Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) Read online

  Home for Love

  An Adult Romance Novel

  By Aneesa Price

  Edited by Mary-Nancy’s Eagle-Eye Editing

  Copyright © 2012 Aneesa Price

  All rights reserved.

  Praise for Coffin Girls by Aneesa Price

  “Coffin Girls is a fabulous beginning to what is going to be an excellent series and I can't recommend this book enough to anyone looking for a new read! I started this on Thursday night and finished Friday afternoon! It was so good I dreaded putting it away just so I could actually sleep!” ~ Reviewer, Carrie Perkins-Cunningham

  “Oh the Coffin Girls are my new heroes! I absolutely loved this book. I loved the Bayou plantation setting, the characters, the storyline, the conclusion, and I am chomping at the bit for the next installment.” ~ Reviewer, Denise

  “This is simply one of those books you can't go wrong with. I am sure before book 2 comes I will re-read this again. It is just too good to put down!” ~ Reviewer, chel73

  Praise for Finding Promise by Aneesa Price

  “The plot and storyline was brilliantly strong throughout. There is something about this story that will appeal to all women no matter what their frame of mind or the current situation in life!!! This really was an exceptional read!” ~ Reviewer, Janie

  “It is a romance, an adult romance at times… But one where the characters are human flawed and smart enough to know it. I loved the book for the fact that it is a real story. Not a romance disguised as a story. I can't wait to read more by this author.” ~ Reviewer and blogger, Wandah Panda

  “If you enjoy awesome, heartfelt love stories then this is the story for you! Mrs. Price knows how to keep you interested from the first page to the very last! I love the way you can get totally wrapped up in her stories and you find yourself right there next to her characters feeling what they are feeling! I can't wait for the next book in this series!” - Reviewer, blogger and editor, M-N Smith

  Praise for Ghost & Lovers by Aneesa Price

  “The physical acts of making love in Ghost & Lovers are written so well I reread them twice and may look at them again in the future.” ~ Author and reviewer, Roy Murry

  “A steamy erotic read, this book is like nothing else I've read. Well written with a very unique concept, this book will have you gripped just to see where it's leading. With the descriptive nature, your imagination won't need much help picturing the scenes.” ~ Reviewer, Claire Taylor

  Dedication

  I do not write a single word without thoughts of my beautiful family - my husband and daughters, Aaliyah and Zarah, in mind. Thank you for your continuous support and inspiration.

  This novel is further dedicated to the amazing readers and reviewers whom without I’d be a completely unknown author. Thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm for my work. A special note of gratitude must be given to the members of my Facebook fan club and street team. I strive to remain yours in romance.

  Acknowledgements

  My sincere gratitude for the support to these authors whom I admire as a fan and consider as friends…

  Heather Killough Walden

  Rose Pressey

  Morgan Kearns

  Rosanna Leo

  Rhonda Plumhoff

  PT Macias

  Zrinka Jelic

  CR Everett

  Kelley Grealis

  AJ Lape

  I was pleasantly surprised when I asked for ‘street team’ volunteers on my fan club wall and many promptly put up their hands. Thank you to these wonderful readers, reviewers and friends who so selfishly promote me.

  Alisa Jenkins

  April Alvey

  Breanna Lou

  Carmen Ramirez Sanchez

  Carrie Fort

  Claire Taylor

  Crystal Trent Dotson

  Jackie Cervantes

  Janie Lucas

  Jessica Baker-Bridgers

  Kelley Grealis

  Krista Pruitt-Wallace

  Layla Darnell

  Mark Mackey

  Mary-Nancy Cody Smith

  Melissa Williams Brown

  Ronda Lynch

  Roxana Woodward

  Sherry Boroto Cain

  Tiffeny Moore

  Sandra Ó HAirmhí Woods

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  The tiny Cessna jerked and swayed in the Alaskan winter sky, over glistening white glaciers and snow-swathed mountains. Bree leaned closer to see what her daughter was gasping at through the plane’s window.

  “That’s Devil’s Peak, the highest mountain close to the valley,” Bree stated. “We should be home soon.” The peak stood as sentinel of a range of mountains and rivers that surrounded the valley housing her hometown - Devil’s Creek, Alaska.

  “Denelly’s bigger,” Amber declared.

  “Denali,” Bree corrected.

  “Yes, Granddad said that only people from outside Alaska call it Mount McKinley.” Amber spoke reverently of her great-grandfather.

  It was adorable and a blessing, given that they were moving in with her grandparents.

  “You’re such a clever girl.” Smiling, Bree kissed the top of Amber’s head at her confident, “uh-huh” response.

  “That’s soooooo pretty.” The extra vowels were awarded to a picturesque lake further ahead. “Is that the one grandpa said we can skate on?”

  “No, but there’s another one like that closer to town. We’ll take you skating there.” Weary of the anticipatory gleam in Amber’s eyes, Bree quickly added, “But remember that you must always have a grown up with you when you go skating.”

  “I know, mom. We’ve already had this conservation.” Amber’s attempt to sound grown up failed, with her sweet voice.

  “Conversation, honey,” corrected Bree, again.

  “Uh-huh. We’ve had this conversation.” Amber self-assuredly confirmed, oblivious to her blip. “I can’t wait to skate and snowshoe and ski and…”

  Bree opportunistically used her daughter’s current bout of verbal diarrhea to take a moment a breath. She’d loved growing up in Alaska. Everyday had seemed like an adventure in the land of the final frontier. She’d never envied the heroes and heroines of childhood tales because she had lived one of her own, right in her own backyard. That was one of the many reasons she was returning. The small town offered Amber freedom that was missing from their tiny apartment in Columbus.

  But there was pain in Devil’s Creek too. So many good memories had been sullied when she’d fallen pregnant after high school graduation. The co-contributor and her high school sweetheart, Todd Hunter, had gone from being her future to an Alaskan adventurer. He was often absent even when he was around, with his head in the mountains and icy seas instead of with her.

  Her grandparents had told her that he’d settled down as a successful businessmen and community member. They’d made a point of filling her in on his life. She’d also been told that he was still unmarried, though she hastened to remind herself, that was not why she’d returned. Given that she’d kept Amber’s existence a secret from him for the past six years, she doubted that he’d feel romantically in
clined towards her. Besides, Amber needed a good, stable home. That excluded romance, wild or otherwise and there had been nothing tame about the passion she’d shared with Todd.

  Bree pushed down her own emotional mayhem and focused on Amber’s wonder-filled face. “There it is!” She took Amber’s hand, pointing the soft, little fingers in the direction of the town. “Devil’s Creek, where your great-grandma and grandpa live.”

  “And my dad,” announced Amber.

  “Yes and your dad.” Brianna hastily looked at Crazy Tommy, who exchanged a knowing smile with her, indicating that his suspicions had been confirmed. Bree silently commended herself that she’d decided to get the confession done immediately. She had approached her return with strategy and planning that would impress an army general. She would move in swiftly, get the job done and retreat because Amber’s parentage would be the hot topic of the town grapevine within an hour of their landing.

  After a jerky landing, she subjected Amber to a thorough inspection, zipped up insulated jackets, and adorned them both with fur-lined hats and gloves. As glad as she was to plant her feet on solid ground, the arctic climate, which she hadn’t felt for seven years, hit her, going right through her many layers of clothing and straight through to the bone.

  She pulled Amber back, who was trying to race through the thick snow towards her great grandparents. “Amber, I know you’re excited, honey, but you have to promise to stay with mommy. The snow is colder than it looks and I don’t want you to get all wet.” Seeing the thoughts of finding out for herself written all over her daughter’s face, she hastily added, “If you get wet, we’ll have to take you straight to the farm and you’ll miss out on visiting the town. You don’t want that, do you?”

  A deceptively demure, “Okay,” was Amber’s response. Bree silently blessed the Saints of Bribe as they stepped through the terminal doors and into their new life.

  xxx

  Bree watched Amber skip along with her grandparents, merrily on their way to do Christmas shopping. Drawing in iced oxygen, she headed for the Todd’s building. It was a modest, single story painted deep blue with white trim around the sills. Its name, “Wild Alaska, Adventures and Tours,” wasn’t very original, but she appreciated the cheeky pun in the strapline. “We’ll show you a devil of a time," She imagined that it would intrigue adventure seeking tourists. Bold writing on the window indicated that they offered any outdoor activity within the Devil’s peak area. It suited him. Todd had enjoyed the outdoors and his ties to the Native Alaskan community had equipped him with knowledge of the area that rangers took years to acquire. Realizing that she was dawdling outside in the freezing cold, she squared her shoulders and stepped inside.

  The reception area was inviting with light green walls adorned with Native Alaskan art and spectacular panoramas of the area. Occasional chairs and a coffee table offered seating next to a display area boasting an assortment of active gear. Todd was on the phone at a desk. At the sight of him, a strange combination of feelings assaulted her. Although she’d mentally prepared to see him, the familiar jolt of old feelings shot through her, along with a heightened sense of anxiety at what was about to unfold. Glancing around the room, she spotted what looked like a grown up Ella at reception.

  She’d have to be friendly and play a good game until she could speak to Todd privately. As tempting as it was to get it over with, she couldn’t exactly storm in and blurt out, “Hi Todd, Happy Father’s Day!” So, instead, she greeted Ella.

  “Hi,” Ella responded, her brown eyes popping as flashes of recognition passed over her pixie face. “Bree Ramsay, welcome back. I heard about your parents, I’m really sorry.”

  The empathy she saw in Ella’s eyes was the last thing she needed with her already turbulent emotions barely in check. She felt her eyes moisten and blinked rapidly. “Thanks Ella,” she mumbled. “I’ve actually moved back now. I need to be with my grandparents for a while. How are you? Do you work here?”

  “Uh-huh. I hit a rough patch after graduating high school and well,” Ella waved a tattooed hand dismissively, “Todd gave me a job and has been helping me straighten out.”

  “I’m glad things are working out for you,” Bree nodded, pasting a smile on her face. “And speaking of Todd, I was hoping to say hi.” Still on the phone, he hadn’t noticed her yet.

  “Is he available afterwards?” Bree inquired. A part of her wanted Ella to say no and another desperately wanted him to be free so that she could get the inevitable confession over with.

  “Sure. Why don’t you have a seat?” Ella indicated the chairs. “He should be done soon.”

  Todd hung up the phone to see who Ella was talking to. What he saw made him choke on his coffee, drawing her attention to him. He couldn’t believe that he was seeing Bree - the one that had left him and taken his heart with her. Time may have healed those wounds, but it didn’t make him a monk - a point brought home swiftly as he felt the familiar stirrings of desire, a siren that always went off when she was around. He still felt the irresistible urge to run his fingers through her honey blonde mane and devour those curved, cherry reds, though he hadn’t seen her in seven years.

  Failing to take a slower gulp, he choked again when the scorching drink went down the wrong pipe. After an embarrassing fit of coughing, he stood up and looked straight into her eyes; blue ones that sparkled like a lake in summer and apparently, still had him acting like a fool.

  “Hey, Bree. This is a nice surprise. What brings you back to town?” The smile curving his lips didn’t quite reach his weary eyes.

  “I’ve moved back after, you know, what happened to my folks.” Accepting his condolences with the usual words, she pushed on, “I have to chat to you about something Todd. Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  Puzzled, but noticing Ella tampering with a nearby display, physically leaning towards them to improve the quality of her eavesdropping, he couldn’t question her request for privacy. “Sure, there’s a kitchen at the back,” he offered. “We can chat there, have some coffee.”

  Despite the pending confession, Bree felt a frisson of attraction rekindle. She’d always had a penchant for his dark looks; slick black hair and chocolate eyes with a bone structure and sculpted body to taunt the most sainted woman. But looking at him was like looking at their daughter. Thoughts of Amber and the eminent discussion pulled her back to reality.

  “Coffee would be great thanks,” Bree responded. “I like what you did with the place.” She waved a hand around on her way to the kitchen.

  “Thanks, I’m happy with what I’ve done here,” Todd replied in short, still confused.

  Seating herself at the kitchen table, she accepted the mug of coffee and took a sip. He made it just the way she liked it strange how he remembered that little detail. “I can’t believe how much the town has grown.” The small talk was helping her build confidence. “How are Nick and Amy?” she asked after his younger siblings.

  “They’re doing well. Amy’s studying marine biology out in Fairbanks and Nick’s in Boston doing his articles.” Justified pride filled his face. From what she recalled of his parents, she imagined that he’d put his siblings through college and was largely responsible for where they were today.

  “That’s great,” she stated. Though genuinely pleased for them, anxiety was gnawing at her.

  “So, Bree,” asked Todd, “what did you want to chat about?”

  “I left Devil’s Peak because I thought it was over between us.” She began with the explanation before giving him the news, hoping it would enable him to understand the why of it. “You’d left to go and fetch your dad when he died in Ketchikan. Then when you came back for the funeral I saw little of you. After you left to make your fortune crab fishing in Ketchikan, I just didn’t hear from you. Not a word for four months.”

  “You know my mom wasn’t capable of looking after us,” Todd sounded weary. I had to go into crab fishing. It wasn’t great work but it paid well and my family needed the money. I di
dn’t call you because we were out at sea and when we got to shore I was usually too tired to do anything, but sleep.”

  “I realized that then,” Bree, responded, “and I hung around waiting for you but you stayed there and I still didn’t hear from you. I thought that you’d lost interest in us.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, a sign she recognized as his way of biding time while he worked something out in conversation. “Why are you bringing this up now? It was a long time ago. I think we’ve both probably changed a lot from then. I thought this was a friendly visit to say hi.” His tone had become defensive.

  She closed her eyes for a short moment and took a deep breath before continuing. “I got pregnant the last time we were together, after the funeral. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know what was going on or how to reach you.”

  He flinched, guilt overwhelming him. “I’m sorry, Bree. I’m sorry you had to go through that and lose the baby without me being there for you.” He ran his fingers through his hair again. “If I’d known I would’ve pulled myself together and come to you. I didn’t come back after fishing season because I got a job in a canning factory and took it because I needed the money. It was long hours and I wasn’t in a good space. My life wasn’t playing out the way I hoped it would.”

  Eyes reflecting remorse, he continued, “I took you for granted. I took it for granted that you’d be here when I got back. I know we spoke of marriage and a future together, but at that point I didn’t know what future I had for myself or if I could help give my brother and sister a future, if I could look after my mom. I didn’t dare think that I could look after you too. I came back shortly after that, but you were gone already. I’d lost so much - my dad, my dreams, the hopes I had for our future. I didn’t believe in myself then yet, so I took your leaving as confirmation that you wanted better things.”