In Tune (Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book 3)
Read In Tune (Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book 3) Online
Authors: Laramie Briscoe
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance
Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book #3
By Laramie Briscoe
Copyright © 2015 Laramie Briscoe
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.
Edited by:
Lindsay Hopper
Proofread by: Dawn Bourgeois
Beta read by: Danielle Wentworth & Keyla Handley
Cover by: Kari Ayasha of
Cover to Cover Designs
Formatted by:
Paul Salvette
Photography by:
MHPhotography Stock & Custom Photos
Models: Thomas Addison & Leigha Heverly
Forgiveness
Compassion
Love
When Cash Montgomery and Harper Stillwell decided to take a chance on a fling, neither one knew where it would take them. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, they are clawing their way back to the kind of relationship they have both fought so hard for.
Cash can forgive, but he can’t forget. Harper can apologize, but she can’t express her true feelings.
Growing up is hard—just because you reach an age where the world says you’re an adult doesn’t mean you are. These two are figuring out that life only gets more difficult the older you get, they are learning that love comes at a price, and they are deciding whether it’s worth fighting for.
After the Collision—they’re desperately trying to figure out if they can ever be in tune.
In-Tune: A properly and well-maintained machine.
Red Bird Trail Trilogy #3
In-Tune
‡Chapter One
H
arper Stillwell could
smell winter in the air as she sat doing homework on the back porch of the apartment she shared with her ex-lover, Cash Montgomery, and his little brother, Remy. Since coming back to live with them, things had been good. That was the only way to describe it, perhaps too good.
It was odd for her to refer to her situation like that, especially since things had, for much of her life, been in a constant state of upheaval.
“Harper, do you mind if I go down and ride my bike?”
Her head turned at the voice of Remy. A few months ago, she would have said no. Remy’s parents had waged a war against Cash for custody of the kid, one that she and Cash had won, to the detriment of their relationship. They were working on getting that relationship back though; however, it was slow-going. Mostly because of her.
“Sure, but be back before six. I’m cooking spaghetti.”
He ran over and put his arms around her neck, squeezing tightly. “I’m glad you came back.”
He told her that every day. It was almost as if Remy thought he could keep her there with the will of his words and his affection for her. She had to admit, her affection for the kid was just as strong. “Me too, dude. Now go have fun.”
Remy didn’t need to be told twice. Within minutes, he was out of the apartment, down the stairs, and she could hear him yelling with his friends down on the street. Turning her attention back to her homework, she did her best to concentrate. After the stress of the court case for custody of Remy and the fact that she and Cash were still making rent, bills, and food by the skin of their teeth—the last thing either of them needed to do was fail a class. They had both come close to having to drop classes, but so far, they were looking to salvage this semester.
She hadn’t gotten far into her required reading when she heard the unmistakable sound of Cash’s car turning onto their street. Her heart sped up, like it always did when she knew she was going to see him. There was a part of her that wondered why she still insisted they take it slow, why she didn’t take what she wanted. The other part of her said it would be stupid to
not
take it slow. It said that they had rushed things before, and they had almost paid the ultimate price.
Hearing his footsteps up the stairs was still one of her favorite sounds in the world. Closing her book, she stood up and stretched her back before she padded into the bedroom and on through the hallway, into the living room.
“Hey,” she said as he turned around to put his stuff on the catch-all next to the door.
*
The sound of
her voice still got him. In the middle of the night, as he slept on the couch, he dreamed of it. He called her sometimes just to hear it. He thanked God every day she was still around, that she was still willing to try to make whatever they had together work. It was still tenuous at best, but every day he hoped they made some headway.
“Hey.” He turned around, smiling as he took in her rumpled appearance. She’d gotten out of school before him today, and it was obvious she’d taken a nap by the wild appearance of her hair and the fact she wore sweatpants. They were now her go-to sleeping apparel since the weather had turned off chilly. “Did you have a good nap?”
The blush that covered her cheeks made his smile widen.
“I did.” She walked over, giving him a hug. “I couldn’t help it; I was here by myself, and I got tired.”
He knew she was tired, they both were. In order to help cover some of the expenses of having a child to raise, she had been taking on more and more catering jobs. They kept her out later and later at night, and he didn’t like it, but what could they do? They had to keep a roof over all their heads.
The Cash of old would have bitched and complained that she didn’t need to do that kind of work, that he could take care of all of them—damn the consequences. This new Cash realized it was important for both of them to contribute to the household, it was important for them to both take responsibility for their own actions.
He wrapped her tightly in his arms and enjoyed for a few minutes the way she gave herself over to the hug. This was something new they’d started a week ago. The hugs connected the two of them and gave him hope that maybe they had turned a corner.
“You’ve been working really hard; I think you deserve a nap every once in a while.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “You work hard too, harder than I do. It should have been you taking the nap.”
“Ha! Men don’t nap, we fuck shit up and figure out how to put it back together.”
It was a thinly veiled reference to what they had been doing in their relationship for the past few months, and he hoped she got it. He hoped she understood just how important she was to him—how important she was to the rest of his life.
He didn’t get a response, and honestly he hadn’t expected one, but it was good to know she didn’t push him away.
‡Chapter Two
