Deserving Taryn: Levi & Taryn, #3

By A.C. Wilson

"There was nothing like family. It cemented hopes, dreams and loyalty together to create a group of people who would do absolutely anything for each other." –Deserving Taryn

A snowy Christmas Eve morning finds Taryn Green back in South Dakota, standing on the doorstep of the Crossing Pines Ranch and wondering what reception would await her return. Only three years have passed, but Taryn is dubbing it a lifetime she would never wish to relive. The charming, controlling boyfriend from high school was quickly transformed into something much, much worse. The courage to leave Dustin Lafke took a year for Taryn to gather. She wonders if it is truly over? Will he let her go?

Then there is Levi Kodallas—her loveable, dependable friend. The same genuine country boy, whose heart was shattered the moment he realized she had broken up with him and fled to college halfway across the country. She doesn't blame him for not wanting to forgive her. She can't forgive herself. No one deserves to be burdened by her past mistakes, especially Levi. Taryn decides that she has to move forward, but to do that, she must retreat. She accepts a mission to discover truth, to chase happiness and finally, if she's found worthy, to deserve love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.C. Wilson
• Release date: Nov 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781386068570

A.C. Wilson

A Nebraska native, A.C. Wilson now lives in historic Abilene, Kansas with her husband and two boys. Always an avid reader, A.C. first fell in love with historical romances both Regency and Western. The world was a wide open place where adventures could happen even between the pages of a book. Deciding to give the characters in her head some room to breathe, A.C. started typing and hasn't looked back. The Black Hills series books are contemporary western romances set in the iconic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Johnson family holds true to their values of love, duty, family, and loyalty. Watch for a new series coming in 2016.

Book preview

CHAPTER

1

HIS HEART THUMPED IN his throat, nearly choking off the air he needed to keep his head on straight. Levi shoved his coat into his backpack after getting off the plane. The flight had been nerve wracking and the fact that his texts were going unanswered made his heart rate sky rocket. Blake’s words were on repeat in his mind.

Bailey thinks something is wrong. She got a phone call the other night with Taryn crying on the other end. Taryn wouldn’t say anything and then the line went dead. No phone calls have been answered and no voicemails returned.

Levi had a pit in the bottom of his stomach, too. Taryn had been so open, but things had changed. Two years was a long time to not see someone, especially someone who was still the sweet spot in his life. It sounded stupid, crazy even that he was even considering Taryn after ditching him. It had been beyond painful and now, the ache was sharp in his chest. Levi hadn’t been able to cut her off completely and neither had she.  He had received holiday cards and a present on his birthdays, but it wasn’t the same. It was silly, but Levi wanted proof that she was happy in her new life.

A quick search on the internet made him doubt that she was happy. Heck, she was a ghost! He found it odd that she didn’t have any social media. What young woman didn’t have a connection to share her photos and events in her life? Pieces he had been ignoring were taking shape and he didn’t like how it looked.

Levi’s phone dinged. He looked at it, hopeful that it might be Taryn. His heart clenched with disappointment. It wasn’t her.

@Blake: Did you land?

It was Blake checking in just as he said he would. Levi walked around a group of people and then dodged a huge cart with luggage piled high. He tapped back.

@Levi: Just. What next?

Levi was running this operative for Blake and Bailey. Blake had said that he was willing to go, but Bailey was so close to her due date that he didn’t want to risk missing his daughter being born.

@Blake: Go to the rental counter. I reserved a car.

Levi looked up at the signs in the airport and found the one that he needed.

Hi, ma’am. My name is Levi Kodallas. I believe there is a reserved car for me. Levi offered a short smile to the older lady behind the counter, who started to tap away at her keyboard. She took a moment and asked for his driver’s license. Another few short minutes, a couple of signatures later and she handed him the keys to a car in the parking lot.

Thank you, ma’am.

He turned and exited out the doors she had indicated. He looked at the tag on the keyless entry fob. A silver Nissan Altima blinked its lights when he pressed the unlock button. Levi’s brow furrowed at the choice of vehicle, but he could only think about finding Taryn. That was his mission. He was going to seek, determine her physical status and then hopefully bring her back home with him. Throwing his bag into the back seat, Levi folded his long legs so he could sit in the driver’s seat. He made a disgruntled sound when he noted that a very short person had driven the car last.

Thank you, Blake. Levi grumbled as he adjusted the seat and looked around the dash to try and find the ignition.

What the heck! Levi closed his eyes and breathed in through his mouth and let it out his nose. It marginally calmed the building stress inside him. He couldn’t dwell on what it would be like when he finally saw Taryn again. He was a fool for her and as much as he hated to admit it, he feared that it was still true. He mentally shook himself and focused on the car.

Push start? Really?

Levi made a note to never buy a crazy compact car and in the same frame of mind, he wished Blake had rented him a truck. Then again he had never been more than a state away from Nebraska before either.

Looking down at his cell phone, Levi opened up his digital map and turned the sound up for directions. He wasn’t certain of the address. Blake had given it to him and said that it was the last address Taryn had given to Bailey with expressed directions not to send any mail there. That had sounded suspicious at the time, but Taryn had chalked it up to the mail carrier being a thief. Now Levi wondered if there wasn’t more to that. Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to be found. None of it made sense really. It didn’t sound like the girl he had known. It hurt to think that maybe he didn’t know her at all.

Thirty minutes later he looked at the upscale neighborhood and the archway above the drive that indicated this was the house he was looking for. Levi closed his eyes, took a deep breath and entered slowly. Even in the dark, going on eleven o’clock the place looked spectacular with its hulking white form, black iron fencing and manicured landscapes. As he pulled the car along the circular drive near the door, Levi wondered if this was a fool’s errand.

What if Taryn was just busy with her life? It was possible. Maybe she had forgotten about all of them in her social rise. Levi wasn’t being judgmental, but the grandeur around him was telling. He looked at his phone, saw Taryn’s shining face taken the day they graduated. He hadn’t forgotten her. Surely she hadn’t forgotten about him either. His hand voluntarily opened the car door and he slid out of the driver’s seat. Stuffing the keys down inside his jean’s pocket, Levi let his concern and love for Taryn wash over him. He reminded himself that he was here out of friendship to her family. Holding onto that, he strode up to the door and rang the doorbell. He waited, looking anywhere but at the small glass peephole that was eye level with him. A couple of minutes passed and no one came to the door, so Levi took his fist and pounded. A bit dramatic, he thought, but maybe it would get results.

Just as he was about to look up Taryn’s phone number and call her, the door opened marginally. Levi thought his chest was going to explode at the uncertainty of the situation. He pictured at best some stuffy butler type that would tell him he was not welcome and that the local police had been called. At worst a large, bulky henchman would open the door with gun drawn at the intruder—him. As the door inched backwards, the person behind it was neither one Levi had pictured. His throat constricted and his palms started to sweat profusely. Two familiar blue eyes met his and he felt some relief to know it was Taryn.

Taryn.

He would know those lips, her nose, and long, brown hair...brown? That was a change.

Levi? Her voice was hushed as she looked at him from the shadow of the door. He nodded for confirmation. What are you doing here?

Levi was trying to log everything about this moment. The changes, the things that were the same and then his own feelings about her. He wanted to pulled her out of the doorway, throw her into the darn car and head back to the airport. He would call Blake and ask him to book another plane ticket or he would just keep driving until they were far from here.

Blake called me. Your sister is going nuts, Taryn. Levi watched her expressive eyes lower so that he couldn’t see inside as easily. His gut roiled in alarm. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He had fought against assuming he knew what was happening, but unless Taryn confirmed any of it, there was little he could do.

I’ll call her. Taryn declared softly and without looking back up, she began to close the door. Levi acted fast. His boot wedged into the small gap before she shut the door completely. What are you doing? She snapped, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at him.

I didn’t fly all the way here just to give you a message, Taryn. His voice mirrored the exasperation of hers. I’m here to get you to come home. Everyone is worried sick about you.

"Everyone?"

Levi couldn’t breathe. He watched her face fall. Levi studied every plane, every dark hollow that he could see as she hid behind the door. He couldn’t help thinking that she looked tired, thin even. Taryn was always petite, but she was healthy. No glow radiated from her like it did before. It was hard to balance the past with the here and now.

I can’t come with you, Levi. This is my home now. She stumbled over the first and then robotically said that last.

This was her home now?

What garbage are you trying to sell me, Taryn? He reached out and snagged a grip on her wrist. Her eyes widened more in fear than in surprise. Levi saw it and absorbed it. What aren’t you telling me?

This is my home now. She said it as forcefully as she could in a whispering voice. She looked at her arm where his hand still gripped it. He tried to memorize the feel of her skin against his. They’d had that spark once. Was it so long ago?

"Come with me, Taryn. Please. He begged as quietly as she spoke. He wasn’t above it. I don’t feel right about leaving you here. He shook his head, inching closer to her so that their faces were a foot apart. Something isn’t right here."

Taryn was holding her breath. He could tell and he wondered if she was going to tell him, confide in him. He wasn’t looking to be a hero, only a friend.

Some things aren’t as they appear, Levi. I’m not the same person I was two years ago. I would guess you aren’t either. Her blue eyes were so sad and he thought a fine sheen of tears glistened there in the poor lighting. He closed his eyes and pictured her face. Everything ached all over again as if she had walked away, choosing an egotistical, wealthy fool over her best friend. I never thought I’d get the chance to tell you that I’m sorry for everything. She shook her head, casting her eyes down toward his booted foot still in the doorway.

We can be the same. We can learn to be the same. Just come home with me. Levi begged, leaning his forehead against hers. It was the act of a desperate man, but she didn’t pull away from him. Seconds passed without a sound until a dog barked in the distance and it startled Taryn back to reality.

Go home, Levi. Forget everything about tonight. Forget me, please. With little effort, she slipped her hand from his grip and disappeared inside the house. The door closed with a final click. It might have been the sound of the last nail in his heart’s coffin. It mattered little.

Levi forgot how to breathe. He forgot how it felt to be happy. It was like being left behind, but this time, she had actually told him there was no chance for them.

Forget me, please.

Didn’t she know by now that he would never forget her? Perhaps he should have redirected that question to himself. Some things could be brushed aside and some things he could pretend not to exist, but this wasn’t one of them. If ever there was a magic wand that could turn back the clock to that day in the hallway at high school, Levi thought that he would stand still a bit longer. Maybe he could have avoided the collision and thus, avoided all of the heartbreak several times over.

CHAPTER

2

ONE YEAR LATER

THE SNOW WAS STARTING to fall on top of the six inches South Dakota had on the ground. Big, white, fluffy flakes attached themselves to her lashes and had to be brushed away by her hands. Her heart was beating like a broken drum inside her chest as she looked at the driveway that would lead to Blake and Bailey’s home on the Crossing Pines Ranch. Taryn was nervous. This was a place she hadn’t stepped foot on in three years. It was Christmas Eve and in her spur of the moment planning, she had thought it a good time to reacquaint herself with the family. She knew that her aunt would be here celebrating and Taryn longed to see her niece, Blair.

Her fingers were cold and snow was starting to stick on her rental car’s hood. She had been staring at this entrance for nearly an hour. Shame and self-disgust made her hesitant that her family could forgive such abandonment over the years. Even if she were to say that it was Dustin’s fault, the truth would still be that she didn’t fight harder to free herself. Taryn closed her eyes and fought the tears that would definitely be popsicles on her cheeks if they fell. Her doctor had treated the physical trauma, but it was the depression she struggled to cure. In truth, the mental abuse was far worse than any physical harm that Dustin could inflict on her. Readjusting her coat near her neck, Taryn looked back up the road. She squinted against the snow to see a dark figure coming towards her. She couldn’t quite reconcile the plodding shadow with a vehicle, so she just watched.

I’ll be damned. Taryn said with a puff of white air. The dark figure was really a horse and rider and as they neared, she could see that they were pulling a tree. A spectacularly full, dark green spruce tree that she had no doubt was meant for a living room full of people to be decorated with lights and ornaments. A surge of longing zapped through her veins.

Merry Christmas. The man said atop of the sorrel horse. He pushed his black cowboy hat dusted with snow up on his head so that he could see her more clearly.

Merry Christmas. Taryn smiled, hoping to appear friendly and not resemble some stalker at the mouth of the ranch’s driveway.

Taryn Green? Am I right? He asked, a quirky grin bending his lips and his