Secluded Nature Read online

  Secluded Nature

  The Cartwright Cousins Series

  Lindsey Brewster

  Copyright © 2019 by Lindsey Brewster

  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, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover created by Sarah Paige.

  Formatting by Forever Love Covers & Design.

  Edited by Quill Again Editing.

  Contents

  Secluded Nature

  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

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather, Otis Bogle. He taught me that I don’t have to fit into everyone’s normal and how to fish. He imparted so much wisdom onto me in the time that I had with him on this Earth. He is forever in my heart.

  So Pappy, this one is for you. I should’ve listened to you when you told me to publish this book five years ago. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. Fly High.

  Secluded Nature

  Abbey Cartwright lives her life the same way that she practices medicine: detached and clinical. She is the head Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Hasboro Children’s Hospital and has built her reputation in her practice so that everyone knows her name. She prides herself on her ability to separate her feelings from her job and the rest of her life.

  That is, until she meets Luke Roberts. He causes her past to come rushing back and Abbey finds herself opening up to him, piece by broken piece. She has spent her whole life running from her past and the shame she feels about it. His piercing blue eyes seem to know what she’s thinking, and no matter how hard her stubbornness tries, she just cannot shake him.

  Will Luke be able to help her get over her past? Or will his sexual desires fuel the fire which caused her to run away in the first place?

  Prologue

  “Abbey, I’d really like to stay a while longer.” My grandfather furrows his brow at me. His skin is tan and lined by the hard work he’s done all of his life. His eyes are the coolest shade of blue, and they show that he’s upset with me. He never wants to stop fishing, but we need to get back on the road before dark. There are no street lights in these backwoods.

  “But Pappy, you know how hard it is to drive on these winding roads when it gets dark. The sun is already going down. I’m sorry, but I think we really need to go.”

  He sighs at me, but reels his line in and lets the remaining minnows go. We pack up our fishing gear and wade out of the murky green water back to the Jeep. I grab a Dr. Pepper and some peanut butter crackers for each of us. He has his cap off, rubbing his head as he gazes out over the water.

  Pappy has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. He’s always been there for me, and he never sugarcoated the truth. He taught me how to bait a hook and how to be patient. He taught me what it’s like to receive unconditional love and know that it’s okay to not be perfect. He is forever my favorite person.

  I smile at him and pick his backpack up off the ground, throwing it in the back. I turn and look over the bridge with him.

  Dowelltown is a beautiful place. We might be on the outskirts, but there’s a beautiful river that runs through it. We always come here to fish, and we always catch a bass. Maybe the same one we caught the last time we were here, because we always release it.

  He puts his arm around my shoulder. “Thank you for coming with me today. I had fun.”

  “I’ll always come with you. I enjoy it.”

  “Even when you’re a big-time doctor? It’s almost time for you to go to medical school.”

  “Even then, Pappy. Even then. Ready to hit the road?”

  “I think so.”

  He takes the drink and peanut butter crackers and settles into the passenger seat. I guide the Jeep onto the road, and we are on our way back to Murfreesboro. It is a pretty silent ride, both of us tired from being out in the sun all day. I look down and my arms are pink. I should’ve put on more sunscreen.

  “Abbey, do you think you will move back here?”

  “I don’t know. You know, I don’t plan on living here forever. It’s not for me, not with dad and my cousins. They think that I think I’m too good for our family, which isn’t true. I just don’t give in to what they want me to do.”

  He fidgets with his bottle and looks over at me. “I know. I just want to be able to see you and go fishing when we can.”

  “I know. I’ll come visit. I promise.”

  Soon, we are back in town. The route back to his house is programmed into my mind, especially when we are this close. We come up on Old Fort Parkway and the light turns green. We begin to roll forward.

  The world seems to happen in slow motion as I look over to my right and see headlights coming straight for us. Pappy looks at me and I slam on my brakes. The next thing I know is a cold darkness.

  I open my eyes and squint at the bright lights. Mom is sitting beside me, and my cousin, Mason, is on the other side of my bed.

  “Hey, sweetie.”

  “Where’s Pappy? Is he okay?”

  My mother’s eyes well up with tears and she shakes her head.

  My head falls back onto my pillow and my chest feels like it closes up. I can’t lose him. I need him. Sobs wrack my chest. I feel Mason’s strong arms surround me, but they bring little comfort. I beg the darkness to come take me again.

  Chapter 1

  After leaving the operating room, I take my mask off, glancing at my reflection. The makeup I plastered on this morning to hide my already tired green eyes has rubbed off through the course of the day. The disheveled state of my dark hair makes me look like I’ve been run through the wash.

  It’s been a long day and I have at least two more cases before I can go home. Glancing at my watch, I see that it’s already 5:00pm. No way I will be out of here before ten.

  I sigh.

  “Hey Abbey, why the long face?” I glance up to see Dr. Miller standing at the nurse’s station and signing off on a chart.

  “Well, I’ve got two more cases for the day that haven’t even been started, and I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner tonight.”

  He laughs, patting my shoulder, “I remember those days. Young surgeons who don’t care about anyone’s time but their own, and they are so committed to their work they just sleep here.”

  “Right. I don’t sleep here, but there’s still two more cases for the new kid on the block.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but I have my granddaughter’s dance recital tonight, and it’s time for me to leave. The new surgeons need the best anesthesiologist we’ve got, and that’s you. He’s going to need a guiding hand if he gets stuck.”

  I rub my face and shoot him an unimpressed look, “I don’t hand hold. Everybody knows this. This is Hasbro Children’s Hospital, we should be on top of everything and on time. You northerners aren’t nice about getting off schedule.
Anyway, enjoy your night. I’m going to my office before meeting the next case.”

  He chuckles at my comment. “And that’s why we love you, Abbey. Goodnight.”

  I stop by my office just long enough to grab my laptop and redo my ponytail before continuing on to the patient’s room. I see that the bustle of the hospital is slowing down. It’s after hours, but some of us are staying after to help finish up with the remaining patients. I lean against the wall outside the patient’s room for a moment, collecting a breath and my thoughts before heading in. I smile as I turn the corner.

  “Hi, I’m Dr. Cartwright, and I’ll be your anesthesiologist…”

  It’s close to midnight when I’m finally packing up to leave.

  I grab my phone from my desk and see two missed calls from my mom. I’ll deal with those tomorrow; I’m going home.

  Once I reach home, I plug everything in to charge and eat a quick sandwich. I shower, change into pajamas, get into bed, and turn on the TV. I’m asleep before I have even figured out which romcom is on.

  The next morning, my alarm wakes me; there is no way that I have gotten enough sleep. Rolling out of bed, I head into the bathroom and glance at myself in the mirror. My eyes are red and my shoulder-length black hair is a mess. I brush it the best I can and head back to my bedroom to pick out some scrubs. I really need to sell some of these. I’m not wearing extra larges anymore, only medium and large. My hips don’t let me fit into a small. Damn genetics. I grab my pink scrub top and gray bottoms, sliding them on.

  I park my car in the parking garage and head into the hospital. I don’t have many cases for the day, so I’ll be able to catch up on my paperwork in my office.

  I pull my phone out from my lab coat pocket and play the voicemail from my mom:

  “Hey Sweetie. I miss you and was hoping you could come visit us for a couple of weeks? Mason’s coming up and he’s bringing his friend Luke. He’s building a house near your cabin and was wondering if he could stay there and use your office? Anyways, call me when you can! Love you!”

  I smile to myself. So, Mason is coming to Tennessee. I miss him- it’s been too long. Speaking of the cabin, it is all packed up and dusty. No one has visited since Mason and I were there last year. We had so much fun until we inevitably had to go our separate ways, back to our normal lives. He returned to Detroit and I had to come back here to Rhode Island. We always have a good time.

  I dial my mom’s phone number while unlocking my office door.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom, I got your message this morning. I don’t mind it if Mason and his friend stay with me, but what’s he need my office for?”

  “They are working on the plans for Mason’s cabin I mentioned. Luke is an architect, and he’s never been to Tennessee, either, so I think Mason wants your help showing him around.”

  “Hmm, okay. That all seems fair. I’ll see about getting my shifts covered.”

  “Thank you, Abbey! I love you and can’t wait to see you.”

  “Love you, too, mom.”

  I hang up the phone, resigning myself to the fact that I won't be getting any work done. My day will now be filled with begging colleagues to cover my shifts for a while and planning my trip.

  It’s a little after two in the morning when I arrive at the cabin. I look up at the cabin. Even in the dark, it’s still beautiful. I’ve missed this place, just not the town that surrounds it. This cabin near the lake is a shelter among a town full of bittersweet memories and relinquished expectations.

  I had the cabin built so that it blended into the countryside around it while overlooking the lake. The short trail to the south takes you down to the lake. It was designed with shiplap and old stones to be as warm and inviting as possible and gives the impression that it’s older than it really is. Two rocking chairs sit to the right of the door, and a swing to the left adds to the inviting feel.

  Once inside, I see how much cleaning this place needs. The tables are covered in dust and the floor is the same. There are cobwebs in the corners. Gross. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. I should really hire someone to clean this place while I’m away.

  Walking upstairs to the guest bedrooms, I find them just as filthy. I start stripping the beds and piling the linens in the hallway, taking them all downstairs to start the laundry. While that’s going, I grab some furniture polish and start dusting. This is going to take a while.

  Once the living room looks decent, I head into the master bedroom and groan. I start the motions of cleaning another room all over again. I open the door to the office and cough. Even though it’s attached to my room, it’s used less than any other room here. Hopefully this will work for them.

  As I move to the bathroom, I sigh in relief. It isn’t quite as bad as the other rooms. I glance in the mirror and scrunch my nose at the way I look. My black hair is falling out of its ponytail and my green eyes are blood-shot from the dust and lack of sleep.

  Everything else can wait until morning. I walk back to the bedroom and fall face first into the bed. The world fades to black quickly.

  The night passes too quickly, and the morning is filled with last minute cleaning and the smell of fresh roasted coffee. I finish my second cup and the cleaning at the same time, and finally settle into the sofa, putting on my favorite superhero movie. My eyes are heavy and I’m dozing off before Mickey Rourke even graced me with his presence on screen.

  A painfully loud noise stirs me from my much needed nap. I groan and open an eye. There’s knocking at the door and it keeps getting louder. Ugh.

  Remembering Mason and Luke were coming, I jump up off the couch and run into the coffee table on the way to the door.

  “Ow! Coming! Hold on a minute! I’m coming.”

  I unlock the door and pull it open. Mason is standing there smiling at me. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

  I let out a tired laugh. “Well, hey yourself, hot stuff. “

  Mason throws his head back laughing and turns around to a man who appears to be the dictionary definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

  “Growing up, we would always throw different terms of endearment at each other as jokes, and it just stuck with us. Even now.”

  I extend my hand towards him, “You must be Luke. I’m Abbey.”

  He smiles and grabs my hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  His touch feels like it burns my hand. I inhale and pull my hand back and he drops his hand to his side and smiles at me. God, that smile.

  Standing taller than Mason, Luke has to be at least 6’3”. He runs his hands through his unruly chocolate hair. You can tell he smiles a lot with the crinkled edges of his clear, ocean blue eyes. He has an energy about him I can’t seem to put my finger on, but it’s obvious he can command a room. It makes me want to get to know more about him.

  “Let’s get your stuff inside. Mason, you know where to go, so Luke, you can follow me.”

  Mason heads upstairs to his usual room while Luke follows me to the only bedroom aside from mine that’s downstairs. It just so happens to be beside mine. Lucky me.

  “Mason said you two had a project to work on, so the office is right through that door. It’s one of the smaller rooms, though. Sorry about that.”

  Luke puts down his suitcase and follows me through into the office. I point at the door on the other side of the room.

  “That door is not a closet. It actually leads to my room. So if you go on a hunt for printer paper, it will not be through that door. All you’ll find is an irritated version of me. Your room was going to be a library, but I never got around to renovating it.”

  He laughs, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I turn to leave. As I make my way through the office, Luke grabs my arm. The heat is back, seeming to move straight from his hand and through my entire body. My goodness.

  “Thank you for letting me stay here, Abbey, and for loaning me the office.”

  His touch flusters me and I feel my cheeks warm. “It’s not a problem. If you,
um, need anything, I’ll be in my room. It’s the one past the office. Obviously.” I laugh awkwardly as he releases me.

  He chuckles, “I would assume so.”

  My face has to be bright red now. Ugh. I rush forward and open the door to my room and close it quickly behind me. Leaning with my back to the closed door, I rub my face. I’m such an idiot.

  My phone buzzes and I retrieve it off my dresser. Leah. I’ve missed her. We’ve been friends for years, but we live so far apart that we don’t get to see each other often.

  ‘Hey girl, I heard you were in town. Do you wanna hang out while you’re here?’

  Leah always gets me in trouble, but I love spending time with her.

  I smirk, thinking of the last time we went out together as I reply, ‘Absolutely! Call me later tonight, and we can plan what we want to do.’

  ‘YESSS!!!! Don’t leave me hanging! TTYL.’

  I get up and head towards the living room. Mason is coming down the stairs, freshly showered and shirtless.

  I smirk at him, “ Look at you, you attractive manly man.”

  He glares at me, “ Shut up, Abbey.”

  I laugh at him and grab my keys. “I’m going out for a bit. Text me what you want me to pick up for dinner.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Are you going to see Liam?”

  “Yep, I won’t be gone long, though. I’m just stopping in to check on him. Don’t forget to text me.”