Clearview Cove

By Rosana Rainhart

Kate's running from her personal hell, provided by her abusive ex-boyfriend with a badge attached to his belt. Ray's stuck in empty loneliness, forced upon him by faulty wiring that burned down his home years ago — with his first love trapped within. Neither of them believed love was on the table.

 

When their worlds collide, among pine trees and mountains in the Canadian wilderness, everything changes. However, one can only hide from the law for so long and nature proves itself just as dangerous as any gun-wielding man. Can they make it out together, alive, between flying bullets and roaring bears?

 

 

Clearview Cove is a salvation-themed romance novella with dark elements and spicy scenes taking place in a rural setting. It is intended for an adult audience and contains tropes such as Age Gap, Strangers-To-Lovers, and Hidden Identity. It has graphic scenes of explicit and dark nature. Please check the content description within the book or visit the authors website for a fully disclosed index of its content.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Deering Publications
• Release date: Nov 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9789198821802

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Copyright ©2023 by Rosana Rainhart

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.

Base photo for cover by Studio Voyage

Published by Deering Publications

ISBN: 978-91-988218-1-9

Survivor, I see you.

It’s alright to ask for help,

to need a helping hand,

and it’s alright to not be okay.

We all fight different battles,

in different ways.

You are not alone.

PLAYLIST

Storm Song – PHILDEL

Run Baby Run – The Rigs

Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Sleigh Bells

Ain’t No Sunshine – Wovenhand

Run Away – Megan & Liz

Narcissistic Cannibal – EarlyRise

Face Down – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Never Too Late – Three Days Grace

My Skin – Natalie Merchant

Where Is My Mind? - Yoav

Everything That Can Be Invented – Tvärvägen

In Your Arms – Kina Grannis

The End Is Where We Begin – Thousand Foot Krutch

Find it on Spotify:

CLEARVIEW COVE | ROSANA RAINHART NOVELLA

BONUS: FLOORPLAN

Raymond's Home

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YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW...

This is a romance novella with a salvation theme, dark elements, and spicy scenes. This book is intended for adult readers.

We follow two strangers that become lovers with an age gap between them. One is hiding their identity from someone abusing not only their place in society — corrupting law enforcement — but also them physically and emotionally. The other has become overwhelmed by grief and struggles to let others in after a grave loss of a loved one.

We have portrayal of diverse body shapes that also have physical marks from their past, the characters are also emotionally marked and this shows itself in some potentially harmful ways.

For full disclosure of what you’ll meet in this book please visit Rosana Rainhart’s website at www.rosanarainhart.com and head to the index page there.

Contents

Prologue

1.KATE

2.RAYMOND

3.KATE

4.RAYMOND

5.KATE

6.RAYMOND

7.KATE

8.RAYMOND

9.KATE

10.RAYMOND

11.KATE

12.KATE

13.RAYMOND

14.KATE

15.RAYMOND

16.KATE

THANK YOU

ABOUT ROSANA RAINHART

ALSO BY ROSANA RAINHART

FIND ROSANA RAINHART ONLINE

Prologue

KATE

Pine trees. They swished by so fast on the other side of the window; a hazy, green blur of tallness. White-topped mountains stood proud in the background while tiny droplets of autumn rain stained the windows of the bus. I was far from home. As far as I could possibly get in three days without a flight or train; they were too predictable. I couldn’t risk it.

Next stop, Clearview Cove, said the driver over the radio speakers, temporarily tuning out one of my favourite songs by The Ronettes. How ironic, Clearview... My view is all but clear. Perhaps I should switch buses here, find another route. My body sagged at the thought.

I’d barely slept during the whole trip. Too much tension corded my muscles and I hadn’t been on the same bus for more than four or five hours at a time — apart from the one I currently sat in, weaving its way through the British Columbian wilderness having recently turned off the Yellowhead Highway.

The bus stopped with a hiss from the breaks. I was out in the rain a moment later, too strung up and wrung out at the same time to remain on it. I couldn’t stop for rest, I needed to get further away from everything.

Another country would have been preferable but I couldn’t risk the airport, or anything requiring me to identify myself or use my credit card. Too dicey, what if he’s put a warrant out? No, another bus and then another and I’ll-, I’ll find somewhere to hide until I can get myself somewhere safe.

My fingers sifted through my moist, limp, chestnut brown hair. It felt disgustingly greasy. The smell of pine and rain did little to calm me as I walked across the tiny parking lot beside the bus stop, toward the timber house that held several signs — ‘Tourist Information’, ‘Bar’, ‘Clearview Cove Station’, to name a few — and, hopefully, there would be a restroom there too.

The sun was setting, despite being barely three in the afternoon when I stepped out of the pouring rain and into the warmth. It felt like the weight of the world rested upon my shoulders — regardless of my backpack being almost empty — when I stepped up to the counter with my face slightly bowed down to avoid being fully seen to as great an extent as possible.

Hi there, honey, said the older lady behind the counter with a flannel shirt and tousled grey hair tied in a high bun. What can I do for you? Her smile was too friendly, my back had straightened at the term ‘honey’ and I forced a smile of my own while I tried to remain standing despite being depleted of every ounce of energy.

Hi, I was wondering if there’s a restroom I could use? I asked as politely as I could, even though I had an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach, and she beamed at me.

Of course! Just go through the bar and take the door to the left. She spoke with one of those sweet grandma voices one usually heard in movies.

I smiled at her and nodded. Thank you.

You’re most welcome, honey.

I kept my eyes cast down, watching the wooden floorboards with a worn pattern to them; from many years of foot traffic, I guessed. To be in one place, feel safe enough to remain and live freely while seeing things get worn down and marked by one’s happy memories — how did that even feel?

Chapter one

KATE

The smell of grilled food hit me the second I went through the doors. My wet sneakers squeaked against the wooden floorboards but it was barely audible over the happy chatter and country music. I couldn’t stop myself from dragging in a big whiff of the delicious smell of something roasted mingling with the scent of beer and sap while I quickly moved toward the restroom in the back of the space.

I sidestepped the pool table and took a left like the old lady had instructed. I’m going to fucking burst. I shoved the black door with its askew sign reading ‘WC’ open, locking it behind me, and scrambled out of my backpack and the wet coat that reached my jeans-clad thighs. I never could just sit down and do my business with a jacket on, or a bag over my shoulder. It felt wrong.

The relief came instantly, taking away some of the tension that kept me strung so tightly. My eyes lingered on my dripping coat on the hanger nailed to the door. Behind it hung my equally wet backpack. It held my entire life; what was left of it, what I’d managed to take with me when I bolted after he’d choked me half to death in the wake of marking my back and thighs with the help of his favourite leather belt.

I pressed out a breath, trying to shut out the memories, and dragged my fingers through my half-long hair once more before I wiped myself and flushed. Not even the sound of the toilet could cover the rumble my stomach decided to release. Food, I need food.

I was counting what cash I had left as I walked through the crowded bar. It wasn’t much and I would have to buy the cheapest thing I could find if I were to have anything left for another bus ticket; hopefully allowing me to cross the border to Alaska or Yukon. Any digital trail left behind and he would find me instantly so my credit card lay in its designated pocket — nearly gloating at me as it had always been used freely and heavily to suffocate some of the hurt with useless shopping — when I snapped the wallet shut.

The next second, I was soaked once more.

Cold beer covered my previously dry top, the sudden chill jolting me. Fuck, I gasped as I stood stock-still with my hands out like some ridiculous scarecrow.

Watch where you’re going, a deep rumble of a voice said. I looked up at the tallest man I had ever seen in real life. He literally towered over me, and I wasn’t short with my five feet and ten inches.

W-what? I stuttered as he landed a smouldering glare at me with two black orbs for eyes. They looked damn near endless, matching his dark hair with grey streaks flawlessly. My mind halted for a second at the imposing but beautiful view he was.

He looked as if he’d stepped out of some Hollywood action movie with his chiselled features framed by a tight, groomed beard and his commanding presence with the advantage of being closer to forty I guessed. He wasn’t the hero of that action movie though, given the way he held himself up so fiercely, as if none were allowed to ever grace his personal space. He was more like the stone-cold villain — who I always happened to develop a crush on horrendously fast during my lonesome movie nights.

"Watch. where. you’re. going, he gritted, with emphasis on each word, before he shook his head and glanced down at his half-empty glass. Buck! Fill me up again," he called as he gave me a harsh look that — annoyingly — made my skin tingle while his jaw tightened and a vein popped along his tanned neck. I gaped at the gorgeous jackass. My whole body had positively shivered from the dark drone of his baritone voice travelling straight through me.

He scrunched his eyes at me, for a mere second, but it made something snap within me. Freeing some of the caged anger I always carried with me. You walked into me, asshat! I barked, without thinking as I was apparently completely out of my mind and utterly thrown off by his looks and voice wreaking havoc within me.

He stopped in the middle of turning toward the bar.

Asshat? he asked as he slowly turned his head back. My blood ran cold at the slow, precise movements. His whole body followed suit and he seemed even taller. But something about him was, well, I didn’t exactly know. Just, different from the men I’d previously met in some way, a good way. There wasn’t any menace in his eyes despite the harshness of his looks.

I-, well I-, I stammered as I fumbled for what to say while my body seemed to be on high alert as his eyes travelled once down and then up along it. However, my heart pounded for all the wrong reasons as he viewed me. He was absolutely terrifying, and terribly gorgeous — especially as I had to crane my neck to look up at him. Don’t, you idiot. Just apologise and leave! Just leave!

I’m sorry, I croaked as the calculated motions he made reminded me far too much of what, or more like who, I was running from even if the man in front of me looked like the polar opposite of my ex — perhaps that was partly why I found him so damn attractive, despite moving in a slightly similar trained fashion as the man who had all but broken me.

My eyes lowered toward the heavy boots he wore, and I pulled my coat closed to cover my soaked chest while making myself as small as possible. A habit forced into my muscles, slowly but surely, over the past years.

Are you— he started almost with care in his deep voice as he took one step closer, but he got cut off by another voice.

Ray! Leave the poor girl alone! You’re scaring the wits out of her, you big brute!

Libby, stay out of this, the man gritted, his voice harsher than a few seconds ago, as I looked to my right where the old lady from the front desk marched straight for us.

I’ll buy you a new beer, just leave the girl alone. She’s soaked to the bone and obviously not from around here. You’re terrifying her, Libby scolded when she reached us and her warm hand landed on my upper arm. The way she spoke to him eased me further, had he been dangerous she wouldn’t have dared berate him —