Torn (Summer In Winter) Read online

  "It was your idea and you helped it go viral."

  Kate wrapped her arm around my waist. "She's a force to be reckoned with, our Jane."

  "She's a Merriweather through and through," Beth said.

  "God help us all," Ben muttered.

  We laughed.

  "Come with me," Ben said to Ryder. "I could do with an extra pair of strong hands in the shed."

  They worked in the shed for nearly two hours. Beth, Kate and I did some more gardening work until the sweat dripped down our backs. The men finished and joined us on the porch, looking equally hot and dirty. Ryder's hair was covered in cobwebs.

  "Let's go down to the river for a swim," Kate said.

  Beth checked her watch. "I have to get home, but you all go."

  "I want to check Ryder's story on the internet first," I said.

  "We'll meet you down there," Ryder told Kate and Ben. "I need to talk to Mrs. M about something."

  Beth drove off and Kate and Ben headed through the trees to the river. I washed my hands in the bathroom then checked my computer. The response to Ryder's interview had skyrocketed. His story was everywhere. I couldn't even begin to calculate how many people had seen it.

  But instead of making me happy, it made me nervous. Sabrina must have seen it by now. What if the interview and the response had the opposite effect? What if she felt backed into a corner and dug her heels in further, refusing to retract her statement?

  In a way, it was exactly how Ryder had felt these past few weeks. I guess she was getting a taste of her own medicine, but I worried it had gone too far.

  "Your grandmother wants to see you," Ryder said, coming into my room. He was still dirty, but the cobwebs had been brushed out of his hair. No matter how filthy he was, Ryder would always be the sexiest man alive to me.

  "What about?"

  He gave me a lopsided grin. It was the sort of cheeky grin he used to give in high school. A true Ryder Cavanagh grin. "Just go and talk to her."

  His phone rang and I left him to answer it and went in search of Gran. She was in the drawing room, inspecting the windows.

  "The frames are rotten," she announced. "They'll need replacing. We can't have our guests seeing rotten frames."

  I stared at her. "Gran…is that your way of agreeing to turn this place into a B&B?"

  She gave a grunt. "As long as I have two rooms to myself, a bedroom and a small parlor to sit in during the day. That should enough."

  I hugged her. "Thank you. It'll be a great adventure. We're going to make this place look amazing."

  "I suppose it's too good not to share with other people. Paying people, that is."

  I laughed. "Is that how Ryder convinced you?"

  She shook her head, but never got to answer my question. Ryder's footsteps thundered down the stairs and he burst into the drawing room.

  "Jane!"

  "Ryder Cavanagh," Gran scolded, banging her walking stick on the floor. "This is not a zoo, so kindly cease stomping about like an elephant."

  "Sorry, Mrs. M. I need to speak to Jane for a minute."

  She waved us off. He grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the front porch. Ryder was practically jumping out of his skin.

  "You'll never guess who that was on the phone," he said.

  My heart stilled. By the broad smile on his face, I guessed it was good news. "Sabrina?"

  He nodded. "She apologized and said she would retract her accusation."

  I clasped my hands over my mouth. "Oh, Ryder, that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you."

  "She said she only told one friend the lie, but that friend took it to the police, and then Sabrina didn't know how to wind the whole thing back. She admitted that it got out of hand and my interview made her realize how much damage she'd caused." He grasped my hands and squeezed. "It's all thanks to you, Jane.

  "It's not—"

  He kissed me hard, taking away my breath and my words. He pressed his hands to the back of my head, holding me in place. It was unnecessary because I wasn't moving. I needed that kiss like I needed to breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and he did the same to me. We held one another like we were each other's life raft. The fierce kiss was a release for our pent-up tension and unquenched desire, and the sheer, beautiful relief of the whole thing coming to an end.

  Then it softened and turned to pleasure. Ryder's hands stroked my hair, touched my face, my shoulders, my hips. I pressed into him, loving the hard length of him against me. Wanting more of him. All of him.

  But it wasn't going to happen on the front porch with Gran just inside. She wasn't as deaf as she made out.

  I drew back. His smoky blue eyes watched me intently, his kiss-swollen lips curved into an uncertain smile. I touched it to let him know I was okay, happy.

  "Is Sabrina going to call the college?" I asked.

  He nodded. "And the police. I expect my phone will be busy soon, so I'd better say the things I want to say to you now." He took my hand and led me down the steps. We walked slowly through the garden in the direction of the river.

  I waited for him to speak with my heart in my throat. My blood beat thick and loud between my ears. This was it. This was the moment he told me he was going back to college and things would return to the way they were before. He wouldn't resume his crazy lifestyle, but he would put me safely back in the box labeled FRIEND. Good old reliable, predictable Jane. Great in a crisis or to provide a shoulder to cry on, lousy at having fun.

  At least now I was better equipped to cope. I knew for certain that I wouldn't pine for him the way I used to. I wouldn't follow his every move via websites, I wouldn't wait up for his phone calls. I would still be in Winter, but I would be getting on with my life. I wasn't waiting for Ryder anymore.

  "There's something I need to ask you, Jane, but…I don't want to ask it either."

  "You're not making sense. Just say it."

  "Will you come back with me?"

  I let go of his hand and stopped. Stared. "Ryder…"

  "I know. It's too late. You've moved on. You've got the house to work on now, a cousin for company. You love this place and you'd hate it in the city. Besides, there's your grandmother. You can't leave her."

  "Um, so are you asking me to come with your or not?"

  "Hell yes, I want you to come. But I know you can't."

  I bit my lip to stop it wobbling. Ryder wanted me with him? Me?

  He gathered my hair and swept it forward over my shoulder. "I want to make this work," he said, brushing my neck with his fingers.

  "What?"

  He looked at me like I was mad. "Us!"

  "There's an us?"

  "As long as there's you and me, there's an us. We belong together, Jane."

  "You've been around Gran too much."

  He laughed. "In this case, she's right. This Cavanagh and this Merriweather should be together."

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "You've been under intense pressure lately. That can make you see things differently, but when life gets back to normal, the feelings might wear off."

  He leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips. "No. No way. I love you, Jane. I've loved you my whole life, but I only realized it a little while ago."

  He loved me? He loved me?

  "Um…" God, it was so hard to make my mouth form a coherent sentence. "How long ago?"

  "Not long after I stopped contacting you. I missed you like crazy. It was killing me not talking to you anymore. I wanted to hear your voice. I dreamed about driving up here just to see you again. But by then I was so ashamed of what you'd think of me that I did everything to avoid you." He rested his forehead against mine and placed his hands on the curve of my waist. "You make me a better man, Jane. You love me even when I'm a fuck up."

  "You're not a fuck up. You never were."

  "I've done some dumb things."

  "We all have. But you can't love me because you're worried about falling back into your old ways. You can't rely on me to keep you on level ground. That's got
to be all you."

  "I know. It will be." He stroked his knuckles down my cheek. The gentle touch sent my body into meltdown. I was little more than a pool of crazy hormonal urges. "I'm going to love you through the good times and the bad, Jane. That's a promise."

  "Okay," I managed to whisper. "But how?"

  "I don't know yet. All I do know is that I won't ask you to give up everything for me. What I can do is promise you that one day I'll come back here to Winter and if you still want me, I'm going to marry you."

  Oh. Wow. My heart tap danced inside my ribcage. Tears burned the backs of my eyes. "Really?" I whispered. "You'll come back to Winter?"

  "I'll come back to you."

  I bit my lip, but it was no good. I started crying. He kissed my tears, his warm lips soft against my cheek.

  "You're everything to me," he murmured without pulling away. "Having a football career, a college degree, none of it means anything if I can't share it with you. It'll be hell not seeing you for weeks on end, but we can do it. Besides, it won't be forever, just another year." Maybe more if he made it to a national team, but he was right. We could do it. We had faith in one another and a love with deep, unshakable foundations. "I'll always be here for you, Ryder. We'll call each other every day, and I'll visit you too. I want to watch you play and…do other things."

  He kissed me hard again, hungrily, like he needed to consume me. His hands dug through my hair, holding me against him. "Maybe we can get started on those other things right now," he said against my mouth.

  I grinned. "Let's go find a quiet riverbank away from Kate and Ben."

  Kate and Ben were on the end of the jetty, kissing. They didn't see us arrive or slip away to a sandy bank around the bend.

  Ryder and I made slow, passionate love in the sand. He made me feel like a goddess, worshipping me with his hot gaze and warm tongue. I explored every inch of his body while he lay on his back, his hands behind his head, a Cheshire Cat smile on his lips. I made his body quiver and the teeth marks I left in his shoulder might take the rest of the day to heal, but he didn't seem to care.

  Afterward, we talked. He answered every question I put to him about his college life, not leaving out any of the unsavory bits. We were equal part friends and lovers, and it made our situation unique. Finally, I asked him one question he refused to answer.

  "What did you say to Gran to bring her around to the idea of the B&B?"

  His fingers lightly stroked my bare shoulder as I lay in his arms. "I guess I haven't lost the Ryder Cavanagh charm after all."

  I tilted my head to the side and arched my eyebrow at him. He just grinned and shrugged.

  Later, when Gran and I were alone together in the drawing room, I asked her.

  "He promised to take care of you," she said with a knowing smile.

  "He did?" Ryder's chat with Gran had taken place before Sabrina's phone call. He'd had no idea that his life would return to normal and his career would resume, yet he'd promised to care for me anyway. The thought sent tingles shooting down my spine and across my skin. Ryder was serious about loving me, through the good and bad. "Did he infer he was going to marry me?" I asked.

  "He didn't have to infer it. I just knew. I've always known. I don't mind turning this place into a B&B if Ryder Cavanagh is taking care of you, just as the Cavanaghs have always done for the Merriweathers."

  "What do you mean?"

  "They're managers. It's in their blood to take care of the day-to-day troubles of a business. You're a Merriweather. You'll give the orders and he'll carry them out."

  It was an absurd way of looking at it, but if it got Gran accepting the B&B idea, then I didn't care. Not that I would tell her that everything had changed now that Ryder was returning to college. He'd gotten the call as we walked back to the house from the river. The college apologized and wanted him to resume his degree and scholarship in the fall, confirming what we'd already expected. It meant he wouldn't be around to take care of the day-to-day running of the B&B with me. I was fine with it. I wanted to do it on my own anyway, if only to see if I could. Gran would have to stay in the dark as long as possible. I didn't want her changing her mind again.

  "They're good people, the Cavanaghs," she said, closing her eyes and settling back into her chair.

  "They are," I said quietly.

  "I don't mind having one in the family."

  I grinned. "I'm sure Ryder will be happy to hear that."

  "I think he's learned his lesson good and proper."

  "What lesson?"

  She opened one eye. "You thought I didn't know what was going on, but I heard." She patted the old radio on the table beside her. "I knew Ryder never hurt that girl. It's not in him. It's not in any of the Cavanaghs."

  That also meant she had heard Ryder's interview and probably guessed that Sabrina would retract her accusation. She knew all along that he was moving back to college, yet she was still okay with me running the B&B on my own. Bless her. She was prickly and stubborn, but she had faith in me and my abilities.

  I kissed her cheek. "You're a sharp woman, Gran."

  "I am a Merriweather."

  THE END

  A message from the author

  I hope you enjoyed reading TORN as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an independent author, getting the word out about my book is vital to its success, so if you liked this book please consider telling your friends and writing a review at the store where you purchased it. If you would like to be contacted when I release new books, sign up for my newsletter. You'll find the signup form on my website http://cjscottbooks.com or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CJScottAuthorPage. You will only be contacted when I have a new book out.

  COMING SOON: Beth's story

  Look for the next Summer In Winter novel, coming to your online bookstore soon.

  In the meantime, have you reading the first book in the Summer In Winter series? Read RUIN on your Kindle device or app now.

  Other Books

  C.J. Scott writes historical romances for adults and teens under the name C.J. Archer. Her books include:

  The Charmer (Assassins Guild #1)

  The Wrong Girl (Freak House #1)

  Playing With Fire (Freak House Trilogy #2)

  The Medium (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #1)

  Possession (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #2)

  Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #3)

  The Charmer (Assassins Guild Novel #1)

  Her Secret Desire (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #1)

  Scandal's Mistress (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #2)

  To Tempt The Devil (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #3)

  Honor Bound (The Witchblade Chronicles Book #1)

  Kiss Of Ash (The Witchblade Chronicles #2)

  Courting His Countess

  Surrender

  Redemption

  The Mercenary's Price

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  C.J. Scott loves reading stories that take her away to another world. If she's in the middle of an amazing book, she'll keep reading while cooking or cleaning (when she can be bothered doing either). She likes interesting artwork but can't paint, sketch or make anything more complicated than a snowman from Play-Doh. She enjoys beautiful gardens but hates gardening. She also hates housework, cooking (see above) and writing about herself.

  C.J. loves connecting with readers. The best place to interact with her and other fans is via her Facebook page. That's where she posts teasers and other stuff from her books.

  Website: http://www.cjscottbooks.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CJScottAuthorPage

  Email: [email protected]

  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
r />   CHAPTER 13

  A message from the author

  Other Books

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR