Captured Angel

Cynthia L. Clark

Description

She might have forgiven me by now.  

I couldn’t see it in her face.  

I felt her warmth when she touched my hand.  

And felt her heartbeat when we embraced.  

  

In this highly anticipated sequel to Dirt Road Main Street: A Novel, Holly Harris, on the rebound, has become engaged to wealthy cattlemen, Jared Wallace. Wedding arrangements and future plans are well underway. When Holly’s former lover, rocker Tano Montano, unexpectedly appears at her ballet school grand opening, her impulsive heart takes control. Is it possible that the romance between Holly and Tano, which had been left in tatters from infidelity and heartbreak six months before, can be renewed? Emotional wreckage ensues and plans for revenge are unleashed until one more impulsive decision by Holly leads her into a dangerous plight that no one could have possibly foreseen. 

Sujets

• Romance contemporaine
• Fiction
• Suspense
• Romance
• Contemporary
• Contemporary history
• Suspenso
• Rock Stars

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 23 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781977261526
• Langue: English

Extrait

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Captured Angel A Novel All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Cynthia L. Clark v2.0
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com
Cover Photo © 2023 www.gettyimages.com .. All rights reserved - used with permission.
Outskirts Press and the "OP" logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
For those who long for the love that got away
I L ET H ER G O

I had to see her one more time. Even though time had passed us by. No final words had been spoken. But I remember how she cried.

I saw on her face as her heart broke. And felt her pain as she drove away. Now that I’ve come to find her again I’m certain that I cannot stay.

She might have forgiven me by now. I couldn’t see it in her face. I felt her warmth when she touched my hand. And felt her heartbeat when we embraced.

Goodbye my lady, my final words. Let’s finish the chapter we started. And with sadness and a heavy heart We kissed and then we parted.

She’ll never know that I fell for her And how much I loved her so. I feel her love surround me each day And still I let her go.
From Tano for Holly
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
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
LIST OF SONGS
INTRODUCTION
I remember hearing about a record album called Captured Angel by rock musician/songwriter Dan Fogelberg a few decades ago. I was struck by the title, and I wondered under what circumstances an angel would become captured. As I wrote this sequel to Dirt Road Main Street: A Novel and the depth of its characters evolved, it became clear to me that there are many forms of capture that could fit any of their circumstances other than confinement by force, like being restrained by fear, consumed by jealousy, obsessed with love, paralyzed by hate, and frozen by indecision. I recalled the words Captured Angel , and they fit as a title for this novel.
When I completed Dirt Road Main Street: A Novel , the relationship between Holly Harris and Tano Montano had been shattered by infidelity and mistrust and was left dangling in literary limbo. What remained of their story was too compelling not to be shared. Thus, Captured Angel , with its shifting forms of capture, came to life with my fingers on my keyboard.
CHAPTER 1
"So here is a sampling of some of the flavors that we offer in our wedding cakes. And here is a binder with some of our designs for you to look at, but we will do our best to design an exquisite one that meets any of your expectations. After all, it is your one special day."
The very eager, petite bakery owner spoke with such enthusiasm that she was nearly out of breath. Holly; her maid of honor, Abby; and her future sister-in-law and bridesmaid, Audra, were cake tasting for the nuptials in six months. Holly Harris had finally agreed to marry cattleman Jared Wallace. After she refused his proposal of marriage twice, at her prodding, the third time he timidly asked her, she had swallowed hard and said yes. Despite doubt and trepidation, she was ready to settle.
Holly nibbled at each of the sample pieces of wedding cake with a tiny silver dessert fork and sipped the complimentary champagne that accompanied the tasting. While Abby and Audra oohed and awed over each flavor, Holly quietly attempted to enjoy the experience.
"So, Hol, what do you think? I love the hazelnut chocolate and the vanilla raspberry. She said that each layer could be a different flavor. How cool is that?" Abby spoke between bites of cake.
"Yeah, Holly, I think those are my favorites, too." Audra looked up from the blue- flowered china plate of cake samples and was struck by Holly’s less than enthusiastic demeanor. "So, what do you think?"
"Yeah, those sound fine." She opened the binder of cake designs. The first page showed a three-tiered cake with white icing, white beading at the bottom of each layer that looked like a strand of pearls, and a cascade of flowers trailing down one side like a vine. "That one. It’s fine." Abby and Audra, puzzled, looked at each other.
"Holly, hey, don’t you want to look at all of them? You want it to be perfect, right? Look at the next one. It’s beautiful, too, with pink and silver satin ribbons."
"I just want it to be done. The first one is good enough. I’m not used to all this fuss, and it’s giving me a headache. You guys are great for putting up with me. Priscilla?" Holly motioned to the eager owner. "I’ve made a decision about the cake."
"Already? Oh my. Let me get my order sheet." She scurried behind the counter and retrieved a clipboard. "OK, now, what have you decided?"
"This one. The three-tiered cake. Bottom layer vanilla raspberry, middle one vanilla, and the top hazelnut chocolate. Frosted with white buttercream with a cascade of mauve mini roses and lilies of the valley entwined on one side."
"My goodness. I have never encountered a bride so certain so soon. OK, I need to get all the vital info. Names of bride and groom, date, time, and place? Wedding colors?"
"Holly Harris. Jared Wallace. September 10, two p.m., at the Cattlemen’s Country Club. Mauve and sage green."
"Those colors will be lovely. I think I made a cake for a Wallace recently. Does your fiancé have a brother?"
"Yes. Two of them."
"Well, I’ve set up cakes at the country club many times. We’ll be in touch. Please let me know if there are any changes." The bakery owner continued to happily gush over Holly as she did with all the brides for whom she created a cake. "And congratulations to you and Jared."
"OK, ladies, let’s go." Holly picked up her copy of the cake order, folded it into fourths, and stuffed it into her red hand-tooled leather bag. Abby picked up her fork and took one more bite of cake as they stood to leave.
"Are you OK, Holly?" Audra tilted her head and looked at Holly as they walked swiftly to Holly’s silver Jeep.
"Yep, I’m good. I’m just a little off today."

It had been six months since Holly slammed her car in gear and tore out of the driveway of Ben "Tano" Montano’s copper-roofed Boulder Canyon log home, leaving him on his butt on the ground. Just moments before, she had found out that he had betrayed her by drunkenly sleeping with a groupie while he was on tour with his Boulder-based rock band, Badge. She had just arrived in Boulder after uprooting her stable, albeit mundane, life in Juniper Creek, Kansas, when she discovered his betrayal. It was so unlike her to have impulsively left her comfortable little house, her steady job, her concerned family for the promise of a relationship with Tano. Even as a teen, she had a confident, calm, steady focus and was never prone to impulsive, unpredictable behavior or adolescent drama.
Although Tano had tried to minimize the impact of her discovery, his explanation of the dalliance with the tattooed girl was weak and full of excuses. But in truth, he didn’t have a reason. It was his typical behavior. On the return drive to Kansas, Holly had stopped her car more than once, desperately wanting to turn around and go back to him in Boulder. She had yanked from her neck the necklace with the silver and gold Badge pendant that Tano had given her, broken the delicate chain, and tossed it on the ground in his driveway. Other than the Badge gearshift knob he gave her when they first met five years before, it was her only tangible connection to Tano. She was so in love with him, but her pride was shattered. And as she had anticipated, in the months since the abrupt breakup, her heart ached every day with regret that she had left him missing his music, his touch, his voice, his scent, his dimples. Tano had tried to call or text her many times, but she had blocked his name and number. She never knew that he tried and that he still cared. Tano gave up, and Holly made a firm rebound decision to marry Jared.
Fate had brought Tano and Holly together five years before for an unexpected two-day whirlwind romance that ended when he dropped her off on the dirt road Main Street in her hometown in Oklahoma. Tano couldn’t forget Holly. And for five years, he longed for her until he found her once again in that tiny town. Their reconnection ignited a passion that had been dormant for five years. But Tano’s misstep had destroyed her trust, broken her heart. With long copper hair flying in the wind, she’d rushed to Jared Wallace as soon as she returned to Juniper Creek and, despite uneasiness, she told him that she had changed her mind. She would marry him if he asked again. Jared knew that she’d said yes on the rebound from whatever had transpired between her and the rock star. But he wanted her to be his wife so badly. He tried to look past it, and most of the time, he could.

On this late winter afternoon as Holly and her bridesmaids left the bakery, she was conscious that the wedding cake decision had carried her one step closer to a stabl