Unwelcomed Greeting: A Riverton Crossing Novel
Page 1
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
PLAYLIST
Unwelcomed Greeting
A Riverton Crossing Novel
Savannah Maris
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or are either fictitious or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN-13: 978-1975884581
ISBN-10: 1975884582
Copyright: Copyright © 2017 Savannah Maris
All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in whole or in part by any means.
Author: Savannah Maris
Editor: Southern Girls Book Services
Cover Photo(s): FuriousFotog and Southern Girls Book Services
Cover Design: MadHat Books
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
PLAYLIST
Acknowledgments
First, I’d like to thank my husband who has been so patient with me throughout this process. He has sacrificed our time together to let me write uninterrupted on Saturday mornings. He’s my love and my hero!
To my kids. Y’all have helped me more than I could’ve imagined! Thank you for helping to make this a reality.
To Southern Girls Book Services. Y’all get a special thank you for taking a chance on a newbie author. You girls have given me the confidence to follow this unexpected path. I hope this journey will be one we all enjoy for a long time! I love you, girls!
To Golden Czermak. Thank you for answering all of my questions and allowing me to look through your galleries. I’m so excited about this cover! www.onefuriousfotog.com
To the models who work with Southern Girls. Y’all rock! Thank you for bringing my characters to life!
To my beta readers. Thank you for taking the time to read Unwelcomed Greeting and provide feedback. Y’all played an important role in this process; I couldn’t do it without you.
To Maddy Lucas. You took a rough sketch from someone who can’t draw (ME) and turned it into my beautiful logo! Thank you for having “the eye”, talent, and knowledge to bring my concept to life!
To Shari with MadHat Books. What can I say? You’ve blown my socks off! Thank you for an amazing book cover and saving my butt! I can never thank you enough for what you did. You’re simply amazing!
To Foreword PR & Marketing. Thank you for reading five very rough chapters and seeing the potential. I’m eternally grateful for your guidance and patience. I’m glad I found you and can’t wait to see where the future takes us.
To anyone who reads my books. Thank you for taking a chance on me. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Finally, I know where my blessings come from. I don’t take that for granted. I’m thankful every day for the chance to create.
1
“We need you to come home as soon as you can.” As she left her house in the mountains of North Carolina four days later, she could still hear the worry in her mother’s voice. “Plan on staying a few days.” What the hell? A few days were about all she could handle of her family. She loved her immediate family, but her extended family was a whole other story. They made the Hatfields and McCoys look like The Three Stooges. As long as she could avoid them, she’d be fine.
The closer she got to the coast, the heavier the traffic became. Vacationers. With any luck, she’d be past the major highways and on the last stretch of back roads by rush hour.
Despite being a member of one of the biggest founding families of her small, Southern hometown, Makayla Gregory, known by most as Kayla, hadn’t lived there for several years. Her father’s parents and their ten children were amongst the first families to settle here, and her mother’s parents moved in with their five children as the town grew. Her father was a retired business owner, her brother was a doctor, and her mother had worked for the church since Kayla was in kindergarten. Growing up, she felt suffocated and couldn’t wait to get out of that town. After moving away, her visits “home” were infrequent and brief. This was only the third time she’d been back to Riverton Crossing in five years. She was happier when she was away, at peace.
Four days ago, that peace disappeared when she received a frantic call from her mother, summoning her home. As she drove down the interstate, she thought about that phone call. Kayla knew her mother was getting older, but had she mentally gone over the edge? She’d talk with her brother, Thomas, when she got to Riverton Crossing. Surely, he knew what had their mother so freaked out.
Kayla took a deep breath as she turned down the street to her childhood home. No one would know this paradise sat off the road if they hadn’t seen it for themselves. She turned into her parents’ driveway and instantly understood why her mother was so upset. Their property bordered land owned by a crotchety old woman who must have let one of her children or grandchildren build on a portion of her acreage. This would be interesting since that particular woman had stirred the proverbial shit pot for as long as Kayla could remember. And from the looks of things, the nut hadn’t fallen far from the tree. A few days. She’d only be there for a few days.
As she took the final curve of her parents’ driveway, she saw their version of the little cabin in the woods. It wasn’t big enough for anyone to stay overnight, so she’d made other arrangements. Her parents and brother were standing outside as she drove up. Even though there were smiles on their faces, they didn’t seem happy. She parked her car and took a second to gather her thoughts before she got out. As soon as she rounded the car, her family greeted her with hugs and kisses.
“It’s good to see you, little sister.”
“Hey there, Thomas. How’s the ER treating you?” Kayla hugged her brother, then turned toward her parents.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Hey, Daddy, Mama. Well, it looks like you have a new neighbor and, boy, he’s really decorated the place.”
“Yes, I do believe he thinks we can’t read,” her mother said.
“Has anyone explained to him that this land has been marked ‘Posted’ for over forty years? We have no interest in what’s on his property.”
“Hush, now. There are men walking around and we think they have listening equipment,” her mother whispered.
“Umm, okay. Where are we going to talk then?”
“Let’s go to the other side of the house and turn on some music,” Thomas suggested.
They were all silent as they walked around the house. Kayla’s mind ran a million miles an hour in a million different directions. “Okay. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“Well, you saw what Dick has done coming down the driveway,” Thomas said.
Kayla giggled and shook her head. “Are you calling him a dick?”
“No, that’s his name,” Thomas continued. “You know, it’s short for Richard. Richard Beal.”
“Kayla, your mouth.”
“Sorry, Mom, but it was a legitimate question and a very appropriate name.” Kayla shook her head again, still trying to contain herself. “Who’s going to start?”
When the music emerged from the house, Thomas began telling her the shenanigans that had been taking place. “You saw the signs.”
“Yes. ‘Keep Out’ signs were a little hard to miss.”
“When he was putting up his garage, he hit something that caused the transformer to blow. Mom and Dad lost electricity.”
“You mean he didn’t call to have the lines marked? So, maybe it was an accident?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought until he did it a second time. He was fined for that one, but it didn’t seem to faze him. Did you see the cameras?”
“The cameras? Why are there cameras?”
“He’s filming every move Mom and Dad make.”
“Is that legal? Why would he do that?”
“We don’t know yet. He’s up to something, though,” Thomas said.
“Have you called the police? Isn’t this invasion of privacy or something?”
“Yes, we’ve called the police. They aren’t doing anything about it right now. They just tell us to keep filing reports,” her mom said.
“What about Sheriff Cahill? Can’t he do something?”
“He can, but he’s not going to. He isn’t going to step on the toes of the Riverton Crossing Police Department,” Thomas offered.
“Great. Just great. So what’s the plan?”
“We’re trying to figure out what he’s up to. Meanwhile, we’re putting a privacy fence down that side of the property. We called you because we need some extra muscle,” Thomas said with a wide-mouthed grin.”
“Aren’t you funny?” She glared at Thomas.
“Where are you staying?” her mother asked.
“I called Mitch before I left. He’s got one of his apartments vacant on Main Street. He’s letting me stay there as long as I need.” She shrugged casually.
A frown crossed her mother’s face. “What if he’s behind this? Do you think he’d want the property?”
“Mom, Mitch’s family was one of the founding families, just like ours. Why would he do that? His family may own most of the land the town was founded on, but he’s not one of the establishment. He never has been. You know him better than that.”
“You’ve been gone for a while, baby girl.”
The look of astonishment on Kayla’s face couldn’t be hidden. “What?” She and Mitchell dated in high school, and he helped her start her business. There was no way she’d believe he’d hurt her or her family this way. “He wouldn’t do that to you! Or me! Maybe he has an idea of what’s going on, but he wouldn’t be behind it. I’ll ask him tonight when I see him.”
“Be careful,” was all her dad said.
Kayla looked around at three sets of eyes staring at her. Her mom smiled. Her dad and brother just gave her a nod of their heads. She was beginning to think she’d stepped into an alternate universe. Her family was off their rockers!
2
Mitchell Riverton had loved Makayla Gregory since they were teens. Everyone called her Kayla except him. He was the only one who called her Mak. She was his Mak. His first clue she’d arrived was the flash of red that caught his eye. She’d always had a thing for red cars, and he’d always had a thing for her, even before they lost their virginity to each other. She rocked his world in high school and apparently still did. Her call a few days ago, in need of a place to stay while she was in town, caused old feelings to resurface. His apartment was vacant so he’d had it cleaned for her. He wanted it to be perfect, but she didn’t need to know it was his.
Kayla getting out of her car was what pulled him back to the present. He walked toward her while a million questions rolled through his mind. Why was she in town? She usually just got a hotel room, so why did she need an apartment this time? Was she planning to stay more than a night? He hoped the answer to the last question was ‘yes.’
“Mitch Riverton, you look as handsome as ever!” She said with a smile so bright it made her eyes dance.
“My God, Mak, could you get any more beautiful?”
Her face went red as she ducked her head and tucked some of that blonde hair behind her ear. Mitchell had the same old reaction to her – his heart sped up and his jeans got a little tighter. Damn, this woman had always driven him crazy. Maybe he needed to wear baggier pants while she was in town.
When they were finally just a few inches apart, she reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. And thanks for letting me use one of your apartments on such short notice.”
Mitchell noticed the stares from nearby people as they greeted each other. “My pleasure, sweetheart. I’m just glad I had one available. You got a bag? We can take it up, and I’ll show you the place. I’d like our reunion to be a little more private,” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
She pushed his shoulder as a mischievous smile crept across her face. “You always did draw attention.”
They moved to get her bag out of the back of her little SUV. He chuckled as he thought about the trouble they got into when they were younger. “Um, no. I think that was you who drew the attention. Everyone would stop and stare at those legs in those little blue jean shorts.” Mitchell nodded toward her legs as he felt himself stiffen at the thought. When he leaned over to get her bag, he had to adjust himself in his jeans. Definitely baggier pants.
Mitchell escorted her to the apartment, flipped on all the lights, and showed her around. “I put some food in the refrigerator if you want it. Everything has been cleaned. You should be good to go. How long are you staying?”
“Depends. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure.”
Unease washed over her, knowing what she was about to ask. “I don’t know how to ask you this without it sounding accusatory, so I’m just going to say it.” She made eye contact and he held her stare. “Are you trying to take my parents’ property?”
“What? Why would you even ask me that? If I wanted the property, Mak, I’d call you first and then make them an offer. Where is this even coming from?”
“Apparently, someone is harassing my folks. Thomas is pissed. My family asked me today if I thought you had anything to do with it. I told them no, but they reminded me that I haven’t been around in a while.”
“No, Mak. It’s not me. Your parents’ neighbor, Richard…”
“Dick,” Kayla interjected.
“Yeah, Dick,” he chuckled. “He’s been working with some guys from out of town. I don’t know what they do, but he seems adamant about wanting your parents’ property. The police aren’t stopping him, so he keeps stepping up the harassment. I’ll ask around and s
ee if anyone’s talking, but every time Thomas comes around, people clam up.”
“Thank you. I guess I should let you get back to Sally. She must be getting worried about you by now.”
“I hate to sound like your family, but if you’d return phone calls or come visit more often, you’d know I’m not with Sally anymore. It’s been over for a while. Plus, the only reason she’d be worried is because I’m alone with you.”
She cupped his face and softly kissed his lips. Mitchell put his hands on her hips and rested his forehead on hers. “Don’t start something you’re not willing to finish.”
She closed her eyes and took a step back. “Will I see you while I’m in town?”
“I was hoping we could spend some time together. Dinner tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow, I’m eating with my family. How about a walk when I’m done?”
“Call me.”
Mitchell made his way to the door when her voice caused him to pause. “I’m glad you’re not with Sally anymore.” He couldn’t turn around because he knew he’d go back in there and kiss her like he’d wanted to for years.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
3
With the click of the door, she knew he was gone and could breathe again. How could she ever think she’d be over that man? He wasn’t the boy she knew in high school. He was a full-grown man. She closed her eyes, still feeling his arms around her. Those broad shoulders, hard chest, narrow hips. God, it was going to be so hard to be near him and not have him. Leaving was the only way she could breathe five years ago. She didn’t have the right to ask him to go with her. She hadn’t returned his calls because it was hard enough to stay away knowing where he was. If he asked her, she’d stay. She’d stay for him.