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- Herausgeber: TMP Books Inc
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
He never believed in fairytales until she knocked on his door.
There isn’t a hurdle Raelyn Shaw, Morgan’s Bay’s party planner extraordinaire, can’t overcome. So, when a hurricane destroys her client’s venue, she is determined to find the perfect replacement. The old barn catches her eye, but when she knocks on the owner’s door, the last person she expects to see is her high school crush who went MIA a decade ago.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Table of Contents
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All Because I Found You
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
Sneak Peek: Forbidden Lover
Other Books by Theresa
Become a Townie
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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All Because I Found You
A Morgan’s Bay Novel
Theresa Paolo
COPYRIGHT
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.
Published by TMP Books Inc.
Copyright November 2021
Edited by CookieLynn Publishing Services
Cover Design by CookieLynn Publishing Services
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.
Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Chapter 1
It was an absolute disaster. But that was okay. Raelyn worked best in times of crisis. All she needed was her coffee. She downed the rest of the magic elixir and placed her mug on the table. Think. How was she going to salvage this wedding?
She would do anything for her clients, even if it meant going to the flooded venue in a pair of galoshes and blow drying every square inch of flooring to get the area ready for the wedding in two weeks' time.
If only the hurricane had veered a little to the right, this all could have been avoided. Her entire town wouldn’t have looked like a scene out of an apocalypse movie. It was a little too late for wishful thinking. That ship sailed away with the hurricane.
Her head fell into her hands, and she took a deep breath. “A blow dryer can’t fix this,” she mumbled to herself, since she lived alone. “What am I going to do?”
She gave herself another minute of wallowing before pushing up from the table. She was Raelyn Shaw, best event planner in Morgan’s Bay, and she would figure this out if it was the last thing she did.
There was that barn on Beaver Creek. It looked promising. She just needed to find out who owned it and actually get a look inside to make sure it was safe. If it passed her inspection, and the owner said the structure was sound, then she could get the ball rolling. Problem was, she’d been by the barn twice already and not only was there no one around the property, the place was dead-bolted.
The universe was testing her, but lucky for her, she was resourceful. She texted a contact who worked for the zoning department, calling in a favor. She’d gotten Jimmy a ten percent discount on his catering bill when she helped plan his parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. He owed her.
He responded almost immediately that he would look into it. Great. But what was she supposed to do until then? Sit around and wait? There was no way that was going to happen. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed for the door.
Raelyn hadn’t had luck any of the times she’d been by the old barn, but she was desperate. Right now, all venues that hadn’t flooded out due to the hurricane or were currently without power were booked solid. Today was the day she needed to get the ball rolling, or she would fail her bride.
The drive through town always made her smile, grateful to have been born and raised in such a cute town, but today was different. Flood damaged debris sat piled outside homes, water restoration trucks and insurance adjusters parked in driveways where exhausted homeowners looked as if they were ready to collapse.
Raelyn had been lucky. Her place was just on the opposite side of Main Street where the floodwaters didn’t reach. Other than a few branches around her yard, she escaped the nightmare many people were dealing with.
It was why she needed this wedding to go off without a hitch. It was a local bride and she, along with her family and friends, needed something to celebrate. Something happy and uplifting. Raelyn was in the business of making that happen, and she would. Somehow.
She pulled onto Beaver Creek and followed it to the old barn. The place was a rustic beauty, surrounded by open fields of corn on one side and sunflowers on the other. Raelyn slowed as she approached, searching the vast area for any movement. Her heart sank when all that she spotted were birds and a few butterflies.
Throwing the car in park, she hopped out of the driver’s side and made her way up the gravel driveway, cursing herself for wearing wedged sandals. At least she wasn’t in pumps. Her feet wobbled as she maneuvered toward the large structure. An old farm wheel sat propped against the barn, making it look like something out of a photograph.
Raelyn got close, but there was still no sign of life. She moved to a window and pushed up from her wedges, cupping her hands on the glass and attempted to see inside. It would be a real waste of time if the inside was in shambles.
There wasn’t much she could see other than some old farm equipment, but for the most part, the condition seemed to be ideal. She lowered herself and scanned the property.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she slipped it out. Her client’s name flashed on the screen, and she quickly answered.
“Hi Nicole,” Raelyn answered in her cheeriest voice.
“Rae, I’m freaking out. My wedding is in two weeks, I don’t have a venue, my grandparent’s basement is still drying out, my mother-in-law keeps insisting I reschedule, and I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. Please tell me you have good news.”
Raelyn bit her lip. She was never one to lie, but she was confident she would pull this off.
“Nicole, you are not rescheduling anything. You can tell your mother-in-law that your wedding planner has everything under control. As for you. Go help your grandparents, and I will make sure everything is ready to go.”
“Do we have a venue?”
“You’ll have one by the end of today. I promise.” Raelyn closed her eyes, praying she didn’t just stick her foot in her mouth.
Nicole let out a loud breath. “I knew I could count on you. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you tonight.”
“You bet. Talk soon.”
Raelyn shook her head and ended the call, but her heart leaped when a new name flashed on her screen.
“Jimmy, please tell me you have something for me.”
“I do. It looks like the barn is owned by a company called RD Farms. The last known address for them is 22 Cedar Drive. Should be right around the corner from the barn.”
Raelyn jumped in place. “Thanks Jimmy. You’re the best.” She hung up and hurried to her car.
Cedar was the next block over, and Raelyn squinted at the house numbers, searching for twenty-two. “Where are you? Thirty-seven. Eighteen. Who the heck numbered these houses?”
Finally, at the end of the block, she spotted number twenty-two posted on a marker at the end of a very long driveway. She drove right onto the secluded driveway without a second thought. Trees lined either side of her, making it impossible to turn around if she needed to. Not that she would. She wasn’t leaving until she secured a venue.
The driveway, which was turning into more of a dirt road, curved to the left, and Raelyn continued to follow it until it opened up to a large lot. An early twentieth century farmhouse with dark brown weather worn shingles and several small porches sat at the top of the lot.
“That doesn’t look haunted one bit. Nope.” Raelyn closed the car door and took a hesitant step toward the old house. Two modern rocking chairs sat on one of the small porches, and if one of them moved, Raelyn was going to get right back in her car and leave.
She glanced around the property. Another barn was to the left, and fields stretched for what seemed like miles around the rest of the area. The location was not only secluded but beautiful. It was a surprise she had no idea this house existed, especially since she knew every person in town.
Three steps led to a door, and she made her way up them, knocking as soon as she reached the top. She waited and waited and waited, then knocked again, louder this time. She didn’t see a car, but there was a garage to the right and the door was closed. Nobody would take their car out, then shut the door. Right?
She pressed her lips together and spun from the door toward a window. It would be rude to peek inside. What if the person just got out of the shower and was naked? It’s not like she had anywhere else to be today. Securing a venue for her client was her number one priority. The rocking chairs looked sturdy and a little less like the ghost of old man Cletus would be sitting in them watching over his farm.
The door creaked open and Raelyn jumped. Her stupid wedge went left and her foot went right. She caught herself before face planting on the person’s doorstep.
“Can I help you?” the deep voice asked.
Raelyn plastered a smile on her face and straightened. “Hi.”
The man was younger than she expected. Had to be only a little older than her twenty-seven. He didn’t open the door fully, keeping it half closed as if she was going to push through and rob him.
The one side of his face was hidden by the doorframe and his chin length hair was brushed over to that side. The part of his face she could make out showed a strong jaw, surrounded by dark auburn hair, and gunmetal blue eyes that looked frighteningly familiar.
“My name is Raelyn Shaw, and I was hoping to discuss possibly holding an event at your barn on Beaver Creek.”
“No,” the man said and pulled back to shut the door.
“Wait!” Raelyn cried out. Desperation was overtaking, and there was no telling what lengths she would go to.
“I beg you. I’m an event planner, and my client’s venue was destroyed in the recent hurricane. She’s set to marry the love of her life in two weeks, but she has nowhere to hold the event. Your barn would be the perfect place.”
“It’s a barn. Not a place to hold a wedding.”
He hadn’t closed the door in her face, so she was taking it as a win. Now she just needed to close, and she was a pro at closing.
“But it could be with the right touches. You wouldn’t have to do a thing. I would clean up the space, bring everything in, and when the event is over, I would take everything out, leaving it exactly as it was if not a little cleaner.”
“I would love to help, but I’m sorry.”
“If you say no,” Raelyn said, “I’m just going to try harder. We can save each of us a lot of headache if you just agree to go to the barn with me and let me see what I’m working with. From what I can tell, the structure is sound, and the space is open. Other than some farm equipment, it looks party ready. And I’ll pay you. My client is from a wealthy family, and there is no price that will be too high for them.”
“I don’t care about money.”
“Then what do you care about?” she asked, not expecting the widening of his eyes, followed by the slight tilt of his lips. Progress, maybe?
“I care about being left alone.”
“And I will do exactly that once you give me a tour of the barn and agree to let me use it for the wedding.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re pushy?”
“All the time. What’s your point?”
He let out a sigh, and she hoped that meant he was cracking.
“I can come back later.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“So that means you’ll come with me to the barn?”
“That means we’re done here.”
Raelyn gasped. Usually, her upbeat personality made people warm to her instantly. This guy was a hard one to crack.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and stepped back to close the door. When he did so, she caught a proper glimpse of him, and the familiar blue of his eyes unlocked a memory from over a decade ago. Fifteen-year-old Raelyn desperate to get a glimpse of Morgan Bay’s high school star quarterback and the boy she had the biggest crush on… until tragedy struck, and he vanished.
“Ryder Douglas? Is it really you?”
Chapter 2
His name on this pretty woman’s tongue had him reacting before thinking. He slammed the door in her face and stepped away from the door. She knew who he was, which begged the question… Who was she? Not that it would be a far cry to think someone would remember him. It was a small town after all, and what had happened… well, people didn’t just forget.
It was why he avoided venturing out during the day, sticking to grocery shopping at night and only for the things he couldn’t have delivered. He’d been able to keep a low profile for eleven years, and the last thing he wanted was the town to know he was here.
Some people knew, of course, but they kindly had kept his whereabouts to themselves. No easy task in a small town that could win an Olympic gold in gossip.
A tiny part of him felt bad for shutting the door in the woman’s face. His mother would surely be disappointed in him. She didn’t raise him that way. Always hold the door for a lady, say please and thank you, and mind your manners. She wasn’t here to correct him, though he wouldn’t count her out for watching over him wherever she may be. It was the only solace he had in a rather lonely existence.
He turned from the door and headed to the kitchen, where he was making jam from the fresh strawberries the farmhands had picked yesterday. Luckily, he hadn’t lost many crops during the hurricane. It was a small blessing.
He sat at the kitchen table and grabbed the melon baller—Mom’s go-to kitchen tool. Fitting, since it was her recipe. Scooping the top off, he then cut the rest of the strawberry into pieces, dropping them into a bucket.
The process was painstakingly long, but it helped pass the time as well as gave him purpose. Mom’s jam had been a staple in the community before her death, and he felt it was his duty to keep it alive and well. A lot had changed since that day, but the farm stand was still running and selling produce and Mom’s jams, thanks to Gene, a family friend, who took over the business and kept tight reins.
Ryder got lost in the cutting, and by the time his bowl was filled, an hour had gone. He halved a lemon, squeezing the fresh juice over the strawberries before adding the sugar and leaving it to macerate.
Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he stood and stretched his back. It still bothered him occasionally, despite how much he’d worked on strengthening his core.
He made his way toward the living room and stopped in his tracks when his eyes caught movement on the porch. The girl from earlier rocked back and forth in his chair. Her head tilted toward the sun, her black sunglasses covering her eyes and her dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders.
Had she been here the whole time?
Not knowing what to do, he headed to the kitchen, hoping she’d leave. He needed to wait an hour for the strawberries, though, and usually he spent that time going out to the sunflower field and cutting a new batch to put for sale at the farm stand.
He would not let some woman stop him from his daily routine. Slipping into his boots, he headed out the door.
The woman jolted to her feet, practically knocking the rocking chair right off the damn porch.
“Hi!” she exclaimed, but he kept walking, not even bothering to throw a glance in her direction. “Wait!” she called after him, her voice getting closer as she repeated the command over and over.
He saw the shoes on her feet. There was no way in hell she’d be able to keep up with him once he got to the field. He kept walking, and when he was halfway to the end of the field, surrounded by the flowers and bees, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his cutting sheers.
“I was wondering if you’d ever stop.”
The voice had him spinning around. Shock wracked his body as the woman stood in front of him, hands on her shapely hips and a pout on her plump lips. Her brown eyes drifted up to his face, and her mouth parted slightly, enough for him to know his hair had revealed more than he cared for.
He bent his head forward, letting the dark auburn waves fall back over his cheek. “What do you want?” His voice clipped out in almost a growl, but it didn’t seem to deter the brunette.
“I told you what I wanted.”
“And I told you no.”
“I know, but see, there’s a problem with that. I can’t take no as an answer.”
“You do realize this is private property and you are trespassing?” Maybe the fear of breaking the law would get her to get back in her damn car and leave.
“Is it?”
“Yes, it absolutely is.”
“Look, I felt like I was getting somewhere until I said your name, which means you probably remember me too, and I just want to say I am not that same fifteen-year-old girl who used to follow you in the hallways giggling.”
“I assure you, I have no idea who you are.”
“Oh.” Her head tilted, mouth curved downward. “Well, that’s kind of insulting.”
“Sorry,” he muttered, not exactly sure what to say but somehow feeling guilty.
“It’s fine. Whatever. You were you, and I was a teeny bopper freshman who thought I was much cooler than I actually was. That’s not the point.” She held her hands out and lowered them as if she was able to push down the rest of her thoughts. “The point is, I need your barn, and I’m not leaving until you give me permission to use it.”
“Then I hope you have a tent in that car of yours.”
“Do I look like the camping type? I have a bikini and beach chair.”
The image of her in a bikini had him shifting uncomfortably.
She didn’t notice. She was too busy talking. “Though, the sun is hitting this spot just right. I could set up shop here. I have a tablet with me, so I could get a heck of a lot of work done. That’s actually not a bad idea.” She pressed her plump lips together and swished her cheeks back and forth.
“You are not seriously…” He thrust his hand into his hair and instantly remembered why the strands were in his face. He wasn’t used to being around people, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her with his scars. “You cannot set up a beach chair on my property.”
“The thing is. I don’t feel like you’re the type who would call the cops on me, and with how desperate I am, I’m willing to take the chance.”
He inhaled deeply, trying to find a calm within himself. He was out of practice dealing with people other than Gene, especially pushy people who knew exactly what they wanted. This woman was a persistent pain in his ass, and he didn’t doubt that she’d set up camp right on his property. While she would be a nice view, he didn’t honestly think she’d stick around.
“Suit yourself,” he said and, without looking back, headed into the house and shut the door.
He went to the strawberries, needing to start another batch. Gene would be by later that night to pick up the batches for tomorrow. The jams were famous, and people would come from the west end of the island, even as far as New York City to stock up.
He settled into his usual rhythm, cutting, stirring, and jarring. Maybe he was crazy, but there was something about the process that made him feel like his mom was with him. Like she was watching over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t cook the strawberries for too long. There was a science to the process, she would say. And when he would ask what that process was, she’d simply tap her head and say that it was in there. She couldn’t explain it. It was more a feeling than science, like her own mother was guiding her. He understood it now. Except it wasn’t his grandma guiding him, or maybe she was too, but definitely Mom.
After so many years of not hearing her laugh or feeling her warm hugs, making jam was as close as he would get to either. He wiped his hands on a dishrag and poured the next batch of strawberries into the bucket to macerate.
He threw a load of laundry in the washer and hit up the bathroom. On his way from the bathroom, his eye caught movement outside. He froze, turning to look out the window. His eyes widened as he took in Raelyn lounging in a beach chair in nothing more than a navy blue string bikini. A tablet rested on her lap, and she talked on her phone, hand moving with each word.
Had she been here the whole time? Where the hell did she change? Had she been naked out there at some point? His body immediately reacted to the thought.
He shook his head, knocking that image right the hell out. She was clearly crazy and the last person he should be fantasizing about.
Ignoring her was best. Back in the kitchen, he picked up his bucket and nearly dropped it at the horrendous noise coming from outside.
His boots hit the old wood planks with loud thuds as he stomped over to the window and peered out. Raelyn had hung up the phone and was tapping her foot to the beat of her off key song.
“I know you’re iiiinnn there, and you can keep ignoring meeee, but I won't give up. Nope! Don't give up. Refuse to give up. Need to make this happen. So you can tune me out, but I can keep going and going and going and going with my sooooong that never ends. La la la. La! La! La! Never ends. Never ends. Oh! Let's start again! I know you’re iiiinnn there…”
He slammed his window shut, but he could still hear her loud and clear and completely off-key. Geez. She was lucky coyotes didn’t live in the area or they’d be rounding up their pack and coming to meet their new member.
There was no way she could keep that up for long. Even she’d have to get sick of her own voice after a while. So he ignored her and went to the kitchen.
“…you can tune me out, but—”
Ryder sighed and tilted his head back. “Lord, help me.”
“…going and going and going and going…”
His nails dug into the palms of his hand as he attempted to take a calming breath. He could call the cops, but she was right. He wasn’t the type to call the cops. Not only did they have more important things to be doing, especially after the recent hurricane, but the last thing he wanted was to draw any attention to himself.
He'd gone eleven years, living in this old farmhouse, just on the outskirts of town, avoiding everyone he once knew. There was a reason he stayed away and kept to himself. Calling the cops was the last thing he would ever do. Besides, it’s not like she was a threat. She was in a navy blue bikini, for heaven’s sake!
If he just kept ignoring her, she would leave. He went about his day like he would do if a sexy siren in strips of navy weren’t outside his window sunbathing.
“I know you’re iiiinnn there, and you can keep ignoring meeee.”
“Okay. Two can play this game.” Ryder stormed into his bedroom and grabbed his cellphone. He tapped into his music listening app and synced it with his Bluetooth speaker, turning his favorite alternative metal artist to full volume. The window panes vibrated, and his eardrums ached. With a satisfied smirk, he went to the window and tossed it open.
He grabbed the speaker and propped it on the windowsill. A laugh rumbled up his throat and froze when he spotted Raelyn up from the chair.
Was she… dancing?
Her head flung forward and back, her dark hair whipping with the movements, but his eyes lingered on the two perfect mounds bouncing with each shimmy and fist pump.
She flipped her hair out of her face, a smile on her lips as her eyes met his through the window. She gave a thumbs up. “Great song. I love the Deftones!”
He narrowed his gaze and swiped the speaker from the window before abruptly shutting the music off.
“La la la. La! La! La! Never ends. Never ends. Oh!” Her voice floated in the window, and it took everything he had not to slam his head against the wall. Instead, he slammed the window shut.
A light bulb clicked on in his head, and he ran to the door that led out to the garage. This had to work. A smile spread wide across his face as he overrode the sprinkler system and turned them on.
The sound of the pipes shifting and coming to life was like music to his ears. The tick tick tick of the sprinklers echoed through the day, and he hurried to the window to watch a soaking wet Raelyn hurry to take cover.
He came to a skidding stop in front of the window, and his shoulders slumped forward.
Raelyn stood in the middle of the two sprinklers, arms up in the air, tits lifted just as high, head back and water dripping down her tan and overly sculpted body. How much time did she spend in the gym? He growled at the thought, annoyed at himself for getting distracted by her… well, amazing body.
She tilted her head and lifted her sunglasses, pushing her dark hair out of her face and giving him a wink. “Thanks! It was getting really hot,” she called out just before giving a spin.
He groaned when her ass faced him, the navy material barely covering her thick, shapely curves. He stared longer than he cared to, but he couldn’t take his gaze away, blaming it on the fact that he hadn’t seen something as beautiful and real in a very, very long time.
It's not like he had a lot of visitors coming to see him. Though from time to time, he would head out of town and pick up a woman at a bar for the night. There was never any emotion or connection. He’d always been up front with the woman, letting them know it was a one-night deal and no matter what, they weren’t allowed to touch his face. Sometimes he struck out, but the good side of his face, and the charm he still managed to maintain from his youth, helped him score more times than not.
The way his dick throbbed at the sight of Raelyn, he was thinking it had been too long since his last hookup. Though he had a feeling it could have been yesterday, and he’d still react the same way. There was just something about the woman—an annoying pull that was pissing him the hell off.
He tore himself from the window and stalked into the kitchen. She liked the water so much he’d leave the sprinklers on. The crops needed a good watering anyway, especially with the July heat. Besides, he didn’t need her to have heat stroke out there. He wasn’t exactly skilled in the medical field. Never had any interest in anything other than football, crops, and business.
“Nope! Don't give up. Refuse to give up. Need to make this happen.” Her off-key voice went higher, then lower, competing with the tick tick tick of the sprinklers. Unfortunately, the sprinklers never drowned her out completely.
Earplugs. He had to have earplugs somewhere. He started flinging drawers open, searching for the little plastic case filled with at least three sets of plugs. He used them when he mowed the lawn, cut wood, and worked on the farm equipment. Not as often as he probably should, which is why he couldn’t remember where the hell he had put them last.
“I know you’re iiiinnn there, and you can keep ignoring meeee.”
“Argh!” The roar ripped from Ryder. The frustration that had been building boiled over and poured out. He screamed again for good measure.
“Stop singing!” he barked, his words echoing in the open space around them.
Raelyn jumped, hand to her chest as she blinked up at him through long lashes. Water dripped down her chest, beading in the V and causing his eye to drift there despite his resolve not to. She pulled her hair up, securing it with a pen.
