Love Thy Neighbour

By J. A Melville

My brother told me I was lucky to be alive.

The car accident I'd been in should have killed me.

It didn't.

We'd always been close and he was right, life was too short.

We were going to live the dream until it all became a nightmare when my brother took his own life.

Nothing was the same any more.

My seachange became a life of self imposed isolation until her....

Autumn was beautiful. She was also my next door neighbour.

She saw right through me. I felt open and exposed to her. We'd both endured tragedy in our lives.

I didn't want her, I didn't want anyone, so why couldn't I stay away from her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A Melville
• Release date: Jun 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386448662

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Ihave one person in particular, that I give thanks to. One person who is there for every idea. Every word. Every chapter. Through every single moment. My special thanks is to you Karen. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for being the one who gets my books in their raw form and helps me turn them into the best that they can be.

Thank you for telling me when they’re good, but for not being afraid to tell me when they’re not. Especially with this one when the old WIP for it just wasn’t good enough to continue with six years later.

Thank you for not being afraid to tell me how it is, so in this case I chose to start over.

Thank you for assisting me with everything from cover ideas to promotion, to just simply being my best friend and the sister I never had.  A sister with the matching wonky body. Bookends as I call us. You told me once that my books just keep getting better. That I kind of raise the bar on my own stories, but in reality, they wouldn’t be and that wouldn’t happen, if it weren’t for all the help you give me. Thank you. Xxxxx

About the Author

From my teenage years , all I wanted to do was become a writer one day. Even now as an adult woman with three children who are not so little anymore, I've always lived with my head in the clouds, a dreamer, often amusing myself with my own imagination.

I live in Tasmania, Australia with my three children and two kitties I raised that were born to a feral cat.

I love reading romance and writing it too. I’m a sucker for a damaged male who just needs a good woman to fix him. Or the arrogant billionaire who needs a feisty woman to slap him silly. My books touch on subjects that many of us can relate to. From serious, to laugh out loud comedies, and even some stories that bite. I'm talking sexy vampires of course.

I love that buildup of sexual tension and those scenes that will set the pages on fire. I’m just a sucker for a good romance.

J. A Melville.

© Copyright J. A Melville.  2017

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This book is fiction. The characters are fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

Image © DepositPhotos – golyak

Cover Design © Designed with Grace

Prologue

Five Years Ago

Get away from it all, bro. My younger brother Adam’s voice echoed in my head as I turned my Land Cruiser into the driveway that led to my new home.

I could see him in my mind; dark hair that always had that unruly look to it, laughing green eyes as he seemed to find everything amusing, especially me, and that ever present smile of his.  You know you nearly fucking died man. His expression had turned serious for a moment.

That truck crushed your fucking car, except for the driver’s seat. Shit, I know you were hurt. You couldn’t walk for a year, but you survived. In an accident where you should have died, you didn’t. Take it as a sign and stop chasing the almighty dollar. Mum and Dad wouldn’t have wanted it, you know that. Do whatever will make you happy, he’d said, giving me one of those hugs where he slapped my back because he joked; ‘that was the manly way to do it.’

That had been a standing joke of his. Taking me in his arms and slapping me so damned hard my back would throb for a few minutes afterwards. If I complained that he’d hurt me, he’d punch me in the arm and tell me to ‘take it like a man.’

I smiled as the images rolled through my head in a kaleidoscope of memories. I’m not sure why he liked to joke about being men, big tough, burly men as he’d say. Whether it had been because he was gay and he’d felt the need to try and hide it or make fun of his own sexuality, I don’t know.

He never did explain it, although I’d asked the question of him several times. It had always been the same: laugh it off, and distract me by changing the subject. I pulled up outside the sprawling country home, killing the Land Cruiser’s engine; my thoughts still on Adam.

He’d been so determined for me to live the life I wanted and not waste it, especially after the accident; and perhaps I’d allowed myself to become too distracted by listening to him and making the start to living my life the way I wanted to, to notice how unhappy he really was. I’d been so fucking determined to deal with the last of my clients, running around after them, clearing the way to do as my brother suggested and go with the sea change, that I’d failed to really see what was going on with him.

If I’d only known. If I’d only paid attention to the little signs that of course I could see now, but I couldn’t see then. If I’d seen them, if I’d really noticed, if I hadn’t ignored his last calls and pleas to come and see him, I might have been able to save him, to stop him taking his own life. I could have saved him. I could have prevented it. He was dead because of me.

Chapter One

Present Day

So have you heard the old Jackson house sold, Mr Bailey? The pimply-faced youth serving me asked. What was his name again? Ben? Toby? No, that wasn’t it. Thomas, it was Thomas.

This was a small town and although I avoided the locals as much as possible, it would probably be considered the cardinal sin if I forgot someone’s name, including Thomas who worked in the small convenience store.

Yeah, I saw the sold sign go up a few weeks ago, I replied. I thought I told you my name was Theo? I raised my eyes to his heavily acne scarred face and saw him blush under my intense stare.

Sorry Mr B- I mean, Theo. He replied, loading my few groceries into bags. Talk is it’s someone from the mainland; someone who works with animals, although I’m not sure what they do with them.

I tried not to let the laugh in me bubble up when my first thought was to ask if they performed experiments on them, or perhaps it was a bestiality thing. Clearing my throat, I handed the money over to Thomas and, after a couple more meaningless exchanges of small talk, I left the store and headed out to my Land Cruiser.

There was a four-wheel drive ute parked in front of me with a horse float on the back and as I neared it, wondering if I had enough room to get out of my parking space, I noticed a pair of long, jean-clad legs leaning in through the vehicle’s passenger door.

My steps slowed as I walked, my eyes on those legs, my gaze travelling up to a curvy ass showcased to perfection by the tight denim, and a small expanse of smooth skin that showed between the waistband of the jeans and the top the woman wore.

For the first time in as long as I could remember, something stirred in me; a tiny spark flickered to life. I slowed down even more but I’d already slowed my pace so much I was nearly standing still, willing the woman leaning into her car to stand up and turn around, to see if the rest of her looked as good as what I could see so far.

When the loud, excitable barking of a dog sounded right near my head, I jumped so violently from the shock of it that I felt muscles out of touch at being used like that protest at the abrupt movement.

My head shot towards the sound and it was then that I realised there was some huge monstrosity bawling at me from the back of the ute, copious quantities of drool hanging from its jaw like the creature from the movie Alien.

I backed up, eyeing off the largest dog I think I’d ever seen in an attempt to not be either bitten or covered in the drool, and missed that I was actually stepping back onto a section of pathway that was uneven. My weaker leg protested, pain lancing up the length of it, and I stumbled. Desperately trying to right myself, arms flailing wildly, I tried to avoid the inevitable and failed.

Groaning when I ended up on the ground, my damaged leg buckled beneath me, grocery bags dropped and contents scattered, I twisted my body, trying to find something I could lean on to help get back on my feet.

Oh my god; are you alright? I heard someone ask and I turned my head, drawn towards the sweetest sounding voice.  

My gaze travelled over dusty boots to slim, denim covered legs, a tiny waist and generous breasts, and finally met the concern I could see in the brightest blue eyes looking down at me.

Long lashes framed them, making them appear even brighter. A plump lower lip was being ravaged by a set of perfect white teeth, and auburn coloured hair swung loose, free of any kind of restrictions. 

A delicate hand with long, slim fingers reached for me and I ignored it as I continued to stare into those captivating eyes.

Let me help you up. She shoved her hand at me again. I felt my jaw set into a stubborn line and she grinned. Aw come on. Don’t go getting all bent out of shape and thinking that male ego of yours has a big old dent in it now. I appear to be the only one who has seen you land on your ass and, I promise, your secret’s safe with me.

Sighing because this stranger had summed me up in one glance, I shot her my best glowering look and lifted a hand to take hers. She braced herself, yanking back hard, her grip surprisingly firm on mine. I tucked my protesting leg under me, ignoring the pain, and as she pulled I used my leg to push up until she’d dragged me onto my feet. Clearly, despite her slim frame, she was remarkably strong.

Pain shot down my leg and I gasped, sweat breaking out on my body. I needed to get out of here and hide myself back in my home where I could load up on pain killers and try to forget this embarrassing moment.

Thank you. I ground out, my teeth clenched tightly together.

You’re welcome. I’m sorry about Tiny, too. He just gets so excited when he sees new people. She smiled, her face lighting up momentarily before a frown crossed her features. You’re hurt though. Did this big buffoon make you injure yourself?

No, he just surprised me. I...my leg...it was already hurt. I told her, wondering why I was revealing that much even to a total stranger. I should go. I reached down to start gathering my fallen groceries and the woman hurried forward, also bending down to assist me. She was close enough that I could smell a subtle floral fragrance that surrounded her and I breathed it in like some desperate coke snorting addict.

What the hell was wrong with me? I was acting like a damned adolescent over this woman with the dog that doubled as a horse and