A Totally Different Life

By Lyssa Layne

Queen of Country Music, Miranda Wallen, has been divorced for almost two years with no love in sight. Despite her ex moving on and marrying his new love, Miranda is content with her singing career and raising her daughter with the help of her ex and his family. As the second anniversary of her divorce looms, Miranda decides to take a trip with just her and her one-year-old to escape Valentine's Day and enjoy time away from the spotlight.

 

Finn Lindemann loves his job at Happy Trails R&R Ranch. It's nothing fancy by far but it gives him the perfect place to be the self-proclaimed bachelor that he calls himself. At one point in his life, he almost got tied down but he escaped that train wreck before it was too late. When Finn receives news about his brother in the Marines, he's on the next flight to Baltimore to check on him. What Finn doesn't expect is to be sitting next to country music crooner Miranda Wallen and her daughter on his return flight. While Miranda is struggling with her daughter on the flight, Finn swoops in and helps her out. As luck would have it, Miranda is headed to Finn's ranch for her time of rest and relaxation. Neither expects the relationship that ensues and both are scared of what it might lead to.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyssa Layne
• Release date: Jun 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393377009

Book preview

A Totally Different Life

Lyssa Layne

The characters and events in this book are fictitious.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

A Totally Different Life

Copyright © 2016 Lyssa Layne

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.  Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

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A Totally Different Life

Queen of Country Music, Miranda Wallen, has been divorced for almost two years with no love in sight. Despite her ex moving on and marrying his new love, Miranda is content with her singing career and raising her daughter with the help of her ex and his family. As the second anniversary of her divorce looms, Miranda decides to take a trip with just her and her one-year-old to escape Valentine’s Day and enjoy time away from the spotlight.

Finn Lindemann loves his job at Happy Trails R&R Ranch. It’s nothing fancy by far but it gives him the perfect place to be the self-proclaimed bachelor that he calls himself. At one point in his life, he almost got tied down but he escaped that train wreck before it was too late.

When Finn receives news about his brother in the Marines, he’s on the next flight to New York to check on him. What Finn doesn’t expect is to be sitting next to country music crooner Miranda Wallen and her daughter on his return flight. While Miranda is struggling with her daughter on the flight, Finn swoops in and helps her out. As luck would have it, Miranda is headed to Finn’s ranch for her time of rest and relaxation. Neither expects the relationship that ensues and both are scared of what it might lead to.

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OTHER bOOKS BY lYSSA lAYNE

THE RIGHT PITCH

LOVED BY THE LINEBACKER

FEAR OF STRIKING OUT

ANOTHER AT BAT

UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE

EVERYBODY’S AFTER LOVE

MY FAVORITE WHAT IF

HOLDING THE OTHER

MY CALLING

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

CATCH MY HEART: A VALENTINE’S DAY COLLECTION

LOVE & FAMIGLIA: THE DIDOMINZIO NOVELLAS

BURNING LOVESICK SERIES:

LOVE IS A FIRE

BURST INTO FLAME

LOVE CAN’T SAVE YOU

Chapter 1

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Miranda

Red, purple, maroon, turquoise—a sea of colors hangs in my closet before me. I glance down at my black outfit, grimacing at the fact that it’s a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt, not a little black dress like the ones in front of me. It’s Valentine’s Day and the irony isn’t lost on me that two years to the date I asked my husband for a divorce and I have yet to spend this holiday with a man ever since.

The doorbell rings letting me know that my date for the evening has arrived. Sighing, I shut off the light to my walk-in closet and head downstairs. Before I open the door, I take a deep breath, burying the melancholy of still being single while my ex has moved on and started a life without me. It’s not as though I want to get married or even have a serious boyfriend but I miss the simple companionship, not to mention that I’d like to clear the cobwebs that are collecting in my lady parts. I cringe at how long it’s been since I’ve been with a man and force a smile to my face as I swing open the oak door.

There’s my baby! I hold out my arms to the eighteen-month-old that’s reaching for me. She is the perfect mix of her father and me with his dark eyes and my slender nose, sometimes I even see a bit of her stepmother in her but that’s only personality-wise.

My daughter climbs into my arms, patting my cheeks and smothering me with wet, sloppy kisses. I laugh and soak in the love from her, knowing that this time two years ago, I would’ve been worried about my make-up, but here I am tonight, not wearing any at all. It’s amazing how fast life changes.

Thanks for watching her tonight, Randa. Mav shocked me with this trip at the last minute, KK says, kissing me on the cheek and then doing the same to Emmylou.

Kyle Kelly, or KK as she prefers, is younger than me, blonder than me, and her breasts are so much more perkier than mine, too. She married Lee Maverick, the man I let go. One might think I resent her, the younger woman, who not only married my ex-husband but is one of my biggest competitors in our profession as country music singers, but it’s exactly the opposite. I love this woman like my sister. She saved Maverick’s career while starting her own and managed to have him fall completely in love with her. She’s helped us in raising our amazing daughter as well as her own. While Maverick decided his role in life wasn’t onstage anymore but being on daddy duty instead, KK and I toured together, grossing more income in our short summer tour than any other on the market last summer. So, no, I don’t resent Kyle Kelly, I love her like family.

I’m her mom, KK, it’s not ‘watching her,’ it’s having a date on Valentine’s Day, I say, slightly irritated at both parts of my statement.

KK gives me a half smile, reading my tone much more than I intended. Sorry, Miranda. I didn’t mean anything by that, just thanks for taking her since it’s our weekend.

My heart tinges slightly because two years ago it was mine and Maverick’s weekend and Emmylou was conceived. Yes, I’m happy we got divorced. I’m completely fine that he’s moved on, especially with KK, but I can’t help but get caught up in the ‘ours’ of KK and Maverick’s that could have been my own. I shake my head, reminding myself that I’m being ridiculous. I have a healthy, beautiful little girl, an amazing career, and I wouldn’t ask for anything else in the world... except for the occasional orgasm.

It’s no problem, KK. Emmylou and I are going to watch chick flicks all night, eat chocolate cake, and do our nails. Have fun in Mexico and we’ll see you when you get back.

I close the door before KK can continue the conversation. I’ll admit that it hurts to see her standing before me looking glamourous in her black cocktail dress as she heads off to the private jet that awaits her to be swept away to another country for her Valentine’s Day date with Maverick. Meanwhile, my last Valentine’s Day date with him was dinner at a local restaurant while he checked the scores of the NBA game that was on that night, FYI Knicks beat the Spurs by ten. After dinner, I gave Maverick his Valentine’s Day gift, divorce papers. Then, we consummated the end of our marriage in the back of a limo on our way home, not quite as romantic as a weekend getaway to Mexico on a private jet.

As the headlights outside disappear, I look down at my date who happens to be passed out on my shoulder. I sigh and rub her back as I kiss her forehead, slightly relieved that it looks like it’ll be an easy night with my little one. I love my daughter more than anything else in the world but I’ve relied on KK, who has an older daughter of her own, and our fantastic nanny, Tracy, to help me with the technical aspect of motherhood. When I don’t have either of them around, I tend to get a little tense and it’s really a crapshoot whether things will go good or bad.

A few minutes later, Emmylou is tucked away, sleeping soundly in her crib and I’m curled up on the couch watching Sixteen Candles with a piece of chocolate cake. Right around the scene where Caroline gives Farmer Ted a birth control pill, I find myself using my finger to scoop up every last crumb of cake on my plate. I pause the movie and look down at myself. When did my life turn into this? Tears sting my eyes and I shake my head because I’m Miranda Wallen, the Queen of Country Music dammit. I shouldn’t be sitting here wallowing in my misery. Two years ago tonight, I made two decisions that changed my life and tonight, I’m about to make a third.

Finn

Tipping my cowboy hat, I slowly push in the chair of a gorgeous blonde. Her smile is highlighted in the glow of the candlelight on the table as she thanks me. Across the table, her date clears his throat to get her attention. She’s clearly out of his league and judging from his insecurity of not having her full attention, he knows it.

Ya’ll enjoy your dinner tonight. The cooks have fixed up somethin’ real special, I say with an exaggerated country twang. Granted, we’re in South Dakota but our guests at Happy Trails R&R Ranch expect the full cowboy experience hence the awkward straw hat on my head. I’m much happier on the back of a horse with my hair pulled up into a bun but since it’s Valentine’s Day, the part of my job that’s classified as all other duties as expected includes playing waiter to all the couples dining at the ranch this evening.

Valentine’s Day—the day of love. I have to admit that I’d much rather be waiting tables than sitting in my employee cottage recalling ghosts of girlfriends past and how I’m now thirty and still single. It’s the beauty of working on a vacation ranch, women come and women go, and I don’t have to worry about making long-term commitments. A couple of my brothers might call it cowardly but that’s because they believe in love and rainbows and all that fairytale shit.

Pushing open the kitchen door, it hits the huddle of my co-workers that are gathered, speaking in hushed tones. I bump my hip against a blonde’s that’s almost ten years younger than me. Nodding toward the group, I ask what’s going on.

Stella, my sister, looks up, rolling her eyes. Miranda Wallen is coming to the ranch.

I lift my eyebrow, interested in the new guest. The Queen of Country Music? When is she arriving?

Without looking up from her iPhone, Stella shrugs. Like I know.

Glancing down at my bad attitude sister, I mutter, Geez, your hormones are crazy.

Her eyes still fixated on her phone, she slugs me in the arm, leaving a sting behind her punch. Don’t say that again.

Scoffing, I rub my bicep. Fine, I won’t. Now seriously, what do you know about Ms. Wallen’s arrival?

Miranda Wallen, sexy brunette, country singer, who as far as I know, is completely single. Based off her ex-husband, I know she’s got a thing for man buns so I’ve already got something going for me. She’s not the first celebrity to visit the ranch but she’s the first that I wouldn’t mind trying to kiss. Of course, it totally depends on her in-person personality. I have a strict rule about not associating with people who think they’re better than the help.

She’s bringing her kid, my sister says, finally looking up and smirking at me.

All thoughts of any type of relationship with Miranda Wallen immediately fly out of my mind as my stomach churns. My thoughts immediately go to a dark place, somewhere that I try to stay away from, but right now I have no control over it. I lift the cowboy hat off my head, wiping the sweat that quickly accumulated off my forehead while I scan for a quick exit because I need air