River's Winter

by Leanne Davis

  “It is.”

  “And I don’t see your old friends coming to your defense. But I will. My sister will. My mom will. My dad, the Rydells. Hell, most of this town wants to help you out. So, don’t run off. Stay here and give me a chance, give us a chance and this town a chance. I know it’s been a shitty winter after what sounds like a few shitty years. It’s the same for me, too. What if we could make a new start and move?”

  She gave him a small laugh, “And move from winter to spring?”

  “Yes. Don’t laugh. It’s exactly what I thought. We have life to deal with. Life doesn’t stop, huh? You move here for a fresh start and then Lester Zandinsky makes his appearance—”

  “And you. You appeared at just the right moment.”

  He winced. “Which is…”

  “The complete opposite of Lester. The best part of being here.”

  He rested his forehead on hers. “How about we start with you coming with me?”

  “Coming with you? Where?”

  “To Pattinson to meet with a lawyer.”

  “Why? Something to do with the investigation?”

  “Not yet. We’ll get that wonderful experience, too, but no. I want to see a lawyer to surrender my legal claim as Silas’s father so that my mom and Joey can adopt him.”

  She jerked her head to gaze up at him. “You’re doing it? For real?”

  He shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do. And I won’t be too happy after I do it. But I’d like to be with you anyway.” He took her chin and raised her face up to his. “I think I love you, Luna, but I don’t expect you to love me back. I don’t want to lay a guilt trip on you. I will try to show my love. Do better. Be better. I might not be perfect at it always, but I will try.”

  She shook her head. “That’s all anyone can do. If my parents had shown me half the support you have…” She smiled faintly. “I just answered myself. I am willing to give you that chance. As your sister pointed out, you’ve never failed me. Not once. In fact, you’ve been just the opposite in my experience. And how can you ever recover and have a new beginning if no one will give you that chance? I have no reason not to. Fear won’t stop me.”

  “Or a past relationship that makes you feel like you’re right where you were before? I didn’t know that part the first time I asked you to forgive my past history. But now that I do, I’m still asking, but I’ll give you as much time as you need. Just give me a chance to prove it. We don’t have to do anything more than spend our time together. Hang out. It doesn’t have to be labeled or defined. Just being together. No sex. No kissing. Whatever you need. I miss you. I even look forward to seeing your smile. Hearing your voice. All of you. It would be a minimal investment for you. Just… please stay here. In River’s End. We can be friends. We can—”

  “I can’t be your friend. Not now.”

  He faltered. “Okay. Then… no? You’re done with me?”

  “I mean, I feel way too much for you to consider you just a friend. I miss you, too. I can’t stand it here without you, and that’s why I was ready to chuck it all and leave town. I think I could face it though if I had you. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, and not all at once, but eventually. I think I could do it.”

  He stilled. “Do you mean—well, can you be more clear? What do you mean?”

  “I mean I’ll go to the lawyer with you. Then I’d like to eat a taco. Doesn’t that sound good? Afterwards, I mean?”

  He stared at her and she rose up onto her feet and put her hand out.

  “Y—you want to go with me to sign away my custodial rights to my son and then you want to… to go get tacos?”

  “I do.” She nodded, her breath catching. “I really do. Is that a problem?”

  He jumped onto his feet and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. “No. No, it’s never a problem.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “I hope that’s true, Jacob. Forever.”

  He didn’t answer at first, but he smiled. “I think, no, I truly believe, it could be a very good start for us. I never dared to dream before, but I have hope when I’m with you, and fuck it. Now, I’m ready to dream and hope and love you. And if you end up not feeling the same way, then at least I tried. For once in my damn life I’ll have given it all my effort. I love you, Luna Castellanos, and I believe this could be the start of a forever relationship.”

  Epilogue

  LUNA LOOKED THROUGH THE front door of the café. Jacob’s hand held hers tightly. “You sure about this? We can still sell it. Leave it behind. Never have to do this again?” Jacob asked her.

  “No. No, I’m sure I want to do this. I’m sure… I’m sure I can do this now. You know how important that feeling is. It’s what brought you back to River’s End, right? To your family? Well, this is me coming back to River’s End and my business, but mostly, I’m expressing myself again. And you faced off with your inner demons all alone.” She smiled up at him. “I’m glad I have you.”

  He squeezed her fingertips in his and pulled her closer. “Just lean on me if it overwhelms you.” He started to reach for the long, metal door handle, but she put her hand to his forearm. “I’ll do it.”

  He let go, flashed her an understanding smile, and backed off. Pulling the door open, she stepped inside, looking around, but not just a quick glance. She soaked in the entire place that was all hers.

  They were all alone.

  Just them.

  It was still clean and decorated after Jacob and his family generously restored it. In her mind’s eye, in that exact instant, however, it was as terrifying, bloody, and horrific as the night Lester shot it all up. She felt the hideous feeling starting to percolate, and the scarred, terrible memories began to rear up.

  No. Damn it! NO!

  This was her place. Her new beginning. Her forever. She wouldn’t abandon it or pretend it didn’t exist. She’d tried that once before. It only resulted in a bigger, badder, and more terrible trauma to handle than the first one that sent her running off.

  But this time, she found true friendship. Oddly enough, she had a surrogate family and a surrogate town that embraced her. Welcomed her. Encouraged her. And helped her.

  She knew that as they all stood waiting behind her in the parking lot. They were good and ready to overwhelm her restaurant and reclaim it as their own. All healed. The legendary River’s End Café. They were ready to help her rebuild her business again. As well as her livelihood, her confidence, her faith, her memories, and her emotional welfare in general.

  This time, it wasn’t just the Rydell family and their staff and workers. This time, it was the entire damn town. It was a huge spectacle. They made a loud, attention-seeking scene and did everything that Luna usually didn’t do.

  And this time, Luna was right alongside them.

  They all needed this. They needed to reopen the café. Everyone was ready to reclaim the eatery along with their town, and their reputation. They all needed it and Luna, most of all. She didn’t have to shoulder it by herself because she had help now, all kinds of help from people who believed in her.

  When she crossed the threshold, the entire parking lot broke out in a chorus of cheers, whistles, and applause. It was a huge celebration.

  Luna gulped, and tears filled her eyes. She blinked hard to restrain them. She had memories and anxiety, sadness and grief, shock and delight at this place of work. But she forgot to include happiness. In this very room, she was touched by an evil force, became a witness to carnage, and was degraded by the most vicious slice of humanity.

  But right now, all the people cheered her as soon as she crossed over to enter it. They started to pour through the doors, eager to hug her and sit down. Everything on the menu was even more appetizing to their hungry eyes, and they soon reverted to more normal conversation and interaction. Even families came together, kids ran around, and a baby laughed. Luna saw the very best of humanity. These people were the truest models of human spirit and togetherness in a community than she’d ever known before.
<
br />   Isolation would never do after what she felt now. She was so alone when she first came here, when Jacob was spiraling into addiction, and Lester Zandinsky hadn’t yet committed mass murder.

  Jacob held Luna on her left side, reminding her of last winter when he literally had to hold her up both physically and emotionally.

  The difference now? Luna held Jacob up too.

  They clasped hands, looking around, watching the place fill up, the Grand Re-opening. There were new staff members, but no familiar survivors who worked there. They resigned, and Luna never asked why. She paid them a hefty bonus and wished them well. There were missing faces too, from the families who lost loved ones there.

  No one could deny or forget what happened at the café. The shooting would forever be ingrained in all of their brains, but especially in Jacob’s and Luna’s. The knowledge of that event never left Luna’s consciousness again. But she found a way to manage it, so she could live with it. Like Jacob and heroin, she realized that almost everybody was damaged or broken in some way. The real success was finding a way to cope and try again. The survivors knew how to keep trying and they continued to live their lives.

  Substantial donations were given to all the victims’ families, especially to Jacob and Luna. At first, they tried to refuse it, but eventually they accepted it and pooled their funds together, sinking it into a complete remodel of the café and paying their bills as well. They transformed it entirely.

  It was brand new.

  And entirely theirs.

  They were married in a quiet ceremony at the church across the street. They were in the process of buying the house Luna loved that faced the café. They were making the home she always dreamed of, and the one that always eluded Jacob.

  Right there in River’s End.

  Together, they planned to run the little café on the river that was over a hundred years old. They wanted it to be a destination venue for hosting birthday parties, wedding receptions, banquets, business meetings, family reunions, and even divorces. Everything that combined to give the small town a pulse was welcomed. That familiar heartbeat was weakened, and it almost failed, but somehow, Jacob and Luna worked together and revived it, making it even better than before.

  Any addiction, or recovery from an illness or tragedy requires time and so too, their love blossomed one day at a time. And they both loved that.

  “Oh, there’s Brianna. Oh look! The baby’s wearing the shirt I just bought him.” And with that, Luna scooted over to embrace her sister-in-law. She couldn’t wait to steal her sleeping nephew and sit down to speak sign language to Finn for a few minutes.

  Then she had to get back to work. A hundred people were ready to eat in their newly upgraded café

  * * *

  Thank you for reading RIVER’S WINTER!

  I hope you fell in love with Jacob and Luna as they struggled through the fallout of experiencing random and devastating violence, while turning to each other to survive it.

  If you missed the start of this series go back to the very beginning when Erin first comes to River’s End, and she has no idea what is in store her. Jack however, knows from the first glimpse of her that nothing will ever be the same again… One-click RIVER’S END now!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt of RIVER’S END…

  Excerpt from RIVER’S END

  She turned, and he smiled at her, but she frowned. Why was he smiling at her? Now, of all times? He’d just beaten his brother up. Over her. After being a total jerk to her. Jack who was serious almost all the time, decided now not to be? His smile became a long, lazy grin that made her heart swell.

  “You beat up Joey.”

  “I tried to beat up Joey. He surprised me with all the fighting skills he learned while he was gone. I should have anticipated that.”

  “You scared your children by hitting their uncle.”

  “I know, I just spent the last hour explaining why they should never act that way, and to listen to what I say, instead of doing as I do. Somehow, I don’t think that was quite how it’s supposed to be.”

  “You…”

  “I know what I did, Erin,” he said, interrupting her, but his tone remained gentle. “I embarrassed you. I hurt you. I shamed you. I know what I did, and Joey was the least of it. Joey can fight back. But you can’t.”

  She frowned. That was not what she meant. But strangely, Jack raised his hand to her cheek. Who was this new Jack? She didn’t get him at all.

  Continue reading RIVER'S END

  Other Books by Leanne Davis:

  The Sister Series is about the emotional scars and battles that are often hidden in people.

  Rape. Drugs. Abuse. Violence. Pain. Betrayal.

  And how they can be overcome.

  Love. Joy. Family. Forgiveness. Faith. Hope. Redemption

  The Sister Series:

  The Other Sister

  The Years Between

  The Good Sister

  The Best Friend

  The Wrong Sister

  The Years After

  The Broken Sister

  The Perfect Sister

  The Lost Sister

  The Remaining Sister

  The Step Sister

  FREE Extended Epilogue of Jessie & Will

  Daughters is a spin-off of The Sister Series about Jessie’s (The Other Sister) daughters.

  Christina

  Natalie

  Melissa

  Emily

  Share in the fall, rise and eventual fulfillment of the rock band Zenith’s destiny…

  Zenith Falling

  Zenith Rising

  Zenith Fulfilled

  The characters are all connected to Seaclusion, Washington a fictional town set along the Pacific Ocean

  Poison

  Notorious

  Secrets

  Seclusion

  The Rydell River Ranch is a large horse training, boarding and breeding operation, owned and operated by four brothers who are left in charge of their century old legacy in the small, rural town of River’s End.

  River’s End

  River's Escape

  River's Return

  River Road

  River on Fire

  River's Lost

  River of Change

  River's Destiny

  River's Rescue

  River's Winter

  Standalone Novel:

  Diversions

  About the Author

  Leanne Davis has earned a business degree from Western Washington University. She worked for several years in the construction management field before turning full time to writing. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two children. When she isn't writing, she and her family enjoy camping trips to destinations all across Washington State, many of which become the settings for her novels.

  Leanne loves to hear from readers! Contact her at: leanne@leannedavis.net.

  Connect with Leanne!

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  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  River’s Winter

  COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Leanne Davis

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of
the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: dvsleanne@aol.com

  Publishing History First Edition, 2018 Digital

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-941522-56-1

  River’s End Series, Book Ten

  Edited by Teri at The Editing Fairy (editingfairy@yahoo.com)

  Copyediting: Jeanne Brooker

  Cover Designer: Steven Novak (novakillustrations@gmail.com)