Deal Of A Lifetime

Could this finally be her time?

Serafina Callahan has always been the responsible one, sacrificing her dreams to keep her family’s Pennsylvania farm afloat. Now, after ten years of hard work, here comes someone who could change her life in a major way. All Sera has to do is say yes.

It would mean selling the place Callahans have lived on and owned for almost a century. But Sera’s starting to have major feelings for the big-city lawyer who flew home to negotiate the deal. While there’s a lot Sera isn’t sure of—Alex Kimmel’s motives, his questionable past in Bear Meadows—she can’t forget their kiss. Is it enough to build a brand-new dream on?

“Sera.”

“Alex.”

They both laughed.

Alex grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into an alcove as passengers jostled their way in and out of the city’s bus station. “I had a great time this weekend.”

The heat moved up Sera’s neck and onto her cheeks at the memories. Alex pulled her closer, although the crowds seemed to have thinned. “As far as I’m concerned, this weekend was Cy’s loss and my gain.”

Her body seemed to move toward Alex’s as if she were on a magic carpet. “I think so, too.”

“You asked if I thought you could return to school at your age. Personally, I think anyone can return to school at any age. If the school offers you a scholarship again, I think you’d be crazy not to accept.” His lips were now just inches from hers. And then he kissed her. A proper goodbye kiss. Not a spur-of-the-moment, wish-he-would-stop-talking kiss.

Dear Reader,

I’m happy to share with you Deal of a Lifetime, book number three in the Bear Meadows series. Thank you for sticking with me as together we see where life takes these characters. As always, a special thank-you to the team at Harlequin and your invaluable suggestions for keeping the story on track. Kudos for creating a beautiful book presentation for the Heartwarming line.

I hope you’re enjoying reading about the characters and their journeys as much as I enjoy writing about them. Just like the people we interact with daily, book characters behave a certain way and have unique personalities. We can only begin to understand them once we understand their deepest fears and greatest hopes.

In Deal of a Lifetime, Serafina Callahan feels an obligation to stay on the family farm. If life had played out differently, Sera’s dreams and aspirations would have taken her far away.

Last Chance Farm is only a few years away from receiving Century Farm designation. But today’s family farm looks nothing like the family farm of my grandparents’ generation. Sustaining a family is hardly possible without someone having an outside income or, in the case of Last Chance Farm, reinventing the concept.

The question for Sera is...where does obligation to family end and the fulfillment of one’s dreams begin, especially given her feelings for the hero, Alex?

T.R.

Deal of a Lifetime

T. R. McClure

www.millsandboon.co.uk

T. R. MCCLURE wrote her first story when she was ten years old. A degree in psychology led to a career in human resources. Only after retirement did she pick up her pen and return to fiction. T.R. lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband of thirty-seven years. They share their country home with one horse, one cat, four beagles and Sunny the yellow Lab. T.R. is always up for travel adventures with her grown twin daughters. For more information and updates on new releases, visit www.trmcclure.com or follow the author on Twitter, @trmcclureauthor.

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

HER GREAT-GRANDMOTHER MUST have known what she was doing when she named their home Last Chance Farm, because the men in Serafina Callahan’s family were all gamblers of one sort or another, her little brother included.

“What are you thinking?”

Sitting in one of a line of uncomfortable molded plastic chairs in the terminal lobby, Sera linked her hands over her belly and stared out the floor-to-ceiling window at the twin-engine turboprop, its propellers whirling to a stop. “I’m thinking no way would I climb on a soup can with wings in the middle of a hurricane and fly to Nashville.”

Mirroring her stretched-out position, crossed ankles and all, Chance Callahan rested the toe of his boot against the battered guitar case, as if reassuring himself the instrument was still there, even though it was in plain sight of both of them. “We’re going to Detroit first. It’s not raining in Detroit.”

“That makes no sense—” Sera slid her gaze up her brother’s long legs to his mussed black hair “—but neither does April showers in May.”

“Springtime in Pennsylvania. You never know what you’re gonna get. No big deal.” He shrugged.

She wasn’t surprised. Her younger brother had his own theories about life. He did exactly as he pleased. But then the siblings had traveled different paths from the beginning. She would climb into the crook of an apple tree on a summer day to read, and he would swing from the branches, risking skinned knees and broken bones. “You know, I think you’re the milkman’s son. We can’t be related.”

Head leaning against the seat back, he turned in her direction. His eyes had that heavy-lidded look that made the girls scream when he was onstage. “We both have the Callahan hair. Thick, black and totally unmanageable. We’re related.”

Sera smoothed curly bangs back from her forehead and returned her gaze to the activities on the other side of the window. “Tell me about it.”

Clad in a hooded poncho with Ramp written across the back in large black letters, a figure reached up to lower the staircase of the plane. April Madison appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore navy blue suit pants and a crisp white blouse. A red-white-and-blue-striped scarf looped around her neck. With a bright smile, she handed a clipboard to the agent on the ground.

“Did you know April Madison is working for Allegheny Commuter? She might be the last person you see before plummeting to the ground.”

One corner of his mouth edged upward. “I can think of worse things.”

“You hate April Madison.”

“I hated her in high school. She dumped me for one of the Heaster twins. Now that Stan is serving three to ten, she’s probably rethinking that decision.”

Sera chuckled. “Ya think?” As always, she and her brother had reverted to familiar and comfortable conversation, like two neighbors who hadn’t seen each other in a while. April backed away into the dark recesses of the cabin as passengers appeared in the open doorway. The first person off the plane was a young woman with frizzy red hair. Shoulders hunched against the rain, she clutched a portfolio in her left arm and gripped the railing with her hand.

“Dating any Southern belles?” Sera continued to watch the passengers, but her ear was attuned to any sound from the man next to her. He took a long time to answer.

“Not at the moment.”

An alarm sounded at the back of her brain. Chance and women. Not a good combination when his career was supposed to be the focus. “Were you?”

“Let’s just say, at the present time, there is no special someone.” He shrugged and returned her gaze. The half smile was gone. “You?”

She raised her hands to the ceiling and directed an exasperated look in his direction. “There is such a multitude of men at the farm, I’m having trouble choosing.” The smile she was looking for returned when her little brother laughed. She had accomplished her mission.

“I keep telling you, you should get out more.” Chance scooted back in his seat, rested his arms on his thighs and stared at his guitar. “I saw the reassessment notice from the county on your desk.”

“Yep. Things just keep getting better and better.” Sera returned her gaze to the passengers exiting the plane just in time to see a tall man in a navy windbreaker stoop to emerge from the plane’s oval doorway. He stood at the top of the metal staircase, looking around as if surveying his domain. The wind ruffled his light brown hair. How nice to feel such confidence.

“Did the taxes go up?”

She tore her gaze from the confident man with the windblown hair. “Do cats have kittens?” Unlike the woman with the red hair, his wide shoulders were not at all hunched, as if the rain didn’t exist. “Do taxes ever go down?”

The ticket agent announced boarding for Detroit. Chance stood, his lanky frame unraveling from the seat like the Slinky toy he used to play with on the front porch steps. Slapping his cowboy hat on his head, he slid her a look. “When I get my next gig—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Standing and facing her brother, she pressed a twenty-dollar bill into his hand. “Grab a snack in Detroit.”

“Hey, I’m fine.” He tried to give the money back.

“No, keep it. As Aunt Hope would say, you’re skinny as a rail.” Despite the joking, she did worry about her brother getting on the small plane in the middle of a rainstorm. Heck, she worried about small planes on sunny days. “Good luck with the audition.”

They put their arms around each other; Sera patted his back twice before Chance pulled away. He shot her a look and then just as quickly glanced away. “Thanks, Sera. I feel like I should stick around, but this could be the one. It’s the Blue Bird, you know?” His gaze rested on the guitar case at his feet.

Sera recognized the hopeful expression on her brother’s handsome face. So what if he couldn’t help her with expenses? He really did have a shot at the big time. Unlike her, he was willing to take the risk. She punched him in the shoulder. “Remember what Dad said.”

“Love what you do.” His smile lit his face, transforming him from the average twentysomething into a star. “Bye, sis.” If looks were a prerequisite for becoming a country Western sensation, Chance Callahan was well on his way. His deep, gravelly voice lent another level of sensuality to the man with the two-day growth of beard. He slung a carry-on over his shoulder, picked up the battered guitar case and joined the line of people headed for security.

Bypassing a long line, her brother slid his luggage on a conveyor belt and walked through the security gate without a qualm, shoes and all. Of course, he was prescreened. He had done the same thing many times over the last three years.

The passengers who had just left the recently arrived plane filed through a long, transparent walkway that emptied into the lobby. Sera picked up her poncho just as the young woman with the frizzy red hair emerged. With a shrill “Mommy,” a little redheaded boy broke free from his father and ran into her arms. Hugs and kisses all around. Mom, Dad, toddler.

Watching the other passengers follow her brother onto the ramp, she wondered what adventures they were about to enjoy. More than she, for sure. Sera turned away from the lucky passengers and headed for the bar. She dared not leave until the flight was in the air.

* * *

“YOU DON’T HAVE a reservation for Alexander Kimmel?” Alex stared at the young man with the unusual mop of unnaturally white-blond hair sticking up every which way. His name tag read Scooby, which somehow seemed appropriate. The car rental agent looked to be about ten years old.

Scooby flushed bright red. “I’m afraid not.” He glanced at his computer. “However, I expect a car returned anytime now. Do you want to wait in the bar?” He flashed a toothy smile, displaying multicolored braces.

Alex wished for his sunglasses, packed away deep in his carry-on. The combination of the hair and the teeth was just too much. He gripped the edge of the counter with both hands. Surely he hadn’t heard right. “Did you say you only have two cars?”

“Well, I’m just starting out.” Throwing his shoulders back, he pointed to the sign behind him. Scooby’s Rental Cars. “Before me, Shadow Falls Regional Airport didn’t have a car rental.”

Alex hated to point out the obvious to the enthusiastic car rental agent on the other side of the counter, but somebody had to give this guy a dose of reality. “But you don’t have any cars to rent.”

Scooby shrugged. “If I don’t get my car back in time, there might be someone in the bar who can give you a ride.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stave off the headache that threatened. He never should have come, never given in. Cyrus was supposed to pick him up. Instead, he had called, saying he had an emergency with a sick cow. A new vet was on call, and he had to be there. But the regional airport had a car rental agency. Alex could rent a car. With a deep breath, Alex opened his eyes and looked around the lobby. So much for reality. “Where’s the bar?”

Bar was spelled out in fake, multicolored glass in the top of a dark, wood-paneled door. Five backless stools, a short bar and three tiny red vinyl booths crowded a windowless space. Wheeling his suitcase next to the wall, Alex propped his hip on one stool at the end and glanced at the display of bottles behind the bar. One other customer hunched over a bottle at the far end of the bar. A curtain of curly black hair shielded her face.

“What can I get for you?” A middle-aged man in a faded green T-shirt and jeans wiped the counter in front of him.

Alex studied the labels, didn’t see anything familiar, then tilted his head toward the lone customer. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Reaching into a glass-fronted cooler, the bartender plunked a sweaty brown bottle on the counter. “Headed in or out?” He grabbed his rag and continued down the counter, wiping in a circular motion.

Alex took a long swig before answering, the tangy brew waking up his mouth. He set the bottle on the coaster. “In.”

“Good thing.” He snorted. “They just canceled the last flight in for the day.” He tipped his chin to the ceiling. “Visibility. Where ya from?”

“New York.”

He nodded, then pointed at the bottle in his hand. “I hear hard cider is getting popular in the city. True?”

Alex twisted the bottle around until he could read the label and then realized the hard cider was the same brand he had been drinking just the night before. “As a matter of fact, hard cider is becoming very popular.”

“Do me a favor...” The bartender disappeared through a swinging door, reappearing a minute later with a plain brown bottle. “Try this and tell me what you think.” He pulled three tumblers from under the counter. “Hey, Sera, want to try something?”

Sitting in the shadows, the woman looked up at the sound of her name. “Okay.” She slid off the stool. “Just a little bit.” She grabbed a yellow poncho and a big purse, and put everything on the stool next to Alex, then sat. She gave Alex a wary look before turning her gaze to the bartender.

“By the way, my name’s Mike.” The bartender smiled as he emptied the bottle into three glasses. He set one in front of Alex and one in front of the young woman. “This is a taste test.”

Picking up the glass, she raised it to her lips.

“Hold on.” Mike held up his glass and shared a big smile. “To success.”

“To success.” Alex clinked his glass with Mike’s and then tipped his glass in the direction of the dark-haired woman. She looked at the glass, then at him and lightly touched her glass to his.

“To success.”

Alex sipped the liquid, swirled it around in his mouth and nodded. “Not bad. You removed the label.”

The bartender didn’t answer, instead waiting for Sera to give her response. She held the glass under her nose and sniffed. “You made this, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I made this last fall. I call it Flying Apple. You like?”

“Very nice.” She smiled.

Alex watched the exchange. The woman was obviously a regular. And she was capable of smiling. Just not in his direction.

“You’re the first customers I’ve tried it on. My family drinks it, but they’ll drink anything.” Mike set a bowl of pretzels on the counter between Alex and the woman.

The door flew open. Scooby settled next to Sera. “I’ll have what they’re having, Mike.”

“Nice try, buddy. You know you’re not supposed to be sitting at the bar.” Mike raised one eyebrow at the shaggy-haired entrepreneur.

Alex upended his glass. He had to give the young man credit. Not even old enough to drink and he was starting his own business.

“I’ll just be a minute. I’m here on business.” He leaned forward and addressed Alex. “I just got a call. The car I was supposed to get in is stuck in a field. Go figure.”

In the act of swallowing, Alex choked. He pounded on his chest and coughed. Finally, eyes streaming, he turned back to the bar and squeaked out a response. “You’re kidding me.”

“It’s not his fault. Little Bear Creek’s at flood stage. Some of the roads are underwater.”

While Alex had been coughing up apple cider and leaning against the wall, they had been joined by a middle-aged man of average height with a dark beard. He sprawled in one of the booths. He wore a shirt emblazoned with the logo of the airlines and his first name. Mike tossed him a bottle. Taking a ring of keys from his pocket, Al took a healthy swig. “Looks like you’re gonna have to find yourself a ride, buddy. Soon as I finish my libation, I’m gonna put the airport to bed.” He took another long swig and smacked his lips.

Alex tipped his head back against the wall. When he got his hands on his cousin...

“Did the plane to Detroit get out?” The woman two stools over swiveled around and addressed Al. Her brow furrowed as she waited for the response. Alex’s dilemma was no concern of hers. And they say New Yorkers are unfriendly.

Al nodded. “Your brother made it out in the nick of time. They canceled the last flight in, so the airport’s closing. What do you expect? There’s a hurricane moving up the East Coast, and central Pennsylvania is on the outer edges. We get flooding. No big deal. Happens every spring.”

“Good.” Her stool scraped against the wooden floor as she stood and shrugged into the yellow poncho.

“What am I supposed to do?” Alex had the distinct feeling, of the four locals in the bar, the woman, Sera, was his best chance at finding a solution to his problem. But the guarded expression on her face as she paused—the bright vinyl puddled around her neck, emphasizing the blackness of the curly hair—had him rethinking his conclusion.

She pulled the poncho down, slipped her hands through the holes and shook her head, sending curls flying in all directions. “Where are you headed?”

Hope sparked in his chest. Maybe he had misjudged the woman. “Clover Hill Farms. Outside Bear Meadows.”

“No kidding. Well, good luck.” She picked up her paisley purse and headed for the door. “Thanks for the drink, Mike.”

“Hey, Sera. Isn’t Clover Hill Farms close to your place?” Scooby eyed Sera’s glass with her unfinished drink. “You live right next—” Scooby’s enthusiasm deflated at the woman’s sharp glance.

One hand on the dark door, she paused. Her shoulders lifted and dropped, as if she had taken a big sigh. When she turned, his gaze met hers and held.

Pretty green eyes blinked once. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. A full minute passed before she replied. “I’m driving the pickup, Scooby. He doesn’t look like a pickup kind of guy.”

Alex knew if he didn’t do something soon, he would be sleeping on the uncomfortable vinyl chairs in the lobby. So he smiled. For a brief second the woman smiled back, before the smile disappeared and her eyes became guarded. Up close, they almost appeared blue. If he didn’t want to spend the night in the airport, the poncho-wearing, blue-or green-eyed woman was his last hope. “I could be a pickup kind of guy.” He smiled in what he hoped was a persuasive manner. “I’ll pay you.”

She pursed her lips as she considered his answer. “Clover Hill Farms, huh?” She caught the eye of the ticket agent. “There’s no one left in the airport. What about the pilots?”

Al stroked his beard. “Gone.”

Her chin dropped to her chest, as if in defeat. When she looked up, her jaw was set. “Show me your driver’s license.”

Alex supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. In this day and age, a person couldn’t be too careful. He pulled his wallet from his pocket, withdrew his New York license and laid it on the counter. She returned to the bar, every step hesitant as if this were the last place she wanted to be. She glanced down at the piece of plastic. “This license is expired.” Despite the rain, or maybe because of it, her dark hair curled around her face.

Alex looked down at the piece of plastic. “What did you say?”

She tapped the plastic with one finger. “Your license is expired.”

Alex looked around the bar at the three men. “Of course not.” Picking up the license, he checked the date. She was right. Somehow he had allowed the license to expire. Considering he didn’t own a car, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He held the license in front of her eyes. “Look at the picture. Doesn’t the picture look like me?”

“Not really. That guy has a beard.”

He held the license out to the three men, and each shrugged. No question whose side they were on.

She eyed him warily. “Suppose you are Alexander Kimmel. So what? Kimmels don’t own Clover Hill Farms.” She tossed the license back onto the counter. “This doesn’t exactly reassure me.” Thrusting her shoulders back, she took a deep breath and stared the man straight in the eyes.