His to Keep (Carmel Springs Book 4)

Prologue

I had to keep reminding myself that this was only temporary. The plan was not to go back and stay there forever. I was simply going back to help out. I was going back because my family needed me, and my parents were worth a lot more than just putting my life on pause for a few weeks.

It wasn't that I hated Carmel Springs, either. Sure, the town was a bit...stifling, and everyone believed that they had a right to your personal business, but it was still a lot better than walking by the homeless every day and knowing that you couldn't save them all. It was a lot better than having to double check your locks every night because crime ran rampant in your city.

Nevertheless, the day that I'd graduated from high school, I'd been on pins and needles waiting to start college. I'd had the opportunity for something bigger than Carmel Springs, and I'd been eager to experience it. I'd been eager to see what the world had to offer and getting a degree in journalism had been the right choice for me. I'd been eager to get out there, see new places, meet new people, and experience what was happening out there in the world.

So, for three years, I'd done just that. Whenever Stone Media had needed someone out in the field, I had eagerly raised my hand, no matter what the assignment. With no husband, no kids, and no pets, there'd been nothing to mull over when a new out-of-town assignment had come up. Some assignments had been exciting, some had been boring, and some had been neither. Still, I had learned a lot, and I didn't regret my choice in career.

Fastening my second suitcase, I knew that returning to Carmel Springs wasn't the end of the world. With technology being what it was today, I would still be able to work on my podcast and update my blog. While I didn't have a huge following, that was probably because I reported the actual news and not my opinion on the news. I didn't sensationalize current events, and I didn't engage in the comments. Since I reported facts, there was no need to dispute them with anyone.

At any rate, even if I'd been at the height of my career, I still would have dropped everything to help my parents. I'd been fortunate enough to have been raised by decent people, and there's nothing that I wouldn't do for my parents. I just had to make sure that I didn't get sucked back into the...well, Carmel Springs had a way of making you feel like you were nestled in a warm blanket, and if you weren't careful, you'd get too comfortable to want to leave.

My first week back was going to be filled with old familiar faces wanting to know all my business and offering to help with my mother's recovery. They were going to want to know if I was staying, why I wasn't married yet, and all kinds of other stuff that really was none of their concern.

The simple fact was that I was going back to help with my father's hardware store while he cared for my mother. Last week, she'd been officially diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and while treatable, this was all new for my parents, and they were having a hard time seeing what worked for my mother, and her body was going through a lot while they were trying to figure it all out. Since Dad owned the only local hardware store in town, he'd been faced with a choice between working and taking care of my mother, and that'd been unacceptable to me. Family came first, and it always would for me.

So, like any other out-of-town assignment, it hadn't been that hard to pack up a few things. Since I'd be staying at my parents' house, I knew that my old childhood room would be readily available for me. While I didn't visit often, I visited enough that my parents had left my room alone for whenever I did go back to Carmel Springs for a visit.

Dropping on the bed, I ran my hand over the fabric of my suitcase, letting out a deep sigh. Usually, whenever I visited my parents, it was for a weekend or the holidays. I never stayed for longer than a few days, but that wasn't the case this time around. This time around, I'd be staying for a few weeks, and I had no idea how I was going to manage avoiding all those nosey biddies. Thanks to social media, I'd manage to keep in touch with a few people from Carmel Springs, but it was all superficial correspondence at best. Most of the gossip came from my own parents whenever we spoke or I visited.

Again, it wasn't that I hated Carmel Springs, so much as...I liked my life. I liked traveling and meeting new people, and I wasn't sure if I could do slow-paced anymore. At least, not right now. When I was ready for a husband and kids, that's when I'd slow down.

Pulling out my phone, I pulled up the Carmel Springs town's website, and because I couldn't help myself, I pulled up the latest news, and there was no ignoring that summersault feeling in the pit of my stomach at the headlines. I just had to remember that I was going back to help my parents during their time of need and absolutely nothing else.