by Zoe Dawson
—
Tightening his grip on the towel, Trace could smell the coffee brewing. Reese was up, and from the sounds of conversation so was Cadie. He’d read her the riot act, indicated that she would pay Eden back every cent her daughter had borrowed on her account. Cadie was not fazed by his lecture, so happy about the news that he and Rafferty had made up and she was coming back to Laurel Falls to live.
Anzu, who had burst into wracking sobs when they told her about how they were going to help Harley, needed to be cuddled and coddled. He’d never seen her break down like that, but he knew the connection between his brother and Anzu ran way deep.
Harley was going to need a lot of therapy, once his physical wounds healed. Reese had been right and Trace apologized to his brother. He still felt resistance, though, but that was something he would have to work through.
Rafferty was stretched out on her stomach, her head turned away from him, her arms under the pillow, and it was pretty obvious that she was still dead to the world. Resting his shoulder against the bathroom doorframe, he watched her sleep, a familiar tightness unfolding in his chest. She was here where she belonged. He was going to spend his days making sure it stayed that way.
He was going to quit wrestling with the past and start taking the present one day at a time, and Rafferty made that bearable when some days were anything but.
She stirred, and the sheet slipped a little. He wondered what she would do if he climbed back into bed and did what had been on his mind since he woke up.
His body instantly responding, Trace shook his head in disgust and straightened, repressing some very heavy urges. God, he was horny for her all the damn time.
Her cellphone rang and she jumped and mumbled hello into the phone. “I hate you, Clem,” she grumbled. “No, your referral for the architect was brilliant. Chad is very skilled. I’m talking about waking me up early.”
She laughed. “No, you pervert, he didn’t ravish me…and I now have something else to be grumpy about.”
He cleared his throat and she jumped and hit her head on the headboard. He laughed. “You’ve done it now,” she said, spinning onto her back, giving him a sleepy, sheepish smile and pointing at the phone as if to say it was all Clem’s fault.
He gave her a grin and watched her eyes slide over him, stopping only briefly on the towel around his waist.
Her eyes glazed a bit when he put his knee on the mattress. “What?” She watched him intently, then shook her head. “Yes, I’m listening. Ah, what did you say?”
He laughed again and started across the bed when she said, “Oh, wait, I have another call.” She held up her hand and said, “Oh, shoot. Clem, I’ve got to call you back. That’s the architect and I need to speak to him. All right, I promise, all the juicy details,” she said, then looked at him and shook her head as if she had no intention of talking about their love life.
He sighed and shut down his libido. After getting dressed he went out to the kitchen.
“I don’t know, Cadie. Where did you last see them?” Reese breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God, it’s the mango thing again.”
Trace rolled his eyes and sighed. “Why can she never find that all-important set?” he said, putting air quotes around “all important.”
Reese cleared his throat and Trace turned to find Cadie standing behind him with her hands on her hips.
“Take cover,” Trace said to his brother. “Teenager angst incoming.”
Twenty minutes later he found the set again and was in the kitchen, making a second pot of coffee, when Rafferty finally stumbled in, looking as if she’d just crawled through a knothole. Her hair was wild, he could see the imprint of her hand on the side of her face, and she was wearing one of his old marine T-shirts. It looked a damn sight better on her than it ever did on him.
It was a washed-out green, hung almost to her knees, and it was so worn he could see every contour of her body, including her hard nipples. For all those cavemen who thought black satin was sexy, they hadn’t seen Rafferty Hamilton in his paper-thin T-shirt. Parts of his body were already feeling the strain. He ushered her back in the room before Harley saw her. In her groggy state, he bribed her with coffee, which she drank and sighed.
That shot his schedule all to hell because after she had an infusion of caffeine and with a sassy look on her face, he stripped the shirt off her, he had been at the end of his rope.
He was late for the garage and she was late for the architect.
Neither one of them cared.
—
Later Rafferty was looking at the new plans stretched out between two sawhorses when her cellphone rang and she saw it was Susan.
“Hello, how are things in the Big Apple?”
“Pretty darn good. Your father asked me to marry him. He said he loved me and couldn’t live without me. I’m so damn happy, sweetie.”
“Congratulations. It’s about time! Oh my God,” she shrieked. “A wedding to plan. I bet your desk is already littered with Brides magazines.”
“Maybe,” she hedged, then laughed. “I know you’re busy, but let me know when you can get back here to help me shop. If you can manage it, please bring those two delightful girls, Anzu and Cadie. Your father adores them, too.”
“Did you set the date?”
“A New Year’s wedding. He doesn’t want a long engagement. You know your father.”
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “I know him.” She sounded so happy and Rafferty couldn’t be more thrilled. Susan was really the mother of her heart, now she’d be legal.
“I hope you’re sitting down. We’re taking a honeymoon, a trip through Italy. We’re actually going to take a vacation.”
“My knees just buckled. That is exciting! Now, it’s your turn. I hope you’re sitting down. Can I call you Mom now?”
“Oh, sweetie. Yes. I would love that so much,” she said, her voice breaking. “Now, I’ve got to run. Ciao, mia bella figlia.”
As she finished the call, Trace’s arms came around her. She sighed and leaned back into him. “Come outside with me and have some lunch.”
She put her coat on and stepped outside. They made their way to the falls and he settled on a bench and she folded down onto his lap. She told him about the upcoming wedding and he listened intently, his eyes sparkling at her happiness.
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you,” she whispered back.
“How do the plans look?” His arms tightened around her and he nuzzled her neck as she reclined against his big, wide chest.
“Great. Your suggestions were amazing, and though Chad grumbled, he accommodated me.”
“Good. Sign of a smart man.”
“Uh-huh. I’m going to ask Clem Cavanaugh to partner with me. She has these amazing green products, and I’m going to gather the town council. I have a plan to revitalize this town.”
He huffed a laugh. “You’re going to be so damned busy, how are you going to fit us in?”
She turned in his arms and he stroked the hair from her forehead with his thumb, gazing at her, a heart-stopping smile in his eyes, then he lowered his head and kissed her, tightening his hold on her face. “Oh, cowboy, I will fit you in every chance I get. Besides, I have a very good friend who just happens to be a marketing guy. He’s going to get his ass out here and help me.”
He caressed her temple with his thumb, the warmth in his eyes as sensual as his gorgeous mouth. “You are a juggernaut and trouble and so damned beautiful,” he said, his voice rough with his affection.
“And you love it.”
Holding her gaze, he stared down at her, amusement appearing in his eyes, then he smiled that slow, sensual, intimate smile that made her go weak inside. But it was the glint of amusement that made her heart falter. “Every sure-as-shootin’ minute, princess.”
“That’s Commander Princess to you, marine.”
They laughed as a black, wet snuffling nose inserted itself between them. Rafferty looked up to s
ee Winston. She reached up and rubbed his forehead. He bleated and Trace pushed his head away.
“Go get your own mate, interloper, or we’ll lock horns.”
She laughed with him, snuggled up to Trace, and smiled at the sight of Winston ambling over to the edge of the falls and starting to graze right below the rainbow.
The Rainbow Inn had a very nice ring to it. Her new sign was still in its packing material waiting to be hung.
She looked up then at it arcing across the sky, and Trace followed her gaze. “A rainbow often has a pot of gold at the end of it,” he whispered, his eyes intent on hers.
She had to wait a moment for the contraction in her throat to ease. “Yes, yes, it most certainly does,” she said in a husky whisper as the rainbow sparkled and the falls rushed and crashed with a very soothing force.
It sounded just like home.
To Beth, for her undying support, hugs, and listening to all my author doubts. You rock!
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Sue Grimshaw for her steadfast belief in me. It’s been a complete pleasure to work with her and the team at Random House. Also, thank you to my beta readers for reading and rereading and reading again. I appreciate everything you do. And, finally to all my readers, I wouldn’t be here doing this if it wasn’t for you. Thank you!
BY ZOE DAWSON
Laurel Falls
Leaving Yesterday
Maybe Tomorrow (coming soon)
Mavrick Allstars
Ramping Up (coming soon)
Going to the Dogs Series
Leashed
Groomed for Murder
Hounded
Collared
Fetched
Handled
Tangled
Captured
Hope Parish Novels
A Perfect Mess
A Perfect Mistake
A Perfect Dilemma
Finally Again
Beauty Shot
Mark Me
A Perfect Wedding
Forbidden Plays Series
Monster Man
Hot Read
Illegal Motions
The Starbuck Chronicles
AfterLife
Standalone Christmas Novella
Brave
PHOTO: © MEGHANN ALARIE
ZOE DAWSON, the author of forty-plus books, had always dreamed of becoming a full-time romance writer, and with determination, persistence, and a little luck, that wish came true. Her other passions include traveling the world, owning a beach house (she believes she was a mermaid in another life), and seeing her books in movies. When she’s not writing, she’s painting or killing virtual MMORPG monsters in World of Warcraft. She lives in North Carolina with her two grown children and one small, furry gray cat.
zoedawson.com
Facebook.com/zoe.dawsonauthor1
@ZoeDawsonAuthor
The Editor’s Corner
It’s another cold month of winter, but never fear, we have a few special somethings to warm your heart.
USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy launches a new series, Dirty Little Secrets, with Bound Beneath His Pain—ladies, meet Micah, a man who takes what he wants. New York Times bestselling author Missy Johnson introduces a young journalist who goes undercover for a hot lead, and gets seduced by the billionaire bachelor she’s supposed to be chasing, in Resist. New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff tells a story about a damaged actress who bares her soul, and falls for the one man who cares enough to listen, in LOVEGAME. Book two in the Recovered Innocence series from Beth Yarnall, Atone, is guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings, as will Charlotte Stein’s Never Sweeter, where a self-reliant college girl falls for a reformed bully. Then USA Today bestselling author Lauren Layne’s Oxford series heats up in this story of forbidden desire as a brooding jock hoping for a comeback falls for a woman who’s strictly off-limits in I Wish You Were Mine. Jill Sorenson releases a reunited love story with Against the Wall. And a popular song makes for a popular story in Ellie Cahill’s Call Me Maybe. Then plan to rev it up with Hidden Heat from Carla Swafford, an MC story that’s almost real.
Your history lesson this month includes two new Loveswept releases. First, K. C. Bateman’s Napoleonic love story, To Steal a Heart, and second is Maeve Greyson’s time-traveling phenomena, My Tempting Highlander—where time’s not the only thing changing and there may be a bit of shape-shifting going on, too!
Don’t miss a little bit of sweetness from Flirt: Renita Pizzitola’s Addicted to You, and hockey hotness with Sophia Henry’s Power Play.
And last but not least, seven books in one with Stacey Kennedy’s Club Sin series bundle where you’ll meet all the masters of sin.
Romance yourself this month with Loveswept—you know you want to.
~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Maybe Tomorrow
A Laurel Falls Novel
by Zoe Dawson
Available from Loveswept
Chapter 1
Mayor Trinity Gill sent her hands through her semi-unbound hair, stripping the ponytail holder from the loose strands with a swipe. She was exhausted. Looking at the budget one more time, she was trying to figure out how to keep everything running.
Especially the volunteer firefighters, really committed men and a few women. Reese Black was the driving momentum behind the department. As a career firefighter he was dedicated both to the communities of Kalispell where he worked and Laurel Falls. He refused to take any compensation for his part in maintaining the force and the station, but was also on call as one of their volunteer members. He was a valuable resource, and she was thankful for his service. They were planning a fundraiser, but that wouldn’t cover the costs of a new tanker. That was her number one priority right now. In this rural setting a tanker was really important in handling suppression of brush fires and out of the way places that had no water source.
The town was abuzz about Trace Black heading to New York City and coming back with Rafferty Hamilton who had bought the Laurel Falls Inn. She was in the process of renovating it and Trinity was itching to see the changes she was going to make. An inn was huge here. It meant they could once again think about promotion for tourism. But the problem was getting the town up to par. The empty buildings and the worse-for-wear image they projected wouldn’t do. Laurel Falls needed a facelift.
Maybe she could dig around and see if she could find some money for a consultant. Someone who could advise them about how to be competitive and compete with the other towns in the area for people, and even draw tourists from other towns. That would be ideal. But that was a different issue. Right now it was all about fire prevention and suppression.
She searched around on her desk for the grant paperwork for assistance from FEMA. Reese was a vocal advocate for the new tanker and offered to review the grant request for her to make sure that she had filled out everything accurately.
Her cell rang as she snagged the edge of the paperwork and drew it toward her. Her daughter, Cheyenne, had a distinctive ring.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
“Mom, when are you coming home? Have you eaten?”
“Eaten?”
“Yes, I hear that humans need at least three meals a day. It’s just a rumor, but I have it on good authority and it has merit. I hear there’s a whole stomach grumbling thing that has to do with something called hunger. I’m going to search online because Google doesn’t lie.”
Trinity laughed. Cheyenne had such a great wry and humorous personality. She was a bright light in her life.
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Mom, it’s like 10:30. You can’t keep working this hard and not refuel.”
“Yes, ma’am. Did you make something for me?”
“I can make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chips. I’ll leave it on the counter for you.”
“Okay, thanks, honey. Did yo
u do all your homework?”
“Only the really fun stuff.”
“Hmmm, you’re using that cute wit on me again.”
“You are such a sharp mom. No sliding into home without you getting the tag.”
“Thanks for the support.”
“Anytime,” she said wryly. “There’s a reason work is part of that equation, at least that’s what my math teacher, Mr. Jordan, says. He’s pretty handsome and funny. All the girls in my class sigh when he talks about inductive reasoning. Me, I’m not that enamored of inductive reasoning. Doesn’t float my boat. Since I want to be a horse trainer when I grow up, I don’t believe geometry is important. Horses care more about carrots and sugar. I guess I already know carrots are sorta triangular and sugar is square. Take that inductive reasoning.”
Trinity smiled. “Mr. Jordan, huh?”
“I think he’s single.”
Uh-oh, her daughter was trying to hook her up. Trinity couldn’t help it. She immediately thought about Greg Chambers and the way he’d touched her, the delicious scent of him, how hot she felt when she was in his presence even for that short period of time. But was she ready to move on? Guilt hit her like a blow and she breathed around the pain. “Time is what we all need, including me, sweetie.”
“Daddy wouldn’t want you to be lonely and sad, Mom.”
“I know that. I know, but the heart doesn’t always bounce back fast. Do you understand?” she said, her voice thick.
“Yes, I think so. I love how you loved Daddy, Mom. I do. But life is much too short to let it slip away while you’re taking care of the town and us. Try taking care of yourself, too.”
“I will.” Her daughter was such a pistol, but her caring touched Trinity deep, tears stinging her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “How was school?”
