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  Also by Samantha Chase

  The Montgomery Brothers

  Wait for Me

  Trust in Me

  Stay with Me

  More of Me

  Return to You

  Meant for You

  I’ll Be There

  The Shaughnessy Brothers

  Made for Us

  Love Walks In

  The Christmas Cottage

  The Christmas Cottage

  Ever After

  Live, Love and Babies

  The Baby Arrangement

  Baby, I’m Yours

  Baby, Be Mine

  Copyright © 2016 by Samantha Chase

  Cover and internal design © 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

  Cover art by John Kicksee

  Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

  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—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

  P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

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  Contents

  Front Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  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

  Epilogue

  A Sneak Peek at Always My Girl

  About the Author

  Back Cover

  Prologue

  Seventeen Years Ago…

  Why wouldn’t everyone leave?

  Hugh Shaughnessy stood in the corner of his living room, glaring at the masses. They came. They saw. They said their condolences. Wasn’t that enough?

  Everywhere he looked, there were people. He glanced at his watch and shook his head with disgust. Four thirty. Didn’t anyone realize someone needed to start preparing dinner at five? Every night the family sat down for dinner at exactly six fifteen, but if someone didn’t start moving these people toward the door, it wasn’t going to happen.

  Schedules.

  It was all about the schedules.

  There was no room for spontaneity—no room for straying from the norm. He’d learned that the hard way. And there were at least a hundred people milling about to witness the lesson he’d been forced to learn.

  Turning his back on everyone, he thought of the conversation he’d had only days before with his mother.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Lillian Shaughnessy asked her second oldest son as soon as he’d walked through the front door.

  Hugh took off his letterman jacket, hung it on his designated peg on the wall, and shrugged. “I don’t know. Nine?”

  His mother’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “It’s after ten. Where were you that you couldn’t call to say you were going to be late?”

  Not really in the mood for a lecture or an argument, Hugh walked toward the kitchen to get something to eat. He made it all of three steps before his mother—who was almost a foot shorter than him—grabbed him by the arm and forced him to look at her. “What?” he snapped. “I went out with a couple of friends after school. I lost track of time. It’s not a big deal. I’m almost eighteen. Don’t you think it’s time I stopped having a curfew? I mean…really. Can’t a guy go out once in a while without it turning into a big deal?”

  But it was a big deal. Lillian Shaughnessy ran a tight ship in her home. With six kids, she had no choice. There were chores to do, meals to cook, homework to be checked, and without a routine—a schedule—things could easily fall apart and break down into chaos.

  “You know the rules, Hugh. You had chores to do this afternoon—chores Quinn had to take on because you weren’t here.”

  “So? I’ll do his chores tomorrow.”

  Lillian looked up at her son, her expression firm. “That’s not the point and you know it. You broke the rules. Again. You didn’t come home on time and you didn’t call. Again. This is the third time this week.” She held out her hand. “Give me your keys.”

  “What?” Hugh cried. “But…that’s not fair!”

  She shook her head. “No driving for a week. You’ll have to take the bus to and from school. If one of your friends drives you, you’ll still need to be home on time. No extra stops, no excuses.”

  Hugh wanted to argue, but he knew it was pointless. Without a word, he put the keys in his mother’s hand and turned to go to his room.

  “Your dinner is in the microwave,” she said, still standing where he’d left her.

  “I’m not hungry,” he mumbled and went to his room.

  For the next two days he was the model son—he came home on time, did his chores and his homework all without saying a word of complaint. On the third day, he came home miserable. It was storming and the walk from the bus stop had left him soaked to the skin.

  “You’d better get changed before you catch a cold,” his mother warned, but she looked distracted.

  “What’s going on?” Hugh asked.

  “Darcy has an ear infection. I’ve got to pick up a prescription for her.” She looked out the window and frowned. “I had hoped the rain would let up by now. I can’t wait any longer.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to go for her, but he remembered his punishment. And for a moment, he wanted to be mean—to show her how her stupid punishment affected her too. “Well, if I was allowed to drive, I’d go. But since it’s so important for me to learn my lesson…” He let his words die off.

  Lillian merely gave him a tight smile. “You can be mad at me all you want. You broke curfew…for what? To go joyriding for an afternoon? Was it worth it?” She reached for her coat and slipped it on, her eyes still on Hugh.

  Her expression softened. She reached out and cupped his cheek. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have some fun once in a while. It’s just…well, you didn’t call. You had no consideration for your family and our rules. I don’t think your father and I are strict, we don’t ask too much…”

  “I know, Mom. But—”

  “But,” she interrupted, “maybe next time you’ll think twice before being so impulsive.”

  Hugh wasn’t so sure, but he kept it to himself.

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” Lillian said. “Darcy’s finally sleeping so I want to get to the pharmacy and back before she wakes up. Quinn is staying after school and Riley and Owen will be home soon.”

  Yeah, yeah…Hugh knew the drill. The s
chedule. No surprises.

  Lillian walked out the door into the storm.

  And never came home.

  That wasn’t on the schedule, Hugh kept telling himself. It wasn’t something any of them were prepared for.

  And it certainly wasn’t what any of them wanted.

  For all the times he’d mocked the schedules and the routine and the flat-out boringness of their lives, right now Hugh would give everything he had to have it all back.

  To have her back.

  At five o’clock, he moved into the kitchen. Luckily no one was in there. Their guests had finally started to leave, and it was remarkably the one quiet room in the house.

  “Hugh?” his father asked as he came into the room a few minutes later. “What are you doing?”

  “Making dinner. It’s spaghetti night.”

  Ian Shaughnessy stood with tears in his eyes as he watched his son get out the ingredients to make dinner. “Hugh,” he began, “there’s enough food out in the dining room to feed a small army. I don’t think we have to make dinner tonight.”

  Hugh stopped and looked at him. “But…it’s Thursday. We always have spaghetti on Thursday.” He turned and pointed to the chalkboard his mother kept in the kitchen. “See? Thursday. Spaghetti.” Then he went back to getting out the large pot his mother used to cook pasta in.

  He filled it and put it on the stove and when he turned back around, his father was right there in front of him. “Hugh…” he said gruffly, right before he wrapped his son in his arms.

  Something inside of Hugh broke. “She always…”

  “I know,” Ian said.

  “She would want…”

  “I know that too. But for tonight, we’ll let the menu slide.” He pulled back and smiled sadly. “Tomorrow will be soon enough to get back on track with dinners. Although I think we have about twenty casseroles overflowing from the freezer just in case.”

  Hugh wiped away the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I just want…” He swallowed hard.

  Ian stopped him. “I know, Hugh. I want it too.”

  They stood there in silence for a long time, and Hugh decided then and there that he would honor his mother by doing things the way she wanted—he’d follow the rules. Never again would he act impulsively or without conscious thought.

  He couldn’t afford to.

  Not ever again.

  Chapter 1

  It was completely unacceptable.

  “I don’t think I understand.”

  Hugh Shaughnessy straightened the cell phone that sat on his desk until it was completely in line with the rest of the items there—all while keeping eye contact with his assistant Dorothy. “I said,” he began slowly, “it isn’t going to work for me. It’s unacceptable. Tell her no.”

  Dorothy shifted nervously. “Um…I don’t think that’s an option, Hugh. You…you can’t exactly…” She hesitated, clearly trying to choose her words. “What I mean is, I don’t think you get a say in this.”

  He arched a brow at her. “Really?”

  “I could see if it was a request for time off or for vacation, but…”

  “Technically, she is asking for time off,” he said reasonably.

  “No. What she’s doing is quitting,” Dorothy stated in the same tone.

  A sigh of frustration escaped before Hugh could stop it. He rose and crossed the office to stare out the open window. “Tell her we require a minimum of two weeks’ notice or else.”

  “Or else what?”

  Looking over his shoulder, he replied, “Or there’ll be no letter of recommendation. If anything, I’ll make sure she never works in the industry again.”

  “Don’t you think it’s a little harsh?”

  Turning and walking back to his desk, Hugh sat down, clearly restless. “Don’t you think it’s a little harsh for Heather to quit—with no notice—because she fell in love and wants to run off and get married in Vegas?”

  Dorothy chuckled, quickly stopping when she noticed the glare on her boss’s face. “Personally, I think it’s romantic.”

  “Vegas? That’s romantic for you? We run some of the most beautiful and romantic resorts in the country—hell, the world!—and you’re choosing Vegas?” he snapped.

  “Now I didn’t say that, Hugh.” She bristled. “What I said was how I thought the whole thing was romantic—meaning the relationship. Heather and Dave have waited so long for this and with his military service coming to an end, they can finally get married. And they’re going to have a baby and—”

  “She’s pregnant?”

  “She really hasn’t told anyone, but clearly you can see why they’re anxious to get married.”

  Honestly, he didn’t. People had babies all the time without rushing out and getting married. He didn’t agree with it, but that’s the way it was. The fact that his special events coordinator was deserting him on such short notice to do it? Well, it just added fuel to the fire.

  Folding his arms on the desk, Hugh looked at his assistant pleadingly. “Dorothy, we are getting ready to start a very busy season at our resorts. We’ve got full calendars. And on top of that, you know I’ve been courting a new wine distributor. He’s due here tomorrow. Heather is supposed to sit in on those meetings and come up with a presentation to convince him to do business with us. Can’t you convince her to stay through the end of the month?”

  “Hugh, you’re not listening. Heather’s gone. She wasn’t giving us a heads-up, she wasn’t giving us an option. She stopped by earlier—with her bags packed, loaded, and waiting in a cab—and said good-bye. She’s probably at the airport right now waiting to board a flight. Face it, we have to come up with a plan B.”

  “You’ll have to sit in on the meeting and come up with the presentation. You know what we’re looking for. You can just—”

  “Hold it right there, chief,” she said sternly, holding out a hand to stop him. “That is not going to happen.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “There are many things in my job description, but party and event planning isn’t one of them. From everything you’ve told me, this guy is a little high maintenance and demands perfection. My idea of a party consists of inexpensive wine, cheese and crackers, and a deck of cards.”

  Hugh rolled his eyes. “Dotty…”

  “I’m serious, Hugh. I’m from another generation. I don’t understand yours. My friends and I enjoy going out for a quiet dinner and then playing mah-jongg. We’re not into music or the latest trends. Trust me, having me work on this would not help you in any way, shape, or form.”

  Unfortunately, Hugh knew she was right. He just hated being in a jam like this, and having Dorothy’s help would have simplified everything. Scrubbing a weary hand across his face, he looked back at her. “Any suggestions then?”

  “Off the top of my head? No. But give me a few hours to make some calls and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “This is a nightmare,” he grumbled.

  Reaching across the desk, Dorothy patted his hand. “It’s definitely not the greatest thing to have happened, but it’s far from the worst. We’ll make it work. We always do.” With an encouraging smile, she turned and walked out of the room.

  With a curse, Hugh reached for the phone and began scrolling through his contacts. Surely he had to know someone who could take over the position on short notice. Hell, right now he’d even consider letting his sister come and do it. Darcy was in her first year of college back in North Carolina and he needed someone right here in California, but maybe she could get school credit for this. While she didn’t technically have any experience, she was young and social and in touch with the latest trends. Hell, her vivacious personality alone would be an asset.

  “Now I know I’m getting desperate,” he muttered. Pulling his eighteen-year-old sister out of school was not the solution to this. Although…<
br />
  The buzzing of the phone in his hand brought him out of his reverie. His brother Aidan’s face showed up on the screen and Hugh almost wept with relief. A distraction was exactly what he needed right now.

  “Aidan! What’s up, man? You don’t normally call midday.”

  “You know, you use that greeting on me no matter what time I call,” he replied with a chuckle. “Is there a time slot when I’m supposed to call that I don’t know about? Did I miss the spreadsheet?”

  Hugh couldn’t help but smile. He knew Aidan was right. He should be thankful for a friendly voice on the phone and not nitpick about when it came. “Sorry, bro. You just always seem to catch me off guard.”

  “Maybe let your guard down every once in a while. Live a little.”

  “Ha! This coming from the king of control. Nice!”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah…once upon a time that was me. Clearly I’ve passed the torch on to you.”

  “Whatever. So what’s going on? Everyone okay?”

  “Yeah, everyone’s fine. I wanted to talk to you about…um…well, Zoe and I were thinking of having a destination wedding. And the more we talked about it, the more we figured who better to get advice from than you. So? What do you think?”

  “Wow! So you’re ready to start making plans? That’s great! I didn’t realize you were there yet.”

  “If it was up to me, we’d be married already. Zoe wanted us to settle in and spend time getting to know each other more, and get her business off the ground before we started planning a wedding.”

  “So she’s ready to branch out on her own? What about Martha?”

  “She’s still going to do stuff with Martha, but it’s going to be more like a partnership. Martha deals more with commercial accounts and Zoe really enjoys doing residential. They’ve been playing around with the idea for a while, and they’re going to give it a trial run.”

  “How do you feel about it?”

  Aidan chuckled. “I want Zoe to be happy and she’s much happier being her own boss and choosing her own clients. So we’ll see how it all goes. But that’s a story for another time. We want to talk to you about options for the wedding. We want to meet with you and your event person and figure out which resort fits our needs and what the availability is. I think it would be great for the family.”