LOVE ME TENDER: Ryker Falls Series Read online

  LOVE ME TENDER

  Ryker Falls Series

  Wendy Vella

  Contents

  Introduction

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Thank You

  Sneak Peek

  Other Books By Wendy Vella

  Introduction

  LOVE ME TENDER

  By Wendy Vella

  Finding her way home

  Leaving her beloved hometown, Ryker Falls, was the second hardest thing Rory Haldane had ever done. Forgetting the cloud of shame her family left under, was the first.

  When circumstances bring Rory back, wounded but not broken, some townsfolk don't appreciate her arrival. As threats against her escalate, she finds support from an unlikely ally. Jack Trainer may epitomize the dark handsome bad-boy, but surprisingly he takes her side, and she finds herself falling for a man who has no intention of losing his heart to anyone. This is one battle Rory refuses to fight, so for her own protection she'll once again say goodbye to Ryker Falls.

  He'll fight for her to stay

  Jack Trainer likes women, he just had no intention of loving one. Life taught him to guard his heart, and when Rory Haldane walks back into town he’s ready to ignore her. The problem with that is he also hates injustice, and the way some people in his town are treating her has his hackles rising. He's not exactly the stuff heroes are made of, but Rory has his protective instincts on high alert. And his libido. He wants more, way more from her than a passionate fling, but will Rory drop her guard enough to trust him?

  BOOKS IN THE RYKER FALLS SERIES

  Somebody To Love

  From This Moment

  Love Me Tender

  Would you like to know when my next book is available? Sign up for my new release mailing list at www.wendyvella.com or visit me on Facebook www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyVella

  Love Me Tender is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Love Me Tender is published by Wendy Vella

  Copyright © 2018 Wendy Vella

  ISBN: 978-0-9951068-5-7

  “This year we welcomed, sweet, and oh so beautiful, Mia Florence Hurinui into the family.

  Such a precious little bundle who already has us wrapped around her little finger.

  Nana loves you to the moon and back sweetheart xx”

  Chapter 1

  Rory heard the hum of an engine, then saw a flash of light through the window as a vehicle pulled up outside the house. Fear had her burrowing deeper under the blankets. Dark and cold, with no power to change things, she’d earlier decided to let her flashlight run until the batteries died.

  A fist pounded on her front door, making her jump. Terror skittered up her spine as the second knock was accompanied by a roared, “Open the door now!”

  Rory lay quietly. Maybe if she didn’t answer, whoever it was would go away.

  “I’m coming in. Don’t run, I’ll catch you!”

  Had she locked the front door?

  Rory scrambled out and grabbed the nearest thing she could arm herself with. She heard the thud of feet as he drew closer to the bedroom. Bracing her legs, she waited for the inevitable. A bright light impaled her.

  “What are you going to do with that, give me a new look?”

  Rory looked at the hand she had raised above her head and saw she held a hairbrush.

  “I have good aim.”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  Covering her eyes, she blinked several times against the light he shone directly at her.

  “Who the hell are you?” she replied.

  “I asked first,” he growled.

  “Lower the light.”

  Thankfully he did. She couldn’t see much of him, as he stood in the dark, but he was big, and his voice told her he was angry. Swallowing, she tried to remember the self-defense course her brothers had made her take two years ago.

  “I own this place, so you’re trespassing.” Rory tried to sound tough, but instead her voice was high-pitched and panicky.

  “You? I don’t think so, lady. This place is owned by the late Connie Haldane, and possibly now her family, and they’ve been gone for years—thankfully.”

  The last word was muttered.

  “I’m Aurora Haldane.”

  Silence. It was thick and loaded with tension.

  “Prove it!”

  “What? H-how?”

  “You’re not too bright, is my guess,” the voice drawled.

  “I am too!”

  “Got any ID on you?”

  Damn, why hadn’t she thought of that? Dropping to her knees, she rifled around in her bag and found her driver’s license.

  “Here.” She thrust it at him. Fingers briefly touched hers and then he pulled back. She had a glimpse of black hair and a square jaw. “Now tell me who you are?”

  “None of you could be bothered attending your grandmother’s funeral, so what the hell are you doing back here now, Princess Aurora May Haldane?”

  He still didn’t offer his name.

  “I-I.... This is my house.” Rory winced at the title. Once she’d thought she deserved it, but not now.

  “This was your grandmother’s house.”

  The words were flat and cold.

  “Yes, well now it’s mine. She left it to us.”

  Silence again.

  “I can’t believe she actually left this place to you three,” he said, disdain clear in his words.

  Rory hadn’t believed it either.

  “One of the Haughty Haldanes?” His laugh held no humor. “It’s not like any of you gave a shit about her.”

  “My nana loved me,” Rory said stiffly.

  “I can’t fathom why she would. You caused her nothing but shame. The day you were all run out of town she should have thrown a party.”

  The words were mean and designed to hurt, but she also knew she deserved every one.

  I’m leaving you my home, grandchildren, so you go on and make the most of it. Love, Nana Haldane.

  They’d corresponded, she and Connie Haldane. Nana had never been a big one for words or showing her love, but it had been there no matter what the stranger said to the contrary. To her shame, Rory hadn’t even known she’d passed away until the paperwork arrived from her lawyer.

  “You need to leave,” she said. “Now.”

  “You got power?”

  Rory shook her head.

  “Water?”

  She shook her head again.

  “Figures. Only a Haldane would be totally unequipped, thinking everything should be done for them.”

  “Don’t be
rude,” Rory said before she could stop herself.

  “Rude? You’re shitting me, right? You Haldanes took that award long ago.”

  Battling more shame, she vowed to stay silent this time.

  “You need to leave town before anyone else knows you’re here.”

  “I’m not leaving, and I demand to know why you’re here, and who the hell you are?”

  “Your funeral, and I’m one of the locals who keep an eye on this place seeing as Connie’s family couldn’t be bothered doing it. My name is my business.” He turned, and she saw a broad back encased in a ski jacket, jeans, and boots.

  She heard him stomping around, and then he went out the door. Minutes later the light above her came on. She then heard his car start up, and he was gone... whoever the hell he was.

  Rory ran to the door and locked it, like she should have earlier. Retracing her steps, she switched on lights and looked around her.

  Arriving in the dark, she hadn’t been able to see much, and it was freezing, so she’d hauled in her things, opened her sleeping bag, and climbed into her grandmother’s bed.

  Who was the dark stranger? Had they gone to school together? Or was he one of the new inhabitants of Ryker Falls?

  Was he right, should she leave tomorrow? Had coming here been a bad move? But surely if no one knew who she was it would be okay to stay a while. She may never see the stranger again.

  Walking through the rooms had emotion building inside her. A combination of sadness and memories gripped her as she thought about the time she’d spent here.

  All three Haldane children had been spoiled and obnoxious; their parents had seen to that. Only their nana had tried to pull them into line, and strangely, when they were here at her house for a rare visit, they’d behaved.

  Looking at Connie Haldane’s favorite chair, she could almost see the small figure sitting in it, needles clacking as she knitted.

  Rory had loved her nana, even though the stranger was right, and she’d rarely shown it.

  Someone had made a half-hearted attempt at covering some of the furniture in dustcloths, but the two cabinets with her nana’s knickknacks had a layer of dust.

  Signs of the woman who’d lived here were everywhere.

  “I should have tried harder to get back to you. I missed you,” Rory whispered, touching the mark on the wall her eldest brother, Leo, had put there when he was measuring Rory to see how much she’d grown. Her mother had been furious, but Nana had laughed, saying they were only children and a few marks never hurt anyone.

  She loved me, Rory thought defiantly. The stranger was wrong about that.

  Making her way back to the bedroom, she dived into the sleeping bag, shivering from the cold. Tomorrow she’d find wood for the fire, but tonight she’d just wanted the oblivion of sleep. Closing her eyes, she lay in the dark, missing the city noises that usually lulled her to sleep but comforted because her nana’s things were all around her once again.

  Chapter 2

  Rory knew it would be close to 7:00 a.m. when her eyes opened. That was the time she usually rose and had done so for years. She’d closed the curtains, but a strip of light filtered through the edge, allowing her to study the bedroom.

  The wallpaper had been the same for as long as she could remember: large blue peonies and pretty matching bows. She’d loved them when she was a young girl, especially because her mother hadn’t let her choose any of the furnishings in her own room. She would have picked something just like this.

  Getting out of bed, she wrapped a blanket around her body before moving to the dressing table, where she lifted the lid on a jewelry box, and turned the key at the back. Music played. Closing her eyes, she let herself go back there briefly. Back to days when life was simple and she was a spoiled little Princess, just like the stranger had said.

  Her nana had liked clutter, and this room was no different. Necklaces spilled out of another little wooden box, and yet another held bracelets. Rory had worn most of them when she visited and played dress-up.

  The cold soon drove her to get some clothes out of her case and head for the bathroom. The hot water was blissful, and she silently thanked the stranger who’d scared ten years off her life for both the water and electricity.

  When she was dressed, Rory pulled on a thick woolen hat, coat, and gloves, then left the house to get supplies. The day was cold and gray, and she’d need firewood when she got back or it would be another cold night. Her eyes found the flower beds Connie Haldane had lovingly tended, but were now empty.

  Tend them right from the outset, granddaughter, and they’ll return with a pretty picture come blooming time.

  The land branched left, right, and to the rear of the house, and she and her brothers had walked over most of it.

  Rory wondered where Henry was, her grandmother’s donkey. The lawyer hadn’t mentioned the ornery animal in the will.

  Climbing into her sedan, she headed down the rutted driveway that also needed serious attention and onto the main street. Later, she’d do a thorough investigation of the property and house; for now, coffee and food were needed.

  The sleepy town of Ryker Falls she’d left was now a bustling tourist destination. Before returning she’d read everything she could about it online. For so long she’d hated it here and vowed never to return, but here she was, a Haldane back in town.

  It was situated at the foot of two huge mountains, and Rory knew those mountains were one of the main reasons for the booming tourist trade. Hikers, skiers, and outdoor adventure people came here to traverse them. Phil and Roxy, the mountains were called, after the founding family’s twins. Turning into the main street, she got her first real look at the town of Ryker. As Christmas was only four weeks away, the place was lit up with thousands of fairy lights, and the shop fronts twinkled with more lights and goodies to tempt anyone passing.

  People were wrapped up warm like her and bustled up and down the street. A few of the shops were the same, but most were new and now catered to the tourists. She couldn’t avoid the mayor’s office where her father had worked. Dragging her eyes from the stone building as pain knifed through her, she found the bank and the pain intensified.

  Moving on, she saw a tea shop called Tea Total, and a cafe called Phil’s Place. That looked like somewhere Rory could have breakfast, and more importantly, get a coffee.

  She found trees, bench seats, and lovely ornate street lamps. The place looked good. What would her life have been like if she’d stayed here?

  “You’ll never know,” she muttered, pulling her car into a parking space. Food first, then she’d tackle the groceries and find somewhere to buy a heater. Her grandmother had never seen the need for one when she had a perfectly good wood-burner. Rory disagreed.

  A large, black, shaggy dog bounded up to meet her and woofed a few times, which Rory thought meant “pat me.” She did, scratching behind his ears. He then woofed again and ran away. Finding her first smile since arriving back in Ryker, she walked into the cafe. Warmth welcomed her as she opened the door and headed to the counter. It was buzzing with customers, and the scents made her stomach rumble.

  Overhead hung Santa hats and yards of greenery decorated with big red shiny balls. Christmas music played softly in the background.

  Taking off her coat and hat, she looked around. The white décor was clean and fresh, and there were plenty of leafy green plants Rory thought would take some serious watering. The last plant she’d bought had been dead within a month.

  “Morning.”

  “Morning.” Rory nodded to the woman who approached. Taller than her, which wasn’t hard as Rory was five foot one, she was beautiful, with her dark features and hair and a wide smile, even dressed casually in black jeans and a white sweater. Rory just bet she was one of those people who could throw on a sack and look great.

  “You eating or just a coffee?”

  “Eating,” Rory said.

  “You want a coffee while you decide what you want to eat?”

&nbs
p; “Please.”

  “So I’m thinking by your one-word answer, you’re not a morning person. And I hear you there. I think there should be some kind of law passed that it’s illegal to talk to someone if they haven’t had their morning coffee.”

  “I’d second that,” Rory said, wrapping her fingers around the steaming mug the woman handed her.

  She read through the menu, ordered, and then sat contemplating the coffee.

  “Is that natural?”

  The woman was pointing at Rory’s head.

  “Unfortunately.” Rory didn’t want to converse, but she couldn’t ignore someone who was trying hard to be nice. Did they know each other? She hoped not; she wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “Nothing unfortunate about it. You have a beautiful head of curls I would pay serious money for, if only I could be assured it would turn out just like that.”

  “It’s not my favorite feature,” Rory admitted. The woman was being nice. Politeness never hurt a soul, her grandmother used to say.

  “Funny how we’re never happy with what we’ve got.”

  “I wake looking like a poodle, even after I’ve sprayed half a bottle of detangler into it.”

  The woman touched a curl. “It’s really beautiful, and so soft.”

  “It’s yours.”

  “Done! Now let me get your order to the kitchen as the Roadies are straggling in and will demand my attention.”