Heatherly Bell's Blog - Posts Tagged "romance"
Read the first chapter of She's Country Strong before it's published
Chapter One
“Hell on Wheels” by The Pistol Annies
Damien “D.C.” Caldwell’s first thoughts after arriving in Whistle Cove were that this was not a bad place to be banished to. If he had to run anywhere in the world with his tail between his legs, a good bet was that he’d pick a beach town if all things were equal. Probably in Mexico where it was warmer. For a California beach town, the Monterey Bay nestled along the central coast was damn cold for a Texan. It had to be in the fifties this late summer morning.
D.C. parked and unloaded his one suitcase out of the luxury sedan rental. The job here shouldn’t take long. This was his very last assignment as a celebrity image fixer, and after this he’d be headed to the hot plains of Texas. Off the grid as far and as fast as he could get there. Frankly, he was sick of people. Entitled people. Talented people. Rich people.
But he didn’t discriminate. He was also sick of middle-class people. Young people. Old people. Hell, pretty much all people. He realized this didn’t endear him to many, but ask him if he cared. He did his job, was good at it, and received a handsome payday every time he succeeded. He’d been saving and investing wisely for years and had a decent nest egg to retire to his own cattle ranch at the age of thirty-two. This might be his easiest assignment yet, considering the setting, and he looked forward to heading back to Texas and the ranch he’d made an offer on.
“Checking in,” he said to the blonde young woman sitting behind the desk. A small country-western looking sign read: The Wilder Sisters Welcome You to Whistle Cove.
She stood and flashed him a toothy smile. “You must be Damien Caldwell. Welcome to Whistle Cove! I’ve got your room all ready.”
She exuded more enthusiasm than he was ready for at this time of the day, or any time of the day, but he would let that go. He understood she was part of the now defunct Wilder Sisters band and recognized her from all the photos of the CMA-winning, chart-topping band.
She was probably ecstatic he’d come to save her little sister’s butt. Said sister had really made a mess out of her life and career, not to mention her sisters’ careers, with her poor choices.
“Thanks.” He pulled out his wallet and handed over his license and credit card. If she was impressed by his Amex Black Card, she didn’t show it. Good thing he was long past the time of his life when he’d tried to impress women with money.
“Sabrina is so excited to meet you. Oh, I’m Jessie by the way. Jessie Wilder. I was the drummer. Always in the back.” She handed him a form to sign.
He nodded. “Call me D.C.”
“Well, D.C., we’ve put you in our very best room, the Sea Captain, and I think you’re going to love it. It’s got a wonderful ocean view, a new Jacuzzi in the bathroom, and a hand-picked selection of our area’s best wines. Wine and cheese hour is at four o’clock every day in the lounge.” She pointed. “Our large breakfast buffet starts at seven, and you let me know if you need anything!”
“Great. Where’s Sabrina?” he asked, signing the appropriate paperwork.
The sooner he got to work on repairing the girl-gone-wild image that had caused the lagging record sales, and thus the end of the Wilder Sisters act, the sooner he would get to Texas.
Jessie’s smile slipped off her face. “Um, I’m not sure?”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you’re not sure?”
“I…I think she was expecting you this afternoon.”
“I’m here now.”
This was his tactic. He arrived earlier than anticipated so he could get a clear picture of exactly what he was dealing with and not just what his clients wanted him to know. Usually made his work go smoother.
“Um, okay, let me…let me just call her.”
Huh. Clearly big sister was covering. Not a good sign.
Jessie picked up a phone and dialed then waited with a frozen smile on her face. And waited. “I’ll…just leave her a message.”
“That’s not good enough. Give me her room number, and I’ll go find her.” If his voice was clipped and edgy, he couldn’t help that. He was beginning to smell a rat though he didn’t want to believe that this assignment was possibly going to take longer than he’d anticipated.
“She lives in one of the cottages around the B&B.” She handed him the map of the B&B property and pointed to an area in the back, not far from the parking lot. She circled a cottage.
“She there now?”
“Where else would she be?” Jessie lifted a shoulder.
D.C. held up his wrist and glanced at his watch. It was nine o’clock, and he’d dealt with his share of musicians who couldn’t rise before noon. But those days were over for little miss country. After dropping off his bags in his room upstairs, which was much nicer than he’d anticipated, D.C. headed to the cottage.
He knocked on her door. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, the door opened, and a young woman with bed hair squinted at him. She wore a long tee that barely covered her thighs, thick socks, and nothing else. He realized this because her perky nipples were saluting him from behind the thin cotton of the worn tee. At any other time, this might have distracted him.
“Who are you?” she asked, pushing a lock of hair back.
Jesus. She looked sixteen, not twenty-six. “You always open the door to a stranger, kid?”
“You were knocking. A lot. And I have a headache, so I needed that to stop. Who are you, again?”
Shit. Was she hung over? He hadn’t been notified of any substances abuse problems but family sometimes got it wrong. The drinking and the partying would be over with today, but if there was an addiction involved, this assignment would go from two weeks to six months. Not happening. He considered informing her he was her worst nightmare, but that would be too off-putting, and he needed her to cooperate.
But why wouldn’t she want to revitalize her career and get back to Nashville? Her sister Lexi was already living there with her fiancé, Luke Wyatt, the latest country music sensation, and she wanted to get her little sister back in the business. He understood this was what Sabrina wanted, too. The jobs were always easier when his client cooperated.
“I’m Damien Caldwell. Luke Wyatt hired me. Get dressed and meet me in the breakfast area.”
“Okay.” She rubbed an eye. “When?”
“Now.”
“Now? But I just got up. I need to shower, I need to…have coffee.” Her voice got small and weak, leaving him to recognize all too well the pitiful sound of shame.
“Fine, do all that. Then meet me. I don’t have any time to waste. We need to get to work.” He hooked his thumb toward the B&B.
“Right.” She quietly closed the door.
D.C. had a bad feeling about this. Every one of his nerves went on high alert. Sabrina’s image needed an overhaul Luke had explained over the phone. She needed help dealing with the media in the wake of her sex scandal. The same one that had derailed the career of the Wilder Sisters band. Take a young girl and get her ready for a comeback since there was already interest in her brewing in Nashville. Easy job. Should have said no. Should have known better. Just his luck.
This wasn’t going to be easy or simple.
Not this girl.
Not easy at all.
“But we had a meeting set for this afternoon!” Sabrina complained to her sister Jessie on the other end of the phone.
She’d missed a call from Jessie just before the devil incarnate had arrived dressed like a billionaire in a business suit. Damien was the perfect name for him. Who was this dude? Where did he get off ordering her around and calling her a “kid”? He didn’t look that much older than her.
“Next time, answer your phone when I try to call and warn you!” Jessie said. “You’ll want to be nice to him. He’s here to help you.”
Their older sister, Lexi, wanted to help Sabrina get back to Nashville. This time, she’d be on her own since Lexi had joined Luke’s band, and Jessie was not interested in anything but running the B&B. For a real shot at a comeback, she needed to repair her image for her fans.
Big time. It had all been a huge misunderstanding anyway. Texting a photo of herself topless to a guy she’d thought she could trust had been an epic mistake. Huge. Not that she wasn’t used to making them, but boy that one was a doozy. She thought she’d never live it down. Blowing up her career was one thing, but she’d torpedoed her sisters’ careers, too.
Sabrina missed singing and dancing. Performing. Missed the true-blue fans who’d never turned on her. But now, she was a little scared. Right after the photo had surfaced, she’d been hurt that someone had played her. Hurt was quickly followed by dismay that she, who’d only slept with one man in her entire life, had been slut shamed by the media. Anger followed dismay.
And she’d been afraid since the first hate mail had started to come in. It had been her first look at how horrible some people could be to complete strangers. She didn’t understand how her life, and a bad choice she’d made, had made people she didn’t even know irate. She understood her sisters being angry, Gram and her mother, too. Instead, they’d rallied to her corner, being supportive even if she’d let everyone down.
Coming back to their hometown of Whistle Cove was what they’d all needed. Together, she and her sisters had worked at the B&B that had originally been run by their grandmother Wilder. Now Gram was semi-retired, dating Sir Clint, a British Clint Eastwood lookalike, and playing golf in Carmel. Lexi was back in Nashville. Mom kept saying she would move up from Palm Springs, but that hadn’t happened yet.
Sabrina was told she’d get a makeover of some kind. Image repair by an expert. Sabrina didn’t like the idea of being repackaged and refurbished like some kind of product. Or a car. But she’d go through all the hoops because if that’s what got her back to singing, that’s all that mattered.
She showered, dressed, and made a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Just enough to get her to the buffet where she’d load up on the stuff. Getting up before noon was for the seagulls. Or squirrels.
Her small cottage was similar to her sister Jessie’s in that it was one of the former service personnel housing. She had a small living area with French doors that separated the one small bedroom, a kitchen in the rear of the house, and one bathroom. It was perfect for one person, and for now, it suited Sabrina’s needs.
The only issue was closet space. She had quite a wardrobe, accumulated over years of performing, even if she hadn’t used any of those clothes in a while. Mostly this past year, she’d used disguises. For a while, the paparazzi had hounded her, trying to get a photo of naughty Sabrina “in seclusion.” Thank goodness that was mostly behind her, and no one had bothered her in a while. Still, the costumes were actually fun at times. A little like performing.
A few minutes later, she entered the large breakfast area that had one floor-to-ceiling window facing the ocean. She saw Damien sitting alone at a table near the window, wearing a blue button up with the sleeves rolled up, revealing sinewy, strong forearms. She’d been surprised by how tall and imposing he was, like a football player and not a corporate drone. His Rolex watch caught a ray of sunlight just now spilling through the fog. Clearly, like her, he liked bling and could afford to have some. In-te-res-ting.
She sat in the chair across from him, and he gazed at her from under long dark eyelashes.
He took in her outfit and went from zero to sixty in seconds. “What the hell is that?”
“What do you mean?” She glanced at her outfit.
“Is this some kind of a joke?” His sensual upper lip curled to the side, and his rather impressive jawline tightened to granite.
“Don’t you like it?”
She might have been pushing his buttons to wear her hippie costume, complete with blue tinged shades and white platform boots. But hey, he’d asked for it by barking at her before noon.
“Let me get one thing straight with you right now. I’m here to help, but if you don’t want my help, tell me, and we’ll both save ourselves a little time.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, I—”
How to tell him that she’d started dressing in costumes when she was such a reviled person that she hated being recognized? And yes, it had been fun for a while. A little bright ray of light in the darkness that had been her life when everyone hated her. Plus, she didn’t think she looked that awful in this. He ought to see her pilgrim lady costume.
“Do you want my help, kid?” Though framed as a question, he made it sound more like a demand.
“Absolutely.” She nodded her head vigorously. “I sure do.”
And don’t call me kid. She’d save that for later. He didn’t look receptive to suggestions from her at the moment.
“All right.” He stirred his coffee and met her gaze.
His eyes and short wavy hair were dark, a chocolate brown that reminded her of brownies. She didn’t know why because he didn’t look sweet. At all.
“Were you drinking last night?” he asked.
“What? No!”
“Any drugs?”
“Of course not!”
Despite her denials, with no warning, he reached across the table, took her elbows in his big hands, and then examined her arms. He was…looking for needle tracks? Who did this man think he was dealing with? She was a Wilder, from the sweet and clean country music band that had won CMA awards and topped the charts. Make one little mistake and suddenly she was a heroin addict?
She pulled her arms back. “What are you doing?”
“Can’t ever be too careful. You looked a little hungover this morning. And if you were an addict, I’d have to cancel this assignment.”
She scowled. “Well, I hope you’re happy now that you’ve manhandled me!”
Sabrina shifted a little in her seat, hating the sensation of being weighed and measured by this dude. It probably didn’t much matter what he thought of her, since he simply had a job to do: shape her up into someone Nashville would want to work with again. It had something to do with image and learning how to deal with the press after her little “incident.”
Having been a country music girl since she was a real kid, she liked casual and flirty. Boots and flip-flops. Skirts and jeans. Beachy. She didn’t know what he had in mind and hoped he wasn’t going to mold her into a Pretty Woman clone. That just wasn’t her.
“So what do I have to do?”
“You have to listen to me. Do everything I tell you to do with no arguments. We’ll be fine then.”
She sucked in a breath. “Wow. Okay. Whatever you say, Damien.”
Talk about a power trip. Plan to take over the world much, Damien?
“Call me D.C. Everyone does.”
“Humph.” She preferred Damien, son of the devil. Fitting.
“I’ll let you have tonight off. Tomorrow morning, we get started. Meet you bright and early, seven o’clock,” he said.
“Seven? You mean in the morning?”
There was the look again, scary calm, like he might strangle her. “Yes.”
She hated mornings. She would hate them even more with this guy riding her every step of the way.
But if this was what she had to do to get back to performing, she’d do everything the devil in a business suit said.
“Hell on Wheels” by The Pistol Annies
Damien “D.C.” Caldwell’s first thoughts after arriving in Whistle Cove were that this was not a bad place to be banished to. If he had to run anywhere in the world with his tail between his legs, a good bet was that he’d pick a beach town if all things were equal. Probably in Mexico where it was warmer. For a California beach town, the Monterey Bay nestled along the central coast was damn cold for a Texan. It had to be in the fifties this late summer morning.
D.C. parked and unloaded his one suitcase out of the luxury sedan rental. The job here shouldn’t take long. This was his very last assignment as a celebrity image fixer, and after this he’d be headed to the hot plains of Texas. Off the grid as far and as fast as he could get there. Frankly, he was sick of people. Entitled people. Talented people. Rich people.
But he didn’t discriminate. He was also sick of middle-class people. Young people. Old people. Hell, pretty much all people. He realized this didn’t endear him to many, but ask him if he cared. He did his job, was good at it, and received a handsome payday every time he succeeded. He’d been saving and investing wisely for years and had a decent nest egg to retire to his own cattle ranch at the age of thirty-two. This might be his easiest assignment yet, considering the setting, and he looked forward to heading back to Texas and the ranch he’d made an offer on.
“Checking in,” he said to the blonde young woman sitting behind the desk. A small country-western looking sign read: The Wilder Sisters Welcome You to Whistle Cove.
She stood and flashed him a toothy smile. “You must be Damien Caldwell. Welcome to Whistle Cove! I’ve got your room all ready.”
She exuded more enthusiasm than he was ready for at this time of the day, or any time of the day, but he would let that go. He understood she was part of the now defunct Wilder Sisters band and recognized her from all the photos of the CMA-winning, chart-topping band.
She was probably ecstatic he’d come to save her little sister’s butt. Said sister had really made a mess out of her life and career, not to mention her sisters’ careers, with her poor choices.
“Thanks.” He pulled out his wallet and handed over his license and credit card. If she was impressed by his Amex Black Card, she didn’t show it. Good thing he was long past the time of his life when he’d tried to impress women with money.
“Sabrina is so excited to meet you. Oh, I’m Jessie by the way. Jessie Wilder. I was the drummer. Always in the back.” She handed him a form to sign.
He nodded. “Call me D.C.”
“Well, D.C., we’ve put you in our very best room, the Sea Captain, and I think you’re going to love it. It’s got a wonderful ocean view, a new Jacuzzi in the bathroom, and a hand-picked selection of our area’s best wines. Wine and cheese hour is at four o’clock every day in the lounge.” She pointed. “Our large breakfast buffet starts at seven, and you let me know if you need anything!”
“Great. Where’s Sabrina?” he asked, signing the appropriate paperwork.
The sooner he got to work on repairing the girl-gone-wild image that had caused the lagging record sales, and thus the end of the Wilder Sisters act, the sooner he would get to Texas.
Jessie’s smile slipped off her face. “Um, I’m not sure?”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you’re not sure?”
“I…I think she was expecting you this afternoon.”
“I’m here now.”
This was his tactic. He arrived earlier than anticipated so he could get a clear picture of exactly what he was dealing with and not just what his clients wanted him to know. Usually made his work go smoother.
“Um, okay, let me…let me just call her.”
Huh. Clearly big sister was covering. Not a good sign.
Jessie picked up a phone and dialed then waited with a frozen smile on her face. And waited. “I’ll…just leave her a message.”
“That’s not good enough. Give me her room number, and I’ll go find her.” If his voice was clipped and edgy, he couldn’t help that. He was beginning to smell a rat though he didn’t want to believe that this assignment was possibly going to take longer than he’d anticipated.
“She lives in one of the cottages around the B&B.” She handed him the map of the B&B property and pointed to an area in the back, not far from the parking lot. She circled a cottage.
“She there now?”
“Where else would she be?” Jessie lifted a shoulder.
D.C. held up his wrist and glanced at his watch. It was nine o’clock, and he’d dealt with his share of musicians who couldn’t rise before noon. But those days were over for little miss country. After dropping off his bags in his room upstairs, which was much nicer than he’d anticipated, D.C. headed to the cottage.
He knocked on her door. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally, the door opened, and a young woman with bed hair squinted at him. She wore a long tee that barely covered her thighs, thick socks, and nothing else. He realized this because her perky nipples were saluting him from behind the thin cotton of the worn tee. At any other time, this might have distracted him.
“Who are you?” she asked, pushing a lock of hair back.
Jesus. She looked sixteen, not twenty-six. “You always open the door to a stranger, kid?”
“You were knocking. A lot. And I have a headache, so I needed that to stop. Who are you, again?”
Shit. Was she hung over? He hadn’t been notified of any substances abuse problems but family sometimes got it wrong. The drinking and the partying would be over with today, but if there was an addiction involved, this assignment would go from two weeks to six months. Not happening. He considered informing her he was her worst nightmare, but that would be too off-putting, and he needed her to cooperate.
But why wouldn’t she want to revitalize her career and get back to Nashville? Her sister Lexi was already living there with her fiancé, Luke Wyatt, the latest country music sensation, and she wanted to get her little sister back in the business. He understood this was what Sabrina wanted, too. The jobs were always easier when his client cooperated.
“I’m Damien Caldwell. Luke Wyatt hired me. Get dressed and meet me in the breakfast area.”
“Okay.” She rubbed an eye. “When?”
“Now.”
“Now? But I just got up. I need to shower, I need to…have coffee.” Her voice got small and weak, leaving him to recognize all too well the pitiful sound of shame.
“Fine, do all that. Then meet me. I don’t have any time to waste. We need to get to work.” He hooked his thumb toward the B&B.
“Right.” She quietly closed the door.
D.C. had a bad feeling about this. Every one of his nerves went on high alert. Sabrina’s image needed an overhaul Luke had explained over the phone. She needed help dealing with the media in the wake of her sex scandal. The same one that had derailed the career of the Wilder Sisters band. Take a young girl and get her ready for a comeback since there was already interest in her brewing in Nashville. Easy job. Should have said no. Should have known better. Just his luck.
This wasn’t going to be easy or simple.
Not this girl.
Not easy at all.
“But we had a meeting set for this afternoon!” Sabrina complained to her sister Jessie on the other end of the phone.
She’d missed a call from Jessie just before the devil incarnate had arrived dressed like a billionaire in a business suit. Damien was the perfect name for him. Who was this dude? Where did he get off ordering her around and calling her a “kid”? He didn’t look that much older than her.
“Next time, answer your phone when I try to call and warn you!” Jessie said. “You’ll want to be nice to him. He’s here to help you.”
Their older sister, Lexi, wanted to help Sabrina get back to Nashville. This time, she’d be on her own since Lexi had joined Luke’s band, and Jessie was not interested in anything but running the B&B. For a real shot at a comeback, she needed to repair her image for her fans.
Big time. It had all been a huge misunderstanding anyway. Texting a photo of herself topless to a guy she’d thought she could trust had been an epic mistake. Huge. Not that she wasn’t used to making them, but boy that one was a doozy. She thought she’d never live it down. Blowing up her career was one thing, but she’d torpedoed her sisters’ careers, too.
Sabrina missed singing and dancing. Performing. Missed the true-blue fans who’d never turned on her. But now, she was a little scared. Right after the photo had surfaced, she’d been hurt that someone had played her. Hurt was quickly followed by dismay that she, who’d only slept with one man in her entire life, had been slut shamed by the media. Anger followed dismay.
And she’d been afraid since the first hate mail had started to come in. It had been her first look at how horrible some people could be to complete strangers. She didn’t understand how her life, and a bad choice she’d made, had made people she didn’t even know irate. She understood her sisters being angry, Gram and her mother, too. Instead, they’d rallied to her corner, being supportive even if she’d let everyone down.
Coming back to their hometown of Whistle Cove was what they’d all needed. Together, she and her sisters had worked at the B&B that had originally been run by their grandmother Wilder. Now Gram was semi-retired, dating Sir Clint, a British Clint Eastwood lookalike, and playing golf in Carmel. Lexi was back in Nashville. Mom kept saying she would move up from Palm Springs, but that hadn’t happened yet.
Sabrina was told she’d get a makeover of some kind. Image repair by an expert. Sabrina didn’t like the idea of being repackaged and refurbished like some kind of product. Or a car. But she’d go through all the hoops because if that’s what got her back to singing, that’s all that mattered.
She showered, dressed, and made a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Just enough to get her to the buffet where she’d load up on the stuff. Getting up before noon was for the seagulls. Or squirrels.
Her small cottage was similar to her sister Jessie’s in that it was one of the former service personnel housing. She had a small living area with French doors that separated the one small bedroom, a kitchen in the rear of the house, and one bathroom. It was perfect for one person, and for now, it suited Sabrina’s needs.
The only issue was closet space. She had quite a wardrobe, accumulated over years of performing, even if she hadn’t used any of those clothes in a while. Mostly this past year, she’d used disguises. For a while, the paparazzi had hounded her, trying to get a photo of naughty Sabrina “in seclusion.” Thank goodness that was mostly behind her, and no one had bothered her in a while. Still, the costumes were actually fun at times. A little like performing.
A few minutes later, she entered the large breakfast area that had one floor-to-ceiling window facing the ocean. She saw Damien sitting alone at a table near the window, wearing a blue button up with the sleeves rolled up, revealing sinewy, strong forearms. She’d been surprised by how tall and imposing he was, like a football player and not a corporate drone. His Rolex watch caught a ray of sunlight just now spilling through the fog. Clearly, like her, he liked bling and could afford to have some. In-te-res-ting.
She sat in the chair across from him, and he gazed at her from under long dark eyelashes.
He took in her outfit and went from zero to sixty in seconds. “What the hell is that?”
“What do you mean?” She glanced at her outfit.
“Is this some kind of a joke?” His sensual upper lip curled to the side, and his rather impressive jawline tightened to granite.
“Don’t you like it?”
She might have been pushing his buttons to wear her hippie costume, complete with blue tinged shades and white platform boots. But hey, he’d asked for it by barking at her before noon.
“Let me get one thing straight with you right now. I’m here to help, but if you don’t want my help, tell me, and we’ll both save ourselves a little time.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, I—”
How to tell him that she’d started dressing in costumes when she was such a reviled person that she hated being recognized? And yes, it had been fun for a while. A little bright ray of light in the darkness that had been her life when everyone hated her. Plus, she didn’t think she looked that awful in this. He ought to see her pilgrim lady costume.
“Do you want my help, kid?” Though framed as a question, he made it sound more like a demand.
“Absolutely.” She nodded her head vigorously. “I sure do.”
And don’t call me kid. She’d save that for later. He didn’t look receptive to suggestions from her at the moment.
“All right.” He stirred his coffee and met her gaze.
His eyes and short wavy hair were dark, a chocolate brown that reminded her of brownies. She didn’t know why because he didn’t look sweet. At all.
“Were you drinking last night?” he asked.
“What? No!”
“Any drugs?”
“Of course not!”
Despite her denials, with no warning, he reached across the table, took her elbows in his big hands, and then examined her arms. He was…looking for needle tracks? Who did this man think he was dealing with? She was a Wilder, from the sweet and clean country music band that had won CMA awards and topped the charts. Make one little mistake and suddenly she was a heroin addict?
She pulled her arms back. “What are you doing?”
“Can’t ever be too careful. You looked a little hungover this morning. And if you were an addict, I’d have to cancel this assignment.”
She scowled. “Well, I hope you’re happy now that you’ve manhandled me!”
Sabrina shifted a little in her seat, hating the sensation of being weighed and measured by this dude. It probably didn’t much matter what he thought of her, since he simply had a job to do: shape her up into someone Nashville would want to work with again. It had something to do with image and learning how to deal with the press after her little “incident.”
Having been a country music girl since she was a real kid, she liked casual and flirty. Boots and flip-flops. Skirts and jeans. Beachy. She didn’t know what he had in mind and hoped he wasn’t going to mold her into a Pretty Woman clone. That just wasn’t her.
“So what do I have to do?”
“You have to listen to me. Do everything I tell you to do with no arguments. We’ll be fine then.”
She sucked in a breath. “Wow. Okay. Whatever you say, Damien.”
Talk about a power trip. Plan to take over the world much, Damien?
“Call me D.C. Everyone does.”
“Humph.” She preferred Damien, son of the devil. Fitting.
“I’ll let you have tonight off. Tomorrow morning, we get started. Meet you bright and early, seven o’clock,” he said.
“Seven? You mean in the morning?”
There was the look again, scary calm, like he might strangle her. “Yes.”
She hated mornings. She would hate them even more with this guy riding her every step of the way.
But if this was what she had to do to get back to performing, she’d do everything the devil in a business suit said.
The holidays are coming!
So many new releases from some of my favorite authors. I just picked up the latest Jill Shalvis Heartbreaker Bay book. These are fun for me to read, not just because of the hunky heroes, but because San Francisco is not far from me and one of my favorite cities.
Lots of sales coming up, too, for both me and my author friends. Look for my only Christmas romance, Crazy for You: Christmas in Starlight Hill, to be FREE for the first time ever, this December.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
How can you find out exactly when? Follow me here, on Amazon, join my super reader group on FB, and/or subscribe to my newsletter for a heads-up on deals.
I have a holiday release too, but alas, it's not a holiday book! It just so happens that RELUCTANT HOMETOWN HERO, the second in the Wildfire Ridge series, releases on December 17th in print.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Look for it in stores everywhere, and in digital format on January 1, 2020! When I receive my early author copies, I will be having a few giveaways.
What books am I excited to read? In addition to Jill's, I can't wait to read RaeAnne Thayne's Coming Home for Christmas. I'm also making my way through all of Robyn Carr's wonderful Virgin River books. I've finished the first two so far, and what a joy to know I have that many ahead of me in this wonderful series. Like so many, I want to move to Virgin River!
Hope you have a great autumn full of reading!
Lots of sales coming up, too, for both me and my author friends. Look for my only Christmas romance, Crazy for You: Christmas in Starlight Hill, to be FREE for the first time ever, this December.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
How can you find out exactly when? Follow me here, on Amazon, join my super reader group on FB, and/or subscribe to my newsletter for a heads-up on deals.
I have a holiday release too, but alas, it's not a holiday book! It just so happens that RELUCTANT HOMETOWN HERO, the second in the Wildfire Ridge series, releases on December 17th in print.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Look for it in stores everywhere, and in digital format on January 1, 2020! When I receive my early author copies, I will be having a few giveaways.
What books am I excited to read? In addition to Jill's, I can't wait to read RaeAnne Thayne's Coming Home for Christmas. I'm also making my way through all of Robyn Carr's wonderful Virgin River books. I've finished the first two so far, and what a joy to know I have that many ahead of me in this wonderful series. Like so many, I want to move to Virgin River!
Hope you have a great autumn full of reading!
More than One Night teaser
Here's a teaser from more More than One Night. There's a giveaway going on right now for 10 signed print books. Ends 10/21.
He glanced at her cot. “That going to fit two?”
“Only if I sleep on top of you.”
It was a small bed. He was a big man. Allowances would have to be made. Sacrifices even.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” His mouth grazed her jawline and lowered to her neck, causing ripples of pleasure and anticipation.
He rubbed her lower lip with his finger before he finally bent to cover her mouth with his.
Her hands fisted in his shirt because his kiss made her knees weak. His tongue tangled with hers, probing, seeking, teasing. He tasted like minty toothpaste and whiskey. So hot. The kiss got wild and out of control within seconds. When he broke the kiss, his eyes were hooded. He studied her for one long moment from underneath those long lashes.
She stared too, because she couldn’t believe this was happening again. “We have this…amazing chemistry,” she said, a little dumbfounded. A little weak.
His only comment was to haul her up against his body until they were plastered against each other in a lip-lock. Hips to hips. Heart to heart. The only way this could be any better was with no clothes between them.
As if he read her mind, Sam tore off his shirt and threw it to the side. She did the same, leaving on her red demi push-up bra. Some said redheads should never wear red. Jill liked to test some boundaries, too, she supposed. Lingerie boundaries.
~Harlequin Special Edition/Wildfire Ridge series
published June 2019
He glanced at her cot. “That going to fit two?”
“Only if I sleep on top of you.”
It was a small bed. He was a big man. Allowances would have to be made. Sacrifices even.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” His mouth grazed her jawline and lowered to her neck, causing ripples of pleasure and anticipation.
He rubbed her lower lip with his finger before he finally bent to cover her mouth with his.
Her hands fisted in his shirt because his kiss made her knees weak. His tongue tangled with hers, probing, seeking, teasing. He tasted like minty toothpaste and whiskey. So hot. The kiss got wild and out of control within seconds. When he broke the kiss, his eyes were hooded. He studied her for one long moment from underneath those long lashes.
She stared too, because she couldn’t believe this was happening again. “We have this…amazing chemistry,” she said, a little dumbfounded. A little weak.
His only comment was to haul her up against his body until they were plastered against each other in a lip-lock. Hips to hips. Heart to heart. The only way this could be any better was with no clothes between them.
As if he read her mind, Sam tore off his shirt and threw it to the side. She did the same, leaving on her red demi push-up bra. Some said redheads should never wear red. Jill liked to test some boundaries, too, she supposed. Lingerie boundaries.
~Harlequin Special Edition/Wildfire Ridge series
published June 2019
Reluctant Hometown Hero teaser
Wildfire Ridge book #2 is coming soon! December 17th to be exact, in stores everywhere.
In this scene, Zoey's Great Dane, Boo, has just been kidnapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Whoever has him won’t want to bring him back once they realize what a wonderful and well-behaved dog he is.”
“Did his collar have any information on it?”
“It had the store’s phone number.”
“Anything else?” He took another breath. “Like, maybe offering a reward?”
“No, but he’s chipped in case he gets brought into a shelter. I should have thought of adding a reward. People are so greedy sometimes.” Her voice lowered. “Why are you calling me right now? You sound…busy.”
“What do you mean?”
“You sound a little out of breath and…um, maybe you should get back to it.”
Huh? It took him a minute to realize Zoey thought he’d called her right after he’d had sex, and he laughed out loud. Everyone in this town thought he had far more game than he did.
He tried not to snort. “I went for a run.”
“Oh, sorry. I just thought you sounded like…like…”
“Like I just had sex?”
Dead silence on the other end of the line. He could almost hear her pets’ breathing.
After a moment, she finally spoke. “I didn’t mean…what I meant was that you…”
“Just so you know, right after I have sex the only thing I’m thinking about is more sex. There could be a nuclear attack and I’d still be thinking about sex.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you’d have sex with someone and then call me. Why would you be thinking about me and sex at the same time?”
If it was possible for a voice to blush, Zoey’s just had.
“What I mean is…oh my god…I just realized it’s still Monday.”
In this scene, Zoey's Great Dane, Boo, has just been kidnapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Whoever has him won’t want to bring him back once they realize what a wonderful and well-behaved dog he is.”
“Did his collar have any information on it?”
“It had the store’s phone number.”
“Anything else?” He took another breath. “Like, maybe offering a reward?”
“No, but he’s chipped in case he gets brought into a shelter. I should have thought of adding a reward. People are so greedy sometimes.” Her voice lowered. “Why are you calling me right now? You sound…busy.”
“What do you mean?”
“You sound a little out of breath and…um, maybe you should get back to it.”
Huh? It took him a minute to realize Zoey thought he’d called her right after he’d had sex, and he laughed out loud. Everyone in this town thought he had far more game than he did.
He tried not to snort. “I went for a run.”
“Oh, sorry. I just thought you sounded like…like…”
“Like I just had sex?”
Dead silence on the other end of the line. He could almost hear her pets’ breathing.
After a moment, she finally spoke. “I didn’t mean…what I meant was that you…”
“Just so you know, right after I have sex the only thing I’m thinking about is more sex. There could be a nuclear attack and I’d still be thinking about sex.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you’d have sex with someone and then call me. Why would you be thinking about me and sex at the same time?”
If it was possible for a voice to blush, Zoey’s just had.
“What I mean is…oh my god…I just realized it’s still Monday.”
Hello 2020, stop it already
I guess I've been a little derelict with this blog and I apologize. So many of you have been so wonderful to read and review my books. I accept that I can't always please each and every reader and don't take it personally if you didn't like the latest book. If I'm not your cup of tea, I accept that. I just keep writing. Thank you for reading!
2020 has been a difficult one, yeah? I'm in Northern California and this year we've experienced Covid -19 with the world, plus record heat (108 highest temp I've seen in 40 years), rolling black-outs, and wildfires!
For my writing, I've released 3 books this year (Reluctant Hometown Hero and More than One Night being two of them) and while that doesn't seem like a lot, I'm hard at work on a new series.
Look for Charming, Texas with Harlequin in a 3-book miniseries, as well as a book in the Montana Mavericks 2021 line-up. Three more cowboy books are nearly ready to release, hopefully also in 2021.
So, not a great year for releases but a great year for writing.
2020 has been a difficult one, yeah? I'm in Northern California and this year we've experienced Covid -19 with the world, plus record heat (108 highest temp I've seen in 40 years), rolling black-outs, and wildfires!
For my writing, I've released 3 books this year (Reluctant Hometown Hero and More than One Night being two of them) and while that doesn't seem like a lot, I'm hard at work on a new series.
Look for Charming, Texas with Harlequin in a 3-book miniseries, as well as a book in the Montana Mavericks 2021 line-up. Three more cowboy books are nearly ready to release, hopefully also in 2021.
So, not a great year for releases but a great year for writing.
Welcome, Autumn
When I was younger, I loved the summer. Now that I'm decidedly middle-aged, I'm 100% an Autumn lady. Given that summers just seem to be getting hotter overall, this makes sense to me. We had record heat waves in my area this summer and corresponding record wildfires.
Living in California, we don't have truly freezing temperatures. When it's 55 degrees over here, we whip out the winter coats and talk about how "cold" it is today. "Should we turn on the heater or just put on a sweater? Brr." I realize that makes mid-westerners and east-coasters laugh. I hear you.
On the writing front, I have another new series coming in 2021. This one is the Men of Stone Ridge, and all 3 are already up for pre-order everywhere books are sold. The first is Lucky Cowboy, and this is what NYT bestselling author Lori Wilde had to say: "What a thoroughly delightful story. I adored it."
This is my first small town western, but don't forget that in October, I will add my contribution to the Montana Mavericks continuity.
So, though I've had little to offer you in the way of reading this year, 2021 should make up for it. Not only will I bring you the Charming, Texas series from Harlequin, but a Montana Mavericks book, and the 3 books in the Men of Stone Ridge series.
Living in California, we don't have truly freezing temperatures. When it's 55 degrees over here, we whip out the winter coats and talk about how "cold" it is today. "Should we turn on the heater or just put on a sweater? Brr." I realize that makes mid-westerners and east-coasters laugh. I hear you.
On the writing front, I have another new series coming in 2021. This one is the Men of Stone Ridge, and all 3 are already up for pre-order everywhere books are sold. The first is Lucky Cowboy, and this is what NYT bestselling author Lori Wilde had to say: "What a thoroughly delightful story. I adored it."
This is my first small town western, but don't forget that in October, I will add my contribution to the Montana Mavericks continuity.
So, though I've had little to offer you in the way of reading this year, 2021 should make up for it. Not only will I bring you the Charming, Texas series from Harlequin, but a Montana Mavericks book, and the 3 books in the Men of Stone Ridge series.
Chapter One of Lucky Cowboy
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Far too many of you make fun of our acronym. But no, we do not call ourselves the ladies of SORROW because we’re sad. Far from it. We are the Society of Reasonable, Respectable, and Organized Women. We are a society, one of reasonable women, and…sure, okay, it’s too long to say the entire name. There.
We’re simply everything the name of our society itself indicates. Respectable women, who appreciate the position we’re in. I’ll let you in on a little secret, dear: we run this town. Sure, sure. We’re in the minority but that has mostly worked out to be an advantage. Who wouldn’t love to be one of the few? The proud? Oh, wait. Never mind.
For decades, Stone Ridge, Texas has been a town filled with a majority of men. We’re not exactly sure how this happened, but let’s begin with the fact that we’re a ranching town. Think cowboys. Cows. Lots of lakes for fishing and hunting. In other words, it’s like a huge man cave.
But honestly, our lack of women also has something to do with the lack of jobs and services for us. We don’t even have a hairdresser in town for the love of Pete. My new daughter-in-law does my hair in her home every other Tuesday. But I digress.
What we do have is a great deal of eligible young men around marrying age.
I myself had seven suitors before I chose to wed my sainted husband, Lloyd. This is the place to be if a woman wants to feel special. We’re like Alaska, but warmer.
Yes, thank you, I will get to the point. We need more women in our quaint town because we do have the men. Oh, do we have the men! Rodeo cowboys, ranchers, construction workers. Hard bodies, chiseled jaws, and all those things the young’uns like.
So, of course, when the subject of a local primary school came up, as it does once every five or so years, Sadie Stephens was the first woman I thought of. Uh-huh. She left town for Baylor University a few years ago to get her degree in education. After graduation, for some reason unknown to me, she settled in the metropolis of San Antonio. Can you believe it? San Antonio! Sometimes, there’s just no accounting for taste.
Honestly, she’s the sweetest girl in the world. Close to her family and her older brother, Beau. Never has a bad word to say about anyone. A pretty and petite blond with hazel eyes. No, I’m not giving you her measurements. By the way, there’s a rumor that her college boyfriend broke her heart, and she’s been a little shy of love ever since then.
Suffice it to say, the men of Stone Ridge are above reproach. They know better than to hurt a woman’s feelings. Why, they’d rather break their own leg than any woman’s heart. We’re glad to have Sadie back. That’s right, she’s agreed to take the position as our new school’s first teacher.
Yes, men of Stone Ridge. You are welcome. Sadie Stephens is back in town, and she’s single.
Let the games begin!
~ Beulah Hayes, acting President of the Society of Reasonable, Respectable and Organized Women (SORROW), and author of The Men of Stone Ridge, tenth edition~
Chapter 1
No other twenty-eight-year-old woman in Stone Ridge, Texas could say this, but Sadie Stephens started the Tuesday after Labor Day with circle time.
She stood in the old building that long ago served its purpose as the town’s original church. An old white clapboard building, with a steeple and a tone-less, broken belfry. It had seen better days, on or around the turn of the century. As long as Sadie could remember, everyone had worshiped at Trinity Church in the center of town.
This morning, a small group of children ages five to eight sat in a circle inside of the old but newly cleaned and painted church. All the pews and the baptismal font were removed, and there remained one large room with a strip of carpet in the center over the hardwood floors. Small desks and chairs were flanked in groups around the room. In her class were fifteen boys and five girls. The classroom’s mix of boys to girls was just about right for Stone Ridge, Texas’s demographics, where men outnumbered women by about five to one.
And Sadie would be the first teacher at Stone Ridge Elementary.
“Boys and girls, you probably already know that my name is Sadie Stephens, but y’all can call me Miss Sadie.”
She turned to write her name in large letters on the white board in bold black marker.
Something tapped the side of Sadie’s head and she turned to see a paper plane at her feet.
“He did it!” Ellie Monroe, one of her Kindergartners, pointed to Jimmy Ray, an eight-year-old.
Sadie bent to pick it up from the floor. She didn’t want to start their day off in a negative way, so she turned it over in her hands and admired it for a moment.
“Why, what a wonderful piece of engineering.”
“You’re pretty,” said Jimmy Ray.
How adorable. The cute kid grinned, showing two missing front teeth.
“Ew,” said Bobby Joe. “She’s old.”
“Is not!” Ellie scrunched up her little face.
This brought about a general discussion between the boys and girls regarding who was old, such as one’s grandmother, but Miss Sadie was simply a grown-up. Ellie won the round with her impressive logic.
“You guys are so smart!” Sadie took back control of the conversation. “What a lively discussion. Yes, Jimmy Ray, I’m twenty-eight, a bit old for you. But thank you for saying that I’m pretty.”
“When’s snack time?” Bobby Joe raised his hand. “My mom said y’all would give me snacks if I’m good. I’m bein’ good. Where’s my snack?”
“That’s a great question! We will have our snack soon. Ellie’s mom volunteered to bring it today. But I’m sure you just ate a big breakfast.”
“I have a hollow leg,” Bobby Joe said with conviction.
“Does not!” Ellie said, who would obviously become the classroom’s fact checker.
“All right.” Sadie took a deep and steadying breath. “We’re going to get to know each other a little bit first. Some of you already know how to read, and others are just learning, so I need to find out more about you. This is going to be so interesting! I can’t wait to find out who can already read.”
Nearly every hand raised, all except for Ellie, who pouted and crossed her arms.
Oh, dear. Sadie probably shouldn’t have said that. “Wait. I didn’t ask you to raise your hands.”
Little hands lowered.
“The point is, soon you will all be reading.”
Sadie ended circle time after each child said their name out loud and she’d pointed them to their assigned desk with their decorated name card. She could hardly contain her excitement and nearly rubbed her hands together.
She would finally teach, and mold little minds. She’d dreamed about this day and it was finally here. And in her hometown, no less! How wonderful to influence the future generation of both the women and men of Stone Ridge. She would have a challenge, teaching the first class at different levels, but she’d created a plan.
Until recently many parents of grade school children homeschooled since Stone Ridge was a small remote town deep in Texas Hill Country. Older children were usually sent on a bus to the neighboring town of Kerrville, a forty-minute ride reach way. A long bus ride, one Sadie remembered well. She, her brother, Beau, and all their friends rode the bus for years. But now, local parents would have options.
Thanks to Beulah Hayes’s efforts, they’d began the search for a location and a plan to raise funds last year, and wrangled support from the town’s residents. There would still be many fundraisers ahead of them to fully fund the effort. Because they didn’t yet have all their district certifications, they’d applied for a charter, and received some money from the state.
They’d raised enough through Beulah’s pet organization, the ladies of SORROW, to pay for a year of Sadie’s abysmal salary.
And while the ladies scouted for another, better location, they’d provided the old church so that Sadie could begin teaching this fall.
Two hours into the school day, Sadie counted ten times she’d returned Jimmy Ray’s shoe to him, because he kept throwing it. She talked to him, but he didn’t seem to think he was doing anything wrong. On the eleventh time, she got wise and put it in her desk drawer, telling him he’d get it back at the end of the day.
He then hopped around the classroom for a few minutes on one foot, earning lots of laughs. Sadie asked him to sit down, then handed out reading books, and while some of the kids took to reading them quietly, others fought over them. Ellie wanted Black Beauty because of the horse on the cover, but Jimmy Ray reminded her that she couldn’t read so she should go ahead and take the “baby book.”
Ellie burst into tears. Sadie gathered the little girl into her arms and considered joining her. This day was not going well so far. She’d pictured an entirely different kind of experience, with well-behaved children eager to read a book and learn.
“Jimmy Ray, I’m going to need you to apologize to Ellie. There’s no such thing in my class as a baby book.”
“Baby, baby, baby!” Jimmy Ray laughed as again he hopped around on one foot.
And Sadie could take no more. She rarely lost her temper and never with a child. But Jimmy Ray had just stepped on her last nerve. She would never tolerate cruelty among her children.
“Jimmy Ray! How many times have I told you? Sit down. I mean it now,” Sadie said, and stomped her foot in emphasis.
And went right through the bottom of the wooden floor.
“Termites can do a hell of a lot of damage,” said Riggs Henderson. “I’ve seen entire beams fall.”
A local rancher, Riggs was also a foreman and worked odd construction jobs here and there. He managed the occasional renovation in town and sometimes worked with Sadie’s father. He’d been driving by in his truck when he saw the commotion gathered outside the old church.
Many of the men who gathered stood eyeing the floor and the foot of crawl space under it. There were plenty of head shakes as an entire crew arrived and got to work. In their town residents came together in times of need. It took one call to the phone tree, started by Beulah Hayes herself this time, who’d walked over from the General Store nearby, which was owned by her husband.
Sadie sat with the children outside on the porch steps, out of the way of danger until their parents could arrive. To say the children were fascinated was an understatement. Suddenly no one talked about snacks or reading levels. They’d just seen their teacher’s feet go through a supposedly solid wood floor.
Jimmy Ray simply stared in horror when Sadie’s first foot went through the floor. He must have thought her to be “incredible cartoonish” mad. Not the case, but either she’d gained too much weight this summer, or these termites had feasted. For decades.
Beulah Hayes shook her finger. “The inspector said it was fine. We tented for termites weeks ago.”
“Who did you use?” Riggs asked.
“I’ll have to look through my paperwork,” Beulah huffed. “But he came from Kerrville. Gave me a decent rate.”
A general groan of consensus came out of the men, as if the good people of Kerrville couldn’t be trusted to know a termite infestation from a scorpion one.
“Are you sure you don’t need a trip to the hospital, missy?” This was directed to Sadie from Lenny, one of their volunteer firefighters, a man about her father’s age.
“It’s not like I fell far. My boot took the worst of it,” Sadie said. “I’m fine, but thanks.”
“Miss Sadie went through the floor,” Ellie said. “I’m scared. There’s a monster down there.”
“No monster,” Lenny said, bending. “It’s a teeny tiny little bug, you see, so small no one can even see it.”
“You’re not helping,” Sadie warned.
“Oh, they don’t eat children,” Lenny said with a chuckle and a wave. “But they eat through wood like a sumabitch.”
“Lenny!”
“My house is made of wood,” Ellie said with a hitch in her breath. “Will they eat my house, Miss Sadie?”
“No, no, sweetie,” Sadie said, glaring at Lenny. “I’m sure they won’t.”
A bevy of pickup trucks arrived one after the other, their tires crunching into the gravel as they pulled into the church parking lot. This would be the second wave of men, arriving to help, meaning they would have dropped everything they were doing on the ranch.
Life wasn’t easy in Stone Ridge, as services were few and residents were forced to rely on each other. The fire department, for instance, all volunteer. As a former EMT, Sadie took her turn, too. They currently didn’t have a doctor or clinic, and no police, relying on the County Sheriff an hour away.
There was no hairdresser in town, no clothing stores, no coffee shop, no movie theater, and spotty cell service and Wi-Fi. They did, however, have rolling hills, trees, rivers, lakes, and lots of great fishing. There was Trinity Church, a veterinary clinic (there were more animals in town than people), the General Store, and the Shady Grind, a bar and grill.
But the best part of her hometown was the way the men of Stone Ridge revered their few women. They were held in high regard. Protected. This was just one of the reasons Sadie came home after getting her teaching degree. Here, she’d have a better than average chance of finding a husband.
In fact, he could be here right now, wondering if he’d ever find a woman in this woman-scarcity town. Maybe he’d even bring his niece or nephew to the school one day for drop off or pick up. Ada Armstrong’s nephew was coming to visit, and she couldn’t talk enough about him. But Sadie wasn’t too excited because he sounded so desperate for a wife. In any case, with the right man, their gazes would meet across the tops of the children’s heads.
She’d feel that little zip and zing. The jolt and kablammy that her best friend Eve Iglesias talked about. Sadie’s pupils would dilate, and bam! She’d fall in love. Once, she’d felt that zip and zing, and thought she knew just the right man for her. But that was years ago. She’d given up on him.
As the trucks filed in one after another, Sadie noticed her older brother Beau’s truck, Wade Cruz, two more of the Henderson brothers, and of course, Lincoln Carver.
Lincoln Carver.
The man she’d wanted since she could remember having the slightest interest in boys. The one she’d finally given up on. A few years ago, Lincoln stopped speaking to Sadie and even though everyone else moved on from the feud that caused this, Lincoln still remained civil. But nothing more than civil. Then again, he was a loyal sort, one of his most attractive qualities.
Followed closely by the long, brawny body, strong arms, chiseled jaw, and dimples. Sigh.
He and the rest of the men went to work as if they did this every day, gathering tools and supplies from their truck beds.
Lincoln walked by her first, nodding and tipping his Stetson. “Sadie.”
“Hey there, Lincoln.” Her heart rate spiked the way it always did when he appeared anywhere near her vicinity.
“Hey, sis,” Beau said, as he walked up the steps next. “You okay there?”
“I’m fine. Sorry to be so much trouble.”
“What a first day, right?” Beau said and turned to the first crew of men. “What do we have goin’ on here? How can we help?”
“We’re goin’ to need to move them to another location,” Riggs Henderson advised. “We’ve got to rip out all this wood and replace it. Should take a week or more. We should do a more thorough inspection. Walls, floors, roof. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having children in here otherwise.”
Sadie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Well, there went her teaching career. Maybe she could move back to San Antonio, get her old job, and come back and try this again next fall.
“Now, now,” Beulah said as though reading Sadie’s mind. “I am sorry about all this, but don’t you despair. We’ll find another location for y’all right quick.”
Except a centrally located empty building in the middle of town didn’t exist.
The parents began to arrive for their children and were informed. They appeared well rested, even after the short school day. But Sadie had probably aged ten years in the last five minutes.
Because it was still early in the day, she left the men to it, and headed two blocks down to the veterinary clinic where Eve worked as a veterinarian. Most of the time Eve was out on a large animal call, but Sadie caught sight of her old blue beat-up truck parked outside. She opened the door to an empty waiting room where Eve sat behind the receptionist desk. She and the other vet, Annabeth, couldn’t afford to hire an admin yet.
“Hey,” Eve said, coming around from the desk to give Sadie a hug. “I heard.”
By now, everyone would have. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“How did it go, otherwise?”
“You know what it’s like when you see a dress you love online? And then you see that it’s on sale! The last one in your size. When you place the order, it turns out you get an additional discount at check out. You can’t believe your good luck. The dress arrives, free shipping of course, and when you take it out of the package and try it on, it fits just like it was made for you?”
Eve nodded, smiling in anticipation.
“Well, today was nothing like that.” Sadie collapsed on one of the empty waiting chairs. “It was a disaster. I don’t think I taught them a single thing, except that I’m a pushover.”
Eve sat beside Sadie. “Oh, hon. Well, it will get better.”
“I thought it would be different. I was so excited about my lesson plan, but I couldn’t keep their attention. Until I went through the floor, of course. Then no one would take their eyes off me.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing something that’s never been done before here.”
“And maybe there was a reason for that.”
“Yes. We didn’t have Sadie Stephens, teacher extraordinaire.”
Sadie allowed the thought to cheer her a little bit. “The point is, I was excited about teaching them. They’re not quite as excited to learn. And now I don’t know how they will until the termite damage is repaired.”
“Don’t you worry. I’m sure Beulah is on this like a bean in caffeine.”
“Even Beulah can’t materialize a building out of thin air.” She sighed.
“I’m sure the guys will get the work done soon.”
“I’m not so sure.”
She’d seen the expression on her brother’s face. He worked in construction with their father, and he didn’t look happy as he studied the eaves and beams. He shook his head far too often and once he’d said to Lincoln, “Would you take a look at this. Who would let this building pass inspection?”
“Who’s your favorite student?” Eve said.
“Well, a teacher shouldn’t have favorites, but if I did, it would be Ellie Monroe.”
“Aw, yeah, she’s a cutie. She and her mom come around every now and then to check on our rescues. They’ve adopted nearly every cat we’ve rescued. Ellie names them after the months of the year.” Eve chuckled. “She’s up to May.”
Sadie sighed. “Yeah, and because of me, now every kid in class knows she can’t read.”
“She’s only five, isn’t she?” Eve cocked her head.
“That’s not the point. She cried when another kid took a higher-level book away from her because she can’t read.”
Eve frowned. Only she would know the significance of that for Sadie. She couldn’t help having such a tender heart. Eve had a huge heart for animals of all types. Sadie, a heart for books, followed closely by children. All of them on Earth. But she would have to toughen up to be a teacher. Otherwise, her students would smell her weakness the way sharks smelled blood.
“Maybe I should have become a paramedic. Or just stayed as an EMT,” Sadie said.
Her position after getting her degree was as both a public-school teacher and an emergency medical technician in San Antonio. With the pay so poor, she’d needed two jobs to make ends meet in a bigger city. But teaching remained her first love. She’d been an adequate EMT. Mostly, she’d been a glorified taxi from hospital to convalescent home and back. Giving comfort and aide to people at the end of their lives made Sadie realize she had a lot more living to do.
She’d been about to enroll in courses to become a paramedic and increase her pay, when on a visit to her parents, Beulah again brought up the subject of a school. Sadie wanted to move back to Stone Ridge, like her best friend Eve. And Sadie missed her quirky town.
Eve stood. “Wait right here. I’ve got something for you.”
When Eve returned from the back rooms, she carried a furry little creature in her arms. A rabbit.
“This little guy is so soft. Someone brought him in after finding him injured a couple of weeks ago. He’s fully recovered and I’m ready to set him free again. There’s no way you can hold him and not feel better about your day.”
“Eve, I’m sorry. This must all seem so silly to you.”
“Of course not. I didn’t have the best first day, either.”
Sadie winced. “I remember. You put a horse down.”
And Eve had been through the ringer in the past few years, beginning with her last-minute decision not to show up on her wedding day to Jackson, Lincoln’s younger brother. That awful day caused a feud between the two families, and of course, Sadie, also a loyal sort, took Eve’s side.
Eve’s problems were real, but Sadie just had a bad day.
Okay, a horrible day.
“I love you, little one.” Sadie cuddled the rabbit, gray and white and soft as silk. “You’re right. I feel better already.”
No one ever said teaching would be easy, after all, but simply that it could be rewarding. Just because she’d lost control of her classroom today didn’t mean it would happen again. She’d just have to kindly exert her authority. Kill them with kindness. Or give them a motivation that didn’t involve a sugary snack for a reward.
“Maybe when we get back, I could make this little guy our class pet. Rabbits are always good for that aren’t they? The kids could learn responsibility and it could be a positive behavior modifier.”
“Sure,” Eve said. “Although, rabbits are sensitive to loud noises. I’m close if you change your mind. I’ll just come get him.”
Sadie sat up straighter, inspired. “I’ve tried to think outside the box but some of the old tried and true methods might work also.”
“Why not?” Eve said. “And don’t forget show and tell. Or career day. I could come and talk to the kids about being a vet.”
“Would you? That would be amazing! The girls would love that.”
“And you should get Lincoln to come and show the boys how to rope. There’s nothing boys love more than a rodeo champ.”
Even the sound of his name sometimes landed her with a sucker punch. But despite the fact Jackson had been engaged to Eve, it always seemed that Lincoln didn’t remember Sadie. But of course, he did. The few women in this town hardly faded into the background. And Sadie was Beau’s sister, who happened to be one of Lincoln’s close friends. He did know her. He just didn’t much seem to care.
“That’s…that’s a wonderful idea, too.” She continued to pet the puffy piece of silk. “I should think about asking him. Maybe.”
Eve laughed. “Don’t be shy about it. If you want, I can put a bug in Mima’s ear. I’ve been spending some time up at the ranch lately, helping out with the grooming for some extra cash.”
“Lincoln hasn’t really talked to me since…well, you know.”
“He doesn’t talk much to me, either, but this might be a good opportunity. I mean, the rest of us have moved on. It’s his turn.”
“He’s really loyal to his brother.” Seeing the pained look on Eve’s face, Sadie changed the subject. “And anyway, isn’t Lincoln really busy?”
To hear Beau tell it, Lincoln practically ran that cattle ranch. He and his father Hank, on their own, since Jackson took off for Nashville a few years ago. During the rodeo season Lincoln tended to be gone for weeks at a time. He’d turned pro a couple of years ago and every once in a while, she’d see him at the Shady Grind, having a beer with the boys, showing off that shiny belt buckle to eager women.
He was tall with long legs, built like a running back, but despite his size carried himself with ease and grace. Hair always on the wrong side of a cut, a shiny copper brown, and his eyes…they were the deepest shade of blue she’d ever seen. And they crinkled when he smiled.
“He’s not too busy to help out a friend.”
“Fine,” Sadie said, ready to end this topic. “I’ll ask him.”
“Are you going straight home? If not, I could use a little company while I straighten out the surgery suite before it gets returned.”
“All I have waitin’ at home is Ben & Jerry’s.”
Eve took the bunny back from Sadie and put it in his little cage in the back.
Sadie followed Eve through the back of the clinic, to where the trailer she and Annabeth occasionally rented sat parked. Eve called it a hospital on wheels. It looked like a fifth wheel from the outside. Some surgeries were performed in the trailer, as well as x-rays of large animals. Eve often towed it to horse and cattle ranches in the area. As Sadie stepped inside behind Eve, she noted all the space inside the trailer. The amount of room caught her by surprise.
Eve gloved up and began tidying the counters. “So, did Lincoln come out to help today?”
“You know he did,” Sadie said. “All the men showed up to help poor Sadie who went straight through the wood floor on her first day of class.”
“You make it sound like somehow that’s your fault.”
“No, it’s just my lousy luck.” She hated being rescued. This time, it couldn’t be helped.
“Or Beulah, trying to save a penny and rush things. She’s been wantin’ this school to open since forever.”
“I wish I didn’t get my hopes up.”
“How is Lincoln, anyway? Haven’t seen him for a while.”
“Still just as handsome a cuss as ever.”
“Still just as single as ever.” Eve smiled, wiping the counter.
“Stop. I gave up on him a long time ago.”
“Yeah? If I recall, you gave up after my weddin’ day fail. And I’ve told you before, because Jackson and I didn’t work doesn’t mean you can’t wind up with Lincoln someday.”
But Sadie’s mind was suddenly elsewhere. Her father owned portables bigger than this trailer that he hauled from one job to another. Once a job was complete, the portable moved to the next location. And in some large cities, portables were a way of increasing student enrollment without having to budget for the costs of building, which could be astronomical.
“Oh my Lord!” Sadie jumped up, clapping her hands, as the idea became fully formed.
“What? What is it?”
“I love you! Thanks to you, I think I just figured out a way to save our school year!”
We’re simply everything the name of our society itself indicates. Respectable women, who appreciate the position we’re in. I’ll let you in on a little secret, dear: we run this town. Sure, sure. We’re in the minority but that has mostly worked out to be an advantage. Who wouldn’t love to be one of the few? The proud? Oh, wait. Never mind.
For decades, Stone Ridge, Texas has been a town filled with a majority of men. We’re not exactly sure how this happened, but let’s begin with the fact that we’re a ranching town. Think cowboys. Cows. Lots of lakes for fishing and hunting. In other words, it’s like a huge man cave.
But honestly, our lack of women also has something to do with the lack of jobs and services for us. We don’t even have a hairdresser in town for the love of Pete. My new daughter-in-law does my hair in her home every other Tuesday. But I digress.
What we do have is a great deal of eligible young men around marrying age.
I myself had seven suitors before I chose to wed my sainted husband, Lloyd. This is the place to be if a woman wants to feel special. We’re like Alaska, but warmer.
Yes, thank you, I will get to the point. We need more women in our quaint town because we do have the men. Oh, do we have the men! Rodeo cowboys, ranchers, construction workers. Hard bodies, chiseled jaws, and all those things the young’uns like.
So, of course, when the subject of a local primary school came up, as it does once every five or so years, Sadie Stephens was the first woman I thought of. Uh-huh. She left town for Baylor University a few years ago to get her degree in education. After graduation, for some reason unknown to me, she settled in the metropolis of San Antonio. Can you believe it? San Antonio! Sometimes, there’s just no accounting for taste.
Honestly, she’s the sweetest girl in the world. Close to her family and her older brother, Beau. Never has a bad word to say about anyone. A pretty and petite blond with hazel eyes. No, I’m not giving you her measurements. By the way, there’s a rumor that her college boyfriend broke her heart, and she’s been a little shy of love ever since then.
Suffice it to say, the men of Stone Ridge are above reproach. They know better than to hurt a woman’s feelings. Why, they’d rather break their own leg than any woman’s heart. We’re glad to have Sadie back. That’s right, she’s agreed to take the position as our new school’s first teacher.
Yes, men of Stone Ridge. You are welcome. Sadie Stephens is back in town, and she’s single.
Let the games begin!
~ Beulah Hayes, acting President of the Society of Reasonable, Respectable and Organized Women (SORROW), and author of The Men of Stone Ridge, tenth edition~
Chapter 1
No other twenty-eight-year-old woman in Stone Ridge, Texas could say this, but Sadie Stephens started the Tuesday after Labor Day with circle time.
She stood in the old building that long ago served its purpose as the town’s original church. An old white clapboard building, with a steeple and a tone-less, broken belfry. It had seen better days, on or around the turn of the century. As long as Sadie could remember, everyone had worshiped at Trinity Church in the center of town.
This morning, a small group of children ages five to eight sat in a circle inside of the old but newly cleaned and painted church. All the pews and the baptismal font were removed, and there remained one large room with a strip of carpet in the center over the hardwood floors. Small desks and chairs were flanked in groups around the room. In her class were fifteen boys and five girls. The classroom’s mix of boys to girls was just about right for Stone Ridge, Texas’s demographics, where men outnumbered women by about five to one.
And Sadie would be the first teacher at Stone Ridge Elementary.
“Boys and girls, you probably already know that my name is Sadie Stephens, but y’all can call me Miss Sadie.”
She turned to write her name in large letters on the white board in bold black marker.
Something tapped the side of Sadie’s head and she turned to see a paper plane at her feet.
“He did it!” Ellie Monroe, one of her Kindergartners, pointed to Jimmy Ray, an eight-year-old.
Sadie bent to pick it up from the floor. She didn’t want to start their day off in a negative way, so she turned it over in her hands and admired it for a moment.
“Why, what a wonderful piece of engineering.”
“You’re pretty,” said Jimmy Ray.
How adorable. The cute kid grinned, showing two missing front teeth.
“Ew,” said Bobby Joe. “She’s old.”
“Is not!” Ellie scrunched up her little face.
This brought about a general discussion between the boys and girls regarding who was old, such as one’s grandmother, but Miss Sadie was simply a grown-up. Ellie won the round with her impressive logic.
“You guys are so smart!” Sadie took back control of the conversation. “What a lively discussion. Yes, Jimmy Ray, I’m twenty-eight, a bit old for you. But thank you for saying that I’m pretty.”
“When’s snack time?” Bobby Joe raised his hand. “My mom said y’all would give me snacks if I’m good. I’m bein’ good. Where’s my snack?”
“That’s a great question! We will have our snack soon. Ellie’s mom volunteered to bring it today. But I’m sure you just ate a big breakfast.”
“I have a hollow leg,” Bobby Joe said with conviction.
“Does not!” Ellie said, who would obviously become the classroom’s fact checker.
“All right.” Sadie took a deep and steadying breath. “We’re going to get to know each other a little bit first. Some of you already know how to read, and others are just learning, so I need to find out more about you. This is going to be so interesting! I can’t wait to find out who can already read.”
Nearly every hand raised, all except for Ellie, who pouted and crossed her arms.
Oh, dear. Sadie probably shouldn’t have said that. “Wait. I didn’t ask you to raise your hands.”
Little hands lowered.
“The point is, soon you will all be reading.”
Sadie ended circle time after each child said their name out loud and she’d pointed them to their assigned desk with their decorated name card. She could hardly contain her excitement and nearly rubbed her hands together.
She would finally teach, and mold little minds. She’d dreamed about this day and it was finally here. And in her hometown, no less! How wonderful to influence the future generation of both the women and men of Stone Ridge. She would have a challenge, teaching the first class at different levels, but she’d created a plan.
Until recently many parents of grade school children homeschooled since Stone Ridge was a small remote town deep in Texas Hill Country. Older children were usually sent on a bus to the neighboring town of Kerrville, a forty-minute ride reach way. A long bus ride, one Sadie remembered well. She, her brother, Beau, and all their friends rode the bus for years. But now, local parents would have options.
Thanks to Beulah Hayes’s efforts, they’d began the search for a location and a plan to raise funds last year, and wrangled support from the town’s residents. There would still be many fundraisers ahead of them to fully fund the effort. Because they didn’t yet have all their district certifications, they’d applied for a charter, and received some money from the state.
They’d raised enough through Beulah’s pet organization, the ladies of SORROW, to pay for a year of Sadie’s abysmal salary.
And while the ladies scouted for another, better location, they’d provided the old church so that Sadie could begin teaching this fall.
Two hours into the school day, Sadie counted ten times she’d returned Jimmy Ray’s shoe to him, because he kept throwing it. She talked to him, but he didn’t seem to think he was doing anything wrong. On the eleventh time, she got wise and put it in her desk drawer, telling him he’d get it back at the end of the day.
He then hopped around the classroom for a few minutes on one foot, earning lots of laughs. Sadie asked him to sit down, then handed out reading books, and while some of the kids took to reading them quietly, others fought over them. Ellie wanted Black Beauty because of the horse on the cover, but Jimmy Ray reminded her that she couldn’t read so she should go ahead and take the “baby book.”
Ellie burst into tears. Sadie gathered the little girl into her arms and considered joining her. This day was not going well so far. She’d pictured an entirely different kind of experience, with well-behaved children eager to read a book and learn.
“Jimmy Ray, I’m going to need you to apologize to Ellie. There’s no such thing in my class as a baby book.”
“Baby, baby, baby!” Jimmy Ray laughed as again he hopped around on one foot.
And Sadie could take no more. She rarely lost her temper and never with a child. But Jimmy Ray had just stepped on her last nerve. She would never tolerate cruelty among her children.
“Jimmy Ray! How many times have I told you? Sit down. I mean it now,” Sadie said, and stomped her foot in emphasis.
And went right through the bottom of the wooden floor.
“Termites can do a hell of a lot of damage,” said Riggs Henderson. “I’ve seen entire beams fall.”
A local rancher, Riggs was also a foreman and worked odd construction jobs here and there. He managed the occasional renovation in town and sometimes worked with Sadie’s father. He’d been driving by in his truck when he saw the commotion gathered outside the old church.
Many of the men who gathered stood eyeing the floor and the foot of crawl space under it. There were plenty of head shakes as an entire crew arrived and got to work. In their town residents came together in times of need. It took one call to the phone tree, started by Beulah Hayes herself this time, who’d walked over from the General Store nearby, which was owned by her husband.
Sadie sat with the children outside on the porch steps, out of the way of danger until their parents could arrive. To say the children were fascinated was an understatement. Suddenly no one talked about snacks or reading levels. They’d just seen their teacher’s feet go through a supposedly solid wood floor.
Jimmy Ray simply stared in horror when Sadie’s first foot went through the floor. He must have thought her to be “incredible cartoonish” mad. Not the case, but either she’d gained too much weight this summer, or these termites had feasted. For decades.
Beulah Hayes shook her finger. “The inspector said it was fine. We tented for termites weeks ago.”
“Who did you use?” Riggs asked.
“I’ll have to look through my paperwork,” Beulah huffed. “But he came from Kerrville. Gave me a decent rate.”
A general groan of consensus came out of the men, as if the good people of Kerrville couldn’t be trusted to know a termite infestation from a scorpion one.
“Are you sure you don’t need a trip to the hospital, missy?” This was directed to Sadie from Lenny, one of their volunteer firefighters, a man about her father’s age.
“It’s not like I fell far. My boot took the worst of it,” Sadie said. “I’m fine, but thanks.”
“Miss Sadie went through the floor,” Ellie said. “I’m scared. There’s a monster down there.”
“No monster,” Lenny said, bending. “It’s a teeny tiny little bug, you see, so small no one can even see it.”
“You’re not helping,” Sadie warned.
“Oh, they don’t eat children,” Lenny said with a chuckle and a wave. “But they eat through wood like a sumabitch.”
“Lenny!”
“My house is made of wood,” Ellie said with a hitch in her breath. “Will they eat my house, Miss Sadie?”
“No, no, sweetie,” Sadie said, glaring at Lenny. “I’m sure they won’t.”
A bevy of pickup trucks arrived one after the other, their tires crunching into the gravel as they pulled into the church parking lot. This would be the second wave of men, arriving to help, meaning they would have dropped everything they were doing on the ranch.
Life wasn’t easy in Stone Ridge, as services were few and residents were forced to rely on each other. The fire department, for instance, all volunteer. As a former EMT, Sadie took her turn, too. They currently didn’t have a doctor or clinic, and no police, relying on the County Sheriff an hour away.
There was no hairdresser in town, no clothing stores, no coffee shop, no movie theater, and spotty cell service and Wi-Fi. They did, however, have rolling hills, trees, rivers, lakes, and lots of great fishing. There was Trinity Church, a veterinary clinic (there were more animals in town than people), the General Store, and the Shady Grind, a bar and grill.
But the best part of her hometown was the way the men of Stone Ridge revered their few women. They were held in high regard. Protected. This was just one of the reasons Sadie came home after getting her teaching degree. Here, she’d have a better than average chance of finding a husband.
In fact, he could be here right now, wondering if he’d ever find a woman in this woman-scarcity town. Maybe he’d even bring his niece or nephew to the school one day for drop off or pick up. Ada Armstrong’s nephew was coming to visit, and she couldn’t talk enough about him. But Sadie wasn’t too excited because he sounded so desperate for a wife. In any case, with the right man, their gazes would meet across the tops of the children’s heads.
She’d feel that little zip and zing. The jolt and kablammy that her best friend Eve Iglesias talked about. Sadie’s pupils would dilate, and bam! She’d fall in love. Once, she’d felt that zip and zing, and thought she knew just the right man for her. But that was years ago. She’d given up on him.
As the trucks filed in one after another, Sadie noticed her older brother Beau’s truck, Wade Cruz, two more of the Henderson brothers, and of course, Lincoln Carver.
Lincoln Carver.
The man she’d wanted since she could remember having the slightest interest in boys. The one she’d finally given up on. A few years ago, Lincoln stopped speaking to Sadie and even though everyone else moved on from the feud that caused this, Lincoln still remained civil. But nothing more than civil. Then again, he was a loyal sort, one of his most attractive qualities.
Followed closely by the long, brawny body, strong arms, chiseled jaw, and dimples. Sigh.
He and the rest of the men went to work as if they did this every day, gathering tools and supplies from their truck beds.
Lincoln walked by her first, nodding and tipping his Stetson. “Sadie.”
“Hey there, Lincoln.” Her heart rate spiked the way it always did when he appeared anywhere near her vicinity.
“Hey, sis,” Beau said, as he walked up the steps next. “You okay there?”
“I’m fine. Sorry to be so much trouble.”
“What a first day, right?” Beau said and turned to the first crew of men. “What do we have goin’ on here? How can we help?”
“We’re goin’ to need to move them to another location,” Riggs Henderson advised. “We’ve got to rip out all this wood and replace it. Should take a week or more. We should do a more thorough inspection. Walls, floors, roof. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having children in here otherwise.”
Sadie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Well, there went her teaching career. Maybe she could move back to San Antonio, get her old job, and come back and try this again next fall.
“Now, now,” Beulah said as though reading Sadie’s mind. “I am sorry about all this, but don’t you despair. We’ll find another location for y’all right quick.”
Except a centrally located empty building in the middle of town didn’t exist.
The parents began to arrive for their children and were informed. They appeared well rested, even after the short school day. But Sadie had probably aged ten years in the last five minutes.
Because it was still early in the day, she left the men to it, and headed two blocks down to the veterinary clinic where Eve worked as a veterinarian. Most of the time Eve was out on a large animal call, but Sadie caught sight of her old blue beat-up truck parked outside. She opened the door to an empty waiting room where Eve sat behind the receptionist desk. She and the other vet, Annabeth, couldn’t afford to hire an admin yet.
“Hey,” Eve said, coming around from the desk to give Sadie a hug. “I heard.”
By now, everyone would have. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“How did it go, otherwise?”
“You know what it’s like when you see a dress you love online? And then you see that it’s on sale! The last one in your size. When you place the order, it turns out you get an additional discount at check out. You can’t believe your good luck. The dress arrives, free shipping of course, and when you take it out of the package and try it on, it fits just like it was made for you?”
Eve nodded, smiling in anticipation.
“Well, today was nothing like that.” Sadie collapsed on one of the empty waiting chairs. “It was a disaster. I don’t think I taught them a single thing, except that I’m a pushover.”
Eve sat beside Sadie. “Oh, hon. Well, it will get better.”
“I thought it would be different. I was so excited about my lesson plan, but I couldn’t keep their attention. Until I went through the floor, of course. Then no one would take their eyes off me.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing something that’s never been done before here.”
“And maybe there was a reason for that.”
“Yes. We didn’t have Sadie Stephens, teacher extraordinaire.”
Sadie allowed the thought to cheer her a little bit. “The point is, I was excited about teaching them. They’re not quite as excited to learn. And now I don’t know how they will until the termite damage is repaired.”
“Don’t you worry. I’m sure Beulah is on this like a bean in caffeine.”
“Even Beulah can’t materialize a building out of thin air.” She sighed.
“I’m sure the guys will get the work done soon.”
“I’m not so sure.”
She’d seen the expression on her brother’s face. He worked in construction with their father, and he didn’t look happy as he studied the eaves and beams. He shook his head far too often and once he’d said to Lincoln, “Would you take a look at this. Who would let this building pass inspection?”
“Who’s your favorite student?” Eve said.
“Well, a teacher shouldn’t have favorites, but if I did, it would be Ellie Monroe.”
“Aw, yeah, she’s a cutie. She and her mom come around every now and then to check on our rescues. They’ve adopted nearly every cat we’ve rescued. Ellie names them after the months of the year.” Eve chuckled. “She’s up to May.”
Sadie sighed. “Yeah, and because of me, now every kid in class knows she can’t read.”
“She’s only five, isn’t she?” Eve cocked her head.
“That’s not the point. She cried when another kid took a higher-level book away from her because she can’t read.”
Eve frowned. Only she would know the significance of that for Sadie. She couldn’t help having such a tender heart. Eve had a huge heart for animals of all types. Sadie, a heart for books, followed closely by children. All of them on Earth. But she would have to toughen up to be a teacher. Otherwise, her students would smell her weakness the way sharks smelled blood.
“Maybe I should have become a paramedic. Or just stayed as an EMT,” Sadie said.
Her position after getting her degree was as both a public-school teacher and an emergency medical technician in San Antonio. With the pay so poor, she’d needed two jobs to make ends meet in a bigger city. But teaching remained her first love. She’d been an adequate EMT. Mostly, she’d been a glorified taxi from hospital to convalescent home and back. Giving comfort and aide to people at the end of their lives made Sadie realize she had a lot more living to do.
She’d been about to enroll in courses to become a paramedic and increase her pay, when on a visit to her parents, Beulah again brought up the subject of a school. Sadie wanted to move back to Stone Ridge, like her best friend Eve. And Sadie missed her quirky town.
Eve stood. “Wait right here. I’ve got something for you.”
When Eve returned from the back rooms, she carried a furry little creature in her arms. A rabbit.
“This little guy is so soft. Someone brought him in after finding him injured a couple of weeks ago. He’s fully recovered and I’m ready to set him free again. There’s no way you can hold him and not feel better about your day.”
“Eve, I’m sorry. This must all seem so silly to you.”
“Of course not. I didn’t have the best first day, either.”
Sadie winced. “I remember. You put a horse down.”
And Eve had been through the ringer in the past few years, beginning with her last-minute decision not to show up on her wedding day to Jackson, Lincoln’s younger brother. That awful day caused a feud between the two families, and of course, Sadie, also a loyal sort, took Eve’s side.
Eve’s problems were real, but Sadie just had a bad day.
Okay, a horrible day.
“I love you, little one.” Sadie cuddled the rabbit, gray and white and soft as silk. “You’re right. I feel better already.”
No one ever said teaching would be easy, after all, but simply that it could be rewarding. Just because she’d lost control of her classroom today didn’t mean it would happen again. She’d just have to kindly exert her authority. Kill them with kindness. Or give them a motivation that didn’t involve a sugary snack for a reward.
“Maybe when we get back, I could make this little guy our class pet. Rabbits are always good for that aren’t they? The kids could learn responsibility and it could be a positive behavior modifier.”
“Sure,” Eve said. “Although, rabbits are sensitive to loud noises. I’m close if you change your mind. I’ll just come get him.”
Sadie sat up straighter, inspired. “I’ve tried to think outside the box but some of the old tried and true methods might work also.”
“Why not?” Eve said. “And don’t forget show and tell. Or career day. I could come and talk to the kids about being a vet.”
“Would you? That would be amazing! The girls would love that.”
“And you should get Lincoln to come and show the boys how to rope. There’s nothing boys love more than a rodeo champ.”
Even the sound of his name sometimes landed her with a sucker punch. But despite the fact Jackson had been engaged to Eve, it always seemed that Lincoln didn’t remember Sadie. But of course, he did. The few women in this town hardly faded into the background. And Sadie was Beau’s sister, who happened to be one of Lincoln’s close friends. He did know her. He just didn’t much seem to care.
“That’s…that’s a wonderful idea, too.” She continued to pet the puffy piece of silk. “I should think about asking him. Maybe.”
Eve laughed. “Don’t be shy about it. If you want, I can put a bug in Mima’s ear. I’ve been spending some time up at the ranch lately, helping out with the grooming for some extra cash.”
“Lincoln hasn’t really talked to me since…well, you know.”
“He doesn’t talk much to me, either, but this might be a good opportunity. I mean, the rest of us have moved on. It’s his turn.”
“He’s really loyal to his brother.” Seeing the pained look on Eve’s face, Sadie changed the subject. “And anyway, isn’t Lincoln really busy?”
To hear Beau tell it, Lincoln practically ran that cattle ranch. He and his father Hank, on their own, since Jackson took off for Nashville a few years ago. During the rodeo season Lincoln tended to be gone for weeks at a time. He’d turned pro a couple of years ago and every once in a while, she’d see him at the Shady Grind, having a beer with the boys, showing off that shiny belt buckle to eager women.
He was tall with long legs, built like a running back, but despite his size carried himself with ease and grace. Hair always on the wrong side of a cut, a shiny copper brown, and his eyes…they were the deepest shade of blue she’d ever seen. And they crinkled when he smiled.
“He’s not too busy to help out a friend.”
“Fine,” Sadie said, ready to end this topic. “I’ll ask him.”
“Are you going straight home? If not, I could use a little company while I straighten out the surgery suite before it gets returned.”
“All I have waitin’ at home is Ben & Jerry’s.”
Eve took the bunny back from Sadie and put it in his little cage in the back.
Sadie followed Eve through the back of the clinic, to where the trailer she and Annabeth occasionally rented sat parked. Eve called it a hospital on wheels. It looked like a fifth wheel from the outside. Some surgeries were performed in the trailer, as well as x-rays of large animals. Eve often towed it to horse and cattle ranches in the area. As Sadie stepped inside behind Eve, she noted all the space inside the trailer. The amount of room caught her by surprise.
Eve gloved up and began tidying the counters. “So, did Lincoln come out to help today?”
“You know he did,” Sadie said. “All the men showed up to help poor Sadie who went straight through the wood floor on her first day of class.”
“You make it sound like somehow that’s your fault.”
“No, it’s just my lousy luck.” She hated being rescued. This time, it couldn’t be helped.
“Or Beulah, trying to save a penny and rush things. She’s been wantin’ this school to open since forever.”
“I wish I didn’t get my hopes up.”
“How is Lincoln, anyway? Haven’t seen him for a while.”
“Still just as handsome a cuss as ever.”
“Still just as single as ever.” Eve smiled, wiping the counter.
“Stop. I gave up on him a long time ago.”
“Yeah? If I recall, you gave up after my weddin’ day fail. And I’ve told you before, because Jackson and I didn’t work doesn’t mean you can’t wind up with Lincoln someday.”
But Sadie’s mind was suddenly elsewhere. Her father owned portables bigger than this trailer that he hauled from one job to another. Once a job was complete, the portable moved to the next location. And in some large cities, portables were a way of increasing student enrollment without having to budget for the costs of building, which could be astronomical.
“Oh my Lord!” Sadie jumped up, clapping her hands, as the idea became fully formed.
“What? What is it?”
“I love you! Thanks to you, I think I just figured out a way to save our school year!”
March sales and news!
Hey, friends, I hope you're doing well. Are you in one of the cold snap part of the countries? If so, I hope the snow is melting or starting to melt for you.
On March 22nd, the first Starlight Hill anthology (1-4) is on a rare sale, FREE to everyone, and not just Kindle Unlimited members! Grab your copy!
Kindle Unlimited members, this anthology is going to be leaving the program sometime in April so make sure you grab your free copy now!
In this anthology, four rom-coms: ALL OF ME, SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, UNTIL THERE WAS YOUR and ANYWHERE WITH YOU.
Also excited to reveal the cover for WINNING MR. CHARMING, the first book in my new Harlequin series, Charming, Texas:
IN CHARMING, TEXAS, THE ULTIMATE CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.
Who’ll be the next Mr. Charming? Odds favor Cole Kinsella, owner of the Salty Dog Bar & Grill. The bachelor is certainly handsome and charismatic, especially to his newest employee, and former high school sweetheart, Valerie Villanueva.
Except…Val’s in the running, as well. Because why can’t a woman be the most charming? As the rivalry revs up, so do the stakes. Each desperately needs that prize money, but do they need each other more?
On March 22nd, the first Starlight Hill anthology (1-4) is on a rare sale, FREE to everyone, and not just Kindle Unlimited members! Grab your copy!
Kindle Unlimited members, this anthology is going to be leaving the program sometime in April so make sure you grab your free copy now!
In this anthology, four rom-coms: ALL OF ME, SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, UNTIL THERE WAS YOUR and ANYWHERE WITH YOU.
Also excited to reveal the cover for WINNING MR. CHARMING, the first book in my new Harlequin series, Charming, Texas:
IN CHARMING, TEXAS, THE ULTIMATE CONTEST IS UNDERWAY.
Who’ll be the next Mr. Charming? Odds favor Cole Kinsella, owner of the Salty Dog Bar & Grill. The bachelor is certainly handsome and charismatic, especially to his newest employee, and former high school sweetheart, Valerie Villanueva.
Except…Val’s in the running, as well. Because why can’t a woman be the most charming? As the rivalry revs up, so do the stakes. Each desperately needs that prize money, but do they need each other more?
News from my corner of the world
I've decided to let Sadie Stephens take over the newsletter today, because she's got news!
Hi, everyone! Sadie Stephens soon-to-be Sadie Carver here. I forgot my lesson plan, but if you don't mind I'd like to talk to you about cowboys. I'm going to be marrying one pretty soon, and I've done the research. So, gather up your pen and paper and get ready to take notes!
Most cowboys are like my Lincoln - yes, MY Lincoln - they're solid men with strong backs who take on the weight of their families, neighbors, AND the ranch. And boy howdy, do they look good in those wranglers!
Some of them are also in the rodeo from time to time, many are also carpenters, and some of them even learned to play the guitar and sing. But please don't ever make the mistake of thinking that a big, strong cowboy can't be hurt or wounded. They have some of the biggest hearts in Texas, hearts that can be broken by the woman they love.
If you've read Heatherly's Lucky Cowboy, then you already know how Linc and I met. You've read our love story, and happily ever after. But what you might not know is that our story continues in Nashville Cowboy, coming this May 4th! Because, yeah! We're getting hitched which you probably already know!
This summer, it's time for a wedding in Stone Ridge. It's only natural for our story to be continued and included with Eve and Jackson's reunion. Well, maybe I AM getting ahead of myself, but you better believe I have plans for those two. And they involve a quilt.
Anyway, Jackson was rumored to have said to Eve, "Lincoln is my brother, and Sadie is your best friend. They practically ARE us!"
Well, he's wrong! There is no WAY I'm leaving Lincoln at the altar. But in order to find out whether I do or not (I'm tempted, but I have my reasons) you just might have to read the book!
Hi, everyone! Sadie Stephens soon-to-be Sadie Carver here. I forgot my lesson plan, but if you don't mind I'd like to talk to you about cowboys. I'm going to be marrying one pretty soon, and I've done the research. So, gather up your pen and paper and get ready to take notes!
Most cowboys are like my Lincoln - yes, MY Lincoln - they're solid men with strong backs who take on the weight of their families, neighbors, AND the ranch. And boy howdy, do they look good in those wranglers!
Some of them are also in the rodeo from time to time, many are also carpenters, and some of them even learned to play the guitar and sing. But please don't ever make the mistake of thinking that a big, strong cowboy can't be hurt or wounded. They have some of the biggest hearts in Texas, hearts that can be broken by the woman they love.
If you've read Heatherly's Lucky Cowboy, then you already know how Linc and I met. You've read our love story, and happily ever after. But what you might not know is that our story continues in Nashville Cowboy, coming this May 4th! Because, yeah! We're getting hitched which you probably already know!
This summer, it's time for a wedding in Stone Ridge. It's only natural for our story to be continued and included with Eve and Jackson's reunion. Well, maybe I AM getting ahead of myself, but you better believe I have plans for those two. And they involve a quilt.
Anyway, Jackson was rumored to have said to Eve, "Lincoln is my brother, and Sadie is your best friend. They practically ARE us!"
Well, he's wrong! There is no WAY I'm leaving Lincoln at the altar. But in order to find out whether I do or not (I'm tempted, but I have my reasons) you just might have to read the book!
