Dream of Me (Harmony Falls, Book 1)

by Gaelen Foley

  “No problem at all, Pap,” Harry answered warmly.

  “Take good care of our girl.”

  “You bet.”

  “Humph.” Pap finally lurched into the RV’s cockpit, slammed the door shut, and fixed his ball cap more comfortably before starting the engine. Harry gave Grandma Jean a boost by her elbow into the passenger side, then stepped back to take Bea by the hand.

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched Pap and Gram pull off down the long dirt road.

  The RV had barely chugged into gear when Gram lowered her window and peeped her head out, waving. “Love you two! Take good care of each other! No wild parties!” she teased.

  Bea laughed through the sheen of tears, waving with her free hand. The other was keeping warm under Harry’s fleece jacket, nestled into the small of his back.

  As the RV disappeared through the screen of bare-branched trees, they lingered in the driveway for a moment longer.

  Despite the gray sky and fallen leaves, the frost-encrusted fields, the deadened trees and brown plants, all around her Bea saw life, hope, the promise of new beginnings and a long, happy future, just the way she’d always dreamed.

  I can’t believe I finally did it, she thought, staring down the driveway. The farm was now officially hers, and Gram and Pap were on their way.

  “So?” Harry asked.

  “So, what?” When she turned to look at him, she found his cobalt gaze already fixed on her.

  Noting her misty-eyed look, his kind expression showed he was ready as ever to offer support, but by now, of course, he knew better than to baby her. He shrugged. “What do we do now?”

  Bea let out an exhale. “I dunno. Let’s just sit.”

  That sounded like a fabulous idea. They turned back toward the house, thumped up the steps to the porch, drowsily, without hurry, in step with one another.

  Harry joined her on the porch swing and tapped his foot on the wooden floor to drift them into a gentle glide, back and forth.

  Now that they’d survived a tornado, settled a feud between two battling billionaires, and completed four successive weekends of a wildly popular autumn festival, Bea figured they’d earned the right to take a load off.

  Harry lifted her hand to his lips for a brief kiss, then held it in silence as they swung slowly, surrounded by serene mountains, fertile fields, rich forests, peaceful valleys. Bea had the loveliest sense of wholeness.

  “You know,” Harry said as a yawn crept up on him, “I could get used to this.”

  Bea smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. “Glad to hear it. ’Cause I’m keeping you, Mr. Riley.”

  He laughed softly, put his arm around her shoulders, and they just sat swinging.

  Life was good. In fact, it was pretty much perfect.

  AUTHOR NOTE

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading our book! We hope you enjoyed your visit to Harmony Falls. Jaz and I thought we would take a quick minute to share a little behind-the-scenes with you before we say goodbye for now.

  As you may have gathered, we are sisters as well as co-writers. How did that come about? you may be wondering. (And by the way, if you’re curious, I’m the oldest in our family and Jaz is the youngest, with almost a decade between us. All four of us Foley sisters get along well, but firstborn and baby are often very simpatico in families and that was the case with us, too.) Anyway, many romance readers already know me as a longtime historical author. I should mention that if, in addition to contemporary, you also like reading romances about dashing dukes and spirited Regency misses, you’re welcome to check those out. But a time came in my career when I started getting a little itchy creatively and wondering about expanding my repertoire—not to abandon my historicals, but to branch out a little and have some fun in other areas. However, between my adventurous Regencies and the fantasy middle grade/children’s literature that I also fell madly in love with writing a few years ago, I already had a very full writing schedule, as you can imagine. Yet the inspiration for a wonderful small-town in the Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands would not let me go. I needed help! But I could never co-write a book with someone I didn’t know, love, and trust completely.

  Since I’ve had such a great experience co-writing with my beloved husband Eric on the middle grade books (as an ex-middle school teacher, he really knows how to connect with kid readers), I started thinking about recruiting Jaz to help me with Harmony Falls. Unlike me, after all, with my Regency/Victorian ways, she gets this modern world way more than I do, lol.

  Also, when I thought about her fearlessness in actual outdoor adventures over the years, the little maniac, I knew this would be right up her alley. My dad raised all four of us to relish outdoorsy adventures, but Jaz has always been the really spunky one about that kind of thing. Plus, her innate fiction-writing talent has been screaming out to be developed for years. We all knew this, of course, and she knew it, too. She just never pursued it because that was her big sister’s thing. (Ornery! LOL.) Instead, she had gone in a nonfiction direction, but the talent there was obvious. Well, I knew it was time to get her butt on board with this project. And being the firstborn means I’m really good at bossing my sisters around when the occasion calls. *g* So I talked her into it, and here we are.

  As to the inspiration for this series, that was easy. One day Eric and I were driving out to the Laurel Mountains to go to a fall festival (Oktoberfest at Seven Springs Resort, if you know the place) and it hit me. “Wow, this whole area would be an amaaazing setting for one of those small-town series that I love reading!” I said to my husband as we drove along, and he said, “Wow, you’re right. So, write one.” :)

  I’d certainly been to Laurel Highlands enough times. My parents started taking me and my sisters there ever since we were small. For us, it is the place to go for great hikes, long bike rides through the mountains, whitewater rafting, rock-climbing, caving, horseback riding, skiing, and all kinds of get-away-from-it-all fun. Nothing recharges my batteries like sitting on some fantastic boulder next to the river that runs right through the tiny town of Ohiopyle, and just watching the current flow by.

  Bea’s story, in particular, is a reflection of the tug many of us feel these days of wanting to get back to a simpler, healthier, more self-sufficient and sustainable way of life. Not all of us can actually buy a farm and grow our own organic produce in real life, but that’s the beauty of novels! We can try it out vicariously through lovable characters.

  Speaking of lovable characters, here’s a hint about who’s up next. Nearly every man in Harmony Falls sighs over Bea’s best friend, Chloe Morgan, but one has a definite edge with the blond yoga goddess. Will it be ex-marine badass Jack or the genteel pillar of the town, Chief Mike, who’ll be the guy to glimpse the turmoil behind Chloe’s unflappable outward calm and finally figure out what’s really going on behind her serene Mona Lisa smile? Rejoin the gang and read Watch Over Me (Harmony Falls, Book 2) to find out! Coming Soon!

  Once again, Jaz and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for spending your precious leisure time with us. We know what a commodity downtime is for people in today’s crazy-busy world, and we take yours very seriously! So if you enjoyed this book, sign up for my mailing list so we can let you know when the next book is available. We’d love to have you back at Harmony Falls!

  Sincerely,

  Gaelen and Jaz

  Coming Soon!

  Watch Over Me

  HARMONY FALLS, BOOK 2

  Sign up to the Gaelen Foley Mailing List to be notified as soon as it’s available.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Gaelen Foley

  New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Gaelen Foley first made her mark on the romance genre in historical romance, penning more than twenty Regencies for Random House/Ballantine and HarperCollins/Avon. With her books translated into seventeen languages and many awards under her belt, she continues to write new historical romances for her loyal
Regency fans, but Dream of Me is her first foray into the wonderful world of contemporary small-town romance—one of her favorite genres to read. In addition to romance, she also co-writes fantasy middle grade novels for kids with her husband, a former teacher, under the pen name E.G. Foley. A versatile and hardworking writer, Gaelen’s passion for the craft of fiction keeps her exploring new creative ground. Visit her on the web at GaelenFoley.com.

  Jaz Kennedy

  Jaz Kennedy’s fresh voice brings comedy and realism to contemporary romance. She got her start writing nonfiction after earning an English degree. As a nature lover and adventure seeker, Jaz lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two young children. Dream of Me is her first novel. You can visit Jaz on her Facebook page or at JazKennedy.com. Be sure and sign up for her mailing list while you’re there.

  Click below to get your Gaelen Foley Starter Library now!

  www.gaelenfoleystarterlibrary.com

  DEDICATION

  From Gaelen:

  For my family, especially my father-in-law, Al, who kicked cancer’s ass, and my loving mother-in-law, Dottie, who got him through it. Your fifty-plus years of marriage is an inspiration. Also to my mom and dad, who gave me three wonderful sisters, including my co-writer, and fostered in all of us a love of books. And finally, a huge thank you to America’s farmers and growers, who work so much harder than I had any idea before researching this book! We’d all go hungry without you. Jaz and I are in awe of your skill, grit, and determination.

  From Jaz:

  For Andrew, who believed in my dream even when I didn’t.

  Also by Gaelen Foley

  The Ascension Trilogy

  The Pirate Prince

  Princess

  Prince Charming

  Knight Miscellany

  The Duke

  Lord of Fire

  Lord of Ice

  Lady of Desire

  Devil Takes a Bride

  One Night of Sin

  His Wicked Kiss

  The Spice Trilogy

  Her Only Desire

  Her Secret Fantasy

  Her Every Pleasure

  The Inferno Club

  My Wicked Marquess

  My Dangerous Duke

  My Irresistible Earl

  My Ruthless Prince

  My Scandalous Viscount

  My Notorious Gentleman

  The Secrets of a Scoundrel

  Age of Heroes

  Paladin’s Prize

  Moonlight Square

  One Moonlit Night

  Duke of Scandal

  Gryphon Chronicles

  (Writing as E.G. Foley)

  The Lost Heir

  Jake & the Giant

  The Dark Portal

  The Gingerbread Wars

  Rise of Allies

  Secrets of the Deep

  50 States of Fear

  (Writing as E.G. Foley)

  The Haunted Plantation (Alabama)

  Leader of the Pack (Colorado)

  Bringing Home Bigfoot (Arkansas)

  The Dork and the Deathray (Alaska)

  Anthologies

  Royal Weddings

  Royal Bridesmaids

  Dream of Me (Harmony Falls, Book 1)

  Copyright © 2016 by Gaelen Foley & Jaz Kennedy.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Cover Design by Kim Killion

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, recorded, or stored in any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations for review purposes.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.