Meant To Be: A Malsum Pass Novel Read online

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  About The Author

  Coming Soon

  Meant To Be: A Malsum Pass Novel

  Conner Pierce doesn’t ever expect to feel that mystical mating bond that so few shifters experience, but he knows exactly what he wants in a potential mate: beautiful, yes, but she also has to be a strong alpha wolf; able to stand at his side in defense of family and pack. So when he meets Elizabeth Larkin, a weak human, and his wolf goes wild, he’s appalled! A human for a mate? How could this happen?

  Elizabeth Larkin came to this mountain retreat to reconnect with her son who has become increasingly distant. She has no time for dating or relationships, especially not with bearded bad boys like Conner Pierce with his cocky attitude and practiced smile.

  Can this seemingly miss-matched couple overcome their differences to discover that their love is Meant To Be?

  Also by Kimberly Forrest

  Paranormal Romance

  Malsum Pass

  Until You

  For Her

  Meant To Be

  Historical Romance

  Forget Me Not

  Meant To Be

  A Malsum Pass Novel

  By

  Kimberly Forrest

  “Meant To Be: A Malsum Pass Novel”

  Selected, Compiled & Edited by: Kimberly Forrest 2017

  Copyright © August 2017 by Kimberly Forrest

  This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover art created by R.L. Ortiz. Images used under license from Shutterstock.com

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  About The Author

  Coming Soon

  For my other half who puts up with my crazy demands, my occasional neediness, and fixes all the crap I seem to break. I love you, Lance!

  For my son… I love you to the moon and back; eye rolls, dramatic sighs, snarky comebacks, and all that comes with you.

  Chapter One

  Elizabeth Larkin tried not to cringe as gravel repeatedly pinged against the undercarriage of her car. She looked in the rearview mirror at the brown cloud of dust that her tires were kicking up behind her. Reaching up, she adjusted the mirror so that her twelve year old son was in clear view; slouched in the back seat, earbuds blaring music, and handheld gaming system holding his attention, he seemed oblivious to both the damage her car was sustaining, and the scenery they were passing.

  Readjusting her mirror, she turned her attention back to the tree lined dirt road, her lips pressing tight with determination. This was going to be fun. Just her and Jeremy for the summer doing mother and son things, bonding, finding that connection that had somehow disappeared. She nodded. Yup, fun. They would hike, fish, swim, and maybe, if she was lucky, she would actually have real conversations with her son and see him smile.

  Seeing the camp just up ahead on the left, Elizabeth frowned. There was a truck in the driveway that shouldn’t be there. She’d recognize that truck anywhere. With a groan she pulled into the rutted drive that had been nearly overtaken by grass. Her brother, Edward, waved and opened the car door for her. Dark brown hair liberally streaked with gold, brown eyes, swarthy complexion. They were almost identical, but they were fraternal twins born minutes apart with Edward being the elder.

  Elizabeth climbed from the car and immediately missed the air conditioned interior as the humidity hit her. Drops of sweat seemed to instantly form on her face. “What are you doing here, Edward?” She asked, her voice a bit sharper than necessary.

  “Are you kidding?” He asked, moving to the back door to open it for Jeremy. “Pop the trunk.” He said, moving around to the back of the car.

  Elizabeth did as he asked and watched as he pulled out their suitcases and the box of supplies. “No, I’m not kidding. Why are you here?”

  “Here, squirt.” Edward said, handing off one of the suitcases to Jeremy who sighed and rolled his eyes before taking it with a grimace. Elizabeth wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want to carry the suitcase or for the nickname. Probably a little of both.

  Edward shot her son a stern look before turning his attention back to her. “Dad didn’t hunt this last year, so no one’s been here since the previous November. Who knows what’s gotten in there and made a nest? This isn’t a resort you know. There’s no housekeeping. You should be glad I came to help you get settled.”

  Elizabeth nodded and sighed as she took the box of food from her brother’s arms. “You’re right. I appreciate the help.”

  He grinned. “Say that again.”

  Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes in an exact imitation of her son. “I appreciate the help.”

  Edward nudged her shoulder with his, his grin stretching to even larger proportions. “Not that part. Come on, Lizzie. Say it.”

  She let out a huff of a laugh. “If you didn’t hear it the first time then you’re out of luck. If I say it more than once your head might expl
ode.” She shot him a smirk. “Safety first.”

  Turning toward the porch steps, she saw that Jeremy had set his suitcase by the door and was currently bouncing on the rickety porch. The thing was built wide and long like a deck but without a railing, the wood, now a dark gray and black in places, looked rather warped. The thing was probably completely rotted. Visions of her son falling through and suffering multiple broken bones filled her head. “Don’t do that, honey. I’m not sure how stable this thing is.”

  Jeremy shot her a sullen glare and sighed, but at least he stopped. Elizabeth frowned. She was once again ‘Mom the Fun Killer’, yay. Setting down her box, she fished the keys out of her purse. The door unlocked with a wiggle and a hard jerk. A wave of heat rolled out and hit her in the face, stealing her breath. She stepped back with a gasp and coughed, waving her hand in front of her face.

  Edward was walking around the porch testing different spots gingerly with the toe of his hiking boot. “I don’t know what possessed you to want to come up here anyway. This place is falling apart.”

  Elizabeth ignored him and smiled at her son. “I think we better stay out here until I get some windows open and let a breeze in. It’s like an oven in there.” Jeremy just shrugged, put his earbuds back in his ears and jumped off the side of the porch.

  “Don’t go far!” She called, but doubted he’d actually heard her. Not that he’d acknowledge her if he had. Blowing out a frustrated breath she rubbed her temples. Fun. This was going to be fun, she reminded herself.

  “Is this about turning thirty?”

  Elizabeth snapped her eyes toward her brother who was standing with his hands on his hips. “Excuse me?”

  Edward shrugged. “I know you women get all weird and emotional about that shit. Then you make decisions that you regret ten minutes later because you’re all hormonal.”

  Elizabeth gaped at him for a moment. “Oh my God! Do you even hear yourself right now? And Mom wonders why you’re still single.” Shaking her head she went into the camp to start opening the windows.

  “What?” Edward asked, following her. “What did I say? And I’m single because there are waaaaay too many ladies who want me. I can’t break their hearts like that.” He finished with a grin.

  Elizabeth grunted as the window she was pushing on finally gave way and slid up. “You keep telling yourself that, stud.” She scoffed and moved on to the next window. “And this has nothing to do with my age.”

  “Then what is this about, Lizzie?” Edward asked leaning against the wall next to the window she was opening. “Because you’ve never been much for roughing it and this certainly isn’t a five star hotel.” He glanced around at the rough interior and his lip curled with disdain. “Not even a one star.”

  “It’s not that bad.” Elizabeth muttered and then frowned down at the heel of her hand. It was red and irritated and she was pretty sure she now had a splinter from pushing on the rough wood.

  Edward snorted but she ignored him. She looked around the camp interior and was filled with a wave of nostalgia. The sturdy furniture in masculine shades of brown and red. The heavy wooden pieces bearing scars of age and use. Right now it smelled of hot stagnant air and a few scents she couldn’t quite place but some candles and air fresheners would take care of that. The bare wood floors needed a good sweep, the cobwebs needed to be cleared out, and the dust wiped off all the surfaces, but once that was complete, it would be like stepping back in time.

  “Don’t you remember how much fun we used to have here?” She asked with a small, wistful smile as she walked toward the upright piano and pulled the dust cover off. She lifted the lid over the keys and softly pressed middle C a few times.

  Edward shook his head and pointed a finger at her. “See? I knew this was about your age. You’re trying to recapture your youth. Thirty is nothing, Lizzie. It’s the new twenty.”

  Elizabeth chuckled lightly, shook her head, and closed her eyes as a cooling breeze came through the cabin. “I want Jeremy to have that kind of fun.” She opened her eyes and looked beseechingly at her brother. “I feel like I’m losing him, Edward. He never talks to me anymore, not about anything important, and he barely has any friends.”

  Edward shook his head and frowned. “You spoil him. You cater to his every whim and now nothing makes him happy. Send that boy off to military school like your in-laws suggested. One semester there and he’ll appreciate all you do for him.”

  Elizabeth clenched her teeth and closed the lid a bit more forcefully than she had intended. She was not having this argument again and especially not with her brother. It was bad enough that Jeremy’s paternal grandparents wanted Jeremy to follow in his father’s footsteps, his grandfather’s footsteps. The Larkins were a military family and she’d heard for years how it was a proud heritage that they fully expected Jeremy to continue. It wasn’t their choice. It was Jeremy’s and she would not force that on him.

  Straightening her spine she glared at her brother. “I want to spend the summer with my son. Do you have a problem with that?”

  Edward cringed back and held up his hands between them like he was trying to ward her off. “Gah! Don’t take my head off. I’m just saying that it would probably be better for both of you. I mean if it’s a matter of money, I’ll –“

  “It’s not about money!” She screeched. Why did everyone always think that just because she was a single mother, money was an issue? “I am not sending my son away!”

  “Okay, okay,” Edward said, making little placating motions with his hands. “Let’s get this place cleaned up then.” He looked around and then shot her a sly grin. “You do realize that the closest town is Malsum Pass if you need to get more supplies don’t you? Aren’t you afraid you’ll run into a werewolf?”

  Chapter Two

  “Werewolf?” Jeremy asked as he came through the door.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that he hadn’t heard the conversation prior. Opening her eyes she turned and shot him an indulgent grin. “When our grandmother was still alive, she told Edward and me that the town of Malsum Pass was a town filled with werewolves that could sense when children weren’t sleeping and would come and gobble us up.”

  Edward let out a bark of laughter. “Your mother was so petrified she refused to step foot in the town. Not even the promise of a new toy could get her to go.”

  “That sounds awesome. When can we go?” Jeremy asked.

  Elizabeth just stared at her son for a moment, indulging in his expression. He wasn’t quite smiling, but he seemed actually excited about something. For the first time in a long time she felt like she had made the right decision. Coming to Vermont had not been a spur of the moment decision for her. She had gone back and forth between several ideas. Should she send Jeremy to a summer camp of his choosing? Should she just let him spend the summer hanging out with the few friends he still had? But memories of her times here, in this very cabin with her grandparents, her parents, her uncle, and her brother; well, she couldn’t remember a time when she was happier. They had hiked, explored, gone fishing and swimming in the brook. She had helped her grandmother peel apples for homemade applesauce and carved faces into some of the apples to dry into dolls. They had played games like UNO and Skip-Bo. They had just all been with each other, without a television or any electronics except a radio; just talking and laughing. She wanted to recreate at least part of that for her son.

  “There are no such things as werewolves,” she chuckled. “But once we get everything cleaned up here, we’ll have to head into town for groceries. I only packed non-perishables.”

  Jeremy nodded looking around, his face falling by degrees as he saw how much needed to be done.

  “It won’t take long with all of us doing it and we don’t have to get it all done right now. At least enough to get us started. Why don’t you go check out your room and see what needs to be done.”

  Jeremy nodded and headed toward the back of the cabin. A minute later, Elizabeth cringed as
she heard, “Yuck! A dead squirrel.”

  Two hours later, they were at the Malsum Pass grocery. The dead squirrel had been removed by Edward and given a proper burial, all the windows had been opened, the floors swept and cobwebs cleared while the countertops and table had been wiped down. The mattresses in the bedrooms had been an unexpected revelation; old and stained, torn in places, Elizabeth decided they would check the town to see if they could find a couple of air mattresses instead or, at the very least, a couple of sleeping bags.

  Once finished, Edward had glanced at his watch. “If I leave now, I might make it back to Boston before dark.” He’d hugged a rather stiff Jeremy and told him to behave and watch out for werewolves before he’d turned to Elizabeth and gave her a big hug. “There’s no cell service up here but the phone in the kitchen works. I wrote my number down next to it just in case. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember any phone numbers anymore. There’s also a business card by the phone for a guy in town who does residential construction. I don’t know how old that card is, or if he’s even still in business, but you may want to give him a call and have him take a look at that porch.”

  Elizabeth nodded and pulled away with a smile. Edwards’s eyes moved over her face for a moment. “Are you sure you want to stay here, Lizzie?” He asked with concern.

  She gave him a reassuring smile. “Jeremy and I are going to have fun. Right Jeremy?”

  Her son had turned his attention to the piano, but his shrug indicated that he had heard her.

  “Fun.” She repeated to Edward with a smile that was starting to show some strain.

  Edward had shaken his head and walked to the door. “Call me if you need me.”

  Presently, they had somehow found themselves in the pet food aisle. Jeremy stopped and was staring at one of the dog food bags. Elizabeth braced herself for what was coming.

  “Can we get a dog?”

  “You know we can’t, honey. Our building doesn’t allow pets.” She said, pushing the cart out of the aisle.