ABANDONED: Elkridge Series, Book 3, A novel
Page 28
I see you in my dreams.
I remember snow in your hair.
And skin of porcelain so fair.
The way you felt in my arms.
Shielding you from harm.
I see you in my dreams.
Your love warms me when cold.
A refreshing touch to my soul.
You’re the reason my heart beats.
The smile I hold when we meet.
I see you in my dreams.
It’s time to close my eyes in sleep.
Come to me, my soul you keep.
Kiss my lips, tender my sweet.
Remove the ache from my heart.
I see you in my dreams.
She read the words, the sentiment. “You wrote this after we found Lucky. But you didn’t know me. We’d just met.”
“I think I fell in love with you the day I walked into the antique store. I might have been too stubborn to recognize it for what it was then, and I might not say it enough, but I love you, Mrs. Daniels.”
Their July 4th wedding had been perfect. Quiet, small, among the aspen trees, celebrating with family and friends. Her mother’s wedding dress fit, and even her hardened dad had shed a tear.
She couldn’t have been happier. “I love you too.”
“But remember, I loved you first.”
Ashley pushed at his chest. “But I love you more, Mr. Daniels.”
“Prove it.”
She drew his hand down and placed it on her stomach, her hand over his, then lifted her gaze to his.
“I don’t have to. Our love grows inside me each and every day.”
Dedication
For Jen, George, and Jeannine for your sacrifice, and for being brave enough to wait and watch your loved ones’ essence drift into the silence.
Author Notes
Dear Readers,
For several years, I worked in a health care system. I witnessed doctors, nurses, and technicians extend empathy and care to virtual strangers. Health care professionals are generally made of steel, but there are times, in the quietness, when the tears can no longer be dammed.
My brother worked at the Nations Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Maryland. As a nurse, he worked with burn victims, some burned over eighty-percent of their bodies. Armed with a great sense of humor, he helped his patients manage the excruciating pain and mental trauma of forever being changed. At night, he found solace in the hospital’s nursery. For him, the babies reminded him that life was a never-ending cycle, that with death, there comes life.
Now, every time I see a person in scrubs in the coffee shop or grocery line, I offer them thanks for doing an emotionally hard and sometimes thankless job.
I hope you enjoyed Ashley’s and Chase’s journey as they struggle to reconcile that life is a never-ending cycle.
~Lyz
Also by Lyz Kelley
SNEAK PEAK
ORPHANED
THE NEXT BOOK IN THE ELKRIDGE SERIES
The search for a sister.
Decades of guilt.
Who to trust?
Jenna is desperate to find her younger sister, who was taken from her when she was seven years old. She believed Caitlyn, who was adopted by a wealthy family, was doing fine, only to discover her sibling vanished under eerie circumstances. Unfortunately, Jenna’s attracted the attention of the last man to see her sister alive.
Grant has returned to town to take over his ailing father’s law practice. When his socialite parents try to interfere in his relationship with Jenna, a woman they consider lower class, he puts his foot down. He intends to marry the adorable baker, and no one will change his mind—not even Jenna.
Jenna and Grant’s lives are upended when a stranger brings upheaval, and their trust in each other is severely tested by this shocking surprise.
The ELKRIDGE SERIES—sensual, contemporary romance novels about wounded women and the men who heal them. If you love heartfelt characters, deep topics with powerful emotional stakes, and happy endings, then you’ll love Lyz Kelley’s moving tales of strength, love, and survival.
In ORPHANED, the fourth full-length novel in the series, you learn more about town characters, and [unearth?]discover more clues to who murdered Sheriff Sam.
Elkridge Series
BLINDED
SPURNED
ABANDONED
Coming Soon:
ORPHANED
EXPOSED
RESCUED
Orphaned: Book 4: Chapter One
Sample of Chapter 1
Why, oh why was Grant Newhall standing in the café’s kitchen looking more delicious than one of her chocolate cream pies?
Jenna Dolcy grumbled to the bread dough gently yielding beneath the heel of her hand. She released a puff of air to get her overgrown bangs out of her eyes. “You’re going to get your suit all dirty.”
“I don’t mind getting a bit dirty.”
The corners of his mouth quivered, then rolled slowly into that heart-stealing smile.
Oh man…I’m so screwed.
Grant dropped a red rose on the maple butcher block table, which was covered with a dusting of flour. Its floral damask wafted and danced with the fragrance of buttery yeast. She closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to forget how handsome Grant looked in his elegant charcoal suit, crisp white shirt, brand spanking new periwinkle tie, and polished leather shoes. Why did she tell him her favorite color was periwinkle?
He slid an arm around her waist and pulled. His mouth skimmed over hers, and her brain went blank. Tingles zipped across her skin.
“Whoa.” She pushed him back. “What are you doing?”
“I like kissing you.”
I’m double screwed. “We don’t do that.”
“Yes, we do.” He leaned in again, and she braced her palms on his chest. But he made his point anyway. “You were the one who kissed me after I won the dart tournament.”
“That was different.” She stepped out of his grasp. I had one too many beers and wasn’t thinking straight.
She set a bread round on a baking sheet and grabbed another hunk of dough to shape. “It’s Mrs. Bainbridge’s birthday tomorrow. Why don’t you give her the flower? She’s sitting at her usual table.”
“This one’s for you. I’ll bring her flowers tomorrow.”
His persistence and the fact he looked downright scrumptious in his business suit kept punching holes right through her determination to remain indifferent.
“You should go before Maggie busts you for being in the kitchen.”
“Don’t worry about me.” He glanced around the small space as his half-smirk expanded. “When are you going to get one of those bakery convection ovens you want so much? I know you’ve been looking at them. It doesn’t seem practical for you to be splitting your time between the café and your bakery.”
Your bakery. Dreamy Delights. Her dream.
A coffee-and-croissant warmth seeped into her, and she savored the happy moment for a few seconds before a cold shiver deflated her bliss. What if she couldn’t make a go of the business? What if she couldn’t make enough to pay off her loans? A yucky, sour milk taste stole into her mouth, and she forced herself to swallow.
“I’ll get an oven when I find one for less than five grand. For now, baking breads here and the other stuff at my shop works.”
“I could lend—”
“No!” She rolled her shoulders back, squeezing to suppress the building tension, wishing the local macho magnet would find someone new to lavish his attention on. “I know you Newhalls have bulging bank accounts, but I’ll purchase one when I have the cash. Until then, Maggie’s fine with me splitting my time.” She grabbed another piece of dough. “Weren’t you supposed to be going over case files this morning?”
“Mom called to tell me Dad isn’t feeling well. We rescheduled for tomorrow.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I think so. Mom said he just needs rest.”
“Yesterday I overhead Dr. Brenn
an say quadruple bypasses can take up to four months to heal. I hope your dad isn’t pushing too hard.”
“He’s getting bored, so I doubt he’ll follow the doctor’s orders.”
“Last night it sounded like you’re thinking about staying on after your dad is well enough to manage his clients. Are you really thinking of staying?”
Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
“I’m planning on it.”
Bummer. That makes thing messy.
“This is my home,” he said, “and I want to build a settled life. Once I get my permanent Colorado license to practice law, I plan to take over my dad’s practice.”
Ut-oh. I hope you’re not planning to add me to that settled life bit.
He moved closer and leaned his backside against the butcher block counter. “Hey, meet me at Sparky’s after you get off. I’m tempted to barbecue some ribs.”
Oh, no. Your yumminess is way too tempting. “I’ll have to pass. I’m already exhausted, plus I have a lot of baking to do. I got up late because you kept me up past midnight chatting on the phone. You guys have fun without me.”
“You can’t work all the time, you know. You’ll burn out.”
“I don’t work all the time. You know that, since you popped out of the bushes and scared the poop out of me the other night. Promise me if we go running you won’t do that again.”
“You shouldn’t be running alone on that ridge, especially at night. That reminds me. I picked you up some bear spray. It’s in my car.”
She pushed on the dough again and again and again, trying to get her pitter-pattering heart to remember why even being friends with Grant Newhall wasn’t a good idea, much less doing the friendly-kissy kind of thing.
“What did you decide about adventure racing?” he asked, then tilted his head to get a better look at her face. “We’d make a good team.”
“Sounds like a blast, but again, between getting my business up and running and helping out here, I don’t have the time to commit to anything beyond putting a smile on every face in this town.”
“Still think you don’t fit in?” Grant’s manly brow arched higher, demanding an answer.
Dang the man. He could read her like a book, which frankly frightened her more than a scary movie.
Besides being quite the walking Wikipedia, a couple of times she’d wondered if he could read minds. Why the man was all gung ho to hang out with the likes of her, though, she hadn’t quite figured out. He was way too fancy for her lifestyle. Plus, being in the presence of a Newhall stirred up all sorts of angst, and brought back suppressed childhood memories. Memories she’d been doing her best to muzzle.
Grant took a step further into the no-customer zone. “Why don’t you take a break? Let’s get some coffee.”
Why do you keep pushing? Jenna glanced over her shoulder but kept working. “Sorry. I’ve already had my quota, and still have a good caffeine buzz going.” She pointed to the black liquid in the container sitting on the hot burner. Its strong, bitter scent wafted around the kitchen, confirming the four-am brew should be tossed. “If you want some coffee, Maggie’s got a fresh pot out front.”
His finger-licking grin gave her innards a lurch of uneasiness. Determined to ignore him, Jenna focused on pounding the buttery dough into submission. Ten seconds passed, then another ten, then another. His lack of response, and the tickling feeling he was staring at her boobs made her glance up to confirm her suspicions.
He wasn’t gawking.
He never did.
That’s the thing. The guy was perfect in every way. His dark brown hair had the perfect amount of fuss, and his mouth formed a perfect made-you-look grin. Even his dimples were perfect.
Dratted man.
Acknowledgments
FOR ABANDONED
To make this story as strong and rewarding as possible, I did a vast amount of research, and asked my hospital colleagues for advice.
While I visited the nursing home every day to see my great-grandmother, I came to realize those brief visits were nothing like spending the entire day being a sole caregiver to a loved one. My sincere thanks goes to Jeannine and the hospice care workers interviewed for this book. To Sue and Lori, my gracious beta readers, who were brave enough to provide constructive suggestions for improvement. To Aimee, who pushed me to dig deeper. To Faith Freewoman, my amazing editor, who demanded I put the emotion on the page and worked tirelessly to make the best book possible. For Shelby Reed and Carol Agnew who crossed every T and dotted every I. To Rogenna Brewer, who created a great cover for my story.
Also, to Fred Doucette, the author of, Better Off Dead, a book about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who allowed me to ask some tough questions. Thank you.
And to my husband, who didn’t ask why I was crying or so exhausted when I stopped writing to eat the dinners he prepared.
You all have my sincere gratitude.
~Lyz
Thank you for reading: ABANDONED
Lyz Kelley is an award-winning author who lives in Colorado with her husband and several of her furry four-legged animals.
Lyz loves to hear from readers, so feel free to email her at: Lyz@LyzKelley.com. If you’re interested in learning about her new releases, sign up for her newsletter on the home page of her website, www.LyzKelley.com
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More Books By
Lyz Kelley
Elkridge Series
BLINDED
SPURNED
ABANDONED
Coming Soon:
ORPHANED
EXPOSED
RESCUED
ABANDONED Copyright © 2017 Belvitri Services, LLC
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