Lena's Fall & Colt's Magic (Black Hills Series) Read online

  Black Hills Series Companion Novellas Part 1:

  Lena’s Fall

  &

  Colt’s Magic

  A.C. Wilson

  Thank you for purchasing this book.

  Lena’s Fall & Colt’s Magic remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes without written permission of the author.

  If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy. Thank you for your support.

  Lena’s Fall & Colt’s Magic is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ©2015 A.C. Wilson

  All Rights Reserved.

  Cover Photo by Allison Wilson-Hazen

  Cover Design by Amanda Cornell

  Other Titles by A.C. Wilson

  The Black Hills Series

  Black Hills Angel (Matt and Andy)

  Black Hills Blessing (Garrett and Rayne)

  Black Hills Rebel (Nora and Randy)

  Black Hills Secrets (Blake and Bailey)

  Black Hills Forever (Travis and Lacey)

  COMING SOON

  Black Hills Seasons (Companion Novellas)

  Royal’s Wildfire & Lance’s Stars

  Broken Country Novels

  Discovering Taryn (Levi &Taryn, #1)

  Chasing Taryn (Levi & Taryn, #2)

  Deserving Taryn (Levi & Taryn, #3)

  Welcome back to the Black Hills of South Dakota!

  I had a request from readers that the Black Hills books not end. Continuing can be hard due to the fact that not everyone wants to hear about the tough times and let’s be honest, there are plenty of those in life. I’d like to believe that they are stronger by finding the person meant to be beside them and supporting the family that is always behind them.

  So here are the first two novellas in the four that will be released. Lena McCoy as you will recall is the first love that broke Garrett Johnson’s heart and forced him to flee to Rapid City. She’s also the girl that gets around, if you know what I mean. No name calling!

  Colt Cavanaugh is Nora’s summer boyfriend, who just happened to leave her a present when he moved to Nashville to pursue his dream as a Country music singer. They had a rocky start coming back together in Black Hills Rebel, but Colt assumed his position as Drew’s father and now it is his turn for a happy ending.

  I do hope you enjoy these two stories. I had fun writing them. I am continuing to work on Lance’s Stars and Royal’s Wildfire. Watch for them in the next year. I’m not ending the Black Hills team so soon. If you get a chance, pick up Discovering Taryn to read about Taryn Green from Hot Springs.

  Until we speak again, please read, recommend, review and repeat the cycle. It is because of you that the literary world dotes on books and authors alike. Thank you for all you do.

  Love,

  A.C. Wilson

  Black Hills Series:

  Lena’s

  Fall

  A Companion Novella

  to the

  Black Hills Series

  A.C. Wilson

  CHAPTER ONE

  The world is a funny place where anything can happen. An oyster can turn a tiny grain of sand into a pearl. A rock can be the outer shell of a precious gem. A cracked, bruised heart can be made whole again by true love. –A.C. Wilson

  Lena thought to herself as she sat there with her book open in her lap and her finger crooked to hold her spot. She wondered how dumb people had to be to believe in love. It didn’t heal all hurts. It couldn’t. She knew first hand just how much of a fairy tale the idea of forever really was. Hadn’t Garrett Johnson once professed his undying love to her? Hell, he had even offered to marry her and in the wave of young stupidity, Lena had laughed and turned him aside.

  The joke was on her. She had only just catered his wedding rehearsal and sat in the family’s home as he pledged his heart to Rayne Randall, the town’s veterinarian. Oh yes! The joke was definitely on her. Lena couldn’t help but grimace at the drastic and fitting turn of events. She flicked the long strands of her blond hair over her shoulder and dog-eared the page of her book for later. She was tired of sappy love stories anyway.

  “Maybe in the real world you can only count on yourself.” Lena huffed as she tossed her throw blanket from her lap and got up from the overstuffed couch. Her apartment was small. It took her only a couple of seconds to cross from one side to the other. She reasoned that it was only she that lived there so why have a big house for one person. It might be practical, but it wasn’t what she wanted. All those dreams she had had as a teenager starting out in the world, well they were roughly shoved into a box and into the furthest corner of her heart.

  “Dreams have no place in my reality.” She slid her fuzzy slippers across the parched, wood floor of her apartment. “You would think I’d learn.”

  Lena stripped her t-shirt over her head as she walked into the bathroom. She thought that she would be used to the changes by now. It had only been a couple of years. Lena’s eyes stared back at herself in the oval, bathroom mirror. She avoided mirrors for the most part. That tidbit of information would totally shock the good people of Hot Springs, South Dakota. It might also surprise them to note that her push-up bra was nude.

  No attention-seeking, flamboyant, sexy bra.

  It was the same reason she hadn’t been intimate with a man in over three years. Lena was in the prime of her sexuality and she couldn’t bring herself to share the scars that only she could see. Lena wasn’t ready for rejection. It was easier to be the perfect, slutty young woman everyone in Hot Springs assumed her to be. Proving them wrong seemed to be too much work and in the end, there could be more unwanted baggage.

  Lena heard her cell phone ring from its perch on the arm of the couch. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, and closed the bathroom door. She didn’t know what to say to him and it was likely she never would. Surely he would quit calling. It was over—whatever it really was.

  ***

  Declan Marcos sat in the office of the Johnson Therapy Center staring at his mobile phone and almost wishing that it would ring. He knew it wouldn’t be the person he wanted to speak with though. No, she wouldn’t call him. He had made a nuisance of himself at Garrett Johnson’s wedding. One of the most inspiring nuptials he had ever attended and it had colored his enthusiasm for just such an office. The happily married couple’s future was what he wanted for his own. He wanted a partner that would stand beside him throughout the turmoil and joy a life could bring. Stupidly he had mentioned those thoughts to Lena McCoy, thus scaring her off. She hadn’t returned any of his calls. Not even a text message had been answered. Lena had disappeared off the proverbial map.

  He sighed. Declan knew that he could hardly pass his words off as a generalization. Lena’s bottomless brown eyes had seen right through him and he had only just kept himself from proposing in earnest. He could be so lost when it came down to anything outside of what he wanted. Being in the Army had done that to him. He had vowed that he would live for himself and wouldn’t rely on anyone else to provide meaning to his life.

  Mistake—a short sighted mistake.

  Declan leaned back in his desk chair, the rollers sliding a bit on the plastic mat as his heels automatically came up on top of the desk. He scratched his head, still careful of the scar that came up behind his ear. He sighed and wondered if the PTSD had somehow addled his brain. Certainly the traumatic brain injury he had sustained made
things a bit difficult and sometimes his memory was faulty. Physical injury scarred a person for the outside world and as accepting as society says it is to these deficiencies, it really comes down to the individual.

  Declan knew that well. His scars were beacons to anyone looking for something to judge him by. It was the emotions that proved harder to tether. He took a deep breath to calm those feelings already heightened by what he prayed…what he hoped to be love.

  “Don’t tell me you are holding down the chair?”

  Bailey’s voice made him smile albeit grudgingly. She walked into the office with the day’s mail and Blake Phails right behind her. Since he had returned, the couple had picked up where they had left off in August. For only knowing each other a few months by phone and a few more months in person, Blake and Bailey really had something special. Declan was happy for them and envious at the same time.

  “Just waiting on the phone to ring.” Declan joked, but Blake tipped his head to the side when Bailey had turned her back. Declan lifted a brow and indicated his mobile in his hand.

  “Watched pots don’t boil.” Bailey’s sing song logic made Declan shake his head.

  “What can I say? I’m without patience.”

  Bailey turned to him, worry already apparent in the thin lines around her mouth. “You have more patience than anyone I know, Declan.”

  “Usually I do, but not today. It is taking all my restraint not to hunt down my dove and find out exactly why she is ignoring me.” Declan was a serious man who masked it with light humor and strong patience. Bailey said he was the most patient and he prided himself on that virtue. It was just tough to know what to do. If he gave Lena space, would it mean she didn’t inspire the feelings he nearly professed for her? If he pounded on her door for an explanation, would it make him too afraid to examine the strength of his feelings?

  “Lena McCoy.” Bailey’s voice held some wonder, but no question. Hot Springs residents had already assumed Declan had fallen into the temptress’ web. It was also assumed that many good men had traveled the same path before him.

  “Yes.” Declan answered absently. He brought his eyes up to Blake, wondering what his friend was thinking. They had shared some similar military experiences and they also shared some emotional ones.

  “How long has it been since you’ve heard from her?” Blake asked, taking a seat in the other rolling desk chair. Bailey perched on the corner of the desk. Declan flicked his phone on and looked at the screen.

  “A week.”

  “Whoa, a week?” Bailey looked shocked, her brows meeting her hairline as she looked at Blake.

  “I think a week would be sufficient to put her thoughts in order. Maybe it is time to get in touch with her.” Blake shifted in his chair.

  Bailey shook her head. “It really depends what the conversation was regarding and if she hasn’t spoken with you in a week, I would say the relationship is over.”

  Bailey’s words hung in suspended animation between them. Declan couldn’t quite wrap his head around that logic, but could he fault it? Lena had many ways to get in touch and she hadn’t. Was it really over? Had it ever begun?

  “You’ll never know if you don’t talk to her. I’ve never known Lena McCoy to mince words.” Blake looked down at the desk and Declan glanced down at his mobile again as if it might ring automatically. He almost prayed that it would just to put him out of his misery of wondering what the heck he was supposed to do.

  “I need to know.” But I’m afraid to know it.

  Both Bailey and Blake nodded in agreement.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lena picked up the four beer bottles sitting on the table and put them onto her tray. Her shift was only half over at The Well, a popular bar in Hot Springs. She glanced at the digital clock behind the bar and noted that it was six o’clock. The after work crowd would be coming in for drinks and burgers. As much as she was sick of bartending and waitressing, Lena knew that it paid the bills. Tips were good here. People were friendly with a bit of alcohol in their systems. Even her curvy body and sassy mouth added to the atmosphere as loathed as she was to think that. It was yet another mask she wore that chaffed.

  “Lena, table six wants another round.” The other waitress, Tricia, told her as she walked back to the bar. Lena nodded. She could do this stuff in her sleep for as long as she had served. There was little she hadn’t encountered.

  “Jack, I need two more margaritas on the rocks, salt and extra lime, three Buds, and a double shot of vodka.” Lena set her tray up on the counter of the bar. Jack bobbed his head, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes as he began mixing drinks.

  “I can’t believe Chance hasn’t asked you out yet, Lena.” Tricia set her empty tray up on the bar as well. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in the front and her shirt was pulled down. She was fairly busting out of her top. Lena lifted a brow and stayed quiet. Tricia was always looking for the juiciest tidbit of information and then it spread like wildfire among the town’s epically bored residents. Gossip was a hot commodity.

  “Two margaritas on the rocks, salt and extra limes.” Jack sat them on a new tray, a small tumbler of limes next to the glasses. He moved onto the cooler for the beers.

  “He is so hot.” Tricia fanned herself and sighed dramatically. Lena was focused on what Jack was doing and not on what Tricia was saying.

  “Jack?” Lena asked, tipping her head in confusion.

  “No! Chance.” Tricia snapped back, her dark eyes blatantly conveying that she thought Lena was a ditz of the first order.

  “Oh, he’s something…” Lena’s voice trailed off as Jack brought the three beers and the double shot of vodka. She carefully lifted the tray into her arms and without a look for Tricia, Lena moved toward table six.

  Her t-shirt suddenly felt incredibly tight as if her breasts had expanded and she had forgotten how to breathe. They hadn’t and she hadn’t of course, but these guys, especially Chance Tatum made her nervous. They came in nearly every day and always asked for her section. Lena would have gladly passed them onto Tricia, but the men tipped so damn well.

  “Here’s your drinks.” Lena plastered a sticky sweet smile on her face. She thought that at least the guys had brought dates this time. That was new.

  “Lena’s our girl!” Chris Jones grinned, taking the beers off the tray. Lena moved the margaritas in front of the girls.

  “Just doing my job.” Lena softly reminded him. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Oh but we do, darlin’!” Chance Tatum smiled wickedly as he slid his large hand around to her backside and pressed against her so that she’d know he was there.

  Like I didn’t know.

  Lena was thankful she had worn jeans today. Sometimes she wore skirts and it was just such a move that had her tossing them into a corner of her closet. She couldn’t stand his touch on her bare skin.

  “I’m not on the menu. Ever.” Lena pierced Chance with a hard stare until he removed his hand, but his hesitance said he wasn’t giving up that easily.

  “What do you ladies think of having dinner here tonight?” Chance asked in the general direction of the table. The girls were only an afterthought. Chance’s friend, Chris was watching the display with veiled interest. Lena didn’t know what Chris was about, but she knew Chance. He wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. He merely thought she was playing hard to get and that it was just a matter of time.

  “But you promised Chinese food tonight.” The blonde with large breasts whined, batting her eyes and adjusting her chest to settle on the tabletop.

  “I’ve heard Chinese makes you horny.” The petite black haired girl said from next to Chris. Lena watched openly as the girl slid her hand into Chris’ lap and the man sat up a bit straighter. Lena would have laughed, but she wishing Chance would take the hint and leave. These girls were easy and they flaunted it with glitter.

  “Uh…Chinese does sound good.” Chris finally found his voice and it looked like Chance was out
numbered. His dark eyes met hers and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. She felt sick. The look in his eyes made her stomach turn.

  “Chinese it is.” Chance’s voice was so low that Lena wondered if the rest of the table had heard it. “Guess that will be all…for tonight.”

  Her heart was thumping in her chest as if a madman were slamming away at a set of drums. Something was not right with that man. Instinctively she knew it as she knew she had created this situation. What she let men think about her and do with her were completely different things. The problem was that it was never what other people, especially Chance Tatum, thought it was. Lena sat her empty tray up on the bar and held the edge tightly. There didn’t seem to be enough air in the room.

  “I’m going to take my break.” She spoke to Jack who only nodded his head. She began to untie her apron as she headed for the back door. The alley was a quiet place and she needed a moment before she faced more of the Chance Tatum’s of the world.

  ***

  It didn’t feel right ambushing Lena at work, but he stood outside The Well all the same. She wasn’t answering his calls or his text messages. There was nothing left to try, except breaking into her apartment or cornering her at work. The latter seemed to be a bit more rational…for the moment. Declan rubbed the palms of his hands off on the thighs of his jeans. He was sweating like a nervous pig. He chuckled at the thought. At least his sense of humor hadn’t deserted him.

  “Are you going inside?”