Saving Hanna (Romantic Suspense)
Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgment
Title
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About the Author
New Releases
Media Contacts
Copyright © 2018 A.L. Long
Saving Hanna
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent of the author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictionally, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Interior edited by H. Elaine Roughton
Cover design by Elena Krishtop
Acknowledgment
To my wonderful husband, who is with me heart, body and soul through each word I write. If it weren’t for him my dream of writing would have never been fulfilled. I love you, sweetheart. And to my family, whom I also love dearly. Through their love and support, I can continue my passion for writing.
To the many readers, who took a chance on me and purchased my books. I hope that I can continue to fill your hearts with the passion I have grown to love.
Most of all I want to thank my incredible PA, Barbara Danks. I don’t know where I would be without her and to my wonderful Street Team (Athena Kelly, Lori Hammons, Kristen Ann Tanner, Marsha Black, Sallie Ann, Andrea Miles Rhoads, ). You ladies have been a godsend.
Saving
Hanna
A.L. Long
Chapter One
HANNA
My name is Hanna Marsh, and this is where my story begins. I am twenty-five years old, born in the country, where the only thing I ever knew was being a farmer’s daughter. Life wasn’t so bad. It was simple. All I had to worry about was making sure I fed the pigs and chickens and collected the eggs that Maggie, our one and only hen, laid. More than that, I was the oldest and given the responsibility of keeping my younger brother, Carter, out of trouble. I think my father figured it was a good way to keep Carter out of his hair since he was no more interested in farming than I was in wearing the dresses that Ma had sewn for me, which I wore every Sunday when we attended church. Not that they weren’t pretty, but I liked wearing my worn jeans and my faded t-shirts instead. Ma said, “Hanna, you need to look like a girl instead of like your brother.” It was the only thing I could remember about her before she died. I was only fourteen, but I would never forget what seemed to be a dying wish.
My father passed shortly after my Ma. Some said his heart was broken and loneliness set in. My Ma was his world. I guess he didn’t want to live without her and taking his life was his way of being with her. I wish he had thought it through because he left behind me and Carter. The farm was all I had left to remind me of my father. To this day, I am still feeding the chickens and the pigs and collecting eggs from Maggie. At least, I was until two days ago. I should have known something was up with Carter when I hadn’t heard from him in a while. He never liked the country life, and I accepted that he wanted to move to the city to make something of himself. Little did I know that it would cost me everything I loved. I never imagined I would lose the farm to pay for his dream. The day I lost the farm was the day I lost my brother. I would never forgive him for taking away the last bit of happiness I ever knew.
~****~
“Hanna, table three needs water. Would you mind cleaning table seven after you are finished with the water?” Dotty’s voice rang from across the small café.
It had been exactly one year and two days since I lost the farm. I would never forget the day I handed the keys to the house to the banker that took possession as payment for my brother’s debt. I wish I could have bought my brother out so I could take him off the deed. To this day, I still didn’t know how Carter had the know-how to put the farm up as collateral to get a loan he had no intention of ever paying back.
I put away every penny I’d earned working at the café, hoping one day to buy back the farm, or at least buy a chunk of land somewhere in the country where I could build a new one. Living in the country was a way of life for me. The overcrowded city of Houston, Texas, was the last place I wanted to settle down. There was only one thing good about Houston, and that was my chances of running into Carter were next to impossible.
Heading over to table three, I heard the bell above the door ring as another customer to Dotty’s Diner entered the small diner. The customers were always the same: elderly and in need of a good home-cooked meal. Most of them were long-time customers of Dotty’s who had been coming in since she opened the café some thirty years ago. It was much smaller than, according to Dotty, until she took out a loan against the diner to buy the shop next door. She wanted to expand even more, but could never get the owner on the other side to agree to sell his shop. Every day she looked out the door and watched him enter his shop. She always said, “If that old coot would just kick the bucket, then I could buy his store too.”
She hated the people his store attracted as he was a pawn dealer. And he wasn’t willing to sell her his shop, at least not while he was still alive and able to run it. It didn’t matter that he was older than dirt and on his last leg. He knew how much Dotty hated his clientele and he did everything he could do to take advantage of that fact. Once, he even displayed some of his pawned items on the sidewalk outside his shop just to draw in the customers, knowing how angry Dotty would get.
Gathering the last of the dishes from table seven, I quickly wiped it clean, making it ready for the next customer. Hearing the bell ring once again above the door, I looked up with a smile to greet the customer. My smile changed into that of bewilderment when a tall gentleman wearing an expensive suit entered the diner. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he took a seat at the counter. As confident as he appeared to be, there was no way he belonged here. The diner sported the laid-back kind of people, and this man seemed far from laid back.
Picking up the gray tub filled with dirty dishes, I headed over to where the man sat to get a better look at him. His masculine features did him justice. He was beyond handsome. The minute he looked my way and our eyes met, I knew I had been caught staring at him. My face must have turned ten different shades of red from embarrassment. I wasn’t the type to stare at strangers, but this man was picture-perfect and my eyes were glued to him, and that was putting it mildly.
Turning away from him to hide my embarrassment, I pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen to make my escape. One thing I didn’t count on was Byron coming from the other side to meet me. Being embarr
assed twice in one day was the last thing I wanted, but the tub I was carrying flew in the air above me. Trying to catch it before it hit the floor, I ended up losing my balance, sending me on the way down. I could only pray that when I hit the floor, I wouldn’t end up really hurting myself.
Closing my eyes, I waited for the inevitable to happen, only it never came. Knowing Byron was in front of me, I did not expect someone to grab me from behind to keep my body upright so I would avoid a hard crash to the floor.
His voice was deep. “Miss, are you okay?”
Readjusting the dress that looked like it had come from the 1960s, I turned to the voice to find it was the handsome gentleman that had my mind spinning. Tongue-tied, I smiled gratefully and said, “Thank you,” in a shy, shallow voice. What I really wanted to say was, “Where did you come from?”
Our eyes were connected for much longer than we both had expected, tipping on the edge of awkwardness before the man responded, “You’re quite welcome. It would sadden me if as pretty a girl as yourself would have injured herself.”
I could feel my cheeks redden in reaction to his comment. No one had ever regarded me as pretty. Sending the man one last smile, I bent down and helped Byron clean up the mess I had made. Thankfully, the man returned to his seat, giving me the room I needed to compose myself. Looking over to Byron, he didn’t seem at all happy with what had just taken place. Come to think about it, he never seemed happy about anything. He was definitely a different breed of man. More gothic than anything with his dark black hair, which I was positive he colored to match his painted black fingernails. It was no wonder that Dotty kept him in the kitchen. Removing his nail polish and the many piercings he had on his face wasn’t an option for him, but for Dotty it was the only way she would consider moving him out of his current position of dishwasher.
Handing the tub to Byron, I headed back to the dining area to welcome any customers that might have entered during my absence. Glancing quickly over to the counter, the handsome gentleman had his attention drawn to the menu. Seeing that no one had entered the diner, I headed his way to take his order. Pulling the small notepad from my apron, I flipped it open to a clean sheet. Before I reached the counter, I grabbed a full water pitcher sitting near the waitress station. By the time I had reached to counter, he must have already made his choice as the menu was now lying flat against the counter.
With a welcoming smile, I stood opposite of him and asked timidly, “Are you ready to order?” while taking a clean glass from under the counter and filling it with water.
When he looked up at me, I couldn’t help but notice his eyes. I couldn’t tell if they were blue or green, but they were warm and inviting, which had no problem drawing me in. Catching myself once again on the verge of an embarrassing situation, I cleared my throat and said, “What will it be then?”
With a smile that was more like a mischievous grin, he replied, “What do you recommend, Hanna?”
Smiling up at him, knowing his reference to my name was because it was embroidered on my pink dress, I opened the menu and pointed to the County Skillet with a side of dollar pancakes and two slices of bacon and nervously replied, “It’s the best.”
Chapter Two
HANNA
My shift was almost over and the only excitement of the day was Mr. Handsome from this morning. Nothing more was said between us, other than the “Thank You,” he had written on his ticket that accompanied the twenty-dollar tip he left, which I thought was overly generous considering his meal only cost $10.56, including tax. I felt bad that I avoided him instead of thanking him before he left. My lack of confidence, especially in talking with people, got in the way. It seems the words always managed to remain in my head, never making it to my lips. Filling the last of the salt and pepper shakers, I headed through the steel swinging door, looking through the small glass window before entering. The last thing I wanted was to run into Byron on the other side.
Untying my once-white apron, I disposed of it in the canvas laundry hamper and headed to my locker to gather my things. Stopping short at Dotty’s office, I poked my head in and said, “See you tomorrow.”
Even though she was busy punching in numbers on her desk calculator, she gave me a quick wave goodbye. Before I could take another step, her sweet voice sounded, “Hanna, wait.”
Rocking on my heel, I leaned backward enough to see her looking up at me. Making eye contact, I answered, “Whatcha need, Dotty?”
“I just wanted to let you know that the gentleman that is renting the apartment above the diner is moving out at the end of next month,” she began. “It’s all yours, if you’re still interested.”
I had been waiting a long time for the apartment above the diner to come available. My current living situation was less than desirable, and with the money I needed to save, it limited me on what I could afford to rent. Dotty knew I was saving practically everything I made and offered to only charge me the cost of utilities when the apartment came available. So “being interested” was an understatement, to say the least. Clapping my hands together, I did a fist pump and said, “My things are packed. Let me know when he is out. I’ll even clean the place myself.”
“I doubt he will leave a mess when he leaves. He’s an excellent tenant and to be quite honest, I hate to see him go.”
I didn’t know the guy, other than what Dotty told me about him. She always said she would hire him as her personal handyman if he didn’t already have a job. Everything he had done for her was beyond anything she could ever pay him for. So, instead, she reduced his rent. It was her way of letting him know she appreciated everything he did even if it was for no other reason than to help her out.
Loading my backpack with the personal items I had taken out earlier, I exited the diner using the back door and headed down the back parking lot where I had parked my car. When I got to my car, I stuck the key inside the lock and pulled the door open. My beater Toyota might not have been the newest car in the lot, but at least it was reliable. Other than a few minor repairs, I could always count on it getting me where I needed to go.
It was quickly approaching six o’clock, and the sun was beginning to set. I hated getting home in the dark since Parkhurst Drive wasn’t the best street to live on. There was an upside though. The rent was fairly cheap, and aside from the noise of the trains coming and going, the neighborhood was fairly quiet. Nobody bothered me, and as long as I didn’t say or do anything about the traffic in and out of the neighbor’s house across the street, I was just fine.
Parking my car alongside the small house I rented for $450 a month, I grabbed my backpack off the front seat and headed toward the house. I remember when I first rented this house, there wasn’t much of a lock on the door and anyone could push right in. I had begged the landlord to fix for months, but I was wasting my breath. I ultimately ended up purchasing a deadbolt lock, which cost me $150 to have installed. It was well worth the money considering where I lived. Thankfully, soon, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone breaking in. In a month and a half, I would be in my new apartment above the diner in a much safer neighborhood.
Placing my backpack on the burnt orange couch, I headed to the 1970s kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the olive-green refrigerator. There wasn’t anything about this place I would miss. I definitely wouldn’t miss hearing the 5:00 a.m. sound of the train passing by since the conductor always felt the need to blow the horn.
Taking my water with me, I plopped down on the couch and pulled my phone from my pack. There was only one contact I had in my phone and that was the diner. Since I wouldn’t be contacting my brother, I didn’t feel the need to add his number. Until he was ready to fix the mistake, he made and get me the farm back, I had no reason to call him. Scrolling through my apps, I pushed the music icon and turned up the volume on my phone. Listening to music was the only entertainment I had. I wasn’t much for watching television, nor did I have one.
It was getting late and my eyes were getting heavy. Knowin
g I had an early shift in the morning, I pushed from the couch, and headed to my room. When I got there, I slid back the accordion-style door to the one and only bedroom in the house. It wasn’t much, but it was my favorite room. Every picture I owned hung on the walls, reminding me of what I had lost. Sometimes it saddened me when I looked at the pictures of Mom and Dad. I missed them so much, and if they were still alive, I knew I would still be back in Danbury.
Grabbing my favorite t-shirt, I headed to the bathroom to wash the grime from the day off my face. I wasn’t sure what the owner of this house had been thinking, but he must have gotten a special deal on accordion doors. Pushing the door tight against the frame, I held it in place as I entered the small room. Other than a sink, a toilet, and a small shower, there was barely enough room to stand. I guess the owner thought there wouldn’t be much time spent in the bathroom. He must not have taken into consideration that a woman would rent the house.
Reaching inside the shower, I grabbed the pair of pliers I used to turn on the hot water. Having given up on the landlord replacing the knob, I had to use my own resources to get the water on. Waiting until the water got hot, I gazed in the mirror to see a reflection of myself which looked tired and unhappy. I had no reason to be happy other than knowing I would be moving out of this place soon. Lifting my chin, I scanned my facial features and noticed that I was looking a lot older than my twenty-five years. Saddened, it reminded me just how lonely my life was. Other than having contact with the people from the diner, I didn’t have a social life. I can’t even remember the last time I went out and had fun. Upset, I shook my finger at my reflection and said, “Don’t you dare start feeling sorry for yourself, Hanna.” It was the one thing I promised myself I would never do.