New release coming soon!

Book Three
West Loon Bay Series

Link coming soon!

Prologue

Ten years ago
Prom night
West Loon Bay, Minnesota

Tears of hurt and humiliation stung her cheeks as Bella Dahl stared out the living room window, alone, waiting for the boy who’d asked her to be his date on the most important night of the school year. The prom at the West Loon Bay high school.

What had happened to him? Why hadn’t he called? If he’d been in an accident or had an emergency, surely someone would have notified her. Whenever something bad or sensational happened in West Loon Bay, the news spread like lightning.

Why wouldn’t anyone at the Strom residence answer the phone? Didn’t they realize she’d been waiting for Jonas for over an hour? They knew he was taking her to the prom. Everyone did. Maybe no one cared.

Her peach satin gown, now wrinkled and tear-stained, had been a gift from her older sisters, Laura and Ivy. Weeks ago, the girls had come home during their college spring break and spent days excitedly remaking the secondhand dress for her, taking in the seams and adding sequins. All for this one special night. A night that now felt like a cruel joke.

Classmates had taunted Jonas when word spread that he’d asked the poorest girl in town—the one everyone called Rag Doll—to the dance. He’d brushed it off, assuring Bella it didn’t matter. But leaving her stranded tonight proved he’d changed his mind about being seen with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, the runt of the litter who’d grown up wearing her older sisters’ worn and faded hand-me-downs. Had this been his plan all along?

Oh, how her classmates would mock her now. She dreaded going back to school with everyone whispering and laughing behind her back. Snickering to her face.

She dreaded facing him. What could she possibly say? Nothing. Because nothing he had to say to her, no excuse could heal the hurt and shame he’d caused her. She’d been betrayed before, but never like this.

What do I do now?

Her only defense when people made fun of her was to shrug it off. Act like it didn’t matter. Keep her head down and make it through the last few days until graduation.

“When I turn eighteen next month, I’m leaving this town and never looking back,” she vowed through her tears. “I’m done with this place. Especially you, Jonas. You and your condescending friends!”

She unzipped her dress and let it drop to the floor, stepping out of it with new resolve. “When I get out of here, I’m going to hold my head up high. Make something of myself.” She kicked the dress aside, sniffling. “And no one is ever going to call me Rag Doll again!”

Jonas’ betrayal forced her to look past the safe little world within her family she’d always known. The unconditional love she found at home wasn’t waiting for her beyond its walls and tonight that painful lesson had been reinforced. Where the outside world was concerned, love wasn’t enough. Promises weren’t enough. People could look you in the eye, tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, and still break your heart.

“Life is what you make of it,” she whispered. For the first time, she truly believed it.

Bella swiped away her tears and took a deep breath. Never again would she give someone the power to destroy her happiness the way Jonas Strom had tonight.

Never.

Chapter One

Summerville Memorial Hospital
Summerville, Minnesota
December 20^th, ten years later…

Hope and uncertainty were never far apart, but today Bella Dahl’s heart brimmed with Christmas spirit. Bursting with good news, she hurried along the busy hospital corridor, balancing a cup of cinnamon coffee and a slice of freshly baked gingerbread for her mother.

The nurses’ station cast a cheerful glow in the center of the floor, trimmed with multicolored lights and a small, decorated tree. Bella smiled as she passed by, waving to the nurses dressed in holiday print scrubs, and exchanging “Good morning!” with an elderly volunteer pushing a cart of fresh coffee and frosted sugar cookies for the patients.

“I brought you a special treat, Mom,” Bella said, her voice bright with excitement as she slipped into her mother’s small, but festive hospital room. “I ran into Dr. Anderson in the lobby, and he confirmed that you’re recovering so well, you’ll be home by Christmas!”

Surrounded by a cheerful chaos of holiday cards, wrapped gifts, and vases of fresh flowers, Vonnie Dahl pushed herself upright and grabbed the television remote from her overbed table, muting her favorite soap opera. The gentle beep of the heart monitor at her side kept a steady rhythm, a constant reminder to Bella of the week Vonnie just survived—a heart attack and bypass surgery.

Vonnie hugged a pillow against her chest, frowning as Bella set the coffee and gingerbread on her table. “Why not today?” she cried with disappointment. “I want to get out of here now!”

“I know, Mom,” Bella replied, understanding her anxiety. “It won’t be long now.”

Picking up a small mirror, Vonnie checked her freshly styled champagne-tinted hair, her usual way of distracting herself from upsetting thoughts. All Bella’s life, Vonnie had worn her hair in a chin-length, layered cut of soft curls that gently framed her cheekbones. A deep side part swept across her forehead, covering one brow.

“Trudi is the best! She kept my regular appointment today,” she said, fussing with a curl. Her voice, soft and low, carried a subtle breathiness that had mellowed over the years from smoking. “Drove all the way out from West Loon Bay just to style my hair. Said we ought to celebrate me getting out of this place.”

She grabbed a tissue from a box on her overbed table and dabbed at the corner of her eye. “Had my heart set on going home today, Bella. I miss my privacy,” she whispered, her voice breaking, “and my sweet little doggie.”

“I’m so sorry, Mom.” Bella blinked back her own tears as she grabbed Vonnie’s hand. “Don’t worry about Buster. He’s getting lots of treats and I leave him next door with Betty when I go out so he gets regular potty breaks.” Unfortunately, she’d learned that lesson the hard way. Buster had a regular schedule of “doing his business,” and if he didn’t get taken outdoors on time, he simply went on the kitchen floor. “Just relax and concentrate on getting well. You’ll be out of here in no time!”

Vonnie pushed her table to one side and stretched out her long, shapely legs. At sixty, she still maintained an hourglass figure, though it had softened a little over the years. “I know, honey, but it’s hard not to worry. Are you watering my plants? Are you collecting my mail every day?”

“Of course,” Bella replied reassuringly as she slipped out of her down ski jacket and draped it over a chair. “All of your mail is going into a plastic storage box to keep it organized until when you get home. Any bills that arrive get paid immediately. So, don’t worry, okay? I’ve got this.”

Bella had shut up her condo in Minneapolis, making the two-and-a-half-hour drive north to stay in her mother’s West Loon Bay town home to assist Vonnie until she’d fully recovered after she came home from the hospital. Out of five siblings, Bella, the youngest, was the only one who had come to Vonnie’s aid. Then again, she was the only one who lived in Minnesota and whose job afforded her the flexibility to rush to her mother’s side.

Vonnie let out a deep sigh and pulled off the plastic cover on her coffee cup. “I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t taking care of things. You’re doing a great job, honey. I just want my old life back.”

That’s what I’m afraid of, Bella thought nervously. You’re not supposed to smoke or drink any longer, so I don’t know what your new life will be like. And neither do you…

Vonnie lived in West Loon Bay, a small tourist town twenty miles away from the hospital in Summerville along the southern shore of Lake Tremolo in central Minnesota. She’d spent most of her adult life waitressing five nights a week at The Ramblin’ Rose, the local honky-tonk, alongside her husband who worked there as a cook. Between the two of them, they knew just about everyone in town. It was the same one-horse, gossip-filled place where Bella had grown up. And she didn’t miss it one bit.

Vonnie frowned. “Is this what you’re wearing around town? You have so many nice outfits. Why do you want to look like you’ve just come in from working in the barn?” She sipped her cinnamon-scented coffee, staring critically at Bella’s faded stretch jeans and short, V-neck sweater.

Bella stared down at her mauve, V-neck sweater from the Mall of America. According to the sales associate, it was one of the season’s most popular styles. She tugged at the hem. Sure, it was a little short, but that was the style. Her stretch jeans had cost more than some of the dress slacks hanging in her closet. Trying to explain that to her mother, though, would be like describing social media to a goldfish.

Vonnie took a cautious sip of her steaming coffee leaving a perfect red lipstick imprint on her cup. “Don’t you know that Jonas Strom and his band are back in West Loon Bay? I hear they’re taking a year off from touring to spend time with their families.” She smiled mischievously. “I’d say they’re doing more than that. Alex Lange, the lead singer, married his bandmember’s sister, Annika Nilsen, about three months ago and the gossip round town is she’s already pregnant!”

Vonnie lifted a perfectly arched brow to suggest that the marriage had been rushed due to unforeseen circumstances. Wink. Wink. “Not only that, but—out of the blue—Erik Nilsen, who plays lead guitar, eloped a few weeks ago with Annika’s best friend, Carly Strand.”

Pushing her coffee aside on the table, she leaned forward. “I see Jonas occasionally uptown. He fills in for his parents in their hardware store. One of these days you’ll probably run into him. Sweetie, you need to look your best if you want to make a good impression.”

“What if I don’t?” Bella shook her head, wishing Vonnie hadn’t brought it up. Note to self: stay away from the hardware store. Jonas Strom was the last person she wanted to meet. “We aren’t friends and never will be. He stood me up on prom night, and got drunk instead, remember? He broke my heart and made me the town joke. Why would I want to be friends with my worst enemy?”

“Maybe he’s had a change of heart about such things,” Vonnie said as she broke off a corner of gingerbread and popped it into her mouth. “After all, that was ten years ago and you two were just kids. Lately, every time I see him he looks so unhappy. Like he’s lost or something.” She picked up her coffee. “I think he’s lonely.”

“The guy is rich and famous,” Bella retorted with a snort. “How can he be lonely? He’s probably got women hanging all over him. I hope I don’t run into him.”

Even after all these years, the way he dumped her still hurt. Sure, they were just kids, like Vonnie said, but it was so cruel, so public that ten years later, she still couldn’t let it go. It wasn’t just a broken promise that bothered her so much, it was all the lies he’d fed her—that he loved her and wanted to be with her forever. He said he’d never let anything come between them.

Except he did—without explanation—and since then, he hadn’t tried to contact her. Not once. No apology. No request for forgiveness. Why? Because he didn’t care then and he didn’t care now. The last thing she wanted to do was run into him and pretend it never happened. But if she did, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

He’d see a woman who wasn’t fawning all over him like his adoring fans, proof that she’d moved on a long time ago.

* * *

Bella parked her red Mercedes convertible in front of the pool hall. With her hands still wrapped around the steering wheel, she debated whether to go in and order takeout or head home and nuke some instant mac and cheese.

“Home of the Loosey Goosey” stretched across the front windows in white lettering framed by multi-colored Christmas lights that twinkled in the late afternoon.

“I haven’t had a Loosey Goosey burger in years,” she murmured, her mouth watering at the thought of the juiciest, most decadent beef combo she’d ever eaten. Melted cheese oozed between twin hamburger patties, topped with tangy sauce, crisp lettuce, tomato slices, pickles, mustard and ketchup, all stacked on a grilled sesame seed bun. It was so massive, so messy, it required both hands to eat, but its bold, perfectly blended flavors made every bit of the hassle worthwhile.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and that was only a piece of toast with peanut butter. Yum, that burger would taste fantastic right now…

Giving in to the craving, she pushed open her car door and slid out of the vehicle. This wouldn’t take long. She’d place the order, pay, then come back to her car to wait until it was ready.

It seemed like a simple plan, but the moment she walked into the pool hall, the atmosphere pulled her back into the past. From the dim lighting, and the twang of old country music, to the familiar clack of billiard balls, and the deep, raucous laughter of the locals, not one detail of the place had changed. The acrid smell of cigarettes still permeated the walls and the creaky, wooden floor, even though smoking in public places had been illegal for years. The billiard tables were arranged on the left side of the room, the scarred wooden bar and dining area behind it were on the right. The only women in the place were servers. Glancing around the room, she saw a lot of familiar faces, only older now.

Ricky Palmer, a tall, thin young man in a green sweatshirt and jeans with shaggy red hair stood behind the bar, smiling. He looked puzzled, as though he recognized her but couldn’t quite place her. “May I help you?”

Pulling off her wool mittens, Bella stepped up to the bar. “I’d like to order a Loosey Goosey. Make that a basket.”

“Sure,” he said good-naturedly. “To eat here or take out?”

“I’d like that to go.” She pulled a couple of bills from her pocket and tossed them on the counter. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks!” Ricky said and scribbled her order on his order book. “It’ll be ready in fifteen minutes. Would you like something to drink while you wait?”

“No thank you,” Bella said quickly, turning to go back to her car and spend the time surfing her phone. “I’ll be back to pick up my order.”

“Rag Doll?”

Hearing that name stopped her cold. No one had called her that since high school, and even back then, when someone did, it usually ended in a fight and a trip to the principal’s office. As the youngest of five children, she’d grown up wearing her two older sisters’ castoffs, a patchwork of hand-me-downs that earned her the label rag doll. A name she hated with all her heart. But then, the voice who just addressed her knew it would get under her skin.

She spun around and found herself face to face with Len Armstrong, triggering a surge of unpleasant memories from her past. Len had been a mean kid in school. He and his friends made a game out of bullying the girls until they cried, especially her. Always making her life miserable.

He wasn’t tall, but his stocky build and cold, dark eyes gave him a menacing presence. He still carried himself with the same swagger he’d had in school. His short black hair had started to recede, exposing most of his forehead, making him look older than twenty-nine.

The place suddenly went quiet. Everyone stopped playing, curiously watching their exchange.

“Don’t call me that,” she said in a steel-soft voice.

“Why not?” He challenged her with a sly smile. “It’s your name.”

“My name is Isabella Dahl, but you already know that.” She sighed. “Look, I just came to get a burger. I don’t want any trouble.”

Someone dropped a quarter into the juke box. The song “Rag Doll” by the Four Seasons began to play, a move deliberately intended to mock her. Really? That song was written long before she was born. They still had in the juke box?

Len’s mocking gaze assessed her with predatory glee as he gestured toward her Mercedes. “I heard you were back in town. People are saying that you’re makin’ good money now and actin’ all stuck up like you’re too good for us.” He pointed toward the front window and the Mercedes beyond it, parked parallel on the street. “Is that your car?”

Ignoring him, she turned to leave.

“The escort business must be pretty lucrative these days to own such flashy wheels. Or does it really belong to your handler?”

A loud, derisive chorus of belly laughs followed his response. She expected something small-minded and petty coming from Len, but this was too much like being in school again. Only now his nasty, degrading insults went deeper than just her appearance. She stopped and slowly pivoted, walking toward him, her gaze locking with his. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you? You’re still a bully, looking for attention at the expense of others.” Her gaze swept the crowd of farmers, construction workers and a few men who worked at the town feed mill. “People like you are the reason why I don’t live here any longer—”

He laughed, glancing smugly at his audience, clearly enamored with being the star of his own show. He moved close and grabbed the zipper on her jacket, pulling it down. “What’s the matter Rag Doll, can’t you take a little joke?” Laughter exploded then went silent as the door opened behind her and an icy cloud of December air rolled past her.

His hand moved to her chin, testing her.

A fist under the chin followed by a swift kick to the stomach would give him something to think about. Instead, she slapped his hand away and grabbed an empty beer bottle off a table holding it high to warn him off. “You’re not funny, so just stop! Touch me again and I’ll—”

Suddenly from behind, a strong hand reached over her shoulder and gently pulled the bottle from her grasp. Angry and surprised, she spun around and found herself staring into the eyes of Jonas Strom.

Link coming soon!

~*~