The Truth about Kadenburg
Book one of The Kadenburg Shifters Series
By
T.E. Ridener
Copyright ©T.E. Ridener, 2014
Author’s Note
These stories are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
Dedications
There are so many people I wish to thank for their generosity, inspiration, and kind words during the making of this book.
To my double J’s, thank you for being my favorite muses in the world. Thank you for believing in me and keeping my imagination alive. I love you.
To Barb, thank you for always pushing me to do my best and for never letting me give up.
To James, thank you for your help in figuring out the geographical location of Kadenburg, your endless knowledge on search & rescue tactics, and for being such a vehicle enthusiast. Oh, and for being an awesome big brother!
To Steve, thank you for reading each chapter as it was written, and for being such a fan of my shifters.
To Daisy, Sam, Megan, Pam, Shellie, Lindsay, Sarah, CL, Ashley, Lauren, and every beta reader that took the time to read my story. Thank you!
To Justin, Dave, Courtney, and Annie for your contributions on GoFundMe. I appreciate it more than you can ever know. Thank you so much.
To my fans and readers, I do what I do for you. Your excitement makes me excited. Your curiosity for the next story keeps me going. I don’t know where I would be without your encouragement and support. You are the best fans in the world. Thank you! Xx
One
Home sweet home.
Except there was nothing sweet about Kadenburg, Tennessee. Presley had learned that within the first four years of moving to the tiny town that tried so desperately to be as significant as other cities like Gatlinburg and Knoxville. It just wasn’t going to happen. God, she hated it. She hated that she even had to come back, but then again, she wasn’t left with any other options.
When Presley left three years prior, she had been confident she’d never have to look back. Her days of living in a small country bumpkin town were over and she was moving on to bigger and better things. What a joke. Her boyfriend Tim had tossed a wrench into her long term plans and now she had to get back to the drawing board. Unfortunately, that drawing board resided in her uncle’s house, and as she pulled into the driveway, she had to take a minute to gather her composure.
“Okay,” she spoke softly as she glanced at her reflection through the rearview mirror. “This isn’t a big deal. Lots of young adults move back home from time to time and that’s okay. It’s not your fault Tim was an asshole. You won’t be here for long, so just smile and make the best of it.”
She tried to force a small smile as her bottom lip began to quiver and she let out a frustrated sigh. She was done crying. It wasn’t worth crying over anymore. What’s done is done, she thought to herself. She couldn’t change the past even if she wanted to.
Presley’s grip tightened around the handle of her suitcase as she made her way up the old, unstable steps of the front porch and then let her luggage hit the floor with a heavy thud. She lifted her hand to knock and was surprised when the door swung open before her fist could make contact.
“I’ll be damned. You actually made it,” the tall, lanky man grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. He had green eyes that were a shade darker than Presley’s, and the family resemblance was noticeable, too. They both had the same button-like nose.
“Hi, Uncle Arnold,” Presley said, stepping back as the screen door was pushed open and familiar arms squeezed around her body. It felt nice to be hugged.
Arnold Goult was the only family Presley really had. Her mom had sent her to stay with Arnold when she was two, seemingly deciding it was more fun to act like a teenager for the rest of her life and forfeit all responsibilities as a parent. Uncle Arnold had done his best to raise her right and sometimes Presley regretted being such a little hellion during her youth.
“Yeah, traffic wasn’t too bad,” Presley replied as she gave him an awkward pat on the back. How could he be so happy to see her after the things she’d said on that night? She had been so stupid and she said a lot of things she knew she couldn’t take back. She was surprised he even agreed to let her come back. If she was in his shoes, she wouldn’t have.
“I don’t reckon traffic’s ever bad once you make it past Knoxville,” Arnold leaned down to grab her suitcase, bringing it inside for her as he continued talking. “I washed the sheets and put them back on your bed for you.”
He kept her bed? She had been pretty positive that he would have sold everything in her room once she left.
She followed him down the short hallway of the single story house, stopping right behind him as he swung the door open to her old bedroom. She could see the faded pink ‘P’ that was still stuck to her door. Upon further investigation, Presley discovered her room was exactly as she had left it. Every boy band poster was still in place and the books on her shelf were still alphabetized.
“I’ll let you get settled in,” Arnold nodded as he patted her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. “Welcome home, Presley.”
Presley watched him leave before turning her attention back to her room. So this was it. At twenty six years of age, she was back in her old room in her uncle’s house. She was unemployed, newly single, and teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown. Would she survive it?
A hot shower and two hours later, Presley found herself in the familiar setting of Nana Hettie’s Diner. It was the closest thing to a McDonald’s Kadenburg would ever have. They hadn’t even moved up enough in the real world to receive a Wal-Mart, and Presley doubted they ever would.
“So what happened with that guy?” Arnold asked as he dipped a French fry into his small tub of ketchup. He glanced up at her as he bit into it, chewing slowly as he waited for her answer.
Presley sighed, dropping her gaze to her plate as she wondered briefly if her uncle had ever heard of avoiding certain topics such as a break up. She rested her hands in her lap as she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s complicated.”
Arnold let out a low breath as he frowned. He shook his head as he picked up his cheeseburger with both hands, biting into it and chewing as he gazed at her thoughtfully. “Well, I’m a pretty smart guy,” he managed to say despite the fact his cheeks were puffing out from the amount of food in them. “I’m sure I can keep up with the twists and turns.”
Presley’s lips were curving into a frown as she lowered her gaze to the burger on the plate before her. She hadn’t exactly gone into detail about why Tim broke up with her, but the situation was pretty messed up. She could barely make herself believe it, let alone anyone else.
“He was just a jerk,” she finally murmured as she picked up her burger and stared at it.
“Lots of guys are jerks, Pretzel,” he commented. “I wasn’t exactly Casanova growing up.”
Presley’s eyes moved to his when he used the childhood nickname and it made her smile her first genuine smile in weeks. She nodded in agreement but decided not to encourage the current conversation. She preferred to move on. It was the only choice she had.
After an awkward silence had enveloped the pair, Uncle Arnold excused himself to go to the restroom and Presley was left alone to mull over her thoughts. It was the worst thing that could happen. She didn’t trust her mind at the moment. She wasn’t sure she could handle the conclusions her brain would come up with.
It wasn’t your fault, she reminded herself. It happens to a lot of people and none of them had done anything to deserve it. She was growing increasingly frustrated with herself as she reached over to straighten the salt and pepper shaker, anything to keep from thinking too much. And just as if the keepers of fate were listening, the small chime above the door signaled a new customer, causing her to look up.
There were a lot of delicious looking male specimens produced from the hills of Tennessee, but they hardly compared to the Bamey Boys. Presley had gone to school with both of them. Lorcan was two years ahead of her, and Liam was two years ahead of him, but they had all ridden the same bus to and from school. Presley always thought that they both deserved to be in high school because they’d always been so much bigger than the rest of the kids during grade school.
Lorcan was extremely tall. He had to lower down a bit to get through the doorway in order to keep from hitting his head. He had broad shoulders and his shirt strained across his chest, the material tight against his frame. His biceps were probably bigger than her head, but Presley imagined she’d have to be close enough to him to test that theory. He was massive in every way, just like his brother and their father.
The Bamey men all shared the same dark, shaggy hair and chocolate eyes. Mr. Bamey’s was more grey than black, but Presley imagined when he was younger he probably looked a lot like Lorcan and Liam. They were exceptionally attractive and could have easily landed jobs as models. Presley couldn’t wrap her head around why they lingered in this place. It didn’t make any sense. She’d only been able to escape because of Tim, but when he found out that her body didn’t function as a woman’s should, he sent her straight back to her one horse town.
Don’t think about it, she warned herself as she curled her fingers around the wad of napkins in her hand. You’re only going to cause yourself more pain.
Her emerald eyes stayed on Lorcan in hopes for a distraction, watching as he leaned over the counter to talk to Nana Hettie. The old woman was blushing and giggling up a storm and Presley had to wonder if she even realized Lorcan was young enough to be her grandchild. It was a pretty disturbing thing to witness.
“Are you done eating?” Uncle Arnold asked as he approached the table. He was tugging his wallet from his back pocket to retrieve some money in order to pay for their meal, but his eyes were on her as she gazed up at him.
“Oh,” Presley blinked. She glanced back at her plate and frowned at how little she’d actually eaten. She normally had a very healthy appetite but that all changed the week before. No one could really expect her to eat after what had happened anyway.
“I’ve got some deer jerky at home you’re welcome to snack on if you get hungry later,” Uncle Arnold offered as he tossed a few dollar bills onto the table. He waited for her to get up and then they approached the register together, which meant she was standing right behind Lorcan.
When did Lorcan grow into the jolly Green Giant? Presley pondered as she tilted her head back to look up at him. He was still engaged in his conversation with Hettie. Were they really talking about her crocheting techniques?
As they waited their turn, Presley’s eyes roamed over his broad shoulders, slowly lowering to the back of his shirt. The material was so tight at that moment she could make out the muscles moving beneath it as he shifted. It was only when her eyes decided to drop to his rear that she had to force herself to look somewhere else; anywhere else.
Uncle Arnold’s chuckle caught her off guard and Presley glanced at him in horrified realization that his laughter had caused Lorcan to look their way.
“Presley? Is that you?”
The rumble of his rich baritone made the blood in Presley’s veins heat up like liquid lava. She could feel the scorch searing through her as she turned her head to look at him. “Oh, Lorcan,” she smiled. “I didn’t see you there.” Liar. You can’t miss him.
Lorcan’s handsome face lit up as he gave her a smile and she could see the perfect white teeth he possessed. He hadn’t changed very much since the last time she’d seen him. Well, no. That was a lie. He’d grown significantly taller. And hot. When did he get hot?
“I didn’t know you were back,” Lorcan stated excitedly as he turned his attention away from Nana Hettie to gaze at Presley. “I heard you moved off and got married to some fancy pants banker in Jacksonville.”
“You heard that?” Presley asked quizzically. She gave a small roll of her eyes as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “He actually worked at a Shell station and we weren’t married. He was just my boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Lorcan laughed lightly as he licked his lips. “Well, you know how fast the truth gets twisted when going from mouth to mouth in this town.”
“Yeah,” Presley nodded in agreement. “I remember all too well.” Her eyes immediately moved to Nana Hettie and the old woman quickly averted her gaze elsewhere. “So where’s Liam?”
The grin that had previously lingered on Lorcan’s face faded almost instantly and Presley felt dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. She’d said something wrong, hadn’t she?
“Liam passed away a few weeks ago,” Lorcan nodded as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“Oh my god, Lorcan,” Presley gasped as her eyes widened. One hand flew up to cover her mouth as her cheeks began to grow hot. “I-I didn’t know.”
“No, no,” Lorcan shook his head. “It’s okay, Presley. How could you have known? You haven’t been here.”
Presley bit at her lower lip to keep from bursting into tears. Liam had been one of the nicer guys at school. He never bullied anybody else or made them feel inferior. He was just kind, and always leant a helping hand to those in need. It felt so surreal that he was gone.
“Hey, Lorcan,” Uncle Arnold said as he moved his hand out towards the taller male. “How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s still taking it pretty hard,” Lorcan replied as his fingers wrapped around Arnold’s in a firm shake. “She has her moments, but I think it will get a little easier with time.”
“You know what they say; time heals all wounds.” Arnold offered as he glanced towards Presley. “Are you ready to go?”
Presley’s gaze lingered on Lorcan. She could see the sadness embedded in his chocolate hues. The sparkle she remembered from the past had dimmed considerably, but why wouldn’t it? His older brother had just died. She couldn’t imagine what that felt like. Her father died before she was even born, so she couldn’t begin to fathom what it was like to know someone for such a long time and have them ripped away.
“Presley?” Arnold repeated.
She blinked a few times as she finally tore her gaze from Lorcan’s face to gaze at her uncle’s kind face. “Huh?”
“I asked if you’re ready to go.”
When did he pay for their food? She didn’t see him pay for it.
“Oh,” Again, her face heated up as she looked back to Lorcan and offered the warmest smile she could muster. “Yeah. It was great seeing you again, Lorcan. Send my condolences to your parents.”
“I will,” Lorcan nodded as a small grin played at his lips. “Welcome back, Pretz.”
A surge of energy expanded in Presley’s chest when she heard the shortened nickname and she smiled shyly. “Thanks, Orc. I’ll see you around.”
She had every intention of moving to follow her uncle out the door, but her feet stayed firmly planted against the tiled floor as her eyes connected with Lorcan’s again. She was frozen under his gaze, unable to look away as easily when he smiled. What beautiful eyes, she thought to herself as her head tilted slightly. I don’t remember his eyes looking that warm before.
The deep
chocolate swirled around his pupils, mixing with soft crème-like colors that contrasted like oil and water. His eyes reminded her of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and Presley felt the energy surging throughout her entire body. It made her toes tingle. Her mouth went dry as she watched his lips move. What was he saying?
“Pretz?”
“What?” She blinked.
“I think your uncle is ready to go,” Lorcan offered in a lower voice.
“Oh,” The realization cut through the fog in her brain as her eyes widened and she snapped out of whatever daze she’d been in. “Oh. Right. I’m sorry. I must be tired from the long trip back home.”
Lorcan chuckled again as he shrugged his muscular shoulders. “Go get some rest, Pretz. I’m sure we’ll catch up later.”
“Sounds great,” Presley nodded as she felt her face turning red. “See you around. Bye.”
She turned as quickly as she could, nearly running into Old Man Peters and she stammered a quick apology before she exited the noisy diner. What happened back there? She’d never fumbled over herself like that before, with anyone. She’d been like an obsessed fan who’d just met her biggest idol in life. Lorcan was just Lorcan, wasn’t he? Why was she acting like that?
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