Always Mine (Coming Home To The Grove Book 1)

  Always Mine

  Coming Back To The Grove

  Hope Ford

  Contents

  1. Lacy

  2. Lacy

  3. Lacy

  4. Lacy

  5. Lacy

  6. Lacy

  7. Lacy

  8. Lacy

  9. Lacy

  10. Lacy

  11. Lacy

  12. Lacy

  13. Lacy

  14. Lacy

  15. Lacy

  Epilogue

  Epilogue 2

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  About the Author

  Always Mine © 2020 by Hope Ford

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1

  Lacy

  After so many years away from my hometown, I’m sure that the memories and pain that drove me from the place I’d always known as home would have faded away by now. But I’m wrong. As I drive down the main street to Forest Grove, Tennessee heading toward my family’s B&B, I feel myself tearing up over the bittersweet memories.

  My plans after graduating high school were to leave this small town. My then boyfriend and I had big ideas that we would move to the city and create a whole new life together, one away from my family’s B&B and his family’s ranch. But tragedy happened and Trent’s parents passed away. I felt it all the way to my bones. Even now, three years later, it hurts. His parents were like my second parents, and I grieved their passing too. I knew they would need to put off our leaving Forest Grove, but then Trent dropped the bombshell. He wanted to break up, telling me he wasn’t in love with me anymore. So I left Forest Grove, planning to never come back.

  But man, how plans change.

  The last three years I’ve been taking business courses at a college three hours from here. Living in the big city wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And besides the one-day visits to my parents, I haven’t been back to Forest Grove for an extended amount of time since I left. But when my parents told me to either come home and run the B&B or they were selling it, I knew what I had to do.

  At first, I thought I would regret my instant decision to come back, but I haven’t. I’m actually a little relieved. As I look around at the town as it passes by, it just feels right, and I’m happy to be home.

  Driving through town, everything is the same, but still different.

  I remind myself I’m not the lovesick teenager I was when I left as I blink away the tears. I can do this. I know I can. No way am I letting a single one fall. I’ve cried so many tears over the years for Trent Keller I’m not giving him another one. I’ve told myself that I’ve moved on, and even though I’ve dated other men, I’ve always compared them to him. No matter how hard I tried not to.

  Pulling into the driveway for the B&B, my mouth drops open. I knew my parents had made some changes, but the beauty of it is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

  The B&B looks great. The new pink accents are a cheerful and tasteful color, and the wraparound porch has some nice upgrades I didn’t anticipate. The outdoor heaters and lounge seating looks comfortable and welcoming.

  I park near the garage and spot my parents sitting in a porch swing kissing like two teenagers. I sit there in a daze, remembering my youth. My parents are the epitome of marriage. It’s always been them against the world, and I can’t help but wish the same thing for myself one day. They were great examples to me of what a relationship should be like. They raised the bar high, and I make a promise to myself right then and there, as my parents walk toward me hand in hand, that I won’t settle for anything less. I want exactly what they have. They’re great parents, and I’m happy that they are retiring. They deserve to have some fun.

  Now, all I have to do is avoid Trent Keller and move on with my life. Should be easy enough.

  Trent

  It’s just after eleven in the morning, and I’ve already put in a full day’s worth of work at the family ranch. I’ve got every intention of getting back to the ranch to work some more after I pick up some supplies at the feedstore in town.

  Jason, my younger brother, is with me and being his chatty self with the clerk and burning daylight. I load up the truck and sit down in the driver’s seat, biding my time as I wait on my younger brother. I’ve never been called a patient man, and I honk the horn to put a little fire under Jason, thinking the I need to get back to the ranch. The cows aren’t going to feed themselves.

  Jason is shaking his head when he comes out of the store with a big smile on his face. He must have gotten the cashier’s number.

  “We’ve got a lot to get done,” I remind him.

  “You should be glad I was getting the latest from Milly. She’s always got the best information that people want to know.”

  I laugh and begin to back the truck up. “She’s a gossip,” I state, only half listening to my brother. There isn’t any gossip I’m interested in wasting my time over.

  We barely get a block down the road, and it’s obvious that Jason is itching to say something. He can barely sit still. Finally, when he can’t stand it anymore, he turns in his seat and asks, “Don’t you want to know what I found out?”

  Jason is the youngest of the three Keller brothers, and sometimes I think he is refusing to mature. He’s always goofing off and never seems to take anything seriously. So him sitting here, bouncing up and down in his seat, is nothing new. “No.”

  “Even if it’s about Lacy?” Jason asks, dragging out the name of the woman who left town with my heart.

  I perk up then and give my younger brother a look that lets him know he’d better talk if he doesn’t want a world of pain. I don’t mess around, especially when it comes to Lacy. I haven’t heard her name in probably a year, but I’ve thought about her every day.

  Jason is too pleased with himself to keep quiet anyway. “Lacy came home. She arrived in Forest Grove not two hours ago.”

  I can already feel my heart pounding in my chest. My high school sweetheart, the love of my life, the one I pushed away, is back in Forest Grove. “She is visiting her parents?”

  Jason pauses for effect, but the look I give him tells him that he’d better spill it, and it better be fast. “She’s back to stay. Lacy’s gonna run the B&B.”

  The rest of the ride out to the ranch is filled with Jason yammering on about one thing or another, but I don’t even pay attention. I’ve got my mind set on the fact that Lacy’s back, and it sounds as if she’s back to stay. With more gumption than I’ve felt in a long time, I tell myself I’m not going to screw this up. I’m not going to lose her again.

  2

  Lacy

  “Did you stop by and see your old flame on your way into town?” my mom asks as I unpack my suitcase. She hasn’t stopped since I walked in the door. After the first twenty questions about what I’ve been doing and then to ask about the guy I dumped back in the city, I should have known that my mother would mention Trent. I hadn’t been seeing Craig, the man in the city, long, and I broke up with him before making the choice to come back and take over the B&B when I found out my parents wanted to retire.

  I knew that my mom would ask, but I guess I didn’t think it would be in my first fifteen minutes home. I’ve done all I can to forget about Trent. And it’s been hard. I definitely don’t need to be reminded of him at every turn. “I’m not back here to see Trent, Mom. I’m here because I want to take over the family business. I’ve missed this place, the town.”

  “The people,” my mom adds.

  She’s not going to let up. You would think my mother wouldn’t like Trent. Especially the way he broke up with me and totally devastated my life, turning it completely upside down.

  But Mom seems to see it in a different light. She seems to think that whatever problems we had we could work out. Man, if only life and love was really that easy.

  I redirect the conversation, asking questions about the B&B and the cruise that my mom and dad are planning to go on.

  “So you’ll be gone a month?” I ask.

  She lets out a squeal as if she’s a young in-love woman instead of a matured fifty-year-old married woman. “One month cruising the islands with your dad. I can’t wait!”

  “You and Dad deserve this,” I tell her honestly. “You both are so good to each other and still in love after all this time. I can only hope that one day I find what you both have.”

  My mother wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. “Yours is coming, Lacy. I just know it. But you have to be open to it. You know, sometimes you have to forgive old hurts first.”

  I barely resist rolling my eyes. Of course my mother is going to play matchmaker. Why can’t she leave Trent out of this?

  “Trent and I are not going to happen,” I deadpan, ready for this conversation to be over.

  My mom pulls back a little to look into my face. With a twinkle in her eye, she asks, “Who says I was talking about Trent?”

  Caught, I roll my eyes.

  My mom goes about the room putting things away. “I’m so glad that you’ve come home to take over the family business. In fact, tonight is the Picture in Peach Park event.” Every year the B&B sponsors the Forest Grove Slammers youth
baseball team. And every year the team honors us by having the B&B start the movie after the announcements. It seems that no matter how long you are away, some things never change.

  “I’m sure you and Dad got it. I need to get settled in,” I tell my meddling mom. Essentially, it’s just pushing a button. Very easy.

  “Your dad and I have plans tonight, honey. We have to say bye to our friends before we leave for our cruise. Plus, it’s bridge night. You know that.”

  Every week for as long as I can remember, my mom and dad have had the same group of friends that they meet with weekly for a bridge game, dinner, and gossip. No doubt my name will be on the list to talk about tonight. Probably the first on the list if I was guessing.

  As if my mom just notices that I’m spaced out, she tells me, “Lacy, you absolutely have to go.”

  “But Mom—” I start.

  “You can’t hide from Trent Keller forever. It’s better to just rip the Band-Aid off,” my mother challenges me.

  I thought I’d have time to settle in before even facing the idea of having to see Trent, but it looks like my mother is planning to throw me to the wolves.

  My only hope is that maybe Trent won’t be there tonight. At one time, years ago, he played on the Forest Grove Slammers, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be there tonight. Surely the ranch keeps him busy.

  All I can hope is that I can turn the picture on and then leave. Surely, that will not give me any time to run into Trent.

  Trent

  I hadn’t planned on coming back to town for the Picture in the Park event, but since Lacy is back in town and the B&B usually sponsors the baseball team that’s putting it on, I hoped that I’d see her there.

  Jason for all his gossiping hasn’t found out if she is returning with a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband.

  Surely I would’ve heard if she’d been married. Someone would have told me. I don’t know what I’ll do if she is dating someone else, but I know I have to talk to her.

  I purchased the picnic blanket spot right next to the projector after I asked the baseball coach where the B&B folks were going to be seated. The spot that is right in front of me is reserved for Lacy’s family, but it remains vacant even when the announcements begin.

  I talk to a few of the people passing by, but it’s probably obvious to everyone that I’m not in the mood to chat because they don’t stay long.

  Disappointment weighs me down, and I consider swinging by the B&B to say “Hi,” but I know Lacy’s father has never forgiven me for breaking Lacy’s heart. I have seen her mother plenty of times since then, and she’s gone out of her way to hug me and talk to me, so I’ve always wondered if maybe she has a more clear picture of what exactly happened between Lacy and me. The way she treats me, I’m almost sure she does.

  The announcements continue, and as the coaches for the Slammers are thanking the Forest Grove B&B, I finally see Lacy arrive just in time to push the button and start the film.

  I can hardly breathe. She’s even more beautiful than she was as a teenager. Her body is curvy, womanly, and filling out the sundress she’s wearing. A jolt of something that feels like electricity goes all through me, and I can feel my cock lengthening in my jeans. I can’t take my eyes off her, and when her brown doe eyes collide with mine there are flashes, like a movie replaying, of her in my arms, under me in bed and her body wrapped by mine. I don’t even have to think about it to remember the feel of her soft skin, her sweet kisses, and the sounds she made when we made love. I’m not seated more than four feet from where she’s standing, but it’s not close enough.

  She looks surprised and not moving, so I stand up and take her hand, leading her to come sit on the blanket I have spread out. Lacy’s expression is blank, making it so difficult to know where she is emotionally when it comes to me.

  I smile anyway. “It’s so good to see you, Lacy.”

  3

  Lacy

  Say something! Anything!

  Walking into the event tonight, I wasn’t ready to see the town. I stayed hidden in the shadows until they’d called the B&B’s name, and then I went to the projector to hit the button while everyone applauded. My plan was to be in and out. I was trying to avoid seeing people, especially Trent Keller. Never did I imagine that he would be front and center and actually seek me out. Especially with half the town in the audience.

  Trent has always been handsome and fit. Seeing him as a fully developed man with chiseled features and that deep tan that makes his blue eyes look like they belong to an angel renders me speechless. He’s got a short, scruffy beard, and my hands are itching to reach out, touch it, and feel it under my fingers or, God help me, between my thighs.

  He’s still waiting. Smiling at me. And I’m standing here with my mouth hanging open. He may not have planned to spend his life as a rancher, but by the looks of him, the ranch has definitely been good to him. Quit ogling him, Lacy! Talk!

  I admit I’m surprised to see him even though I don’t know why I should be. Forest Grove is a small town. It was bound to happen; I just thought I would have a little longer to prepare. I know my cheeks are flushed, and I just hope it’s dark enough that Trent can’t see it. I finally break my gaze from him just as he takes a step toward me. It’s getting awkward now.

  “You’re back to run the B&B for a while?” he asks.

  “Back for good, actually.” I know there’s a bite to my tone, and I try to soften it. “It is really good to see you, Trent. I’d better get going though, lots to do running a business, ya know? See ya around.”

  I get up and start down the aisle and force a smile to stay on my face as I wave back to different people in the crowd who are waving to me as I pass. It’s too dark to see many of their faces, but they seem to know who I am. I’m sure it’s all over town that I’m back for good. And there’s no doubt that the town is going crazy with whatever gossip there can be about Trent and me. People almost certainly have wondered how he and I would react when we saw each other again. I’m sure half the town showed up tonight just for that little tidbit alone. Well, I’m not going to add any flame to the fire. I’m getting the heck out of here.

  I barely get ten feet before he catches up with me, the blanket folded under one arm. He always was fast. My shorter legs never stood a chance against him in any kind of race. Even now.

  “I couldn’t wait to see you when I heard you were back,” he says.

  I clench my jaw, bracing myself before I turn around. I have to face him and set the tone for how things are going to be now that I’m back, or this is just going to keep happening.

  And I’m right. Most of the people around us are watching us instead of the family movie up on the screen. I turn to Trent with a quick nod and gesture for him to follow me to the parking lot. He trails after me, both of us silent. I walk all the way to my car, needing to be near it in case I need a quick escape.

  I don’t stop until I’m standing next to my open door. And even then, I take my time, taking a deep breath to prepare myself. Because resisting Trent is going to be hard to do.

  Turning, I come face to face with my ex-boyfriend, the love of my life. And there’s no doubt about it as I look into his eyes that I never really did get over him, and he’s staring at me in a way that makes my heart pitter-patter.

  Trent

  I feel like Lacy coming back to Forest Grove is a miracle, and the fact that she’s come to stay means that I might actually have a chance with her. There hasn’t been a day since she moved away that I didn’t regret what I’d done.

  When she turns around, staring up at me with her big brown eyes, I want nothing more than to just reach out for her and bring her into my arms. No, heck with that. I want to throw her over my shoulder, take her home with me, and keep her in bed until she completely understands that we are meant to be with one another. The only thing stopping me is the look on her face. She’s not happy to see me. She looks as if she would rather be anywhere else. Her guard is up, and I can’t say that I blame her.