Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1) Read online

  Her Last Love

  H.C. Bentley

  Copyright © 2015 H.C. Bentley

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be scanned, copied, reproduced or distributed in any manner for any reason without written permission from the author. To do so would be in violation of the author’s rights under copyright law. Please do not encourage piracy, and only purchase authorized books.

  ISBN: 0692633855

  ISBN-13: 978-0692633854

  Cover Design by H.C. Bentley

  Cover Photo © Solomin Viktor (through Shutterstock)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and/or incidents are product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance of people (living or dead), places, events, names, or companies is coincidence.

  For my parents

  Thank you for all the love and support over the years, and for always encouraging me to go after my dreams. I love you both.

  And to the friends who helped me out by reading this book to help me get it ready for publication. Especially Misty, who let me pick her brain more than I probably should have. ;)

  1

  September 2013

  She had been away a long time. A matter of years, but it felt more like a lifetime. But she knew the winding back roads she was driving as if she still drove them every day of her life. The scenery through her windshield had shifted from the bustling traffic and crowded buildings of the city to the vast openness and quiet serenity of the countryside that was Kentucky. The only changes that could be seen were that the trees were taller, and there were a few more houses dotting the landscape along the way. Things rarely changed in small town America, and when they did, change was slow.

  This suited Lynn Johnston just fine; she was finally heading home.

  The tension of the long drive eased from her neck and shoulders as the familiarity of the path she traveled soothed her. Autumn was in the air, with the earthy smells that came with cooling weather and the scent of the smoke that plumed from someone’s chimney. Breathing in deep, she appreciated it all as she navigated the curving roads and rolling hills. The roads were lined with acres of trees that crowded and towered over the road in a canopy, stretching to the edges of the asphalt, eager to show off their changing colors to passers-by. Fall in rural Kentucky was always a beautiful sight to see, all golds and crimsons and russets. She’d driven for days, and the road to home had never looked better.

  Lynn relaxed more once she made the turn leading to her parents’ house, relieved the journey neared its end. What was once an old one-lane gravel road was paved with thick black asphalt these days, she noticed. As far back as she could remember, driving this last stretch of country road meant flying rocks and billows of gravel dust; the slip-slide of wheels to the beat of the blaring radio. Especially if you were in the habit of driving faster than necessary, which Lynn often did as a teenager.

  More trees, joined by tall weeds and thick brush, fought for space on the steep hills that rose towards the sky to her left. A deep creek along the right side of the road flowed and glided over the jagged rocks. Quiet sounds of the running water, as soothing now as they’d been when she’d been young. The car took the curve in the final stretch of her journey; she smiled to herself as she remembered the hours spent listening to the sound.

  Lynn pulled into the driveway of her childhood home, let out a deep, heartfelt sigh as she turned the engine off, leaving the keys dangling in the ignition. Time hadn't much changed the place she’d called home in her youth. The house sat at the bottom of the sloping hill where the u-shaped driveway sat. The yard rolled on one side and the back to the creek, the now empty farmer’s field behind the home a stark contrast to the trees that bordered the property. She gazed at it now, and noticed a few subtle differences… the rose bush her mother had planted just before she left had grown into a large thorny bush, the tan paint on the building’s exterior showed age, and the glass front door bore a wreath filled with the colors of the season.

  Taking a moment, Lynn studied the house of her childhood, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. Yet to step out of the rental car that sat in her parents' driveway, Lynn wanted a few minutes to contemplate the people inside, how they’d react to seeing her, the questions that were sure to come.

  Lynn had told no one she was coming home.

  Her duty to her country was, for the most part, to blame for her lengthy absence. being stationed overseas had made coming back for regular visits a near impossibility. Her work took up much of her time, with her precious little free time spent traveling, seeing the places she had dreamed of visiting as a child. Then there were the other little reason she limited her visits – her family’s reaction when they learned she had joined the Army, with no discussion or planning with them. Oh, eventually they had come around to be supportive, even proud, but that first response to her enlistment had been stinging and lasting. But she had felt it was time for her to be on her own, and the station assignment sending her to Germany - though distressing when receiving the orders - had given her the opportunity to stand on her own two feet. She had grown in the time she’d been stationed there, and felt more at home in her own skin than she’d ever felt. Heaven knew she’d made her fair share of mistakes, and at least one she didn’t have to live with anymore. Thankfully.

  The other reason she restricted her visits once lived on the other end of town.

  She knew she would be spotted sooner or later, so she gathered her purse and jacket from the front seat and stepped from the car, knowing that as soon as she closed the driver's door, her presence would be announced. Bear, the old family dog would hear the sound and send up the signal to make sure everyone inside knew that company had arrived. Sure enough, Lynn could hear the quick deep staccato barking.

  There was no turning back now.

  Stretching to work out the kinks from muscles tired from the long drive, Lynn made her way to the short set of wooden steps leading to the front door. She inhaled deeply as she turned the curved silver handle of the glass door, stepping over the threshold. While there may have been few noticeable changes on the outside of the home, the interior was a different story. The entryway was new. What was once a dark, and often dirty, mudroom had been transformed into a welcoming and charming foyer. Rocking chairs sat in two of the corners, and a dark, glass-front curio cabinet showed off treasured trinkets. Family photos were placed around the small room. The kitchen could be seen over the half wall separating the two rooms and had seen changes as well. What was once a separate kitchen and dining room had now become one great room, with a short bar dividing them. The cabinets were now an espresso color, the backsplash brick, the counters a granite gray. The bar offered guests the opportunity to pull up one of its stools, drink a glass of wine and chat with the cook, since stove butted up against the opposite side of the bar. A small white deep freezer now had its own space, and along the side of it, her mother had built an area to house Bear’s food and water bowls at a height comfortable for him.

  The open layout allowed Lynn to look to her right and see through the large opening leading into the living room where she could see her father’s recliner, empty at the moment as he was at work. Beside it sat a small table, with her mother’s wing chair and ottoman on the other side where she sat in the evenings going through her woodworking magazines while her father channel surfed through old westerns. He was a fan of The Duke, as was obvious by the items on the walls of the game room that house the pool table, multiple guitars, and an enviable Coca Cola memorabilia collection.

  Before she could take in the rest of the house, she heard the sound of feet approach
ing, of both the two and four legged variety.

  "Honestly, dog, I don't know what your problem is, always barking at nothing." A dog that looked more wolf than a family pet trotted along, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, as if to grin up at Lynn's mother while she admonished him. "You're getting senile in your old age."

  "Not as senile as you might think."

  Her mother's head snapped up at the sound of Lynn's voice. Catherine's brown eyes went wide, then filled as she realized that her first-born daughter was finally back where she belonged. Within seconds, she had crossed the space between them to sweep her child into a tight hug. Bear, thinking himself forgiven, leaned against the legs of both women in an attempt to join in their embrace.

  “You’re home! I can't believe you're actually here! Oh my God, we’ve missed you!” Catherine released her daughter and held her at arm’s length, giving her the once over that only a mother can. She saw a slim young woman, with red hair falling to middle of her back, a face of porcelain with a few freckles thrown in the mix, and dark shadows smudged under green eyes. Shadows that hinted at more than just fatigue. The sight of them worried her, as did the clear sight of weight loss, but she’d give it time before expressing her concerns.

  “You're really here." She beamed with joy. "When did you get

  in?”

  “I made it back stateside a couple days ago. I got into town today. Twenty minutes ago actually.” Lynn crouched to accept the adoring licks from the dog she’d grown up with, and to rub and scratch him in his favorite spots. Ecstatic, Bear rolled over to accommodate her and expose his belly for more.

  “Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? We would’ve come and picked you up.”

  “I thought I would surprise you guys, and I drove, without having to be in a hurry for once. You can’t exactly sight see while driving the Autobahn.” She grinned up at her mom before giving Bear one last brisk rub and standing. “It was nice to just drive, and stop, as I wanted.”

  Lynn studied her mother as her mother had studied her. Catherine was close the same height as her daughter, and slender like her. But the similarities ended there. Where Lynn’s hair was red, Catherine’s was chestnut brown. Where Lynn’s eyes were green, her mother's leaned toward chocolate. The lack of similarities in physical appearance between Lynn and her family had had her convinced as a child that she had been adopted. Researching the family tree, and the genetics lessons in biology in school, had shown her otherwise.

  “So, how long do we have you for? I’m sure your father and I can arrange for a day or two off of work if we need to. So we can take advantage of the time you have here.”

  “You guys don’t have to do that, Mom.”

  “Well, I know we don’t have to, but we want to see you while you’re in town. So we’ll take a few days. When do you have to head back?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Sure you do. You can’t be on leave for long.” Catherine gave her oldest child a puzzled look.

  “Actually, I’m pretty much done. My enlistment is ending, and I’ve decided not to re-up. I needed to use up the leave time I had left, so I spent roughly a week traveling before coming back stateside. I still have a couple weeks left, and then Uncle Sam and I can part ways as soon as my household goods, and my car, arrive.”

  “You’re not reenlisting?”

  “No.”

  “Why not? I thought you enjoyed the work, the travel. I thought this would be a lifelong thing. That you’d make a career out of it. What changed?"

  “I have my reasons. I’d prefer not go into them yet, but it wasn’t a decision I made without giving it some thought. Let’s just say it’s time to go in a new direction.”

  “I’m sure your dad will want to know more. And I know I do.” Catherine shot a puzzled look at her daughter, then smiled. “But for now, I’m just glad you’re here. You’re planning on staying here for a while, aren’t you?”

  “For a while. I’ve been in touch with a couple people about rental houses, but the one I want won’t be ready for a month, maybe a little longer. I thought I’d do more traveling, catch up with old friends, then rent a room at the Dew Drop until my place is ready.” Lynn wasn’t crazy at the thought of living out of the small local hotel for a few weeks, but she didn’t want to impose on her parents any more than necessary. Her mother, however, had different ideas on the matter.

  “Nope. You’ll stay here. Your old room is empty. Travel, catch up with the old friends, but you’ll bunk here until your place is ready.”

  “Mom…”

  “Discussion’s over, the decision is made. Now, let’s grab whatever bags you have and haul them in from the car.” With that, Catherine made a beeline for the door, leaving her daughter with no choice but to grin, shake her head and follow.

  * * *

  He pushed the shopping cart through the crowded store. It wasn’t often that Carter Mathis did anything – much less shopping – alone. During his visitation days, he had his two young sons in tow. Nathan and Logan were his buddies, and it was rare that they weren’t together outside of school and work. But where did he find himself alone on a Friday night, while his kids were with their mother? At the grocery store. Not catching a ball game or a beer with his buddies. No, he was out shopping for tater tots and ketchup.

  Pathetic, he thought to himself. But then again, when else would he have the chance to run errands without his kids begging for toys or McDonald’s, or both? Yes, the limbo his life was in right now was pitiful. Not really married, but not available either. It made life harder than it needed to be, and he wished it could be resolved so he could pick up and move on, no matter which way his marriage went.

  Ignoring the squeaky wheel on the cart, and the annoying music being pumped out of the supermarket’s speakers, he tossed the boxes of the mandatory mac and cheese into the basket. He dismissed his moody thoughts while he went through the rest of the grocery list. Chicken nuggets, snack packs, cookies. Shaking his head, Carter decided he’d better add extra veggies to the list. There would be moaning and groaning from his guys later, but it had to be done. He could always bribe them with the cookies. He wasn’t above bribery.

  As Carter angled his cart towards the colorful produce section, he weighed the different chores he needed to get done tonight. Grabbing a bright bunch of yellow bananas, he ran through the list. Laundry, for sure. His boys were a lively and rambunctious duo, and went through clean clothes like crazy. Run the dishwasher, he thought as he gave a firm red tomato a gentle squeeze. Give the dog a bath without two smaller sets of hands trying to ‘help’. Dinner was easy, since it was just him, and he considered stopping for a burger at a drive-through on the way home. A grown up burger and fries that didn’t come in a colorful box that included a crazy noise-making toy? Sounded good to Carter.

  All thoughts of chores and kids went up in a puff of smoke as he jerked the cart to a stop in the middle of the aisle, much to the annoyance of the young woman behind him. He paid her no mind as she went around him, nor to the cute blue-eyed toddler who waved as they passed. His focus was on the redhead who was examining the display of shiny apples. The woman who had haunted his dreams for years.

  She had come home.

  When had she gotten back? How long was she back for this time? Questions swirled in his brain, while he couldn’t help but watch as she picked her way through the hot house tomatoes, then the leafy green heads of lettuce. With his eyes glued to her, he didn't notice that his heartbeat had kicked up its pace right around the same time it had hit his stomach. His dry tongue was like sandpaper on the roof of his mouth while the back of his throat tightened as his stomach tied itself in knots. He felt as if he were an awkward teenager again, trying to work up the courage to ask out the popular girl in school.

  She didn’t notice him noticing her as she went about the business of shopping. She had always been tall for a woman, and was as slim as ever, her long red hair in a single thick braid that hung over her lef
t shoulder. She moved efficiently and, too quickly, turned to walk towards the checkout counters. He nearly called out to her. But the words stuck in his throat. Carter didn’t know what kept his mouth from speaking and his feet felt glued to the floor. All he could do was watch her leave. Again.

  The rest of his shopping trip was a blank. Somehow, he made it through the checkout line. Heaven only knew what else had ended up his cart before he'd paid and made his way to the parking lot. He was thankful he wasn’t far from home because he seemed to get there on auto-pilot. He didn’t even remember turning the key in the ignition, much less pointing the vehicle towards his house. And he completely forgot about stopping at the drive-through and only remembered when his stomach growled in protest as he pulled into his driveway.

  “Damn. Guess it’s gonna be a sandwich tonight,” he muttered to himself as he climbed from the truck and began to haul bags.

  He focused his thoughts long enough to dig his keys out of his pocket, climb the short set of porch steps, and unlock his front door. His mind wandered, remembering times with Lynn and battling the conflicted emotions those memories brought back. Carter moved through the kitchen as he put away the groceries. He could only hope that things were being put where they belonged, or he at least remembered where things were when he needed them.

  As he went blindly through the chores he had on his list, he thought about how she’d looked different. While he did laundry, contemplated how her hair had changed. It was still the red he’d always loved, yes. Only now it was a deeper auburn, longer than in the days when they’d been together, but the longer style and neat braid had suited her.

  He pondered her build as he ran the dishwasher. She was still slim; then again, she always had been. Slim now met the disciplined tone that the military demanded. Her long legs lean, biceps built. He decided not to concentrate too long on her abs…much too dangerous territory. But though she was toned, even in her civilian wear he could tell that she’d lost weight.