by Regina Hart
She stretched forward to grab her cell phone.
“Hello?”
“Did we wake you?” Her mother asked after a pause.
Audra heard the surprise in the question. “It was a long trip.” She refused to believe her writing had put her to sleep. “Is everything OK?”
Ellen Prince Lane sighed. “That’s what we’re calling to find out. We thought you were going to call us when you arrived at the resort.”
“I sent you a text when I landed.” Audra scrubbed a hand across her eyes, wiping away the last remnants of fatigue.
“A text is not a phone call.” Ellen spoke with exaggerated patience. “How do we know that someone didn’t kidnap you and send that text to delay our reporting you missing?”
Audra rolled her eyes. Her mother read too many true-crime novels. Her father wouldn’t have suspected foul play was behind a text from her.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“This whole idea worries me.” Her mother made fretting noises. “Why couldn’t you have stayed in Redondo Beach to write your songs? Why did you have to go to some resort in Ohio?”
Audra wanted to laugh. No one would mistake Harmony Cabins for a resort. But this probably wasn’t a good time to tell her mother that.
“We discussed this, Mom. Benita thought a change of scenery would cure my writer’s block.” And even though she had her doubts, Audra didn’t want to add to her parents’ worries.
Ellen tsked. “How long will you be gone?”
They’d discussed that, too. “About a month.”
“You’ve never been away from home that long.”
“I know, Mom.”
“You don’t even know anything about that resort.”
“Benita’s friend owns the cabins. I’m sure I’ll be comfortable here.”
“How will you eat?”
“There’s a town nearby. I’ll pick up some groceries in the morning.”
“What do they eat there?”
Audra closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “I’m in Ohio, Mom. It’s not a foreign country. I’m sure I’ll find something familiar in the town’s grocery store.”
Ellen sniffed. “There’s no need to take that tone.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Your father’s very worried about you, Audra.”
Yet her mother was the one on the phone. “Tell Dad I’ll be fine. The cabin is clean and safe. There are locks on all the doors and windows. I’ll be home before you know it.” She hoped.
Audra looked toward the windows beside the front door. She needed curtains. She didn’t like the idea of the windows being uncovered, especially at night. She’d feel too exposed. She checked her wristwatch. It wasn’t quite three in the afternoon. It wouldn’t be dark until closer to nine at night. She had a few hours to figure something out, like hanging sheets over the windows for tonight.
Her mother’s abrupt sigh interrupted her planning. “Your father wants to talk with you. Maybe he can get you to see reason.”
Audra rubbed her eyes with her thumb and two fingers. This experiment was hard enough without her mother’s overprotectiveness.
“My Grammy-winning daughter!” Randall Lane boomed his greeting into the telephone. He’d been calling her that since she’d been presented with the Song of the Year Grammy Award in February. Before that, she’d been his Grammy-nominated daughter.
Audra settled back on the overstuffed plaid sofa. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Will you be home in time for my birthday?”
She frowned. Her father’s birthday was in October. It was only July. “Of course.”
“That’s all that matters.”
“Randall!” Ellen’s screech crossed state lines. “Give me back that phone!”
“Your mother wants to speak with you again. Have a nice time in Ohio, baby.”
Her mother was as breathless as though she’d chased her father across the room. “Aren’t there coyotes and bears in Ohio? And mountain lions?”
Audra’s heart stopped with her mother’s questions. She was a West Coast city woman in the wilds of the Midwest. Talk about being a fish out of water.
She swallowed to loosen the wad of fear lodged in her throat. “They don’t come near the cabins.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do,” she lied. “I’ll be fine.”
“I think you should come home, Audra. What does Benita know about writer’s block? She’s your business manager, not a writer. I’m your mother. I know what you need. You need rest.”
Her mother had a point. Audra hadn’t had a full night’s sleep ever since she’d taken the Grammy home.
She stood and paced past the front windows. “Benita may be right. Maybe I need to get completely out of my comfort zone to jump-start my writing.”
Ellen sniffed again. “Well, I disagree. And so does Wendell.”
Audra stilled at the mention of her treacherous ex-boyfriend. They’d broken up three months ago. Her mother knew that. “What does he have to do with anything?”
“He’s been trying to get in touch with you. He wants your forgiveness.”
That made up her mind. She was definitely staying at Harmony Cabins for at least a month. “Please don’t tell Wendell where I am. Even if I forgive him, we’re never getting back together.”
“What has he done? You never told me why you broke up.”
Shame was a bitter taste in her throat. “Wendell used me. I’m not giving him or anyone else the chance to do that again.”
CHAPTER 2
Early Saturday morning, Audra locked her cabin door, then stretched her arms high above her head. Her bright orange running jersey slid up her torso. She leaned left, then right, stretching the muscles of her back and sides. Audra jogged in place as she set the stopwatch feature on her digital wristwatch. It was only six-thirty, eastern standard time, three-thirty back home. She’d do an easy thirty-minute run out, then retrace her way back.
Her footsteps crunched along the gravel path, then abruptly silenced when the surface changed to dirt. A warm mid-July breeze followed her, carrying the scents of morning dew, grass, and pine from her isolated cabin toward the nearby lake.
“Aren’t there coyotes and bears in Ohio? And mountain lions?” Her mother’s question stalked her.
Audra stumbled on the smooth path. Why had Ellen planted that fear in her mind? Maybe jogging in the woods wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t know this area. She couldn’t assume it would be as safe as the path four miles from her Redondo Beach townhome.
She was almost to the clearing surrounding the lake when she saw a figure sprint from the wood on the other side.
Jack!
He was a blur of gray T-shirt and black shorts. His feet barely touched the ground. Audra gasped, jumping back. She crouched beside some bushes. Her heart thundered in her ears. Her body screamed with tension. What the hell was chasing him?
She shot a look back toward the tree line behind him. Even after several breathless seconds, the path remained empty. Her attention returned to Jack. He’d slowed to a walk.
Oh, for Pete’s sake! Was that the way he completed his morning run, with a sprint to the end of the path as though the hounds of hell were hunting him? She wished she’d known that before. Audra bent over, trying to catch her breath. But she kept a wary eye on Jack.
Without warning, he stripped his sweat-soaked T-shirt over his head. Her breath lodged in her throat. Again. She could barely see him on the other side of the lake. Still, her fingers shook with the need to trace his taut sienna back. She could almost feel the heat and dampness of his skin. There was something carnal about him that stirred a longing deep inside her that she didn’t recognize.
Audra’s gaze followed Jack as he crossed the whimsical blond-wood bridge back to the rental cabins’ side of the lake. He continued on the path to the main cabin. Only after he was out of sight did Audra exhale.
She found an easy pace that carried
her over the same bridge and into the woods across the lake. Her pulse quickened. Her stomach muscles quivered with nerves. Audra shook her head. She had to step out of her comfort zone and confront her fears. Jack had gone running on this trail and had returned in one piece. It must be safe. Right? She replaced her mental images of lions, tigers, and bears with one of Jack, bare-chested and sweaty. The trick vanquished her fears. Now her breathing was shallow for other reasons.
Two hours later, Audra had showered and dressed after her workout. She skipped down her weathered front steps and started toward the main cabin. It was almost half past eight o’clock. She bent her head back and gazed through the leaf-laden tree branches. The sun shone on the green leaves framed against the bright blue sky. Beautiful.
Audra arrived at the main rental cabin’s front door; this time, she was fully dressed and wearing shoes. She entered and closed the door before turning toward the registration desk—and Jack.
“Good morning.”
“Ms. Lane.” His smooth, deep voice made the greeting more formal.
His braids were even more disheveled this morning than they’d been yesterday. And his beard . . . was he channeling his inner ZZ Top? Audra’s thoughts flashed to the 1980s music video of the pop band’s hit song “Sharp-Dressed Man.” Jack could use some help with that.
“You can call me, um, Penny.”
Jack didn’t respond. His onyx eyes were steady on hers. What was he thinking? Was it too much to hope he’d forgotten the garbage bag she’d worn the last time she’d come to the cabin? Probably.
Audra smoothed the neckline of her lime green cotton blouse. “Do you have a map of the town? I’d like to get a few things, like groceries and curtains.”
“Curtains?”
“There are a lot of windows in the cabin, but none of them have curtains. I feel exposed.”
Jack stared at her in an unnerving silence for seconds before turning to the gray metal file cabinet behind him. He plucked a trifold brochure from a folder and returned to the desk. He spread the map across its surface, then picked up a pen.
“Groceries and curtains.” He circled a section on the map.
Audra leaned closer to study the area he’d marked. She caught his scent, soap and sandalwood. Audra glanced up, startled to find him once again staring at her. She stepped back.
“Thank you. Could you recommend a place where I could get breakfast?”
Jack paused before scanning the map again. He drew another circle in a location that appeared in the heart of town. “Books and Bakery.”
Her smile returned. “You aren’t much of a talker, are you, Jack?”
“No, Ms. Lane.”
“Please call me Penny. Or does your management have a policy against employees addressing guests by their first names?”
“No, ma’am.” Finally a flicker of reaction flashed into those serious eyes. Just as quickly, it was gone.
Audra gathered the map. “Thank you for your help.”
Jack’s nod was curt.
She turned to leave. Was everyone in Trinity Falls as antisocial as the desk clerk? If so, she’d demand Benita return her money.
Audra was having one new experience after another. Last night, she’d slept in an isolated cabin in the woods, using spare sheets and towels as makeshift curtains. This morning, she’d gone jogging in the forest. Now she was going to experience small-town life. If new experiences were the measurement of success, at this rate, she’d finish writing the contracted songs by the end of the week.
I hope you’re happy, Benita.
It was a short drive into Trinity Falls. Audra was instantly charmed by the redbrick roads, quaint streetlamps, manicured front yards, and rows of 150 YEARS STRONG banners, proclaiming the town’s upcoming sesquicentennial. She followed the map’s directions to the Trinity Falls Town Center and parked her rental car in front of Books & Bakery. The town and its shopping center looked like something out of a fairy tale. Audra expected a crowd of little people to swarm her, shouting, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road!”
She stepped from her silver Toyota Camry and stood observing the town center. The little slice of commerce in this modern-day Mayberry was comprised of six stores grouped in a semicircle around the parking lot: Are You Nuts?, Fine Accessories, Books & Bakery, Ean Fever—Attorney-at-Law, Skin Deep Beauty Salon, and Gifts and Greetings.
Were the residents of the enchanted town under the spell of the Good Witch or the Wicked Witch? She approached Books & Bakery with caution. But when she opened the door, a sense of warmth and cheer greeted her like an old friend. She forgot she was in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers.
Audra took in the dark hardwood flooring and bright, inviting wall displays. The scent of lemon wood polish lingered in the air. Sesquicentennial banners similar to the ones that lined the town roads hung from the bookstore’s ceilings and draped the walls.
Special-interest tabletop displays and overstuffed red armchairs drew Audra farther into the store. The bookcases were made of the same dark wood that shone beneath her feet. New releases were shelved beside perennial best sellers. The rows upon rows of books mesmerized her. Only hunger kept her focused on her destination—the bakery.
Audra followed the aisles, making mental notes of the sections to linger over after breakfast. The inventory included local artist crafts, like framed artwork, greeting cards, and jewelry.
She glimpsed glossy magazine covers as she wound her way toward the smells of fresh pastries and coffee, and the sounds of banter and laughter. She skimmed the titles on the mystery and romance shelves and glanced toward the science-fiction and fantasy section.
“You must be the new guest at Harmony Cabins.” A woman’s voice hailed her.
Audra tensed at the greeting. How did the attractive, older woman behind the counter know who she was? Her warm brown eyes twinkled and she smiled as though she were happy to see Audra. Short, curly brown hair framed her round, cocoa face.
Audra stopped in front of the bakery counter. “Yes, I am.”
The stranger offered her right hand. “Welcome to Trinity Falls. I’m Doreen Fever, the café manager.”
Audra accepted Doreen’s hand. “I’m Au . . . Penny Lane.” Her face heated with her slip.
Doreen released her hold and offered Audra a menu. “Well, Penny, what would you prefer, a late breakfast or an early lunch?”
“I’m hungry enough for both.” She requested eggs, wheat toast, and coffee before settling onto a bar stool, leaving an empty seat between her and the other patron at the counter.
Doreen brought her a mug from a supply behind the counter and filled it with coffee. “Your breakfast will be right up.”
“Where are you from?” The question came from the patron beside her. She was a beautiful woman, with long ebony hair and café au lait skin.
“Redondo Beach, near Los Angeles.”
“Really?” The woman’s movie star features brightened. She migrated to the empty bar stool between them, bringing her mug of coffee with her. “I’m Ramona McCloud, mayor of Trinity Falls, although my term is over in six months. Do you live near the beach?”
Audra absorbed all of that. “A few miles away.”
“Wow.” Ramona spoke the word on a sigh. “Why aren’t you there now?”
Audra tugged her right earlobe. “Where?”
“At the beach.”
“I needed a break.” Or so Benita claimed, repeatedly.
Ramona laughed. “That’s like saying you need a break from paradise. Beaches and beautiful weather—if I lived in Los Angeles, I’d never leave.”
“Now you want to live in Los Angeles?” The deep voice startled Audra.
The newcomer was about six feet tall and built like a running back for a professional football team. He walked past Audra and placed a quick kiss on Ramona’s full lips. His rugged, dark good looks held Audra’s attention.
“That depends.” Ramona gave the man a flirtatious glance. “Are you going to Los
Angeles?”
“No, temptress, I’m going to Philadelphia.”
“Then so am I.” The love shining in Ramona’s ebony eyes made her even more beautiful.
“Knock it off. I’m about to eat breakfast.” A querulous voice interrupted the lovers’ exchange.
Audra turned to find another tall man on the bar stool beside her. His long, lean figure sprawled elegantly on the seat. The humor in his midnight eyes belied the scowl on his model good looks. Whereas the first man looked like a professional football running back, this one reminded her of a wide receiver.
Audra glanced around at the tables, filling up behind her. She hadn’t imagined the café at Books & Bakery would attract so many people. She waited for her discomfort of crowds to return. It didn’t.
Ramona gestured toward the handsome man beside her. “Penny Lane, this is Dr. Quincy Spates. He’s the new professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania.”
Quincy shook her hand. “Welcome to Trinity Falls.”
Ramona continued. “And the degenerate behind you is Darius Knight. He’s lucky to be gainfully employed as a reporter with The Trinity Falls Monitor.”
“Penny Lane, huh?” Darius’s eyes were curious as he offered Audra his hand. “I was surprised to hear Harmony Cabins had a guest. What brings you to Trinity Falls?”
Audra shook the reporter’s hand. “I’m here on vacation.”
Darius cocked his head and released her hand. “I hadn’t realized anyone outside of Trinity Falls knew the cabins existed.”
A tall, slender woman in a royal blue skirt suit entered the café. Her confident strides carried her behind the counter. “I didn’t know Jack had any cabins that were fully renovated.” She offered Audra her right hand. “Welcome to Trinity Falls. I’m Megan McCloud.”
Audra returned her greeting, trying to remember everyone’s name. Apparently, Jack was the only antisocial person in town, the taciturn hermit in the enchanted forest.
On Audra’s right, Ramona sipped her coffee. “Megan owns Books and Bakery.”
