Hershey's Choice
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Praise for Darlene Fredette
Hershey’s Choice
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
A thunderous pounding
trampled the ground behind her. She turned to glance over her shoulder, but the bench suddenly jolted forward to hover on its front legs before landing roughly on all fours. “Ohh.” She would have toppled face forward if her heels hadn’t been firmly dug into the grass. Britt straightened then froze in mid-motion. Warm panting breaths caressed the base of her neck. Her own breath suspended in her throat. Without moving her head, she shifted her stare to the right.
Two very large brown paws gripped the back of the bench.
“Bear!” Britt jumped to her feet. Her coat and cold coffee flew into the air in a tangled dance. With a racing pulse, she spun to see the vicious beast before her impending death. The image of a man doubled-over at the waist turned her panic quickly to anger. Beside the laughing man sat the dog she had mistaken for a bear.
“You arrogant jerk! How dare you laugh when your beast of a dog scared the life out of me.”
Praise for Darlene Fredette
“Darlene Fredette keeps tension at a fever pitch, engaging the reader’s full attention.”
~Long and Short Reviews
~*~
“Darlene has a writing voice that will hold your attention and creates characters so real you’d like to have them in your own life.”
~Gini Rifkin, author
~*~
“A well-paced, entertaining story [LAW OF ATTRACTION] with twists and turns to keep the reader interested. A great read. I loved it.”
~Margaret Marlow
~*~
“Great storyline, [TWIST OF FAITH] great characters, nice, fun romance - a win/win!”
~Wendy, Wall-To-Wall Books
Hershey’s Choice
by
Darlene Fredette
Choices Series
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.
Hershey’s Choice
COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Darlene Fredette
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com
Cover Art by Tina Lynn Stout
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Sweetheart Rose Edition, 2015
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0465-6
Print ISBN 978-1-5092-0504-2
Choices Series
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
For your unconditional love…
Sheeba, Luger, and Jagger
(my past and current furry babies)
Chapter One
“You lifted your leg and peed on her expensive leather shoes.” Ryan Jerome stared wide-eyed and shook his head. Chickadees chirped overhead in a tall, leafy red maple tree. “As if the chewing of coats and purses aren’t enough, your deep growls and sharp, pearly whites had them running for the hills.” He sighed, resting a foot on one knee. “When you don’t like someone, you sure know how to get your opinion across.”
Ryan glanced at Hershey. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were purposely scaring the ladies.”
The two-year-old chocolate lab rested his furry chin on Ryan’s knee.
Brown eyes weakened his determined rant. “Don’t look at me with those sad eyes. I’m still upset. You need to understand what you did was wrong.” Hershey’s whimper dissolved Ryan’s irritation, and he rubbed his dog’s head.
Hershey wagged his tail then lifted his left paw.
Ryan reached in his jacket pocket, pulled out a treat, and tossed it into his dog’s mouth. Maybe Hershey’s destructive actions had ulterior motives. Could his dog be telling him the women he’d been dating were mistakes?
He stretched his legs and leaned back against the Harbor View park bench. Sailboats and small yachts cruised the calm water of the Halifax harbor. A ferry’s engine roared to life, ready for another crossing to Halifax to drop off its load of passengers waiting to tour the boardwalk and historical sites, have lunch at one of the many restaurants, or to turn a few dollars into a jackpot at the casino. On this side of the harbor, the first day of summer had the downtown park of Dartmouth busy with families enjoying the outside after a cool spring. Four children bustled around the playground, while others kicked a ball back and forth.
Hershey stood and licked Ryan’s hand.
“No problem, big guy. If a woman can’t take a little pee on her expensive designer clothes, then she’s not the right one. But you have to cut me some slack. I’m ready to give love another chance. After four years alone, I miss making a bowlful of popcorn and cuddling on the sofa to watch a movie.”
The dog quirked his head to one side.
“I’m not talking about tossing you a piece of popcorn while you hog three-quarters of the sofa.” Ryan laughed. He did love the quiet evenings with his pet, but he missed comforting a woman during the tear-jerker moments of a dramatic scene, inhaling her tantalizing perfume, and kissing after the movie ended.
His dog’s attention turned toward the opposite side of the park. Something had caught his gaze, or he had become bored by the conversation.
“Why is finding a woman who shares my interests so difficult?” A light breeze off the water was a cooling welcome over his sun-heated cheeks. “I enjoy a good live theatre show, drinks at the lounge, and social gatherings, but a movie at home, getting dirty while doing yard work, and going for walks is more my scene.”
The word walk caught Hershey’s attention. He put a paw on Ryan’s leg.
“And of course, she must love big, brown dogs.” He scratched his dog’s ear. “You’re supposed to have my back.”
Hershey turned again, his stare glued to a bench at the far end of the park overlooking the new development by King’s Pier.
“I know you’ve been sabotaging my dates, but no more. From this point forward, you need to trust me. The right woman is out there. I’ll find her, and when I do—” The leash jerked from Ryan’s slack grip.
Hershey bolted at full speed with the leash dragging on the grass behind him.
Whatever he was after didn’t stand a chance.
****
“Ten minutes of peace. That’s all I ask.” Finding a vacant bench, Britt Wells sat and inhaled a deep breath. She crossed her legs at the ankle and balanced her feet on her shoes’ four-inch stiletto heels. The cup of coffee, she’d bought only moments ago, had already cooled. “Figures.” Could this day get any worse?
Several weeks of hard work and planning up in smoke, or better yet, with a punch to the face. As an event coordinator, Britt had to ensure every item was perfect and every detail flawless. The venue, the photographer, the band, the flowers, lighting, tables, and line
ns were spot on. Even the weather cooperated. Too bad she couldn’t control the people.
The whispered rumors of the groom having a drunken tryst with one of the bridesmaids the night before were apparently true. The news of the groom’s infidelity reached the bride this morning. Yet, instead of calling off the wedding right then and there, she forced a smile and continued to put on her gown.
Britt wanted to grab the woman by the shoulders and shake some sense into her, but she had been hired to plan the wedding, not to force a bride to realize what a jerk she was about to marry. Even the matron of honor had kept quiet. Her silence may have been a result of the dark and eerie stare in the bride’s eyes.
The bride took her spot in the entry of the church and waited as her bridesmaids preceded her entrance. She slipped her arm through her father’s and walked down the aisle. Silk rose petals bordered her path. Her veil was lifted before she turned to stare into the eyes of her cheating groom.
When Britt saw the bride reached the altar without incident, she sat in the back pew and held her breath. The air thickened in silence. She knew something big was about to happen. And happened it did.
Before the bride said I do, she hesitated. Then, with the speed of a lightning bolt, her fist shot out. The crack of fist meeting face sounded throughout the church. Caught unaware, the groom teetered on his heels and fell to the floor. Bright stains of red tarnished the lapels of his perfect starched white shirt.
Even from the last row, Britt saw the bride’s haunting stare as she turned to face her bridesmaids. The groom’s guilty partner in crime gasped then hiked up her long dress and ran, the click of her high-heeled shoes echoing through the church in her rapid dash to the doors. The bride, fist drawn to attack once again, lunged toward the curled-up-in-a-ball groom.
He held a hand over his bloody, and possibly broken, nose.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Britt released a heavy sigh. Time and money down the drain. She left the church, knowing no reception would happen. She called the caterer and the band, cancelling both. The caterer was not pleased with the late cancelation, but they’d retain the deposit for the booked event. Britt would also receive her fee through her employer, but the small payment wouldn’t compensate for the time and planning she had put into this wedding.
Returning her thoughts to the present, Britt blew out a breath, shrugging her coat off her shoulders and folding it over her lap. She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sun’s warmth. Today’s disastrous wedding had her disliking her job even more, as well as cementing her declaration of true-love’s non-existence. Growing up with parents in an unhappy marriage, and her own unsuccessful relationships, she had received more than her fair share of evidence.
So why did a small part of her heart cling to hopes of everlasting love?
Britt wanted to escape and forget her responsibilities. Tomorrow started her vacation, which was the ideal opportunity to get away, but she had to finalize the details of another wedding taking place one week from today. Maybe a mid-week vacation at the cabin? Surrounded only by nature—trees, lake, and the sound of birds and distant wildlife—the cabin’s solitude would provide a well-deserved breather. Nothing prevented her from sneaking off for two days. She just needed a push in the right direction.
A thunderous pounding trampled the ground behind her. She turned to glance over her shoulder, but the bench suddenly jolted forward to hover on its front legs before landing roughly on all fours. “Ohh.” She would have toppled face forward if her heels hadn’t been firmly dug into the grass. Britt straightened then froze in mid-motion. Warm panting breaths caressed the base of her neck. Her own breath suspended in her throat. Without moving her head, she shifted her stare to the right.
Two very large brown paws gripped the back of the bench.
“Bear!” Britt jumped to her feet. Her coat and cold coffee flew into the air in a tangled dance. With a racing pulse, she spun to see the vicious beast before her impending death. The image of a man doubled-over at the waist turned her panic quickly to anger. Beside the laughing man sat the dog she had mistaken for a bear.
“You arrogant jerk! How dare you laugh when your beast of a dog scared the life out of me.”
And he wasn’t the only one laughing. Several people in the park held hands over their mouths, stifling their chuckles over her terrified outburst.
A fine reward for allowing her thoughts to wander to the peaceful cabin. Britt’s momentary escape had placed her in the forest, and when she saw the paws, her drifted thoughts conjured wildlife. Embarrassment stirred her irritation.
“I should contact animal control and have you reported for allowing your dog to roam free in a public park.” Britt grabbed her purse from the bench and reached inside for her cell phone, mainly to add drama. She’d never get a dog in trouble, even if its owner was an idiot. “I could have fallen off the bench and been seriously injured.”
As he straightened, the man gasped between laughs. “Lady, I’m sorry. There’s no need to call anyone. Hershey meant no harm. He’s a Chocolate Labrador, not a bear.” He snickered again.
The dog, which mere moments ago had pounced on her bench, now sat calmly on the grass by his owner’s leg. His tongue dangled to one side of his large toothed mouth. He could pass for a bear. The beast had a powerful and muscular build covered in well-groomed, dark brown hair. His head was broad with slightly pronounced eyebrows.
Britt turned, refusing to be swayed by the dog’s kind and expressive brown eyes. Her cotton trench coat lay in a heap at her feet. “Oh, no.” She bent to retrieve it and the empty coffee cup. The cup’s contents had stained the cream-colored fabric with patches of peppermint mocha. Shoulders slumping, Britt shook her head. “Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.”
She tossed the empty cup into the trashcan then held up her coat. “It’s ruined. Do you have any idea how much this cost?” More than she cared to admit. One week earlier, she had walked by a boutique window, saw the coat on a mannequin and, without thinking, she walked in and bought it. An impulse purchase she regretted the moment after she placed her credit card back in her purse.
Britt flashed a malicious glare at the man who didn’t have much to say for his incompetence as a dog owner. “This park is not an off-leash area.”
Still smiling, he raised his hand, which held a leather strap continuing downward and connecting to the dog’s collar.
“Obviously, this type of dog is too much to handle. Maybe you should own a small tuck-under-your-arm type of pet. Or you need to attend obedience classes to learn how to control your beast of an animal.”
“Ouch.” He scrunched his nose and brows. “What’s with the personal attack?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “When you lost control of your dog, you invaded my personal space. You frightened me, embarrassed me, and ruined my new coat.”
“I apologize for Hershey’s excitement and bad manners. I don’t know what got into him. We were sitting over there.” The man pointed to the other side of the park. “Then he bolted. I thought he was after a squirrel, but you are definitely not a squirrel.”
Britt met the man’s deep blue eyes, which were studying her from head to toe. Thankfully, the days of her falling for men with captivating stares were long gone. Her gaze slid over his jeans and white T-shirt, where his broad chest caused a shiver to trail her spine. When he removed his black ball cap, he feathered a hand through his short and simple haircut. The jagged layers of brown hair added shape and style around his handsome face.
She clung to the anger still influencing her pulse rate. Britt wouldn’t dare blame this man for the excitement of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. “This is your fault.” She held up her coat and shook it.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. If I had been paying attention, I’d have grabbed the leash and Hershey wouldn’t have run, and you wouldn’t have spilled your coffee. Give me your coat. A friend of mine knows a dry cleaner who can remove any stain.” H
e stepped close and reached for the coat.
Their fingers touched, and goose bumps ran along her arm. Why did this handsome, yet irritating, stranger have her stifling a silly school-girl giggle? She couldn’t let him sway her annoyance. Enough! Reaching a breaking point, she balled her coat into a knot and tossed it in the trash. “In case you hadn’t noticed, my coat is ruined. I don’t want your apologies. I want you and your dog to leave me alone.” Britt rolled her eyes. “I want to forget this miserable day ever happened.” She slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and stormed out of the park.
****
Ryan strolled along the path, Hershey’s leash tight in his hand. He didn’t want a repeat of yesterday’s awkward encounter. That woman was a piece of work. She wouldn’t even let him apologize. Okay, his laughter probably hadn’t helped, and he could have been more sensitive. “Hershey, when I asked you to have my back, I didn’t expect you to take my words literally.”
His dog glanced up, slowing his pace to match Ryan’s.
“If that crazy lady had her way, she’d have us both locked behind bars. She’s definitely unstable. Not the type of woman I’m seeking.” He had dated his share of pristine women. They wanted to be noticed and pampered. Too much upkeep. Ms. Crazy from the park screamed high maintenance. From her expensive coat to her perfectly ironed pencil skirt and high-heeled shoes, she looked like a woman with big expectations. The added bit of madness was a bonus for a different lucky schmuck.
While he should forget about Ms. Crazy and put the whole incident behind him, Ryan couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even his dreams had haunted him with images of her brown eyes and full lips. She stood shorter than his six-foot frame, probably five-six, slender, and wearing minimal makeup. Ms. Crazy didn’t need the powder and paint. She’d stun any man in his stride with the hint of color on her cheeks and her cherry-stained lips. Her shoulder-length brown hair with honey highlights brought out the natural beauty further.
He shook his head, hoping to think of anything besides Ms. Crazy. An early morning run with Hershey was what he needed to remove the lingering images in his head. Today, Ryan purposely avoided the downtown district and drove to Shooby Park. The heavily forested park had wooded trails for joggers, bicycle enthusiasts, and dog walkers. Several paths were off-leash, but Hershey’s attention then became more about socializing than focusing on exercise, leaving Ryan to prefer the main trails.