Inn at Last Chance

by Hope Ramsay

  The next instant Gabe was beside her, the dog leash in his hands. He gave the dog one of his masterful looks. “Pilot. Come.” he said.

  And damned if the dog didn’t get up and come right to him.

  “Clearly he’s your dog,” she said, getting to her feet.

  He stood up, too, and snagged her by the arm. “He’s our dog. And how about my midmorning smooch?”

  “How about it?” she asked.

  “I want it. It’s my reward for having written a thousand words this morning. And it doesn’t mess with my blood sugar.”

  “Your reward?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So what do I get out of this, huh?”

  He stepped a little closer. “You know that thing I do to your neck that makes you scream?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  He gave her a smarmy and utterly adorable smile.

  She giggled and fell right into his chest and cocked her head a little. “You may proceed.”

  And then his mouth was on her neck, and she was sort of screaming right there in the middle of the driveway, with the spring sun shining down on them.

  Mother and the altar guild would be scandalized.

  In fact, the altar guild was scandalized that she was living in sin with Gabriel Raintree who was still, sort of, married. But maybe not for long. Delilah’s daddy had swooped in and cut a deal with the Allenberg County authorities. Gabe’s soon-to-be-ex-wife was going to spend the next thirty years in a mental hospital—one that Gabe was going to pay for out of the trust he’d created for her years ago. And in return, she was going to sign his divorce papers.

  So maybe, in a month or a couple, Jenny might be able to marry him. If she wanted to.

  But in the meantime, she didn’t give a rat’s behind what anyone thought. He was hers and she was his and that’s all either one of them needed.

  Also by Hope Ramsay

  Welcome to Last Chance

  Home at Last Chance

  Small Town Christmas (anthology)

  Last Chance Beauty Queen

  Last Chance Bride (short story)

  Last Chance Christmas

  Last Chance Book Club

  Last Chance Summer (short story)

  Last Chance Knit & Stitch

  Praise for Hope Ramsay’s Heartwarming Series

  Last Chance Book Club

  “4½ stars! [A] first-class romance, with compelling characters and a real sense of location—the town is practically a character on its own. This entry is sure to keep Ramsay’s fan base growing.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “The ladies of the Last Chance Book Club keep the gossip flowing in this story graced with abundant Southern Charm and quirky, caring people. Another welcome chapter to Ramsay’s engaging, funny, hope-filled series.”

  —Library Journal

  “I love this story… Southern charm at its funniest.”

  —FreshFiction.com

  “Last Chance is a place we’ve come to know as well as we know our own hometowns. It’s become real, filled with people who could be our aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, or the crazy cat lady down the street. It’s familiar, comfortable, welcoming.”

  —RubySlipperedSisterhood.com

  “Hope Ramsay heats up romance to such a degree every reader will be looking for a nice, cool glass of sweet tea to cool off.”

  —The Reading Reviewer (MaryGramlich.blogspot.com)

  Last Chance Christmas

  “4 stars! Ramsay’s romance packs just enough heat in this holiday-inspired story, with lead characters who will induce both belly laughs and smiles. Her hero and heroine are in for rough times, but their heartache and longing had me longing right along with them.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A captivating tale.”

  —RomRevToday.com

  “Amazing… These lovely folks filled with Southern charm [and] gossip were such fun to get to know… This story spoke to me on so many levels about faith, strength, courage, and choices… If you’re looking for a good Christmas story with a few angels, then Last Chance Christmas is a must-read. For fans of Susan Wigg.”

  —TheSeasonforRomance.com

  “Visiting Last Chance is always a joy, but Hope Ramsay has outdone herself this time. She took a difficult hero, a wounded heroine, familiar characters, added a little Christmas magic, and—voila!—gave us a story sure to touch the Scroogiest of hearts… It draws us back to a painful time when tensions—and prejudices—ran deep, compels us to remember and forgive, and reminds us that healing, redemption, and love are the true gifts of Christmas.”

  —RubySlipperedSisterhood.com

  Last Chance Beauty Queen

  “4½ stars! Get ready for a story to remember when Ramsay spins this spirited contemporary tale. If the y’alls don’t enchant you, the fast-paced, easy read will. The third installment in the Last Chance series is filled with characters that define eccentric, off the wall, and bonkers, but most of all they’re enchantingly funny and heartwarmingly charming.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Hope Ramsay has penned an irresistible tale in Last Chance Beauty Queen with its unforgettable characters and laugh out loud scenes… Watch how an opposites-attract couple find their way to each other… and a possible future. Grab this today and get ready for a rollicking read.”

  —RomRevToday.com

  “A little Bridget Jones meets Sweet Home Alabama.”

  —GrafWV.com

  Home At Last Chance

  “4 stars! Nicely told.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Entertaining… Readers will feel once again the warm ‘Welcome to Last Chance’ by the quirky Ladies’ Auxiliary crew… Contemporary fans will enjoy the homespun regional race to the finish line.”

  —GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com

  “An enjoyable ride that will capture interest and hold it to the very end.”

  —RomRevToday.blogspot.com

  “Full of small town charm and southern hospitality… You will want to grab a copy of Welcome to Last Chance as well.”

  —TopRomanceNovels.com

  Welcome to Last Chance

  “Ramsay’s delicious contemporary debut introduces the town of Last Chance, SC, and its warmhearted inhabitants… [she] strikes an excellent balance between tension and humor as she spins a fine yarn.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “[A] charming series, featuring quirky characters you won’t soon forget.”

  —Barbara Freethy, New York Times bestselling author of At Hidden Falls

  “A sweet confection… This first of a projected series about the Rhodes brothers offers up Southern hospitality with a bit of grit. Romance readers will be delighted.”

  —Library Journal

  “Ramsay has created a great new series… Not only are the two main characters compelling and fun, but as you read, the entire town of kooky but very real people become part of your life… I can hardly wait until I visit Last Chance again.”

  —FreshFiction.com

  “Captivating… great characterization, amusing dialogue… I am glad that the universe sent Welcome to Last Chance my way, and I am going to make sure that it does the same with Hope Ramsay’s future books.”

  —LikesBooks.com

  READING GROUP GUIDE

  Discussion Questions for Inn at Last Chance

  1. Inn at Last Chance begins in the middle of winter during an ice storm and ends at the beginning of spring. Discuss how the season change and moving into the warmth of spring is reflected in the characters arcs of Jenny and Gabe.

  2. There are several characters in the story who keep important secrets. Who are they? How do the secrets that they keep affect the story? Have you ever been like Nita, keeping a secret that you thought should be told? Did you pay a price for keeping that secret?

  3. Do you think Zeph was right to lie about what happened when Luke was killed? Talk about the positive aspects of Zeph’s lie. Talk about
the negative aspects. Have you ever told a white lie in order to protect someone? How did that turn out?

  4. Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a ghostly encounter? How is the ghost in the story the same as or different from ghosts in other stories or ghosts you may have encountered?

  5. Which is more important to Gabe’s development as a character: his eventual acceptance of and belief in ghosts or remembering what happened on the day Luke died?

  6. Scattered throughout the novel are several scenes that mirror Jane Eyre. Can you find them? Email your answers to hope@hoperamsay.com for prizes and swag.

  7. How is Gabriel Raintree similar to Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre? How is he different? How is Jenny Carpenter similar to or different from Jane? How is Reverend Lake similar to or different from St. John Rivers?

  8. Jenny and Gabe have serious differences of opinion about decorating the house. Have you ever had this problem with your spouse or significant other? Did you fight about it? Who do you think usually wins the fight over the wallpaper in the bedroom?

  9. Jenny is unmarried, and while she is often lonely, she also recognizes that being unmarried has its own rewards. Do you think there are real advantages to remaining unmarried? What are they? Does a woman have to give up those advantages when she marries? Do you think that trade-off is worth it in the end?

  10. Discuss Jenny’s obsession with her mother’s old things and her desire to have china pieces that match perfectly. How does this mirror Jenny’s personality at the beginning of the book? Does the ghost do her a favor when he smashes her mother’s dishware? How so?

  See the next page for an excerpt from

  Last Chance Book Club.

  CHAPTER

  5

  Savannah pulled the biscuits out of the oven and began transferring them to a basket lined with a red-and-white-checked napkin. She loved cooking in this kitchen where she had learned at the elbow of her grandmother. It almost felt as if Granny were standing right beside her telling her how to roll the dough and cut each biscuit.

  “Good gracious, that smells good,” Miriam said as she shuffled into the room. She was leaning heavily on her cane today.

  “Did you have a good nap?”

  “I rested.” Miriam sat down at the small kitchen table. “I declare, when I opened my eyes I thought, for just one minute, that Sally was still alive.”

  Savannah looked over her shoulder. “I was just thinking about how close I feel to Granny when I’m cooking in this kitchen. I wish I had a kitchen this big in Baltimore. Of course, a big kitchen would be wasted, since it’s just me and Todd most nights. But still.”

  “Sugar, I thought we’d decided you were staying and reviving The Kismet.”

  “Bringing The Kismet back to life is more than I know how to do. It’s a mess, and I have no money. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was just dreaming.”

  “And when you came here as a child making gravy and biscuits was more than you knew how to do. But you learned. My nose is saying that Sally taught you everything she knew about cooking and, she sure knew more than any other cook in Allenberg County.”

  “Learning how to cook and reviving The Kismet are different things. The Kismet is beyond my abilities and my means. Dash helped me to see that quite clearly.”

  “You call that help? So you’re just going to give up?”

  “What other choice do I have?”

  “You could learn what you need to learn. You take it from me, when you stop learning stuff, that’s when you get old.”

  “But I need more than knowledge. I need money.”

  “That’s just your fear talking. Tomorrow I think we need to get Todd registered for school. And then you need to visit Miz Ruby. Once she’s done with you, you’ll start seeing things straight.”

  “Miz Ruby? Is she, like, the local banker or something?”

  “No, of course not. She’s Rocky’s momma. You know, the beautician who owns the Cut ’n Curl. I go there every Friday for a manicure, but you need more than that, sugar. Rocky called me this morning, and we both agreed. Ruby will fix you right up. And believe me, when she’s done, you’ll have a spring in your step. And I’m sure you’ll figure something out for The Kismet.”

  Savannah stifled a laugh. If only it were that easy. “I don’t need a makeover.”

  “Don’t you? You’re sitting in this kitchen pining away because you don’t have a crowd to cook for like your granny did. Sugar, the only way to get a crowd for dinner every night is to find a new husband and have more babies. And believe me, you aren’t going to catch that hero you’ve been searching for if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

  “What hero? What are you talking about?”

  Savannah turned away from the pots on the stove and sat down facing her aunt, suddenly concerned. Miriam had a gleam in her eye that hadn’t been there before. Savannah took Miriam’s knobby hand in hers. The thin, cold feel of Miriam’s skin was a little alarming. She was getting up there in years. Was she going senile now that Harry had passed?

  “I’m fine. And I’m not senile,” Miriam said as if reading Savannah’s mind. “All I’m saying is that you need to be looking for a man with an appetite. Just like your grandmother did.”

  “But I’ve sworn off men altogether. Greg was a huge mistake. And my recent past is littered with men who were commitment-phobic workaholics, and not very interested in kids.”

  “Well, I’m sure none of those men was your soulmate. So don’t give them any more thought than they deserve.”

  “Soulmate? Really?”

  “Now, sugar, you listen. You want a man like your granddaddy was.”

  Savannah stroked Miriam’s hand. “Men like Granddaddy are hard to find. I thought Greg was like him, but I was wrong.” She let go of a frustrated breath. What she really wanted was a man like George Bailey, the protagonist in It’s a Wonderful Life. And she knew that was impossible, because George Bailey wasn’t a real person. Real people were not like the ones in those old black-and-white movies that Granddaddy had taught her to appreciate.

  “Savannah, I know you’ve been hurt. But I also know that you’re going to find the kind of man you’ve been searching for. I know it in my bones. It’s just not going to be easy to find him. You’re going to have to delve beneath the surface.”

  Savannah stood up and crossed back to the stove to check on the gravy. Miriam was too old to understand. Her great-aunt had been married to one man for more than forty years. Marriages like that were rare. Savannah’s marriage had failed in its third year. And Savannah’s mother had been unable to keep three different husbands. All in all, it seemed wiser to figure out a way to be independent.

  Her cell phone rang. Savannah checked the caller ID. It was Mom. She had been expecting this call for at least a day. She had told everyone in Baltimore that she’d be home by now. So of course, Mom was checking in.

  Savannah pushed the talk button and put the phone to her ear.

  “Savannah Elizabeth Reynolds, are you insane?”

  Uh-oh. When Mom used her full maiden name, it was always a tip-off that one of Mom’s rants was headed Savannah’s way.

  “Hi, Mom, how are you?” Savannah said carefully.

  “I’m not good. What’s this nonsense about you staying in Last Chance and trying to renovate The Kismet?”

  “Who told you this?”

  “Todd called me earlier. He apparently borrowed your cell phone when you were in the shower. Savannah, what about Greg? He has a right to see his son, you know.”

  Great. Her son had tattled on her. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  She took a deep, calming breath. “Mom, you know and I know that Greg couldn’t care less about visitation. It’s been months since he’s paid any attention to Todd. And then it was just to give him that infernal PSP that he plays all the time. Maybe coming to South Carolina will wake Greg up. I would be happy if that happened. Of course, we both know that Greg is sort of like Dad, and tha
t is probably not going to happen.”

  “Okay,” Mom said on a long sigh. “I’ll concede that point. But you don’t want to live in Last Chance, and you sure don’t want to subject your son to that. I know, I grew up there, and aside from church and football games there wasn’t much to do.”

  “There was the movie theater.”

  “Right, like that’s the height of culture.” Mom’s voice rose in pitch. “I knew I should have put my foot down when Daddy started filling your head with all those silly ideas about reopening that place. That was his dream, not yours. How are you going to pay for a thing like that? And have you any idea about the quality of the schools in that little town? This is a huge mistake you’re making. Don’t be an idiot.”

  Savannah looked through the kitchen window at the Spanish-moss-laden oak in the side yard. She remembered the tree house Granddaddy had built for her. It was gone now, but the memory remained steadfast and true. Why couldn’t Todd have a father like that? Why couldn’t she have had a father like that? Or a mother who encouraged her to follow her dreams instead of pointing out how hollow they were.

  “You know, Mom,” she said in a shaky voice, “it would be nice if just once you would support me in the things I want to do.”

  “I certainly would support you if you were opening a business you knew something about, in a city where you might get customers. My goodness, Savannah, you can’t be successful in a place like Last Chance.”

  “When was the last time you came down here?”

  “I don’t know. Decades. I avoid the place. I don’t want you bringing up Todd in that one-horse town.”

  Before Savannah could counter, Mom rolled on. “And Todd said Dash was there. He told me Dash destroyed his PSP. Really, I can’t believe you’re letting Todd have anything to do with that man. My God, Savannah, don’t you remember the way he treated you as a girl? He’s fully capable of abusing Todd. Or worse.”