Secretly Yours: A Christian Valentine's Day Romance (Riverbend Romance Novella Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Secretly Yours

  Endorsement

  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

  Thank You!

  Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2015 Valerie Comer

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0993956829

  ISBN-13: 978-0993956829

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed or electronic reviews, without written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction set in a redrawn southeastern BC, Canada. Any resemblance to real events or to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Scripture taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Cover Art © 2015 Hanna Sandvig, www.bookcoverbakery.com.

  First edition, GreenWords Media, 2015

  SECRETLY

  YOURS

  A Riverbend Romance Novella 1

  Valerie Comer

  GreenWords Media

  Secretly Yours: A Riverbend Romance Novella 1

  A Christian Romance

  Chef Lindsey Solberg agrees to cater the church’s Valentine’s Day fundraising banquet as a favor to her teen sister, but she’s shocked to discover the bad boy from her high school days is now Riverbend’s youth pastor. Seriously? How could he have changed that much? Nick Harrison has prayed for years for an opportunity to make amends. Now Lindsey’s back in Riverbend and won’t give him the time of day. What’s a guy to do except leave a trail of gifts from a secret admirer?

  Lindsey’s heart takes a beating when she realizes the boy who was never good enough is now a far better man than she deserves.

  Welcome to Riverbend!

  Riverbend, BC, is the quaint Canadian town you wish you were from, where everyone knows everyone, seasons are celebrated, and love is in the air.

  Riverbend and Castlebrook are fictional communities.

  In Canada, a stocking cap or beanie is called a tuque (rhymes with fluke). Distance is measured in meters and kilometers, and temperatures are in Celsius. And in British Columbia, yes, beginning drivers are required to have a magnetic L (for learners, first level) or N (for novice, second level) on the back of the vehicle.

  Valerie Comer’s Secretly Yours is the perfect Valentine’s Day read! Nick is the handsome hero who wants to make amends for the past and Lindsey is the skeptical heroine who can’t help falling for his charms. Throw in fun secondary characters, scrumptious food, and who doesn’t love a secret admirer? Overflowing with faith and romance, pick up this gem today for an irresistible price!

  ~JoAnn Durgin, author of the beloved Lewis Legacy Series

  Chapter 1

  “Please say yes!” Madison begged.

  Lindsey Solberg leaned out the car window and into the freezing wind. Had she ever been as enthusiastic about anything as her sixteen-year-old sister was now? “Madison, I don’t know. My boss may see it as a conflict of interest. And I just don’t know that I have time to take this on.”

  Madison dropped both hands to her hips, her long hair blowing sideways. “But we need you. Pastor Nick says we could earn the rest of the funds in one night if the Valentine’s banquet does well.”

  Would she ever hear the name Nick without thinking of the guy from high school? Not likely. But one thing she knew for certain. Nick Harrison wasn’t the pastor of any church, to say nothing of how he’d been even more eager to leave the small town of Riverbend, British Columbia, behind than she had.

  “Please, Lindsey. At least say you’ll think about it.”

  Lindsey closed her eyes, letting the biting wind cool her cheeks. More like letting it pelt her with icy snowflakes through the open window. “Get in the car, Madison.”

  Her sister tilted her head to one side. “You’ll think about it?”

  “Fine. I’ll think about it. Now get in.”

  “Yay!” Madison sashayed around the car as Lindsey raised the window and rubbed her cold hands together.

  Several other teens hung around the parking lot beside the church, presumably waiting for their rides home. The winter roads would only get worse in the next few hours. At least when she’d lived in Castlebrook, there had been city transit wherever she needed to go, especially on the occasional wintry days. Being back in Riverbend meant driving everywhere. The town was too long and skinny for walking yet too small for a bus system. She hadn’t driven on slick roads in eight years.

  She shifted into reverse and gingerly put her foot on the accelerator, but Madison’s hand grabbed her arm. “There he is. Pastor Nick is the dreamiest thing ever, don’t you think?”

  Lindsey glanced at the man’s silhouette framed against the brightly lit rectangle of the open church doorway. Kind of hard to tell. She pressed the gas and the tires spun. Great exit. Or lack of exit, as the case might be. She pushed harder and the tires whirred as the rear of the car slid sideways.

  Oh, no! Heart pounding, Lindsey removed her foot before she smacked the black Toyota parked beside her. Bare centimeters separated them.

  “Whoa, don’t hit Pastor Nick’s car!”

  As though she’d done it on purpose. Lindsey sucked in a deep breath. “It’s really slippery.”

  Madison slumped in the passenger seat. “Want me to drive?”

  “Are you kidding me? You only got your learner’s permit last week.”

  “Well, I can drive at least as good as you can.”

  She probably could, but no way was Lindsey going to test that out. But how was she going to get this old car out of the parking lot with apparently bald tires?

  A rush of cold wind and snow blasted in as Madison shoved her door open. “Hey! Give us a push!” she hollered.

  Great. All Lindsey needed was a dozen teens making fun of her. And Pastor Nick, of course, though he was probably some balding ancient man and not the amazingly hot guy Nick Harrison had likely turned into since high school.

  The group streamed toward the car and leaned on the hood. Someone tapped on her window and she pressed the button to lower it again.

  “On the count of three, give it a little gas.”

  She knew that voice. Nick?

  “One.”

  Harrison?

  “Two.”

  Not a chance.

  “Three.”

  A pastor?

  The teens pushed against the hood. Belatedly Lindsey remembered she was supposed to be helping. She jammed her foot on the accelerator and the car slid backwards. Sideways, but backwards. Away from the other car.

  Nick Harrison? A pastor? Couldn’t be. The name had brought back memories, that was all. Her mind played tricks on her. Not Nick. Not that player who’d tampered with her heart.

  In a flurry of icy slush, her car cleared the black Toyota and spun so it faced the street. Now if it would only go forward.

  “You should be all right now, but you need new tires.” Nick loomed in her wide-open car window.

  As if she hadn’t figured t
hat out.

  Maybe as long as she kept quiet, he wouldn’t recognize her. Where was Madison, anyway? After all this, she couldn’t leave without her sister.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met.” Nick peered in. “I’m Nick Harrison, the youth pastor here at River of Life Church.”

  “I, uh…” Lindsey tapped the horn. Madison needed to come now.

  Nick pulled back. “Sorry.”

  Lindsey kept her face turned away. The collar of her coat, the scarf around her neck, and the knitted woolen tuque pulled down over her hair should all help to camouflage her.

  “Hey, Pastor Nick! Thanks. My sister isn’t used to driving in winter anymore.” Madison ran and slid across the icy parking lot toward the driver’s side.

  Lindsey jerked her thumb toward the passenger seat, but of course Madison couldn’t see. Or chose to ignore it.

  Her little sister slid right into Nick, who held her upright. “Glad to help.” He glanced back at Lindsey. “Drive safely and try to stay off the roads until the sand truck has been by.”

  She nodded sharply.

  “Pastor Nick, this is my sister Lindsey. She’s the new chef at the Water Wheel. You know, that farm-to-table restaurant beside the park. Remember the committee said I could ask her to cook for our Valentine’s banquet?”

  Lindsey froze, and it wasn’t just the swirling snow.

  “Lindsey?” Nick’s voice sounded closer. He was looking at her now. Really looking. “Lindsey Solberg?”

  “Um, yes.” Could she pretend not to recognize him? Would he believe her?

  “Wow, long time no see. What brings you back to Riverbend?” He held up a gloved hand. “Oh, wait, Madison just said. So you’re a chef now?”

  She nodded. “Madison, get in, will you? I want to get home before the roads get even worse.”

  Madison ran around the car, slipping and sliding like it was some big game.

  “Good to see you again, Lindsey. I’d love to take you out for coffee and catch up.”

  Coffee? No way. Not with Nick. “I’m busy.”

  He grinned. That same goofy grin that’d had every girl in high school hanging onto every word he said. “You can’t work every single day, can you? When’s your next day off?”

  She bit her lip. “Tuesday. But I’m busy.”

  Madison collapsed into the passenger seat and pulled the car door shut. She reached for her seat belt.

  “Gotta go. Nice seeing you.” Lindsey put the car in Drive.

  “We’ll catch up soon!” called Nick as she slid the window back up.

  He hadn’t changed a bit, still sure of his charm. But still… a pastor? That was definitely a change.

  ~*~

  Nick stuffed both hands in the pockets of his down parka and watched Lindsey’s car slide onto Pitoni Street and head north. If he’d guessed the roads would turn so terrible during youth group he’d have canceled. A few of the teens had driven themselves with novice drivers’ licenses, the second tier of B.C.’s graduated licensing system. Others lived within walking distance, but many relied on a parent to swing by.

  Or a sister.

  How could he possibly have guessed Lindsey was Madison’s sister when they had different surnames and didn’t look a thing alike? Nothing had prepared him for seeing Lindsey again. Ten years ago he’d been at the top of the high school food chain doling out attention only to those he deemed fit to receive it.

  Lindsey hadn’t made the cut. Two grades behind him, she’d been an awkward girl with braces on her teeth. She’d been on the cheerleading squad. He’d teased her once that she yelled loudest when she yelled his name. She turned beet red and vanished, confirming her crush. He kept on poking fun of her adoration outwardly, but secretly found her fascinating. Fast forward to the end of the year, and he moved on to University of Calgary with a hockey scholarship.

  Nobody had ever cheered loudest for him since then.

  Didn’t look like she was cheering for him now. She hadn’t been able to get out of the parking lot fast enough.

  Lindsey didn’t wear braces anymore. The slightly awkward adolescent was long gone, replaced by a cool, confident woman. The kind of woman he’d like to get to know, unlike anyone he’d met since his return to Riverbend. Had he subconsciously been waiting for her?

  He’d give her a day or two, then see if she’d go out with him at least once. Somehow he didn’t think once would be enough.

  Chapter 2

  Lindsey tapped the button to end the call on her cell phone and turned slowly around. A slither of socks in the vinyl hallway told her all she needed to know. Madison had been eavesdropping on her call.

  “Madison!”

  “Yes?” Her sister sounded breathy as she appeared in the doorway of Lindsey’s bedroom. “Who was it?”

  Lindsey stared at her.

  Eyes wide, Madison casually flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  “How would Nick Harrison have gotten my phone number, do you think?”

  “Umm…” Madison batted her eyelashes. “I didn’t think you’d mind. Isn’t he the cutest guy ever?”

  Lindsey waved her phone under her sister’s nose. “Do not assume I want people to have my number. Especially guys. Okay? I have a job to do here, and I don’t have time for a social life. Nor do I want one.”

  Madison tilted her head to one side. “But Nick…” Her voice faded off into dreamland.

  “Oh, stop it already. I mean it. No more giving out my number.”

  “Because he asked you out, and you’re going, and you’ll marry him, so no one else will ever need it?”

  “What on earth, Madison? No!”

  Her sister’s face fell. “He didn’t ask you out?”

  Lindsey dropped the phone on her bed and grabbed her sister by both shoulders. “He did, and I said no. Madison, listen to me. Stop meddling. I’m not interested in dating right now.”

  “You said no? To Nick Harrison?” Madison’s eyes grew wide as she fanned her face. “You must be crazy. There’s not a girl alive who wouldn’t want to go out with him. You don’t just turn him down.”

  “Then I guess I’m dead. Whatever.” It wasn’t a matter of wanting to or not. Madison was right. Any female with a pulse would want to. That was the whole reason she’d said no.

  That and disbelief he’d really changed. A youth pastor? Not the Nick Harrison she’d once known.

  ~*~

  Nick paced the living room of his small apartment. Didn’t take that many steps to get from one end to the other. Out the window, early January continued her barrage. The wind carved falling snow into drifts that stretched toward the other side of the street, as though to escape the reach of the street lamps. The temperature had plummeted to fifteen below Celsius since night had fallen.

  She’d said no. She hadn’t even been overly nice about it.

  Probably served him right. High school memories had dimmed due to the partying he’d done for a few years, but somewhere in there he remembered pretending to be interested in Lindsey to get even with her best friend Sarah. Once Sarah had gotten his intended message, he’d ditched them both.

  He’d all but forgotten Sarah in the intervening years, but Lindsey’s blue eyes, filled with hurt, had lingered.

  Lindsey Solberg. A chef. Madison said she’d asked her sister to consider catering the Valentine’s banquet the youth were planning for a fundraiser for their missions trip at spring break. He didn’t need to win Lindsey in a day. They’d both returned to Riverbend. Both were single. Madison surely wouldn’t have doled out her sister’s number if she were married. Besides, Lindsey would have made sure he knew.

  So, yes, single. How could he convince her he was different than her memory? That he’d changed? Become a Christian, gone to seminary, and served the Lord with all his heart at River of Life Church?

  He’d win her over. Little gifts. Notes. He’d do the whole secret admirer thing while keeping any face-to-face meetings strictly business. For a while.

  Now, w
hat could he start with?

  ~*~

  Lindsey trudged up the walk to the 50s-style split-entry she shared with her half-sister and step dad. Every time she’d glanced out the window of the Water Wheel all day long, she’d seen snowflakes fluttering by. The cold gray waters of the Sandon River flowed just beyond the patio that, come summer, would be full of patrons enjoying both the food and the view from the historic building.

  All of Riverbend seemed hushed today beneath the half-meter of snow that had fallen in the past few days. The snowplow steadily churned up one street and down the next, pushing the heavy snowfall into the center of the roadways. It took a four-by-four to make a left turn anywhere in town with that center pile higher than many vehicles.

  Perfect days for leaving Greg’s car parked and walking to work, though it took a good half hour. She’d be just fine not getting behind the wheel again until spring.

  Lindsey pushed the door open and entered the shelter of the drab house. She’d move out of Greg’s place in a heartbeat, but she couldn’t bear to leave Madison behind again. Not now that their mother was gone. Her sister needed her.

  “Hey, there was something for you in the mailbox!” Madison slid down the wood-toned vinyl hallway into view.

  That kid ran and slid everywhere. So much energy.

  “Oh? What’s that?” She unwrapped the scarf and shrugged out of her coat, hanging both on a hook. Then she unzipped her tall boots and wiggled her toes. Frozen, but they wouldn’t likely fall off. She shoved her feet into furry pink slippers. Moving back to Riverbend in the dead of winter had been a dumb idea. For many reasons.

  “No stamps or postmark, so somebody must have put it there in person.” Madison brandished a package wrapped in brown paper and tied in twine from above the railing in the living room.