Both Sides of Life: Women of Eden, #2

By Faith O'Shea

Epona Fusaro had wanted out of the small town where she'd grown up, and she'd left right after high school graduation. After almost a decade away and a lot of second guessing, she's back, a full-fledged veterinarian, with the credentials and experience to prove it. Healing the sick and birthing the young was all she'd ever wanted to do, and now that she has the vet-mobile up and running, she's found a way to have it all, or at least most of it. Her love life is the only thing that needs improvement, but the man she wants, her high school sweetheart, is still working at Cordero's Funeral Home and death is not her thing.

Richard Cordero wanted nothing more than to keep his family business alive, which meant he wasn't willing to leave Eden for anyone, not even Eppie. His life had been going according to plan until a crisis at the funeral home had him facing the possible demise of the legacy left in his hands. When he stops to tend to a dog and her puppies one night on a snowy back road, he doesn't realize his life is about to take another hit.

When Eppie realizes what the man in the middle of the road is doing, her heart melts. When she realizes who he is, it starts racing. Even though she knows she still loves him, the hearse up ahead reminds her that nothing has changed. When tragedy strikes will she come to understand that life is a cycle, and birth and death are both a part of it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faith O'Shea
• Release date: Jul 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781734733785

Book preview

Both Sides of Life

Epona Fusaro had wanted out of the small town where she’d grown up, and she’d left right after high school graduation. After almost a decade away and a lot of second guessing, she’s back, a full-fledged veterinarian, with the credentials and experience to prove it. Healing the sick and birthing the young was all she’d ever wanted to do, and now that she has the vet-mobile up and running, she’s found a way to have it all, or at least most of it. Her love life is the only thing that needs improvement, but the man she wants, her high school sweetheart, is still working at Cordero’s Funeral Home and death is not her thing.

Richard Cordero wanted nothing more than to keep his family business alive, which meant he wasn’t willing to leave Eden for anyone, not even Eppie. His life had been going according to plan until a crisis at the funeral home had him facing the possible demise of the legacy left in his hands. When he stops to tend to a dog and her puppies one night on a snowy back road, he doesn’t realize his life is about to take another hit.

When Eppie realizes what the man in the middle of the road is doing, her heart melts. When she realizes who he is, it starts racing. Even though she knows she still loves him, the hearse up ahead reminds her that nothing has changed. When tragedy strikes will she come to understand that life is a cycle, and birth and death are both a part of it?

Praise for Faith O’Shea

Faith O’Shea is a contemporary women’s literature writer who loves writing about romance, magic, conviction, and loyalty, with strong women and the friendships they build. She has created many series of stories to make us laugh, cry and feel empowered and writes in a voice that speaks to women of all ages. Faith believed there were subjects and life that needed to be written about. ~ Loyce M.

I truly love the Everyday Goddess series. The strong, leading women characters, in this day and age, are inspiring to me and keep me coming back for more! The books are light, fun, extremely relatable and I can't put them down! ~ Kathryn B.

I just finished the Fire and Ice series. It had romance, strong friendships between the women characters and complex stories that were clearly very well researched. Loved all of them and looking forward to the goddess series next! ~ Gail N.

Oh wow! I just finished reading the Magic Bean Café and I must say that I was hooked from the first chapter and loved every page. The characters were full and believable. The child, Willow, had my heart with her wild imagination, gift of laughter, and the way she melted Aisin’s heart and helped him to realize that you can love a child that wasn’t yours. Thank you for gifting me this awesome read. ~ Your newest fan, Carol F. 💕

Two Hearts with solid fill

Magic Bean Café is a fantastic book of compassion for others with realistic characters. Plus a generous millionaire to help fulfill dreams. ~ Belinda

Coming Home to You grabbed me from the start! The storyline was very different from other books and it captured my interest. And of course the dynamics in the Scalera family is always amusing. ☺ I laughed out loud but there were a few parts where my eyes teared up as well. Great story, definitely worth the read! ~ Robin

Good Bones is an illuminating story offering a heartfelt love of old homes and how two antagonists found common ground in the good bones of an old house. Intriguing elements of restoration. Jord and Noah make taking chances on love an exciting ride built on respect and finally trust. ~ Bunny

Women of Eden

The small town where people move for escape or stay for the fit.

Good Bones

Jord Sheafson is the master at restoration, and she’s busy with her newest project. Noah Timmerman is doing a straight up reno. There’s another restoration going on behind the scenes that no one expected. Will there be good bones, or an outdated antique in need of demolition?

Both Sides of Life

Eppie comforted the sick and healed the body. Rick comforted the grieving and healed the spirit. When will they realize they weren’t very different at all?

Both Sides of Life

Women of Eden, Book 2

FAITH O’SHEA

A picture containing invertebrate Description automatically generated

Copyright 2022 Susan Faith Campbell writing as Faith O’Shea

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in all form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known of hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in an information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author, Susan Faith Campbell writing as Faith O’Shea at [e-mail]

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Jaycee DeLorenzo at Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

Formatted by Woven Red Author Services, www.wovenRed.ca

Both Sides of Life/Susan Faith Campbell writing as Faith O’Shea- 1st edition

ISBN eBook: 978-1-7347337-8-5

ISBN Print: 978-1-7347337-9-2

To My Readers

People ask me how I came up the idea of having a funeral director as the male lead in Both Sides of Life. I have to agree it’s a little bit different but I have to be honest. This wasn’t the book I started out to write. When I was percolating the characters for the series, I was working with Eve, a mid-wife and needed someone to offset her. A man who worked in death seemed the perfect counterpoint. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at both sides of the circle of life. What I didn’t expect was for Eppie and Rick to push their way to the front of the line.

Eppie’s appeared in several of the books up until now and her story nagged at me. She’d left home and hearth to follow her dreams, as well as her high school sweetheart who was unwilling to leave with her. Rick was determined to follow his own path and keep the legacy of his family’s business, Cordera’s Funeral Home, alive.

What if she came back? Would they get a second chance to make their love work?

I had to find out.

Faith

CHAPTER ONE

Epona Fusaro cursed the snow-caked windshield. She opened her window, the sleet and freezing rain slicing at her arm as she tried to snap the crusted ice off her wipers, but it was a futile endeavor. All it got her was a good soaking which didn’t add much to her mood. She couldn’t see well, the road was slippery as an eel and all she wanted to do was get home and put the day behind her. She loved being a mobile vet but being out in this kind of weather was one of the downsides. The call she’d gotten this morning had turned into a long, grueling day, and she was exhausted, famished, and every bone in her body ached. The damn calf was too stubborn by half, and she’d spent the afternoon with her hand in places it had no right to be, attempting to haul him out of his mother’s womb. She’d ended up tying a rope around his leg and with the farmer as anchor, used every muscle at her disposal to free him.

The immediate rush of victory, and ensuing celebration had deflated as soon as she got to the driveway to find her van covered in ice. The moon was high, shedding a foggy light as she scraped and chipped it off, but it did nothing to help with gaining traction on the dark country road. March madness had arrived in Massachusetts, and you never knew what kind of weather mother nature would provide. She could serve up warm breezes, sunny but frigid days, pelting rain or blizzards, or nights like these when you wanted to be anywhere but outside enjoying her bounty.

As she got closer to Eden, and her home, she counted the minutes and miles as she slowly crawled along, her hands clutching the steering wheel, her body tight with stress. Suddenly, a figure appeared in her headlights. Her heart started racing in quarter time, as she tapped at her brakes, attempting to slow down without causing her van to fishhook into the guy. She skidded, swerved, and ended up on the shoulder of the road, missing him by mere inches.

What kind of idiot was out on a night like this, and what the hell was he doing in the middle of the road?

With her heart thudding in her chest and steam rising to a boil, she slammed out of the van and carefully trudged over to talk sense into him.

What the hell? Do you have shit for brains? I could have killed you if I’d blinked…

She stopped short and ended the tirade when she noticed the guy was on his knees, bent over, shielding a squirming animal wrapped in his coat to protect it from the intemperate weather. She became a puddle when an injured animal was involved, and her iciness melted away as if the sun had just come out.

When he looked up, the sun shone a little brighter and her heart ratchet up in tempo. Blue eyes she’d once drowned in caught her unawares. In that split second, images of a past, rushed her. He was the boy who evoked the first butterflies in her belly. He was her first love, her first kiss, her first heartbreak, and the one who knew her better than she knew herself, especially her weaknesses…

Eppie?

She snapped back from her fugue state, noticing his wet hair plastered to his head and beads of water streaming down his face from his forehead. He looked as stricken as she suddenly felt.

Thank God, it’s you.

With no time for further introspection, she knelt down to inspect the creature he held lovingly. Her voice trembled when she asked, What happened? Did you hit her?

There was panicked mania in his. No. No, it wasn’t me, although I probably skidded around the same curve as the person who did. If I hadn’t, I might never have seen her lying on the side of the road. I pulled up ahead, and when got out to check on her, she was barking inconsolably and kept trying to get up. That’s when I found a puppy underneath her. I wrapped my coat around them both to keep them still and was about to call for help when you showed up. I didn’t know what else to do. They’re alive but the mother’s hurt.

Eppie carefully peeled away the sodden overcoat to see a golden lab laying on her side, one of her front paws holding a puppy in place, estimating it to be about a month old, all while trying to ignore the tenor of the voice she used to love. The right back leg of the adult dog was at an odd angle, and there was a raw wound on her side seeping blood but before she could take a closer look, the howling started again. It was a pitiful sound that echoed through the darkened night. Eppie instinctively knew it wasn’t from pain. It was more as if she was trying to tell them something.

She scanned the darkened area but was unable to see anything nearby that might trigger this sort of distress.

Look around. I have a feeling there are more puppies here somewhere.

Rick got up, his suit soaked through, and he began to splash through the slush that covered the ground. She noticed he was wearing his good shoes, which meant he must have been out on a pick-up or delivery. The Cordero Funeral Home got calls both day and night, the grim reaper ready, willing, and able to take a loved one whenever it suited. She glanced up, finally seeing the hearse up ahead, and wondered if there was a body already inside. Before she slid down that slippery slope called the past, to the time when he was being groomed to take over the family business, he cried out, Oh, my God, Eppie, there are others, two, no three of them.

He waddled back, his arms overflowing with squirming fur babies. They’re pretty young.

They were, but Eppie knew they were too old to have been birthed out here. It meant the owner hadn’t wanted the dog or her litter and had left them out here to die. She felt her face flush, as her blood pressure rose a notch. Nothing made her angrier than an inhuman human. The shelter wasn’t that far away and whoever did this could have dropped them there if the dogs had become too much work. If adverse to that, they could have at least chosen a warmer night. If she ever had the fortune of finding out who it was, she’d make sure they felt her wrath.

She examined each of the puppies, checking them for hypothermia or frostbite and was relieved to find they were wet and cold but otherwise still viable.

The voice that had haunted her for years vibrated through her. What breed are they?

After achieving some calm, she said, From what I can tell, maybe a lab, husky mix.

Their colors were a variety of tan, black and marbled, one with the startling blue eyes that was one of the standard hues of the Siberian.

Eppie glanced at the Cadillac and asked, Do you have to leave right away?

Her hands would be full if left alone with the litter, not that she couldn’t manage it. Four years on the road as a mobile vet had taught her how to make do with her own two hands, but his help would be appreciated.

He gave her one of his lop-sided smiles. I don’t think Mr. Koozer is in a hurry. What do you need me to do?

He spoke about the man so nonchalantly, as if a dead body in his vehicle was an everyday occurrence. But then again, for him, it was. She could never understand his choice of professions. She always thought working as a mortician was morbid, but not in a fascinating way. The business might have been in the family for generations, but Rick was the only one of the four Cordero sons who’d stuck around to carry it on. George and Will had opted out, and she couldn’t for the life of her understand why Rick felt he needed to follow in the family footsteps. If he’d chosen differently, maybe…

She shook the thread out of her head. It was history and that conversation didn’t need repeating.

Can you help me get them situated in the van? I’ve got to warm them all up before they freeze to death. And I’m not sure I’m strong enough to carry mama here all by myself without causing her any more distress.

Whatever you need.

Can you get the keys out of the ignition and open the back door.

Her van had been transformed into an animal EMT ambulance and contained all of what she’d need to get the dog and her babies set.

He raced, slipping, and sliding to do her bidding, scratching at the metal plate to get the ice cleared away so he could insert the key. When he opened the door, she hopped up on her bum, scrambled inside, placing the squirming puppies in a deep bin, and gently placed a large flannel blanket around them. She’d have to start up the van and get the heater blasting, to help ward off the chill but first things first.

As she got ready to jump back down, he held out a hand, and she paused before taking it. She knew it would be smooth and capable and the memories of how it felt made her heart quicken. He helped keep her steady as her foot hit the pavement, but she kept her eyes down, unable to meet his, even in gratitude. It would have caused too many tremors, and she’d had as many as she could manage today. All she could do was mumble her thanks before she pulled down the steps and walked back to the mother.

He had his hands stuffed in his pants pockets, and she thought they must be frozen solid from working in the raw and cold without gloves for protection, but it hadn’t deterred him.

How do we do this?

We each take an end of your coat as gently as we can and use it as a stretcher.

Okay

He lifted his end gingerly, and when they were at the edge of the doorway, he took the dog in his arms as she climbed up, and he followed behind as if seventy pounds of lab retriever was a light load. Where do you want her?

Here, on the bed.

As soon as he’d laid her down, Eppie was wrapping a fleece blanket around her.

He crouched and asked, Do you want me to come with you? I can stay with her and keep her comfortable.

Too quickly, she admonished, No.

There’d been a time when she desperately wanted him to go with her but that was over a decade ago, after high school graduation, when her dreams of travel and vet school required her to leave the small town of Eden. Smoky images of their time together had haunted her memory and hung on the edge of recall. He was everything to her once, and although they’d been young, she thought they’d spend their lives together.

Giving him a plausible excuse for her curt response, she said, You should get home and change. Besides Mr. Koozer can’t wait all night for you to get him to the funeral home.

He shook his head. Mr. Koozer doesn’t care where his body is and standing in inclement weather is one of the perks of the trade.

His expression confirmed he didn’t mind anymore. He’d been fifteen when he began working the funerals alongside his father and back then he used to grumble about the inconveniences they faced on occasion, like when there weren’t enough umbrellas to go around at a burial site and the staff would be left to the elements.

She cleared her throat. The puppies are safe which means she won’t be as nervous. I’ll get her to my place, and splint her leg, clean her wound and then she can feed her crew.

I heard you had a place. It was a bit of a surprise.

She couldn’t blame him for that. How often had she told him she didn’t want to settle down in one location? She thought she had a gypsy soul and wanted to travel the globe, taking care of the wild as well as the tame. Colorado had called to her and it’s where she’d done her undergraduate work. Then it was off to Nebraska for her doctorate in animal health. Then back to Colorado to work at a wild animal sanctuary but it took only three months to realize it wasn’t what she wanted after all. She’d spent nine long years away, only to realize home was where she was meant to be, even if she had to resign herself to a mundane office job. Grateful she’d been hired right away by the local vet’s office, she’d spent the first few months moving from room to room, seeing domesticated animals, but that changed when she was given the go ahead to get the mobile piece in place. Even though she had more work than she could handle at times, she had the best of both worlds. No day was the same, she wasn’t stuck in an exam room all day which satisfied her restlessness, and she lived in a town where everyone knew her name.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. It’s kind of a place. The only thing I could afford was a studio. It’s only one room and if I were there much, I’m sure the walls would start closing in on me. I feel bad because Sheba, my dog, doesn’t have much space to move around. That’s why I try to take her with me as often as I can.

She couldn’t this morning, but she thought she’d be back before now to give her dinner and a pee break.

His jaw dropped open. Vets don’t make enough money to live on?

She shrugged. It’s my student debt. It takes most of my paycheck.

The other reason she’d taken the small space? It was on the opposite side of town from Rick and the funeral home. She didn’t want to be running into him on a daily basis and she’d actually avoided bumping into him at all until tonight. They’d seen each other in passing, walking down Main Street or at the local food store or coffee shop, but there’d been no conversation since he’d broken up with her before high school graduation. What was there to say? He’d made it clear he hadn’t wanted her in his life, so she’d acquiesced, even when she’d gotten back on Eden soil. It had been easier than she’d thought. They didn’t travel in the same circles, and they’d created different lives for themselves, but she’d missed him, and tonight was proving to her again, just how much.

She took her courage in hand and met his eyes. There was nothing there but curiosity. Nothing that hinted at what he used to feel. She hadn’t allowed herself to ache for him, immersed herself in school, learning her trade, interning, working, but tonight came a reminder that she liked being the someone he loved.

He brushed the wet hair off his forehead, shook himself like Sheba might have. His suit was soaked through, and the raw wind blowing had to have frozen him solid, but he stood patiently by as if he had all the time in the world.

It must suck to be so much in debt, but you accomplished what you set out to. That must be gratifying.

It is, and it seems I’ve found a niche.

But that niche had come at a cost. Intent on building her clientele so she could remain out on the road, she’d gotten lost in the hours and days and had little room for anything else. Word of mouth had been more marketing tool than she might have liked and the calls that started coming in had expanded her territory, so she no longer just dealt with the locals. With each year, unable to turn away from any sick animal, the concentric circles got wider until she was traveling hours to get to a patient. It didn’t hurt that her road trips kept her out of Eden for a good part of the day. When she’d been in school, Rick wasn’t around every corner, and it was easier to lock thoughts of him away. Once she’d gotten back to the town where they’d been a couple, it would have been far too easy to succumb to the insatiable need she had for him.

She took him in, his gray eyes sparkling with life, and the ache was immediate.

"And you have a dog, which didn’t surprise me. I’ve seen you walking her down Main Street. What kind is it?"

Bernese mountain dog. I got her the month I moved into my own place. No way was I going to live without an animal. Of course, no decent vet worth their salt does.

He chuckled. And we all know you’re worth your weight in salt.

It used to be gold but that was a long time ago. She hesitated in his eyes, and then quickly dipped her head. I was sorry to hear about your dad, the funeral home and... what happened.

He was visibly shaking now, his lips as blue as his dress pants.

We’re trying hard to put that all behind us, but thanks.

And your mom. I’m sorry for that loss, as well.

Thanks, again. As if wanting to veer away from two sore topics, he said, I’ll need my coat back soon. We have a service on Friday, and I don’t have another.

That gave her two days to get it cleaned and back to him.

I’ll drop it off at Cordero’s before then. She reached out to grab his hand but dropped it back down. Thanks for taking good care of the dogs.

I couldn’t just leave them by the side of the road.

No, you couldn’t have, but someone did. They would have died out there for sure if you hadn’t seen them.

He stepped back to where the puppies lay curled together and began stroking one of them. Will you bring them to the shelter when the mother’s healed?

I’m not sure what I’ll do with them. Mama’s not wearing a tag, so I don’t know who the owner is, not that I’d return them. I’ll keep her with me until she’s back on her feet.

You have the room for five additional dogs?

She grimaced. Not really, but I can’t separate them until the puppies are weaned.

He picked up the runt of the litter and tucked it under his chin. I…would it be possible for me to take one? When she’s ready. I’ve thought about getting a dog but haven’t found the time to go looking.

Are you sure? Puppies are tons of work and a ten to fifteen year commitment.

That won’t bother me. I’m used to work and I’m all about commitment. I’m also used to getting awoken in the middle of the night, which means I’d have no aversion to getting up and taking her outside.

Her?

He held the puppy’s belly out, smile and said, After all this time, I think I have it right.

His smile was mischievous, like he was getting ready to play a practical joke on her. She was the impish one, but he could carry one off every once in a while, without a hitch.

Suddenly feeling vulnerable, she said, You’d better get back to Mr. Koozer.

I guess I should, more for Jay than anyone else. He bent his head down to exit the van, but turned and said, Listen, I own a house. It’s not huge, but it has a big fenced-in backyard. You could keep them there until Mama’s healed and the puppies are ready for homes.

Of course, he had a house. He was responsible, and financially shrewd and those weren’t even his best qualities. He was also kind, and his offer proved it.

Feeling it was only fair to warn him, she said, That won’t be for a couple of months and I’m on the road a lot. Most of the work will fall on you.

With George back, the load’s a little lighter so I can usually take breaks if I need them, and I live close enough to the funeral home that it won’t take long getting back and forth during the day. The times won’t be consistent, but I don’t think yours would be either.

She mused aloud, I heard George came back. Will, too. I never thought they would.

Neither did I but Will was a godsend. He took over the reins when dad was deemed incompetent and worked out the legal wrangling with the licensing board. We still have the lawsuit to contend with, but it’s moving forward.

Mrs. Kent’s family filed.

He looked wounded when he countered, You heard about that?

Small town gossip at its best, or worst depending on how you looked at it.

Yeah. She was a friend of Schuyler’s mother.

Schuyler was one of her best friends from high school and had told her all about the lawsuit.

By misplacing Mrs. Kent’s ashes, his father had put Cordero’s in a precarious situation, one she knew they were still dealing with years later.

I can understand why the family’s so angry, can’t you?

She wasn’t sure suing them was the right thing to do, considering Antonio Cordero’s mental deterioration, but she might have felt the same way if it had happened to her family.

I can and unless I find them, they’ll never have their mother back. We had a fiduciary responsibility to return the ashes, but we failed, and our reputation took a big hit. I was painted with the same brush as Dad for a long while.

The investigation proved that you were innocent of all wrongdoing. Besides, there was no way for you to monitor your father at all times.

There were a few townspeople who weren’t quite convinced I was nowhere near the crematorium. Rumor had it that I had somehow screwed up and was putting the blame on Dad.

She’d heard second hand that there was nasty talk filtering through town, but she also knew he had his share of supporters.

No one who knows you believed it. You were always too honest and above board. They had to have changed their tune after your father was admitted to the Alzheimer’s center.

Let’s just say until Will’s return, I thought we were going to go under. Over a hundred years of serving the community almost went down the drain.

You’re doing well now and that’s all that counts.

Sadness pinched between his brows. Not really, but it counts for something. So what do you say about taking the dogs to my house? Yes, or no?

It would help.

It meant being with him and she wasn’t sure either one of them wanted that on a regular basis, for different reasons.

He took his keys out of his pocket and worked one off the ring as he gave her the address, then handed it to her. "That’s to the side door. It opens to