Finally Home Read online

  Finally Home

  By Helen Scott Taylor

  As manager of the charming Greyfriar House Hotel, Melanie Marshall loves her job and spending time with her young son. But she can never forget what she ran away from: her late husband’s crimes and her own terrible guilt. Though lonely, Melanie can’t afford to let another man into her life.

  But when her boss, gorgeous hotel owner Jack Summers, returns from his supposed wedding without a ring or a wife, Melanie discovers there’s more to him than she ever thought. For one, the ex-soccer star is her son’s idol. But the closer she gets to Jack, the more she pulls away. She can’t share her past. Ever.

  For too long, Jack’s protected his scarred heart by letting gold-digging women make him think love didn’t matter. But a sweet single mother and a soccer-crazy little boy change everything. He knows Melanie has secrets. Secrets she’ll have to share if he’s to help her realize she’s finally home.

  54,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  I celebrate my wedding anniversary in September, and that’s why I think of it as my month of romance. Even after eight years, the romance is still alive in our relationship, I’m married to my best friend, and I’m living my very own happily ever after.

  That’s why I’m thrilled we’re kicking off Shannon Stacey’s return to the hunky and delicious Kowalski men with the first of three back-to-back Kowalski contemporary romances this September. It feels like my very own celebration of romance! Meet Mitch Kowalski and enjoy the ride as he finds his true love in Paige Sullivan, in All He Ever Needed. Look for Ryan’s and Josh’s stories in October and November 2012.

  September is truly a month of romance at Carina Press, with all but one of our releases falling in this genre. If you find yourself wanting to remain in the here and now, be sure to check out contemporary romance Finally Home by Helen Scott Taylor. Catch up with the Men of Smithfield in L.B. Gregg’s contemporary male/male romance Men of Smithfield: Max and Finn. And take a chance on Rebecca Rogers Maher’s Fault Lines, a moving and emotional contemporary romance that had our team members calling it “amazing” and “gripping” while extolling its virtues at our acquisitions meeting.

  If you’re looking for adventure, intrigue and romance with a fantasy flavor, this month we kick off Sandy James’s fantastic Alliance of the Amazons series. Rebecca Massee discovers that not only does she possess incredible powers, she is one of four lost chosen sisters who must fight to keep humanity safe from rogue gods and demons. Can she sacrifice the man she loves if it means saving the world? Find out more in The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James. Joining Sandy in the realm of otherworldly releases, Annie Nicholas’s Starved for Love is a delightful and thoroughly erotic tale of a succubus who wants nothing more than to be loved, and an incubus who doesn’t believe in anything but lust.

  Look no further than Fae Sutherland’s male/male space opera romance Sky Riders for a galactic adventure that will leave you longing for the days of Nathan Fillion, Serenity and Firefly. And if Sky Riders isn’t enough of an escape from planet Earth for you, then Blue Nebula by Diane Dooley will surely please science-fiction romance fans.

  Fans of comics, superheroes and The Avengers should check out our two newest superhero releases. In How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee, our hero proves that it’s not always the superheroes who are the most heroic—sometimes it’s the henchmen who save the day—and get the girl. Yesterday’s Heroes by Heather Long poses the question of what might happen when two superheroes have different goals. Drawn together by passion, and on a collision course with fate, can Rory and Michael work together to change the future? And though not a superhero romance, J.K. Coi’s steampunk romance Broken Promises, a follow-up to Far From Broken, brings back super-spy Jasper and his modified wife, Callie, for a continuation of their romance as Callie joins Jasper in the world of spies, danger and intrigue.

  Also this month we’re rereleasing Christine d’Abo’s three erotic contemporary novellas into one bargain-priced bundle. Get all three novellas in the Long Shots Bundle for $6.99. BDSM, ménage, love and hot, sexy, intense encounters—this bundle has it all. Buy it now and find out what makes sex club owner Josh so appealing before he makes his appearance in his own novel, Calling the Shots, in October.

  Last, though the month of September is filled with romance of all designs, it also brings with it one rich, engrossing and compelling historical mystery in Tainted Innocence by Joss Alexander. Fan of authors such as Deanna Raybourn and C.S. Harris won’t want to miss this engaging debut novel.

  Celebrate my month of romance with me this September and try one or two (or five or six) of our new releases. You’ll find new authors to love and stories you can’t wait to share!

  We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Executive Editor, Carina Press

  www.carinapress.com

  www.twitter.com/carinapress

  www.facebook.com/carinapress

  Dedication

  To my parents, who many years ago ran a country house hotel in a small Devon town.

  Acknowledgements

  My dear husband always deserves a mention for his love and support. He works all day and still cooks dinner most evenings so I can write. As always, grateful thanks to my fabulous critique partners, Mona Risk and Joan Leacott.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  An awful realization hit Jack as he watched Stephanie, his fiancée, soon to be wife, methodically unpacking his suitcase in their hotel in Barbados.

  He didn’t want to marry her.

  She unfolded a pair of his socks and refolded them her way before placing them in a neat row beside the others in a drawer. She was so controlling and fastidious she’d drive him nuts if he had to live with her full time. She’d take over his home, reorganize everything. And he liked his life how it was.

  She glanced up at him, her long blond hair sliding over her shoulders as she angled her head. “Don’t just stand there looking gormless, Jack. Pour me a drink.”

  Jack located the minibar in the corner of their luxury thatched bungalow overlooking a strip of golden sand fringed with palm trees. He poured Stephanie a glass of white wine and a gin and tonic for himself. Then he knocked his drink back in a few swallows and wiped the sweat off his upper lip.

  This whole situation was his own fault. He and Stephanie had worked well together on a charity project and stupidly he’d thought they were compatible. He’d been flattered she wanted to date him when every man in the local chamber of commerce worshiped the ground she walked on. His mother hadn’t helped. O
ne hint of romance and she was pushing him to get hitched so she could have grandchildren. She and Stephanie had ganged up on him. Neither of them listened to a thing he said, simply plowed on with what they wanted regardless.

  He handed Stephanie her drink and she frowned at him.

  “Come on, Jack. Get with the program. I know you didn’t want to get married in Barbados, but we’re here now, so stop sulking.” She tapped the screen of her phone. “We have a meeting with the hotel’s wedding planner in two hours to go over the final arrangements.”

  Jack swallowed his sigh. What was a respectable amount of time to be married before he filed for divorce? Christ, Jack, grow a backbone. Divorce was not the solution. He needed to call off the wedding. Now. Before the meeting with the wedding planner.

  “Look, we need to discuss this.”

  “Discuss what?” Her head jerked up, her gaze intense. Her solicitor’s gaze. The one that could flay a cat at fifty paces.

  “I know it’s a bit late to say this, but I think we’re making a mistake.” He smiled to soften his words.

  Stephanie’s eyes narrowed, then her tense expression faded and she returned his smile. Not the reaction he’d expected. She sauntered closer and ran her fingers over his chest. “Don’t tell me Jack Summers has cold feet.” She smiled seductively. “We can’t have that. Let me warm up those feet for you, honey.”

  She hooked a finger in the waistband of his jeans and pulled him towards the bed.

  “No!” Jack stepped back and raised his palms. “This isn’t the answer.” He put some more distance between them. “I really can’t go through with the wedding. Sorry.”

  He cast around for a reason, one that wouldn’t hurt Stephanie’s feelings. But all that came to mind was his bad experience with his first fiancée years ago, and that was ancient history.

  “Oh come on. You don’t mean it.” Stephanie advanced on him again. He had to grasp her upper arms to hold her back.

  “No.” It occurred to him that she always did this, used sex to win him over when he disagreed with her. His jaw hardened at the thought. She’d proposed to him in bed when his defenses were down. He wasn’t even sure he’d said yes—she’d just assumed he’d agree.

  “I’m not buying it, Jack. You can’t just change your mind. What’s going on?” She stepped back, hands on hips, angry now.

  “Changing one’s mind might be a woman’s prerogative, but men can do it too.”

  Her gaze glittered dangerously. “Who is it?” she snapped.

  “Who’s what?”

  “The other woman. There must be one or you would never dump me.”

  He started to shake his head but the expression on her face told him he was wasting his time denying he had someone else. Stephanie would cross-examine him until he came up with a name. The image of glossy chestnut hair and green eyes flitted into his mind. “Melanie Marshall,” he blurted. No! Where the hell had that come from?

  “Melanie who?” Stephanie said, then understanding dawned on her face. “The woman you hired to manage Greyfriar House? The little tramp. It didn’t take her long to get in your pants.”

  God, what had he done? Implicated a perfectly respectable woman in something sordid. How could he put this right? “It’s not like that,” he added quickly. “I love her.”

  Stephanie’s eyes opened wide and her pink lips formed a perfect O of surprise. “You love her? It wasn’t just a fling?”

  Jack dragged a hand over his face. Perhaps he should shut up now before he dug himself a deeper hole. He shook his head in response and Stephanie turned away.

  Instead of the tears he expected, she grabbed his case and hurled it at him. She followed up with her wineglass, smashing it against the wall over his head. He stood in shocked silence with shards of glass in his hair, clutching his empty case like a shield. The old adage about a woman scorned raced through his mind. If any woman could match the fury of hell, it would be Stephanie.

  She emptied his clothes out of the drawers and wardrobe, the clothes she’d recently folded and hung with such precision, and trampled them under her white stilettos. Then she snorted and shot him a withering glance. “I’m going to see the wedding planner to call it off. Be gone when I get back.” She grabbed her handbag, tossed back her hair and stomped out the door.

  “Bloody hell!” Jack whispered as silence settled over the room. Lightheaded with relief that he was free again, he brushed the glass out of his hair. He gathered up his clothes and stuffed the crumpled mess back in his case.

  His mother would kill him when she found out what he’d done. And Melanie Marshall would probably help.

  * * *

  “Ooh la la, Mr. Scrumptious is back and he’s tanned. Wonder if he’s bronzed all over?” the hotel receptionist warbled in a suggestive voice and waggled her eyebrows.

  Standing in the foyer of the Greyfriar House Hotel, Melanie glanced out the window overlooking the car park. Sure enough, her boss, Jack Summers, was unloading his bags from the trunk of his Mercedes.

  The sun glinted off his golden hair as he turned away from the main hotel and pulled his bag towards the Gatehouse where he lived.

  “Where’s the other half of the golden twins?” the receptionist asked, using the nickname the staff had given Jack and his blonde fiancée.

  Walking closer to the window, Melanie peered outside. “Stephanie’s definitely not with him.” Melanie had been so busy during the past few days she’d lost track of Jack’s wedding date. She went to the reception desk and checked the calendar. Today was Tuesday. That meant… “Isn’t Jack’s wedding supposed to be on the twenty-third of May? Tomorrow?”

  The receptionist glanced over Melanie’s shoulder. “You’re right.” They shared a puzzled look. “If Jack’s supposed to be in Barbados marrying Stephanie, what on earth is he doing back in England alone?”

  Melanie shrugged, unwilling to speculate further on Jack’s personal life with other members of the staff.

  She gnawed her lip as she retreated to the manager’s office and started sorting through the heap of documents requiring her attention: a letter of recommendation, three wedding bookings and two complaints from guests who’d stayed the weekend the water was cut off because of a leak. Unable to concentrate, she dropped the papers back on her desk, wandered across to the window and stared at Jack’s car.

  What was going on? Why had he returned early? She hated uncertainty that might affect her job and living arrangements. He’d taken her on to manage Greyfriar House in his stead because he expected to have less time for work once he married. If he hadn’t tied the knot, did that mean she’d be out of a job? She’d have trouble finding another position that paid as well and came with accommodation in this small West Country town.

  Perhaps she was worrying about nothing. Maybe Jack and Stephanie had only postponed their wedding. The Queen Anne clock on the mantelpiece chimed the hour. She quickly found her handbag and changed out of her smart heeled shoes into flats to walk down the hill to meet her six-year-old son when he came out of school.

  On her way out, she updated the duty manager who’d arrived to take responsibility for the hotel when she went off at three. Then she walked briskly down the drive. From the corner of her eye she caught a flash of movement in an upstairs window of Jack’s house, and tension crawled up her spine. Why had he changed his plans? What did it mean for her and Ryan? She loved her job and the comfortable flat she and Ryan occupied over the old stables. It felt more like home tha
n any of the numerous places they’d stayed during the past five years. She pulled in a deep, calming breath and told herself not to worry until she had something to worry about.

  As she passed between the imposing stone pillars marking the hotel entrance and hurried along the road towards the school, she told herself that whatever happened she would do her best for Ryan. She owed that to her darling little boy. He was all that mattered to her now.

  * * *

  Jack stood back in the shadows of his bedroom and watched Melanie’s slender form stride purposefully past his cottage, her luxuriant chestnut hair flying behind her.

  She wasn’t blatantly glamorous like Stephanie, but she had an aura of energy and enthusiasm to which people responded. Hotel guests liked her and his staff worked hard for her. When he’d employed her to step into his shoes, he’d had high expectations and she’d proved to be pure gold. Now, through his own stupidity, he might lose her services. A jolt of feeling passed through him. He put it down to worry over the possibility of losing his best employee.

  With a sigh, he unzipped his case, removed his rumpled white tuxedo and hung it on the wardrobe door. He stood back and stared at it, his mind a dazed fog from jet lag and confusion over the mess he’d made of his relationship with Stephanie.

  Guilt crawled through him. Stephanie would recover—he had a feeling it was her pride that had suffered most—but his mother would be deeply disappointed. She so longed for grandchildren and, as her only child, it was down to Jack to provide them. And he wanted kids. He’d like to get married, but Stephanie was not the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  Melanie’s face flitted into his mind again and he sighed. She had worked for him for two months, yet he knew next to nothing about her. An aura of mystery surrounded her and he wanted to lift the veil, wanted to know more. That’s if she was still talking to him after he admitted his faux pas in Barbados.