The Comeback Route -Book 1 Moss Bluff Series

Prologue

This is an excerpt only. The first five chapters are included. This book is available on Amazon Kindle and paperback as of March 2023. There are plenty of changes and additions to this book. Hope you enjoy it!

The Dual Threat Series (available on Amazon)
3 books
The Strike Zone Series (available on Amazon)
3 books
The Moss Bluff Series (available on Amazon)
4 books
The Full Circle Series (available on Amazon)
3 books
The Bradford Series
3 books
Our Beginnings (Georgia Bradford's Memoir) Wattpad release only

The Third Generation Series
4 books

Prologue

       Sometimes change comes and wrecks havoc on your life. Sometimes it is to clear the path you're meant to take. For the last year, I've been trying to figure out which one came for me. Georgia Bradford was my big change. Hitting the bottom of the barrel, she gave me a choice: rot in jail or do something worthwhile with my life. I didn't want jail, and I'm not sure what she has in store for me is much better. But I'm about to find out if I'm ready for The Comeback Route.

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      "You're all set Mrs. Miller." Mitzi, the cashier at the grocery store, placed the last bag into my nosey old neighbor's basket.
      Both women keep eyeballing my basket like I've stolen something. Uncomfortable by the attention, I divert my eyes. I won't give Mrs. Miller or Mitzi anything new to gossip about. I've been on their radar ever since I moved back to Moss Bluff.
      The only people I trust with my secrets are my mom and Brynn,best friend. They don't judge me. There's no lecture on how much wine I buy or what ice cream I purchase. Some people just don't understand the concept of privacy.
     As Mrs. Miller strolls out the door at long last, Mitzi smiles at me like I'm her nearest and dearest friend. She is looking for a juicy story to tell. I've got nothing for her. No dates, no social life to speak of. Just me and my dog, Lump, facing the gossip mill everyday. It's definitely better than the alternative.
     I have accepted that I'm on the hot seat for her gossip corner "Well, hey there, Aubrey! How's it going? I just saw your mama not an hour ago and told her I hadn't seen you for your weekend sweet stash. I swear, I don't know how you stay so skinny when you're eating all that ice cream and cookies. You must have a great metabolism!"
      "I do, thanks." Giving her a tight smile, I dig into my wallet for my card. I try to be polite to everyone. I just don't have the patience today.
      "Honey, you look beat. You must have had a busy day at the clinic. I heard about poor Maxie's pup getting stung today. Swollen up like a balloon, she said." The poor little guy was in bad shape. And the fact I know Mitzi is an animal lover melts some of the ice.
     "The pup had a nasty bee sting, but he'll be just fine." I hold out my card and wait for her to finish ringing me up.
      Mitzi takes her time, looking at every item, before bagging them.
      Mitzi holds my soda in her hand and reads the label out loud. "Two hundred and forty calories per serving. This bottle alone is almost five hundred calories!"
     Tutting at me, she waits for me to put my much needed sugar and caffeine fix back on the shelf. That's not going to happen.
     "I missed lunch today, so I can afford the calories. But thanks for letting me know that." Not that it matters what she thinks of my purchase or why I'm getting it. I could be using it to clean my toilet, she doesn't need to know that.
     "You know soda is so bad for you, honey. You really should drink more water. It will help with the bloating." She whispers loudly, shaking up my bottle of Coke as she speaks.
     Guess I'm not drinking that as soon as I planned. Grinning, Mitzy tucked the soda into a bag "Have you heard that the old Fillmore place finally got rented. Oh, of course you have, it's right across from you, isn't it? Lindsey said he's supposed to be moving in soon. She said he's a real looker too. You should get yourself all gussied up and go over there to make him feel welcome, honey. I bet if you take over one of your mama's pies, he'd be half in love with you before you could get to the door."
       Here we go again. "I'll keep it in mind."
      "Don't think about it too long. You need to move fast if you're gonna compete with Lindsey. You know she's already got her eyes on him." Mitzi urges.
     Good God! The poor man hasn't even moved in yet and he's already being tossed on the fire for Lindsey to gobble up.
      The urge to roll my eyes, has me rubbing my forehead to block her view. Unfortunately, the groan escaped before I could stop it.  I wonder if she heard that?
    "Well, if she's got her eye on him, I suppose Lindsey can have him." I'm really trying to get through this grocery run without an incident.
     It's been a long and difficult day. I've had several difficult patients, including one terrier who tried to bite me while I was clipping her nails. I smell like a stressed out dog and I'm feeling just as frazzled. I want a hot bath, a glass of wine and the book that's on my nightstand.
      I won't compete for a man, no matter how gorgeous he is. If he isn't interested in me, there's no point in adding the complication of a man into my world. I've learned my lesson.
      Mitzi drones on about Lindsey's vast knowledge of my new neighbor. Can't she go one day without nosing into my love life? Poor man, he's going to be eaten alive by Lindsey.
     "Now, honey, you know there's a true shortage of eligible men in Moss Bluff. At your age, you don't have many chances left. And with the pickings so slim, well, you gotta take what you can get!" She continues to pester me.
     Gritting my teeth, I focus on my breathing. I just want to get my stuff and get out of here. As soon as my card and receipt are in my hand, I hurry out.  Desperately trying to ignore the jabs Mitzi yells across the store.
     "Make sure you check out that new neighbor, Aubrey! You aren't getting any younger, honey, and your eggs are gonna start drying up!" Closing my eyes, I hold back my response. Rushing for the door, I aim straight for my old SUV.
     I'm so tired of hearing how lonely I must be. I don't want a man in my life! I'm fine alone. I like my own company. I can eat what I want, sleep when I want, plant whatever I want. I have my sweet old dog, Lump. He's all the company I need.
     "Have a good one, Aubrey! You let me know if he's as yummy as Lindsey said!" Now the whole store will want a damn report. With a negligent wave, I scoop up my bags and haul them into the trunk.
    Driving home, Mitzi and her comments run through my head. Once again, I ask myself why I decided to come home again? It's home. It's the safety of knowing what to expect, even when it's embarrassing or annoying. It doesn't hurt me the way the city did.
      Pulling weeds after my long day of work helps to eliminate some of my frustration. I've been back here six months.  I'm still playing twenty questions with Mitzi Langston, the local gossip queen. Lindsey Markham, the mayor's daughter and self-proclaimed princess, has made a point of telling everyone that I came back because I was rejected at the altar. Her information is wrong but isn't far off. I won't be admitting that.
      You think people would change after graduating high school, or grow up at the very least. Nope! Lindsey is as petty and arrogant as she was back then. I'm still determined to not play her game. I saw what she did to Brynn, and she won't do anything like that to me.
     My business is my business.
     My reasons for coming home, why I'm no longer engaged and not planning my wedding, are my business. I'm not required to share why I'm buying my Kleenex, ice cream and chocolate bars. I don't need a lecture about the amount of junk food I eat or that I shouldn't drink soda.
     I'm being bitchy. It's been a rough day, a rougher year. I don't want to talk to anyone. Even to Mitzi, who has only good intentions. It hurts knowing I didn't see what was happening right in front of me. It's humiliating to know that I was a blind fool.
      Most of all, it's embarrassing to come home and be seen as a failure, a loser and a spinster. I'm twenty eight, I am not a spinster, or an old cat lady. I don't even have a cat.
      I love animals in general. Besides, I only have one dog... for now.
     I've tried to be professional since I returned to Moss Bluff. I'm now the town vet. I worked at a decent practice in the city and built a good clientele. I should have known better than to get involved with a colleague. I should have known it would ruin everything I was building.
     Instead of changing practices or opening my own clinic, I ran home to hide from my failure. I couldn't face the staff. I had to disappear. I'm getting my life together. I've got my friends, my mom, and my work. I don't need a man to complicate everything. Why do people think I need a man to be happy? I don't. I have a dog, that's so much better.
      I would never trade my sweet Lump for a man. Loyal, loving and sweet, my boy never argues, cheats or lies. He greets me with kisses and snuggles for attention. He's always there for me and listens without judgment. No man gives the unconditional love my Lump does.
     Yanking hard on the weeds in my yard, I let the irritations and annoyances from the day go out with the weeds as I toss them into my wheelbarrow. Animals are a salve for me. Most are loving, sweet creatures that just want love in return. My own rescued, three year old, Rhodesian Ridgeback lays in a heap on my deck, watching me dig up the beds. The only movement from him is an ear twitch when I toss in another weed with thud.
     The pups that were born to the cocker today were a bright spot in my day. The sick old lab that I put to sleep was a hard one, and the Siamese who sang loudly getting her vaccinations cracked me up. Listening to Mitzi go on about the limited selection of men my age will definitely go under the annoying category.
     Upon hearing the rumbling engine of an old truck driving up the lane, my work stops. I glance over my shoulder at the truck stopping across the street. The dark red old truck has seen better days and could definitely use a good wash. The occupant of the truck suits the vehicle. He is handsome, in that brooding, bad boy sort of way. He frowns looking at a piece of paper then at the old house. He doesn't look friendly.
     Dusting off my hands, I sit back on my heels and watch. Pulling out a folder, he reads it and looks at the old house again. Scrubbing his hands over the deep scowl on his face, I read his lips easily when he curses. I guess the house isn't what he expected.
     Getting out of the truck, he stands next to the bed and looks up at the rundown two-story. "Son of a bitch!" Yeah, he's not happy.
     With him out of the truck, I get a better, mouth-watering, view of the new neighbor. Long legs are covered by ancient, well-worn looking jeans. A broad chest, hidden inside a blue flannel shirt, is worn loose with a fitted dark blue T-shirt underneath. A defined V shape to his form indicates he's a physical man. Probably works with his hands, I surmise. His dark blonde hair curls at the collar, a little long, like he needs a cut but it's those eyes that glance my way and hold my attention.
     The intensity of his gaze paralyzes me. The flipping in my stomach makes me nervous. I shouldn't feel frightened in my own front yard but I'm definitely cautious. Hearing Lump get to his feet, I immediately pause. He lets out a single bark before sitting down. The man doesn't even turn.
     Mitzi should be here to see this. I should mind my own business. I can hear him grumble every few minutes. He keeps looking at the house and shaking his head. As if he's cursing the building for being rundown.
      "I should kick his ass for this. Stupid son of a bitch. Tell me it's a great old house! You're gonna love it! Bullshit!" Hearing the complaints, I can't help but laugh to myself. I've done the same thing plenty of times.
     As he loads up his things in his arms, I watch those muscular arms ripple and flex, carrying everything in one load. He pauses again and looks my way, as if to say something, before turning around and moving up the walk.
      Something in my belly heats. I've been on a sexual moratorium for too long. It's embarrassing for me to ogle this way. I should at least introduce myself, or offer to help him carry his things in. It's the polite thing to do. I was brought up with small town manners. It would also give me a better chance to admire him before Mitzi gets a load of him. She'd be impressed if I could tell her something she doesn't know.