Rearranged

By Tina Carreiro

Carly West is good at taking care of herself—she’s been doing it since her mama died. She can even make marrying a man she didn’t choose work. But when gorgeous ranch foreman, Wade Dawson struts into her life, everything changes. Her life starts to unravel, lies are uncovered, and the only comfort she finds is in the arms of a stranger.

Wade Dawson has one thing on his mind, to fulfill his brother’s responsibilities and get the hell out of this small town. But he soon finds out he wasn’t only hired to watch the ranch, but to see that the farmer’s daughter makes it down the aisle. It’s the first job he isn’t sure he can follow through with. But if he doesn’t, his brother’s reputation and freedom is at stake.

Bound by obligation to marry another man...

Bound by blood to save his brother...

Will one night destroy it all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Time and Tide Publishing
• Release date: Aug 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989254960

Book preview

Acknowledgements

To my husband, my rock and love of my life. Thank you for listening to me babble endlessly about plot lines, encouraging me to stick to my voice, and being there when I need you. I couldn’t get through the writing process without you.

To my beta team: Cynthia Price, Kathryn Spell Grimes, Mindy fangedmom Janicke, and Kelly Fine. You guys rocked this! I’m blessed to have you all by my side. Thank you for all you do!

To my editors and proofreaders: Jodi, Amanda, Shirley, Bookchick and Monica. Thank you for helping me mold Rearranged. Your keen eyes and detailed input is invaluable. I’m forever grateful.

Special thanks to my friend Susan out in Texas for help with some of my ranching details.

Georgia: A place I’ve called home. I will always cherish my time in the peach state and love my little one light town where the simple things in life are most important. From the peace that comes from hearing rain hit the tin roof of a deer stand, to seeing animals wake at the crack of dawn as you make your way to the field for a day of hard work. There’s pride in working a farm and a good life can’t be measured by materialistic things.

Special mention

For keeping the tunes rolling and the creative juices flowing.

Hunter Hayes – Wanted, Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire, Alabama – I want to know you before I make love to you, Garth Brooks – To Make You Feel My Love and Ain't Going Down (Til The Sun Comes Up), Billy Dean – Somewhere In My Broken Heart, Margaret Mitchell – Gone with the Wind.

Dedication

To my mama. Thank you for letting me play in the mud, dance in the rain, teaching me how to fish and then clean it and cook it, how to saddle a horse and ride like the wind, singing on the front porch swing on a rainy day and so many more things that I will always cherish—this one’s for you, mama.

Table of Contents

Copyright Information

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Chapter 1 - Peaches

Chapter 2 - Corralled and Kept

Chapter 3 - Procreation

Chapter 4 - Little Runaway

Chapter 5 - Busted

Chapter 6 - Poprocks

Chapter 7 - Trapped

Chapter 8 - Drowning

Chapter 9 - Watch Your Back

Chapter 10 - Hold Me

Chapter 11 - Obligations

Chapter 12 - Like a Band-Aid

Chapter 13 - What If It Was More

Chapter 14 - Crooked as fishhooks

Chapter 15 - Anger Issues

Chapter 16 - My Name

Chapter 17 - Manhandled

Chapter 18 - Ditching and Digging

Chapter 19 - Peaches and Pearls

Chapter 20 - Pay it forward

Chapter 21 - Uprooted

Chapter 22 - Cowgirl up

Chapter 23 - Debt to Pay

Chapter 24 - Why me

Chapter 25 - Cowgirls Rock Hard

Chapter 26 - Truce

Chapter 27 - Broken and Branded

Chapter 28 - My Everything

Chapter 29 - Walk Beside Me

Chapter 30 - With All My Heart

Chapter 31 - A Silent Wife

Author Bio

Chapter 1

Peaches

Wade lifted a tired leg, slid onto the diner’s stool, and grabbed a menu from between the napkin holders. Hooking his boot heel on the frame of his seat, he shifted his sore backside. He’d driven twelve hours straight, and his body ached.

What can I get’cha, honey? the middle-aged woman asked, leaning her palms on the counter in front of him.

Do you have sweet tea?

Peach or regular?

Peach?

You’re in Georgia, honey, almost everything we have is peach. Peach tea, peach cobbler, peach jam…. Her eyes lit with her smile.

Good point. Just regular for me, please—his eyes darted back to the menu—and a burger.

Give us a few minutes. She winked and put the menu back in its place.

Wade noted the time on the wall clock and pulled his phone from his jeans pocket. It had been a couple of days since he’d admitted his brother into a drug rehab. Now he was on his way to settle more of his brother’s affairs. He pressed the number he’d programmed earlier and held the phone to his ear.

Good afternoon, Healing Together, how may I help you?

Levi Dawson, please. Wade strummed his fingers on the counter and waited.

Sir, he’s a patient. They’re not permitted to have phone calls.

"I think you should check your system again. I’m payin’ you enough money for him to take my phone calls."

One moment. With a clipped tone, she placed him on hold, and dreadful music rattled his phone’s speaker. He didn’t care if she seemed put out. She could share in his misery, and his brother could inconvenience them both. Wade crinkled his forehead as the phone’s speaker crackled, and voices sounded in the background he couldn’t make out until his brother spoke.

So, let me get this straight. Levi cleared his throat. You’re payin’ them to have access to me, but I’m not allowed to have any withdrawal meds.

Yep. You got it straight. Nodding at the phone, Wade crossed his arm over his chest and tucked his hand under his bicep.

C’mon, Wade. Have you ever had the shakes so bad your bones rattled?

Can’t say that I have, but it’s for your own good. This isn’t supposed to be easy.

Just a little help. That’s all I’m askin’. You have the money.

It’s not about the money. It’s tough love, brother. I don’t want to ever find you the way I did the other night. He leaned his head to the side as the phone crackled. "Plus, I am helpin’ you out. In many ways."

Yeah… about that job. There’s somethin’ I neglected to tell you.

What’s that?

I think your phone reception is goin’ out.

What did you neglect to tell me? Wade stood. His brother’s voice cracked, going in and out like a fast-food drive-thru speaker. Dammit, Levi.

Wade palmed his phone and stared at the empty bars. No signal flashed in the middle. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He’d do anything for his brother, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about what was coming. After his brother hurt himself on the rodeo circuit, he hadn’t had the best jobs coming to him, and the business was in a suspended state. Wade couldn’t wait to get this over with and get back to his own ranch. First, he had to figure out where the hell he was going in this one-light town.

Here ya’ go, honey. The waitress slid a large, blue and white country patterned plate in front of him. As he eyed the enormous burger, she folded her arms and leaned forward on the counter, eyeing him with curiosity. You the new foreman at the West farm?

Temporarily, yes ma’am.

They’re all temporary over there. She laughed, and it tightened his gut.

How did you know—

Small town. Give us a week, and we’ll know everything down to your blood type. She straightened her posture as the cowbells clanged over the door. Enjoy your meal, honey.

Once she was at the other end of the counter, Wade grumbled and bit a chunk from his burger. He didn’t like small towns and hadn’t been in one since he was twenty-four. That was ten years ago, ten long years since they blamed him for her death. It wasn’t his fault, but small towns talk, and in their minds he might as well have killed her himself.

He pushed the half-eaten burger to the side and spread out the hand-written directions on the counter. The sooner he got to the farm, the sooner he could start getting out of here.

Oh, honey, you don’t need a map. You’re twenty minutes out. She pointed out the window. That way.

Thank you. He opened his wallet, placed money on the counter for the bill, and tilted the brim of his Stetson.

* * * *

Twenty-three minutes later, Wade turned the truck down a dusty road. Red dirt as thick as clay lined the sides of the path, making the matching colored barn look rustic against the green field. I’m definitely in the middle of nowhere, he thought as he pulled under the West’s insignia on the iron arch and parked next to the truck in front of the horse stable. The place looked unkempt, at least by his standards. Right away, he noted two fences in need of repair and a broken door on the barn in the back. A two-story home sat toward the front, its white paint chipped and peeling in some places. Stepping out of the truck, he stretched and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Two bars. He could try his brother again. Mumbling a curse, he walked toward the stable while searching through the contact list, his big thumb pressing all the wrong keys on the small display screen.

Wade’s shoulder slammed into something solid, twirling him to the side and knocking his phone to the ground. I’m sorry, he said to the angry looking man passing him in a rush. Hey. Are you the foreman?

I was, the man said, throwing his saddle in the back of the truck.

It looks like you’re leavin’.

I am.

Aren’t you supposed to show me around?

You’re on your own.

Thanks, Wade said with a sarcastic tone. Any advice?

Yeah. He opened his truck door and yelled back as he entered it. Get a bar of soap for her mouth, a paddle for her ass, and ice for your balls.

The truck tires spun in the dirt, spitting gravel toward Wade. He lifted his arm, shielding his eyes from the dust surrounding him. What was this guy’s problem? He picked up his phone, wiped it off on his jeans, and then dialed his brother. This time, the receptionist patched him right through.

Hello. Levi’s voice came on the line.

Can you hear me now, asshole?

I don’t believe that’s in the cell phone commercial.

Well it ought to be. Wade turned in a circle. What the hell have you gotten me into, brother?

What I neglected to tell you, is you’re not only lookin’ after the farm—

I don’t like where this is goin’.

—you’re also lookin’ after the farmer’s daughter.

Son of a bitch. That’s all I need… watchin’ some sixteen-year-old brat. You’re gonna owe me big! Wade turned toward a commotion inside the stable. Tilting his head, he stared at the little dark haired girl in the distance. Well, compared to him she was little. He hadn’t realized he was staring and lost in the sight of her until Levi cleared his throat. Sorry, what was that?

I said… she’s not sixteen. Got’ta go, brother—therapy calls.

Wade shook his head and headed toward the girl who struggled to hold a rearing horse, while she shook her finger in a man’s face. The closer he got to her, the easier it was to see she was a young woman, not a girl. Her long, gray dress hid her figure, but he could still make out a curve or two. A dark-brown ponytail whipped to the side as she turned toward his approach. He stopped and stepped back as if her crystal blue eyes assaulted him.

I said let go of the horse! she yelled at the man.

What seems to be the problem? Wade asked. Reaching around her, he grabbed the reins to steady the stallion.

"He was whippin’ my horse!"

The horse wouldn’t move. The man ignored Wade and glared at the woman.

You listen here— She wagged her finger at him.

Excuse me. Wade held his hand up to her and stepped between them. If an animal won’t move, it’s for a reason. Wade studied the horse, and tapped his front leg. He reached down and dislodged a sharp rock from between the horse’s shoe and hoof. See? He held it up to the man.

So? The man shrugged.

Did you work for the former foreman?

Yeah, I worked for Buddy.

Take a walk. You don’t work here anymore.

The hell you say!

Wade handed the reins to the woman and backed away from the horse as the man stepped toward him.

You got a problem, cowboy? Because I’d love to break that whippin’ arm of yours.

The man moved his eyes up and down Wade’s six-foot-one frame. His jaw twitched, and he threw his hand in the air, dismissing the standoff.

I’m leavin’. He walked toward what Wade assumed was the staff quarters in the back.

Wade turned toward the woman. She trailed her eyes up from his boots. When she locked into his gaze, her lips parted. It was then he noticed cute freckles lightly dusted over the bridge of her nose and on the top of her cheekbones. He grabbed the brim of his hat and nudged it down. Ma’am. Wade Dawson. He offered his hand. I’m the new seasonal foreman. She offered him a curt nod, and he watched her soft features turn to stone in an instant.

Carly West. She placed the horse’s reins in his outreached hand. Lightnin’ goes in stall two. He needs to be brushed and fed.

You have fun with that. He looped the reins over her hand and walked in the opposite direction.

Hey! Don’t walk away from me. You get back here!

Where I come from, you take care of your own horse. I have farm work to do. He shouted over his shoulder.

I said stop! This is my land, and I make the rules around here. She smiled when he stopped and turned to face her.

Well, excuse me, Miss Scarlett, but I have work to do on Tara.

Her smile faded, and her jaw dropped letting her gasp escape with a rush of air. You did not just call me Scarlett O’Hara!

Oh, good… you’re familiar with the character.

"You’re in Georgia, everyone knows Gone With The Wind."

And peaches… He walked out of the stable, pleased with her frustrated and lost look.

What? He continued to walk away from her while she yelled behind him. You better watch your ass, or you’ll be out of here faster than any of the others.

Carly spun on her heels and headed toward the office inside the stable. She slammed the door behind her, and slumped in the desk chair. Who the hell did tall-dark-and-melting think he was, looking at her with those intense hazel eyes and telling her to stable her own horse? Oh, shit… the horse.

She rushed through the door and found Lightning standing where she’d left him. He shook his head and made a noise as she grabbed his reins. I know boy, I’m sorry. She led him to his stall, patting the side of his neck. I’ve never done anything like that before. Did you hear the way he spoke to me?

Lightning stomped his foot, and Carly pulled the saddle from his back, slinging it over the wooden enclosure.

God… did you see those eyes? A beautiful color of reddish brown circled his pupil and shone like fire in the center of hazel. I’ve never seen muscles like that before either. She brushed the side of Lightning’s mane. No matter. First chance I get, I’m puttin’ him in his place. First, she had to go make dinner. Her daddy had a guest coming.

Chapter 2

Corralled and Kept

Carly sat at the dinner table alone, staring at the table settings with a blank expression. She rubbed her fingers over the tablecloth, pinching a piece of lint from the material. Everything looked perfect, as her daddy had requested. To anyone who walked in, life inside the house would seem happy and filled with warmth. That assumption would be far from the truth. She felt as if she was dying inside, suffocating. No one in this town was like her. They all seemed happy with their lives, even the ones who complained about it all the time. Why couldn’t she give in and drink the Kool-Aid like the rest of them?

Her head snapped toward the knock at the door. As she moved through the living room, her daddy’s footsteps sounded above her on the second floor. She paused, and wiped her cheeks, clearing tears she hadn’t realized fell until the cool air brushed over them. After she straightened her dress, she put on a fake smile and pulled the door handle. Her gaze slammed right into a set of hazel eyes.

What the hell are you doin’ here? She glared at Wade, keeping her voice low.

Now, Miss Scarlett. Is that any way to treat your dinner guest?

Stop callin’ me that.

Stop actin’ like that.

"Mr. Dawson. Please come in. Carly, get out of the way, and let