Chapter 1: Clementine
I’ve never walked into a bar and been immediately invited to a wedding before. But that’s exactly what happens when I find my way into Valentine’s Bar and Grill on the outskirts of Whisper Valley. I came here looking for my childhood best friend, Fanny Longbottom aka Serenity, and within five minutes of arriving, I’m watching two strangers marry to the delight of all gathered. It feels like a blessing.
“Bet your cards didn’t tell you this would happen the moment you got into town,” Serenity says, beaming beside me as the happy couple are pronounced husband and wife.
“I beg to differ. They told me I’d find love, actually,” I say, fighting my grin at the way her brow arches when I share what my most recent Tarot reading revealed.
“Love, you say?”
With a laugh, I nod to where her brother-in-law Ajax and his bride are enjoying their first kiss as a married couple. “Yes. And I’m thinking I found exactly that.”
She angles herself toward me and takes my hands in hers. “Oh, but what if this isn’t what the cards were suggesting? What if it’s a special love just for you?”
Grinning at her, I shake my head. “You and I both know that I’m just a witness in this world. My destiny is to be the fun, free-spirited, single aunt who travels the countryside and never stays in one place long enough for people to realize I’m unexciting.”
“Unexciting?” She scoffs and shakes her head. “That isn’t a word I would ever choose to describe you, Clem.”
“Precisely my point. I don’t set down roots for good reason.”
Pressing her lips into a smile, she releases a deep breath. “Maybe Whisper Valley is the answer your wandering soul has been looking for.”
“Wandering is the answer, my sweet friend. But I do have to admit that I love the vibe here. These mountains have a certain kind of energy about them. I felt it as soon as I arrived here.”
Her eyes widen. “I have to introduce you to Jade. She’s got a theory about that.”
“You fillin’ our guest’s head with soulwink ideas the moment she gets here?” her husband, a burly man named Nelson says from her other side.
“Soulwink?” I ask, leaning forward so I can meet his green eyes. “That sounds like something that’s right up my alley.”
“Right?” Serenity says with a girlish giggle. “It will blow your mind, Clem.”
“Maybe give her a chance to settle in first?” Nelson suggests lowering his voice to add, “Just let it run its course.”
I sit back and frown slightly, but I don’t question him because I’m quite sure that last part wasn't for my ears. Still, I’d like to know exactly what he means by that. What kind of nature needs to run its course? And what on earth is a soulwink? Once I find out who this Jade woman is, I’m going to have to find some answers.
Applause erupts from the tiny gathering as music starts playing from the sound system and the happy couple join hands and walk down the makeshift aisle. Within moments, the chairs are spirited away, and we’re all moving toward the bar where a dark-haired man is handing out bottles of beer and pre-prepared cocktails.
“Oh, no. Not for me, thanks. I don’t drink,” I say when I’m offered a drink by a jovial bearded giant.
“Do you eat?” he asks with a slightly narrowed eye as he pours me a glass of lemonade instead. “We’re gonna have a problem if you say you don’t eat.”
Tossing my head back, I laugh. “I definitely eat. A woman doesn’t get curves like these without enjoying a good meal on the regular.”
With a smile, he hands me the ice-cold glass. “You’ll fit in just great then, sugar. Name’s Kellen, by the way. My wife is the stunning blonde over there fawning over her new soul sister. You’ll find they’re all the nicest, most welcomin’ ladies you’ve ever met.”
“Soul sister, huh?” I turn to where he indicates and find almost every woman in the room is gathered around her with a cocktail glass held aloft in cheers. It’s then I realize that every single one of them is also plus-sized. Interesting.
Taking another quick scan of the room, I note that every single man is huge but in a muscular way. And if that isn’t enough to get my mystic senses tingling with interest, they also all have the most wonderful forest-green eyes. Uncanny.
“Exactly what is a soulwink?” I ask, turning back to Kellen but finding him no longer there. He’s moved along the bar and is now talking—well, debating something—with the man in the kitchen with short, cropped hair. He also has the green eyes, so I’m guessing they’re brothers or something.
“How is everyone related here?” I ask the only other person near to me, a man with messy light brown hair and tattoos all over his exposed forearms who’s nursing a half-drunk bottle of beer from his stool at the bar.
He looks at me in alarm. “Me?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Is there someone else next to you?”
Glancing to the other side of him he bounces a shoulder. “Guess not.”
“Are you brothers?” I move a little closer to him and he gets off his stool, seeming edgy like he’d rather be anywhere than here right now.
“Brothers, cousins. We all grew up together here.”
“That must be nice. I don’t have any family, so it’s always wonderful for me to see such a big one getting along.”
He gives me a twitch of a smile and starts rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt back down and securing them at his wrists. “I should, uh, go. I’m sure there are photos I’m supposed to be in or something.”
“Oh, OK. Well, it was nice to meet you, er…”
“Rafe,” he says, walking backward.
I smile. “Rafe. I’m—”
“Sugar. Yeah, I heard,” he says, spinning on his heel and walking away from me as fast as he can.
When I turn back to the bar, I lift my top slightly to make sure I don’t stink. I seem to be doing a great job chasing everyone away so far.
“There you are,” Serenity says, placing her hands on my shoulders as she comes up behind me. I turn to face her. “Sorry to abandon you. Just doing the whole congratulatory thing. You want me to introduce you around?”
“Ahhh, you know what?” I press my glass into her hand and take a step back. “I might actually head off. This is a family thing and I’m kind of the odd one out here. Would you please tell the bride and groom that I wish them well, and you and I can catch up some time soon, yeah?”
She quickly places the glass on the bar and catches me by the wrist. “Wait. Where are you staying?”
“I figured I’d just head to the camping grounds and set up there.”
“Don’t do that. We’ve got a spare cabin on the mountain right now. Ainsley, the bride, was renting it. But she’s moved in with Ajax now so it’s sitting vacant. Why don’t you head up there and I’ll bring you the keys as soon as I get a chance to get away?”
“I couldn’t ask you to leave a family gathering for that, Serenity. I can just stay in my van for the night and you can bring the keys tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? I mean, wouldn’t you be more comfortable in the cabin?”
“I love my van, Ren. To me, it’s home, so there’s no place more comfortable. I’ll be completely fine.”
“OK then. Well, I’ll see you in the morning. First thing.”
“Sounds perfect.” I draw her into a hug. “And thank you. I appreciate you so much.”
“You too. Drive safe, OK?” she says after giving me the address I’m heading to.
“Is there any other way?”
Rolling her eyes because of her knowledge of my reckless youth, she laughs as I blow her a kiss and head out the back door beside the kitchen, smiling as the sounds of laughter and joy fall away behind me. Then I stop and take a deep inhale of the fresh, cool mountain air. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I heard it whisper… Home…
Chapter 2: Rafe
“It’s not a soulwink. I’m just hard up and she’s fucking gorgeous,” I mutter to myself as I pace back and forth in the parking lot, scrubbing a hand through my hair. This is insane.
I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m pacing out the front of my cousins’ bar because I’m letting my family get in my head over this ‘soulwink’ thing Kellen’s wife came up with. Jade has barely been in town for a year, but the moment she stepped into it and she and Kellen fell head over heels for each other, she’s been convinced there’s magic in the air. The way she tells it, the moment a Valentine man locks eyes with the woman he’s meant to spend his life with, their souls recognize each other and give a little ‘wink’ in acknowledgement. And since all of my cousins and brothers have dropped like flies the moment a pretty girl wandered into town from that moment on, they’ve all gotten on board with her ramblings.
As the lone, unattached Valentine male left standing, I’ve stood by and witnessed them all go rushing headfirst into marriage, buoyed by the idea that fairytale magic and soulmates really do exist. I think they’re crazy.
If there’s one thing I know for sure in this world, it’s that magic is just a trick performed on stage in front of an audience. The real thing doesn’t exist. And I stand firm in my belief that in about two years’ time, the Valentine family is going to be plagued by a bunch of grumpy old divorcees lamenting the decisions they made today. Statistically, over fifty percent of marriages fail, and while I can’t find any hard data on the subject, I’m pretty sure that rushed marriages fail a heck of a lot more often. If we’re lucky, one or two Valentine marriages might manage to thrive, but I’m betting that once this honeymoon period is over, and the excitement of sex on tap gives way to real-world problems and responsibility, my relatives and their wives are all going to be singing a very different tune. Maybe they’ll rename it to a soulstink instead?
“Couldn’t find anyone taking photos?” a voice asks to my right.
I turn to find Sugar—weird name—emerging from the back of the bar where the kitchen access is. My heart starts rapid thumping all over again. Fuck, she’s pretty. She has long, caramel and honey colored hair all the way down to her waist. Her long fingers are adorned with silver rings and gemstones that pair perfectly with the corded rainbow charm around her neck. When she moves, her floor-length skirt swishes from side to side, making it look like she’s floating. And the simple white tank sets off the bronze glow of her skin and hugs her ample curves. She looks like summer and dessert all wrapped up in a curvy package.
Looking at her seems to knock the words right out of me. It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted a woman in my bed this much, so to save myself from saying something completely inappropriate, I choose silence instead.
“Cat got your tongue?” She tilts her head slightly, and all I want to do is run my fingertips along the exposed skin of her neck.
Smiling, I step back and shake my head. “Not one for small talk, I suppose.”
“Oh?” Her brow shoots up and her smile brightens. “You sound like my kind of person, Rafe Valentine. I’m not a fan of small talk either. I’d much rather sit for a long time looking up at the night sky and discussing the origins of the universe. No one needs to talk about the weather.”
“Especially since we’re all experiencing it at the same time.”
“Indeed.” With her smile fixed in place, she looks at me for a long moment then sucks in a deep breath and nods toward the parking lot. “I’m actually heading out. Maybe I’ll see you around while I’m in town?”
“You staying long?”
She walks backward a little and bounces a shoulder. “Who knows?”
“What does that mean?” I frown and find myself walking forward as she walks back.
“It means I’ll stay until I don’t want to anymore.”
Glancing over her shoulder before looking back to me, I follow her gaze and notice for the first time a classic VW campervan parked at the edge of the lot. “I have no idea how I missed that,” I say, stopping and looking over the white and teal van. “You live in there?”
“Sure do. I’m not a big fan of spending too much time in one place, so a life on wheels suits me just fine.”
“It’s… pretty.”
She arches a brow. “You say that like you expected any vehicle I drive to be ugly.” Fuck. “But I’m choosing to take it as a compliment instead, so…thanks?”
“No. Shit. I swear I didn’t mean it like that. Of course anything you drive would be pretty. Beautiful, even. I was…I was just trying to say it’s a cool-lookin’ campervan. I’ve never seen one restored this well.” When I finish rapid firing my explanation at her, I take a deep breath and glance her way, noticing the way her mouth is kicking up at the corners. “You’re messin’ with me, aren’t you?”
“A little.” She chuckles before glancing back toward the bar. “I should go. And you should probably get back inside. I’m sure your family is wondering where you went by now.”
I open my mouth to argue that I’m probably the last person on their minds right now, but then Kellen steps out to prove me wrong, hollering my name and something about a toast they needed me for.
“S’pose you’re right,” I say, lifting a hand to signal to Kellen that I’ll be there soon. “Sure you don’t want to come back in and have some food? I’m sure there’s plenty.”
When I turn back to her, I’m met with empty space, my answering sound the revving of her van when the engine ignites. I step back in surprise, smiling when she gives me a wave and the camper seems to amble off, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving me standing in it.
“Things are goin’ well with the new girl then?” Kellen teases, a shit-eating grin on his face as I walk back toward the bar.
“Don’t start,” I say, earning myself a chuckle from my cousin, who I’m sure is going to tell everyone a pretty girl just made me eat her dust.
