute kids. They hope to one day add a dog to the family, but for now, the native animals of the desert will have to do. Though, Kat wouldn't mind ridding the world of scorpions and centipedes. They're just mean.
You can visit Kat at www.kat-bellemore.com.
Building on Love Page 17