Mr. Taurus: The Zodiac Series, #2

By Cora Kaine

Kat Wilson's estranged father has passed away, leaving everything he owned to his 25 year old starving-artist daughter. However, this means Kat must travel back to her childhood home for the first time in 15 years.

In the midst of all this chaos, commitment-phobe Kat is thrown another curveball - her childhood best friend Caleb Farley has grown up, and he's got a gorgeous body to prove it. Caleb has also been nursing a crush on her the entire time she's been away.

A relationship is the last thing Kat wants, but will a return to her country roots remind her of the warmth of love and family? Or will she betray her family and Caleb and sell off the treasured restaurant her father left to her?


The Zodiac Series is a series of loosely connected novellas that can be read in any order. Each leading man encapsulates the personality traits of his zodiac sign.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cora Kaine
• Release date: May 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386476870

Book preview

Taurus

It’s no surprise that a Taurus man is bull-headed.  He will dig his heels in and refuse to submit when it comes to his morals and ideals.  This man is strong and possessive, a wonderful listener who doesn’t like change and can’t seem to let things go and move on.  However, Mr. Taurus understands his own strength and will do anything to protect his loved ones.  If you’re the type to wear a little red dress and grab life by the horns, prepare for a wild ride with this type!

––––––––

Your Fortune

Sometimes, we must go backwards before we can move forwards.  Don’t be afraid to reflect on what has been lost and what is left to gain.

Chapter 1

Somewhere in the distance, my phone was ringing.  I knew that I should have gotten up to answer it, but I knew if I lifted my head, the sun was going to get in my eyes and wake me up for good.  I wasn’t having any of that right now.

"Kat, your phone’s been ringing for like three hours." 

I nearly jumped out of bed at the sound of a voice in bed next to me.  I peered over my comforter to see my roommate Daycia’s body curled up next to me.  Her words had been a sleepy complaint, and apparently she had the same thoughts I did - it may have been one in the afternoon, but it definitely wasn’t time to get up.  I groaned as I tried to remember why exactly she was laying in my bed.  The collection of bottles on the floor, big wines bottles and smaller beer bottles, might have had something to do with our current situation.  My tired mind couldn’t be bothered with remembering the details of the previous night, though.

Barely opening my eyes, I trudged across the room and searched for my phone under a pile of clothes on my desk.  I grabbed it, confused about why I had so many messages and so many missed calls.  It sobered me up a bit to see.  Before I could look into it any more, the phone began to ring again in my hand.  It was my mom.

Kat, sweetheart, why didn’t you answer? she asked.

Hey, mom! I said, doing my best to hide the sleepiness in my voice.  I was working on a new project.  You know how I get.  What’s up?  You called like a thousand times.  It must be serious.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and I feared that my mom was going to call me out on my lies.  She never wasted an opportunity to ask me to move back home and get a sensible job that had nothing to do with art.  I rubbed at my face, preparing myself for an oncoming lecture from a thousand miles away.

Kat, I’m so sorry.  I got a call today from Lockheart.  Your father passed away.

I was silent.  A panic began to flow through me.  How was I supposed to react to this?  What was I supposed to say?  I hadn’t prepared myself for this, and my mind was already a mess.

What happened? I asked.  It seemed like the best thing to ask under the circumstances.

I heard a heavy sigh from my mom’s end.  The booze finally got him, I suspect.  He didn’t tell anyone about it, of course - not until he was dying in the hospital.

Is that...normal for him? I asked, and then immediately regretted my wording.  I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the uneven ceiling of my bedroom.

You know, I think it is.  He was never much of a talker.

I took a few deep breaths.  I was 25, and my father had passed away, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.  I hadn’t spoken to him since a brief phone call on Christmas, and now he was gone.  I mentally stepped away from dwelling on those thoughts just yet.

How are you feeling about this, mom? I asked.  After all, she had known him far longer than I had.  She had actually had a relationship with him.  What I had with my father barely counted as anything.

It’s sad, she said.  I know I left him, and I know I was unhappy with him for all those years, but...without him, I’d never have you.  It’s just sad that someone I knew and loved is gone now.

I’m sorry, mom, I said.  Do you want me to fly home?  I can leave tomorrow.

Oh, sweetie, I’ll be fine.  I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for your loss.  I hope this isn’t too much to ask, but I talked to Aunt Delilah.  They want you to come out there.  Your father left everything to you in his will.

They want me to go to Lockheart? I asked in shock.  I had vowed a long time ago that I’d never go back to that hellhole full of disappointed memories.  What is ‘everything’?

Everything he owns - money, land, I don’t know.  You’ll have to ask his lawyer yourself.

A lawyer? I repeated in fear.  I’ve never talked to a lawyer before.

I know, sweetie.  Do you want me to go with you?  I have that thing for work, but they’ll understand if I cancel.

"That thing?  Mom, you’re being honored for your work.  You’re nurse of the freaking year!  The whole ceremony is for you.  Don’t even think about canceling.  I can take care of this on my own."  The words came out with confidence, but I couldn’t have felt anymore lost.

Are you sure?  This is a lot for a girl like you to handle, Kat.

There it was.  A girl like me.  I had been living on my own for almost two whole years and my mom still didn’t think I could take care of myself.

It’s fine, Mom, I said.  I can do this.  I’m 25.

There was another long pause before she gave me a skeptical okay... 

We discussed the details some more and she gave me more condolences before I hung up.  I got myself back across the room to my bed where I crawled back in next to Daycia.  I slung her arm around me so that she was giving me a hug.  I needed one right about now.

Everything okay? Day asked as I jostled her just barely awake once again.

Everything’s fine, I answered, though she was probably back asleep before the words even hit her ears.  We’d had a long night, after all.  The memories came back - all the crying and all the cursing.  Daycia’s latest boyfriend had forgotten to mention to her the fact that he was married, and she found out when his wife hired Day to do family portraits.  It was all very awkward.  Just another reminder of why I never wanted a relationship.

I laid in bed, silently staring ahead and seeing nothing while I contemplated the death of my absentee father.  I was 25 years old, and all of this was way too much for me.

Chapter 2

I had never been so exhausted in my life.  I was experiencing so many firsts in my life, and none of them had been fun.

To prepare for my trip to Lockheart, I had to buy a black dress that wasn’t meant for the club.  I had to buy plane tickets and fly all alone halfway across the country.  I had to rent a car and then follow my phone’s GPS all by myself to Lockheart.  It was a lot for my mind to process while thoughts of my father lingered in the back of my mind.

I arrived at the hotel I booked and got to my room.  I took the time to organize my stuff