Imagine That: A Small Town Big Love Novel Read online

  Imagine That

  A Small Town Big Love Novel

  Kelly Collins

  Copyright © 2018 by Kelly Collins

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Michelecatalanocreative.com

  Contents

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  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

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Thank you for reading.

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  Chapter One

  Kevin

  Kevin Hoisington’s life began when Maya staggered past him nearly a year ago. She was a Blackwood by birth and kept her name after her marriage to Brad Dick. He couldn’t say he blamed her.

  When she arrived in town, she needed someone and he set out to make sure that someone was him. Checking on the welfare of the people who lived in Blackwood was his job, so he drove the town twice a day to make sure everyone was safe.

  There was nothing like the serenity of a new day. The way the light painted the Rocky Mountains and put a sparkle on the frost of an early spring never got old. Blackwood was not much bigger than a shadow cast against the mountains by a cloud as it passed across the sun, but it was huge to him. Everything he wanted was here, including Maya. As far as he was concerned, all was right with his world.

  As he finished cruising the streets of humble homes he and the bartender Damon Perry called Blackwood’s suburbia, his radio hissed, and he answered the call.

  “This is Kevin.”

  “Kev, I have Maya Blackwood sitting at my counter,” Damon said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

  No sooner had Damon entered his mind, he’d called. Life often worked that way. They’d been professional football players at different times and on different teams, but they worked out together. With so much in common, they’d become good friends. Kevin thought the bartender would make a great cop. He was an invaluable asset in situations like these.

  Maybe thinking about Damon and Maya within minutes of each other had been a premonition of sorts.

  When Damon said Maya was at the bar, Kevin’s stomach dropped, taking his heart with it. The last place Maya needed to be was in a bar.

  “On my way,” he said, drawing in a deep breath.

  He was just two turns from the Blackwood Saloon. Except for the asphalt paving, the building probably didn’t look much different from when it was built over a hundred years prior. The cruiser’s wheels crushed the loose gravel in the parking lot as he put the vehicle in park. He approached the front door which was unlocked, despite the bar being officially closed for business.

  “Morning,” Damon said, as he wiped down glasses and mugs.

  There at the counter, quiet and contemplative looking, was the long and lean Maya Blackwood, of the same Blackwoods for whom the town was named. Every time he looked at her he thought “model-beautiful.” He was probably the only person on the planet whose heartstrings pulled tight when she was around. A tug of love and sadness at the same time. Few people felt sorry for the billionaire heiress, but he did. He wasn’t sure if he loved her yet—he was still sorting that out. There was a disconnect between his logical side—his head, and its emotional counterpart—his heart.

  “Hey.” He approached her with an easy, soft whisper. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t want to unsettle her, but he wanted to get close to her and figure out why she was sitting in a bar at the crack of dawn. “You okay?”

  She shook her head, sending the long black curtain of her hair swinging across her back. “I woke up and felt alone.” The sadness in her voice hung in the air. “There’s nothing wrong I can put my finger on. I couldn’t shake the urge. Damon was nice enough to let me in.”

  She sipped her ice water.

  “Just waiting on a fresh pot of coffee,” Damon interjected before moving to the other end of the counter to give them privacy.

  Maya and Kevin lifted their heads at the same time and gazed into the mirror behind the bar. Kevin was struck by what a handsome couple they made, even though they were just friends. He rested his arm on the bar as he hovered behind her.

  Though Maya was a tall woman, he was still a mountain of a man next to her. The sleeve of his uniform cut against his thick bicep, pulling at the cotton of his shirt. Having played three seasons for the Denver Broncos, he was forever doing battle to find the proper fit. Looking at Maya in the mirror, he thought there was nothing to tailor there, she was off the rack perfect for him.

  “You’ve got a lot going on, Maya. A new way of life. A new home. It’s a challenge getting used to new digs, even if that house is spectacular,” he assured her. “Now that the town has been sold, things creep up on us and come out in the form of a desire to self-sabotage. Especially when you’re new at this. You want a drink but you don’t need one.”

  She stared into the mirror but her eyes were on him. “You know, John gave the house to you too.” Her face brightened. “Move back in. There’s room enough for both of us. We can be roomies again and I wouldn’t be so lonely.”

  He smiled warmly, but knew his position was firm. There was no way he could subject himself to that kind of torture. He couldn’t live under the same roof with a woman he was attracted to and pretend they were just buddies. It wouldn’t work. He could not be her “roomie.”

  “Maya, that big mansion isn’t for me. I have a comfortable home more suited to my style of living.” Staying at his place helped set boundaries as far as his feelings for Maya were concerned. “I like my place.” He let the lie slip from his lips. “It’s better this way.”

  “It’s not a mansion,” she argued. “It’s an A-frame log cabin.”

  He dropped his head and laughed.

  “Just a simple four thousand square foot cabin,” he replied with a smile.

  “Please—” Her lower lip rolled out into a pout.

  She knew if she asked enough, she might get him to say yes. She could probably get him to do anything. That’s how weak his resolve was when it came to her.

  “On another note,” he continued, not addressing her pleas to move back into the house, “this is not the place to come when you feel you need a drink. Call your sponsor. You know the drill.”

  “She wasn’t home.” Maya drew jagged lines in the condensation of her glass. “She didn’t answer. Maybe she’s tired of me calling her.”

  “Then call me.”

  She lifted her eyes and connected with him. Her expression turned from downtrodden to hopeful.

  “You aren’t tired of me yet?” She turned her face so if he moved an inch, he could kiss her.

  “No,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s possible. Come on. Let’s take a ride into Idaho Springs, hit up a 12-step meeting.”

  Maya laughed and that warmed him to no end. He was happy he could brighten her mood.

  “That wouldn’t look good. Me showing up to a meeting in a cop car,” she said playfully.

  “It wouldn’t be unheard of. Besides, you’d be gorgeous in anything, including a cop car.”

  She touched his arm tenderly. It struck him funny how a single innocent touch from her could ignite his entire body.

  “I’ll be fine.” She glanced around the bar. “You’re right, this was silly.” She pushed her glass of water away.

  “Are you feeling better, at least?”

  “Yeah, there’s a meeting at the town hall at noon. Besides, Clem is coming to town, so I won’t be alone. He says he and Kaitlin are done for good, so maybe he’ll share John’s house with me, and I won’t be so lonely.”

  Kevin knew he’d told her he couldn’t stay with her, and yet he was filled with jealousy that Maya’s brother might. If only he could crush this yearning in his gut. If only she knew his true feelings.

  Clem being there should be a good thing, but what if it wasn’t? With Clem there, Maya might not need him. Her big brother would wonder why Kevin was always hovering around.

  He silently scolded himself. This wasn’t a time to be selfish. He was glad Maya Blackwood was sober, but the fact that she’d had a problem with alcohol at one time sort of put a wrench in the works, at least for the time being. Her immediate needs required him to be patient and not impulsive, but being around such a beautiful, engaging woman when he’d been alone for such a long time was a living hell.

  Chapter Two

  Maya

  “Good coffee.” Maya took a sip and inhaled the steam rising from the cup. “Thank you.”

  “Any time,” Damon replied.

  “Can I have it to go?” Her eyes focused on the shelved liquor bottles. “I better hit the road before that Irish whiskey calls my name again.”

  “No problem.” He transferred her coffee into a to-go cup, topped it off and handed it back.

  She set a ten-dollar bill on the counter and walked with Kevin to her car. He was tall and solid and she liked the way he felt beside her. There was something they shared when he was near, some energy that crossed between them that pulsed deep in her soul. Maybe it was loneliness or need. Maybe it was love.

  With him a step behind, she was tempted to stop and let him run into her. Somehow, she was comforted by his touch, no matter how it happened.

  “I’ll follow you.” He rubbed his boot on the slick asphalt. “I’m glad I happened by because I don’t like you driving home alone on frosty roads when you’re not a hundred percent.”

  His voice was always calm, unflappable, peaceful. Those qualities were alluring to her now that she was trying to repair her life from all the recent drama. Kevin was as warm and delicious as the coffee that Damon brewed, only he was sweeter.

  “I never feel alone when you’re around,” she said with mild flirtation. “Maybe I had that in mind when I ventured out this morning. Maybe I hoped I’d run into you.” She knew he didn’t just happen by. Knew Damon would call him. Maybe she had banked on that.

  “I’m glad it worked out.” A smile brightened his face.

  He opened her door and waited until she buckled up before he went to his cruiser.

  Her Porsche rolled down Main Street to Interstate 70 with Kevin in her rearview mirror. She spied on him as often as she safely could, wondering if he was doing the same. Since she’d moved back to Blackwood, Kevin always made time for her, like now, driving away from town to make sure she got home safely.

  They took the first exit, which led to a road that was nothing more than a long private drive to her cousin John’s house. If they’d turned the other way, they would have run into her cousin Caleb’s house, which was a twin of the house where she stayed. A drunk could get confused, considering there were only a few homes in the area.

  She parked her Porsche in the garage but didn’t close it. Kevin lingered on the driveway and rolled down his window. She never could seem to let him go. Nor could she tame the grin that always appeared when he was near.

  “You wanna come in for breakfast before you drive all the way back?” Butterflies raced around her insides while she waited for an answer.

  “It’s not that far. While that sounds nice, I’ve got to get back to work.”

  The butterflies stopped and hurtled to the pit of her stomach where disappointment lived. “Okay.” Her tone sank with her words. “I’ll probably return to town around noon for a meeting.”

  “Be sure to stop by and say hi.” He gave her one last look before he backed his SUV out and left.

  She went back to bed. Or rather, she went back to the couch. When Kevin had shared the house with her, she had him move the comfortable sofa in the sparsely furnished home in front of the fireplace. She could spend hours staring at the flickering flames wondering how her life had taken such a sharp turn.

  Today she looked at the empty fireplace and thought about Kevin. The heat of her attraction warmed her from the inside out. She tucked a throw around herself and sank into the best kind of peaceful sleep. A sleep that would start and end with thoughts of the sexy sheriff who’d stolen her heart.

  When she woke, she freshened up to head back into town. She styled her hair just enough not to exceed casualness, but enough to be attractive. She put on the slightest bit of makeup so it wasn’t obvious she was fixing herself up for him. Last, she put on a soft perfume that smelled of gardenias.

  Under a blue Colorado sky, she drove toward town. It was funny how everything felt happy when the golden sun turned the cold frosty morning into a warm, sunny day.

  Just before noon in a different mood and frame of mind than she had been in before the sun had risen, she moved toward the town, feeling enthusiastic and full of optimism.

  She drove the one exit from the Blackwoods’ private drive to the town center. At the end of the strip of turn-of-the-century shops was the town hall, where all the local functions were carried out. Why every meeting was held in room number eleven was anyone’s guess. But its location was a bonus, being it was close to the police station where Kevin worked.

  She enjoyed the hour-long AA meeting, grateful she didn’t have to share that she’d had a slip that morning. She was happy to still be sober. When the hour was over, she snagged a cookie and a coffee from the table at the back and brought it to the police station, hoping to give it to Kevin.

  She was filled with a burst of joy to see him at his desk. Had he just happened to be in while the meeting was going on? Often, he was all over the small town making sure everyone knew he was there and available.

  She suspected he was at his desk while she was in the meeting on purpose—to check on her—but she didn’t mind one bit. He’d helped to get her back on her feet. She wasn’t sure if she would have succeeded without him.

  She waited at the edge of his desk until he lifted his head.

  “Here.” She smiled as she presented the snack to him. “I stole these for you.” She hoped the wink she gave him was sexy instead of silly.

  “Are you ensnaring me with stolen property?”

  Though joking, when he said things that way it felt like a mild flirtation. The way his eyes lifted, how his soft lips smiled—her body reacted to him as though it were. She stared at him with hope.

  “Would it work?” She batted her lashes.

  He laughed heartily while Maya melted. Her crush was growing roots. Kevin was, outside of her brother and her late husband, the most decent man she knew. He was warm and comfortable, and the fact that he was so incredibly handsome was a bonus she accepted gladly.

  When Maya had lost her husband Brad in a freak accident on a mountain road, she thought she would die—or rather, she had no idea how she would live. And if she didn’t die naturally, she was determined to help speed the inevitable along wi
th alcohol and bad choices.

  She had been on the road to self-destruction when her cousins John and Caleb, and her brother Clem voted to have her move into John’s house so she could be away from the trouble she found in Idaho Springs. She took them up on it, but it felt like the proposition came with so much judgment from everyone but Kevin.

  With the exception of the years he played ball, he’d been in Blackwood. Why he was still single was beyond her. He was extraordinarily handsome. What made him the perfect package was he was so attentive, loyal and patient.

  He nurtured her along from those first dark days when she’d climbed out of a bottle. He was never intrusive or threatening. He never once hit on her, though she wasn’t sure she liked that. She wondered if his kind and caring nature was part of him being an excellent public servant. Maya liked to test his will by flirting, but he never budged.

  “Did you learn a lot at your meeting today?” He sat back and bit the edge of the cookie.

  Their eyes connected and her insides quivered. There was no question about it, she had a huge infatuation with this man. It was good to feel something wonderful after only knowing grief for so long.

  “I learned that I have the disease of self-centeredness.” The corners of her lips stretched to greet her cheeks. “Which means all I ever think about is me. That’s actually not true, so I’m thinking maybe I’m not an alcoholic.”

  Kevin flashed his bright perfect teeth. “You sure about that?”