by Becky Harmon
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Table of Contents
Cover
Synopsis
Title Page
Copyright Page
Other Books by Becky Harmon
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Dedication
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
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Bella Books
Synopsis
Retired police chief Cassie Thomas isn’t looking for romance. She had it once and fate took it away. Now her quiet life is filled with her vacation resort and a few animals. Her biggest risk is taking in two foster kids each summer. She doesn’t expect this summer to be any different.
Kathleen Masters cares deeply for the kids she helps at Fosters Inc., a privately owned Florida orphanage. Her biggest challenge this summer is to find a safe accepting environment to place four unconventional and maybe a little radical teenage girls. She has her sights set on Cassie and Lake View Resort.
Unfortunately for Kathleen, convincing Cassie to go along with her plan might be the easiest part of the summer.
Copyright © 2017 by Becky Harmon
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2017
eBook released 2017
Editor: Medora MacDougall
Cover Designer: Sandy Knowles
ISBN: 978-1-59493-527-5
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Other Bella Books by Becky Harmon
Tangled Mark
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Ruth and Laura for your valuable input and endless encouragement. Your humor always makes everything better.
To Linda and Jessica Hill, thank you for choosing me to be a part of Bella. Thanks to the many Bella authors for making me feel welcome and for the wonderful advice so freely offered.
Once again, Medora MacDougall, you have managed to turn my story into something I can be proud of. Thank you for all the corrections and the nudges that sent me in the right direction.
Thank you, Sandy, for creating a cover that speaks for the book and to Judy for all the behind the scenes fine tuning.
Thanks to all the readers who continue to crave new books. I hope you find this one enjoyable. Unfortunately, Lake View Resort and the town of Riverview do not exist except in my mind.
About the Author
Becky Harmon was born and raised just south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Though she considers herself to be a Northerner, she moved south in search of warmth. Romance has always been her first love and when she’s not writing it, she’s reading it. Her first book, Tangled Mark, was released by Bella Books in 2016. You can reach Becky at [email protected].
Dedication
For Ruth and Laura
Chapter One
“I really don’t understand why I’m here.” Cassie Thomas swallowed hard as she stared at the woman sitting across from her. The intense blue eyes looking back were making it hard for Cassie to concentrate, but they didn’t stop irritation from surfacing in her words. “Is there a problem with using my farm in the summer youth program?”
“No, there’s no problem, and I’m really sorry we scheduled your appointment on such a busy day. I’m sure you noticed all the people downstairs.”
“And the lack of parking.”
“Yeah, that too.” Kathleen gave her an apologetic smile. “This is our final spring registration week for potential adoption families. We hold one the last week in March, April and May. Each group home in the Fosters’ system will have an open house next weekend, and anyone interested can visit as many homes as they like. They have to appear in person and be fingerprinted during one of the registration weeks though.”
After many years in law enforcement, Cassie was good at reading people. Kathleen Masters did not strike her as the rambling type, and yet she was struggling to stop speaking. Kathleen was professional in her appearance and mannerisms, but she was obviously nervous about the reason that had prompted her to summon Cassie to her office.
“That makes sense.” Cassie forced a smile, trying to ease the edge in her voice. Kathleen had been nothing but pleasant, though slightly evasive. The entire interaction was leaving her with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. What was she missing?
Cassie appraised Kathleen across the small oak desk. Her light brown hair hung barely past her shoulders and was pulled back from her face, revealing strikingly attractive features. Her white button-down shirt was open at the collar, hinting at what lay beneath. Cassie found it very professional and at the same time unusually seductive. Normally not so easily distracted, Cassie was ashamed to admit it had taken her several minutes after she entered Kathleen’s office to remember where she was. Even now her thoughts were jumbled. She needed to move this conversation to whatever the issue was, and clearly Kathleen needed some prompting. “So…I’m here because…?”
“I know you’re a returning client,” Kathleen hesitated, “but we wanted to touch base with you in person before assigning your kids for this year.”
Cassie frowned. Last year, she had participated in the “city to country” program sponsored by Fosters Incorporated, a privately owned Florida foster care system. The program allowed children in and around Pensacola who were already in the foster care system to spend their summer in the country.
Cassie pulled the binder she had brought from her lap and opened it. “I brought additional information about the farm and the resort.�
��
“No, no,” Kathleen said immediately. “Your application was fine. There’s something else we wanted to talk with you about.”
Cassie opened the water bottle she had been offered when she arrived and took a drink. She could see Kathleen was gathering her courage so she let the silence stretch between them. Kathleen pushed her laptop to the side of the desk and leaned forward. Her open appraisal caused goosebumps on Cassie’s arms and she resisted the urge to shiver. She leaned forward herself, meeting Kathleen’s gaze, and raised one eyebrow.
A smile spread across Kathleen’s face, and Cassie felt her irritation begin to dissolve.
“What possessed you to volunteer to take on two teenagers again?” Kathleen asked.
Cassie laughed, shaking her head. This was not the question she had expected, but it was easy to answer. “It sounded like fun?”
Kathleen laughed with her and Cassie felt the tension between them begin to fade. She no longer cared why she had been called here. She was enjoying this meeting more than she would admit.
“I enjoyed having Greg and Mandi with me last summer. I would have taken them again.” Cassie smiled as she remembered the teenagers. “Greg was sixteen when they arrived and Mandi was fourteen. My only request when I signed up was that the kids be the same gender. The whole raging hormones issue wasn’t something I wanted to deal with all summer. When they arrived, I was a little disappointed, but then Mandi emerged from the van and informed everyone that she was a lesbian.”
Cassie felt her face begin to flush as if she was disclosing her own orientation. She looked away for a second before meeting Kathleen’s eyes again. Seeing nothing but the open, welcoming look Kathleen had displayed from the moment they met, she continued. “Greg took to Mandi immediately, and they became inseparable. Greg turns eighteen in the fall so he’s working now and trying to save enough money to get out of the foster system as soon as possible.” Cassie’s smile widened. “Mandi has a new home, and there’s a good chance they’ll adopt her.”
* * *
Cassie’s earlier frown had completely disappeared from her face, and Kathleen was pleased to hear the happiness in her voice. She had a pleasant smile. Kathleen hoped what she had to say wouldn’t make it disappear again. It was obvious Cassie had truly cared about Greg and Mandi.
Kathleen knew now she had made the right decision. She had spent hours reviewing applications before coming up with this idea, and she was confident Cassie’s resort would be a perfect location. Now she needed to convince Cassie of that. Taking a deep breath, she blurted the question she had been avoiding. “Would you consider taking four kids instead of two?”
Cassie tilted her head, but her smile remained in place. “Jumping in with both feet now?”
Kathleen’s shoulders gave a slight shrug, but she remained silent, giving Cassie a chance to process the question. On paper the jump from two kids to four didn’t seem like much, but she knew how much attention each child would require. Housing the kids was not enough for Kathleen. She needed to know that Cassie cared, and the only way to do that had been to see her face to face before making the request.
She had reviewed Cassie’s background and was impressed with her career. As an army brat, Cassie had been homeschooled and graduated from high school two years early. She had earned her law enforcement degree and joined the West Virginia State Police immediately upon graduation. Moving quickly up through the ranks and halfway to retirement, she had been recruited and then elected to the chief’s position in a small West Virginia town where she stayed until taking early retirement several years ago. Kathleen had no doubt that Cassie could handle the four girls she needed to place. The girls weren’t trouble as long as rules were clear and enforced.
“Seriously,” Cassie finally spoke, shaking her head. “I don’t think I could manage the resort and the farm and give the kids enough supervision if I had four.”
“Space is not an issue then?” Kathleen tried to keep the excitement from her voice. Cassie had not said no.
“Including my own, there are four bedrooms upstairs and another one downstairs that I use as an office, so no, space is not the issue. Beds might be.”
“I think you sound perfect.” Kathleen sat back in her chair as she realized what she had said. She felt her face burn with embarrassment. “I mean, your place sounds perfect. How do I convince you this would work?”
Cassie shook her head. “I really am sorry, but I don’t think I can.”
Kathleen could hear the hesitation in her voice so she pushed forward. “Can we talk about your concerns before we rule it out completely?”
“I guess so.” Cassie sat back in her chair, taking a deep breath. Her eyes focused on the wall behind Kathleen.
The concentration displayed on her face was intriguing, and Kathleen was surprised at the swirl of attraction she felt. Quickly pushing the feelings aside, she studied the woman across from her. Cassie’s short dark hair still swayed from her movement, barely brushing the tops of her shoulders. It wasn’t a masculine or feminine cut but clearly one of efficiency. Cassie owned and operated a four-cabin resort as well as a small farm, and her tanned arms showed the hours she spent outside. The top two buttons of her beige blouse were unfastened, revealing more brown skin. Kathleen wondered where the tan lines stopped, or if they did. She quickly moved her eyes back to Cassie’s face and met the soft brown eyes studying her.
“I worry the most about being able to provide proper supervision. With four teenagers, the farm and the resort, I can’t be everywhere.” Her eyes narrowed. “This isn’t the real issue is it? What are you still not telling me?”
“I understand your concern.” Kathleen continued, ignoring Cassie’s question. She needed to get Cassie to agree before she told the rest of the story. “What if Fosters was willing to provide additional supervision?”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. A look Kathleen was quickly beginning to find irresistible. “Okay,” Cassie said slowly, dragging out each syllable.
Cassie might not be convinced, but Kathleen had heard the agreement. She quickly delved into a possible solution for Cassie’s concerns.
“During the summer months, we have an influx of college students looking for full-time work. Normally they drive around and check on the kids that have been placed but what if we could place one of those students full time at your farm? Their priority would be monitoring and supervising the kids. Would that take away your concern and help this work for you?”
“You make a good case.” Cassie leaned forward again, and Kathleen knew she was seeing the stare that had probably made many criminals confess. She knew she had stalled as long as she could.
“I have to ask again. Why are you pushing this with me?”
Kathleen sighed. “I have four girls that really need a place for the summer. They’ve had a rough year, and I would like to keep them together. Not many of our applicants could handle four teenagers.” She took a deep breath. “And they are all lesbians.”
Cassie’s face was blank, and Kathleen tried to read her expression. Sexual orientation was not something that was asked about on the Fosters’ application, but with a quick Internet search she had been able to locate the website for Cassie’s Farm, Lake View Resort. It provided the basic information needed to pique someone’s interest if they were already looking for a getaway, but she didn’t feel it had the draw to convince those who weren’t. Kathleen was disappointed that it didn’t give as much information as she would have preferred, but it did clearly state the resort was gay- and lesbian-friendly. It didn’t matter to Kathleen if Cassie was a lesbian. Well, it didn’t matter as far as the kids were concerned, but Kathleen found herself hoping there might be some truth there.
Cassie frowned. “That brings the raging teenage hormones question back into the picture.”
“Currently the girls all room together at one of our homes without any issues. Our biggest problem is their presentation. I have one with a shaved head, one with body piercings an
d one who can only find clothes two sizes too big.”
“I’m afraid to ask about the fourth one.”
“That would be Dani, and she is a twelve-year-old sweetheart.”
“Twelve? And a lesbian?”
“Well…self-proclaimed lesbian.”
Cassie laughed. “Is there any other?”
Kathleen grinned. This was going better than she had hoped. “So what do you think?”
“I think if you can provide me with another…” Cassie paused and used her fingers as quotation marks. “‘Adult,’ then I would say yes.”
Kathleen jumped up and strode to the door. “Tiffany, call Joyce. It’s a go!”
Cassie stood as Kathleen turned back toward her. Kathleen couldn’t stop her fingers from grazing Cassie’s arm as she approached. “I’m sorry if we seem crazy. We’ve had a hard time finding a good location for the brat pack and, well, when I read about your farm, it really seemed perfect.”
Cassie returned her smile, but Kathleen could read something else in her eyes. Confusion? She realized she was still touching Cassie’s arm and quickly dropped her hand, trying to appear casual. “I hope you don’t feel like we pressured you.”
Cassie shook her head and the clearness returned to her eyes. “Brat pack? Really? Should I be worried?”
“Absolutely not,” Kathleen said. “Don’t get me wrong. They’re still teenagers and I can’t say you won’t have a few more gray hairs by the end of the summer, but they’re hard workers and enjoyable to be around.”
“A ‘few more,’” Cassie said with a groan.
Kathleen grimaced as her words echoed. Cassie’s round youthful face didn’t reflect her forty-two years even with the speckling of gray in the dark strands. She didn’t want to appear flirtatious with her new client, but the gray only made her look more attractive. “If you had any to speak of then, I would say they only made you look more distinguished.”
