Saving Shelby

by Nicole Taylor Eby

  Saving Shelby

  West Coast Romance, Volume 1

  Nicole Taylor Eby

  Published by Sail Away Press, 2020.

  SAVING SHELBY

  Copyright © 2020 by Nicole Taylor Eby

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

  The book is a work of fiction. The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-7770740-1-2

  Published by Sail Away Press 2020.

  Cover art by Fresh Design.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  EPILOGUE

  About Saving Shelby

  Contact Nicole

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  To the hopeless romantics out there. You are my kind of people.

  And to my mom. She gave me my love of reading, and it was in her pile of books that I discovered the beauty of romance.

  And to my dad. He taught me that there is a princess inside every little girl, whether she wears high heels or combat boots.

  And to my husband. He showed me that love isn’t just something you read about in a book.

  And to Robyn. She has been my sounding board for everything business and story. Without her support, I would still be stuck at the first decison.

  CHAPTER 1

  The bus had barely pulled to a stop before Shelby was waiting at the rear door. Come on, come on, come on, she urged. Finally, the door snapped open, and she bolted through it like water being released from a dam. She barely checked for traffic as she cut across the road; her canvas shoulder bag banging against her hip.

  Having navigated the street unscathed, Shelby paused at the base of the concrete steps and bent over, gasping for breath. She needed to collect herself before going inside. Today was the second day of a two-day survival course and the first step on the journey to her new life. Gasping for air with sweat rolling down her face was not how she wanted to arrive.

  Untangling her bag and purse from each other, Shelby strode up the steps with a confidence she didn’t feel and pulled open the door. Instantly, she was confronted by the giant clock on the wall—trust an elementary school to slap you in the face with the time—and she was late.

  “Are you here for the course?”

  A deep male voice snapped Shelby’s attention away from the clock. Standing in the foyer of an elementary school, trembling with anxiety and glistening with sweat, she found herself lost in the depths of the most decadent brown eyes she had ever encountered. It was like drowning in a pool of melted milk chocolate, and she didn’t care how cliché that sounded.

  He was not tall—just a bit taller than herself—but his flannel shirt stretched across broad shoulders, giving a hint of the lean muscles beneath; his rugged jaw had just a hint of stubble, like he hadn’t shaved this morning; and his skin had the deep, weathered tan of a man who spent a lot of time outdoors.

  He was delicious.

  “Hello?” His voice resonated through her, soothing her anxiety while coaxing another reaction that was anything but relaxing.

  Shelby watched, frozen, as he reached an arm towards her. His warm hand briefly touched her bare wrist, just where her jacket ended, and she sucked in her breath. The moment stretched, as everything seemed to pause, then reality crashed back in, and she realized she was gawking at him like an idiot. She needed to say something intelligent, and she needed to do it quickly.

  Get a grip, Shelby, this isn’t the first man you’ve ever seen! “Um... I... I... I’m sorry I’m late.” Her face burned hot. Couldn’t she just say “hi”, like a normal functioning adult?

  A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re right on time,” he drawled.

  I could wait all day for her, Ian thought as he took in the woman in front of him, surprised at his own reaction. Her straight hair, pulled back in a simple ponytail, was the blonde of wheat fields, and her blue eyes were just the shade of Love Lake, when the sun glinted off it first thing in the morning, but there was something about her anxious smile that felt real and had him wanting to ditch the class to find a secluded spot in the woods.

  He watched the red creeping up her neck and across her face; it was sexy as hell. If he could have it his way, he would spend all morning just taking her in. However, it was not a luxury he could afford to indulge in. In fact, he had better snap out of it before he did or said something stupid.

  So instead of giving into his desire and inviting her to go for a “hike” in the woods, he said, “I’m Ian McLean. Let’s get you signed in.”

  While he waited for her name, he drank her in, like he was parched. It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of instant attraction. He certainly hadn’t been expecting to feel it when he had agreed to take Annabeth’s class for her, and it was knocking him for a loop. He needed to ignore the building heat and get on with his job.

  Suddenly, the air was too thick to breath, as Shelby’s mind spun out of control. For a second, she had actually thought this smoking hot man had been checking her out. The way Ian’s eyes had almost devoured her had made her think his words held deeper meaning. But, of course, he was just being friendly. This wasn’t a romance novel, where the first hot man that you happened by, after leaving a terrible marriage, was your one true love.

  “Yes, good idea. Thank you,” she said stiffly, trying to appear cool and collected, like she had not just been thinking X-rated thoughts about him.

  His luscious brown eyes had her pinned, and she couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t even remember what she should do next. He picked up a pen and raised his eyebrows questioningly; the pen poised.

  “And you are?”

  Instantly, her face went from smoldering to on fire.

  Why was his presence turning her into a bumbling idiot? “Shelby... uh, Shelby Reid. I’m Shelby Reid.” Please let the floor swallow me up. She fought the urge to put her hands over her burning cheeks.

  Again, the corners of his mouth barely moved into a smile, but his eyes twinkled. “Well, Shelby Reid, welcome.” He checked her off on a list and then gestured towards the double doors to the gym. “Find a seat. I’ll be getting started pretty quickly.”

  He’s the instructor!

  She gulped, as her already panicked mind flipped into overdrive. Up until that moment, she had been able to convince herself he was just the greeter waiting for stragglers, and Annabeth was inside. Cute, curly-haired, not sinfully hot, Annabeth. How was she going to make it through the entire day, when she couldn’t even manage to check-in without making an idiot of herself?

  “Th... thank you.” Instantly, she wished she cou
ld suck her awkward words back in.

  Completely mortified and only wanting to escape, Shelby darted for the gymnasium doors. She glanced back just in time to catch a flash of amusement in Ian’s eyes.

  Great first impression.

  Ian watched Shelby until she disappeared into the gym. He didn’t miss her quick glance back at him, and a surge of something he didn’t want to name spread through his body. She was so damn cute. Especially the way she blushed every time she spoke.

  At thirty-five, he should be long past letting his hormones control his decisions—especially considering his history. And yet, this woman had him distracted like he was still in high school and at the mercy of his pubescent body.

  He was going to have to watch himself today, if he wanted to avoid getting into trouble with his boss, Jade. He was on rocky ground there as it was, and he would be a fool to think that Jade wouldn’t drop him in an instant if she suspected he was lusting after one of his students.

  Not to mention, he was dangerously close to letting his heart wander down a road he had blocked off years ago—one he didn’t have any desire to venture down again any time soon.

  But wow—Shelby Reid could be the woman to change his mind.

  Once inside the gym, Shelby assessed the situation as anxiety gnawed at her stomach. Her fear of being late, coupled with her brief encounter with Ian, had distracted her, but now that she had a second to breathe reality whooshed back in. Suddenly, signing up for this course felt like a big mistake.

  It was part of her plan to reinvent herself after leaving her husband of twelve years, but she was starting to feel like a fool for thinking that this was the way to do it. Couldn’t she have just taken up knitting?

  Her day had gone sour pretty much the minute she had opened her eyes. She had practically needed to haul her eldest son, Bryan, out of bed, and then he had dragged his feet until she thought she would lose her mind. Even his younger brother, Kevin, had been reluctant to get ready. By the time they had made it to the bus stop, she had turned into the parental version of a raving lunatic.

  Dropping them off at her mother’s house hadn’t been any easier. Her family, including her ex, had not been shy about telling her exactly how they felt about her taking this course. When she had left Blake, she had promised herself she wasn’t going to let her mother and her sister influence her decisions, but today she had let them get in her head.

  “I don’t get why you’re wasting your time and money.” Her mother had started in on her, as soon as she had arrived.

  “I’m improving myself, Mom.”

  “Pfft,” her mother scoffed. “You wouldn’t have anything to improve, if you hadn’t screwed up your marriage.”

  And then her sister, Meghan, had piped in. “She’s right, you know. Drop this ‘find yourself’ bullshit and go back to your husband. Blake is a good man, and he’s rich. You should fix it and fix it quick, before he finds someone who actually appreciates him.”

  Clamping down on the words spinning around in her head, Shelby dropped into her chair with a sigh. This course was supposed to be the perfect first step to launch her new life as a single woman.

  Except, it wasn’t feeling so perfect.

  Quit listening to them. They’re not right. You don’t owe Blake anything. It was just patriarchal propaganda to suggest that she did. The problem was that she had listened, now doubt was running through her body like a raging river, threatening to burst the banks into a full-blown panic attack, if she didn’t get herself calmed down.

  Shelby took a quick look around at the other students, while she set her purse and bag on the floor beside her and shrugged out of her jacket. The other participants mostly had their heads buried in their phones. Not sure what else to do, Shelby pulled the course manual out of her bag and randomly flipped it open to a picture of a woman leaning against a tree, her leg obviously broken, and the words, “Do you know what to do?” written above her head.

  Panic flashed through Shelby, making her almost nauseous. She had no clue. It was like she couldn’t remember anything Annabeth had said last week.

  What am I doing here? They’re right. I can’t do this. Maybe I can sneak out before the class starts.

  But before she could bolt the rational side of her brain kicked in. She needed to see this through. She had taken a lot of crap to get here—not only from her mother, but also from her ex-husband, Blake. She hadn’t planned to even tell him about it. They had been split up for three months, and frankly it was none of his business. However, her mother hadn’t seen it that way. Caroline had probably phoned him the second after Shelby had hung up from asking her to babysit. By his reaction, Blake had clearly thought it was his business. Her business had been his business for more years than she cared to count, and he wasn’t letting go of that power easily.

  When Blake had heard her plan, he had been livid, giving her the gears every time he saw her. “Give your head a shake, Shelby, and get back to reality. You can’t take care of yourself and your kids properly. What the hell are you going to do in the forest? You’re wasting your time—time you should be spending with my children.”

  He had never believed in her. It shouldn’t hurt her anymore, but it did. It was exactly the reason why she had needed to leave him. She needed to keep reminding herself of that. No, she needed to stay and make it worth it. She had every right to be here. She wanted this, and she was going to finish it no matter what anybody said.

  “Good morning and welcome back to Adventure Safe.”

  Shelby looked up with a start, as Ian’s deep voice reverberated through the gym. She hadn’t noticed him enter, but now she was so intensely aware of his presence that it felt like the only thing she could concentrate on.

  “I’m Ian McLean,” he continued. “Annabeth’s got the plague, so you’re stuck with me.”

  Chuckles swept the room. Shelby was transfixed. He stood before the class in a solid stance, his muscular arms spread wide in an open gesture that said he was there to help and completely confident in his ability to do so. He looked like he could guide you through dense forests and over craggy mountains without breaking a sweat, with nothing more than a Swiss Army knife—if he even needed that much gear.

  “This course is put on by Alfresco Adventures, and by the end of today, you will have the basic knowledge and skills you need to get out into nature safely.” Ian paused, looked around the room, and then winked. “Alright, that’s enough of the corporate mumbo jumbo. Let’s talk survival. As you learned from Annabeth last week, there are six skills necessary in a survival situation. Can anyone name one?”

  His dark eyes quickly scanned the room before landing on her.

  “Any ideas, Shelby?”

  Her mind went blank, wiped clean at the sound of her name on his tongue. Say something quick, she ordered herself, but she was drowning in the depths of his eyes. His deep voice swathed her in a warmth that was spreading up through her core and no words would come.

  His eyes darkened as they stayed focused on her, and this time it wasn’t just her face that felt flushed. Could he see her thoughts?

  Think. I know this.

  But the parts of her mind that weren’t frozen were flailing about uselessly, and all she could think was that he had remembered her name. This scorching hot man had remembered her name.

  “Um ... I’m sorry, what?”

  “One skill necessary for survival,” he repeated, raising one eyebrow.

  Her blush heated up. All she could concentrate on was an image of Ian leaning in towards her, his mouth poised to...

  Survival in the wild, not in bed. Shelby, get a grip!

  What was wrong with her? One encounter with a spectacular specimen of a man, and she had turned into the heroine of a bodice ripper novel unable to control herself in his presence.

  “Um, not getting lost?” she said, hesitantly. She knew it wasn’t what he was looking for, but she had to say something, and he was making her too nervous to think. Some of the other
students tittered, and the heat in her face intensified.

  Ian smiled his almost smile again. “Not getting lost is a good start, but I’m thinking of what you need to know if you do get lost. Things like making a fire, building a shelter, signalling, administering first aid, procuring water, and navigation.” He ticked each skill off on his fingers.

  Her face still blazing red, she scrambled to pull a pad of paper and a pen out of her bag. Maybe taking notes would be enough to keep her from saying something else idiotic.

  “Let’s take a ten-minute break, and when we come back, we’ll quickly review the survival pattern and start on a bit of first aid,” Ian said.

  Shelby pushed her notebook away and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes briefly. The information had been coming fast, and it had been a long time since she had been a student. Ian’s presence certainly wasn’t helping her concentration. It was a constant struggle to stay focused on the course material, as she had to keep yanking her mind back from fantasies about wilderness adventures featuring a very sexy and attentive Ian.

  All around her, the students started chattering to each other, but she needed to escape to somewhere quiet. Darting out of the gym and into the girls’ bathroom, she slipped into a stall, resting her head against the wall for a moment to get her bearings.

  A few minutes later—when she felt a bit more in control and was sure the bathroom was empty—she emerged from the stall and checked her hair in the mirror. She tightened her ponytail and then wet her hands to smooth back the wispy bits of escaped hair. It was a futile gesture. They would be back as soon as the hair dried, but at least it felt like she was doing something.

  Leaning in close to the mirror, Shelby examined the black smudges under her eyes and pulled at the skin to erase the lines there. Sighing, she shook her head; nothing she could do in this bathroom was going to erase the years from her face. Her hormones might be acting like she was still in high school, but her face told the story of every one of her thirty-two years.

  “Pull it together, Shelby,” she told her reflection. “You need to pay attention and stop acting like some love-struck teenager. The last thing you need is another man in your life. You haven’t even managed to extract yourself from Blake yet. And let’s be real, there is zero possibility a man like Ian would be interested in you.”