Love So Unexpected (The Lawson Brothers #6)
Love So Unexpected
Copyright © 2016 by Marquita Valentine
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover Design by Lindee Robison Photography
Editing by Madison Seidler Editing
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Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Love So Unexpected (The Lawson Brothers, #6)
Prologue | Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Love So Hot
Chapter Two
More Books By Marquita Valentine
About the Author
Widower Caleb Lawson has resigned himself to a life of farming and family functions. He never expects to find another love like he had with his wife, much less remarry. But once his mother brings home Sofia Nogales to help her get back on her feet, he starts to reconsider his expectations. Sofia is beautiful, witty, and so full of life that his arms ache to hold her.
Determined to make a new life for herself, former head chef Sofia Nogales hopped on the first bus to the east coast and refused to look back. However, she never dreamed a series of bad events would have her end up in Jessamine, North Carolina as the guest of Dinah Lawson. Nor did she ever dream of meeting someone like Dinah’s son Caleb—the sexy farmer, who keeps everything to himself... except the heated look in his eyes.
But when the opportunity comes knocking—to the tune of cooking at an established and popular restaurant two states away, will Caleb be able to convince her to stay?
Prologue
Prologue
The first time Caleb Lawson laid eyes on Iris McCoy, he fell so hard in love with her that his whole body ached for days. With her quiet beauty and sweet nature, who wouldn’t have?
They were perfectly suited for one another. Unlike the majority of the McCoy women in Jessamine, Iris didn’t lead him on a wild chase, enjoyed the simple things in life, loved to talk for hours about nothing at all, and seemed content to be with a man like him—poor farmer and all. Best of all, when she smiled ... it was like the entire planet was smiling with her.
Suffice to say, the first time Caleb kissed her, the Earth tilted on its axis. And their wedding night ... the world ceased to exist. It had been the first time for both of them, and he’d been extra careful with her, on account of her fragile state. Iris never knew when a seizure would hit, so he had to be vigilant. Overprotective.
Even when it gave him blue balls from hell.
“What in the world are you thinking about Caleb?” Iris asked, her voice teasing. She placed a hand on her stomach, and his gaze dropped there. They hadn’t told anyone yet, mostly because she hadn’t yet seen the doctor.
Caleb could hardly contain himself, but on the flip side, he was scared out of his mind. What if her seizures got worse with the pregnancy? What if she had to come off her meds entirely? He didn’t know if a baby was worth that kind of sacrifice—not even a baby he wanted more than life itself.
He wrapped his arms around her slender back, pulling her closer to him. “Thinking about how pretty you looked this morning.”
“Before or after I puked up my breakfast?”
He grinned. “You’re always beautiful to me.”
She laughed, and the sound warmed his heart. “Such a flatterer.”
“Am not.”
Her light blue eyes turned thoughtful as she brushed a strand of pale hair out of her face. “No, you’re not, and so I have no choice but to believe you.”
“You sure I can’t drive you to the doctor instead of meeting you there?” he asked.
“Yes. Jeez, Caleb, will you stop worrying about me so much?” she asked with a small huff.
“Pretty sure it’s in my job description as your husband.”
She toyed with the hem of his T-shirt, her cool fingers brushing his abs. “There are other things in your job description as well.”
Desire hit him hard. He dipped his head, stopping just short of her tempting mouth. “That so?”
“Oh yes.” She lightly kissed him on the lips, then tugged at his arm. “Come to bed with me, Mr. Lawson. I feel neglected.”
He laughed. “Can’t have that.”
Later that afternoon, he was on his way to meet Iris at the doctor’s when a state trooper flagged down his truck.
“Sorry, son, you’re going to have to turn around. Bad wreck up ahead.”
The back of Caleb’s neck prickled. “Anything I can to do to help?”
“Not unless you know the next of kin.” The trooper flushed. “Between me and you, she’s not going to make it.”
Icy cold dread raked its claws down his heart. “What’s her name?”
“Iris Lawson.”
He was out of his truck before the state trooper could stop him, shouting Iris’s name as he ran flat out toward the wreck. Her sedan had smashed right into a large oak tree. Smoke drifted from it. The driver’s side door was open.
A man stood by a woman lying on the ground. As soon as their eyes locked, the man shot to his feet from where Iris lay on the ground, and grabbed Caleb’s arms, holding him back. “Hold on a minute.”
Caleb couldn’t stop staring at her—at the way the wind lifted her pale hair. Strangely enough, there was no blood. “That’s my wife.”
“She’s not ... you don’t have much time. The ambulance is on its way. I happened to see the wreck while heading in for my shift. Stopped and made the call.” The guy swallowed, and, for the first time, Caleb noticed his EMT uniform. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do more.”
A lump formed in his throat, along with a chant, Oh please God, let her live, in his head. He knelt down beside her. Her skin was deathly white with only a few mottled bruises on her cheek.
“Iris.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Caleb. I knew you would come. I was waiting for you.”
Tears clouded his vision, and his chest tightened. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but grab her hand and hold on. Maybe if he held on tightly enough, she wouldn’t leave him.
She couldn’t leave him. What would he do without her?
“I’m here. You stay here, too.” He kissed her hand. Why wasn’t anyone helping her?
The guy who’d held him back got down beside Iris on the opposite side. “Son, we’re going to put her in the ambulance. You can ride along with us.”
Caleb nodded, and Iris’s grip loosened. “Don’t stop holding my hand, baby.”
Iris frowned, her face crumpling. “Oh, the baby. I’m so sorry
, Caleb.”
“She’s pregnant?”
With a sharp nod, he said, “She was on her way to the doctor.”
As if in a dream, Caleb stood as men suddenly appeared to lift his wife from the ground and place her on a gurney. Then they were in the ambulance, speeding toward the hospital.
“She’s crashing.”
He was pushed out of the way as the paramedics opened her shirt and pressed defibrillators against her chest.
“Clear!”
She jerked only a little.
Once more, they pressed the paddles to her, but nothing happened. Looks were exchanged. He might not be a paramedic or a doctor, but he knew defeat when he saw it.
But Iris wasn’t their wife. She was his, and he’d move heaven and earth to save her ... and their baby.
“Try it again,” Caleb ordered.
No one moved.
“Try it again,” he roared.
“There’s—”
Caleb lunged for the paddles, and all hell broke loose. Two of the guys grabbed him, pinned his arms behind his back while he bucked against them like a bull in the cage.
“You’re killing her,” he shouted.
“Calm down.”
“Fuck that.” He shoved his head back, nailing one of the guys in the face, and got one arm free. He fell to the floor, hitting his head on the side of the gurney.
Pain shot through him, but he didn’t give a damn. He grabbed Iris’s hand. It was so cold. So very cold and lifeless. The ambulance turned, sending him tumbling.
“Don’t make us restrain you again,” one of the men warned.
Caleb put up his hands, then crawled to his wife. “Please, Iris. Hold on. We’re almost there. The doctors will help you.”
Everything came to a stop. The back doors opened, and the two men jumped out, automatically grabbing the gurney as they went. Caleb stayed with them, holding onto Iris, even as more medical staff tried to push him out of the way.
“I’m not leaving,” he insisted as they walked inside the emergency room.
A nurse smiled sadly at him. “You don’t have to.”
One by one, the staff disappeared until all that remained was a single doctor and nurse.
“Time of death?”
The young doctor looked at the clock on the wall, taking off his latex gloves. “Fifteen hundred.”
“No!” Caleb shouted. He shook his head, then his entire body began to tremble. “She’s not dead.”
“Your head,” the nurse began.
“I don’t give a damn about my head.” He turned his attention to Iris. “Tell them that I have a hard head and will be okay.”
Iris didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes.
“C’mon, baby. Open those beautiful eyes,” he pleaded with her.
“Sir, she’s not—”
“If you’re not going to help her, then get me someone who will,” Caleb all but growled.
“Fine.”
Seconds passed, then minutes. No one was coming back.
A fist squeezed at his heart. Iris wasn’t coming back either. Tears dripped from his eyes and onto her face. He brushed them away, wanting an excuse to be of some help.
“You always hated getting your face wet,” he said, his voice cracking. “Sorry I sprayed you with the shower head this morning. If I had known...” His jaw worked. “I would have driven you myself.”
“Caleb,” a familiar voice called out.
Sparing his cousin, Preston, a glance, he said, “If you’re the doctor, I want a second opinion.”
Preston held up his hands. “There won’t be another doctor.”
“This is all my fault,” he said, staring down at Iris again. Her sweet, pretty face held no life—merely the shell of what her soul had left behind. God, he wished he was with her soul right now.
“Not your fault. She had a heart attack. Most likely brought on by a seizure. Had she been taking her meds?” Preston asked.
Caleb shook his head. “Not the entire dose. She ... we, uh ... she was pregnant and didn’t want to hurt the baby.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not as much as I am.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “She wanted a baby, and I ... I gave into her.”
Preston grabbed his shoulder, and he tensed up, ready to fight, but his cousin didn’t try to pull him away. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need. I’ll do what I can to make sure you can. But when they need this room, she’ll be moved to the morgue. “
He flinched at the word. “I understand.” He lied. He didn’t understand a damn thing. She was barely twenty. He’d just turned twenty-one. They were supposed to grow old together. Hold hands that were peppered with age spots and thin skin on a front porch, surrounded by grandchildren.
That was supposed to be his future. Their future.
He gently squeezed her hand again, hoping that by some miracle she’d wake up.
But her hand remained lifeless, as did the rest of her body.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing her one last time.
*
One week later, he stood graveside, listening to his brother Adam talk about Iris’s life and her impact on those around her.
The cemetery crew showed up after all but Caleb was left. That fist around his heart grew so tight that he dropped to his knees. When the first shovel full of dirt hit Iris’s casket, he bawled like a baby—for the first time since she’d died.
Chapter One
Thirteen years later
Caleb was tired of being pitied by his family. Sure, no one came out and said as much, but he wasn’t a fool. He could see it in their gazes, in the way they carefully guarded their conversations around him, like he was a ticking time bomb.
Not that he could blame them because he didn’t exactly give them any reason to think otherwise. However, a man shouldn’t be punished for being slow to speak his mind. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have opinions. He just wasn’t keen on sharing everything.
Never had been.
As a kid, he’d been so quiet that a few of his teachers thought something was wrong with him, but his momma had taken care of that. Dinah had always fought for him, had always talked for him, and had made sure that every teacher understood how special he was.
In his eyes, that made Dinah special. She wasn’t his mother by blood, but she was the only one he’d ever known, and had never treated him, or his brother, Adam, for that matter, any differently, not even after she started having babies of her own.
He never connected with anything like he did farming; his dad said it was in his DNA. There was always a Lawson who farmed, one who passed down land from generation to generation. Usually, it was the oldest son, but Adam had found a different calling. Caleb was thankful for that, because he wasn’t sure where he’d fit in, in his large family.
Besides, farming never demanded that he talked, never demanded that he have an opinion on politics or the latest social media fad. All it demanded was his time, water, and sunlight. Most of the time, he had a farmer’s tan and a red neck from working in the sun all day. He had dirt under his nails and scars on his skin.
But it was honest work. Hard work. It took time and patience. Two things he had in spades. When Iris had been alive, he’d made sure to take time to be with just her, take her out dancing on a Saturday night because he knew if he wasn’t careful, farming would consume him. Her smile and laughter ... and love had been worth letting things set.
Once he’d stopped grieving, he’d thrown himself whole-hog back into farming, back into the very thing that demanded nothing he couldn’t give. However, he was tired of being the one who went with the flow and rarely made waves ... or rarely left the farm for that matter.
Most of all, he was tired of being a widower.
But there was nothing he could do about that.
Well, he could do something about that. However, that would require him to step out of his comfort zone and actually talk to a woman. Ask her out on a date
... maybe even hold her in his arms while they danced.
Hold up. You remember how to dance?
Yeah.
But it’s been a decade since you’ve ... danced.
Caleb inwardly sighed. Even his brain didn’t think he was up to it.
“...camping this weekend,” Brody said, breaking into his thoughts. “Been looking forward to it for weeks.”
“You and Sydney?” Caleb asked, and everyone at the dinner table stopped eating to stare at him. Heat traveled up his neck, but he refused to pull at his collar. Or say anything more.
“Actually, it’s just the guys going,” Sydney said, her brow wrinkling. “Y’all have been planning this for a while now. All the brothers go camping while all the wives go relax in a place not infested with mosquitos or bears.”
Just the guys? His gut clenched. “My invitation must have gotten lost.”
The silence that greeted him was deafening.
“We thought you were helping Mom and Dad with the kids—ouch,” Lucas gave his wife Bailey a look. “What was that for?”
“Thinking and confirmation are two different, very important things,” Caleb pointed out.
“C’mon Caleb, don’t be that way,” Brody said on a groan. “You never go. Why would this time be any different?”
His brother’s response was exactly why he shouldn’t have said a word, why he should have stayed all locked up in his own head. “Thanks for dinner. I have to go check on things in the barn.” He stood and started to gather his things to take to the sink.
“Leave it, son. Brody and Lucas are in charge of dishes this evening,” his dad said.
Caleb nodded once, grateful for the quick exit provided. “’Night.”
He heard chairs scraping back, voices rising, but he kept on a straight path, pushing open the screen door and heading to the barn.
“Wait up,” Austin called after him, but he didn’t slow down. If his baby brother wanted to talk, he could do it while they walked. “I do have things I have to take care of, you know. Farm doesn’t run itself.”
Austin caught up to him. “I didn’t know you weren’t included.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Caleb said, trying in vain to not let his irritation show. None of this was Austin’s fault. “I can’t go anyway, but it would have been nice to get the chance to decide on my own.”