Mr. So Wrong
Page 1
Mr. So Wrong
R.C. Stephens
Copyright
Mr. So Wrong
Copyright 2018 © R.C. Stephens (Irene Cohen)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form or by any means.
COVER ARTIST: SARAH HANSEN @ OKAY CREATIONS
FORMATTED: MARLEY VALENTINE
PHOTOGRAPHER: WANDER AGUIAR
COPYEDITING: MAX DOBSON
PROOFREADING: JAMES RAMSEY
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.
Contents
Mr. So Wrong
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
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
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by R.C. Stephens
Sneak Peek
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Acknowledgments
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream come true. – Yip Harburg
Mr. So Wrong
Albert Walsh the Third has spent over a decade running away from his past. With no job and nothing to lose, he goes on a spontaneous drive to visit his sister in the mountains of Colorado. The simple trip proves to be more than he bargained for. Samantha Belmont is floating through life. She’s cast her dreams aside and now works on her papa’s ranch. One night, Sam is driving home in a snow storm after a hookup when she spots a car in a ditch and saves a man’s life. She doesn’t expect to develop feelings for the hot as hell stranger. Everything about him is wrong from his pointy shoes and fancy car to his age. Pushing him away would be the smart move. Only Al can’t be pushed around anymore. Maybe it’s because she saved his life or maybe it’s because this cowgirl is completely different from every other woman he’s been with. Problem is Sam has secrets of her own. Secrets she doesn’t want Al to find out because if he did he’d run in the other direction. She pushes him away even though he melts her panties right off—literally. There is more than just her heart that needs protection. Al won’t give up fighting for the feisty cowgirl’s attention. Tempers will flare and hearts will be broken. And Sam’s plans to never settle down will be torched like the inferno of passion raging between them.
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Prologue
Sam
2004
“She’s got this, Sam,” Mack said, giving my shoulder a tight squeeze.
“She’s right, honey,” Mom agreed, her tired voice scratchy and weak. “Your mama’s a fighter. You know that.” She lay in bed, looking frail. She had cut her hair off just before she started the chemo treatments and mostly either wore a bandana on her head or the silly baseball cap Papa gave her when he got back from the rodeo last year. It had I am a bull rider embroidered on it. We all thought it was cute because Mama was a fierce woman. She helped Papa with the bulls in the bull barn all the time. She did everything he did around this ranch.
“I know, Mama. You’re a fighter. I just worry. I’ve only had you for nine years. I need more time,” I said as my voice cracked. I couldn’t imagine this world without Mama in it. I wasn’t finished growing. I needed her to take care of me. Love me. Teach me things I didn’t know. Sure, we had Papa, but he wasn’t involved much. If it didn’t have to do with a heifer or Jim Beam, he just didn’t care.
“You go to sleep now, Sam. Give me a kiss. You need a good night’s sleep so you won’t be tired for school tomorrow. I’ll make you your favorite breakfast in the morning,” she promised. I may have been young, but I still wondered how she would get out of bed tomorrow morning. She hadn’t gotten further than her bedroom door for a long while now. I pushed the thought aside. She was my mama, and she never lied to me. Mack gave me a little nudge forward, and I kissed Mama’s clammy cheek. “Goodnight, my sweet girls. Dream of rainbows and blue birds. Dream of making the impossible come true,” her voice trailed off. Mama grew up watching the Wizard of Oz. She always taught us to dream big.
“I’ll dream that you will be better by morning,” I said, wishing my mama would feel better and finally be able to leave her bed.
“Thank you,” she said. My sister leaned in to give her a kiss too. Mack was five years older than me. She took my hand and led me into my room where she helped me choose a pair of pajamas and tucked me into bed.
“Goodnight, Button,” she said, flicking the tip of my nose.
“Night,” I smiled back to her. Lately she had been acting more like my mama than my sister, and I thought she would make a good mama one day.
“Can I sing to you before I go to sleep?” I asked, pressing out my lower lip.
That trick worked every time. “Okay. One song.” She groaned even though I knew she liked to hear me sing.
I grinned widely and took a cleansing breath through my nose. I loved to sing, but I always enjoyed it more when I had an audience. I opened my mouth and began to sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” My sister took a seat on my bed and looked down at me, her brown eyes filled with a sadness I understood. I noticed Papa leaning against my doorframe, listening too. He wasn’t a man who smiled much, but I could tell by the warmth in his eyes that he liked to hear me sing. When I was done my song, Papa pushed off the doorframe and walked off. He was also a man of few words. Mack caressed the top of my head, brushing some stray hairs off my face. “You sleep tight now, Button.”
“Mack!” I called out into the dark, and my sister turned to look at me. “Do you really think Mama will be up in the morning to make us breakfast?” I wanted to hide the hope in my voice because it seemed to make Mack sad.
“I hope so, Button. Sleep now.” With those last words, she left my room, and I dreamed about being a famous singer and singing on a stage. It was a good dream.
Morning came faster than I wanted it to. I liked to sleep. I liked the warmth of my comforter shielding me from the morning chill that ran through our house. I was fully prepared to give my sister a hard time getting out of bed just so I could embrace the warmth a few moments longer, but then I remembered Mama promised breakfast. She was the best and our only cook in the house … Well, except if Papa was making one of his steak dinners.
I wasn’t a fan of steak, though I would never dare admit that to Papa since he was a cattle rancher. I popped out of bed as the smell of warm buttermilk pancakes and sausage links wafted through the air. Mama was making me breakfast. She was out of bed. Everything was going to be fine.
I made a mad dash to the bathroom and scrubbed my teeth in the up and down motion she had taught me. I ran a brush through my short blond hair. I had chopped off a good ten inches the month before and donated it; Mama said it was for a good cause and would make people suffering with cancer feel a little better about how they looked. It sure was easier to brush and didn’t tangle much, though some kids at school started making fun of me calling me a boy. Mack told me to ignore them, but it wasn’t easy. Not when their words were so hurtful. They didn’t understand why I had cut my hair and that made me angry too.
Excitement bubbled inside me as the smell of pancakes and links drifted upstairs. I skipped back to my room, got dressed quickly, and ran down the stairs straight for the kitchen.
Mama was standing by the stove frying links on a pan. Mack stood beside her, watching. Mama must have heard me coming because she turned her head. “Good morning, Sam. Look what I made for you?” She was smiling.
She was wearing her robe and still had that silly machine that gave her pain medicine wrapped around her waist, but she looked much better than she had in a long time. She took a few plates out of the cupboard and walked them over to the kitchen table where a stack of pancakes sat on a plate in the center. I pulled out a chair and felt my mouth water as I reached for the fluffiest pancake on earth.
“Mmm, this is so good,” I said with a mouthful of holy goodness.
Mama didn’t scold me like she usually had when I’d talk with a mouth full of food. She brought the pan with the links over to the table and dumped a pile of them on a plate. I took my fork and stabbed two of them and brought them to my mouth. I hadn’t had this kind of breakfast in a while. Papa started working out in the barn around 5:00 am, so Mack made us breakfast, which was either oatmeal or cereal. Since I hated warm cereal, it was cold cereal and milk for me. It sure didn’t warm my belly on a cold winter morning like Mama’s links and pancakes.
Mack gave Mama a kiss on the cheek and thanked her for breakfast. Then she came to sit beside me, only she wasn’t eating much.
“I packed your lunches too.” Mama nodded and Mack looked just as wide eyed as me. Mama hadn’t packed our lunches in a long time. “You girls need to eat healthy, remember that. And do your homework. You don’t want to get stuck in this small town like I did. And find the right man to love. Lord knows I didn’t. Your papa wouldn’t know what love is if it hit him on the head. That’s why you girls need to watch out for each other. Mack …” Mama paused and Mack stopped chewing her food mid-bite. “You watch out for our little button. She’s young and vulnerable. And you, Mack, I know you’re smart.” Her eyes grew sad. “I know you’re going to make it out of here and make a good life for yourself.” Mama’s words sounded firm, almost like she was scolding us for doing something bad only we hadn’t done anything wrong. Like she wanted us to remember her every word, so I stopped chewing and repeated her words in my head.
“Got it,” I answered.
Mama began to laugh, and a lone tear dripped down her cheek. She swiped it away. “You grow up and get an education. You hear me. This ranch is no place for a lady to work.” She pointed her finger between the two of us. “I don’t want my girls taking care of heifers. I want you to be the blue birds that fly over the rainbow,” she said with the same cool and urgent tone. Her gaze narrowed on me, her tone soft. “You have such a beautiful voice, Button. Do something with it.” She winked and turned her head to look at the clock on our old stove. Everything about this ranch was old. “Now hurry up and get your school bags before you miss the bus.” She stood from the table and held her robe tight. Mack and I scurried around, gathering our school bags and lunch boxes. We were on different busses now that Mack started high school.
“Bye, Mama.” I reached over to wrap my arms around her frail body, careful not to touch the pouch with the pain medicine.
“I love you, Button.”
“I love you too, Mama.”
Mack reached in to hug Mama. Mama took her by the chin when Mack pulled back. Wetness swelled in Mama’s clear blue eyes. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you to take care of her.”
Mack swallowed hard and nodded. Her arms wrapped so tightly around Mama’s neck, I thought she might choke her. Mama patted her back, and Mack pulled away. “Go before you’re late,” Mama said with that firm voice that meant business.
We walked out of the front door. Papa wasn’t working in the barn like I thought he would be. He was out on the porch, hugging his bottle of Jim Beam. He didn’t say goodbye to us or tell us to have a good day as we passed. We walked down the dirt road to our bus stop. Little did I know, I wouldn’t be seeing my mama again.
Chapter One
Al
Present Day
“Colt, I need to call you back. The snow is really picking up,” I say to my best friend through Bluetooth as the wind battles with the snow, causing a cloud of white before me.
“No,” he hisses. “You take off without warning. You’ve been acting fucking off and tomorrow’s the last day of my governorship. I thought my chief of staff would be here with me to kiss my term goodbye.” His tone softens. I hear the hurt. As his best friend and his chief of staff, I should be there for him. My chest tightens. I can’t man up and tell him the reason I took off. It’s on the tip of my tongue when a truck speeds by, causing the white cloud of snow before me to thicken. I can’t see a fucking thing. Lord knows why I decided to take my Porsche on a road trip to Colorado. Oh yeah, I had to give up my Land Rover ’cause I couldn’t afford the payments. The Porsche is older, and I own it outright. Sticking around to watch Colt pass off his title would’ve been like pouring salt into an open wound. Colton and his dad had been planning his ascent to the presidency basically since I met the guy at Harvard my freshman year. I went along on a ride I thought was leading somewhere. I knew better than to put all my eggs in one basket, given my family’s business holdings, but I did it anyway. I believed in Colton. He had gone from state attorney to governor within a few years. We could have made it to the White House on the next election. Too bad I didn’t get the full memo; Colt had different aspirations, which I knew about, but like his father, I didn’t give them much thought.
“Evie can kiss the term goodbye for you,” I answer, grinding my jaw as I refer to his girlfriend and love of his life. I internally snort at the idea he fell so in love. He had been Chicago’s infamous playboy. I need to get off the phone before I end up in a ditch. I don’t mean to be bitter, but my best friend went and fell in love and basically did a one-eighty with his life. I don’t want to admit being that guy, the one who’s filled with anger and resentment, but it’s been bubbling inside me for months now. It’s the reason I left town. I had to get away from myself to get my head on straight. When my sister called and asked me to join her at our family cabin in the Colorado Mountains, I saw the perfect escape. A low-cost vacation and a place to clear my head, figure out my next steps.
“I love you, Al, but fuck you.” Colton’s voice booms through the car, and I sense his displeasure with me. I didn’t want to piss him off, but I didn’t want to hang around and kiss my career goodbye when he resigned either.
“Sorry, man.” I sigh, gripping the steering wheel. “I’m going to hang out with Izzy. Breathe the fresh mountain air. Clear my head before I decide my next move,” I explain as I lift my head to look at the sky. I crossed the Colorado border hours ago. The sun has already set and it’s getting pretty dark for five o’clock in the evening. The flurries look as if someone has just given a snow globe a harsh shake.
“Okay, you have a place by me on Pine Island when you’re ready,” he says, referring to the location of his new home in the wonderful state of Washington on the other si
de of the fucking country. He and Evie decided Chicago didn’t feel like home after a scandal about their relationship flooded all media outlets a few months back. My anger dies as his words ring in my mind. If anything, Colton has always been a loyal friend. Too bad I was too proud to tell him the truth about my financial situation.
“Thanks, man, I do appreciate it.” My voice sounds flat. I can’t help the selfishness creeping into my thoughts. My life has bottomed out on me. I was at the top. People like me don’t crash into nothingness. Fuck, I sound pathetic.
“I think a little time out of the city will be good for you,” Colt says, and I couldn’t agree more. I can hear Evie’s voice in the background. She doesn’t send me her regards, that’s for sure. I’ve been a royal prick to her. I just don’t get how Colton turned into a lovesick puppy the minute he met her.
“Yeah, listen, I gotta go. Fucking visibility is near zero. I need Portia to make it through this mess,” I say, referring to my car.
A snicker echoes through my car. “You drove your Porsche to Colorado in the dead of winter? Are you fucking crazy?” His tone sounds incredulous, and I can’t argue because he’s not off base.
“Don’t dis Portia. We’ve been through a lot and she’ll get us there.” I pat my dashboard like a lunatic, my tone a little lighter and playful.