Hello Heartbreaker, Welcome Home

Prologue

My granddaughters are not going to like this. Lillian Heartbreaker eased her flower embossed tea cup back onto the matching saucer.

You are right about that. Her best friend and confidant, Teresa, sighed. But they really have not given you any other choice.

That’s true, Lillian nodded. And there’s nothing wrong with a little tough love. It’s about time the girls and I discuss our options. No matter how angry it makes them.

You do know you can’t force them to fall in love and settle down.

Yes, but I’m hoping they’ll at least step-up and see how much they want to keep Breaker’s Landing in the family.

There’s no doubt of that, but I know how guarded those girls keep their hearts.

I blame my son for that.

Honey, he tried. You can’t be angry that he couldn’t heal his own broken heart enough to move on. He tried really hard.

Lillian often compared her granddaughters to the three little pigs. Yes, she knew it wasn’t the most flattering comparison, but when it came to the walls they’d constructed around their hearts, it fit perfectly.

Cassie, her first little pig, had built the walls around her heart with soft emotions like straw. It gave her the best chance to have someone blow them down and set her heart on fire. Up until about six months ago, Lillian had thought it had happened, but it had all fallen apart. Lillian held herself accountable for part of that disaster.

Veronica, her second little pig, had used sturdy wood like emotion for her walls. Lillian hoped the right man would come along and knock them down. It was a possibility. But the man was going to have to be willing to put himself out there to get her attention.

Lillian’s biggest worry was the youngest little pig, Rachel. Her walls were hard emotions formed into solid bricks. Her walls were the highest and strongest. The man who could reach and capture her heart was going to have to be something special. Lillian hoped for Rachel’s sake that he’d come along, because her granddaughter deserved to be loved and she had so much love to give.

Someday those girls will find a man who changes their opinion on love, Teresa’s tone was filled with confidence.

I hope so.

Teresa looked at Lillian over the edge of her cup. Actually I’m hoping Byron and Cassie will find their way back to each other.

Me too, but I’m afraid that ship may have sailed.

If my grandson has half a brain he’ll find a way to win her back.

Lillian hoped her friend was right. If Cassie was happily in love then she’d only have to worry about her other two granddaughters.

Chapter One

The sun was shining brightly in the early morning sky as if to announce that the new day was ready to be conquered. It not only reflected her good mood it bolstered, it a bit higher. The rays bounced off the hood of her truck and into Cassie Heartbreaker’s eyes. She had to squint a little as she pulled the sunglasses down off the top of her head and slid them on to the bridge of her nose. The dark plastic lens weren’t nearly enough protection from the harsh glare, so she flipped down her sun visor too. She refused to let it affect her good mood. Good moods had been rare lately so she wanted to enjoy every second of it.

Her cell phone rang and without even glancing to see who was calling Cassie hit the button on the steering wheel to answer the call. Hello.

Are you on the road yet? Rachel, her youngest sister, asked.

Yup. Cassie had left before the sun had come up, but she wasn’t going to tell her that.

Did you leave a trail of broken hearts behind you?

Far and wide, she lied.

Unlike her father and uncles, Cassie and her sisters hadn’t done much to live up to their name. When it came to relationships, Cassie was often the one left feeling broken. This last time had been the worst, but she wasn’t going to let anyone know she hadn’t gotten over it yet.

Why don’t I believe you?

Because you’re a suspicious woman who wouldn’t believe a girl scout if she said she was selling cookies.

Those cookies are really addictive. I just wonder what they put in them.

Maybe you could sneak into their factory and steal their secret recipes.

Oh shut up. Rachel’s laughter took any heat out of her words. So, you’ll get in some time tonight?

Yup. Cassie lied, knowing she’d be home much sooner than that.

Four hours if she kept her current pace. She’d probably roll in around one o’clock in the afternoon. Two at the latest.

Nana wanted me to call and tell you she wants you to check in every so often.

I figured as much. I had to call twice a day, every day, just so she could sleep at night. Cassie and Rachel both laughed. I’ll be sure to call when I stop for gas.

Great. It’s going to be so nice to have you home. We’ve missed you.

I missed you guys too.

I can’t wait to hear all about your adventures. Talk to you later. Her sister hung up.

She was going to be very disappointed Cassie thought. Contrary to popular belief the past six months Cassie had spent living in the city and going to school hadn’t turned out to be the experience of a life-time that she’d been promised. It wasn’t like it was the first time she’d left town, but it had been her longest departure. Being five hundred miles from everyone she knew and loved had sucked more than anyone would believe. She hadn’t wanted to go in the first place, but her grandmother had insisted she go get the rest of her education. Grudgingly, Cassie admitted that her grandmother had been right about her needing to get it done before she gave up on it completely.

Her grandmother was a wise woman, and she knew that Cassie would dig in her heels. She hated the idea of leaving her home. Three weeks was her limit before she started to feel like something was missing. Once she got home that feeling always went away. Unlike her nomad father and uncles, Cassie liked knowing her roots were sunk deep down in her hometown of Kismet Falls. At least no one could say she hadn’t given her time away from home a chance. Though her sisters probably would claim she didn’t try hard enough when she told them about her trip.

Cassie had put herself out there as much as she could trying to find something to enjoy about her temporary relocation, so at least she had a few stories she could tell them. Actually, she’d done a lot of things to fill in the hours when she wasn’t sleeping or in class. She’d made friends, gotten more than a few jobs, and had even gone out on a few dates. But she had been straight forward with the guys she dated. It was just for fun. No getting serious. It might have been easier for her since there really hadn’t been any chance that her heart could get involved. Once she figured that out she focused on school and work.

Her grades were in the top of her class. The work part hadn’t been as successful. The assortment of jobs she’d had were pretty mundane. The two most memorable ones had been waitressing in a coffee shop, and temping as a receptionist in a doctor’s office.

The strangers that came and went gave her something else to think about other than herself. She’d kept track of how many jobs she’d taken, a total of seven, and nothing gave her the feeling of rightness that working at Breaker’s Landing did. That was all over now, though, because she was finally going home. The sun shined down and the wind whipped in the open windows of the truck lifting her mood even higher. Cassie couldn’t get home fast enough, even though she knew not everyone was going to welcome her with open arms.

The next four hours were a test of her patience. She’d hit some traffic that seemed to be caused be people who made careless choices or ending up in the wrong lane. When Cassie finally reached her exit she wanted to cheer. Once off the major highway, onto the two lane state route that would take her almost all the way home, traffic was sparse. It would pick up when she drove through the few small towns that sat between her and Kismet Falls.

Cassie cranked the radio up and sang along as she coasted through the twists and turns of Route 11. Twenty miles from town proper she spotted the Welcome to Kismet Falls sign. She drove past it and as she crested the hill she got her first look of her hometown. From her vantage point, high above the town, she could see it spread out below her. Her pleasure was suddenly cut short when her truck sputtered. She pressed the gas pedal a little harder. It didn’t help. The battery light came on and the steering wheel didn’t want to turn.

What the heck? Cassie used all her might to turn the steering wheel enough to get her truck to the side of the road.

Once she came to a full stop she shoved the gear shift into park. She turned the key again and nothing happened. The radio, though now only playing static since they didn’t get many stations out here, came on, which meant the battery wasn’t dead. She had plenty of gas since she’d filled up not too long ago. With a flick of her wrist she turned the key all the way to the off position and then back to start.

No click, or whir from anywhere. She didn’t know a lot about motors, but she decided to take a look anyway. With a groan she got out of the truck. She walked around to the front and popped the hood. She had no clue what she was looking for, but nothing seemed to be hanging off. That had to be a good thing. She closed the hood with a resounding, yet unsatisfying, slam. Cassie walked over to the passenger door, opened it and reached for her cell phone, which she’d stuck in the cup holder.

As she figured, she had no bars. The hills around there could play havoc with cell phone reception. She closed the door and walked to the front of the truck. Funny how sometimes just a few feet could make a difference. Not seeing a change, she walked to the back of the truck. Still no bars.

Maybe a little height would work. A few more scratches wouldn’t hurt the truck, so Cassie slid off her flat, slip on shoes stepped on her front bumper and climbed up onto the hood. The metal was warm under her feet. The phone didn’t respond. Cassie sat down and let her legs dangle over the side. Faced with only two choices she had a decision to make.

She could dig out a pair of socks and her sneakers and start the long five mile trek into town. That would mean leaving all her belongings just sitting on the side of the road. It wouldn’t be her first pick. Her other option was to sit there and hope someone came along soon. Not the safest of options either, but better than leaving her stuff behind. And there was a fifty-fifty chance that whoever came along might be someone she knew. After all Kismet Falls was a small town. Then she could ask them to send back a tow truck when they reached town.

Since she had decided to surprise her family no one would even think of looking for her for a while. Surely someone would come along before then. She spotted a car coming in her direction, but it was heading out of town. Cassie was willing to take her chances that the motorist might be a Good Samaritan. She slid off the truck ready to flag the driver down. As the car got closer she realized it was a Jeep with lights on the roof. The word police was painted in black on the white door. Better than a random stranger she thought with a big grin.

Cassie waved her arm in the air. The Jeep slowed as it drove a little further up the road. She stood and waited as he made a U-turn and pulled to a stop behind her truck. Even with her sunglasses on the sun shone in her eyes and Cassie lifted her hand to shield them. She smiled preparing to thank the officer for stopping. Her pulse raced as she watched the standard black boot hit the ground.

Black cargo pants encased the long legs that she followed up to the trim waist where a tan button down uniform shirt was tucked in. She dragged her gaze upward to the wide chest and even broader shoulders as the man finished exiting the car. He closed the door and Cassie’s smile fell. Her stomach clenched as she looked at the familiar smile on a face she’d never forget. His ruggedly handsome looks guaranteed that not many women would have been able to. His black hair was shaggier than it had been the last time she saw him.

It was official, the day that had started off with such potential to be great had in one twist of fate gone to shit. The appearance of Byron Todd, the man who broke her heart, was bad enough. Having him be the man who came to her rescue just made breaking down about fifty times worse. This couldn’t be happening. In her head, all kinds of warning bells were going off, but in reality the only thing that could be heard was the rocks and dirt crunching under his feet as he walked toward her. She imagined that was what her heart would sound like if he stomped on it right now. At one time it had been so filled with love for him it would have been more of a pop and squish sound. Cassie conjured up the image of a balloon flying around in the air as the air escaped it.

She had spent six months trying to convince herself that she was over him. That missing him was just part of the homesickness she’d felt every day that she had been gone. Now she knew she’d been lying to herself. Fate could be a cruel and fickle mistress, and she had once again chosen Cassie’s heart as her plaything.

Cassie wanted to tell him to go away, but all that came out of her mouth was a softly whispered, Fuck me.

Her body took the sentiment in the wrong way. Bits and pieces of her, the ones he used to touch and tease, started to get warm and tingly. Damn it, she thought, quickly shutting down that line of thinking. He’d made it clear that he was no longer interested in her. It didn’t matter if he’d changed his mind, because she wasn’t going to give him another chance to break what was left of her heart.

Cassie was tempted to jump back into her truck and try to start it again, which would make her look like an idiot. He was definitely the last person she wanted to see, but she wasn’t going to let him know it. He would not spoil her excitement of coming home. She’d thought that she would have had more time to prepare herself for having to talk to him at some point. Seeing him around town a few times would have let her get ready for their first face to face meeting since he dumped her and she left town.

Not because he dumped her. Her trip had already been planned. She’d actually been toying with the idea of canceling it to stay with him. What a fool she would have been. Thankfully he had been nice enough to dump her two weeks before she was supposed to leave, instead of waiting for her to tell him she decided to stay with him. Cassie held her breath as he walked toward her.

Hello Heartbreaker. His warm and welcoming tone felt like a knife jabbed into her heart.

Byron. She gave him a nod and got right to the point. Could you call me a tow truck?

Okay, you’re a tow truck. He laughed at his really lame joke and