A Delivered Heart Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  About the Author

  Newsletter

  A Delivered Heart

  The Greene Pastures Series Book 1

  Brenna Welles

  © 2017 by Brenna Welles

  No part of this story may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copywrite holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Cover: Blue Valley Author Services

  To my husband, for having faith in me.

  CHAPTER ONE

  She might have well and truly lost her mind.

  The plane touched down at Sea-Tac International Airport and Allie watched the low buildings and planes drift by as they taxied. Panic filled her, leading to the belief that she left her head in New York City.

  Too late to turn back now.

  Yesterday (had it only been yesterday?), she had been one of the millions who lived in New York City, making a comfortable living as a financial advisor. It hadn’t been easy to become one of the best in her firm, she had worked hard for that distinction, which had included many personal sacrifices.

  For the first time in her entire career, Allie had put her job second and had flown to the other side of the country.

  Just to find some answers.

  The email she had received yesterday took her by surprise. In fact, she had nearly deleted it, thinking it might have been spam with its simple “Hello!” for a title. But the name Paige Greene attached to the message had her second guessing herself, a gut feeling telling her to open it.

  Allie’s mind had gone blank after reading the words “half-sister.” As far as she knew, she had been the only child to a single mother and whose father abandoned before she was born. She’d forced herself to read the rest of the message, which gave details that only Allie’s mother or father could know. Then she printed it, folded it, and slipped it in her purse. She’d wanted to call her mother, demand the truth, but she needed to get through the rest of her workday.

  And that was a conversation best had in person.

  The plane halted at their gate and a soft ding indicated the fasten seat belt sign had been turned off. People rushed to get out of their seats, cramming the aisles and opening the overhead bins. Allie was content to sit for a little while, her seat near the back of the plane. She still wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for what waited for her beyond the security check-point.

  Instead, Allie busied herself with powering on her cell-phone. She doubted she would have a message from her mother. They had left things on a sour, tense note. Allie had wanted answers, and Julianne, true to form, had played the victim. But when Allie brandished the printed email like a sword in battle, Julianne had clammed up. And that had been the end of that.

  So, Allie had called the phone number Paige gave her, struck a deal with her boss, and here she was.

  She was officially crazy.

  The cell-phone buzzed in Allie’s hand, startling her. She clicked the notification, which said she had a text message from Paige.

  Paige G. (4:42 P.M.): I’m so sorry, but there’s an emergency at the ranch. I’m not able to pick you up, but I sent our neighbor. Don’t worry, he’s nice. He’ll be wearing a brown leather jacket. See you soon! :)

  Allie wondered if she could convince the flight attendants and pilot to pack everything back up and head back to New York City.

  Her cell phone buzzed again.

  This time, it was the absolute last person she wanted to talk to. Her ex-husband.

  Gary C. (4:42 P.M.): I received a rather interesting phone call from your mother this morning. Want to grab a drink and talk about it?

  Allie rolled her eyes. The line of people disembarking the plane began to move. She shut the screen of her phone off and tucked it back into her purse. Grabbing her overnight bag from the bin above, Allie followed the people off the plane and into the airport.

  Irritation replaced the nervous anxiety in Allie’s stomach. Why did her mother still talk to her ex-husband? It’s not like they had a child together or anything. In fact, Gary Crawford had adamantly refused to have children. And the reason had become clear after Allie had found Gary in a compromising position with another woman.

  A divorce was much less messy without children involved.

  By all rights, Allie should have severed contact with Gary years ago. Allie wasn’t sure why she hadn’t. Gary acted like they could remain friends, checking in on her every once in a while, stopping by with take-out and wine unannounced. Allie had wanted to slam the door in his face more than a few times, but couldn’t find it within herself to be so rude.

  She knew she let the man walk all over her.

  Well, hopefully this journey out to Washington not only would give her answers about her father. Maybe she’d find some gumption, too.

  Squaring her shoulders, Allie marched through the airport, focused only on finding a man in a brown leather jacket.

  Except they were everywhere!

  Allie paused outside of the security checkpoint, looking for any man that might resemble a neighbor to a sister she had never met. How was she supposed to find him?

  Her gaze met one man’s, his sharp blue eyes sending a bolt of electricity down her spine. He was amazingly tall, towering over the people around him. His light brown hair was long enough to suggest he was past due for a haircut, but not completely untamed. The look on his face was neutral but focused as he started forward, and Allie took an unconscious step backward, her heart beginning to race.

  The man paused. Then called out, “Allison Blanchard?”

  Allie nodded before she could stop herself. He continued forward.

  This man was absolutely not wearing a brown leather jacket. He wasn’t wearing a jacket at all. Instead, he wore a pair of work boots, dirt caked jeans that had seen too many days in the sun, and a not-quite-as-dirty white t-shirt that left little to the imagination.

  Having been a city girl her whole life, Allie’s grip tightened on her purse. Was he really here to pick her up? Or was he a very sophisticated type of con artist?

  Then the man smiled.

  Gone was the stern, focused man and in his place stood a kind, welcoming stranger. His sharp blue eyes crinkled at the corners and thin, pink lips revealed bright, straight teeth. His rugged jawline softened beneath the smile.

  Allie found herself smiling in return.

  “Welcome to Washington,” he said, sticking out a hand. She shook it, feeling the warmth and rough calluses against her chilled fingers. “I’m Morris Rowland, Paige’s neighbor. Can I take that for you?” he offered, gesturing to her overnight case.

  She shook her head. “I’ll have another case at baggage claim. I can hang on to this.”

  Morris nodded, then turned to lead the way.

  “You’re not wearing your leather jacket,” Allie said.

  Morris cast a glance her way. “Did Paige say I’d be wearing one?”

  Allie only nodded, flushing. They drew to a halt by the conveyor belt, which stood motionl
ess.

  “It got warm so I took it off,” he said with a casual shrug. “It’s in the truck.”

  Allie wasn’t sure how to respond so she remained silent.

  The red light flashed and the conveyor belt started to move, delivering suitcases and duffle bags. Allie pointed to the one suitcase she had checked in New York, grateful she hadn’t decided to bring two bags, just in case.

  She didn’t need another thing to prove her less than stable mind.

  Allie couldn’t help but feel a little impressed at how easy Morris made it look to lift her bag from the conveyor belt. She knew it wasn’t light; she had struggled getting it to and from the cab she took to the airport.

  “Thank you very much for all this,” she said as they headed outside and toward short-term parking.

  “Not a problem,” he said. “I have to admit, I was very curious when Paige told me her sister was coming to visit.”

  Allie flushed again. “Half-sister.”

  Morris shrugged again. “Close enough. You two look very similar. Which is how I figured it was you back there.”

  It felt odd, being compared to somebody she didn’t even know.

  Morris stopped next to a large, dark blue Chevy pickup. It was a few years old and caked with mud and dust, but otherwise looked like it got the job done just fine. It seemed huge to Allie, who was used to compact cars fighting for space in New York. Morris threw her suitcase in the bed of the truck without preamble. She winced at the thud, wondering how dirty it was back there. Morris chuckled as he opened the passenger door for her.

  “Don’t worry, princess,” he said with a small smirk. “It’s just hay back there. Oh, and maybe some manure.”

  He snagged her overnight bag and shut the door before Allie could squeak out a reply. She heard him laugh as he walked around the back of the truck, depositing the bag gently into the bed.

  Princess?

  Allie glanced down at what she was wearing. She hadn’t had the time to change out of her work outfit before the flight, having only enough time to pick up her bags at home. The pencil skirt was creased but still fashionable, paired with a loose, flowing blouse and her favorite, very comfortable, very expensive pumps. The blazer she had paired with the outfit was tucked away in her overnight bag, too far wrinkled to wear now. Her hair had been twisted up and away, though she could feel tendrils trying to escape.

  She was a mess.

  But she supposed to an honest working man in jeans and a white t-shirt, she might have looked a bit too dressed up.

  As they headed away from the airport campus, traffic thickened and slowed to a crawl.

  “Rush hour,” Morris said in explanation as he tapped the break. “Does it get like this in New York?”

  “Yes and no,” Allie said. “There’s generally a lot more aggressiveness and honking. Sometimes traffic flows just fine. Or it can take up to an hour just for a few blocks.”

  “Well, it’ll take us about that long to get home, so get comfortable.”

  Allie wasn’t sure if that was something she could accomplish. She was a passenger in a huge truck, in an unfamiliar place, with a complete stranger driving. However, the passenger seat was much more comfortable than the airplane seat. Combined with the lack of sleep due to all the excitement from the day before, Allie found it difficult to keep from yawning.

  Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake if she ended up drooling all over the neighbor’s passenger door?

  A seriously hot neighbor, to boot.

  Allie straightened in her seat. She wouldn’t allow that to happen.

  “How long have you lived in Washington?” she asked.

  “All my life,” Morris said. “My father ran the ranch after his father died, and now I run it.”

  “Oh,” Allie said, feeling even more embarrassed at bringing up such a hard subject. Gary always did say she needed to learn a little more tact.

  She shook her head at the phantom lecture.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, looking out the window.

  “Why?” The question had Allie turning back to look at Morris.

  “Um,” she stammered. “For your father passing?”

  Morris burst out laughing. Allie’s face flamed. She turned back to the window, wishing she had the guts to just open it, jump out, and run back to the airport.

  “No, no, sorry,” Morris said. “My father is very much alive. And my mother, too, in case you were wondering. They just decided they were done and wanted to retire. Do the full-time RV thing for a while. See the country.”

  “I see.” Allie took a slow, quiet breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “They must be having a good time, then. Where are they now?”

  “Louisiana, last I heard. Mom was trying to convince my dad to take the rig down to New Orleans.” Morris chuckled. “Knowing her, but she probably succeeded.”

  Allied smiled, liking the pure affection she heard in Morris’ voice. “Have they been gone long?” she asked.

  “Since February. They were home for the holidays and Dad helped me with a few things around the place, then they left again. It works for them. They say they’re always meeting new people, which keeps things interesting.”

  Allie looked out her window once again. If the rest of the country looked even half as beautiful as this place, it was no wonder the RV life worked for them.

  Despite the traffic and industrial type buildings lining the freeway, Allie thought Washington beautiful already. There was a lot of green to the area, and fresh air. In the distance, she could see the jagged horizon of the mountain range to the east, an enormous peak taking center stage.

  “What is that mountain called?” Allie asked, pointing toward the southeast.

  “Mount Rainier,” he said with a grin. “I’m sure Paige will probably take you hiking around there. We don’t live too far from there. Just wait until we get closer. You like to hike, princess?”

  Allie shrugged. How hard could walking be? “Sure, I do. Just not sure I brought the right shoes.” She narrowed her eyes at Morris, daring him to laugh. His lips twitched under her scrutiny.

  “Okay. Shopping first. Then hiking.”

  Allie smiled, unable to help herself. Morris had an easy way about him. Despite his good looks making her stomach flutter inappropriately, and his teasing remarks about her clothing, she found herself enjoying the drive.

  She wondered how life might have been different if her father had known about her from the beginning. Would he have stayed in New York? Or would he have taken Allie back to Washington every summer, to the large animal rescue farm Paige had told her about? There really wasn’t any point thinking about those things, about all of the ‘what-if’ scenarios. In the end, she knew now was the right time for her to be there.

  Allie hadn’t done any research into Max Greene or his large animal rescue farm, Greene Pastures. Everything had happened so fast, she hadn’t gotten the chance. But now, all her questions came roaring to the forefront of her mind.

  “What’s Max like?” she asked Morris, glancing over his way.

  Morris turned a startled gaze in her direction. Before he could deflect the question, she added, “It would really help my piece of mind if I knew just a little bit. I wanted to ask Paige on the way from the airport but…” She let the explanation trail off.

  She watched as Morris shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of telling her about her father. It was almost enough to make her rescind her request. But then, Morris opened his mouth.

  “Max is mostly a quiet and gentle man, but he also knows how to have fun. He’s smart, caring. The people who work with and for him are loyal to him, even when funds get tight. I’ve never known anybody as hardworking, either, and that’s including my own father. You should be proud.”

  Their eyes met, held, and Allie knew he spoke the truth. She also knew Morris had a great deal of respect for her father.

  “Thank you,” she said. It was all she could say.

  Th
e rest of the drive passed without much more said between them, which Allie was grateful for. She didn’t know if she could hold a decent conversation. The closer they drove to the farm, the tighter her chest grew.

  She tried to reassure herself that everything would be fine. God had brought her here. Paige had reached out to her, had wanted to get to know her. Sure, Max hadn’t extended the invitation himself, but he also hadn’t stopped Paige from doing so.

  Sometime in the last fifteen minutes, the freeway had been left behind, in favor of a narrow two-lane road that had twisted and turned around wide open fields. The views were breath-taking, with pretty houses and large cottonwood and fir trees peppering the landscape.