Divine Creek Ranch 19
Brokenhearted Beauty
Brokenhearted and grieving, Leah Woodworth’s heart is filled with regret for never confessing her love to Patterson Elder. His loss haunts her dreams and she can’t set eyes on his brothers, James and Vincent without seeing his face. Having denied her attraction to them until it was too late, how can they possibly still want her?
James and Vincent were sure Leah was the one from the moment they met her. Patterson had always shared that belief, taking every chance to convince her that she was meant to be theirs. With Patterson gone, James and Vincent are deep in their own mourning and at a loss as to why Leah avoids them.
When she is offered an opportunity that may take her permanently out of Divine, they realize time has run out and seize what may be the last chance they have to make her theirs forever.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 87,507 words
BROKENHEARTED BEAUTY
Divine Creek Ranch 19
Heather Rainier
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
BROKENHEARTED BEAUTY
Copyright © 2014 by Heather Rainier
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-219-5
First E-book Publication: August 2014
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Brokenhearted Beauty by Heather Rainier from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Heather Rainier’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Heather Rainier’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
It takes a special kind of person to be married to anyone self-employed in a creative field. I don’t abide by business hours, much less a normal sleep schedule, and at any given time Mr. Rainier knows it’s likely that my head is in Divine and he gently reels me back into the real world. Besides building a new home, he still manages to take care of many of the mundane things of life so I can focus on what I do best. By his actions, he defines love, flexibility, and integrity. Above and beyond all of that is a man who is comfortable enough with himself to share his heart and his imperfections with me. He truly is my inspiration.
And also for “T,” whose journey inspiring me began in Divine Charity and continues here. Because of an impulsive decision, he’ll never have his happily ever after in this world. Like any of us, he was human but I like to think he had hero potential in that hard head of his. He might’ve been impetuous but his forethought in becoming an organ donor meant that he was able to save many lives with his passing. I still wish he’d worn his helmet. The world is a poorer place without him.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank everyone who believed in this story and the character arcs that began in Divine Charity. It’s a stretch writing an erotic romance that centers on such heavy themes as losing loved ones, grieving, and living with regret. They were not issues I could give a simple nod to before moving on to the “steam.” Having a wonderful network of support in place makes doing what I do possible. I don’t take the encouragement of my friends, readers, and loved ones for granted.
A special thank-you goes to the members of my street team on Facebook, The Divine Divas. They are tireless in their enthusiasm to share the series with friends and elsewhere online but they also provide a sounding board and are a big encouragement to me.
My gratitude also goes to my new personal assistant, Lily Castle. Her learning curve has resembled a rollercoaster the last couple of months and I’d like to thank her for putting up with my hours and my perfectionism, which I plan to overcome at some point in the future when the time is right…
Thank you also to Kimberly for serving as medical beta-reader again on this one.
I’d like to thank the staff at Siren-BookStrand for their hard work and professionalism. Thanks especially to my editor for making the book even better and to my cover artist, Harris Channing, for creating a cover that so closely captures the emotion of the story. It absolutely sings.
And from the bottom of my heart, thank you to the publisher, for believing in me and encouraging me. Divine, Texas wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t said “yes.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Cast of Main Characters
About the Author
BROKENHEARTED BEAUTY
Divine Creek Ranch 19
HEATHER RAINIER
Copyright © 2014
Prologue
Early April…
The soft tones of the heart monitor marked the passing seconds and hours for Leah Woodworth as she sat at Patterson Elder’s bedside. Time was running out. Barring divine intervention, she was about to lose him. Her heart ached with misery and the pain flowed through her veins like molten lava.
Lifting his hand from the bedside, she cupped his warm, callused palm and fingers to her cheek. She remembered when he’d done that recently while smiling down at her with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. She could still hear his voice as he’d teased her and stolen a kiss seconds later.
Come on now, fluff. Resistance is futile. You can’t hold out forever.
She could still feel his lips on hers. He’d tempted her, nearly beyond her ability to withstand his charms and the charms of his brothers, James and Vincent.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and her nose ran as a sob broke from her, but she didn’t care that she must look like a wreck. His handsome face was relaxed and passive in deep, deep sleep. Soon it would be time for the surgical team that was harvesting his organs to arrive. When she walked out of his room, that would be the last time she’d see him alive. When they were done, he would be gone. The scream built in her throat until she had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stop it from welling forth.
The second hand of the clock on the wall kept rolling past the minutes and hours. She tried to read to him but her throat kept closing up as she followed the now-familiar passages of his favorite old Zane Grey novel.
Laying the worn paperback aside, she clasped her fingers with his. “Do something, Patterson. Please wake up. Give me a twitch. Tease me and call me fluff. Anything. I’ll take it, honey.”
The machines continued their mindless cadence around her and she looked up at the clock. The minutes and hours seemed to speed by. Soon they would come and wheel him away. No! Not yet! There’s so much left unsaid!
Her heart pounded and she was filled with such regret. Such guilt, she couldn’t stand it.
Then don’t waste another second, fluff. It’s just you and me. And you already know how I feel about you. Through the tumult she heard his deep, raspy voice and wondered if she was losing her mind. His lips didn’t move and the machines continued their rhythm, marking the inexorable passage of time.
Her voice was shaky and rough as she lifted his hand to her lips and whispered to him. “I love you. I wanted you from the day I met you at the store. Moments before, I’d thought I was about to lose my life and then…there you were kneeling down in front of me with your gorgeous eyes so full of concern. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather, you and James and Vincent. I was stupid to not give in to you. I should’ve trusted you, you charmer.”
A sob escaped as she remembered the way his green eyes twinkled when he teased her, which had been all the time. At least until the day of the accident.
She sniffled. “You big dumbass. What were you thinking? That it was just a short trip? That you wouldn’t need your helmet? You always told me I was hardheaded, but you were the one who wouldn’t listen. Your big, beautiful noggin was hard but not hard enough, was it? If I’d been with you, you would’ve had that stupid helmet on.”
Guilt ripped at her heart as she pressed his hand tighter to her face, praying for movement even though she knew in her heart it wouldn’t come. Slick with her tears, his fingers slid across her cheek as her body shook with sobs. She clung to the precious sound of every beat of his heart and stifled her sobs just so she could hear them on the monitor as the time passed.
The darkness on the other side of the window blinds gradually gave way to the pearly light of dawn. A nurse slipped in to check the machines, gave her a compassionate smile, and left without a word.
Knowing her time with him was nearly over, Leah rose from the chair. She watched the rise and fall of his chest, unsure how she’d find the ability to walk away. Instead she came closer, lifting his hand and putting it across her lap as she took a seat beside him on the bed. The snaps on the hospital gown covering his torso gave easily with each tug until his lightly furred pectorals were revealed. Leaning forward, she rested her cheek over his heart, savoring the thudding lullaby. Beneath the antiseptic smell of the hospital, she detected his unique masculine scent and drew it in so it filled her senses.
He was such a big man and she felt small as she gradually relaxed against him, absorbing his warmth. Closing her eyes, she listened to the rhythmic thump of his heartbeat and whispered, “I don’t understand why this happened, Patterson. I never will. But I’ll always love you. I will remember your smile and the way your eyes would dance. I’ll remember the way you laughed when you tried to kiss me and I wouldn’t let you, and how warm your lips were when you finally did. And I’ll always regret that this is how I found out how perfect it feels to put my head on your chest. I don’t want to give you up. I love you.”
I love you, too, fluff. She knew the masculine voice was a figment of her desperate mind trying to hold on to him. The certainty that came with that final utterance was something she couldn’t understand.
She held his hand to her cheek and stayed utterly still. Even the sound of movement behind her didn’t distract her as she held on to every beat. What she wouldn’t give for one day with him.
Soft, masculine voices whispered in the room and she heard someone sniffle. Her time was up. A chair scraped against the floor but she didn’t lift her head or open her eyes. She was grateful no one had interrupted her overnight vigil. She’d needed that night alone with him to reconcile herself to what she’d lost. What she’d cost them all with her stubbornness.
“I loved you, Patterson. I loved you so much,” she whispered against his chest, praying some part of him was able to hear her words. She brushed her nose against his chest hair, breathing him in once more, and pressed a kiss against his sternum.
A large, warm hand gently stroked the back of her head. “It’s time, honey.”
It was time to walk away. Her hand holding his trembled and released him involuntarily. The tremor spread down her arms. A knot formed in her chest and spun tighter, drawing the rest of her into it until she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, and then it shattered in a climax of utter pain. A soft sound in the room grew in volume until she heard it over the roaring in her head and realized it was her making it. A prolonged sobbing cry that finally broke into a torrent that threatened to cripple her with its strength.
She whispered words to him, words of regret, words of guilt, words of love, and words of good-bye. She didn’t even know what she said—and didn’t care who heard—until she was finally empty. Warm, comforting hands slid over her shoulders and the back of her head. Gentle fingers slid through her hair and stroked her neck, which felt so stiff it would surely break if she so much as turned her head.
“Shhh, doll. You’re hurting yourself.”
Vincent’s comforting tone released her inner spring and she went limp as he lifted her into a ball, curled up in his lap on the bed beside Patterson. Callused hands took hers in their grasp and she finally focused on James as he squatted in front of her. He uncurled her fingers from her palms and she saw the blood pooled in her hands.
“Oh, baby,” James whispered as he reached for a tissue and blotted them until she could see the damage she’d done to her palms with her fingernails. She didn’t feel any pain there because the agony in her heart was too great, but she did see black spots as she looked into James’s teary, bloodshot eyes.
Vincent brushed her hair back from her face where it clung to her damp cheeks. He kissed the side of her head and tightened his embrace around her as everything finally went black and the unbearable pain receded.
Chapter One
July…
Leah flung back the covers with a wild gasp as she bolted upright in bed. “No!”
She looked around the still bedroom, and all the disturbing, painful images finally drifted away to be
replaced by reality. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears and she let out a shaky breath. “Oh, thank God.” It was only a dream.
Her chest cavity ached as she flopped back down on her pillow. When she turned to her side, her cheek encountered the chill of a soaked pillowcase. Frowning, she put a hand up to the dampness and then she fluffed the pillow and repositioned it, wondering what had…
“No,” she whispered, the old pain engulfing her. It wasn’t a dream. Fresh tears leaked from her eyes as she pulled the big body pillow to her and wrapped her arms around it, trying to get comfortable again but having no illusions that sleep would return anytime soon. It never did when she woke like this.
Once upon a time, it had been a different kind of dream about the Elder brothers that had brought her out of a sound sleep…the kind that left her teetering on the edge of orgasm.
The cruelest part was reliving the realization that while it might’ve been a nightmare that had awakened her, the part that she wished was a nightmare was in fact true. Patterson was gone.
Sure, parts of him lived on in several people. He had saved lives with the sacrifice of his own but he was still missing from hers. His grin. The twinkle in his eyes. His sexy chuckle—
“Stop it!” she cried out into the quiet night. “Stop it.”
Thirty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom, dressed and ready for work. Because it was only four thirty in the morning, she sat down at her dining room table with her tablet, smartphone, and a pad and pen. To-do lists, promotion strategies, and calendars were her means for distracting herself. If she threw herself into her work as forcefully as she could, she would be able to forget for a while.
Brokenhearted Beauty [Divine Creek Ranch 19] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1
