Read an Excerpt
A Reason to Hope
Sisters of My Heart Trilogy: Book Two
By P. L. Byers AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2015 P. L. Byers
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5049-6328-2
CHAPTER 1
Madison Bowman stood in the living room, looking around at all the people who had come together to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was a festive occasion to be sure, but the surprise proposal of one of her best friends, Brenna Harris, added to the occasion. The room was filled with happy people, enjoying champagne and laughter, yet she felt alone, standing in the crowd.
Glancing over at her friend Brenna, Maddy watched as Grant, Brenna's new fiancé wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. The on both their faces was a sure indication of how happy they felt. She was thrilled for her friend! After months of watching her struggle with how much she loved Grant Warner and afraid that it would never go anywhere, it was gratifying to see that she had finally gotten her happy ending.
Christmas decorations lit the entire living room, right down to the tree with brightly twinkling lights that was centered near the front window. What started out to be a small family Christmas Eve get-together at Edward and Celia Warner's house to celebrate the return of their son Grant back to the family fold, quickly became a full-scale party, culminating in the proposal. Maddy suspected that Grant, with the help of his parents, had gone into great detail to plan their special moment.
Walking over to the temporary bar set up in the corner of the room, Madison refilled her champagne glass and made her way over to her other close friend, Christine Marshall. When she came along beside her, she held her glass up in the air. "To Brenna," she cheered.
Clinking glasses, Christine smiled and repeated the same words. "To Brenna."
As they both stood watching the couple laugh at something Grant's brother said, Madison looked to her friend. "You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
Madison, Brenna, and Christine had been the closest of friends since middle school. While some people moved on to different friends when they went on to college, the three girls had remained steadfast friends. All three of them had left the small town of Montgomery, Massachusetts, and moved to Boston at the same time. And while they attended different colleges and followed completely different career paths, they remained as close as ever and never let more than a few days go by without contacting each other. They'd always spent their birthdays together, without fail, no matter whether one, two, or all three were in a relationship.
The man Brenna had chosen was a really good guy because he completely understood their tradition and had even helped rescue them recently when Christine's birthday celebration got out of hand. Like a true gentleman, he corralled them from the bar, got them all safely back to his condo and tucked them in for the night. Yep, he was definitely a keeper in Maddy's estimation!
"Her dress is beautiful," Christine commented. "You really outdid yourself."
Maddy's dream since she was a little girl, had been to be a designer. She would spend hours sketching out creations she imagined. Her mom used to tease her that her Barbies were the best-dressed dolls around. Any scrap of material lying around would end up in Maddy's room, and she would spend hours making it into something for a Barbie or one of her toys to wear. When a lot of kids her age were out playing, Maddy could be found in her bedroom, drawing or sewing. Her brother Sam used to laugh and tease her about being the only ten year old on earth who asked Santa for a sewing machine. To Sam's amusement, the one she asked for was not a child's replica of the real thing, but an actual grown up sewing machine with all the bells and whistles.
But a sewing machine she got and from that day on, she was constantly sitting behind it, making her designs come to life. It was no surprise to anyone when she applied and was accepted to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Knowing she needed to earn money, she worked as a buyer for one of the small boutiques in Boston while waiting for her big break. She was starting to be recognized. In fact, a few of the other smaller boutiques had asked if she would be interested in selling some of her designs from their stores. The dress Brenna was wearing tonight was actually one that was going to be showcased in one of the boutiques the following week.
"Thanks, Chrissy. You know you could have worn one of my dresses tonight too!"
"I know, and I appreciate it. I just couldn't get to you for any of the fittings. Things at work are crazy right now."
Maddy looked over to her friend and noticed for the first time the lines around her eyes. Of the three of them, Christine was the shy, quiet, and absolutely brilliant one of the group. In high school she had easily excelled in all their classes and was the first to be accepted into college.
She had graduated from Harvard University and was hired immediately after graduation by one of the pharmaceutical companies in Boston as a biomedical engineer doing research and development.
"Which reminds me; you didn't answer my earlier question. Are you okay?"
"You sound like Brenna. I'm fine, just some stress at work. Nothing for either of you to worry about. Besides, we have more important things to discuss." Looking over to see the handsome man standing a few feet away talking to Grant's granddad, she bobbed her head in his direction and smiled. "What's the story with him?"
Maddy followed her friend's gaze and smiled. "Gorgeous isn't he?"
Zander Cole, the man in question, was perhaps the most handsome man Madison had seen in a while. There was just something about the man that made her want to curl up in his arms. He was close to six feet tall, with short brown hair that was just starting to curl at the ends. Maddy knew that if he would just let it grow a little longer, the waves would take over, giving him a wilder look. He carried himself with a commanding air of self-confidence. The very way he stood quietly let anyone near him know that he had made it.
Maddy had first met Zander a few months earlier, when he was at the hotel restaurant where she was meeting Brenna and Grant for lunch. He was just finishing up his meeting with Grant when she arrived. As she sat next to him at the table, Maddy felt an attraction to him in a way that she hadn't experienced before. His chocolate brown eyes just melted her when he looked her way. He was polite but seemed reserved. At one point, during her conversation with him, she put her hand on his arm and immediately felt sparks going up her arm. She loved how his eyes twinkled when he was making a joke, and sitting next to him, she could feel his strength. A quality she found incredibly attractive!
"... which makes me sad," Christine was finishing, and then realized that Madison hadn't heard a word she'd said. Nudging her friend with her shoulder, she smirked when Maddy looked her way, her face slightly red when she realized she had completely zoned out. "Man ... you got it bad," Christine said laughing.
Looking back to Zander, she sighed heavily. He looked so good in his pleated brown dress slacks with his cream shirt neatly tucked in. The brown vest he wore over the shirt just emphasized his muscular chest and made his entire look just plain drool-worthy!
Jerking her attention back to Christine, she frowned. "What makes you sad?" she asked, remembering what Christine had said.
"I was saying how I was sad that the one time I met Zander was the night of my birthday celebration and I was too drunk to remember very much. All I know is that he helped Grant get us back to his place, but not much else. How did he get there?"
"Not really sure. Grant said something about Zander already being at the bar. He recognized Brenna and when he realized how drunk we were he got worried and called Grant. Zander hung out until Grant got there, then helped him get us all back to his place. What I don't know, is if he was there with someone or if he was alone. I have no clue."
"What are you two plotting over here?" Brenna said with a chuckle, coming to stand next to her two best friends.
"What makes you think we're plotting anything?" Madison laughed.
"You have that devious look in your eyes, my friend."
"What do you know about Zander?" Christine asked.
"I should have known this was about him," Brenna said, laughing. "I don't know much, actually. Jonas, Grant's friend from college, introduced him to us. Grant and Zander are investing in something with Jonas so they had that meeting, which is where you and I both met him for the first time. Grant seems to really like the guy though."
"What does he do?" Madison asked curiously.
"He runs Cole Enterprises with his uncle. They're developers, from what I gather."
"Developers of what?" Christine asked.
"You know, they see properties that are for sale or abandoned, buy them, and build or develop them. Sometimes they sell them off. Most times, though, if they like the community, they take them on as a leasing property. There's a division of Cole Enterprises that handles the leasing side of the business. I know Zander has a degree in architecture, so I get the impression that he does some designing of the properties they're building as well."
"Oh yummy ... he's artsy like me. Excuse me, girls, I have a guy who needs my attention."
Zander turned as Madison stepped up beside him. He grimaced as Grant's granddad stepped away, leaving the two of them alone. This was the one woman he needed to avoid, so having her standing at his side made him edgy. Simply walking away would be rude, and the one thing his mama taught him was not to be rude! So here he stood, grappling with what to say to her.
"So are you enjoying the evening?" Madison asked, relieving him of his worry.
"I am."
When he didn't speak any further, Madison tried again. "So did you enjoy the dinner?"
"I did."
Sighing in exasperation, she tried again. "The room looks beautiful with all the Christmas lights, doesn't it?"
"It does."
"Have I done something to offend you, Zander?" Madison asked placing her hands on her hips and looking at him with frustration on her face. Seriously, she got more responses from the cat that lived down the hall from her!
Before Zander could say anything, he watched as she turned to go. Knowing he was being an ass, he gently took a hold of her elbow and turned her back to face him. "I'm sorry Ms. Bowman. I didn't mean to be rude."
As Zander looked into her eyes, he saw an almost hopeful glint appear. Yes, this woman was most definitely trouble. As beautiful, smoky gray eyes looked back at him, he shifted uncomfortably and released her elbow. "I was just getting ready to head out," he commented. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find our host and say my goodbyes."
"I was just about to leave myself," Maddy interjected. "Perhaps we could share a ride."
He gave her a sidelong glance of utter disbelief at her proposal that they share a ride. She was the most forward woman he had ever dealt with! Here he was trying to be polite with his rejection and she just wasn't getting the hint. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bowman ..." he began.
"Maddy."
"Excuse me?"
"My name is Maddy or Madison. Ms. Bowman is my mother," she commented with a straight face.
"Yes ... well then. ... Madison, I have another engagement that I need to get to so I'm afraid sharing a ride would not be possible."
Detecting a hint of censure in his tone, Maddy backed away. "It was nice to see you again, Zander." With that she walked back to her friends with as much dignity as she could muster.
When she approached Christine and Brenna, they looked to her, a question in their eyes. "No luck," she grumbled.
"So what did he say? Did you charm him with your wit and elegance?" Christine grinned.
"He's a tough nut, that one! I'm not giving up though. There's something about him," she puzzled, turning slightly to watch him from the corner of her eye as he said his goodbyes. When he walked out the door, to Maddy, the room seemed to have lost some of its sparkle.
CHAPTER 2
Zander pulled out onto the highway, joining the harried holiday travelers trying to get to their destinations. His hands clung tightly on to the steering wheel, frustration clearly etched onto his face.
It had been a nice evening up until the end. Grant was a relatively new acquaintance, but he truly liked the guy and was honored to have been invited to the party. The people he had met were easy to interact with, and he was even touched as he watched Grant propose to Brenna. It would have been nicer, though, if his friend Jonas hadn't cancelled at the last minute.
No, it was an enjoyable evening up until Grant's granddad abandoned him with the delectable Madison Bowman. After their first meeting a short while back at the hotel where he met Grant for the first time, he had vowed to steer clear of her. For some reason though, it was proving more difficult than it should have been!
Strange and disquieting thoughts began to run through his mind as he drove. He had his life mapped out, was content with the decisions he had made, and had every intention of moving forward. For some reason though, thoughts of soft curly auburn hair and mysterious gray eyes seemed to invade his peace of mind.
Zander liked things in his life to be orderly. His father died when he was very young, in fact, his memories of him had pretty much faded. The only reminders he had were the photographs he kept around his apartment that his mother insisted he keep. He grew up without any siblings but always remained close to his mother. After they had lost his dad, his mother pretty much gave up on life and Zander became her entire world. While other children were out playing with their friends, Zander was cooking for his mother or cleaning the house. When he was a teenager, when other boys were dating and playing sports, Zander was at home, mowing the grass or doing other chores around the house. He knew at an early age that he had responsibilities and he took them very seriously.
The one male role model that he had growing up was his Uncle Seth, his father's brother. Zander loved it when he was allowed to go visit his uncle. He was fascinated when he got to go to Seth's office and watched as he worked on his drawings, making buildings and landscapes come alive with the flick of his pencil. It was his uncle who saw Zander's talent from an early age and stood against his mother when she didn't want Zander to go to college. Uncle Seth didn't back down, though, and now Zander and his uncle worked together at Cole Enterprise, Inc., working side by side, doing what they both loved best.
Zander was still very close to his mom, though. After the initial arguing when he went away for college, Angel Cole soon got used to the idea that her son needed to get his own life. It wasn't easy but she developed a group of friends that she enjoyed spending time with, and even started joining some of the activities sponsored through the local YMCA.
For Zander though, watching his mother's devastation at the loss of her husband sealed his thoughts on what kind of marriage he wanted. He loved women. In fact, when he first went away to college, he considered himself a serial dater. He never committed to any one woman, though, and made sure that they knew exactly where they stood with him before getting involved.
His wife, he decided long ago, would be someone who he could care about, but not be so entangled up with feelings, that if something happened it would crush him. She would let him be in control and he would lead his family with strength and calmness.
Surprisingly, he found just the woman who fit his requirements. Sandra was a quiet, amenable person whom he enjoyed spending time with. She didn't push him for a commitment and always allowed him to dictate when they saw each other, what they did and where they went. She never argued with him and didn't expect hearts and flowers, which suited him just fine. Only on a few occasions had he picked up on some frustration on her part, but she quickly masked it and they continued on their date.
They'd made love a few times and while it wasn't earth shattering, it was pleasant enough that Zander decided to propose marriage to her. He liked that she didn't appear needy or ask more of him than he was willing to give. Her family seemed nice enough, and he could see being able to spend holidays with them or maybe even a vacation or so together. His life with her would be uncomplicated, something he wanted above all else.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Reason to Hope by P. L. Byers. Copyright © 2015 P. L. Byers. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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