Something New (Brides of Cedar Bend Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Epilogue

  Blurb

  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

  Chapter 16

  Dear Reader

  Preview into Book #3

  From the Author

  Books by Lena Hart

  About the Author

  Something New

  Brides of Cedar Bend 2

  Lena Hart

  SOMETHING NEW

  Copyright © 2017

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-941885-35-2

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

  Contents

  Blurb

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Preview into Book #3

  From the Author

  Books by Lena Hart

  About the Author

  When small town mechanic Damian Carson comes to Savvy Williams’ rescue—again—he is determined to make their encounter a bit more memorable than the last. Yet, when a rousing kiss results in an unforgettable night, Damian soon finds himself caught in a bogus engagement with the lovely southern belle.

  Embarrassed by her previous broken engagement—and eager to dispel rumors of her attraction to rich men only—Savvy is willing to fake a relationship with the handsomely rugged mechanic. Until their harmless charade results in a quickie wedding.

  Before their family and friends, Damian and Savvy must decide how far they’re willing to take their pretense…and if what they have is strong enough to survive something real.

  Don’t miss the complete series!

  To all those who have had to step in or put their lives on hold to care for those they love.

  Your sacrifice, dedication, and love makes you a superhero.

  “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”

  -William Shakespeare,

  A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  Prologue

  “Hello?”

  Savvy peered through the glass of the mechanic shop but saw no one. She tried the door again, as if the locked knob would miraculously open and she would find sanctuary away from the pounding rain. In the space of minutes, the late afternoon clouds had swelled with more rain, leaving the sky impossibly dark. The sun was completely in hiding as the rain continued to shoot down like cold, wet pellets. With one last burst of desperation, Savvy banged on the door again.

  “Hellooo. Is anyone in there?”

  The red and white closed sign should have told her there wasn’t. It was four o’clock on a Sunday. Whoever ran Carson’s Auto Shop had either closed early for the day or hadn’t opened at all. Her khaki shorts and lime green top were completely soaked through. Right now, inside the small mechanic shop looked like a safe haven, but there was no way inside.

  “Damn it!”

  Savvy gave the door a swift kick before she turned to lean against it. She could barely make out the dirt lot or street through the sheets of rain coming down.

  What had possessed her to spend Memorial weekend at Cedar Bend was beyond her. There had been plenty of warmer prospects to spend the long holiday weekend, yet here she was. Lost in the mountains of Small Town, USA. This would be the last time she let her cousin talk her into coming to Cedar Bend.

  Lost in her thoughts and misery, Savvy barely registered the sound of locks coming undone behind her. It wasn’t until she went flying backward that she realized the door was coming open.

  “Oh!”

  Her startled cry was cut short when strong hands grabbed her by the waist. The man’s grip was sturdy as he held her tight. She could almost feel every detail of his palm through her thin, wet shirt.

  “You all right, miss?”

  Savvy quickly straightened as her gaze moved up to meet the eyes of the deep baritone voice that had posed the simple question.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  The man stepped back, letting her inside the shop. His dark blue overalls hung open, exposing what might have once been a white undershirt. A smudge of dirt and grease ran across his broad forehead and his coffee brown face was covered in a thick beard, as if he hadn’t shaved in days.

  He was tall and covered in just as much grime as the tools and car parts littered around the small shop. He could afford to step out in the rain for a moment or two and wash away all the filth, but it didn’t seem to bother him much. There was nothing groomed about him, yet she found herself unable to stop looking at him.

  He couldn’t stop staring at her breasts.

  Savvy unconsciously glanced down at herself, but she knew what she would see. The outline of her taut nipples pushed through her bright shirt. It was practically obscene the way they strained against the damp material, begging for his attention.

  A sudden heat washed over her and instinctively she folded her arms over her chest. The man appeared chagrin as he brought his dark eyes back up above her neck and cleared his throat.

  “You must be cold. I’ll get you a towel.”

  But he didn’t move from his spot, still staring at her as if he could see right through her wet clothes. Her cheeks heated some more.

  “Thank you. I’d like that.”

  At her stiff words, the man finally went over to the shelf that held a stack of neatly folded towels. Savvy released a small breath. It wasn’t that his attention was unwelcomed. Behind his scruffy beard and filthy clothes, she could see he was quite an attractive man. But having those dark, penetrating eyes on her was a bit unnerving. She was a sopping mess and could only imagine how she looked right now.

  Savvy quickly glanced around the dingy auto shop, grateful that he had been inside, but not sure if she wanted to move from her spot. The place smelled of motor oil and dirt. She could almost feel the grime clinging to her wet clothes and hair.

  The man returned to her, a towel held in his outstretched hand. Savvy admired his long-legged pace. He was tall and athletically built with a confident stride. A definite turn-on.

  Heat burned her cheeks at the sudden thought.

  What’s the matter with me?

  She had a boyfriend, for crying out loud. She shouldn’t be checking out another guy. A guy who really wasn’t even her type. As handsome as he was, with those sable dark eyes and broad shoulders, he was still just blue-collar handsome. She preferred her men fresh smelling and on the clean-cut side.

  This man looked and smelled as if he thrived under grease and sweat.

  Savvy reached for the towel he handed her and clutched it in front of herself. Awkward silence fell between them before she remembered her manners.

  “Thank you again for letting me in. I think I lost my cell phone running here and I wa
s worried I would be stuck out there until the rain let up.”

  “What were you doing out there, anyway? There’s been a tropical storm warning since yesterday.”

  “I didn’t know. I’m vacationing up in the cabin and decided to go for a walk on my own. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because the next thing I knew I was off the path.”

  “Cabin?”

  “Yes, the one up the mountains.”

  “The Benson’s cabin?”

  She nodded. “My cousin’s boyfriend invited us all up.” The curious expression on his face propelled her into explaining. “We’re all here for the holiday weekend. My cousin and her boyfriend, and me and my—”

  “Junior, what was all that ruckus?”

  They both turned toward the coarse, irritated voice and Savvy watched as an older man came from the back of the shop. His short, close cropped hair was more gray than black. He was about as tall as the younger man standing in front of her, only less imposing. She recognized the uncanny resemblance between them, as if she was seeing two versions of the same person with about two to three decades between them.

  “It was nothing, Pop. Just some lady lost out in the rain.”

  Some lady?

  Savvy frowned at that. He might as well have called her a wet hobo with the dismissive way he referred to her. But before she allowed herself to take complete offense, she realized that she had never formally introduced herself.

  “What were you doing out in that storm, little darling?”

  Savvy smiled at the older man’s choice of endearment, loving him already. She may be on the shorter side, but she was far from little.

  “I was just telling your son that I got lost trying to find my way back to my friend’s cabin.”

  The man made a sympathetic sound behind his throat. “My boy can help you get back. What’s your name, sweetie?”

  “Savannah Williams. But everyone calls me Savvy.”

  There was a twinkle in the older man’s dark eyes. “Savvy, are you?”

  She smiled at the old pun—one she’d heard more times than she cared to remember. “Apparently not when it comes to directions.”

  Damian watched as his father flirted shamelessly with Savannah Williams.

  Savvy.

  Pretty name for a pretty girl. Despite her wet, curly hair plastered around her head and the remnants of her mascara melting down her cheeks, she was still very attractive.

  His father was hanging on her every word, clearly charmed by her southern accent. Hearing her speak reminded him of lavender and honeysuckle and he found himself drawn to her every word. If he had to guess, he would assume she was a native of the old coastal city.

  “I’m Damian Carson, senior,” his father said. “And this here is my son, Junior.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Carson.” She turned to him and her smile widened. “And you too, Junior.”

  Damian would have laughed if he hadn’t been so captivated by the way her smile lit up her face. She barely reached the top of his shoulder and calling him Junior was as ridiculous as calling someone his height “Tiny.” But Damian didn’t bother correcting her.

  “You don’t have to get all formal with us,” his father said. “There ain’t but a handful of us in town so call me Pops. You’re with family now.”

  Damian returned her smile, but he wasn’t feeling at all familial toward her. Hell, he was struggling just to keep his gaze above her neckline and damn was it hard. Her rain soaked top clung to her body like a second skin. It had taken just a glimpse of her breasts in the wet material to picture her naked. From what he could tell, her breasts were a nice handful.

  A quick glance down her body revealed she carried most of her weight below her waist. He could easily picture her nude and sprawled across his bed, her round ass and full thighs spread wide for him. Damian clenched his jaw as a familiar stirring moved down along his spine until it settled in his loins.

  Christ.

  He tore his gaze away from her and blew out a heavy breath. He needed to get a hold of himself. He didn’t know a thing about her other than she was a silly woman who had wandered out alone and gotten herself caught in one of the worst rainstorms their small town had seen in a while.

  “Is it possible for me to use your phone? I should probably call my boyfriend to come get me.”

  Boyfriend?

  Damian glanced back at her, not sure why he was surprised by that. A woman who looked like her was never single.

  “Of course, Janet. The phone’s in the back.”

  Damian tensed at yet another of his father’s slips. Savvy tilted her head slightly but didn’t correct him. As soon as she disappeared into the back office, Damian turned to his father. The uneasiness he’d tried to ignore these past few weeks weighed heavy in his gut.

  “You all right, Pop?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “You just called Savvy by Ma’s name.”

  His father waved his hand dismissively. “Honest mistake. Your mama’s been on my mind a lot these past few days and that pretty little lady reminds me so much of her. That’s all.”

  Damian would have accepted that if it weren’t for the fact that these slips have been happening a lot more frequently than either of them cared to admit. And it had been ten years since they had buried his mother. In all that time, his father had never called another woman by his wife’s name.

  After some time, Savvy reappeared from the office. Her bright green shirt was semi-dry now and did a lot to lighten up their drab garage.

  “My boyfriend’s on his way here. He should be pulling up any minute now.”

  “He’s able to find us in this storm?” his father asked. “Even in better weather, our shop is a little hard to spot.”

  Savvy nodded, her expression contrite. “He was actually out there looking for me. I told him where I was and he said he’d driven pass the shop. He’s turning back now.”

  “He shouldn’t have let you out alone in the first place.”

  She glanced up at him, her eyes round with surprise. Damian hadn’t meant the words to come out abrupt, but he didn’t bother excusing himself for it.

  “Luckily, it’s a new millennium where women don’t have to ask their men for permission to leave the house.”

  Pops chuckled. “You modern women are trouble, I’ll give you that.”

  Savvy glanced at his father then back at him, a big smile stretching across her full lips. “My man can handle it.”

  Pops choked back another laugh and Damian cocked a brow. Savvy’s brown eyes flashed brightly and he recognized a challenge when he saw one. Before he could say anything, loud honking came from outside.

  “That’s him.”

  “He’s not coming in?” Pops asked. “It’s still pouring out.”

  “It’s fine. No sense in him getting wet. I’m already soaked through.”

  Involuntarily, Damian’s gaze dropped down to her breasts, though she still held the towel close to her. He shook his head, dragging his wayward thoughts back to reality.

  She has a boyfriend, idiot.

  And though he wasn’t lacking in confidence, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he stood a chance with a woman like her. He had seen the way she’d carefully glanced around their shop. The look on her face when she’d done so made it clear she wasn’t a fan of getting dirty.

  “Thanks again for the towel.”

  She handed him the damp cloth and Damian took it from her. He tossed it on the counter and without a word, grabbed their only umbrella.

  “Come on,” he said, starting toward the door.

  “Oh, no. You don’t have to go out there with me. Really. I’ll just make a sprint for it.”

  He stifled his exasperation and reached for her arm. “Or I can walk you out there and make sure you don’t break your neck on your way there.”

  She opened her mouth to protest some more, he was sure, but another forceful honk blared outside, cutting her off. Annoyed, Damian glanced out
the window. Parked in front of their auto shop was a sleek, black luxury sedan being pelted by the rain.

  “Don’t mind that,” Savvy murmured. “Matt really is a good guy. He’s just irritated having to come out in this weather to look for me.”

  Damian turned away from the window and stared down at her. “Irritated or not, I wouldn’t let you walk out in this weather. And if you were mine, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.” He opened the shop door then the umbrella before turning back to her. “Ready?”

  She nodded, tucking her lower lip between her teeth. The small action brought his attention right to her mouth and stayed there.

  God, if she were his, he would do a lot of things…

  Damian placed his hand on the small of her back, keeping her close as they hurried to the car. They made it to the passenger door and he pulled it open. He could make out a male figure inside but didn’t bother to take a closer look. From what he’d already gathered, her boyfriend was an ass.

  “Goodbye, Savannah Williams.”

  She glanced up at him, her soft gaze moving over his. Suddenly, he wanted to kiss her, to feel those soft lips pressed against his. Instead, he pulled open the car door wider.

  “Stay out of trouble.”

  She blinked then gifted him with one last bright smile. “Goodbye, Junior Carson.”

  She slid inside the car and pulled the door shut. Damian waited until the lights faded away in the distance before he ran back into the shop, shutting the door behind him. He shook off the excess water from the umbrella before dropping it back into the rack.