Behind the Lens (Home in Carson Book 1)

by Renee Harless

Cliff moved to join her against the railing and held up the camera, centering them with the viewfinder. He snapped a few images then placed the camera on an outside table before pulling Alexis to rest against him, wedging her body between him and the railing.

  “Thank you, Alexis. For being with me, for loving me. I can’t believe I get to call you mine.”

  “Oh, Cliff,” Alexis replied, stroking her fingers against his cheek. “I love you so much. You’re everything I ever wanted.”

  Cliff kissed her slowly, retracing all the grooves in her mouth as if he’d never felt them before. Reaching for her shoulder, Cliff grazed his fingers along the scar left from her bullet wound before tugging the strap of her dress down her arm.

  “Why don’t we move this inside and I can show you all of the ways I want to love?”

  “I was wondering what was taking you so long,” she joked as she stepped around him, slipping the other strap down her body. Just as Alexis stepped beyond the threshold of the mountain cabin, her dress pooled at her feet.

  “Fuck,” Cliff cursed, quickly following her inside.

  She was going tempt and tease him every day of his life, and he couldn’t wait.

  ***

  He didn’t know how she got the consistency perfect, but somehow Sydney made the most delicious, melt in your mouth, donuts he’d ever had.

  And Preston didn’t even like donuts, despite the fact that cops and donuts went together like peanut butter and jelly. They’d never been his thing.

  He sat at the small table watching the woman he had planned to spend his life with add more cupcakes to her display. He screwed that up, just like he had everything else in his life.

  Thankfully his feelings for Sydney waned and he saw her as nothing more than a friend. Otherwise, things would be very awkward as his best friend, and Sydney’s husband, took the seat across from him.

  “Hey, man,” Dylan greeted, his The Grill apron still tied around his chest. Preston could barely manage working as the town sheriff and a few missions with his old FBI team when things got slow. He had no idea how Dylan was able to manage his diner, the extra missions he took, and his family.

  “Hey,” Preston greeted, taking the final bite of donut.

  “I asked Alexis and Cliff to join us for lunch, if that’s okay.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  It would mean that no one was taking calles at the station, but they’d manage. Since Alexis’ case was closed two months ago everything had died down some.

  A few minutes later, Cliff and Alexis join them, their smiles lighting up the room as they stepped inside. Preston was happy for them both; they deserved it about as much as anyone he knew.

  And by the way Alexis kept a firm grip on her husband’s backside, Preston was positive that kids wouldn’t be far behind their wedding.

  Marriage and family didn’t seem to be in the cards for him, but much to his mother’s dismay, he was fine with bachelorhood. Though Carson was small it was not hard to find a woman to warm his bed at night.

  They ordered lunch, a few sandwiches and chips, and Dylan told them that his “other” boss would like to see if they were interested in working with the local FBI as needed.

  As Preston expected Cliff and Alexis declined, but he agreed to learn more. It was not that he needed the money, but rather he was interested in finding something to occupy his time.

  “So, when is the big day?” Dylan asked Alexis, though Preston already knew. He was probably one of the few.

  “Well, it already passed. We eloped over the weekend.”

  “What?” Sydney shouted from her station.

  “I told you,” Preston muttered under his breath.

  “It was just the right time. And we wanted to get started trying to have a baby.”

  “Well, what are you doing still working? Shouldn’t you be on a honeymoon?” Dylan narrowed his gaze toward Preston, as if he made that decision. He raised his hands in the air in innocence.

  “Don’t look at me. I tried to pay for a trip to the Caribbean; you know how stubborn she is.”

  “Hey! I’m right here. And we are going to wait until the season slows so that Cliff can close his shop.”

  “And what if you’re pregnant,” Dylan asked, the same question on Preston’s lips.

  “Oh,” she exclaimed looking at her husband. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “It’s fine. We’ll stay close by,” Cliff told her, leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

  Preston would never lead on that watching his friends fall in love had been like a knifing thrusting in his chest repeatedly. He thought one day he’d have that, but that dream was washed away by his own doing.

  Finishing their lunches, his friends at the table dispersed, leaving him to catch up on the national news with the paper. Though Alexis’ case had been closed, he kept a close eye on any missing girl and drug trafficking cases. The FBI hadn’t been able to take out her father’s cartel, just put a kink in it.

  “Cassidy!” Sydney shouted. “I thought you were on tour with Harlan?”

  “I am, we’re just passing through. But guess who finally decided to pack her bags and move here?”

  “Who?”

  Yes, who? Preston wondered, his attention pulled away from the paper and now focused on Cassidy.

  “Shelly. I need help finding her a place to stay. She’s showing up tomorrow.”

  Oh no. If there was one woman capable of unraveling him it was that woman. She was smart, beautiful, and had a mouth like a sailor. He had been drawn to her the few times that she had visited.

  He couldn’t stop the words before they rolled out of his mouth.

  “I can help.”

  You can read Preston and Shelly’s story in Behind the Badge

  If you enjoyed this book, sign up for reminders of Renee’s future works.

  www.reneeharless.com/newsletter

  Join my reader group and the Carson Townies group to keep up to date with the Carson series.

  Renee Harless’ Risque Readers

  Carson Townies

  More Books by Renee Harless

  Welcome to Carson Series

  Coming Alive

  Coming Together

  Coming Consumed

  Coming Altered

  Coming Innocent

  Coming Unraveled

  Coming Unplugged

  Coming Home

  Home in Carson Series

  Behind the Lens

  Behind the Badge

  The Stolen Series

  Stolen Nights

  Stolen Kisses

  Stolen Hearts

  The Stone Trilogy

  Make Me Yours

  Make You Mine

  Make Us More

  Standalones

  Screw You

  Between the Lines

  The Scene Stealer

  A Snowflake Wish

  Acknowledgements

  I have so much thanks for the readers that requested more of Carson. I love this town just as much as the rest of you.

  I can’t even begin these acknowledgements without mentioning Patricia, Lisa, Amanda R., Sally, Crystal, Amanda A, and Kelli. You all waited patiently for me to deliver this story to you and made sure that I wouldn’t miss any deadlines. Patricia, if it wasn’t for you this book probably wouldn’t have happened.

  My family: you all make everything worth it. Thank you for allowing me to follow my dreams and be the best writer that I can. I love you all so much.

  To my readers: Welcome back to Carson. I hope that the wait has been worth it and you’re ready for many years to come of Carson shenanigans.

  Coming Alive

  Welcome to Carson Book One

  BY RENEE HARLESS

  Sneak Peek

  Coming Alive

  Renee Harless

  Avery never expected to take another chance at love. Until she's thrown a curveball she isn't anticipating – a man that causes her pulse to race and also happens to be one of
her bosses. Finding herself drawn to him, Avery does her best to push him away, but she in no way predicts her heart pulling him in.

  Logan doesn't trust women. Period. But a one-night stand cut short exposes him to a mysterious woman that flips his world upside down. He didn’t predict meeting her - the one that would make him question everything. Undeterred by her need to keep him at arm's length, he goes against everything he believes in the quest to prove that they're worth fighting for.

  Prologue

  AVERY IS LATE. SHE is so late that she is tempted to take an unscheduled absence and just clock in for tomorrow. Luck is on her side though: her boss’ car isn’t yet parked in the employee lot.

  Wasting no time, Avery rushes through the sliding glass doors at the physician’s office and shoves her items into her locker. Melanie, her friend and coworker, appears behind her in the breakroom and props herself against the locker adjacent to her own.

  "So, I have a thought, but I want you to hear me out."

  Turning to face her, Avery can see that Melanie is doing little to mask the anxiety on her face – crinkles are knitted between her brows and bite marks of worry are on her lips. She does this when she's concerned about her. Melanie knows that a year later, Avery is still struggling to get over her fiancé’s death, as well as trying to make peace with the horrible life she attempts to keep buried in the past.

  Forcing a smile, Avery asks her to continue.

  "I think you need to move away."

  A gasp explodes out of Avery’s mouth at the suggestion.

  A year after Declan’s passing, Avery continues to find she is just wandering through life, masking the pain she still feels inside at the loss of her almost-husband. Though there have been a few moments of happiness - a new neighbor that loves to have Avery over for dinner with her two sons – and of course the event that she never saw coming: Max and Melanie's wedding. That one definitely took everyone by surprise. She supposes that in a way, Declan's death illuminated the true meaning of living your life to the fullest, especially for their two friends.

  "Hold on, Avery. Don’t get upset. I think it would be good for you. Everything here reminds you of all that you've lost. You need a fresh start."

  Taking Avery’s hand in-between her equally small ones, Melanie garners more of her attention.

  "Look. My cousin, Nikki, lives in this adorable town in North Carolina. She needs a new roommate since hers just up and left, and I think you two would get along great. She works as a receptionist at a private practice in her town. When I mentioned what you do, she said they were actually hiring a medical assistant for each of the physicians at her practice." Pulling Avery closer, she wraps her in a tight hug. "This is your chance, Avery. You can be someone new where no one knows what you've been through."

  Avery takes a moment to consider Melanie’s proposal. The idea isn’t a bad one really; it’s actually something she had been tossing back and forth in her own mind for quite some time.

  "You really think I should do it?"

  "Max and I don't think you have anything to lose. And I really think you could be happy there. We all want you to be happy, Avery."

  Absorbing her words, Avery asks if she can let her know by the end of the day. She wants to make sure she has taken adequate time to decide if this is what she really wants – no, needs to do.

  This new idea is so distracting that during her daily workload of patients, Avery is admittedly surprised when she reaches the end of the day without severely harming anyone.

  When at last Avery finds Max and Melanie standing by the water dispenser at the end of the shift, she tugs Melanie into her arms before saying, "How soon can I move?"

  Continue Reading Coming Alive