The Growing Season Read online

  The Growing Season

  By Diana Copland

  Secrets of Neverwood Book Two

  The four years since Danny Redmond left Neverwood have been heartbreaking, and past mistakes continue to haunt him, even after he returns home. Together with two foster brothers he barely knows, he plans to turn the decrepit mansion into a welcoming place for runaways once again—the dying wish of their foster mother, Audrey.

  Danny has nothing to contribute to the restoration, save for a gift for growing things. But his efforts to bring Audrey’s beloved gardens back to their former glory are complicated by handsome landscaper Sam Ignatius…and the feelings developing between them, despite their fiery differences of opinion. One voice gives him hope, the only one he’s always trusted—Audrey’s.

  Danny comes to care deeply for Sam, but things look bleak when Sam’s city councilman father threatens to have Neverwood torn down. Why should Danny have expected the future to be different from his past? All his relationships end in disaster...

  Three foster brothers are called home to Neverwood, the stately Pacific Northwest mansion of their youth. They have nothing in common but a promise to Audrey, the woman they all called mother...

  Secrets of Neverwood is a multi-author trilogy; One Door Closes, The Growing Season and The Lost Year can be enjoyed either as a continuity or as standalones.

  53,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  June seems to be a time of both magical beginnings and wishful thinking, as we combine the wedding season with the last month of school. Here at Carina, our jobs are filled with a combination of both magical beginnings and wishful thinking, as we work in the land of fiction and allow ourselves to drift through fantastic worlds, happily ever afters and action-filled stories. Okay, maybe our jobs are a lot more rooted in reality than that, but the books we publish do allow us a brief escape and I hope they’ll do the same for you this month.

  Powerhouse erotic romance author Lynda Aicher is back with Bonds of Courage, in which an alpha professional hockey player finds himself the one bound and at her mercy. Joining Lynda in the erotic category is Samantha Ann King with another fantastic ménage, Tempting Meredith. One man is risky, but two might teach her to trust and love again.

  June brings quite a lineup of male/male romances. Ava March always stands out for me because not only does she write a fantastic male/male erotic romance, but she sets it in historical times, when it was even harder for two men to be in love, lending even more delicious romantic tension. Don’t miss Sharp Love, followed by The Viscount’s Wager releasing in December 2014.

  And speaking of magical beginnings, we have two debut authors in the male/male category. This month we’re pleased to introduce Tyler Flynn and Chasing the Rebel. One man is fleeing the French Revolution, the other sympathizes with the Revolution. How can they fall for each other when they can’t even trust each other?

  Also debuting with Carina Press this month is G.B. Lindsey, who leads off a three-part anthology, Secrets of Neverwood, which includes novellas from returning Carina Press authors Diana Copland and Libby Drew. As three foster brothers renovate a stately mansion to reopen it as a home for troubled gay youth, their love lives are complicated by the whimsical ghost of their foster mother in One Door Closes, The Growing Season, and The Lost Year.

  Rounding out our male/male selections for the month is returning author L.B. Gregg with her popular Men of Smithfield series. In Men of Smithfield: Sam and Aaron, Sam’s in a rut and looking to break out of it, so he’s thrilled when a newcomer to town introduces more than an edge of naughty nights and risky days into his life.

  There are so many more incredible books coming in June, it’s hard to know which world to lead you to next. How about some angels and demons in The Fire Within by Dana Marie Bell? Or why not take a trip on the high seas on a pirate ship—only this one captained by a woman in Mutiny of the Heart by Jennifer Bray-Weber. Danube Adele isn’t shy about taking new adult to a whole new level in her paranormal romance Dark Summer Dreams, in which Shandria is forced to rescue a sworn enemy of her people, only to find herself kidnapped by that same rugged warrior who promises retribution of his own. And who wouldn’t want to spend time with an outlaw witch, a society ice queen, and illicit magic that lights up the night in the tense futuristic world of the Magic Born in Sonya Clark’s Witchlight.

  In another twist on the new adult genre, Anne Tibbets joins Carina Press and introduces The Line Book One: Carrier and her dystopian world. In a futuristic society, sex slave Naya is released and given a choice—find someone willing to take her place, or fight against the ruling corporation to save her unborn children.

  Amylynn Bright also joins Carina Press, bringing contemporary romance Cooking Up Love to our virtual shelves. When anonymous food critic and lousy chef Holly signed up for cooking classes, she didn’t realize that she and her yummy instructor would be whipping up more than dinner in the kitchen—or that he’d blame her bad review for closing his restaurant and killing his career.

  We have two additional debut authors to introduce this month, both writing contemporary new adult romance, but in two freshly original and very different stories. In Hate to Love You by Elise Alden, hatred and guilt battle love and desire as Paisley and James confront the past, each other, and the unwanted attraction that sparked between them the night she ruined his wedding. This is one book that will have people firmly on either side of a line: hate Paisley, or love her?

  And we welcome Sybil Bartel and her new adult romance, No Apologies. No heart, questionable morals, one hundred percent attitude, Graham Allen is the perfect rocker; nothing can break him—except her.

  Last, this month we introduce a new trilogy, Shore Secrets, from Carina Press author Christi Barth. A hard-nosed businessman with contempt for small-town America is forever changed by the love of a sexy hotel owner and a quirky but tight-knit community famous for its anonymous journal by the lakeshore. Don’t miss Up to Me, the first of this trilogy featuring three strong heroes, fighting for the love and trust of three even stronger heroines on the shores of Seneca Lake.

  I hope your month of June is as wonderful as ours, spending it among our reader friends at different conventions and getting to gab about the books we love. Maybe we’ll see you at one of them! And if you do, we hope you’ll stop us and tell us your favorite Carina Press book. There just might be some Carina swag in it for you if we have any on us!

  Coming in July: Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey; a debut author, Caroline Kimberly, brings us a historical romance pitched as “Regency Romancing the Stone”; and Jeffe Kennedy offers up a hot new BDSM novel.

  Here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Dedication

  Secrets of Neverwood is an anthology of stories about three men who’ve lost their mother. I never imagined when I was writing Danny’s story that I would find myself in the same place so soon. To Mom, who always believed I could do whatever I set my mind to. I love you, and I miss you.

  Acknowledgments

  To Libby Drew and G.B. Lindsey, the best collaborators a writer could have. To Saritza Hernandez, who still remains steadfast in her belief that I can do this. To Betsy, who is ever there with a kind word and a helping hand, and who sees these stories when they truly are a mess and likes them anyway. To my extended family, brothers, sister, nieces and nephews; while some of them may not get the subject matter, they are ever encouraging and supportive. To my children, particularly my beloved Chris, who “babysat” grandpa so I could write. And to Deb Nemeth, who has steadfastly helped me sort Danny out. Thank you, all of you, for being
there.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  About the Author

  Copyright

  My Danny,

  Part of me wishes I could watch you reading this to see the expression on your face! I know you never imagined yourself part owner of Neverwood. You may even be questioning my sanity; your brothers (yes, they are your brothers!) Calvin and Devon are older, and both had been with me longer. But the length of your stay did not reflect your impact on my life. You have experiences that make you uniquely qualified to understand the boys who end up here. Plus, as much as you might protest otherwise, you love this old place as much as I do.

  I can picture you in your tiny apartment, just home from a hard day with your hands in the dirt, hair too long and jeans torn and frayed at the knees. You always thought if you dressed ratty you could hide how beautiful you are. And please refrain from rolling your eyes at me. There is nothing wrong with being beautiful. Someday there will be someone who values you not for what you look like, but for who you are. Mark just wasn’t the right one.

  And yes, I know what you’ve been through. Your lawyer called me. I wish you’d been the one to make the call, but I understand why you didn’t. I respected your choices, but you can’t know the times I agonized over the decision. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around you and protect you. It’s a mother’s impulse, but it would have been a mistake. You, my headstrong, obstinate boy, have always had to learn things the hard way. Neverwood and your brothers can benefit from those lessons.

  The house needs a lot of work, I’m afraid. I’ve been ill for quite a while, and things have fallen by the wayside. I’m sorry for that. The gardens, in particular, break my heart. But I know you can bring them back, and between the three of you, Neverwood can again be a safe place for learning, and growing, and recovering. You can be an advocate for the lost who find themselves here, and your passion and tenacity will serve them well. Just try to remember your brothers aren’t the enemy, and that you all have the same goal. The three of you each have strengths in different areas, and you’ll complement one another. It’s why I chose the way I did.

  I don’t know what the future holds. I know what the doctors tell me, but they don’t know what comes after this life any more than I do. If possible, I’ll be there, supporting you every step of the way. And if it isn’t, my love will linger in the walls. Please be kinder to yourself, sweetheart. Past mistakes don’t negate your right to be loved. After all, I love you with everything in me. And I am proud to call you my son.

  Audrey

  Chapter One

  Danny Redmond was so deeply asleep that when a door banged into the wall across the hall, he launched himself out of bed, blindly searching for a weapon. He took in the features of the shadowy room, and heard the remodeling team’s voices outside the door. Only then did he remember where he was. Weak in the knees, with a cold sweat covering his bare chest, he grabbed onto his dresser until he was steady. He forced himself to take a deep breath. He was home. He was safe. No one here would hurt him.

  The noise began again, and righting himself, he pulled on the first clothing he could find. He had to get out. If he stayed long enough for the pounding to start in earnest, his perpetually jangled nerves would leave him with the shakes all day. He yanked on his high tops and took the stairs down two at a time.

  “Sorry about the racket.” Will Cabot was apologetic when Danny entered the kitchen. He and Danny’s middle foster brother, Calvin Ware, were sitting shoulder to shoulder at the table, drinking coffee. “But now that the rain has stopped, we have to get sheet rock up so the painters can get in here.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Danny didn’t pause as he stalked through. He was tired, he wanted a smoke, and he wasn’t in the mood to be sociable.

  “Do you want some breakfast?” Cal offered. “There’s cereal...”

  “No.” He wasn’t even polite, and he didn’t slow on his way to the back door.

  “Danny.”

  The voice stopped him, his hand on the knob. Even though they hadn’t known one another long, when Calvin said his name like that, he listened. He exhaled heavily and turned. “What?”

  Cal’s hazel eyes were mild, his gaze steady. “You’ll want to put on your jacket.” It was a suggestion, not an order, which was the only reason Danny didn’t snarl at him. “It’s still cold out there.”

  Danny made a show of rolling his eyes but reached for the jean jacket hanging on one of the pegs nearby. He shrugged into it gracelessly and looked at Cal, arms spread. “There, Mother. Better?” He pushed through the back door, allowing it to slam behind him, still distrustful of the thought someone might give a damn about him. The noise wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he’d hoped.

  He wasn’t such a huge asshole that he couldn’t be happy for Calvin. He and Will had been high school sweethearts, only recently reunited. Will had shown up when Cal called for a contractor to help remodel the old house their foster mother had left them. A gargantuan tribute to Victorian excess, Neverwood had been in Audrey Rasmussen’s family since the foundation was laid in 1900. Now, it belonged to Danny, Calvin and the oldest of the three, Devon.

  The breeze was frigid where Danny stood on the back steps. The early morning air smelled clean and crisp, like a Granny Smith apple, but it also made a chill run the length of his spine. Spring had been erratic, to put it mildly. The old adage “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” had never been as true. They endured freezing temperatures one day, mid-fifties the next. It delayed the blooming season, which made him antsy. Audrey had been very specific that the grounds were his responsibility, and it was a bequest he took seriously. It was already late April. At this rate, they wouldn’t have any color in the ground until Mother’s Day.

  The breeze lifted his hair and made his cheeks sting. He winced against the bright sunshine, wondering if he really needed a cigarette badly enough to put up with it. After weeks of muddy, overcast days, he felt like that rodent back east someplace who came out to decide if there would be six more weeks of winter. He resisted the urge to turn and see if he cast a shadow.

  Patting the pockets of his jacket, Danny gave a silent sigh of relief when he heard the crackle of cellophane. Cal hated it when he smoked, so Danny’s first instinct was to hide his cigarettes. He didn’t believe his brother would do anything as invasive as go through his pockets to get rid of them, but it was hard to rationalize the irrational. Sometimes he wondered if the lessons learned during his months in jail would ever fade.

  Pulling out the cigarettes, he shook one into his hand. The breeze made lighting it difficult, even with his palm cupped around the flame. Finally the end caught and he inhaled deeply. He could hear Devon. “That shit will stunt your growth, runt.” Danny smirked. Too late. He’d never be taller than five-seven, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

  Devon. Enigmatic, charismatic Devon McCade, the oldest “brother.” Devon had been one of Audrey’s earliest charges, and the one who’d broken her heart when he left and never came back. Danny wanted to hate him, because Audrey had mourned his defection for years, but he couldn’t. Devon was just too...cool. With his wildly curling black hair and chocolate-brown eyes, his hard body and lazy, confident saunter, Devon was a walking wet dream. Add to that the classic Indian motorcycle he rode and the fact he was a famous photojournalist, and Danny had been grudgingly impressed the moment he’d walked in the door.

  Stepping onto the gravel drive, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started down
the path between the raised kitchen garden boxes, his footsteps loud in the quiet morning. In his mind’s eye, he could see the way they’d once been—the kale mossy gray and lavender, the basil and cilantro and parsley thick and vivid green. The bed on the left held the herbs, the one on the right six different kinds of tomato plants. Behind them was the pumpkin patch, a huge plot of ground reserved for the vines to spread. Mom had always wanted there to be enough pumpkins for each of the little ones to carve their own, and the vines had curled over the plot like searching arms. Seeing nothing but dead, blackened rot made Danny’s chest hurt. He’d managed to clear some of the beds around the front porch, but he hadn’t made much of a dent in what was left to be done.

  Cornstalks taller than he was had once lined the back, ears thick and crisp, the kernels yellow and white beneath the silk and husks. Once the cobs were harvested they had cut the stalks and tied them together to decorate the entrance to the long drive. Surrounded by mums in rich autumn colors, Audrey’s wrought iron gateway had been a vivid tribute to fall. The city people might have hated her kids, but they couldn’t complain about her flower beds.

  Now they were just sad. Weeds had overtaken everything. Two seasons’ worth choked the soil, dead and matted down from the weight of the snow. There was black mold in places and Danny wrinkled his nose as he passed. It was going to be a nightmare to dig out. He would need to add topsoil and fertilizer. Weeds pulled nutrients from the soil along with choking out everything else. And unlike annuals, the damned things didn’t have any problem re-seeding.

  He wandered to the abandoned corn patch. Dead stalks, broken and blackened, leaned against the shed. Audrey had apparently felt well enough at the beginning of last season to plant. Guilt soured Danny’s mouth as he stared at them. Why hadn’t she told anyone? If she’d just said something... He sighed, shaking his head. It wouldn’t have made a difference, not to him. He’d been too hell-bent on following his Prince Charming wherever the bastard led. He’d been so fucking stupid.