by Siera London
“That’s even better ‘cause I can share my cupcake.” He beamed.
Ivy signaled for him to bring Cai closer. “Come here, precious boy,” Ivy said to their son. “I want you to meet your sister.”
With wide eyes, Cai craned his neck to spy a glance of his new sister in the tangle of blankets on the bed. “Did she ask to meet me?”
Ivy gave him a big smile, mischief behind her stare. “Of course, she did. Your father heard her too.”
Cai’s grin was infectious. Owen placed him on the bed and Ivy snuggled him in close to her left side.
Owen looked down at his family, choking back emotion. “I love you so much, Ivy Tate.”
“I love you more,” she whispered, her voice laced with fatigue and joy.
Owen smiled at his wife and two children, his chest overflowing with love and gratitude. Thank God he’d left the “open” sign illuminated at the bar all those months ago. He’d needed a waitress, Ivy needed money, but they both needed love. Ivy won him and Cai with her easy smile, endless supply of tie-dye t-shirts, and the best sweet potato muffins in the state of California.
“Not even possible, sweetheart. Not even.” He grinned.
Chapter 2
Panicked, Professor Rui Conners swerved his BMW sedan into a reserved parking space at Tommy’s Park. The late May sun beat down on his location warming the car’s interior the second he pulled the key free of the ignition. His and Autumn’s wedding happened in under an hour, and half of their catering team, Ivy Tate, had gone into labor this morning. Endurance had two eateries, the diner, and Owen and Ivy Tate’s bar and grill. He’d hired both for today’s ceremony; but knew Autumn had wanted her best friend’s recipes on the menu.
Nothing could go wrong with this wedding. After his ex-wife, Kirsten, walked out on him and their daughter, Simone, Rui had been devastated. Autumn had come into his life at a crucial time in his relationship with Simone. More than one nanny had quit, and the school principal, Mrs. Glatt had threated to contact Social Services if Simone continued to skip her third-grade class. Thanks to his daughter’s antics, the local sheriff, Keith Fullerton, had Rui’s office number and his personal cell on speed dial. Who could have known Simone’s attempt to joyride in Autumn’s ancient vehicle would lead to true love? Rui laughed to himself.
Autumn, a struggling music therapy student attending the University of California, Endurance—where Rui worked as a history professor—had come into his house and made a home for him and Simone. His wife-to-be had taken on a ready-made family and loved a broken man and a troubled little girl with her whole heart. His fiancée deserved a prince far worthier than he, complete with the fairytale wedding.
He jumped out of the driver’s seat, his shined black tuxedo loafers looking out of place in the casual setting. Hank Stewart pulled his restored Ford© pickup directly in his path. Rui came to an abrupt stop.
“Dang it, Hank. I’m in a hurry,” Rui groused. Guests had started to arrive, many waving to him while simultaneously questioning why he lingered in the parking lot instead of around the pond where the wedding would take place.
“Me too,” Hank said through the open passenger window. “I got your food in the back.”
Hank had been at the university since before Rui joined the staff. Good natured, and patient to a fault, the man loved his ten-year son, Elliott, a hearty breakfast, and the town of Endurance. He didn’t talk much about his son’s mother, and Rui never asked. A man had a right to his privacy. Whenever there was a need, Hank seemed ready to fill it. He’d even tinkered with Autumn’s jalopy a time or two. Fate had given Rui a chance to win Autumn’s heart when her classic VW bug™ failed to start in this very parking lot. This park held special memories for them both, hence the outdoor ceremony at the place of their beginning.
Rui blew out a breath in relief, the turbulence coursing through him calmed like a morning after a summer storm. “Thank goodness,” he sighed.
The other man chuckled, stepping down from the cab. “You clean up nice, Professor.”
Walking around to the back of the truck to greet his friend, Rui extended his hand in gratitude. Hank accepted, gripped his hand in a firm hold, while placing the other on his shoulder.
“Thank you for handling this.”
“No problem, Rui. I’m happy for you. Autumn’s a smart woman and… a looker.”
That she was. She’d graduated at the top of her class, earning an undergraduate degree in music therapy. In the fall, she would begin a full-time position at the elementary school as the head of the Learning Arts program.
“True,” Rui beamed.
The smile Hank gave said the sentiment was genuine, but Rui detected a hint of sadness in the firm set of his jaw. He knew how hard it could be bearing the sole responsibility for the care and nurturing of a child. In his home country of China, women abounded, but Endurance proved female challenged territory. Most women wanted a choice of high-earning careers and a smorgasbord of top-rated schools and affluent neighbors. In these parts, a hamburger with grilled onions and mushrooms was considered gourmet dining and the closest high school for the county required a thirty-minute drive beyond the city limits.
“Perfect. Autumn loves Ivy’s rolls and potato salad.”
Hank’s smile slipped. “Salad,” he repeated, a furrow pulling he thick brows into a Mr. Spock V-shape.
Blood rushed to Rui’s head. “What’s under the tin foil,” he asked, afraid of the answer.
“Well,” Hank said, scratching the side of his neck. A breeze lifted the hair off his forehead, rustling the light brown waves. “I got all the fixins’ for a potato bar; boiled eggs, chopped celery and onion, pickle relish, Frenchy’s mustard and real mayonnaise.”
Rui was momentarily struck speechless. “A…a potato bar, as in mashed potatoes. Hank.” He exhaled. “A whipped potato bar doesn’t have relish and mustard,” he bellowed.
Dear God, the ingredients were still separated. His new bride and the reception guests would have to eat a deconstructed potato salad.
“Relax,” Hank said, propping one foot in the tailgate. “No one will notice.”
Horror, real and angry surged in Rui’s veins. He reached out for the man’s denim sport jacket lapels just as he heard his name called.
“Rui. Baby, where are you? The wedding’s about to start.”
Instantly the fight and distress dissipated. The emotion replaced by the bubbling joy in Autumn’s voice. Dropping his hands, Rui turned to face his bride, and froze. Autumn took his breath away. The worries about receptions gone wrong faded until all he saw was the woman he loved.
He managed to squeeze out a muted, “Hey,” around the ball of pure joy in his throat.
In a strapless white lace gown with a fitted bodice and a sweep train, she looked like a goddess. Her thick auburn curls had been twisted into an elegant fishtail twist before sweeping up into a French braid at her nape.
She touched his forearm, and his body heated where her hand rested.
Looking up at him, those doe-eyes filled with love, she asked. “You ready?”
Kelby Springfield, Simone’s teacher and one of Autumn’s bride’s maids hurried over, stopping beside Hank.
“Everything okay here?” she queried in a rush of words.
Hank dropped his foot onto the asphalt and stood a little taller. “Right as desert rain, Kelby.”
Rui caught the blush in the other woman’s cheeks, but he only had eyes for his woman today. Hank could decipher Kelby’s response.
Covering Autumn’s hand with his, Rui asked. “Where’s that minister?”
* * *
Tommy’s Park had been overrun with townspeople. Rui stood beneath a lavish driftwood trellis wrapped in white tulle with streams of springtime green wisteria vines dancing above him. Owen had talked the Baptist preacher from Pine Valley into officiating the ceremony. The petite woman with a short-cropped Afro and kind eyes smiled at him before signaling the musician with a simple wave of her ha
nd.
In the audience of white folding chairs, children played on handheld game consoles, women oo’d and ah’d to their friends, and even a few dogs could be heard yapping among the crowd. Rui saw none of it.
Instead, he watched as his bride, big brown eyes brimming with tears glided down the aisle formed by the parting of seats. Was she nervous? His heart clamored in his chest, with elation not fear. A bouquet of white and green blooms tied with gold ribbon, the colors of ivory and jade in celebration of his Asian heritage hid her left hand from view. Her makeup, a shimmer of green eye shadow paired with a berry gloss had been retouched. The train of her form-fitting gown billowed around her feet like a cloud, and Rui didn’t try to hide his appreciation. A smile split his lips that could power the electrical grid for the next thirty days. His best man, Abel Burney, bumped his elbow.
“You done good, Rui.”
He had. Even the jitters some grooms rumbled about had steered clear of this day. The first chords for the piano cut through those gathered and the conversation ended abruptly.
“I sure did,” he whispered.
Like choreographed windshield wipers, all eyes swung to the bride. A single tear slid down Autumn’s cheek. Knowing they were tears of joy, Rui coughed, clearing the rising tide of emotion from his own throat. His daughter, Simone, seeing that her parents were about to lose it before the “I do’s” were said, tightened her small hand on Autumn’s.
“Don’t cry,” Simone whispered loud enough for the entire assembly to hear. “The pictures are going on Facebook.”
More than a few chuckles came from the kids and the adults. Having her stepdaughter walk her down the aisle had been Autumn’s suggestion. Estranged from both parents and her aunt, his bride believed a wedding should be a sacred occasion between family and friends. He, Simone, and Endurance had become her true family.
Once Autumn reached him at the altar, Rui moved to take his place beside his bride. But there was one hiccup. Simone stood between them.
None-to-conspicuous, Rui dropped to his haunches. “Honeybee, you can have a seat now.”
Rui shifted preparing to stand, but froze when Simone shook her head in the negative.
A swell of apprehension assailed Rui. Was his daughter about to object to the best gift of love they’d been granted?
Rui shot a worried glance to Autumn. Sensing his distress, she tried to intervene.
“What’s happening with you two?” she asked.
Simone proceeded to clamp down on Autumn’s hand. “This is my wedding too,” she began to cry. “I want me and daddy to marry you.”
The click of several camera phones could be heard. The whispers rose to a mixed cacophony of, “I knew it”, “Didn’t see this coming”, “She need a spanking”.
Some brides would have balked at the idea, but his Autumn’s smile grew bigger.
“We should have thought of that, Simone,” Autumn said with a wry grin.
The congregation released an audible sigh and Rui’s heart tumbled over itself, more in love with this woman.
When the minister asked for his I do, he bent, lifted his daughter into his arms all the while holding onto his bride as tight as she held fast to him.
“Do you, Rui Conners, take this woman, Autumn Raine to be your partner in life, to have and hold, through the good times and the bad, whether rich or poor, in need or in strength, from this day forth?”
Whoa. Rui stood teary-eyed taking in the huge responsibility he had to love and cherish the woman he loved forever.
Vision blurred with wetness, he cleared his throat and said, “I do.”
With that out of the way, the woman of God looked at Simone. “And what about you, little angel?”
Simone’s smile brightened. “I’ll take Autumn too.”
The thing about country folk is they rarely did anything according to proper etiquette. Applause, whistles, and a few yoorah’s came from the crowd.
Now it was Autumn’s turn.
“Do you take this man, Autumn Raine?”
Those were the last words Rui heard before the sound of yes and I do. At the pronouncement of them husband and wife, Rui tipped his wife’s face up to the sun and kissed her with so much passion his daughter begged to be put down and the single men cursed under their breaths.
The End
All Out of Love
All Out of Love
The Men of Endurance
SIERA LONDON
ALL OUT OF LOVE
Men of Endurance
Copyright © 2019 K. PRINGLE
http://www.sieralondonauthor.com
Cover art by Fantasia Frog Designs
Edited by One More Look Editing, Proofreading, & Sensitivity, LLC.
First Edition, June 2019
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Certain real locations are mentioned, however all names, characters, events and incidents described in this book are fictitious or a product of the author's imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
All trademarks, service marks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the current U.S. Copyright Act, with the exception of quotes used in reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form in whole or in part by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without written permission from the author, Siera London.
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Welcome Back
Welcome back to Endurance, the small town where single dads find love in a big way.
Thank you to the readers and authors who voted the Men of Endurance the best interracial romance series of 2019!
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Welcome back to Endurance. In this small town of everyday charm and colorful characters, Hank believes he's found the one, but is Kelby all out of love?
Hank has it bad for third-grade teacher, Kelby Springfield. The single dad has been trying to get next to the reclusive beauty for months, so when she suddenly demands a kiss he’s determined to win her heart out of the starting block.
Kelby’s relocation to the small town of Endurance is strategic, not for romantic notions of finding a Mr. Right who’s all wrong. When a colleague’s good intentions lands Kelby in the arms of all-around good guy, Hank Stewart—her heart races faster than her common sense.
Hank is convinced he and Kelby have a running start on forever, but is she all out of love?
Chapter 1
Weddings triggered Kelby Springfield’s gag reflex. Since she’d slipped into the lacy peach-colored bridesmaid's dress and rhinestone sandals two hours earlier, the urge to hurl had increased tenfold. And not because of the weird potato salad and the blackened yeast rolls the Endurance townsfolk scratched their heads about either. For the big day to feel special, a woman pretended to be a princess, and a man, the savior, her hero. The truth for Kelby, however, was her “prince” had been a lying, cheating, arrogant megalomaniac who made her doubt every decision she made during her three-year stint in matrimonial jail. Just thinking about a man and whispered promises made her spitting mad. She wasn't interested in Mr. Right, Mr. Tight, Mr. Kong, or Mr. Thong. Kelby needed money to pay her little sister's college tuition and a permanent teaching position at the elementary school. That's it. So her fourth-grade teacher colleague, Xenobia Yardell, setting up a blind date with Gordie from that N2U Matchmaking app was a big fat, not-going-to-happen.
Unfortunately for Kelby, Xenobia's date: Peyton, had loaded up his neon green Kia Soul with Gordie; and drove the sixty-four miles from Zolusa Creek to Endurance. What should have been a low-key wedding reception had escalated into a full-scale, high stakes game of hide-and-seek. Thanks to the blistering May heat, the lace clung to her ample chest like expensive plastic wrap, not to mention the plumping sensation
happening to her feet. Think popping the champagne cork. Tommy's Park, with its manicured Ponderosa Pines and giant Valley Oaks, plush with green leaves, did little to shield the central California sun. Several of the children had abandoned shoes and socks for a dip in the lake. Women with their faces protected under colorful wide-brimmed sun hats congregated around gingham-draped picnic tables, watching the bride and groom lead Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up” © line dance. Taking in the sight, Kelby sighed. "I should have worn a hat."
Xenobia walked up to her, a twinkle of mischief in her hazel eyes. "Smile."
Classic Xenobia lacked preamble or subtlety. She described herself as pretty, round, brown, and too old to clown. Considering the pretentious existence of Kelby's life in Sacramento, she could appreciate her friend's directness. What she couldn't abide: being roped into man drama.
"Why, X?" Kelby demanded using her friend’s nickname. The thing about living in a small town was everyone worked to create a sense of community, an extended family, so to speak. A level of trust existed between the citizenry that allowed its members to be vulnerable yet safeguarded by the strength of the unit. Twelve months ago, the town of Endurance had welcomed Kelby with open arms. It was the kind of place where she knew the names of the family pets, when grandparents visited from out of town, and who made the best peach cobbler at the county fair. But Kelby didn’t trust easy, so she asked questions. And since her past was her own-she had no intention of divulging her secrets or the reason for her suspicious nature. Xenobia understood that about her.
X smiled, though the expression was pinched. "Because Peyton is watching me," she sang more than spoke the last words. “Give Gordie a chance, Kelby. He might surprise you."
