Adeline Murphy believes the Apple Valley Inn is the only thing waiting for her in Cattle Valley, and it's up to Melissa Danes to change her way of thinking.
Adeline Murphy heads to Cattle Valley, Wyoming looking for a fresh start. She's invested every dime she has and purchased the local bed and breakfast. Arriving in town with a cranky girlfriend in tow, Addie's devastated to discover the inn has been vandalised. With the property uninhabitable, she has no source of income and a mounting stack of bills.
Melissa Danes' quiet Cattle Valley existence is shaken by the arrival of the beautiful Addie and her surly tagalong, Chloe. She's captivated by Addie, but stays away thinking Addie and Chloe are in a committed relationship. When she discovers differently, all bets are off.
Mel discovers Addie has several barriers to cross, including repairing the damaged inn and her even more wounded self-esteem. When Mel looks at Addie she sees more than Fool's Gold, but she needs to find a way for Addie to see it too.
Publisher's Note: This novel is a stand-alone title which includes characters created by Carol Lynne in the Cattle Valley Series. Visit the Cattle Valley website for more information on this bestselling series!
General Release Date: 22nd June 2009
Adeline Murphy squinted at the bright sunlight shining in on her and yawned. She fumbled around the backseat of her ancient Pontiac Le Mans before clutching the passenger headrest, attempting to sit up. “Is it morning?” She glanced around.
“Hmm?” The woman sleeping in the front seat mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over, away from Addie.
“Hey, Chloe.” Addie reached over and nudged her shoulder. “It’s morning. Want to grab a shower before we leave Casper?”
“Don’t want to be in Casper,” Chloe muttered, trying to bury her face in the pillow.
Addie yawned again. “Tough. You didn’t have to come with me, you know. I’m sure you can catch a bus back to Colorado Springs.”
Chloe opened one eye. “Maybe I will. What’s the name of this town we’re going to, again?”
“Cattle Valley.” Addie grabbed the badly refolded map of Wyoming and peered at it. “Somewhere near Sheridan which, in that state, is about as far north as you get.”
“Great.” Chloe threw an arm over her face. “Okay, whatever. I got nothing left in Colorado, I’ll tell you that much. Might as well see what Cow Village has to offer.”
“Cattle Valley.” Addie bopped her companion with the map then tossed it on the wide front dashboard. “Come on, grab your stuff. They have showers in the back part of this truck stop. Then we can get some breakfast.”
Shoving her pillow and blanket aside, Chloe sat up. “How about a little nookie? That’s how I like to wake up in the morning.”
Addie smiled at Chloe’s dishevelled, spiked blonde hair and smeared makeup. She ran her thumb under Chloe’s left eye, wiping away a black mascara smudge. “Let’s check out the showers, see if there’s any privacy.”
Chloe’s face lit up, and they both crawled out of the car.
Addie unlocked the large trunk and rummaged around in one of her suitcases for clean clothes and a couple of towels. She watched Chloe dig through an old military-style duffle bag and pull out two equally rumpled shirts. Chloe sniffed one and shrugged, throwing it over her shoulder. She shoved the other one back into the duffle.
“I have shampoo in here somewhere.” Addie dug deeper. She found soap and the other necessary supplies then looked at Chloe. “Anything else?”
“Oh, yeah.” Chloe grabbed a small make-up kit.
Addie slammed the trunk, and they headed inside. Most of the actual truck drivers had left before dawn. She’d heard their diesel engines rumble to life, one by one, but tried to ignore them and sleep as long as she could. They only had a couple of hours left of their eight hour trek, but she’d been too exhausted the night before to attempt going the whole way.
A large crowd had gathered in the dining area for breakfast. Addie’s father used to tell her, if she wanted a good meal when travelling, eat at a truck stop.
Over-the-road drivers, who went back and forth regularly, always knew the best places to eat.
She did some quick mental calculations and knew they couldn’t spend much on their meal. They’d splurged on a big dinner when they’d arrived the previous night then spent the rest of the evening fending off truckers who didn’t realise they were gay. Chloe didn’t help matters—she had a habit of letting men buy her drinks before eventually dropping the bomb. Most were pissed that they’d wasted their time and money, a few got downright angry. They’d met a couple of nice ones, though, who’d given them the free shower coupons most drivers accumulated with a tank fill-up.
After following the signs to the shower area, Addie turned in their coupons and was given two towels and two paper floor mats. She and Chloe glanced at each other—the towels were dingy and stiff. “I think we’ll take a pass on these.” She set them on a bench and entered the showers.
“Not bad.” Chloe peeled out of her clothes.
“I’m leaving my flip-flops on, just in case.” Addie motioned to her rubber sandals.
“What the hell. I’ve probably been exposed to everything possible, anyway.” Her friend kicked her shoes across the room and stepped into a stall. “Care to join me?”
Chuckling, Addie chose the shower next to Chloe, pulling the plastic curtain closed. “I don’t think so. Let’s get in and get out. We’ll have time to relax when we arrive at Cattle Valley.”
“No fun.” Chloe’s voice sounded pouty, but her water turned on.
“Here.” Addie passed the soap and shampoo over when she was done with them then hurried to towel off. She wasn’t sure about the privacy level, and didn’t want to get caught naked in a truck stop shower.
She dressed in a T-shirt and cut-off jeans. There was a hair dryer attached to the wall, and she was able to dry her short, black hair. There was no way to actually style it, but she was going to be driving for crissakes. Who cares?
Chloe was still in the shower, and Addie was completely dressed and ready to go. “Come on, girl!” She finally called. “What are you doing in there?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” A teasing voice came back.
“Actually, I’d like to get the hell out of here. Think you’ll be done anytime soon?”
The water stopped, and Chloe threw the curtain back. “Bitch, bitch, bitch. All right, I’m done. Shall we go?” She held up her hands.
Addie gazed over Chloe’s naked body. She had firm, perky tits with perfectly shaped round nipples. They were deep brown in contrast to her fair skin. The left one was pierced, and the small, silver hoop matched the ring that hung from her totally shaved labia. Addie glanced at the tempting flesh then looked away quickly. Chloe didn’t need any encouragement. A suggestive glance might have them groping each other right then and there. Addie was anxious to get going. She handed over one of her clean, dry towels. “Come on.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Chloe sounded cooperative but she dried off as slowly as possible. She stood naked in front of the worn, scarred mirror and dried her hair then paused to examine her face up close. “I need makeup.”
“You look fine. Maybe you could do your makeup in the car.” Addie looked at Chloe’s reflection in the mirror. A shiny stud punctuated the end of one eyebrow, and eight earrings adorned each ear. She knew the exact number. She couldn’t help counting them when kissing in that vicinity on the sexy blonde.
Chloe snorted in disgust but moved away from the mirror. She wandered around the small, steamy room, apparently unconcerned that someone might come in at any time. Moving at a snail’s pace, she gathered her things and finally began to dress.
It didn’t take long. A small blue thong, tiny cut-off shorts and a sheer white top were all she had. Addie bit her lip. Luscious brown nipples poked right through the thin shirt. I’m going to have to look at those all day? Sex might not be able to wait until they got to Cattle Valley.
“All right, I’m ready.” Chloe slipped into her sandals and picked up her stuff. “I look like shit, but I guess I can do my makeup later.”
“Sure you can. We have two more hours, at least. That’s if I don’t get lost.” Addie couldn’t resist and placed a light kiss on Chloe’s mouth.
Taking full advantage, Chloe clutched the back of Addie’s head and drove her tongue forward. They kissed passionately for a minute, sucking tongues like there was no tomorrow. The delicious tingles running down Addie’s spine were almost enough to make her give in and shove Chloe up against the wall, but she held firm. They had somewhere to be.
She broke the kiss regretfully. “Come on, babe. Let’s grab something to eat and go.”
Chloe rubbed the back of Addie’s neck and stared deep into her eyes before releasing her. “I’m not hungry.”
Addie knew she didn’t have any money. “I’ll cover it. Get whatever you want that we can take with us.”
At the counter by the cash register, she chose a granola bar and a small carton of milk. Chloe opted for cheese crisps and a can of soda. Without comment, Addie paid, and they returned to her car. “A couple of more hours.” She patted the chipped paint on the dark green bonnet. “Get us to Cattle Valley is all I ask.”
“Think this tub might not make it?” Chloe tossed her things in the back seat and climbed in front.
“It’s been a good car. It’s just really old. Some day, I expect it simply won’t start.”
“Not today, I hope.” Chloe kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on the dashboard. She grabbed her sunglasses from the visor and put them on.
Addie smiled to herself. Her friend certainly made herself comfortable wherever she went. Personally, she never felt that laid back. Her upbringing—or something—kept Addie from really feeling at ease anywhere.
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