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When Snow Falls
Brenda Novak
WELCOME TO WINTER IN WHISKEY CREEK—HOME OF THE GOLD COUNTRY!Her name is Cheyenne. But who is she? After growing up in cheap motels, moving from town to town with her sister and mother, Cheyenne Christensen is grateful to be on her own. She’s grateful, too, for the friends she found once her family settled in California. But she’s troubled by the mystery of her earliest memories, most of which feature a smiling blonde woman. A woman who isn’t her mother.Although Cheyenne has repeatedly asked for explanations, the people who could help aren’t talking. Cheyenne is set on finding answers, but without so much as a birth certificate, it won’t be easy. Things get even more complicated when her closest friend is attracted to the man Cheyenne has secretly loved for years.For Eve’s sake, she decides to step aside—which lands her right in the arms of Dylan Amos, oldest and baddest of the hell-raising Amos brothers. He’s the kind of guy she's sworn to avoid. She can't afford to make a mistake, not when she finally has a chance to learn who she really is and change her life for the better.But…maybe there’s more to Dylan than she thought. Maybe letting him go would be a bigger mistake.
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Her name is Cheyenne. But who is she?
After growing up in cheap motels, moving from town to town with her sister and mother, Cheyenne Christensen is grateful to be on her own. She’s grateful, too, for the friends she found once her family settled in California. But she’s troubled by the mystery of her earliest memories, most of which feature a smiling blonde woman. A woman who isn’t her mother.
Although Cheyenne has repeatedly asked for explanations, the people who could help aren’t talking. Cheyenne is set on finding answers, but without so much as a birth certificate, it won’t be easy.
Things get even more complicated when her closest friend is attracted to the man Cheyenne has secretly loved for years. For Eve’s sake, she decides to step aside—which lands her right in the arms of Dylan Amos, oldest and baddest of the hell-raising Amos brothers. He’s the kind of guy she’s sworn to avoid. She can’t afford to make a mistake, not when she finally has a chance to learn who she really is and change her life for the better. But…maybe there’s more to Dylan than she thought. Maybe letting him go would be a bigger mistake.
Praise for Brenda Novak
“Whenever I see a new Brenda Novak book, I buy it and read it, pronto. I can always count on her for a solid, exciting story, full of adventure and romance.”
—Linda Lael Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Any book by Brenda Novak is a must-buy for me.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“Brenda Novak’s seamless plotting, emotional intensity and true-to-life characters who jump off the page make her books completely satisfying. Novak is simply a great storyteller.”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author
“Novak’s smooth plotting makes for a great read.”
—Publishers Weekly on Dead Right
“Well-written, nicely paced, filled with appealing characters and laced with a few surprises.”
—Library Journal on Dead Right
“I suggest Brenda Novak be added to your ‘to buy’ list today. You won’t be disappointed.”
—Romance Readers Connection
“A novel that can’t be missed…this is hands-down a must-read.”
—The Romanceaholic on Inside
“In Close is intense and sensual and chock-full of emotional torment. The array of transgressions and suspects and small-town secrets makes for a riveting read.”
—USA TODAY
“Strongly defined characters, sizzling sexual tension and a tautly constructed plot…blend brilliantly together in Novak’s exceptionally intense, powerfully emotional novel.”
—Booklist on Every Waking Moment
“Novak’s fans will easily recognize her unforgettable style and characterization.”
—Wordweaving
“Brenda Novak has always been an author I look for on the book shelves… Her characters are realistic, charming and have a life of their own. Don’t miss out!”
—Huntress Book Reviews
When Snow Falls
Brenda Novak
www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)
To Stephanie Novembri.
Thank you for all the volunteer hours you’ve put in on my annual online auction for diabetes research.
You came into my life at a time when I really needed some help—and you’ve been there for me ever since.
Dear Reader,
Who can resist a story about a woman who isn’t sure her mother is really her mother? When I started this book, I couldn’t stop thinking about that situation, how it would make my heroine feel—and what she might do to find the truth. It kept me eager to write each day.
Cheyenne has always had her doubts about Anita, has always wondered why certain troubling memories surfaced again and again, especially when it snowed. But given her childhood, she has to wonder if maybe she created a pleasant fantasy in order to cope with reality. Because of her sister, and the duty she feels to the woman who raised her, she vacillates between aggressively exploring her past and shying away from it, especially now that she’s established herself in Whiskey Creek and is happier than she’s ever been. Part of her doesn’t want to rock the boat—but the questions that have gnawed at her for years just won’t go away. And if she’s ever to answer them, she has to act soon. Anita is dying of cancer. If she doesn’t tell what she knows before the end, it may be too late.
That right there was enough to keep my attention—but then Dylan Amos walked onto the scene and added a few complications of his own. I hope you’ll enjoy reading all the intrigue as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I’d like to thank Marcy Mostats-Passuello, whose name appears as a character in this book, for her generous support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Because Dylan is one of my favorite heroes (and he has four sexy brothers who will appear in future books), I’ve had a fabulous Amos Auto Body T-shirt (black with white imprint) designed for those who might like one. You can purchase it and other Whiskey Creek items at www.brendanovak.com. There, you can also find more information about my books and my annual online auction for diabetes research, which happens every May. So far we’ve raised more than $1.6 million!
Brenda Novak
Contents
Chapter 1 (#u51bf0cfa-b8fc-5351-8520-9a961ce34a5d)
Chapter 2 (#u5774372a-22d8-573b-a49a-a3b9bc152c8f)
Chapter 3 (#ud6905682-1625-5a43-bf48-4d5d4e7bda1c)
Chapter 4 (#u14ca10f3-938b-518e-93fb-4085ac509f8f)
Chapter 5 (#u881403f7-da71-5737-931f-b706290a6f94)
Chapter 6 (#ub5189784-aa09-5a17-a77a-970b1fd4f352)
Chapter 7 (#u25ef8fbb-752e-52da-a081-3cc381bee102)
Chapter 8 (#uca9f6e38-718d-5f28-ba56-c9a6b9ce1b76)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 25 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 26 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 27 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 28 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 29 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 30 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 31 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
1
It didn’t snow in Whiskey Creek often. But when it did, it took Cheyenne Christensen back to another time and place. Not one filled with picture-perfect memories of warm holidays, gaily wrapped packages and hot apple cider, like the Christmases her friends enjoyed. No, this kind of weather made her feel sick inside, as if something dark and terrible had happened on just such a night.
She wished she could remember exactly what. For years she’d racked her brain, trying to make sense of her earliest memories, to conjure up the woman with the smiling face and pretty blond hair who featured in so many of them. Was she an aunt? A teacher? A family friend?
Surely it wasn’t her mother! Cheyenne already had a mother who insisted there’d been no one in her life meeting that description.
That didn’t mean it was true, however. Anita had never been particularly reliable—in any regard.
“Chey, where are you? I need my pain meds.”
Real mother or not, the woman who’d raised her was awake. Again. It was getting harder and harder for Anita to rest.
Trying to shake off the stubborn melancholy that had crept over her when the snow began to fall, Cheyenne turned away from the window. The three-bedroom hovel she shared with her mother and sister wasn’t anything to be proud of. She’d put up a Christmas tree and lights, and kept the place clean, but their house was easily the most humble abode in Amador County.
Still, it was better than the beater cars and fleabag motel rooms she’d lived in growing up. At least it provided some stability.
“Be right there!” She hurried to the cupboard to get the morphine. After more than a decade, her mother’s cancer was back. Cheyenne hated to see anyone suffer. But if Anita hadn’t gotten sick fifteen years ago, they might never have settled down, and coming to Whiskey Creek was the best thing that had ever happened to Cheyenne. As guilty as it made her feel, she would always be grateful for the diagnosis that stopped all the shiftless rambling and finally enabled her and her sister to enroll in school. She just wished the cancer that had started in Anita’s ovaries had stayed in remission instead of reappearing in her pancreas.
“What are you doing out there while I’m lying in here, suffering?” her mother demanded as soon as Cheyenne walked into the room. “You don’t really care about me. You never have.”
Fearing there might be some truth in those words, which sounded slurred because she wasn’t wearing her dentures, Chey refused to meet her mother’s gaze. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be a good daughter,” she said, but even she believed it was duty, not love, that motivated her. She held too much against Anita, had longed to escape her for so many years she couldn’t remember when she’d first started feeling that way.
Anita preferred her sister, anyway. She’d made that clear all along. Fortunately, Cheyenne didn’t have a problem with it. Presley was older by two years. She came first and would always be number one with Anita.
“I did my best by you,” her mother said, suddenly defensive.
Here we go again. She brought a spoonful of morphine to her mother’s lips. “That might be true,” she conceded. But it was also true that Anita’s best fell far short of ideal. Until they came to Whiskey Creek, she and Presley had been dragged through almost every state in the western half of the country. They’d gone hungry and cold and been left alone in cars or with strangers for indefinite periods of time. They’d even been forced to beg on street corners or at the entrances to malls when their mother deemed it necessary.
“You never cut me any slack,” Anita complained, snorting as she attempted to shift positions.
Determined to preserve the peace, Cheyenne changed the subject. “Are you hungry? Would you like a sandwich or some soup?”
Her mother waved dismissively. “I can’t eat right now.”
Cheyenne helped her get comfortable and smoothed the bedding. “The meds will make you sick if you don’t get something in your stomach. Remember what happened last night.”
“I’m sick, anyway. I can hardly keep anything down. And I don’t want to put my dentures in. The damn things don’t fit right. Where’s your sister?”
“You know where Presley is. She works at the casino.”
“She never comes around anymore.”
That had to be the painkiller talking. Not only did Presley live with them, she watched Anita during the day so Cheyenne could work at the bed-and-breakfast owned by her best friend’s family—and as long as Presley didn’t have the money to buy dope, she helped out on weekends, too. “She left a couple of hours ago.” Already it seemed like an eternity to Cheyenne, and evidently Anita felt the same way.
