Broken Lies

by Rachel Branton

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Broken Lies (Lily’s House Book 5)

  Smashwords Edition

  Published by White Star Press

  P.O. Box 353

  American Fork, Utah 84003

  Copyright © 2017 by Rachel Branton

  Cover design copyright © 2017 by White Star Press

  Cover and ebook design by ePubMasters

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-939203-80-9

  Printed in the United States of America

  First electronic release October 2017

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Book Description

  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

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek: Cowboys Can’t Lie

  Bonus! Preview of All That I Love

  About the Author

  Books By Rachel Branton

  Under the Name Teyla Branton

  Will Facing the Past Allow Her to Create a Future?

  True love never dies, but sometimes it needs a nudge—and a willingness to take a risk.

  Saffron Brenwood is a survivor. Having endured great tragedy at a young age, she’s arisen from the flames stronger than ever. She’s built her own business, her former foster sisters are her best friends, and she has a great boyfriend. That her relationships never last more than two months hasn’t really bothered her. There’s always the next attentive date—when keeping a man at arm’s length no longer works.

  But now her friends are getting married and her current boyfriend wants more. Only Saffron stands still in time, and she realizes the truth: deep inside, her heart is still broken.

  So she’s going back to where it all began, to face those who hurt her and find a way to fix her life once and for all. What she discovers surprises everyone. Because true love, though always changing, never dies. Sometimes it just needs a nudge—and a willingness to take a risk.

  In this fifth novel of the Lily’s House series, Saffron, the oldest and first runaway teen from Lily’s House, finally tells her story.

  1

  Inviting Vaughn Abrams to the wedding probably wasn’t one of Saffron Brenwood’s best ideas. He’d been looking at her with that expression all evening, the one that hinted at an impending conversation about their future, a conversation she knew she wouldn’t enjoy. She hoped it was only her imagination because he was a lot of fun, and everyone said they made a striking couple with their fair skin and matching blond hair. Breaking up with him would be harder than it had been with most of her boyfriends.

  She sat at the bridesmaids table with two of her foster sisters, Halla and Elsie, their dates having gone for drinks. Saffron’s feet were a little sore from dancing, and the floor was a bit too crowded now for real fun, but she’d get in a few more songs before the night was over.

  “So,” Halla said to Saffron, “how long have you been dating Vaughn?” Halla’s blue eyes looked huge and eager in her narrow face.

  Saffron lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Three months.”

  Halla gaped. “That’s got to be some kind of record, right?”

  “Maybe.” It was exactly a month longer than Saffron had dated anyone in over eight and a half years since leaving her parents’ home. She’d known Vaughn for a year before they started dating, though, and that was also different and maybe why he’d lasted so long. It helped that they shared a lot of the same interests, like hiking, river rafting, visiting second-hand stores, and hanging out with her foster sisters.

  “Does this mean . . .” Elsie began, pushing back a dark lock that had escaped her carefully upswept hairdo.

  Saffron glanced over to where Vaughn stood in line at the bar, getting drinks with Elsie’s date. He met her gaze at that moment and shot her a smile before turning back to his conversation.

  “Of course not,” Halla answered for Saffron. “I knew the minute they started dating that he wouldn’t last. Just like all the others. It’s too bad, though. I like him.”

  Something inside Saffron’s chest shifted, but she forced a convincing smile. “You do know me.” Even back when they had all still lived at Lily’s House as foster sisters, Saffron had been changing boyfriends as often as she bought a new pair of jeans.

  “Oh, man,” Elsie said. “I really thought this one would stick.”

  Halla gave an unladylike snort, which seemed out of place with the elegant blue bridesmaid dresses they were wearing. “Not a chance.”

  Saffron looked away from the table to the dance floor, where two more of their foster sisters, Ruth and Bianca, were dancing with their fiancés. She suddenly wished she were with them, sore feet or no. Zoey and her new husband, Declan, were also dancing, staring into each other’s eyes as if no one else existed. Saffron was happy for them, but why did seeing them that way suddenly make her feel alone?

  “Oh, no,” Halla moaned, bringing Saffron’s attention back to the table. “He got the wrong drink. Again.”

  Saffron’s gaze shifted to Halla’s tall, too-thin date, who was approaching the table. Halla was a good two feet shorter than he was, even in heels and with her short hair spiked an inch. The difference had made dancing all night a challenge, but the real problem for Halla was his lack of memory. He’d left for drinks long before the other men, but Halla had already sent him back once.

  “I’d better go with him this time, even if that line is long. It’s better than trying to dance.” She rolled her eyes and jumped up to meet him, striding as if she were wearing her normal camouflage pants and boots instead of a bridesmaid’s dress and heels. There had been some doubt that she’d wear the dress at all. But Zoey was the first of the original six Lily’s House foster girls to be married, and they were sisters at heart, if not by blood, and not even Halla could let Zoey down.

  “So are you going to break up with him?” Elsie asked, bringing Saffron’s attention back to her. “I hope not. You seem so happy lately, and you deserve to be happy.”

  Saffron’s smile came easier this time. “There’s really nothing to break up. We’re just dating. Besides, I have time. I’m only twenty-five.”

  Elsie nodded and kindly didn’t point out that Zoey was younger than she was, and so were Ruth and Bianca, who had both become engaged this week. But Saffron saw the thoughts in her face and put her hand over Elsie’s where it lay on the table. At nineteen, Elsie was the youngest and most romantic of the six sisters. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

  “But why?” Elsie asked. “What happened to you before you came to live with Lily? You never talk about it. Is that why you always dump even the
good guys?”

  For an instant, Saffron couldn’t breathe. Pressure started in her chest, splitting into a deep chasm of nothingness. Only Lily knew the secret of her past. Saffron had been the first underage girl Lily had helped after finding her passed out on a bench, and by the time Lily had taken in the other girls, Saffron had become good at denial. Lily had saved her life, and Saffron had gone on from her mistakes, but in some very real ways, Saffron felt as if her life hadn’t moved on since that day, as if her emotions were forever frozen by what had happened to bring her to that point.

  “I’m sorry,” Elsie said. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  Movements in Saffron’s peripheral vision sent relief flooding through her. “Oh, look, here come our dates.”

  Vaughn was in the lead, a smile on his face. “Sorry we took so long. There was a line.”

  A slow song began as he set her drink in front of her. “Hey, let’s dance,” she said, popping up from her chair. Dancing would drive the memories away.

  Vaughn sipped his drink before placing it on the table. “Sure.”

  “We’ll see you in a minute,” Saffron said to the others. She felt Elsie’s eyes on her as she escaped to the dance floor.

  Vaughn put his arms around her, and she leaned closer, loving the feel of his body so close to hers. She’d loved the attraction between them from the first moment they’d met at the end of last summer when he’d been the guide on a river rafting trip she’d gone on with friends.

  They’d flirted probably more than they should have, and he’d asked for her phone number after the river trip. But she was a week into a new relationship, and she’d had to turn him down. Even after she’d said no, he’d helped her get a job at his cousin’s sports store, where he was managing their rafting business on the side. She learned he had recently left his job of five years as an animator at Datatoon Studios in California and was now in Phoenix preparing to teach animation at a local university.

  During the months that followed, they’d often run into each other at the store, gone out with the same group of friends, or talked on Facebook. Yet it wasn’t until this summer, when they were both between relationships, that they’d gone on another river run together. He’d kissed her afterward, and that was all it had taken.

  She almost wished she didn’t like him as well as she did, but he hadn’t pushed for commitment as hard as her past dates, so maybe they could go out another month or two before it had to end.

  She snuggled her face into his neck. “Hmm,” she murmured, breathing in his aftershave.

  He drew back. “What?”

  “You smell good.”

  He laughed, a contented sound that made her smile. “You say that every time I wear this aftershave.”

  “Ah, that explains why you wear it so much.”

  He laughed again, his arms tightening around her as the slow dance wound to an end. His face bent toward her, and his lips brushed hers with a kiss that was more promise than substance. Even so, it sent her heartbeat racing. When they stepped apart, his hands enfolded hers. “Can you come out on the balcony with me for a moment? We need to talk.”

  A sinking feeling in Saffron’s chest warned her to say no. “I need to see Zoey off with the others.”

  “I don’t think they’re leaving yet. Look, Declan’s talking with the DJ now. He must be asking for another song.”

  “Oh. All right then.”

  Vaughn pulled her gently in the direction of the deserted balcony. The late September evening felt too hot to Saffron, even in her short-sleeved dress, but that was probably due to the erratic pounding of her heart.

  “Look,” he started. “This might not be the best time, but I’ve been trying for—”

  She stretched up to kiss him under the moonlight. He kissed her back, and for a moment she forgot her worry. This was something they did really well. In fact, making out with him was better than it had been with anyone else. She might be able to avoid this talk altogether if they kissed long enough.

  Too soon, Vaughn pulled away. He was probably frustrated, like the others before him had been, at the slowness of their physical progress. Saffron always broke up with men before hitting the bedroom. Always. Before any real commitment. It was what she had to do to survive the losses that still haunted her.

  “Saffron,” he said, “these past three months—no really, this past year that we’ve been friends—I want you to know it’s been good. Especially all the time we spent together this summer.”

  Oh, no, here it comes, she thought. A proclamation of love, after which he’d ask her to be his exclusive girlfriend, or even to marry him.

  “It’s been fun,” she agreed, keeping her voice light. She didn’t want to hurt him.

  He fell silent for a moment, his blue eyes searching hers. “You are an amazing woman. Beautiful, smart, fun, sexy.” He paused, swallowing hard. “I love being with you. And if I thought I had any chance with you, I’d follow you to the ends of the earth.”

  This was different from the normal approach. “Uh, thank you?”

  He gave a soft laugh that held no real mirth. “I mean it. But I’d be blind not to see that you aren’t as invested in me as I am in you.”

  “I love being with you,” she protested. “I’m just not ready—”

  “For anything more. I know.” He nodded, giving her a gentle smile. “You’ve been up front about that from the beginning. But I do want more. I’m ready to move on to the next part of my life. That includes a family, children. I’ve loved teaching, and I plan to finish out this second year, but after that I might be going back into animation full time. Last week, Datatoon made me a substantial offer to head up one of their game design teams, and I’m considering it.”

  “That’s great,” she said. It didn’t feel great, though. It felt horrible. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’ve had a lot on your mind, and I wasn’t even sure I was going to consider it. I know how you love being close to—” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Like I said, I’m not sure what this year will bring, and I don’t have to give them an answer right away. But in the end, that has nothing to do with what’s going on between us.”

  “And what is that?” Saffron barely choked out the words.

  “Nothing.” As her eyes widened, he hurried to add, “Not that I don’t want it to, but there’s a part of you I can’t reach, and I don’t know how to.” His forehead furrowed, and his eyes held a deep sadness that echoed in her stomach.

  “Are you breaking up with me because I won’t sleep with you?” She felt more hurt than angry at the idea. It was something she understood at least.

  “Of course not.” He ran a hand through his hair, pacing two steps away and then back again. “Before we got together, I watched you go through six boyfriends in less than a year. I’m happy you weren’t sleeping with them. Believe me. I also know that though you didn’t agree to see them exclusively, you didn’t date others at the same time. One proposed, one invited you to meet his parents, and one asked you to move in with him—and in each case, less than a week later, you were dating someone else.”

  What could she say? He was right about all of it, except that there had been another proposal and two of her dates had called her frigid for refusing to sleep with them.

  “And every time,” he continued, “I could always tell when you were getting ready to cut them loose.” He paused, holding her gaze as he finished. “Well, you don’t have to cut me loose, because I already know.”

  “But . . .” She’d known it was ending too, so why did Vaughn’s dumping her hurt this much?

  “Saffron.” He took her hands. “I don’t know what happened to you. I wish I did. I thought I could be the one you would trust enough to let through.”

  Moisture glittered in his eyes, and she should feel some satisfaction that he was hurting too, but she didn’t. Not even a tiny bit. She only felt exposed, vulnerable. He’d discovered the truth—that something was broken inside h
er. Something that made it so she could never love anyone the way she had once loved a boy named Tyson.

  “Am I wrong?” he asked.

  It took every bit of strength inside her to say, “No.”

  Vaughn squeezed her hands before bringing them to his lips to kiss. “If that ever changes, I’d love to know. Because I think we could have something great here.”

  Slowly, he released her, his eyes roaming her face as he backed toward the door. Waiting? If she flung herself at him, would he stay? She suspected he would, because he was that kind of man. But it would only delay the inevitable, and she cared about him enough not to lead him on. She wished she could give him what he wanted. She’d wished that more than once with other men over the past eight years, but tonight the feeling was different, as if a piece of the wall around her heart were breaking.

  “I’ll take off now,” he said, thumbing over his shoulder. “Unless you want me to stay.”

  She’d had to be here earlier for photographs, so they had separate cars, which worked out well for this moment. Maybe that’s why he’d planned their breakup in a public place where there wouldn’t be a scene. As if she’d allow herself any kind of a scene.

  “Goodbye, Vaughn,” she said quietly.

  He nodded, his face tightening momentarily in the way it always did when he tried to hide any emotion. “Goodbye, Saffron.”

  Only when he was gone did she turn to the railing and let a few tears escape. Maybe if she hadn’t brought him here tonight as her date, he wouldn’t have realized what they were missing. It was hard not to see the love in Zoey and Declan’s eyes as they’d exchanged their vows.

  “Saffron!” Halla called from behind her. “Hurry! Zoey’s gathering her things to leave. We have to get things ready.”

  Saffron hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks, took a deep breath, and forced a smile as she turned to her foster sister. “Great. This’ll be fun.”

  Halla stared at her. “What happened? Wait, did you just break up with him? Here? It couldn’t wait one night? Seriously?”

  “No, he broke up with me.” Despite her control, her voice wavered. Saffron bit her lip to stop herself from saying any more.