Claimed (Passion in Paradise #4.5) Read online

  Claimed

  by Sarah O’Rourke

  Claimed by Sarah O’Rourke

  Copyright © 2017 by Sarah O’Rourke

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication or cover design artwork may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods in current use or to be developed in the future, without the prior express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law (US. Copyright Act of 1976).

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and settings are fictitious, and are the sole property of Sarah O’Rourke. Any resemblance to actual events, names, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Any real setting, person, or situation is used in a fictitious manner with literary license.

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences.

  If you steal our work, we’ll sic our Mommas on you. Crazy One’s Momma will hunt you down and make you pay in blood. Crazy Two’s Momma will pray “for” your eternal soul (which is obviously in great peril if you resorted to stealing some poor little indie author’s romance story...really??? Really???) And trust us...you won’t win when she goes to the Almighty. And if that doesn’t scare you, please be advised that we have an attorney on retainer who will sue you to Kingdom Come. Don’t risk it. This is us, being there for you.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  More by Sarah O’Rourke

  Sneak Peek – Man of Honor

  Chapter One

  Standing by the side of the road crouched beside her dusty black Toyota forerunner, Carolina “Caro” Mayfair finished tightening the last bolt on her spare tire just as another huge truck blew past her. Looking up, she simply stared after the vehicle, too tired to waste the energy it would take to work up a good glare at the speeding automobile disappearing in the distance. Honest to God, where the hell had all the good men gone in the world? Wasn’t the South supposed to breed gentlemanly behavior into the hearts of the towering giants that most folks called men in this region of Tennessee?

  So far, chivalry seemed to be as dead and gone here as it had been when she left California a week ago.

  And she definitely wasn’t sure how the hell she felt about that. Especially when she’d been banking on the idea that a fresh change of scenery to a place where (if her early childhood memories of Paradise were to be believed) men were mostly known for being dependable, loyal and trustworthy individuals. It was a difference she’d been looking forward to since she’d decided to take the job as sole librarian at the Town of Paradise Public Library. Her decision hadn’t been made lightly, but she’d done a pretty good job convincing herself that this was exactly what she needed. It was time to leave her less-than-pretty past in her rearview mirror and start a brand new life in the gorgeous mountain country that she’d often visited as a child with her late parents.

  Yes, she’d followed the footsteps of her good friend and former colleague, Verity Barton, and taken a leap of faith, uprooting her life and moving across the country to seek out a better life for herself...just like Verity had done. Verity, a nurse at the elementary school where they’d both been employed, had been a lot like Carolina. Both women had started working at the school around the same time and both of them had been mostly alone in the world -- Verity, because her parents had retired and moved across the country, and Caro, because both her mom and dad had died in a car accident when she’d been a freshman in college. On one summer break, though, Verity had decided she wanted a change, so she took a sabbatical from her nursing job and set out on the open road for Phoenix, Arizona. Just a few short weeks later, she’d met and married the man of her dreams, Dakota. Twins soon followed. To say the very least, it had been a whirlwind romance, and Caro was more than a little envious of her friend.

  Even after an ugly breakup of her own, Carolina still believed in love and was anxious to find her own soul mate. She hoped by following in Verity’s footsteps and getting out of California, fate would lead her to her very own Prince Charming. Sadly, however, it seemed as if all the alpha males in Paradise were notably absent.

  God, what if she’d made a mistake coming here? Taking the job as town librarian and moving cross-country to the Tennessee mountains was probably the most impulsive decision she’d ever made in her life. And for a planner like Carolina -- this was a huge freaking deal.

  Carolina leaned against the side of her vehicle as she gazed down the deserted highway, the setting sun still blazing in the distance. Maybe a quick phone call to the woman that had inspired her to take this gamble with her life was in order. She slid a hand into the back pocket of her jeans and retrieved her iPhone with a minimum of fuss, quickly touching the screen to bring it to life and locating Verity’s number from the call log. She couldn’t help smiling when she heard the other woman’s voice a few moments later.

  “Caro! Is that you?” Carolina heard Verity greet her. “I was just telling Dakota that I was starting to get worried since you hadn’t called and checked in today. Did you make it into town today? What’s it like? How long have you been there?”

  Carolina grinned as her friend chattered enthusiastically. That was the great thing about Verity -- she was always excited about the things going on in her friends’ lives.

  “It’s me. I just got here. Well, mostly here. I’m at the Paradise city limit sign right now,” Caro clarified as she glanced beside her 4Runner to look at the blue metal sign that was almost mockingly welcoming her to Paradise. “I had to pull over and change a flat tire. So, so far, I’m not too impressed with this place. The quality of the roads suck. I’ve never hit so many potholes in my life.”

  “Oh, no! Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Carolina declared dismissively as she paced the length of her vehicle on the side of the road. “I’m more annoyed than anything. I was under the impression that folks around here were supposed to be so helpful and thoughtful. At least, that’s the way I remembered it from when I was a kid. It’s the South, for goodness sake. I thought good manners are supposed to be the status quo, but evidently I was wrong. I swear, no less than ten vehicles have passed me and not a single one of them even slowed down to ask if I needed any help. I didn’t, of course. My dad made sure I could change a tire before I went off to college, but it was sorta disheartening, y’know? I’m beginning to wonder if I made a big mistake by coming out here. Maybe I’m just not as brave as you are, Verity. Maybe Daniel was right about me,” she muttered, staring at the ground as she thought about her ex-boyfriend. After two years of dating, they had recently broken up when she’d made the decision to move to Tennessee. “Is it possible that I really am just a boring girl who went to a boring school to study a boring profession? Why I ever thought I should take this risk…”

  Verity’s voice came strongly through the cell phone. “Okay, stop right there. Daniel only said that crap to try and shake your confidence in yourself. He was hoping you’d change your mind about moving and take his sorry butt back. I’m still thanking God that you didn’t fall for that line of crap. He was never good enough for you. Any man that takes longer than his girlfriend to get ready for a date is not the kind of guy you need in your life. Besides, he must not have known you as well as he thought he did. He never saw this move coming, now, did he?”

  “I guess not,” Caro conceded. “I’m just letting
my nerves get the best of me. I’m actually supposed to meet Miss Orla and Sheriff Monroe at this restaurant called the I Don’t Care Café & Bar in an hour.”

  “Why do those names sound so familiar to me?” Caro heard Verity murmur.

  “I probably mentioned them before since they were two of the five people on the panel to hire me. I think Miss Orla and the sheriff are actually sort of related. If I remember correctly, the sheriff is married to one of the girls Orla raised. And Miss Orla is just a hoot. She’s at least seventy-five and her biggest concern during my Skype interview was that I be dedicated to expanding the erotic fiction section of the library. She even had a list of titles that she wanted me to take a look at. The sheriff and the rest of the panel could barely get a word in edgewise, but you could tell that they adored Miss Orla, too. In fact, I got the feeling during my interview that everybody knew each other pretty well. It makes sense, I guess. I remember Paradise being a pretty small town.”

  “That should make getting to know people a bit easier,” Verity pointed out in a chipper voice. “And I’d love to eat at a restaurant with a cool name like the I Don’t Care Café & Bar. I bet it’s awesome.”

  “Yeah.” Caro nodded, tucking a strand of reddish-brown hair behind her ear that had escaped the chignon she’d put in her hair over twelve hours ago at the quickie motel. “The sheriff’s wife and her sisters run it. Everyone I’ve dealt with since being hired has bent over backwards trying to help me. The sheriff’s wife… her name is Honor. She even took care of renting me a furnished duplex. I’m actually picking up the key from them tonight. I just hope I’m not making a mistake by doing this, Verity.”

  “You needed a fresh start, Caro, and you were never going to have one in California. Besides, this is like your dream job, being completely in charge of your own library. You worked hard to get your degree. Now, this is your shot to use it and do what you love. And hopefully, you’ll luck out like I did and find someone special to care about, too. Meeting Dakota was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’d have never even known he existed if I’d stayed at my nursing job in California. And I’m sorry, hon, but even God knows Daniel wasn’t that special person for you.”

  “I can’t lie. It would be wonderful to find a man of my own. Preferably one like Dakota.”

  “Oh, don’t make that wish too quickly. As much as I love my husband, he can be a bossy pain in the butt. Especially if I’m not giving him his way about something.”

  “Yeah, but at least he doesn’t belittle you or make you question your worth,” Caro mumbled, remembering how Daniel had done those things to her on a regular basis. Oh, he’d always justified his behavior by telling her he was just trying to help her be the best possible version of herself, but Carolina could now finally see that that had just been Daniel’s excuse for being a shitty person.

  “That’s true,” Verity acknowledged softly. “But no person should be allowed to do that, babe.”

  “You’re right,” Caro agreed, shoving the hand not holding her phone in her jeans pocket. “And I promise, I won’t ever let another man, or woman, for that matter, do that to me again.”

  “Good,” Verity declared as Carolina heard one of the babies begin crying in the background.

  “Awwww,” Caro drawled, listening intently. “Which one of your babies is that? Madeline or Michael?”

  “That would be little Mikey,” Verity laughed. “Evidently my son is a little disgruntled that daddy’s boobs don’t contain milk. As you can hear, he’s lodging a formal protest. Who knew when I found my happy ending here in Arizona that it would be this freaking loud? I hate to do this, but I’ve gotta go, Caro. Call me soon and let me know how everything is going, okay, hon?”

  “I will,” she consented with a faint smile. “Make sure to give those babies extra snuggles from their Auntie Caro. Bye, Verity.” Caro’s shoulders sagged as the call ended. Overwhelmed by the empty feeling in her heart, she blinked back the sudden sting of tears. Tilting her head to look up into the cloudless blue sky, she yelled, “C’mon, universe! Tell me, where the heck have all the good guys gone? Where the flip is my happily ever after, dammit?”

  “It appears the universe might be a little too busy to answer your questions right now, but as a bona fide, card carrying member of the Paradise Good Guy Club, maybe I can help you with finding that happily-ever-after you seem to be missing, Pretty Lady. Especially if the view from the front of you is as dazzling as the one I’m getting of you from behind,” a deep, smooth voice drawled from behind Carolina. “I damn sure would love to give it a try because the Universe and I think that I might be just exactly what you need.”

  Startled by the sudden intrusion on her pity party by the deep-voiced stranger, Caro released a soft scream and whirled around to face the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life. Heartbeat thundering inside her chest, she pressed a hand to her ribcage and gasped. “Oh, my God! You scared me to death,” she accused, her temper igniting as her acute terror faded one moment only to be replaced by her growing embarrassment the next. “What kind of a man sneaks up on a woman like that? Are you crazy? I don’t care how hot you are; it’s not an excuse to be creepy!” Sure, the man was insanely attractive, but that did NOT give him license to slide up behind a woman and surprise her like that. “Don’t you know I could have shot you? Who the hell are you anyway?””

  With his full sexy lips quirking at the corners, the good-looking man merely stood facing her, his head cocked to the side as his whiskey colored eyes twinkled with amusement. Over six feet tall, he towered above her, making her feel small and fragile beside him. Oh, that thick coal black hair just made her ache to run her fingers through it, and those deep brown eyes seemed to see into her very soul. He looked like a man that laughed a lot in his life, if the little lines around his eyes were any indication. If she had to guess, she’d put him in his mid-thirties, but there was no doubt he was wearing his age well. Based on the cargo pants he wore with a black tool belt cinched around his waist and the tight navy blue Paradise Fire Department t-shirt he had on, she strongly suspected that he was some kind of emergency worker and was either coming from or going to work.

  “That’s an awful lot of questions there, darlin’. But I think I heard ‘em all, and I’ll just answer ‘em in the order you asked ‘em. First, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you at all, little lady, but I’m the type of man that’s always gonna stop when I see a woman standing alone on the side of the road. It’s just the way I was raised. And while I might go a little nuts when the UT Volunteers take the green, on most days of the week I’m just your normal everyday guy.”

  “Well, at least somebody raised their son right around here,” Caro muttered under her breath as she shifted on her feet, her Nike sneakers shuffling in the gravel beneath her.

  Chuckling, the handsome stranger dropped his hands into the deep pockets of his camouflage-patterned pants and jangled his change. “I take it that nobody else stopped to help you?”

  “Nope. I wrestled that spare tire on my vehicle all by my lonesome,” Caro shared proudly, nodding toward the donut she’d placed on the 4Runner just a few minutes ago.”

  “By yourself?” the man asked with a frown and a glare in the direction of the tire.

  “Yep,” Carolina answered with a firm nod of her head, popping her lips at the end of the word.

  The stranger’s jaw clenched. “That fucker had to be heavy as hell. You shouldn’t have had to do that alone.”

  Carolina shot the man a baffled look, unsure what had upset him. “Why not? I’m accustomed to doing things on my own.”

  “You don’t have a man?” he asked, studying her closely.

  Caro flushed as she felt the friendly stranger’s gaze scrutinizing her. “That’s an awfully personal question considering I don’t even know your name yet,” she replied evasively, nervously laughing to cover her anxiety.

  Laughing, the man held out his hand to her. “Allow me to correct that. I’m Aiden James.
Most everybody around these parts either calls me Aid or Chief. As you can see, I work at the Fire Department.” He pointed to the PFD insignia on his shirt. “I’ve been the Fire Chief here in Paradise for about the last five years,” Aiden continued in that deep voice that she was quickly coming to like more than she should. “And what may I call a beautiful woman like yourself? Besides gorgeous, that is,” he questioned her smoothly, taking her hand in his and winking playfully.

  Oh, this man was smooth. And for all she cared, he could call her mud if he wanted – just as long as he kept on speaking to her with that slow Southern drawl, she thought dreamily as she enjoyed the feel of his thumb stroking the sensitive skin at the inside of her wrist. “My given name is Carolina Mayfair, but my friends all call me Caro.”

  “And might I be allowed the liberty of considering myself a friend of yours, Miss Mayfair?” Aiden asked politely, a glint of mischievousness in his dark eyes.

  Carolina smiled at his hopeful inquiry. “Oh, I’d say it’s much too soon for me to determine that, Mr. James. A girl has to take her time and make sure she’s making smart choices when it comes to building friendships. Especially friendships with the opposite sex.”

  “Oh, darlin, I do love the way you say that word,” Aiden declared with a groan.

  “What word?” Caro asked innocently, even though she knew exactly to what word she was referring.

  “Sex, babe. God’s honest truth, you’ve got yourself a bedroom voice to match that pretty face on you. The total package is liable to bring me to my knees if I’m not real careful around you.”

  “Hmmm…. A man on his knees for me? Is it naughty to say that I think I might enjoy that?” she taunted, unable to believe she was actually standing on the side of a deserted highway flirting with the local fire chief. She soooo did not do things like this. Ev-ah.

  “Babe, I can guarantee you’d enjoy it,” Aiden replied, his voice deepening as his eyes grew hungrier. “Now, how ‘bout you do me a favor and distract me before I decide to show you just how much you’d enjoy it right here and now.”