Gracie's Plan Read online

  Table of Contents

  GRACIE’S PLAN

  Acknowledgements

  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

  Epilogue

  GRACIE’S PLAN

  ROSE LANGE

  SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

  New York

  GRACIE’S PLAN

  Copyright©2014

  ROSE LANGE

  Cover Design by Ramona Lockwood

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America by

  Soul Mate Publishing

  P.O. Box 24

  Macedon, New York, 14502

  ISBN: 978-1-61935-550-7

  www.SoulMatePublishing.com

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  I’d like to dedicate this book to my husband,

  for supporting me in achieving my dreams.

  And to my son,

  because you’re the reason I started writing again.

  I love you both.

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I want to thank my parents, who encouraged me when I wanted to become a writer. Thank you both for having faith in me, and my dreams.

  To my Starry Eye critique group, Anne, Loretta, and Tricia. Thank you for all your encouragement and support. I also want to thank my beta readers, Connie and Brenda, for taking time to help critique, and read my work. And to Judy, who has been like a second mom to me.

  To Z, my first and number one fan.

  I want to thank my editor, Cheryl Yeko, for having faith in me, making my dreams come true, and guiding me through this incredible journey.

  Chapter 1

  Blackhawk, South Dakota

  “Oh for all that is holy, Mother, I wish you would just leave.”

  Annabelle O’Sullivan balled the wet, soggy tissue in her hand until it stuck to her palm. God help her, the words flew out before she could stop them. They hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, nobody made a sound. She pressed her lips tightly together to contain the bitter words left on the tip of her tongue. She wasn’t going for a shock factor, but apparently she got it as everyone stared at her, as though she’d just turned purple and sprouted horns.

  “How dare you speak to me that way,” her mom shot back.

  Annabelle closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, and let out a shaky breath. She re-opened them, stared at her mom, and silently wished looks could kill. “How dare you interrupt while I’m trying to have a conversation with Mr. Fox.”

  “Oh, please, so dramatic Annabelle. This is a waste of time, and I have more important things to do,” her mom said, voice sharp.

  Her dad stood by silently, leaning against the bookcase. He was inspecting his fingernails absentmindedly, like he’d rather be anyplace else than where he was. His silence meant he was in complete agreement, and it made her blood boil in her veins just thinking of it.

  Annabelle closed her eyes for a moment, but the sting of tears wasn’t far behind.

  I won’t cry in front of these people. Wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her wrecked emotions.

  “Ladies, please.” The salt and pepper haired lawyer tried to diffuse the situation as best he could, using both hands to let them know to take a seat.

  Annabelle huffed out a breath and retreated back to the window ledge, tossing the offending tissue, and grabbing another one. She briefly looked down at the worn in, but comfortable gray sweater she wore, and her thoughts drifted to her ex-husband, Kade. If she hadn’t taken her Mom’s advice and divorced him, how differently her life would have turned out. Recalling the day she’d left him, how she’d taken along his old college sweater as a reminder of him.

  Thinking of the bittersweet memory, she wiped at the fresh tears that sprang to her eyes. Of all the people to put in her will, Aunt Gracie had put her mom and dad. Why? Why on earth would she leave anything to such miserable people? It wasn’t enough they’d put her and her brother through hell during their childhood? Now her mom was here being insensitive to her aunt’s memory.

  She wrung the piece of Kleenex in her hands, watching as large drops of rain fell from the gray sky, spattering against the windowpane. She closed her eyes, unable to stop the next silent flow of tears. Aunt Gracie was the only parent she’d ever really had, or at least it felt that way. Annabelle had helped with the antique shop when her aunt’s health was failing, and then had completely taken over running it these last few months. Then, when Aunt Gracie died, a part of her died along with her. Leaning over, she grabbed another tissue from the lawyer’s desk, discreetly blowing her nose and wished she could grieve in peace.

  Annabelle stood, impatiently peering at her watch. There was one more person in the Will, and he or she hadn’t shown up yet to hear the reading, even though it was ten minutes past the appointed time.

  Who could it be?

  There was a loud knock at the door and then it swiftly opened. Her jaw dropped as her ex-husband Kade Hoffman filled the doorway, blowing in like a thundercloud on a steamy July night.

  Hell must have frozen over because he was the last person she expected to see. Her lips parted and she was sure her stomach would drop at any moment. Her heart beat fiercely against her ribcage, and she blinked a couple times because this had to be a blurred surreal dream.

  Annabelle couldn’t tear her eyes away, watching him as he shrugged off his black leather jacket and carelessly tossed it aside, sending water cascading into the brick red wingback chair.

  The moment her eyes connected with his, the earth stopped moving.

  She gulped. Her body felt flushed, warm, and instinctively she rubbed her hands over her arms, attempting to stop the goose bumps. She’d managed to avoid him these last six months since moving back to town, but obviously her luck had run out.

  “Kade.” Her voice a near whisper.

  Damn, she thought to herself as his name passed her lips. She wished she could take it back. He skimmed her figure and took his sweet time, as though he were Superman and had X-ray vision. Even though she was covered in his baggy college sweater, she anxiously crossed her arms over her breasts. Suddenly self-conscious that she’d picked today to wear it,
because God only knew what was running through his mind seeing her in it.

  She uncrossed her arms, stuffing her hands in her pockets. Normally, she could take the heat under pressure, but this completely knocked the wind out of her.

  Her palms sweated, her arms prickly, and her head spun like a top. This huge shock to her system was too much, and she didn’t know how to control it. Her mind whirled a thousand miles an hour.

  “Annabelle.” His mouth set in an amusing grin.

  Her mother cleared her throat, eyes narrowed. “Now that we’re all here, I think it’s safe to proceed.”

  For a moment, Annabelle’s words got stuck in her throat, as though someone had super glued them there. She swallowed the huge lump and tried to speak. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her wits and found her voice.

  “Yes, by all means, let’s proceed.” But her voice quivered. Damn her voice for betraying her. The brave front she tried to display crumbled.

  “Very well,” the distinguished lawyer began. “To my Great niece, Annabelle Hoffman, I leave my antique shop, Gracie’s Antiques and Collectables. However, it is under the following condition”—he cleared his throat before continuing—“that Annabelle Hoffman and Kade Hoffman live together in my cabin for two months. At the end of that time period, Annabelle Hoffman will inherit the antique shop. In addition, each party will inherit thirty-thousand dollars.” He set the Will down.

  Annabelle felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “I beg your pardon?”

  Her mother had a disgusting smirk on her face but said nothing.

  “Are you sure that’s not a misprint? There must be some mistake.” Not caring how she sounded, like a woman out of her mind. And, of course, her aunt still used her married name, even though she’d changed it after the divorce.

  “I’m afraid not, Miss O’Sullivan. These are the conditions and there is no way around them,” he stated matter-of-factly, taking off his glasses and setting them on the mahogany desk.

  It’s not that she doubted the man but this was beyond belief. Her heart beat faster and faster, like a conga drum was buried in her chest, and as though the entire room was closing in.

  Kade stood there with an equally shocked expression on his face. The sting of tears started to gather in her eyes, and not able to help herself, they began to fall. One after the other, and she was powerless to stop them. This last turn of events just put the icing on the cake.

  “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” And with this she stepped out of the room.

  “Shit,” Kade whispered, making his escape as quickly as he could.

  He didn’t follow Annabelle, but was in desperate need of air. He needed to get the hell out of here because this entire situation was crazy. He didn’t know what Annabelle’s aunt had up her sleeve, but he wanted absolutely no part of it. His life without Annabelle had been torture, and he was still bitter and angry that she’d up and left him. With nothing more than a letter.

  A goddamn letter.

  She hadn’t even had the guts to tell him face to face that she was leaving him, and to this day it still made him angry thinking about it.

  To hell with the money, he didn’t need it that desperately. Certainly not bad enough to live with his ex-wife for two months in such close quarters.

  Then he recalled how she looked just now, not having changed since he’d last seen her. Kade smirked, seeing her in his old college sweater; he now knew how it’d disappeared. He couldn’t see much of her figure, and was dying to know how much of her body had changed, if at all.

  Seeing her again only opened up a floodgate of memories he’d long ago put away, but never forgotten. Annabelle was a woman a man couldn’t easily forget. He shook his head at the dangerous turn of his thoughts.

  Kade stood at the elevators when he heard the bathroom door slam shut.

  Damn.

  He took a deep, shaky breath, knowing he had to go see if she was okay. It was against his better judgment, but couldn’t leave her crying and upset even though he was still mad as hell at her. For some reason he’d never been able to turn away from a crying woman, because it brought out all his protective instincts. And when that woman was Annabelle it was ten times harder.

  Kade approached the door, and knocked a couple times. “Annabelle?”

  “Go away.” Her voice muffled through the heavy oak door.

  “Come on out so we can talk.”

  There was a long beat of silence, then, “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  Putting his hands on his hips, he wondered why he went after her when he should have run straight for the exit.

  “Please come on out, Annabelle,” he repeated.

  He held his breath as the door opened slowly and Annabelle finally appeared, her eyes filled with tears. As angry as he was, his heart ached to see her in distress. Her strawberry blond hair now pulled back in a ponytail with small tendrils managing to escape, framing her beautiful face. Her cheeks flushed a fetching pink against her smooth porcelain skin.

  And one look into those sage green eyes, her lashes fringed with tears, and he was lost. She looked vulnerable, and for a moment he found it hard to speak. Annabelle was still heartbreakingly beautiful, and his gut instinct was to take her in his arms and comfort her, to hold her close and kiss away her tears. To peel away that sweater like a ripened banana, and see if those curves he’d loved so much were still there.

  He swallowed hard, shaking his head to clear his mind. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. What’s it to you?”

  Kade clenched his fist, fighting to calm his rising temper. “Listen, don’t think this will be a walk in the park for me either, princess.”

  “I just don’t understand how you of all people are in my Great Aunt’s Will,” she snapped.

  Kade raked his eyes boldly over her, not at all surprised by her remark. Now this was the Annabelle he knew—tough, strong—yet still had a gentle and soft side, of which he’d seen just moments earlier.

  “Still the spitfire.”

  She suddenly moved past him and he followed her, only this time he wasn’t sure why. He supposed she was a flame, and he was the moth. And he couldn’t help himself. She stopped, turning to face him, and studied him like he was some strange creature from another planet.

  “Is there something I can do for you?”

  He gave her a knowing, questioning look. “Here? Wouldn’t you rather go someplace private?”

  She narrowed her eyes, and speared him with an icy glare. “You’re a pig you know that.”

  He shrugged, trying to suppress a laugh. Yeah, still as feisty as ever.

  “So,” he began, “that’s where my old college sweater went.”

  Annabelle’s face filled with color, the same fetching pink as before, but she remained silent. Pursing that cute little mouth tightly together, as though she wanted to say something but held back.

  “This is a huge mistake,” she bit out.

  He laughed. “You’re telling me.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I mean, this isn’t exactly pleasant for me either.”

  Kade stepped closer, until they were practically nose—to—nose. His body hardened when her lush mouth parted, as though she’d been caught off guard. With her standing so close he struggled to retain his equilibrium. He was still angry with her, but damn it, his desire for her was as strong as ever.

  “Look, you’re the last person I want to be living with,” he whispered huskily against her lips. “But I’m willing to make a go of it if you are.”

  For a moment she merely stood there, staring back at him, her breathing erratic. He could tell she was just as affected by him as he was by her. Could see that she was aroused by the way her body leaned into his slightly.
The knowledge turned him on even though he didn’t want to be. He wanted to hate her. Wanted to be bitter and angry. But now that she was right here in front of him, he couldn’t help himself. And she smelled incredible, just the way she always had. Of honey and lemons, and he wanted to bury his nose in that thick mane of hair and inhale her intoxicating scent.

  “Don’t think I’m going to let you stand in my way, Kade. That antique shop means the world to me.” Heat and passion vibrated in her voice.

  “Then I guess we’re on?”

  She nodded emphatically. “I guess we are.”

  He smiled a slow smile. “Then let the games begin.”

  Chapter 2

  A week later Annabelle was driving to meet him at the cabin, and dreading every minute of it. Thank goodness she’d had ample time to take care of things with her apartment before the move.

  She was a little relieved the property wasn’t too far from town, and more importantly, not far away from her aunt’s antique shop. That was one place she’d be free, and have some time to herself. Could she do this? She’d asked herself that question a thousand times when she’d packed her things. Could she handle living in such close quarters with Kade again? She also had to be completely honest with herself, not sure she’d be able to resist him. Annabelle rolled her eyes, thinking it had to be easy enough. She’d have her own bedroom after all. If she didn’t do this it meant losing the antique shop and seeing it sold to some stranger.

  Annabelle could not let that happen.

  She took another deep breath as she approached the long, gravel road. In the distance, the rustic cabin came into view.

  Bracing herself, and trying to feel brave, she summoned up her courage. But all she really wanted to do was turn around and go back to her safe little apartment. Her safe little life, before all hell had broken loose and disrupted it.