Only Yours Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Praise for Nancy Fraser

  Only Yours

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  The purr of the finely tuned engine echoed

  through the tight confines of the car, setting her pulse on a complimentary rhythm. Soft jazz played in the background, its melodic tones sinking into her senses, ratcheting up her heartrate yet another notch.

  Before she realized it, he’d pulled the car to stop in her parents’ driveway.

  “Home sweet home,” he said. “Or, at least I assume you still live with your parents. I guess I should have asked.”

  She bit back an outright laugh in favor of a more ladylike chuckle. “Yes, I do still live at home. According to my mother, it’s the proper thing to do.”

  Wyatt hopped out and came around the back of the car to open her door. Her mother would have been proud of how she’d waited for his assistance. Usually, she opened her own door before Garrett could get there.

  “Would you like to come in and say hello?”

  “I’d better not. I’ve been given an order to relay to the cook. I wouldn’t want Christina to have to wait for her supper.” He took hold of her elbow, as he had in the hospital. “I’ll see you to the door.”

  Another round of sparks shot up her arm. She pulled away and took two steps forward. “It’s not necessary.”

  He caught hold of her wrist and turned her to face him. His dark gaze flared. “Thank you for coming to see Pops. He obviously adores you.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  She was about to pull from his grasp when he tightened his grip, stopping her in her tracks. “My brother’s a lucky man.”

  Praise for Nancy Fraser

  “LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING has a storyline that is quirky enough to carry some surprises, but it is Fraser’s characters who make this story shine.”

  ~Snapdragon, Long and Short Reviews

  ~*~

  “Imagine, you’ve just made partner and you think you have everything you’ve ever wanted in life. Now, throw in the curve ball of an unexpected love. What do you do? Read LOVE ME TENDER and find out more, that’s what! This is my first story by Nancy Fraser, but it won’t be the last.”

  ~Long and Short of It Reviews

  ~*~

  “WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE is a wonderfully written story. The details from 1957 are gently woven in. Susan has a distinct personality and Zack is charming in that 1950’s gentlemanly way.

  ~Long and Short of It Reviews

  Only Yours

  by

  Nancy Fraser

  A Candy Hearts Romance

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Only Yours

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Nancy Fraser

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by RJ Morris

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Vintage Rose Edition, 2016

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0627-8

  A Candy Hearts Romance

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For Patti Olesik,

  my Vegas partner in crime!

  Chapter One

  Santa Rosa, California, February 5, 1965

  Rebecca Winston shifted on the bar stool in her parents’ breakfast nook so she could stare out over the perfectly manicured shrubs. Her mother was on another rant. The sooner she ‘tuned her out’ the better.

  “Did you see the morning mail, Becca?”

  She cringed at use of her nickname. Yet, from the moment Garrett Langley had tagged her with it, she’d been stuck. Whatever Garrett said was gold. At least to her mother.

  “No, Mother, I haven’t.” She swung her arm in an arc, encompassing the entire breakfast area. “You just brought it in.”

  “It’s another wedding invitation,” Heloise grumbled. “That’s the third this month.” Pulling her glasses down to the tip of her nose, she leveled her sternest stare in Rebecca’s direction. “And none of them are yours.”

  Rebecca chuckled. “Of course they aren’t, Mother. It would be silly of me to mail an invitation to myself, or to you.”

  “Don’t get sassy with me. It doesn’t become a proper young lady.”

  Rebecca pushed her half-eaten breakfast aside and slid off of the stool. “I’ve got to be going. I need to set up my classroom for today’s presentation.”

  “You know, dear, there’s less than two weeks until Valentine’s Day. What a perfect time for you and Garrett to announce your engagement.”

  Making an exaggerated show of waving her ring-less hand in her mother’s direction, she reminded her. “We can’t very well announce something he’s not suggested. Technically, not even hinted at.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly. He’s dropped a number of hints, and in front of your family. A man wouldn’t do something so daring if he wasn’t serious.”

  Rebecca placed her dirty dishes in the sink. “I’ve really got to go. Sally is driving today, and you know how she hates to wait.”

  While she finished dressing and applying her makeup, she played her last ‘date’ with Garrett over in her head. He’d paid more attention to the waiter’s dinner recommendations than he had to her. And, once they’d finished eating, he’d begged off their usual movie night because he had early rounds at the hospital the next morning.

  The funny thing was….she should have been angry….but she wasn’t. Rather, she’d accepted his chaste kiss on her doorstep and sent him on his way. Then, in order to avoid her mother’s prying questions, she’d slipped quietly into the house and up the stairs to her room.

  Her mother and father, curled up in their separate chairs in front of the television, were too engrossed in the latest episode of Dark Shadows to even notice her arrival.

  All things considered, she felt it safe to say, hers and Garrett’s college romance had become stagnant. Boring. They were still the best of friends, but the spark had definitely died. Were it not for their occasional romantic trysts, they shared very little in the way of togetherness.

  ****

  Rebecca put away the last of the art supplies, the expensive brushes kept in the cupboard far above the heads of curious third graders. Their mock art fair had been a huge success. The children had been overjoyed when the teachers and other students spent their hard-earned play money on works of art they’d created.

  She was about to close up for the day when Principal Stevens came into the classroom. “The art fair was a big hit.”

  “Thank you, sir. The children worked very hard on their projects.”

  “You should be proud, not only of your students but of yourself as well.”

  She nodded. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. “Was there something you wanted, sir?”

  “Yes, of course. Where’s my head?” He held
out his hand and extended a piece of pink note paper in her direction. “This telephone message came for you earlier.”

  She turned the While-You-Were-Out note over in her hand. “It’s from my mother.” A sudden flutter took hold of her stomach. Her mother never called her at work.

  “Mrs. Jackson didn’t indicate any urgency to the message.” His calm tone relaxed her somewhat but didn’t totally chase away her concern.

  “I’ll return her call before I leave for the day.” She turned the note over in her hand and asked, “Was there anything else?”

  Principal Stevens shook his head. His wire-rimmed glasses slid down his nose. “No, my dear, nothing more.”

  Once he’d left the classroom, Rebecca hurried to the teachers’ lounge in search of a telephone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the familiar number.

  Her mother answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

  The anxious racing of her pulse forced her words out in a rush. “Mum, it’s me. Is something wrong? Is Dad okay?”

  “Yes, dear, your father is fine.”

  The calmness of her mother’s voice soothed her. She drew a relaxing breath and asked, “Then why did you call?”

  “It’s Phillip Langley.”

  Rebecca’s heart did a little flip in her chest. “Garrett’s father?”

  “Yes, dear. He’s had a mild heart attack. Garrett’s stepmother called earlier. She wasn’t sure how to reach you, so she phoned here.”

  “Where did they take him?” Her thoughts went immediately to the man she considered extended family. “I need to get there as soon as I can.”

  “He’s at Slade Memorial, as you’d expect. I’m sure Garrett is with him. Which means, of course, he’s in excellent hands.”

  Rebecca replaced the phone in its cradle and rushed back to her classroom to close up for the day. Thank heaven it was Friday. She’d have two full days to help out however she could. She adored Garrett’s father. Despite the fact he was wealthy beyond belief, he never put on airs, or treated those beneath him with anything less than respect.

  He certainly didn’t make a show of climbing the social ladder the way his second wife, or Rebecca’s own mother did. Of course, he had nowhere to climb given he’d already reached the summit.

  Rather than wait for her ride, she called a taxi and went straight to the hospital.

  ****

  When she arrived at the door to Phillip Langley’s room, Rebecca was amazed at the number of people crowded into the small space. Garrett stood at his father’s bedside. Christina, the second Mrs. Langley, and Toby, Christina’s youngest son from her first, or was it second, marriage, nearly filled the room.

  Another man sat with his back to the door. His dark hair, shot with strands of silver, and broad shoulders drew her attention like a magnet.

  Phillip Langley sat up in his bed, surrounded by an assortment of flower arrangements and greeting cards.

  Rebecca coughed softly to get their attention and announce her arrival.

  Garrett rushed to the door to greet her. “Becca, sweetheart. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  The look of relief and welcome in Garrett’s eyes conjured up memories of closer ties…something they’d not shared in a while. She took his hand and followed him into the room, going immediately to Phillip’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”

  The elder Langley grinned. “Better now that you’re here.”

  She laughed softly. “I see a health scare hasn’t dimmed that wicked Langley charm.”

  “I told them it was only heartburn,” Phillip insisted. “Damned doctors want to poke me until they actually cause an attack.”

  “Now, Dad,” Garrett cajoled. “You know it was more than heartburn. The tests will pinpoint the problem.” He turned in Rebecca’s direction. “He may need surgery. The specialist will decide in the morning.”

  She laid her hand against Phillip’s. “Surgery sounds serious.”

  “If my son weren’t a doctor himself, I’d tell you what I think of the medical profession and their outrageous charges.”

  “Go ahead, tell her what you think,” the man in the chair said. “You’ve certainly not minced your words for the rest of us.”

  The deep timber of the man’s voice sent a shiver down Rebecca’s spine and pulled her attention in his direction. “Don’t I know you?”

  “Of course you do,” Garrett said quickly. “It’s Wyatt, my older brother.”

  Wyatt stood and held out his hand. The moment their fingers touched, Rebecca felt a shock of electricity course through her arm. She pulled back. “Yes, I remember. It’s been years, though. You’re an attorney in San Diego, right?”

  He shook his head and met her gaze. His dark brown eyes widened, as did his smile. “Not any more. I’m an Assistant D.A. in Los Angeles now.”

  Had he felt the same shock she had? Was that what had lifted the corners of his…full…sensuous…mouth? Was his gaze always so intense?

  She looked away, diverting her attention back to Garrett. “I don’t want to stay too long and wear your father out.”

  “You could never wear me out, Sprite,” Phillip said from his bed. “If anything, you’re calm in all this chaos.”

  She shot him a smile. “There it is again…you charmer you,” she teased. “Still, you need your rest.” Turning back to Garrett, she said, “I was hoping you could give me a ride home.”

  “No can do, Becca. I skipped rounds this morning when they brought Dad in. I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “I can give her a ride,” Wyatt said. “I want to drop my bags off at the house anyway.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t want to be a bother. I can catch a cab.”

  “Nonsense,” Phillip said. “Wyatt will take you, but not just yet.”

  Once Garrett left to complete his rounds, Wyatt stood and nodded toward the door. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  “Now is good.” She stood and pressed a kiss to Phillip’s cheek. “You listen to the doctors…no matter what they’re charging you.”

  When she stepped away, Wyatt leaned over and gave his father a hug. “Rebecca’s right. Do as you’re told.”

  “And if I don’t?” Phillip asked, his tone absent of its usual command, but defiant all the same.

  “I’ll come back here and kick your butt just like I’m going to do on the golf course once you’re well again.”

  The senior Langley coughed out a rough laugh. “Keep dreaming, you shyster. It’s never going to happen.”

  Wyatt turned toward his stepmother. “I’ll see you back at the house later.”

  Christina raised her head and batted her fake eyelashes in Wyatt’s direction. “Yes, of course. Please tell Mrs. Hardy I’ll want dinner ready at six-thirty.”

  Wyatt grasped Rebecca’s elbow and guided her to the door. “I’ll be back in the morning, Pops.” Nudging her forward, he added, “Let’s go. I hate the smell of hospitals.”

  They walked to the parking garage in silence. She snuck what she hoped were covert glances in Wyatt’s direction.

  It had been at least six years since she’d last seen him. And, as she always had, she marvelled at the differences between Garrett and his older brother. Physically, they were as different as night and day.

  Garrett was slim built with dirty blond hair and shallow, hazel eyes. He exuded charm and a sometimes snobbish superiority. He wore his wealth and position like a badge of honor.

  Wyatt, on the other hand, had much darker hair. The scattered gray spoke of hard-earned experience. Authority. His build was broader, firmer than Garrett’s and his near-black eyes mesmerizing. Haunting almost.

  She wasn’t sure exactly what he exuded, but it was definitely more dangerous than charming.

  “Here we go.” Wyatt stopped in front of a vintage Jaguar.

  “Nice car.” He opened the passenger door, and she slid inside.

  “Thanks. I restored it myself in my spare time.”

  Once he’d circled the
car and climbed in beside her, she commented, “I wouldn’t think an Assistant D.A., especially in a city the size of Los Angeles, could afford spare time.”

  His chuckle was deep, robust. “They insist we take vacation each year to stave off burnout. I used mine working on the car.” He paused, his voice lowered. “In hindsight, I wish I’d come home more often instead.”

  Out of pure instinct, she laid her hand atop his. He closed his grip over the gearshift but didn’t pull away. “Your father is going to be fine. There’s no sense conjuring up regret when it’s not necessary.”

  “Aren’t you a bit young to be so wise?” He pulled his hand from beneath hers and reached for the radio dial. “What are you, twenty-two?”

  “I wish,” she responded, laughing. “I’m only a year younger than Garrett.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t possibly be twenty-six. The last time I saw you, you were wearing braces and had freckles.”

  The memory of her younger self made her laugh. “Actually, I’m twenty-seven. You must have forgotten Garrett’s last birthday.”

  Wyatt grinned broadly, drawing her attention to his full lips, changing his usually serious features for the better.

  “No doubt. It’s a hazard of the job. Crooks and victims take precedence over family.”

  She nodded, understanding completely “Garrett’s the same way. He gets so wrapped up in being a doctor, he forgets family responsibilities. Events. Birthdays.”

  “Sounds like he forgot yours. Maybe my kid brother and I have something in common after all.”

  “And that would be?”

  His engaging smile disappeared, a serious expression changing his handsome features yet again. “We’re consumed by our work. And forgetful.”

  For someone who claimed to forget things, he had no trouble turning in the right direction when it came to taking her home.

  Curiosity poked at her. “So, is there someone special whose birthday you’ve forgotten lately?”

  He let loose another of his deep-throated chuckles, this one louder than the first. “No, not at the moment. My crazy schedule doesn’t allow time for serious relationships.”

  Wyatt pressed down on the accelerator, pushing the sports car a little harder, skirting the legal speed limit for the boulevard leading to her parents’ home. The purr of the finely tuned engine echoed through the tight confines of the car, setting her pulse on a complementary rhythm. Soft jazz played in the background, its melodic tones sinking into her senses, ratcheting up her heartrate yet another notch.