by Maggie Ryan
She looked even more skeptical than before. But then there was the tiniest spark of recognition in her eyes. "Do I know you?"
"I think so, Mrs. Pike, though it's been a long time since you last saw me."
"You were one of my students?"
"Yes, but a very long time ago. You probably don't remember me. Chandler Kane."
She squinted, trying to find the boy in the man's face. "The name rings a bell, sure. But sorry—I forget a lot these days."
"I'm trying to find an old friend. Sydney Miles. We dated for a time and I was hoping to catch up with her while I'm in town." He didn't tell her he came specifically to find her in case she thought he was a bit odd. A stalker or something detestable like that. Someone not to be trusted.
"Oh Sydney. Yeah, she's still in town. Lives over on Broad Street. Don't recall the number."
"She still lives with her parents?"
"Her parents? No. They passed away. She lives there all by herself these days."
"Thank you." How quickly she moved from distrustful to trusting. It was so very different up in New York City. But he wasn't there now, and his heart skipped a beat. He had just taken a step closer to finding her again. "May I have my check please?"
I Belong Here by Misty Malone
Sheriff Matt Byler knows his neighbor is gone for the winter, so when he sees a car pull into her lane and not return, he goes to check it out. Matt finds the driver of the car trying to enter the house by crawling through a back window. Halfway in, however, the pretty little lady gets stuck in her precarious, yet oh so adorable position. He is able to quickly get some questions answered. It turns out she’s there to visit her grandmother, who not only lives in the next house down, but is a good friend of Matt’s. She’s also in Florida for the winter.
He helps her out of the window and they call her grandmother. She gives Elsie her blessing to stay in her house while she’s in Florida, and asks Matt to look out for her. He agrees, and as they grow closer, her past becomes the first thing they have to overcome.
Chapter One
Sheriff Matt Byler made the turn off of Route 6, glad to be about home. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to a quiet evening. He had some leftover pot roast from his mom, and his mouth had been watering all afternoon. He loved his mom’s pot roast, and the idea of a quick meal after a long day sounded wonderful.
As he turned off the main road he was a little surprised to see the car behind him turn off as well. There were only nine houses on this road, and he not only knew the people who lived in all nine of them, but the vehicles they drove, as well. Someone must be getting company. His mind wandered back to the pot roast waiting for him at home, until he passed all six of the houses at the end of the road.
The car was still following him. The other three houses on this road were his own, followed by Theodore Winston, an older gentleman who had recently moved to an assisted living facility, and Louise Prescott, a retired widow who had flown to Florida two weeks ago to spend the winter with her daughter. She usually spent the winters down there, but she left a couple weeks earlier this year so she could spend some time with her grandson, who was in the army and about to be sent to Germany for a year.
Matt pulled into the garage, but rather than go into his house, he walked out to the end of the lane to get his mail. While looking through his mail, he looked toward the car, and noticed it pulled into Mr. Winston’s lane. It pulled around behind the house, however, so Matt couldn’t see it. He checked his watch. Whoever it was would more than likely find no one at home, and would be leaving within a few minutes. He turned his attention back to his mail. After checking it thoroughly, he slowly walked around the house to the back door and unlocked it. He stepped one foot inside the kitchen and set the mail on the counter, while listening for the sound of the car returning.
He looked toward his neighbor’s house again, but there was no car coming back down the road, so whoever had pulled in was still there. How long did it take to realize no one was home, and leave? He was becoming concerned. Not only was Mr. Winston a good neighbor, but how would it look if he, the local sheriff, stood idly by while his neighbor’s house was being vandalized? He glanced at his watch again, and reached a decision.
He started walking, and five minutes later he was standing in Mr. Winston’s lane, ready to check out the mystery car. It was still there, setting in his drive, but he didn’t see the driver. No one was standing at the front door, so he went around to the back of the house. Again, there was no one around. He became a bit more alert as he walked around the corner of the house, and froze. He found the visitor, but certainly not where he expected.
The visitor, who he could now tell was a female, appeared to be stuck, half in and half out of a window. A bucket sat underneath the window, but she had apparently lost her footing and slipped. The bucket was flipped on its side, leaving her stranded, with nothing to get her feet on to push her way into the house.
She was squirming and flailing, trying to get in, or maybe back out. He wasn’t sure which. Regardless, she wasn’t having any luck going either way. It was pretty obvious to him what was happening, but he would keep an open mind and give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for a short time. Besides, the view she was presenting him with wasn’t at all hard to look at. It was a rather nicely shaped, rounded bottom. He found himself wishing all break-ins could be this inviting.
“Good evening, ma’am,” he said calmly. “Anything I can help you with?”
“You are so not funny,” said an angry-sounding lady. “Would you please help me out here?”
“Maybe. Mind if I ask what you’re doing, and what kind of help you’re looking for?”
She sighed very dramatically. “Okay, you’ve had your laugh. Now could you please help me get in here?”
Matt’s eyebrows raised. “You want me to help you inside?”
She sighed loudly again before answering. “If you don’t mind.”
“Actually, ma’am, I might mind. Why do you want inside? What do you want to do?”
“I hardly see that that’s any of your business. Now, are you going to help me inside, or are you going to continue being a jackass and just stand there?”
Matt’s smile quickly turned to a frown. “Okay, I’ve tried to be patient, but you’re starting to push my buttons now. I don’t care for your attitude, or that kind of language, especially from a young lady. Now, you don’t belong here. What’s your name, and what are you doing here?”
“Like I said, I hardly see that that’s any of your business. Damn pervert. Now, you’ve stared at my ass long enough, so would you please just help me in?”
“And like I said, I’m trying to be patient, but you’re making that very difficult. Let me introduce myself. My name is Matt Byler, Sheriff Matt Byler. I will ask you one more time. Who are you and why are you trying to break into this house?”
There was a lot of noise and much more wriggling, as the mystery lady tried to turn enough to look at the man she’d been conversing with. “Seriously, you’re the sheriff?”
“Seriously. Would you like to see my badge?”
“No, I believe you.” She paused, while she tried again, unsuccessfully, to wriggle into the house. “Well, shit.”
Now it was Matt’s turn to sigh. “Miss, I really don’t like to hear that kind of language.”
“Is it illegal?”
“Well, no, of course not.”
“Then I think you need to get over it, and help me out.”
He swallowed, and tried to gain control of his temper. “While it’s not illegal, I don’t like hearing it, and I really don’t think you want to upset me any more right now than you already have. Now, I’ll ask you one more time, what is your name, and why are you trying to break into this house?”
“My name is Elsie Wintock, and I’m not breaking in.”
“I see. Is there a reason you’re not using the front door, like most people, or maybe the back door? Does your key
not work, for some reason?”
She sighed again. “Look, I’m not breaking in. Well, okay, I guess technically I am, but it’s not what you think. I do belong here. Grandma wouldn’t care, I’m sure. I’ll call her as soon as I get in. I didn’t think of her not being here, because she’s always home. I was planning on surprising her, but I guess maybe I should have called first.”
“Little lady, I’m trying, but my patience is just about shot. Who is your grandmother and what does she have to do with you breaking into this house?”
“Apparently having brains isn’t a requirement for being a sheriff around here. This is my grandmother’s house. Now, would you please help me in?”
“All right, that does it,” Matt said, as he reached up and pushed the window a bit higher. He then lifted her around her waist, and brought her back out of the window, standing her up on her feet. In one smooth movement he turned her around, pulling her hands behind her, and fastened a pair of handcuffs on her wrists.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Unless you have a better explanation, I’m arresting you for breaking and entering.”
“But I told you, this is my grandmother’s house. I came to visit her for a while.”
“Is your name really Elsie Wintock?”
“Yes, of course it is. I’m not a liar.”
Matt had to chuckle. “This coming from a lady who’s breaking into a house she claims is her grandmother’s, that is actually owned and occupied by a single man.”
Elsie swung around to look at him. “A single man? Are you sure? I was positive this was my grandmother’s house. It’s a different color, but I figured she painted it. It’s the last house on this road.”
Matt narrowed his eyes as he looked at the little lady. “What’s your grandmother’s name?”
“Louise Prescott. Are you sure this isn’t her house?”
“I’m positive. I live in this house next door, and I suggest we go there and sit down. Maybe we can sort this out.”
He left her car in the driveway and walked her down to his house, where he sat her down at the kitchen table. “If I take these handcuffs off will you behave yourself?” She nodded, and he took the cuffs off, and sat down across from her. “Now, describe your grandmother to me.”
She looked at him, confused. “Why?”
He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “Do you ever do as you’re asked? You claim the house you were trying to break into is your grandmother’s, and her name is Louise Prescott. If that’s true, describe her for me. Tell me what she looks like, or what she’s like.”
“She’s wonderful. She’s about the same height as me, and her hair used to be about the same color as mine, but it’s a real pretty white now. Her hair turned from brown to white, never gray, which she was happy about.”
“You don’t have any idea where she may be right now?”
Always You by Anna Kristell
Lydie Granger is going home. There is nothing for her in New York since the death of her husband/Dom. She sold her home and her business, returning to the small Midwestern town she grew up in, leaving behind the life she has known with Paul.
Rance Kimball is going home, too. After a failed relationship and many years on a ranch in Wyoming, it's time to make a fresh start.
When Rance meets Lydie, he realizes that she is the same girl he has always dreamed about, since high school. And when he teasingly threatens to spank her, he finds out that all she really wants is for someone to take care of her. Is he the man for the job? Will Lydie fall for the numbers geek who idolized her twenty years ago, when she didn’t even know he existed?
Chapter One
Rance Kimball veered onto the exit ramp and glanced at the road sign. With a sigh, he pulled into the lot of the first gas station he saw. Getting out of his car to fuel up, he stretched his tight muscles and looked around. He'd been on the road for two days, and he was tired. The sedan he drove was comfortable enough and afforded enough leg room for his tall frame, but he was more than ready to check into the bed and breakfast in his home town and call it a night.
Returning the nozzle to its proper position, he went inside to grab a cup of coffee before hitting the road again. He had a good two hours of driving time still ahead of him.
Stepping outside the building, he lit a cigarette and took a deep, satisfying drag. Why he had started smoking again, after all these years, was a mystery to him. Well, actually not, considering what he'd gone through in the last few months. As soon as he was settled, he fully intended to stop the filthy habit again, this time for good.
He thought about his life and wondered what awaited him in good old Bloomdale. After twenty years away, he was going back. Not something he had ever imagined doing, but he was doing it just the same. They say you can never go back. He guessed he'd find out if that was true, soon enough.
His life had been busy from the time he left at the age of eighteen to attend college until recently when everything had changed abruptly.
He ground out the cigarette and disposed of it, took a healthy swig of his coffee, and headed to the car. No use dawdling, the decision had been made. May as well get on with it.
Back on the road again, his thoughts went to his life in Wyoming where he'd made his home for the past fifteen years. The life he was leaving behind… He had sold his share of the ranch after his partner and long-time girlfriend, Ellie, announced that she was getting married… to someone else.
Rance hadn't seen it coming although he supposed he should have. The signs were all there. He and Ellie had met when he first moved to the area to take a position in a local accounting firm. She was the daughter of a local rancher and worked in the same firm as he did. As time went by, the two formed a pleasant, casual relationship.
When Ellie's father passed away unexpectedly, she had left the firm to help her mother and her brother run the family business. Eventually, she'd asked Rance to come on board to take care of the finances and learn the business. After a while, he had purchased shares in the ranch and became a partner. Everyone naturally assumed that he and Ellie would someday marry, including Rance.
Not that they shared any sort of passionate, all-consuming, mutual love, but they just… fit. They were compatible.
There was only one woman—and she had been a girl at the time—who had ever come close to making Rance Kimball's heart do the dance. Whenever he was near her, his body, as well as his soul, reacted.
Her name was Lydia Rose Sharp. Long, blonde hair, blue twinkling eyes, petite and popular, that was Lydie. Everyone called her Lydie. Not the type of girl who would waste her time on a slightly chubby numbers geek, that's for sure. No, basketball players were her usual escorts. Homecoming queen, prom princess, cheerleader, Lydie was everybody's high school crush. He never stood a chance. Nowadays, he looked nothing like that chubby geek. He was tall, muscled and good-looking. Working on a ranch, even as the accountant, had afforded him some time to ride and be more athletic over the years. He'd slimmed down. He wore his dark hair in the latest casual men's style and many a girl in Wyoming had been jealous of Ellie. Everyone knew he was off limits. What a surprise for all of them when she chose someone else!
But enough about Lydie and the old days and the other girls in Wyoming, he thought as his mind returned to Ellie and the situation at hand. She'd met someone else, a newcomer to the town, Erik Johnson. Rance had wished them well, sold his shares in the ranch back to Ellie, traded in his trusty pickup truck for a sedan and packed his belongings. All that he could fit in the car, that is, his furniture was sold, along with most of his other possessions.
He intended to make a fresh start, and he was going back home to do it. His family was ecstatic and had already helped secure a place for him in the local accountant's office. He was to begin his new job in one week. Rance thought he might like to purchase a small farm, maybe raise some cattle and get a few horses. But, for now, he had rented a room at the bed and breakfast in town. His sister and her husb
and owned it, and he could stay there until he decided on a more permanent living arrangement.
Ten more minutes on the road and he would be home. He visited twice a year, and the family had all, at one time or another, been to the ranch. However, he knew this was going to be an adjustment for all of them no matter how enthusiastic they were about his moving home.
The old hometown was aglow with updated streetlights when he exited the interstate and drove the few remaining miles to Bloomdale. The town must have installed the new lights since his last visit. He had to admit they looked nice. He recognized some of the old businesses that were, surprisingly, still around. New ones were scattered up and down both sides of the street, as well. The town had grown in the twenty years he'd been away. That was good, he supposed, but he hoped he would still find the homey, small town atmosphere he had left behind.
His sister Annie and her family were waiting when he pulled into the drive. He saw the front door of the B and B swing open as his niece and nephew ran out to greet their favorite uncle.
"Uncle Rance, you're finally here," Gracie said as she hugged him tightly.
"Let me look at you, Gracie girl," he said as he held her at arm's length. "You're taller than you were last Thanksgiving, I believe."
Not to be outdone by his older sister, Gregory gave him a high five. "Hey, man."
Rance chuckled.
"Mom's got supper ready. It's just the five of us tonight. Mom thought you'd be tired, so the rest of the family will be here tomorrow night," Gracie told him.
"Yeah, Dad will help you with your stuff later," Gregory added.
"Okay, let's go. Can't wait to dig into some of your mom's home cooking," he said as he followed them into the house.
Annie's husband Bart met them in the foyer. "Hey, Rance, good to see you, hope your drive wasn't too bad." He extended a hand, which Rance shook heartily.
"Not too bad, traffic was bad in St. Louis, but other than that, I made pretty good time. Feels good to get out of the car, though," he replied with a grin.