Hale’s Song: A single dad contemporary romance Read online

  Hale’s Song

  A single dad contemporary romance

  Darlene Tallman

  Contents

  Cover Page

  Acknowledgments

  Blurb

  Prologue

  1. Present Day

  2. Addy

  3. Hale

  4. Addy

  5. Hale

  6. Hale

  7. Hale

  8. Addy

  9. Addy

  10. Hale

  11. Addy

  12. Addy

  13. Addy

  14. Addy

  15. Addy

  16. Addy

  17. Addy

  18. Addy

  19. Addy

  20. Hale

  21. Addy

  22. Addy

  23. Addy

  24. Hale

  25. Hale

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Follow Darlene Here

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Hale’s Song

  Copyright 2019 ©Darlene Tallman

  Published by: Darlene Tallman

  Editors: Joanne Dearman, Kat Beecham, Melanie Gray, Shannon McFadden, Beth DiLoreto, Mary Sittu-Kern

  Proofread by: Nikki Brackett

  Formatter: Liberty Parker

  Cover by Tracie Douglas with Dark Water Covers and Formatting

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from Darlene Tallman, the author / publisher.

  Acknowledgments

  One day while scrolling Facebook, I came across a rather unique picture. It was of a cottage by a small body of water but what made it unique was that it had a deck off the back that worked around a magnificent tree. Later, as I was driving, I had an idea for a story and called one of my friends, Shannon, and asked if she was busy. Thankfully she wasn’t and she took notes about this story, including the names that I had ‘right there’ in my head.

  Thank you, Shannie, for being available that day. And thank you to all my ladies in my beta team who listen to my ideas and usually say, “Go write!”

  Dedication

  For every single parent out there who has wondered if they were doing okay, or if they were ensuring their child/children would be in a therapist’s office most of their adult life. This is for you.

  Blurb

  Adelaide Overstreet, newly single, finds herself back where she grew up at her grandparents’ cottage by the lake. Determined to seize the opportunity to use her degree, she embarks on a venture with her oldest friend to rebuild the town’s failing diner.

  She’s done with love, done with relationships, done with anything to do with a man.

  Until a nine-year old little boy with chocolate brown hair and freckles waltzes into her house one day and asks her what she’s doing. Jensen Johnson doesn’t know it, but his simple action has Addy rethinking her life.

  Hale Johnson is a single dad committed to raising his son the right way, not the way he was brought up, with belts and smacks, harsh words and condescending attitudes. With his ex long gone, he has shoved any thoughts of a relationship so far down, it would take a crane to pull it out.

  Until a sassy, spirited pastry chef steps into his life. Captivated, he finds himself drawn to her, but he’s unwilling to put himself out there again.

  Come meet the folks in Barge Falls, Mississippi, where the air is hot and humid and the tea is always sweet down at Marvie’s Diner!

  **This is a contemporary romance with subject matter that may not be suitable for those under 18 years of age**

  Prologue

  Nine years ago

  Hale

  I look at the letter attached to the carrier again, shock running through my veins.

  “Hale, I don’t want to be a mom. He’s yours, his name is Jensen Dean Johnson. I have enclosed his birth certificate, as well as the medical information in the envelope. He was born four days ago. Take care of him. Jackie”

  I look at the carrier again to see the sleeping baby boy, wrapped in a powder blue blanket and sigh. She never said a word about being pregnant. Not one single word. Life’s about to get very...interesting.

  1

  Present Day

  Addy

  I’m sitting outside my attorney’s office in stunned disbelief. Ten years of my life are just...gone. He’s been a part of my life since I was fifteen; we were high school and college sweethearts, for heaven’s sake! As I lean my head back, memories assault me.

  “Addy, I just can’t anymore,” he says, staring down at me. My tears flow unchecked as what he has been saying rolls through my brain.

  “I don’t understand, Branson, we’ve got a good life,” I tell him.

  “Yeah, we do, but I want different things,” he replies.

  “Like what?” I can change my hair, maybe lose the ten pounds I’ve gained since college. Whatever it takes so he doesn’t leave me.

  “I want kids, Addy.” His words shock me. He knew when we became serious with one another that I couldn’t have children. He knew that and said it was okay. Why is he changing his mind now?

  My phone rings as I’m waiting here and I answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Girl, you on your way?” My best friend, Marvene, or Marvie as everyone calls her, asks.

  “Gotta go by the house and grab the rest of my stuff.”

  “Don’t forget the dresses and what-not, we’ve got a consignment store here now.”

  “I was going to leave everything but Libby.”

  “Woman! You listen to me and you listen to me good. You’ve earned all that shit! When will you get the proceeds from your share of the business?”

  “Got them with the papers today. It’s all done.”

  “Then get your ass here, we’ll sort it all out over a pitcher or two.”

  Grinning at the bossy tone, I state, “Fine, fine.”

  * * *

  Once at the house, I quickly go from room to room, gathering the things I plan to keep and grateful that he gave me this time to take care of it all. The trailer I rented is now fully loaded, as is my vehicle and I am taking one more walk through when I spot the cookbooks. As I take them and put them in a box, memories of the times I spent in my grammy’s kitchen take root.

  “All you need to add is love, Addy.”

  “What about everything else, Grammy?”

  “Well, that makes the shell, but the love adds the guts.”

  “Thank you for teaching me. I wanna bake when I grow up.”

  “I’ll leave you all my recipes, sweetheart. Just never forget to add the love.”

  Can’t leave these behind. May be able to help Marvie after all. With the last of my things loaded, I go in search of my constant companion, Libby. She’s a gorgeous, long-haired rust-colored cat with the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen. “C’mon, sweet girl, let’s get you in your carrier so we can hit the road,” I say when I find her sunning in her favorite window. Her meow as I place her in the carrier I found that holds a small litter box makes me grin. “Time for new adventures.”

  * * *
<
br />   The drive isn’t horribly long and once again, I’m grateful that we did a lot of remodeling to the cottage while still married. The only thing we didn’t get to was the deck, so I make a mental note to find someone local who can do the repairs it needs, and add a few modifications. Libby quickly settles and I find myself smiling at the possibilities in front of me. My heart hurts for what I thought I had, but then the reality hits - I never had that heart-pounding, butterfly-inducing love for Branson. We were...comfortable. Friends. I realize that I’ll probably always be single because who wants a woman that can’t have kids?

  Hale

  “JD, get your stuff or you’re gonna be late,” I tell my nine-year-old son. As he grumbles a bit, I hold back a smile because he’s so not a morning person, just like his old man.

  “Dad, I wanna work with you today,” he replies, picking up his breakfast dishes and rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher. I look around our small house, once again amazed that at twenty-one, faced with being a father, I didn’t crash and burn. My best friend, Boz, and his parents put us up for a while until his grandmother’s house was vacant. For the first two years, they wouldn’t accept any rent while I built my construction business. Seven years later, I’ve got a small crew and enough work to be comfortable.

  “Not today, bud. Today you’ve gotta ace that history test. Saturday, though, I’m gonna need my best guy to help me. Sunday, we’re going fishing with Boz. How does that sound?”

  “I guess that’ll work.” I grin at his words, so much like my own. Thank God for Boz and his family. My old man is a piece of shit and my mom is living her own life a few states away, happy with her new husband and life. I don’t blame her for getting the hell away from here. He wasn’t the best husband or father, and ruled the house with fear and his fists. I shudder remembering the last time he took his fists to me. When Jackie handed over JD to me that fateful day, I vowed then and there to be the exact opposite of him, determined to break the cycle he had started.

  “You ready?” I question as he comes bounding back into the living room where I’m putting my boots on.

  “Yeah. You think Johnny can come on Saturday too?”

  “Don’t see why not. I’ll call his folks today. Think he’d want to go fishing?” Johnny is not only JD’s cousin, he’s his best friend, much like Boz is mine, and they do as much as they can together.

  Once I have him dropped off, I head to the small office I have in town. Time to see what’s on deck and get busy. My boy’s gonna need new cleats soon.

  2

  Addy

  “Addy!” Marvie’s voice gets louder as she runs toward me. “Girl, I’ve missed the hell outta you!”

  Laughing, I grab her and hug her close. So many memories flit through my mind and most of them have her in them. “Missed you too. Hated I couldn’t get here for the funeral.”

  She looks at me and I notice her eyes are wet. “I knew what was going on with you and there was no way you could’ve come for that. Besides, it was pretty small. Both wanted to be cremated, so we held a memorial service. I was waiting for you to get here so we could spread some of their ashes where they loved being the most.”

  “Still wanted to be here for you. I loved them too, you know. Between your folks and my grammy, I had a damn good childhood.”

  “They understood you were in hell, honey. Trust me, the day before...the day before the accident, Mom was cursing that man to high heaven! She said he never deserved you and you’d have been better off finding one of the guys around here. I don’t think she liked him much.”

  I grin because it sounds just like something Mama Jean would’ve said. “I’m surprised she would think anyone was good enough for either of us!”

  “She was mellowing, I think. I still can’t believe that they’re both gone. I reach for my phone a hundred times a day to call her and ask about something only to remember she’s no longer here.”

  I squeeze her again because there are no words that’ll comfort her with the loss of both parents on the same day. “They loved you, Marvie. Now, help me get this shit unloaded so we can drink and catch up. I’ve got some ideas I wanna run by you for the diner. You’re still working on the renovations, right?”

  She nods as she goes to grab the carrier holding Libby. “Well, hello, pretty girl, it’s your Auntie Marvie. Welcome to Mississippi.” Laughing, we make quick work of bringing everything inside and once it’s all put up, I look around in amazement.

  “You did too much.”

  “Naw, just came over after the renters moved out and cleaned it.”

  “Marvie, the fridge is fully stocked.”

  “A girl’s gotta eat, right? Didn’t think you’d be up to grocery shopping after the day you’ve had.”

  We leave Libby exploring her new home and head into the kitchen where Marvie pulls out a platter with her homemade quesadillas. “You know me so well.”

  “You’re too skinny. A man likes some meat on the bones he’s picking.”

  “What man? Are you crazy? I’m never getting involved with anyone again,” I tell her as I grab plates and the pitcher of margaritas before heading to the back door.

  “So, tell me your idea,” she says once we’ve sat down and practically inhaled the food.

  Leaning back, I pat my stomach and say, “I was thinking of one of those cases with fancier cakes using my grammy’s recipes. Maybe some cookies and pies, too.”

  “Holy shit, that might work!” Marvie had just taken over her parents’ diner before they died. It was in a great location but needed a bit of updating.

  “Grammy had the kitchen renovated years ago, so I could make them here and bring them in. You can sell the cakes by the slice. I don’t really need to work, but you know I can’t stay idle.”

  “Branson was an idiot to let you go.”

  “He wanted kids, Marvie.”

  “Honey, he’s known for a long time that you couldn’t have them. Bet he had a side piece.”

  I nod, thinking about her words. He had started working later and later and whenever I’d turn to him, he would rebuff my attention. Hell, the last time he even touched me intimately was… “Fuck, I think you’re right. That prick didn’t touch me the last two years we were married!”

  “As hot as you are, he definitely had someone else then,” she says. I wouldn’t take her seriously if I wasn’t as tipsy as she is, but her logic seems pretty sound.

  I’m about to reply when I hear, “Marvie! Where you at, darling?”

  “Boz! We’re back here,” she shouts.

  I grin as I watch Boz make his way to the back deck. He reaches down and picks me up and twirls me, saying, “Glad you’re finally here.”

  “Glad to be home, Boz.” He puts me down and leans in to kiss Marvie. “Anyone ever tell you that you look like the love child of Shemar Moore and The Rock?” I ask.

  “It’s the only reason this one ever gave me a second glance,” he replies, sitting down and pulling Marvie into his lap. “Wouldn’t have stood a chance otherwise.”

  “That’s so not true!” Marvie states. “You had me the first time you opened your mouth.”

  “Darling, all I did was ask for coffee.”

  “Yeah, but it was the tone you used.”

  By now, I’m laughing so hard, tears are pouring down my face. “When are you two gonna make it legal?” I ask.

  “As soon as she says yes,” Boz replies.

  “Now that my best friend’s here, I’m inclined to give you the answer you’re looking for,” Marvie states. “So you’ll need to ask again.”

  He rolls his eyes in my direction. “Guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. So, I know you and Branson had a bunch of work done already, is there anything else you need fixed?”

  My head whirls at his change of topic. “Um, yeah, we didn’t get the deck fixed. I wanna have it enclosed at the door so that Libby can wander ‘outside’ and then open back up all the way down to the dock.”

  “
Need to get Hale out here.”

  Hale. Where have I heard that name before? “Didn’t he do the other stuff?” I remember that Branson got a local company, but since he handled all of it, I didn’t pay too much attention.

  “He did, yes. I’ll see him tomorrow and have him come out if that’s okay?”

  “Works for me. Figure you know more about who can be trusted than I do since I never lived here full-time.” Just breaks, summer vacations, and my senior year. That’s how I met Branson, he lived here full-time and I was introduced to him when we were both fifteen.

  “He’s a good guy, Addy,” Marvie asserts. “Has a little boy that he brings with him if it’s the weekend or he’s out of school. But he’s a good kid, too.” My heart squeezes at her words.

  “Okay, now that that’s settled, why don’t you come to the diner in the morning? He usually comes in for breakfast before we head out to whatever job we’ve got going on,” Boz states. Guess he’s not going to be the middleman after all.