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  Copyright © 2013 by Gerri Hill

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  First Bella Books Edition 2013

  eBook released 2013

  Editor: Medora MacDougall

  Cover Designer: Judith Fellows

  ISBN: 978-1-59493-358-5

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Other Bella Books by Gerri Hill

  Artist’s Dream

  Behind the Pine Curtain

  The Cottage

  Coyote Sky

  Dawn of Change

  Devil’s Rock

  Gulf Breeze

  Hell’s Highway

  Hunter’s Way

  In the Name of the Father

  Keepers of the Cave

  The Killing Room

  Love Waits

  No Strings

  One Summer Night

  Partners

  The Rainbow Cedar

  The Scorpion

  Sierra City

  Snow Falls

  Storms

  The Target

  About the Author

  Gerri Hill has twenty-two published works, including the 2011 and 2012 GCLS winners, Devil’s Rock and Hell’s Highway, and the 2009 GCLS winner Partners, the last book in the popular Hunter Series, as well as the 2012 Lambda finalist Storms. She began writing lesbian romance as a way to pass the time while snowed in one winter in the mountains of Colorado and hasn’t looked back. Her first published work came in 2000 with One Summer Night. Hill’s love of nature and of being outdoors usually makes its way into her stories as her characters often find themselves in beautiful natural settings. When she isn’t writing, Hill and her longtime partner, Diane, can be found at their log cabin in East Texas, where their vegetable garden, orchard and five acres of piney woods keep them busy. They share their lives with two Australian Shepherds and an assortment of furry felines. For more, see her website: www.gerrihill.com.

  PART ONE

  LOVE IS AGELESS

  Chapter One

  “You want to open up a store in your hometown? In Brook Hill? I think that’s great,” Charlotte said as she handed Shannon a glass of red wine.

  Shannon nodded her thanks. “The location is all Jarod’s idea. But it’ll give us a chance to be with our mother while we’re getting it up and running. And then allow us to check in on her more often if we’ve got a store located there.”

  “So you’re not going to move her into the assisted living facility after all?” Tracy asked as she joined them on the patio.

  “That was the original plan, but if we’ve got a store there, we’ll be around more than we are now. She certainly wasn’t thrilled with that option,” Shannon said. “Jarod’s been going down there once a week as it is. The cancer is still in remission, but it really took its toll on her the second time. She’s fatigued. There’s so much she can’t do anymore.” She took a sip of wine and put the glass on the table. “While we’re getting the store up and going, I’ll stay with her. That’ll give me a chance to see how she’s really doing. I keep telling myself that seventy isn’t old.”

  But they needed to make some kind of decision. Her brother had taken on the role of caregiver for the last couple of years. Not that Shannon had refused to. It’s just that she didn’t dare spend more than one day there at a time for fear she’d run into Madison.

  Charlotte stared at her for a moment, and Shannon wondered if she was slipping into her role as psychologist.

  “You’ve been very vague as to why you rarely go to take care of her,” Charlotte said.

  Shannon smiled at her. “Are you intending to put me on your couch, Dr. Rimes?”

  Charlotte shook her head. “No. I promised I would never do that to you.” She grinned. “Although you would make an excellent study. But I was simply curious if it was something keeping you here or if there was a particular reason you avoided going there.”

  “What is it you’re fishing for, Doctor?”

  Charlotte laughed. “Tracy and I have known you for six years now, Shannon. Yet you remain a mystery.”

  “I’m not a mystery,” she insisted. Not intentionally, at least.

  “Why didn’t you bring Ally?” Tracy asked. “You are still dating, aren’t you?”

  Shannon reached for the wine bottle, adding a bit more to her glass before answering. She hadn’t seen Ally in two weeks and hadn’t spoken to her in at least six or seven days. Were they still dating?

  “I’ve been busy,” she said evasively.

  Charlotte gave her slow smile that said she knew she was lying. “And yet another one slips away.”

  Shannon shrugged. “It wasn’t serious, as you know.”

  “They never are, are they?”

  “We like her,” Tracy said.

  “Only because she and Charlotte can talk doctor stuff.” Shannon raised an eyebrow. “Have I really known you guys for six years?”

  “Six years and countless dinners, yes,” Charlotte said. “But we still know so very little about you.”

  Shannon paused, her glance going between her two closest friends. “What more do you want to know?”

  “Why do you avoid going home? Why is it your brother insisting you open a store there and not you?”

  Shannon leaned back, wondering why she’d never told them about Madison. Truth was, she hadn’t told anyone about Madison.

  “I avoid going back home for fear I’ll run into Madison. Madison Lansford.” Saying the name out loud brought back a rush of memories.

  “An old lover?” Tracy guessed.

  “Yes.”

  Charlotte relaxed in her chair too, a slight smile on her face. “Tell us your story.”

  Shannon didn’t know where to begin. Five years ago when she’d last seen Madison? Ten years ago? College? High school? Their first kiss? The first time they met?

  “The Lansfords were the richest family in town,” she said. “They lived in a huge mansion on the outskirts. Well, outskirts back then. The city has grown around them now and it’s quite an estate. Anyway, my mother worked for them. She started out as a maid then became a cook and ended up supervising the rest of the staff by the time she retired.”

  “So Madison was someone you knew as a child?” Tracy asked.

  “Yes. After my dad died, we were struggling. My mother couldn’t pay the rent. Jarod’s ten years older than me and he had already joined the army, so he wasn’t around to help. It was just me and my mother. The Lansfords were kind enough to allow us to move there. There were servants’ quarters downstairs off of the main kitchen,” she said, remembering the four small rooms she shared with her mother. “I was ten.”

  * * *

  “It’s so big,” she whispered, looking up at the mansion as she stood beside her mother.

  “It’s just a house.”

  Shannon grabbed her mother’s hand and followed her around to the back, all the while looking over her shoulder at the massive building.

  “Mrs. Fletcher, I see you made it finally.”

  “Hello, George. Yes. My car is stuffed to the brim. I’ll need to make one more trip, I’m afraid.”

  “I’ll help you unload it.” He stood back. “And who is this pretty lady?�
��

  Shannon looked up at him. “I’m not a lady,” she said. “I’m ten.”

  He laughed and bent down to her level. “Well, then what should I call you?”

  Shannon shifted nervously and gripped her mother’s hand a little tighter. “Shannon,” she said.

  “Well, Shannon, that’s a pretty name. I’ll never call you lady again.”

  “Thank you, mister.”

  “You can call me George.”

  Shannon glanced at her mother for permission and was rewarded with a nod and a smile.

  They walked into the biggest kitchen she had ever seen. She stopped and looked around with wide eyes.

  “Shannon, don’t touch anything,” her mother warned.

  She turned, hurrying after her mother. Down a short hallway, George held open a door for them. Her mother went inside, but Shannon stood at the doorway.

  “Is this where we’re going to live?”

  “Yes. You’ll have your very own room,” her mother said.

  She bit her lip. “I already had my own room.”

  “Did you have a TV in your room?” George asked.

  Shannon shook her head.

  “Well, then. I bet I can rig one up for you here,” he said.

  “You can?”

  “Now, George, don’t go promising things,” her mother said. “I can’t afford another TV and Mrs. Lansford might not want—”

  “Alice, Mrs. Lansford said to make you feel at home. If adding a TV cable in your daughter’s room will help, then it’s no problem. And I happen to know where I can get my hands on a spare TV.”

  Shannon looked from him to her mother, waiting with hopeful eyes. Other kids at school had TVs in their rooms. Now she could be cool like them.

  “Well, I suppose if it’s not too much trouble,” her mother conceded.

  Shannon smiled brightly up at George. “I can help too. My daddy taught me how to do all kinds of things. I even know all the different types of screwdrivers,” she said proudly.

  “Is that right? Well, then maybe you can be my assistant.”

  “Shannon, George is going to help me carry boxes in, then you can start unpacking. Okay?”

  “Okay, Momma,” she said.

  Before they left, her mother turned back to her. “Don’t wander upstairs. The Lansfords are nice enough to let us move here, but up there is their home. You won’t be allowed up there. Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she said, not really understanding.

  As soon as her mother was out of sight, Shannon went back into the kitchen, still amazed at the size. Who needed two stoves and two refrigerators? Beyond the kitchen was another hallway, this one much wider than the one that led to their new rooms. She went toward it, noticing a staircase in the back. Her eyes followed its length, and she gasped as her curious gaze was met by one equally as curious.

  A girl about her age stood at the top, watching her. Her blond hair was long and silky looking and Shannon stared at her. The girl finally moved, coming down toward her.

  “Where’s Alice?”

  Shannon stood at the foot of the stairs. “Who are you?”

  The girl put her hands on her hips. “Who are you?”

  “Shannon Fletcher,” she said.

  “I’m Madison Lansford. I live here.”

  Shannon smirked. “So do I.”

  The girl frowned. “No, you don’t.”

  “Do too.”

  “Shannon?” her mother called and Shannon grinned.

  “See? That’s my momma.”

  “Alice is your mother?”

  “Yep.”

  “But Alice doesn’t live here.”

  “We do now,” Shannon said and hurried back to their new rooms. She was surprised to find the girl following her.

  “Why, Miss Madison, what brings you down here?” George asked.

  Madison looked around George to where her mother was already unpacking a box. “I was hungry and wanted a snack,” she said. “What are you doing?”

  Her mother smiled at her. “We’re going to be living down here. Didn’t your mother tell you?”

  Madison shook her head.

  “Well, this way, I’ll be here all the time, not only during the day,” her mother said. “In case you need something late at night, then I’ll be here for you.”

  Madison looked at Shannon. “And she’ll be here too?”

  “Yes. Shannon will have a room here too.”

  Madison smiled. “Good. Then we’re going to be friends.” She took Shannon’s hand and tugged her back out. “Let me show you my playground.”

  Shannon looked back at her mother for confirmation.

  “Yes, it’s okay. It’s outside.”

  Shannon nodded and followed Madison, only to turn back around at her mother’s voice.

  “Don’t get into any trouble.”

  “She always says that,” Shannon mumbled.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” Then she smiled. “Sometimes things break.”

  “You can’t hurt anything out here,” Madison said, breaking into a run when they rounded the corner of the back garage.

  Shannon stopped in her tracks. The playground was as big as the one at her school. And all for one person. Wow.

  “You want to swing?”

  Shannon nodded, joining Madison. She pushed off with her feet, noticing how dirty her shoes looked compared to Madison’s.

  “We have the same hair,” Madison said.

  Shannon looked at her pretty blond hair but shook her head. “Mine gets darker every year,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. My momma said I’m going to have brown hair like her.”

  “Oh. How old are you?”

  “How old are you?”

  “Nine.”

  Shannon smirked. “I’m already ten. Much older than you.”

  Madison laughed. “That’s not much older.”

  “Is too.”

  Madison stopped swinging and stared at her. Shannon stared back, her young mind marveling at the color of Madison’s eyes.

  “Okay. If you want to say you’re much older, you can. We’re still going to be friends.”

  “I’m smarter too,” Shannon said confidently. This time, Madison smirked.

  “But I’m prettier.”

  Shannon blinked at her. “My momma says I’m pretty.”

  “You are. Just not as pretty as me,” she said with a sweet smile.

  Shannon nodded and pushed off with her feet, starting the swing again. “Okay, you’re prettier.”

  Chapter Two

  “So you lived in a mansion?”

  Shannon laughed. “God, no. We lived in the servants’ quarters. The house was on a slope so from the front, it appeared to only be three stories. It was actually four. We lived on the first floor. So did George. At the time, I didn’t understand the perception of servants’ quarters. But I was not allowed upstairs. Well, not at will. If they weren’t having company and no guests were around, then Madison was allowed to have me up to her room. Provided, of course, that none of Madison’s real friends were there. It wouldn’t do to see the maid’s daughter up there.”

  “My, what snobs,” Charlotte said. “Are there people still like that?”

  “What? People wedded to the separation of the classes?” Shannon asked. “The Lansfords were old money,” she said. “Candice Lansford followed every social rule. She was quite serious about their status in the community.”

  “I know you said Brook Hill had grown, but is it large enough to support one of your stores?”

  “Brook Hill and the surrounding area has over a hundred thousand people. My fresh market concept should go over well there. The closest Whole Foods or other organic grocery is two hours away, in Dallas.”

  “This will be your fourth store?” Tracy asked.

  Shannon nodded. “Yes. I still can’t believe how successful we’ve been. But the big superstores, they only go into maj
or cities. Even though our stores are much smaller, we can still offer organic produce, vegetarian and vegan options, bulk grains and beans.” She had to stop herself, knowing she could talk forever about their business. “It’s been a huge success in the smaller cities where we’re their only option.”

  “You’ll only be gone during the inception then? You’re not planning on leaving the Austin area, are you?”

  “No. I can’t see myself ever living in Brook Hill again.”

  “So tell us more about Madison,” Charlotte prompted. “You became fast friends, I imagine.”

  Shannon nodded. “At first, her mother was horrified that she was slumming with the hired help. Of course, they had been so supportive when my dad was ill; they basically took my mother under their wings. I’m convinced that’s the only reason I was allowed into Madison’s life.”

  “I’m assuming you didn’t go to school together?”

  “Oh, no. We were in the same grade, but she went to the private school in town. We had no mutual friends at all. At first, we only played outside, or in the kitchen, or in my room. It was a while before she took me upstairs,” she said. “I was twelve.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  Madison took her hand and tugged her up the stairs. “I want to show you my homework. You said you were good at math,” she reminded her. “I promise I won’t force you to play with my Barbie collection.”

  “Your mother might get mad,” Shannon said. Actually, she had no idea if that was true or not. Mrs. Lansford rarely made an appearance down in the kitchen, so Shannon had only seen her a few times since they’d been living there.

  “It’s my room,” Madison said, as if that made all the difference.

  Once she pushed the door open to the main floor, Shannon stood still, looking around in awe. Antique furniture, sculptures, huge paintings—all things she’d never seen before except on field trips.

  “It’s like a museum,” she said quietly so as not to disturb the silence.

  “Yes. A museum,” Madison agreed.

  Shannon didn’t understand the sad look on her face. “You don’t like it?”