Lucky One

By Christie Mack

Logan Westervelt wore his heart on his sleeve until the day his wife and love of his life ran away in search of chasing her dreams in Hollywood, leaving him to care for and raise their two-year-old daughter Cassidy alone.

Now it’s two years later and the once-happily-married man is a single father who shies away from romance at the risk of his heart breaking all over again. To concerned family, he insists he's fine playing daddy without the fun of dating. Besides, he's been a little preoccupied with his daughter, who hasn't said a word since her mother left.

That is until aspiring country singer Ivy Jade Mackay arrives in town after her car breaks down, leaving her stranded and unable to continue on her journey to Nashville until the problem is fixed.

Ivy Jade has big plans for her future, and sticking around in Forest Grove, Alabama, isn’t one of them. But with little money to her name, she resorts to getting a job in town until she can afford to get back on the road with a reliable car.

Outside forces push them together with an undeniable attraction which neither Logan nor Ivy care to admit to. But when past lovers and career aspirations become a thing of the present, will the spark between them be enough to give Logan and his young daughter a second chance at love and Ivy a reason to stay? Will they be the lucky one for each other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christie Mack
• Release date: Nov 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502299154

Book preview

Home is Where the Heart is

Lucky One

Back to Me without You (coming 2015)

Love at Unexpected Moments (coming 2015)

More than Friends (coming 2015)

Coming Home for Christmas (coming late 2015)

Logan Westervelt wore his heart on his sleeve until the day his wife and love of his life ran away in search of chasing her dreams in Hollywood, leaving him to care for and raise their two-year-old daughter Cassidy alone.

Now it’s two years later and the once-happily-married man is a single father who shies away from romance at the risk of his heart breaking all over again. To concerned family, he insists he’s fine playing daddy without the fun of dating. Besides, he’s been a little preoccupied with his daughter, who hasn’t said a word since her mother left.

That is until aspiring country singer Ivy Jade Mackay arrives in town after her car breaks down, leaving her stranded and unable to continue on her journey to Nashville until the problem is fixed.

Ivy Jade has big plans for her future, and sticking around in Forest Grove, Alabama, isn’t one of them. But with little money to her name, she resorts to getting a job in town until she can afford to get back on the road with a reliable car.

Outside forces push them together with an undeniable attraction which neither Logan nor Ivy care to admit to. But when past lovers and career aspirations become a thing of the present, will the spark between them be enough to give Logan and his young daughter a second chance at love and Ivy a reason to stay? Will they be the lucky one for each other?

For my mother. Thank you for encouraging me to always pursue my dreams and being there to read the rough draft of this manuscript. I love you.

Are you sure you’ve got everything? Grandma asked Ivy for what felt like the fiftieth time. She was about to hit the road to Nashville, Tennessee, in search of stardom as a country singer.

Ivy knew her grandmother meant no harm with her repetitive question. She was simply worried about her only grandchild venturing out into the big, wide world on her own.

She had saved up enough cash to make it to Nashville, and at twenty-five years of age she was more than ready to say goodbye to this one-horse town, otherwise known as Pine Hill, Georgia. Even if it meant leaving behind the only family she had while she went off in search of a life of her own.

Ivy placed the last of her threadbare suitcases into the trunk of the old sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle. She had been given it as a sixteenth birthday present by her grandparents. She pushed her aviator sunglasses on top of her head, using them as a headband to hold her long, jet-black hair away from her face.

Yes, Grandma. I’ve got everything. You don’t need to worry about me so much. I’m a big girl; I can look after myself, Ivy assured her, though she wasn’t sure how much comfort her grandmother would get from hearing those words. Grandma would always worry about her, and a small part of Ivy cherished the thought at least two people worried about her; despite her attempt to be big and brave in the great unknown.

Her grandmother placed her hands on Ivy’s shoulders.

Oh, sweetheart, your pop and I will always worry about you. That won’t ever change. Ivy could see her fighting hard to hold back tears. Ivy hadn’t wanted to see tears because now she felt like shedding a few alongside her grandmother. The woman had been like a mother to Ivy after she lost both her parents in a tragic automobile accident when just fourteen years of age.

At the time, Ivy didn’t think she would ever get over the premature passing of her parents. When she was taken in and nurtured by her grandparents, despite their ailing health and age, she knew she had to keep on living for the sake of her future. Her parents wouldn’t want to see her depressed; they would want her make a life for herself. Life as a country music star was what Ivy was going to strive for, what she’d been dreaming of for so long.

Okay, love. Don’t get into a blubbering mess over our only granddaughter, or you know she’ll start crying, too, Ivy’s grandfather bellowed, walking down the footpath toward where Ivy and her grandmother were standing.

He came to stand next to his wife on the curb of the street, his arm around her while he slowly embraced his granddaughter in a goodbye hug.

Ivy took a step backward, leaning against her car and placing one hand on her hip. She took in her surroundings, taking a mental picture, remembering everything familiar and what she was used to up until this point.

She couldn’t forget the old Victorian-style house she had come to call her home when she was just fourteen years old or the old oak trees standing outside her bedroom window.

All the memories she had while living in Pine Hill—good and bad—were so very precious to Ivy right now. She would never forget the special moments she had with her grandparents. Like the time her grandfather accompanied her to the father/daughter dance when she was in high school because he knew how much it meant to her. She knew she still had a father-figure present in her life, even when her father wasn’t physically with her anymore.

Or the times she had to work nights at the diner and her car wouldn’t work and get her home. Her grandfather would come and pick her up, despite the diner being a mere ten-minute walk from home. Those were the kinds of moments she would never, ever forget—not that she wanted to.

But she knew that as much as she wanted to, Ivy couldn’t stand here forever and reminisce. She had to look forward, look to the future and what it would bring her.

Ivy tucked her hands into the front pockets of her black, skinny-leg jeans. She couldn’t avoid the inescapable forever.

I guess I better hit the road then, she said.

Yes, you better. You’re burning daylight, her grandfather replied.

Ivy chuckled. Trust her grandfather to want her to get going before she lost daylight. He hated her driving late at night, like she could only see properly in the daytime.

Do you want me gone that much, Pop? Ivy joked with a sparkle in her dark green eyes. For his seventy-three years, her grandfather rarely showed his age in character or appearance.

Oh, hush, Grandma silenced her husband, patting him on his shoulder, and flattening her salt and pepper, bob-style haircut with her hands. Leave the girl alone. She’s fine. Grandma turned to Ivy.

Are you okay? Do you have enough cash? Her voice was almost a whisper. She tucked a strand of Ivy’s hair, identical to her mother’s, behind her ear and brushed her cheek gently.

Yes, she said, her words coming out in a whisper. I’m fine.

And she was—sort of. She had enough money to use on gas to get her to Nashville. She figured once she got there, she would probably need to sleep in her car to save some money. She could look for a job to make enough cash to pay for the studio time to make a demo for record labels. Where she stayed when she got there wasn’t nearly as important as the reason why she was going to Nashville in the first place. She wanted to make sure she did what she set out to do; to show everyone in Pine Hill who doubted she could make it that she was serious about her career aspirations of becoming a country singer.

Ivy’s grandparents had already given her enough encouragement in life to know she could achieve anything she wanted and more. Part of their golden years had already passed them by because they were busy raising their granddaughter. Ivy didn’t need to take or be given anything else.

The rest was simply up to her.

Her grandmother sensed something was wrong.

She tilted Ivy’s chin so she was looking into her eyes. What’s the matter, honey bunch?

Ivy inhaled forcefully then huffed out a breath. Am I doing the right thing in leaving here? Do you really think I can make it as a singer, or are my dreams set too high?

Listen to me, honey. I know a lot of people have said you’re never going to make it as a singer, that you have set your career ambitions too high to accomplish. I wouldn’t be honest if I said it’s going to be easy to succeed, but you don’t know if you don’t at least try. You have to work hard to get everything you want. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to, but you have to believe in yourself.

Ivy was always doubting her ability to sing. Maybe she wasn’t that good a singer even though she had been told many times just how good she really was. She had sung at many open-mic and karaoke nights in town before. Apparently, she had the voice, but could she make it in the music industry as a country singer? Nashville was a hard place to crack into, but her grandmother was right. She had to at least give it a go.

Once Ivy was done saying her goodbyes to those who had given their all to raise her as best as they could as elderly guardians, Ivy knew she had to make tracks or her Pop would be right in saying she was losing daylight. If she wanted to make it to Nashville, she had to make a getaway now before she lost her nerve and gave up on her dreams altogether.

She opened the car door and climbed in, turning the key in the ignition and starting the car. She looked back at her family with a smile. It meant a lot to know they had confidence in her because she wasn’t sure she had much in herself right now. As she shifted into gear and left the driveway, she drove a few blocks down the road, past the neighboring houses, before glancing in her rear view mirror. She looked back at her grandparents, waving at her as she drove away from them and everything she knew and loved about Pine Hill.

It was too late to change her mind about Nashville and singing. If she turned around now, she would never live it down. People would know she was wrong in stating her desires to be a singer. She couldn’t go back—not now. And besides her family, she had nothing left in Pine Hill. Even her (former) best friend made it clear the other day she wanted nothing to do with her, after her ass of a boyfriend had come onto Ivy. And if that wasn’t enough, he had the nerve to tell her best friend that Ivy had been the one to make a move on him!

Ivy just hoped she was making the right decision.

Four hours and twenty-two minutes. That was how long she had been on the road before she felt the monotony, her eyes shutting against their will. It wasn’t like she had even had a good drive before something went wrong and she had to pull over to the side of the road.

One hour into the drive, one tire went flat, leaving her with one badly punctured wheel and the need to stop and fix it before going any further. It was a good thing she learned how to be self-sufficient when it came to her car and her grandfather showed her how to change a flat tire. Otherwise, she could have been standing in the middle of nowhere for hours before assistance arrived.

Two hours later, she had been inconveniently pulled over by a policeman and issued a speeding ticket for going seven miles over the limit. The police officer hadn’t even thought she was hot enough to let her off with a warning like most did; that was what ticked her off the most. Ivy was beginning to think she had lost her femininity and charm to lure men despite her best efforts to sometimes slip under the radar from their attention.

Ivy knew she would have to pull over again soon. She couldn’t go any further until she stopped for a quick power-nap—not unless she didn’t want to make it to Nashville at all.

But in the blink of an eye—not by choice—her car made a guzzling noise from under the hood and she grumbled, carefully steering her little blue Bug to the side of the isolated road.

Ivy placed both hands on the steering wheel, hitting her head on her hands and sighing a little louder because she could. No one else was around. She could probably scream bloody murder and no one would hear her, except for maybe a herd of cows or sheep in the grassy paddocks surrounding the highway.

Slowly, Ivy popped the hood, and got out of the car to get a better look at the engine. She couldn’t see much, though; smoke covered most of it.

It was just Ivy’s luck. Obviously, her engine had cooked. So much for the once-over she had paid a mechanic to do in Pine Hill before she left.

Ivy looked around at the surrounding areas, searching for a sign of some sort to tell her where exactly she was. Ivy could have sworn the one she saw a hundred or so miles down the road read Alabama but she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t exactly paying close attention to signs at the time. Instead, her focus was more on finding ways to stay awake, like singing along to the catchy lyrics of a Jana Kramer or Ashley Gearing song on her iPhone, before her car broke down.

Ivy reached into the car, pulled out her phone and held it in the air, searching and hoping for a signal though she knew it would be a dead end.

Shit! No phone, and my car is screwed. Any doubts I had about this trip being a waste of time are becoming more and more obvious now.

She looked down at the time on her phone. It was still early; the sun had yet to go down. Someone could still come along this road and come to her aid. She just prayed it wasn’t a serial killer who preyed on the defenseless.

Even with a couple of tattoos on her arm and other parts of her body you couldn’t see, she wasn’t as strong as she liked people to believe. She still needed saving at the best of times; she just didn’t like to admit to being a damsel in distress. It wasn’t like she went out of her way to look for trouble in order to get the attention of the opposite sex; men were usually the first to come to her. And because of her tattoos, she was often branded a wild child, which was far from the truth.

She liked to party as much as any young woman with her whole life ahead of her, but Ivy was more of a bookworm than anyone realized. She much preferred quiet nights spent at home with her head in a book than going out to a club with the loud, pulsating music.

Ivy pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, running the tips of her fingers through the ends of her untamed mass of wind-blown hair.

God, I hope some help comes soon, she said to herself, stuffing her hands into the back pockets of her skinny-leg jeans as she struck a pose against the side of her beat-up car. She crossed one slim leg over the other, tapping her in-need-of-a-manicure fingernails against the back of her cell phone case.

She could really go for a hot shower right about now.

Logan Westervelt was on his way back to the main part of town in Forest Grove where he lived. In particular, he was heading to the auto shop he co-owned and co-ran with his elder brother, Sawyer. He had spent the last day and a half in the next county over as he busied himself lodging papers at a courthouse he had never been to before.

A courtroom was something he always wished he never had to step foot inside and until two years ago, he didn’t think he ever would.

But things changed after his wife, the supposed love of his life, walked out on their marriage for the bright lights of a hopeful acting career in Hollywood, leaving him to care for their four-year-old daughter, Cassidy, alone.

Logan had full custody as stated in the short letter Julie wrote to him when she left. She couldn’t be the kind of wife and mother he and Cassidy deserved, apparently, or she just didn’t want to be. In other words, her career counted more to her than her husband and daughter did.

That was two years ago.

Logan was okay now. He was getting by as a single father, raising Cassidy all on his own with help from his occasionally meddlesome family—not that he would probably have them any other way. He knew his mother, sister and even sister-in-law had taken on a lot of the responsibility in ensuring Cassidy had some kind of mother-figure still present in her life despite the fact she clearly had no mother there. He was doing the best he could on his own without Julie in their lives anymore.

Sometimes, he still couldn’t believe she had just up and left them without so much as a word. Sometimes, Logan wished he had seen the warning signs telling him how unhappy she truly was with living a quiet, small-town life in Forest Grove.

After she left, Logan had often laid in bed at night wondering if he was too stupid to see Julie didn’t really want to be a wife and mother. He had thought that maybe he had pushed her into the idea of marriage and children, but then he realized that, despite her life-long goals to make it as an actress, she had also liked the idea of raising a family together in their sleepy little hometown.

Julie had grown up here. While she always said she wanted to get out of town, she had also said she wanted to come back and raise her children here. Logan figured life as a mother and wife in a small town had obviously gotten too much for Julie to handle, and that was why she left.

She couldn’t be the kind of person Logan wanted her to be when she still had visions of her own she wanted to pursue in life. Obviously, he and Cassidy hadn’t been enough for her and in some weird way, he was okay with it now. He had to be, for the sake of his four-year-old daughter.

Life went on. Time healed all wounds, as his mother and sister kept telling him. They were wise beyond their years, as he often told them. He couldn’t sit and dwell on something that happened two years ago. It belonged in his past, which is why Logan had made the call to go to court in the next county over, finally lodging the divorce papers he received from Julie a little over twelve months ago. Their marriage on paper was over the moment the judge made the necessary stamps of approval.

But in Logan’s eyes, his marriage had been over the moment his wife had made the decision to walk out of their lives forever. She wasn’t coming back; he knew that. And for his daughter’s sake, he hoped she didn’t return, especially if there was the possibility of her leaving once more. He didn’t want to see his daughter’s life turned upside-down all over again.

Logan just hoped Cassidy would eventually start talking just a little bit more before school started in the fall.

Cassidy had always been a quiet child, never really saying too much, but since her mother left, she hadn’t really said a whole lot of anything to anyone. Logan was just hoping her lack of words at times was due to the fact she was simply a shy little girl, and didn’t have anything to do with her mother not being around.

Cassidy was two at the time. He didn’t think she would have remembered much about her mother or what happened back then. The only things she really knew now were her mother was no longer a part of their lives, and the chances of her coming back so they could be a family were slim, especially since it was Julie who had been the first to initiate divorce proceedings.

According to his attorney, Julie wanted to go back to her maiden name for all her work purposes. Apparently, she wanted to look as though she was a single person rather than someone who came with baggage, like a husband and child.

Logan turned onto a long stretch of road, which would take him through to the main road in and out of Forest Grove. He switched radio stations in his 2011 Ford pickup truck until a Florida Georgia Line song came on the radio. He loved a good country