Have you read the first book in my Ryker Falls series, SOMEBODY TO LOVE? Joe and Bailey’s story. Once friends, they were torn apart, but now Bailey’s back in town!
‘I absolutely loved this story!! This is a true testament to how much friendship can impact a person's life!’
-Amazon reviewer
He was the bad boy no one trusted
Bailey’s burned out, and not sure what leads her back to Ryker Falls, but has a feeling it’s got something to do with closure. Bad boy Joe Trainer was once her soulmate, but she isn’t sure she has a soul anymore. Finding he’s made something of his life is a shock, as he’d been on a one-way trip to hell when she left. This new Joe is sexy and enticing, but she knows all too well there’s a devil underneath the urbane exterior.
She was the good girl who never broke the rules
When Joe’s childhood friend, Bailey Jones, returns to Ryker Falls, his life suddenly shifts from settled to off-center. Once they’d been closer than anyone ever guessed; now, they’re chilly strangers. But Joe’s not letting his stubborn, sexy-as-hell ex-best friend stay closed off. He lost her once through his own stupidity; this time he’s never letting her go. Joe knows he doesn’t deserve a second chance, but he’s never played by the rules before, so he’s not starting now. Game on.
ONE CLICK FOR SOMEBODY TO LOVE!
Bailey + Joe = love
‘After fifteen years apart Bailey and Joe were together again. I loved how he didn't give up on her when she clearly wasn't ready for a relationship. Their story was so beautifully written.’
-Goodreads reviewer
An excerpt of Somebody To Love!
“Right here whenever you’re ready to concede defeat.”
She let out a huff of breath, then stepped back a few feet to look at him. He saw a face that needed a few pounds and some sleep, but for all that she was pretty, actually more than, Joe thought. Sweet. Satin-smooth skin. Color rode high on her pronounced cheekbones. His eyes fell to a full lower lip that had dropped open as she looked at him.
“Is something....” Joe’s words fell away as he noted the shocked, smoky-gray eyes. “Bailey?”
“Joe?” She whispered his name. While he grappled with who stood before him, she cleared her throat and spoke again, this time louder. “Hello, Joe.”
Gone was the little girl he’d held sobbing in his arms all those years ago; the vision was now changed for life by the twenty-eight-year-old Bailey Jones who stood before him. “You have to follow me, Joe. Come for me and bring me home. Promise me.” He still remembered the last words she’d spoken to him.
“Bailey,” he said again, because he had nothing else. Emotion thickened his throat, blocking words, and his head was suddenly filled with visions of a past he’d left behind long ago.
“C-could you pass me that box, please.”
“What?” He shook his head, trying to clear the images of what he and Bailey Jones had once shared.
“Th-the box of Apple Sours.” She turned her face away and looked to the top shelf. “Could you pass it to me, please?”
Joe made himself walk by her, and reach up. He didn’t know what else to do. Bailey was home. “Just the one?” His voice sounded normal, as if the last time he’d seen this woman was yesterday, not fifteen years ago.
“Three, thank you.”
He handed the boxes to her. “My pleasure,” he said, as if the woman before him hadn’t once been the best friend he’d ever had. At thirteen, Bailey had understood him better than anyone else. She’d been the one person who believed in him.
She put the boxes in the basket over her arm, and gave him a small, tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Eyes that had dark smudges underneath. Tired eyes.
“You here for a vacation?” He made himself talk, act natural, and not give in to the shock that was ricocheting through his body.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m n-not sure how long yet.”
He stood silently while she fiddled with her groceries. They were strangers now, he realized. Of all the scenarios he’d thought up about this day, if it ever came, it hadn’t played out like this. He’d thought they’d laugh, discuss the past like old friends. Instead they were uncomfortable with each other, the distance between them a chasm.
“Well, thanks, Joe. It’s good to see you again.”
“Ryker Falls is sure a long way from Boston to come for a vacation, Bailey.” He made himself talk while he struggled with the fact that she stood before him. No longer a child, but a beautiful woman.
“How do you know I was still in Boston?”
“Maggie.”
“Of course.” She shot him a look, and he saw she wasn’t as composed as she appeared. Her eyes were darker, a sure sign she was emotional. He remembered that, and so much more about her.
“Maggie is very proud of her famous friend.”
“Once famous. I don’t do that now... haven’t for a while.”
“Really? Last I heard you were still wowing crowds everywhere.”
She shook her head. “Ha, no, not for months now.”
“True? Maggs never said. So what’s next for you?”
“I-I... ah, I’m t-taking a break.”
He frowned as she stuttered over the words. Bailey had never stuttered, she’d spoken in a clear, concise voice. He watched her inhale deeply, twice. Of course, more than he had changed in the years since they’d last seen each other, he knew that, he just hadn’t expected.... Hell, he had no idea what he’d expected.
“I decided to come here and see Maggie.” The words were spoken slowly.
See Maggie, not him.
“Quite a lot has changed in fifteen years, Bailey.”
She nodded, but said nothing more. Another change; the old Bailey Jones had filled every gap with words.
She started moving. Reaching his side, she stopped briefly, and looked up at him. Joe noticed a small crescent-shaped scar high on her cheekbone that hadn’t been there when she was thirteen.
“Thank you for reaching the Apple Sours for me.”
He made himself speak. Pushed aside the myriad of feelings choking him, and forced a smile onto his face.
“No worries, I know what your addiction to them was once like. It’s good to see that hasn’t changed. Nice to see you again, Bailey. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
She gave another jerky nod, and something flickered over her face. Sadness, maybe? Whatever, it was soon gone. She managed a shaky smile. He remembered that too. The little girl who had taught herself how to hide away from things that hurt or upset her. She’d often hid her troubled thoughts behind a smile.
“Goodbye, Joe,” she added before leaving.
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