Chance on Lovin' You Read online

  EBONI SNOE

  A Chance On Lovin’ You

  Dedication

  To Ida Scott-Falls, Mary Falls-Scott

  and Annie Falls-Moore

  for their support in a time of need

  Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  About the Author

  Other Books by Eboni Snoe

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Lightning lit up the sky

  and Cay took hold of her hand.

  Sasha’s eyes were wide and frightened when he looked into her face. Gently, he turned her loose.

  “This, too, is part of living in the Keys,” he declared. “It’s a part that will either nourish you or break you. The stormy side of the people here. The secrets we hold. It is the price that some of us pay.”

  “You make it sound ominous. I think it’s beautiful.” Sasha looked up at the sky.

  “Yes, risk can sometimes be beautiful,” Cay agreed. “The beauty lies in the uncertainty. The thrill. But it takes a lot of courage to walk that path. I’ve learned to play it safe.”

  “Are you telling me you’re a coward, Cay Ellis?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “But I know that’s not true.” She thought of how he rescued her from the storm.

  “When it comes to some things. When it comes to you,” his voice was husky as his face descended, “perhaps I am a coward.”

  Prologue

  It was as if the mighty hand upstairs had flipped a coin. But as Sasha Townsend long ago realized, the ultimate power never uses coins. It uses people’s lives. This time, a heads up had appeared for her life.

  Sasha had never owned land before. A town house with a zero-sized lot, yes. But not three acres of land. It might not be much to many folks, but to Sasha the Floridian property appeared to go on forever.

  The impact of what she saw was startling. This was the first time she had actually seen her inheritance, walked on it, and each step turned into an exploration. The sloping ground was a precious thing beneath her. The air smelled so promising. If it were possible, Sasha believed she could have tasted abundance on Magic Key.

  Sasha wasn’t exactly a nature lover, but something here moved her as she gazed up at the sky. Was it joy? Perhaps. But Sasha and joy had parted company so long before it was difficult for her to know.

  Part of it was her fault. She was thirty years old and couldn’t think of anyone who was really close to her. Sasha had come to believe that most people were insincere. They said things they didn’t mean, motivated perhaps by an ulterior motive or just plain nosiness. From Sasha’s experience, on a scale of one to ten, ten being perfection, human nature would score a three. As a younger woman it pained her to admit it, but with time a callus had hardened the tender spots in her heart.

  As a result she had created a life no bigger than a shoe box. It contained the school where she taught and the town house where she lived with her ailing mother. Eight years before, directly out of college, Sasha had taken the first position offered in her hometown of Gary, Indiana, in order to take care of her mother, Leslie. Any other relationships were mere shadows. Men had come and gone, and through the years she had loved and lost. But it hadn’t taken Sasha long to decide she did not favor loss, so she cultivated the feminine skill of only appearing to give her heart. Those were times Sasha was not proud of, but she held no regrets. Those times allowed her to give her life to her mother. Now, after Leslie Townsend’s death, the chance to truly live had opened up for Sasha.

  A few months before, the idea of inheriting land from the “other side” of the family would have been laughable. But the cosmic wheel of fortune had been spun, and what was once laughable was now reality. Much to her surprise she inherited the property from the Bethels, estranged relatives on her father’s side of the family.

  Sasha did laugh now, and she broke into her own celebratory dance. She whirled across the flower-filled field, stopping only when her sandal sank into a puddle of mud. She felt dizzy, and the landscape seemed to continue to spin around her, but she was aware of how different the area appeared from before. The trees were thicker, the wildflowers profuse, and there were reeds above the moist, dark earth. It was a natural habitat for any creature that favored dampness, and Sasha immediately considered the possibilities. She stepped back, but she was already ankle-deep in murky water.

  “What in the world?” Sasha spun around. She was standing in a muddy stream that originated at a tiny fountain bubbling out of the earth. “Well look at that. It’s coming right out of the ground,” she exclaimed. “Just like the springs at the Pure Spring bottled water plant where I took my class.”

  She hiked her purse onto her shoulder and put her sunglasses on top of her head. Why is there a natural spring here? she questioned. The island is surrounded by salt water. There must be an underground river running beneath the Key, Sasha rationalized.

  Excited, she cupped her hands above the tiny spout and sipped. The water was unusually sweet. “Mmmm, this is good,” she said as a feeling of euphoria surfaced. “Oh, my. I don’t know what’s happening, but this is wonderful,” Sasha murmured as she closed her eyes and surrendered to it….

  When Sasha opened her eyes she was lying on her back and someone—a man—was looking down at her. She attempted to focus on his face, but it was useless. She closed her eyes again.

  “I thought you would be coming around soon. How do you feel?” a deep voice penetrated the pleasant fog.

  “I feel…I feel,” Sasha repeated, her lips barely moving. “I feel wonderful.”

  “Wonderful? Is that right?” There was a pause. “You should feel lucky as well,” the man continued. “I don’t know why you tourists insist on visiting Magic Key. There’s nothing here for you. Anything you’d be looking for is across the way on Big Pine.” His voice lowered almost to a grumble. “Roaming around these Florida Keys without a clue is not a smart thing to do. One day somebody’s going to get hurt.”

  “Tourists, m-m-m, who’s a tourist?” Sasha opened her eyes again. This time she caught a glimpse of the man’s shoulders before she closed them. They are so broad, she thought as she floated away.

  “Nope. Don’t do that,” he commanded.

  Sasha felt herself being picked up and cradled in the stranger’s arms. “What…what are you doing?” she questioned as she wondered who the stranger was and what his motives might be.

  A tinge of fear sparked, but Sasha noticed how warm and comforting his body felt, and how easily she fit within his arms. No one had carried her in their arms since she was a child, and she opened to the warmth. How wonderful it would be to feel like this all the time, she thought. This is securit
y. This is peace. All too soon she felt herself being propped up against a tree.

  “How much of the damned water did she drink?” the man muttered to himself. “You would think she’d have better sense—”

  “Wha-what did you say?” Sasha emerged again and tried to clear her head. She didn’t like the tone of his voice or the things he was saying. “Sense? I’ve got plenty of sense,” she replied groggily.

  “So you understood that, did you?” The words came from another direction. “I guess you’re doing okay.”

  Sasha put her hands up to her face, then pressed her temples with her fingertips. “I’m doing just fine, thank you.” She hoped she sounded indignant but she wasn’t sure. “It must have been the combination of the heat and the water. This isn’t like me. Maybe the water had some salt in it after all.” Sasha removed her hands from her head.

  “This isn’t like you,” he repeated with obvious cynicism. “Well, whoever you are, you need to be careful while you’re out here exploring these Keys. You’ll find yourself in all kinds of predicaments.”

  “I can assure you I can handle anything that comes my way,” Sasha replied. She focused on the man who was giving her a hard time. A colorful shirt was draped around his neck, and the ends dangled against his mahogany chest. He wore thigh-high cutoff jeans, and Sasha thought, with legs like that, he had to be a runner. She expected him to be barefooted, but his feet were covered by a nice pair of white-soled shoes.

  “I think if I examined you as thoroughly as you are examining me, you might be insulted,” he said in a low voice.

  Sasha looked up at his face. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, silver-gray highlights and all. “From where I’m sitting, your body was the first thing I saw.” She shaded her eyes against the bright sunshine. “I didn’t mean anything by it.” Then Sasha recalled how it felt to be carried in his arms and she wasn’t so sure.

  “I must confess, if I looked at you that way it would mean plenty.” His eyes remained steady. Sasha met the challenge in them before looking away. Feeling silly and at a disadvantage, she began to get up.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he advised.

  She heard his warning just as the intense floating sensation returned. “Whoa-oa,” she said. Sasha eased herself back down to the ground.

  “By now it should be obvious that water was poured by the devil and no good will ever come of it.” The words were filled with loathing. “But you’ll be okay. Just sit still for a little while longer.”

  Sasha closed her eyes and massaged her temples. “Is there something in it?” she asked. She waited for an answer, but all she got was silence. Sasha opened her eyes. The man was gone. She searched the field and the edge of the forest; there was no one there.

  Testing, Sasha moved her head back and forth. She could feel remnants of the euphoria. In hindsight, she knew drinking the springwater had been an impetuous thing to do, probably even stupid. Was the spring toxic? Did it have salt in it? Or had she fainted?

  “That was really a dumb thing to do,” Sasha chided herself as she thought about the stranger and how dangerous the situation might have been. “My purse?” She grabbed her side. The purse was hanging there undisturbed.

  Sasha looked toward the sun as she wondered why she’d passed out. True, it was quite hot, and being from the North, she was unaccustomed to this kind of heat. Her excitement over discovering the spring probably hadn’t helped, either. Perhaps the combination of heat, excitement, and the water had brought on the fainting spell. Slowly, Sasha got to her feet. She felt a little out of sorts, but other than that she felt fine, even energized.

  The strange incident monopolized her thoughts as Sasha made her way back to the small stucco house situated on the property. When she sat down on the front stoop she realized the walk had helped her make up her mind.

  Sasha had toyed with the idea of moving to Magic Key ever since she received the inheritance, but she didn’t know how to make it work. Now the land had provided the answer. It possessed a saleable natural resource: springwater.

  Sasha thought over the changes she would have to make during the next month or so. Moving from Gary to the Keys would be quite a change, and starting a bottled water business would be no small feat, either. Still, Sasha felt accomplishing those goals would be nothing compared to the hardships she and her mother had endured during her last years. Hardships a person as loving as her mother did not deserve.

  The incident at the spring ran through her mind as she watched a troupe of butterflies fluttering in the field. Once again, Sasha wondered who the mysterious male visitor was. His clothes told her he was one of the locals, perhaps someone who worked on either the docks or on a fishing boat, although there was something distinguished about him.

  Sasha stood, walked over to her rental car, and pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes. She took one last look at her property before she climbed inside the vehicle and headed toward the seven-mile bridge.

  Chapter 1

  Six weeks later…

  The two weeks prior to her move had been a mess. In the end Sasha managed to rent her furnished town house and give notice at Ernie Pyle Elementary that she would not be back to teach in the fall. Everything she needed to start her new life was packed in a small U-Haul trailer when she crossed the seven-mile bridge that spanned the Keys.

  But once she’d arrived, settling in on Magic Key was easy. It was a quiet place that felt far removed from the larger neighboring island, Big Pine. If it hadn’t been for the occasional passing of vehicles on a distant road, Sasha could have envisioned she was alone there.

  A wall of forests that surrounded her property on three sides heightened her feeling of isolation. It was a welcomed feeling for the time being, for the five-room house and the land had been maintained with tender loving care. She could feel that care emanating from the pastel-shaded furniture, the unique decorations, and the pruned key lime orchard.

  Florida agreed with Sasha. In one week her skin had evened to a smooth, maple syrup brown, and her natural shoulder-length hair seemed to thrive in the tropical environment. There was plenty of physical work to do, and Sasha believed she could not help but firm up and become stronger.

  An exuberant sun had shown its face every day, but that didn’t stop Sasha from spending her time clearing the land around the spring. Her vision of a bottled water business consumed her; it was her future and her inspiration. As she worked in the heat, it was hard for Sasha to imagine how her ancestors were able to stay in the fields from sunup to sundown. Hers was a labor of love, but without technology and the occasional breaks under a tree with some ice-cold lemonade, Sasha didn’t believe she could have done it.

  Now, at the day’s end, she stood at her front door and looked up at the setting sun. Her body ached and her hands were sore, and all she could think about was a nice, cool shower. She was halfway to the bathroom when the knock came.

  “Yes?” She peered out the door to see an elderly man standing on her stoop.

  “Are you the person who lives here now?” He tried to look around Sasha into the house.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “This was stuck in your mailbox.” He handed her a piece of paper.

  “Thank you.” Sasha glanced at the flyer advertising a local attorney, then up at the man who remained where he stood. “Can I help you?” She noticed the envelope in his pocket.

  “I was told to give you this.”

  “What is it?” Sasha took it and turned it over.

  “I don’t know, ma’am. I was just told to give it to the person living in the Bethel House.”

  Sasha opened the envelope and looked over the letter that was addressed “To Whom It May Concern”: “You are being asked to cease all land-altering activity at 340 Bimini Lane. This letter officially summons you to Guana Manor.” She stopped. That name was familiar. Then Sasha recalled that Guana Manor III was the name of the sloop she saw during her first visit to Magic Key. “Look, I don�
��t know what this is, but I think you’ve got the wrong house. This is three-forty Route Nine.”

  “That’s what it used to be until Hazel allowed Precious to turn the Bethel House into her special place. No, ma’am, I don’t have the wrong address.”

  “Precious?” Sasha looked puzzled and shook her head. “Who is Precious?”

  They stared at one another.

  “So, I’m sorry.” Sasha refolded the letter and placed it back into the envelope before handing it to the man. “There’s been some kind of mistake. This might have been Precious’s…place, but it isn’t anymore.”

  He accepted the envelope but continued to stand on the stoop.

  “I’ve got to go now,” Sasha said as she closed the door. “Have a good day.” How strange, she thought as she walked toward the bathroom, where she began to remove her clothes.

  Sasha treasured the early-morning hours. It was a peaceful, quiet time when she sipped coffee and listened to the sounds of dawn. And at Bethel House she finally felt as if she’d come home. She didn’t know how to explain it, but there was something comforting about the house that made her feel as if she was not alone. Maybe because she was surrounded by the possessions of her Aunt Hazel Bethel. Sasha had not expected to feel so comforted. After living with her mother for so many years she had feared living alone would be lonely. But nothing was further from the truth. The house itself seemed to waken with the prisms of sunlight that reached through the windows every dawn.

  In spite of her contentment, Sasha was keenly aware of how uncertain her future was. She knew the inheritance would carry her only so far, and she wondered where she would be in five years. Would her bottled water business be thriving? Would she still be alone, if not lonely? She hoped not as she closed her eyes, but the thoughtful moment was disturbed by another knock on her front door. Sasha was astonished to discover that the man from the day before had returned.

  “Good morning,” he said with a slight smile.

  Sasha was so outdone she didn’t know if she should speak or shut the door in his face.