Unwrapped With Love

By Linda Tiffin

Justin Quinn suffered the guilt of a tragic event. Unable to face his family and friends, he leaves his old life behind and chooses a solitary life to pay for his sins. It's a secluded world, dark and depressing—off limits to all. During an unexpected snowstorm, he finds a beautiful woman hiding in his barn who is nearly hypothermic. He has no choice but to bring her into his darkness and share his cabin with her.

Carson Winters was stranded by a snowstorm while horseback riding in the mountains. Her only chance of survival was finding shelter. Holed up in a barn soaked and extremely chilled, she is discovered by a man who is angry and hurting. His suffering makes her heart ache and she wants so much to help him. To do that, she'll need to discover the secret he is hiding.

    When a dangerous situation arises, they must work together to get out alive. Side by side they work to escape the threat, knowing if they do, they may have a future together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Tiffin
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223501367

Book preview

Unwrapped With Love

By Linda Tiffin

Copyright @ 2023 Linda Tiffin

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web without permission in writing from the publisher.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or name. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

This story previously published in Hearts of Carolina: a Charity Romance Anthology

Cover illustration copyright @ 2023 by Leslie Ray of Digital Design Studio, [e-mail]

All rights reserved.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the North Carolina Chapter of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Thank you for all you’ve taught me and for the wonderful friendships. I treasure each and every one of you.

CHAPTER ONE

Three Years Ago

The flirting between his younger brother and the woman seated next to him in his cherry red sports car, moved beyond mildly irritating to extremely annoying. Any thoughts of a long-term relationship that he may have contemplated with her, evaporated. He was seeing a whole other side...one that wasn’t very attractive.

Knock it off, he shouted at his brother and then glared at her.

I can handle her. The question is can you? His brother smirked making a rude gesture with his hand.

I can handle anything you have to give, the woman purred and gave the sixteen-year-old in the back seat, an encouraging smile.

He glanced in the rear-view mirror at his younger sister, who like him, was no longer amused. She appeared uncomfortable with the sexual innuendos that littered the conversation. He gave her a reassuring smile. This back and forth needed to end. But before he could speak...

A loud crash shook the car when a massive buck hit the hood and slid into the windshield shattering it. The glass sunk in like a wet cloth and the animal’s back hoof kicked inward striking him in the face.

His first instinct was to slam on the brakes. An early morning rain, combined with falling leaves sent the car skidding sideway, then into a spin.

The deer, frightened and hurt, kicked again. Pain shot through his face, head and chest. He fought for control of the car amidst screams from the back and front seats.

The car continued its skid, picking up speed as it traveled across the road and nearly flipping over before slamming the driver’s side into a tree. The car exploded into several large red chunks shooting over the paved surface in the opposite direction, while others slid down the wooded hillside.

The last thing he remembered was the air bags deploying and the pain that slammed through his body.

When he regained consciousness, he could see his little sister lying on the ground near him. As he struggled to get to his feet, he became aware that one eye wasn’t working properly. A stream of blood was running down his face, blurring his vision. His shoulder was dislocated, but still, he managed to stagger forward and fell to his knees next to her still body.

Her blonde curls were covered in wet leaves and plant debris, hiding her face. He gently moved them aside. One side of her face was caved in and her pupils were blown. Her skin cold and clammy. A scream of agony ripped from this throat. Sobbing, he bent over her, crying out her name.

There was nothing he could do for her. With great effort, he dragged himself to his brother. From the angle of his limbs, he knew he had broken both an arm and a leg. He was breathing, but unconscious. The woman passenger sat on the wet ground leaning against a tree, blinking and in shock.

He returned to his sister and sobbed out loud over and over. He tried to hug her limp body but was unable to do so because of the screaming pain in his shoulder. He never heard the EMS arrive and was surprised when one of the attendants helped him up. As he stood, a wave of dizziness washed over him and everything went black.

His parents arrived, as he awakened in the Emergency Room. He sat up on the gurney facing them as the doctor finished telling them about his sister.

Oh my God, oh my God, his mother screamed, and his father reached for her as tears streamed down his stoic face.

What happened? his father barely whispered, incredible pain filling his eyes as he directed the question to his son.

Before he could answer his mother cried out, How could you let this happen? Then she burst into deep, heavy sobbing.

He flinched. Tears clogged his throat. It was all his fault. His heart broke into a million pieces knowing he’d never see his sister’s smile again. Watching his parents fall apart, just added to the pain. The worst was knowing he had let down his mother. After all she had done for him... how he wished it had been him and not his baby sister.

When the nurses came to take him up to surgery, for the deep gashes in his face, he was relieved. Hearing his mother’s heart wrenching cries as he left the emergency room ripped through his body like shards of broken glass. Salty tears burned his facial wounds and he closed his eyes wishing this was all a bad dream. That he would wake up any moment and things would be back to normal.

Sunlight filtered into his hospital room as he slowly opened his eyes. He was alone. He dragged himself painfully from the bed. In the narrow wooden armoire, he found his bloody clothes. They were stored in a white plastic bag, marked Patient Belongings, along with his last name. He was dressed when the doctor entered the room.

Where are you going? the doctor asked frowning. You can’t leave yet.

I’m signing myself out, he said emphatically. I’m capable of caring for myself. He drew out his personal items from the bottom of the bag including his wallet. He moved gingerly as his bruised body screamed for him to return to the bed. Dizziness assailed him but he kept moving towards the doorway.

You’ll need more surgeries to fix your face, the doctor told him. We need to watch your shoulder.

I’ll take care of my shoulder, he said. He limped towards the door and made his way out into the hallway passing a shocked nurse who was carrying a small tray of medication towards his room.

He continued his slow, yet determined pace to the elevator. The doors opened, he moved inside, and the doors closed. It was at that moment, he understood the finality of this decision. He was leaving behind the only world he knew.

CHAPTER TWO

Present Day

Carson Winters listened to the creak of leather, the breathing of the horses, soft conversation interspersed with laughter, and smiled peacefully. Being on a horse was like coming home. It gave her joy.

The air smelled fresh and crisp. To sit astride a horse brought back memories of her youth. As a child and a teen, she attended various riding camps. As a young adult she spent several summers volunteering at a ranch that specialized in horse therapy.

There were also adventure trips with her parents while traveling around the world. Her parents were diplomats. During her childhood she traveled from country to country. She loved it, but it was always good to return to the states again...especially North Carolina.

Nearly three years ago, her parents were killed in a plane crash in Peru. Ironically, they were on vacation and not on government business. They hadn’t taken her along, which she understood. They were celebrating their thirtieth anniversary. Their small, chartered plane had engine trouble when they were on their way to Machu Picchu and crashed.

That was the day when she realized she was totally alone. Like herself, her parents had also been only children. Unfortunately, they both lost their parents at an early age. So, she had no grandparents either. History, it seemed, was repeating itself.

Carson had plenty of friends. During the holidays, invitations were plentiful. There was always somewhere to go, but it was never the same. As welcoming as everyone had made her feel, she was still on the outside looking in. She wanted her own family with special holiday traditions. She sighed softly as memories floated through her mind.

The Christmases she spent with her parents were nestled in her heart. While traveling, they were often unable to spend the holidays in the States, so her parents tried to make it special for her wherever they were located at the time.

They also kept a small apartment in Washington. There were meetings her parents had to attend upon return, especially her mom. If they were returning in November or December, her mom hired someone to decorate the small living space for their return. She always tried to make holiday special for her and give her a sense of family.

Her favorite Christmases were at their family home in Greensboro, North Carolina. She had fond memories, as a young girl, of going to the downtown