Becoming Brooke (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 6) Read online

  Becoming Brooke

  Quinn Valley Ranch Book 6

  Kay P. Dawson

  Contents

  Thank You

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Also by Kay P. Dawson

  About the Author

  Thank You

  Thank you for purchasing Becoming Brooke - I hope you enjoy the story!

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  Dedicated to all of my readers who’ve offered so much support. I couldn’t do this without you.

  Prologue

  “What in heaven’s name were you thinking, climbing up a ladder to hang Christmas lights at your age? Honestly, Maude, sometimes you don’t have the sense of an old goat.” Gertrude Quinn shook her head and clucked her tongue as she walked over beside the hospital bed of her friend.

  “Well, how was I supposed to know I was going to fall? I wanted my Christmas lights up, and in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any young men hanging around my house to do it for me, so I did it myself. And I’d have been fine too, if not for that gust of wind that caught me off guard. Once I lost my balance, I went down harder than a sack of rocks.”

  The other ladies who were always together made their way around the bed. “Now, Maude, Gertie has plenty of grandsons who would have helped you if you’d asked, and I could have even told Ciran to help you. Now that the weather is colder, he’s not as busy in the taco truck, so he’d have gladly agreed. You just won’t accept that you’re older now and shouldn’t be doing silly things like climbing a ladder.” Nellie pulled her jacket off as she scolded Maude.

  Maude rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. “Betty…Ruby…do either of you have anything to add? Because right now, I’m on enough painkillers to not give a wit what anyone has to say, so you may as well get it all out. Just because you’re all old, doesn’t mean I am. I seem to remember that I’m the youngest out of the bunch of you.”

  “Well, you may be the youngest, but you’re certainly not the smartest.” They all laughed at Ruby’s joke. Well, everyone except Maude.

  “And now what will you do? You’ve got yourself a broken hip and a broken wrist. How are you going to take care of yourself?”

  Maude didn’t have any children of her own. Her husband had passed away well over ten years ago, leaving her alone. But until now, she’d never needed anyone to help her.

  “I spoke to my niece in Pennsylvania. She said she would have come out to help but she’s got a lot going on. So she’s asked my great-nephew, Jared, if he could come out to stay here for a while. I already spoke to him this morning and tried to tell him he didn’t have to come, but he told me in no uncertain terms he was already on his way. He said he could use a vacation.” Maude smiled and shook her head. “He always has been a stubborn boy and I admit to having a bit of a sweet spot for him.”

  The women chatted for a while, having their usual Wednesday morning coffee right there in the hospital room instead of at Gertie’s like they normally did. The coffee wasn’t as good, but they weren’t the type to complain.

  “Oh, Gertie. I forgot to mention that Brooke came in to see me yesterday after I got out of my surgery. She was here checking on a few of her other patients from Quinn Valley who were admitted to the hospital, so she stopped to make sure they were taking good care of me. They’ll be releasing me back into her care once I get home and she’s assured me she will come around to the house to check on my progress instead of making me go into her office. She’s a sweet girl, that granddaughter of yours.”

  “Yes, she is. But I worry that with her work, she’ll never find time to settle down with anyone. I know her sister has been making her go on some dates—using some site on the Internet, if you can imagine! But Brooke’s heart has never really been in it. It’s hard for her to trust after what that young man did to her two years ago.” The other women all nodded sadly, knowing exactly what Gertrude was referring to. There were no secrets between the friends.

  Suddenly, Gertie gasped and grabbed onto Maude’s arm. “That nephew of yours, Jared. How old did you say he is? Is he married?”

  Maude’s mouth opened wide, then quickly turned into a smile as she got caught up in the excitement. “He’s not married. And he’s in his early thirties, so just about the perfect age for what you’re thinking!”

  “Does he have a good job? I don’t want my Brooke to end up with some slacker who will rely on her money just because she’s a doctor.”

  Maude scowled slightly at Gertrude. “My nephew is a good man, and he’d make anyone a fine husband. He’s an author, you know. So he won’t need money from anyone. And I happen to know he’s a perfect gentleman.” She lifted her nose a bit higher as she tucked the blankets around herself. “He would certainly be better than any of those men she could be dating from some website on that Internet thing.”

  “Oh, this is so exciting.” Betty clapped her hands together sharply as the women all started to discuss what could happen.

  “Of course, with Jared staying with you, and Brooke having to come by your house often to check up on you, it will be perfect. We might just have to move our coffee date over to your house next week to make sure these two will be suited for each other and that she doesn’t suspect anything.” Gertrude smiled innocently at her friends. “After all, you do know how I hate to meddle in my grandchildren’s affairs.”

  Chapter One

  Please, if it’s not too much to ask, just burn this restaurant down around me. I promise I’ll make sure everyone survives…

  Brooke gave her head a quick shake. No! What was she thinking! She shouldn’t be wishing Quinn’s would burn down just for her sake. Her poor cousins who owned the popular Quinn Valley restaurant didn’t deserve to be punished like she was being at the moment. She just wished she knew what she’d ever done to be forced to endure this torture.

  “And every doctor I’ve seen tells me it’s just a mole, but I’m not convinced. If nothing else, it at least has to be a wart. I’d show you right now, but as I mentioned, it’s in a place that I can’t really show in public.” The man across the table grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “But, maybe later I can show you.”

  This couldn’t seriously be happening. Surely, she was having a nightmare. All she could think right now was how much she was going to strangle her sister Robyn when she saw her again. It had been her idea to try these dating websites, and no matter how good any of the profiles claimed to be, the people she ended up meeting didn’t match those descriptions at all. This wasn’t the first time one of her dates had mentioned the possibility of her checking out their wart.

  And the worst part was, she’d already arranged for another one tomorrow afternoon outside Ciran’s taco truck. The only thing that soothed her was knowing there was no way it could ever be worse than the date she was sitting through right now. And maybe the warm weather would turn bad and a sudden snowstorm would blow in, saving her from more torture.


  After the date tomorrow, she was done. No more. She didn’t care if she did die a crazy old cat lady like her siblings kept insinuating was going to happen. Of course, she knew they were really only trying to get her back out there after the heartbreak she’d been through. They were concerned about her and didn’t want to see her holing up in her apartment and using her job as an excuse not to try again.

  “I really hate to bother you, Brooke, but Grams just called and wondered if you could run out and check on her? She says she’s not feeling well.” Her cousin Ivy was waiting the tables tonight and was looking at her with her eyes wide and jaw clenched as she kept her back turned slightly to her date. She gave a quick tilt of her head toward the back of the bar where her other cousins, Maggie and Ryder, stood grinning. “Ryder says you can use his car parked out back.”

  Even if she hadn’t seen their expressions, Brooke wouldn’t have believed Ivy. Her grandma Gertie was never sick. Apparently, she didn’t have time for that kind of nonsense.

  So Brooke wasn’t really worried. She’d told Ryder earlier that if it looked like she needed help, he’d better step in to save her. It had taken him long enough, but at least he’d finally sent her a lifeline.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Lance. But I really will need to go.” She pulled her purse out, thinking if she at least offered to pay it might show she was slightly disappointed the date had to end. She pulled out some bills, waiting for him to decline the offer, but he gladly took the money and nodded.

  “This should cover your share.”

  Brooke almost laughed out loud at the expression on Ivy’s face. The poor girl stood with her jaw open, unable to move as her eyes locked on the man at the table.

  “It was nice to meet you, Lance. Thank you for the…um, for the interesting evening.” Brooke struggled to find the words to describe what she’d been through without telling him she’d have rather sat and had someone stab forks in her eyes for the past hour.

  She really didn’t want to be mean.

  “So, can I call you again?” Lance stood up as she pushed her own chair back and flung her purse over her shoulder. Couldn’t he see her urgency? She had a sick grandmother to check on!

  Thankfully, Ryder must have noticed her panic and walked over with his keys in his hand. “You better hurry. She sounded awful when she called.”

  “I’m sorry, I really do need to go.” She grabbed the keys from Ryder, ignoring the smirk she could see him trying to hide. But as soon as her fingers wrapped around the cold keys, her heart dropped when she looked at the restaurant door.

  Her “sick” grandmother had just walked in the door, laughing with her friends.

  Why couldn’t Grandma Gertie be like other grandmas and stay at home on a Friday night doing something useful, like knitting?

  Maggie must have seen her come through the door at the same time they had, so she rushed over and whispered in her grandma’s ear, before grabbing her arm and practically dragging the woman into the kitchen. Luckily, Brooke’s date wouldn’t know who her grandma was, so even if he had noticed the poor woman being hauled away, he wouldn’t know that’s who she was.

  All Brooke could think was that there had to be some hidden cameras somewhere. Surely this was all some big prank.

  Ryder took her arm and pulled her away, leaving Lance to finish up the chocolate cake on his own. All she could do was hope he would hurry up and leave, and that her grandma’s friends hadn’t noticed she’d been with him. Knowing those women, they’d all go over and introduce themselves to see who he was and ask whether or not Brooke was dating him.

  Of course, that would be right before they announced that he should meet her grandma who was fit as a fiddle, standing in the kitchen behind them.

  “It took you long enough. I’m sure I sent enough signals that even Batman is likely on his way. Next time I’ll be sure to bring a large sign to hold up saying I could use some help, to make it easier for you.”

  Ryder just laughed as he pushed the door to the kitchen open. On the other side stood her poor grandma with a look of complete shock and confusion on her face.

  “Would someone mind explaining to me what is going on? I don’t believe for one second that Bethany needed my help figuring out how to make some new recipe.” Ryder’s fiancé was the chef at the restaurant, and everyone knew there wasn’t anything she couldn’t cook. She was standing beside the stainless-steel counter holding a large spatula in her hand and looking just as confused as Grandma Gertie.

  “Grandma, it’s my fault. You just need to stay back here for a couple of minutes until my date leaves.”

  “What are you talking about, Brooke? Are you afraid I’m going to embarrass you in front of your date?” Gertie’s eyes pulled together, and Brooke was afraid she was about to get a scolding.

  “No! It’s not that at all.” Although Brooke didn’t want to mention that she had no doubt in her mind her grandma would’ve been over there in a heartbeat if she’d noticed she was on a date. “I had to pretend that you weren’t feeling well, and you needed me to come out and take a look at you. The man I was on a date with wasn’t exactly a good match.”

  Her grandma came over closer and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well, now, Brooke, why would you agree to go out on a date with a man who wasn’t a good match?”

  She had to fight not to roll her eyes in frustration. “Because I hadn’t met him until tonight, Grams. And his profile had neglected to mention that he was a terrible bore and was most likely just looking for free medical advice about a wart he has on his privates.”

  Brooke enjoyed the shocked look on her grandma’s face. “Well, that’s awful. Let me see what this man looks like.” Gertie was already headed to the doorway, pushing it open a crack to peek out into the restaurant.

  “Grams, be careful! If he sees some gray-haired woman spying on him from the back, he might start to suspect something.”

  Her grandma just slapped at her hand as she tried to pull her away from the door. “Don’t be ridiculous, Brooke. He isn’t going to see me. Now, is that your young man there?” She moved aside slightly to let Brooke see out.

  Lance was just standing up, talking to Ivy who was giving him his receipt from the machine.

  “He’s not my young man, Grams. And yes, that’s him.”

  They watched him walk to the door and Brooke had to admit he was a good-looking man. Maybe that’s what had attracted her to him when she’d been scrolling through the profiles. Was she really that shallow? Had she not noticed any signs that he wouldn’t be a good match for her because she’d been so drawn to the chiseled jaw and bright blue eyes?

  When he was finally out of the restaurant, Brooke breathed a loud sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall.

  “If any of you ever have to wonder why I don’t date, now you know.”

  Her grandma put her hand on her arm. “You just haven’t found the right one yet, dear. But don’t you worry. I have a good feeling that will happen sooner than you think.”

  Before Brooke could question her, Grandma Gertie walked out the door and back into the restaurant. Slowly, her eyes moved to Ryder and Maggie. “What does she mean by that?”

  A sinking feeling full of dread filled her stomach.

  Her grandma was up to something.

  Chapter Two

  “I promise you, you have never had a taco as good as the ones Nellie’s grandson makes. I never even realized how much I could love a taco until he showed up in town.”

  Jared smiled at his aunt as he pulled his jacket up around his shoulders. It was already the first of December, so there was a chill in the air, even if the weather was unseasonably warm today. Maude was lucky it wasn’t below freezing, or he would never have agreed to stand outside at some taco truck to get her something she was craving.

  When he walked outside, the warmth of the sun hit his cheeks and he was shocked to realize just how nice the day actually was. It wouldn’t be a hardship to be out in some fresh
air, waiting for his tacos. Maude had mentioned there was a sit-down eating area used during the warmer months, so he could always wait at one of the tables. How busy could a taco truck really be anyway?

  He hummed along to the song on the radio as he let his eyes move around to take in the sights of Quinn Valley. He’d been here for a couple of days now, but he really hadn’t had much chance to look around to see what had changed. When he’d been a young boy, he used to come and spend a week or two each summer with his aunt, enjoying time away from the city where he’d grown up. It was always so much more peaceful and laid-back in the small town, and whenever he’d go home, he would spend the next few months wishing he could go back.

  He’d always told himself that when he grew up, he was going to move somewhere as quiet and serene as Quinn Valley, but for some reason over the years, he’d forgotten how much nicer it was to be in a little town like this. The air seemed cleaner, the people friendlier, and the days slower and more relaxed.

  Maybe he was going to have to consider it again. It wasn’t like he couldn’t live wherever he wanted with his job.

  He smiled as he recognized the pale purple Victorian house, with the scalloped gingerbread trim that stood on one end of Main Street. A large sign announced the home of Earth Mother, the store his aunt had told him about. She’d been hinting that perhaps he might be able to go there and find some crystals or stones, or some other kind of new-age material that could help speed up her healing time.