Love Again, SIGNED

Pine Valley spells “small-town charm” with a capital G-O-S-S-I-P.

World-famous author, Darby Grace, didn’t just write a bestselling series, she built a franchise that landed her in the Hollywood spotlight with fame, fortune— and a bad case of writer’s block. Needing inspiration, she escapes to the quirky little town where it all began.

Pine Valley isn’t the only thing Darby left behind when her books became best-sellers and Hopper O’Reilly hasn’t forgotten being written off. Once upon a time, he thought they might share forever, but her story interrupted the happily ever after they had planned.

The longer she’s back the more Hopper uncovers the woman he remembers— and “The Great Darby Grace” finds her pulse racing fast for an old flame who ruffles her feathers... and steals her heart.

Rumor has it, this spunky second-chance love story just might have a happy ending...

CHAPTER 1: Thunk. The loud sound against the front of her car was followed by feathers in various shades of brown and beige raining down on her windshield. Darby Grace slowed to a rolling speed and checked her mirrors to see what she had hit, only to see a raggedy chicken running across the road through the plume of said feathers.
“I’m definitely not in Los Angeles anymore.” She chuckled while grasping at her chest to catch her startled breath. “Only in Pine Valley.”
Pine Valley was a long way from Los Angeles, Darby’s home for the past decade. Before that, she hadn’t really had a home, per se, or perhaps you could say she had several homes. Her family had moved a lot while she was growing up and never stayed in one place too long. It was like a great adventure, which would later prove to be the catalyst for her career, where she sold lies for money… as a writer. A writer who then became a screenwriter living in Hollywood, then an international sensation with a high nine-figure franchise – quickly approaching ten figures – and current Hollywood super celebrity who needed… a break.
Pine Valley was the one place growing up that had felt like home even though it was just an annual vacation spot for her family. When she’d finished school with a degree in bio, techno, something, or another – science – she’d hustled her way back to small-town USA, Pine Valley, to begin her life as… a writer. Following in her father’s footsteps by obtaining a specific degree was where the following ended. Darby had panicked and run off to write a book about a fantasy world full of heroes and mythological-like creatures who assisted them and hunted down dark forces out to end the world in a magical place hidden from everyone but the believers of the said world – the complete opposite of science.
“Oh, geez,” Darby said out loud when a roaring siren pulled her from her thoughts, forcing her to the side of the road. “Not even in town five minutes and the local law pulls me over for an autograph.”
She signaled and raised a handout the window to let the officer know she saw him and would pull over as soon as there was a safe spot to do so on the winding road with no shoulder or pull-outs. The officer stuck his arm out the window and waved back vigorously, to which she rolled her eyes. He must know who she is. This is a friendly traffic stop, she thought.
“This is the police.” A man’s voice came over the PA system. “Stop your vehicle immediately.”
Darby looked at her speedometer and noted she wasn’t going too fast and quickly took in her surroundings, trying to decide where the distress in his voice was coming from. There wasn’t anywhere to pull over. Did he expect her to stop in the middle of the road? He wasn’t wasting any time to get her signature on some random old napkin he found in his squad car or maybe his ticket book. Been there, done that.
“This is the police,” he said again.
“Yeah, yeah!” she shouted to nobody but herself. “I heard you the first time. The lights and screaming siren gave you away.”
“Stop your car immediately, or it will be stopped for you.”
“What on earth?” Darby lifted her arms, with one out the window, in an exaggerated shrug. “Pull over where?”
“Final warning,” the man said, flashing his headlights.
“What, no police announcement?” she said to herself.
“This is the police.”
“Ah!” She laughed and shook her head. “There it is. Can my life be any more complicated?”
“Please stop your vehicle, or it will be stopped for you.”
“And how on earth would he plan to do that?” she asked, sticking her arm out the window and pointing to the side of the road, hoping he’d understand her dilemma.
He matched her movement with his arm out the window. “Stop your vehicle.”
“That’s it,” she said in a defeated tone. “I give up. Middle of the road it is.”
As she rounded the corner and began to slow so she could park in the middle of the two-lane road, she saw just how her vehicle was going to be stopped for her. Another police cruiser was across both lanes, blocking the road, and a spike strip laid on the road just before him.
“Whoa. I just had to ask the universe, and the universe answered. My life is definitely getting more complicated at the moment. Something big must be going on here. Odd for Pine Valley,” she said to herself, taking in the law enforcement presence. She brought her car to a stop and looked outside at the sky to see just how serious this was. In L.A., a law enforcement chopper would be overhead in a serious matter, like this appeared to be, and a dozen more squad cars would surround the area. Neither were present – Pine Valley was still too small for a helicopter and fleet of cruisers, it seemed. The spike strip must’ve been the compromise.
With her window rolled halfway down, she was startled when the officer knocked on the glass with the butt of a large flashlight.
“California plates. You’re a long way from home. Mind rolling down your window, ma’am?” he said with a stern look.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought it was.” Darby didn’t want to be rude, but her window was indeed down, just not completely. “Yep. It’s been a long drive to get here, that’s for sure.”
She offered an uncomfortable giggle. She didn’t do confrontations well.
Once she complied, the officer leaned in a little and took a long sniff. “Anything you want to disclose?”
Her eyes went wide when they registered what he was really asking her. California. Sniffing. He thought she had marijuana on her. Such a stereotype. “Uh. No?”
“Is that a question or a statement, miss?” he asked, unamused.
“Uh. It’s a statement?”
“Another question?” He sniffed again while his eyes roamed the inside of her car.
She saw where this was going and immediately panicked. The last thing she needed was bad press, and this would surely bring bad press. It was time to cut to the chase and make herself very clear on the matter.
“You mean marijuana? If you’re asking if I have marijuana in my car, the answer is no. I don’t… partake.”
When his expression twisted into a look she didn’t recognize or easily read, she was sure she’d offended him. His eyes looked a little red. They were in Oregon, after all. The stuff was legal, so perhaps, this was his chosen pastime.
“Oh. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I mean, if you smoke it, or however else you can take… that, I’m not here to judge.” An awkward giggle matched her crooked grin. “I mean to each their own. I hear it’s… pretty medicinal. And… stuff. Helps bad joints, not that I think your joints are bad, I just mean when you get a little older and… I’ll just stop now.”
She shook her head quickly as if to display confidence and that she was sure of her answer and totally okay with him smoking marijuana, then slumped in her seat.
“Ma’am, are you okay? What’s in that container?” he asked, pointing at the Styrofoam cup in the center console that she’d picked up at some drive-through along the way.
“Oh. Just some water. Well, it was full of Coke. I wanted to drive straight through with no stops, pull an all-nighter, and that did the trick. I was amped.” Her eyes went wide again. “Not the bad kind. The soda kind. Like Coca-Cola. Not drugs. I don’t do drugs. No marijuana either. I wouldn’t drive while on drugs… because I don’t do them, like ever. Like I said. It’s just water in that cup now. Easier to drink with a straw than from the water bottle.”
“Uh-huh.” The man wasn’t convinced she was of her right mind, it was clear. “You mind stepping out of the vehicle for me?”
“Not at all. Sorry, I’m just nervous and probably coming off all wrong.” She chuckled as she undid her seat belt.
“Uh-huh. Why don’t you grab your license and registration for me on your way out?”
“Sure thing.” She was beginning to sweat. This is exactly what she was trying to avoid. Confrontation, people, being seen, a spotlight of any kind. She grabbed the documents requested stepped out of the car and handed everything to the officer. “Here you go. Sir. Uh. Can I get you anything else?”
“You serving breakfast in there?” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile, pleased with his teasing.
“No. How would I serve breakfast… Oh, I get it. Because I said…” She buried her face in the palm of her hands. “I’m sorry. I meant any other documents. Wanted to make sure I gave you everything you needed.”
“Right. I don’t know where you’re from in California…” He looked at her license, and his brow raised. “Oh, Los Angeles. Well, I don’t know what else a police officer in Los Angeles would ask for, but if it’s anything more than the basics, you gotta problem, ma’am. You just stand right here while I run you through the system. Think about what you want to say next very carefully.”
What she wanted to say next? What did he think she did? Darby was the definition of do-gooder and the idea that he thought she’d done anything not good had her anxiety on full blast. Had she run a light somewhere in the city, and it was just catching up with her? Perhaps she cut off someone on a bike or in a crosswalk. They took that pretty seriously in Portland, the last city she went through before heading east, toward the mountains where Pine Valley was nestled at the base of the range.
The anticipation was getting the better of her as she wrung her hands together and noted she suddenly had to go to the bathroom. This wasn’t good. She’d lived a decent, law-abiding life, and the minute she ran from her troubles in LA, she landed herself in the middle of a crime. She was the criminal. The actual crime itself was uncertain, but by the way the other officer looked at her after rolling up the spike strip, she guessed it had to be bad. In an awkward moment of locked eye contact, she waved to the other officer who offered a simple straight-faced nod.
Now she really felt like a fool. They were already judging her, and she was clearly going to jail. At least that’s what she’d told herself. Two officers, a roadblock, spike strip, and no autograph… this was serious. It was unclear if this was just a twenty-four-hour hold offense in the local jail or if she was going straight to the big house on felony charges, but something was going down. Now she was wishing she had been right on her initial assumption, and he had recognized her as she passed him somewhere, and he wanted an autograph for his kid or something. It was always for the kids, but she knew better. Her adult following was as large as the younger demographic of fans, and at that particular moment, she hoped he recognized her and granted her a get-out-of-jail-free card for being Darby Grace. She’d never played that card, but her bandwidth for drivel and personal crisis was exhausted. She needed a break. From everything. Not to mention a bed to sleep in, and man, she really had to find a restroom, soon.
“I’ve been watching you from back there, and your balance seems intact, Miss Grace,” he said, walking back her way. He waved off the other officer, who quickly departed. The older officer stood in front of her and asked, “You think you can walk a straight line? I just have to be certain.”
“Straight line? Oh, sure. You think I’m impaired?” She rubbed her hands down her face. “I can see why. I haven’t presented myself well and made a bit of a fool of myself, haven’t I? I get really nervous when I’m put on the spot or have to deal with large crowds.”
The officer looked around at the empty fields of wildflowers and trees in the distance, then raised an eyebrow at her. “Large crowds? You see people around here I don’t?”
Darby let out a deep sigh. “No. I’m just doing it again. Rambling and saying quirky things without context. Nerves. I meant I get this way if I’m in large groups or in front of crowds. Clearly, it’s just you and me out here.”
“The straight line?” He pointed the flashlight at the ground and waved it side to side indicating the line he wanted her to walk, prompting her to follow through.
Darby found it odd that he clung to that thing like a security blanket when it was the middle of the morning on a sunny day, and no extra light was needed. Maybe he didn’t do confrontation well either, she thought. He was a police officer, which would be odd, but Pine Valley was small with little confrontation, so maybe that was why it worked for him. Darby let out a deep sigh. Why was she even pondering such details? It didn’t matter if he did or didn’t handle confrontation well, what he chose as a career, where they were, or why he was holding the darn flashlight. This was classic Darby, imagination gone wild, contemplating everything and nothing.
“Miss Grace?” The officer dipped his head and looked at her through thick lashes.
“Yep?”
“You’re just standing there.”
Darby looked down at her feet as if it were the only place holding answers and found that she was indeed just staring off, standing still, her mind in a thousand places.
“You mind getting on with it?”
“Sure. Has anyone ever told you that you have nice eyelashes?” She began to walk all the way to the back of his police cruiser, then looked over her shoulder at him. “When should I turn around and come back?”
He chuckled. “Depends on where you’re going. I’m guessing you’re headed east into Pine Valley, given your driving, but if you want to walk west, you’ll be in Portland sometime tomorrow, I’d imagine.”
“Pine Valley. Right. I am going to Pine Valley. I’ll just head back your way.” She turned on her heels and walked back to her car.
“You think about what you wanted to tell me?”
“I, uh… I don’t know what you mean. You pulled me over. I thought maybe you had something to tell me?” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m really at a loss here, officer, and so tired after driving all night. If you help me out with a hint, I’m happy to answer any of your questions.”
“All night? From Los Angeles?”
“Yeah, I guess I just needed to get out of town fast,” Darby answered, recalling the very moment she decided to toss her clothes in suitcases and hit the road on a whim.
“Miss Grace? You runnin’ from somethin’?” His stance became rigid. “An abusive relationship? The law?”
“Oh my gosh, no. I’m running from… from…” She paused, unsure how to answer the man’s question accurately, but she decided to let it out. It would be good to get it off her chest. “From work. My work. From my life… I just needed to get away from everything and collect myself. It’s been a hard time, and I just… took off.”
“Your life?” he questioned. “You planning to harm yourself, Miss Grace? Any dark thoughts I should be aware of? Do you need mental health assistance?”
She palmed her face again. “I am really, really bad at this. No, I don’t need that kind of assistance, though I thank you for asking and am glad you offer such a thing. I just need a break from the day-to-day. Feel inspired again. Get back to my roots and refresh. Do you ever feel like that, officer? You ever just wake up one day and ask yourself what you’re doing with your life, wonder how you got where you are, what’s your next move, and wonder if you have a purpose or maybe you’ve been pursuing the wrong calling? Like the weight of the whole world is just resting on your shoulders and so many people depend on you to keep your life together and come up with the next big thing because if you don’t… everyone loses? You become… a fraud?”
“I can’t say I’ve ever felt that way, ma’am. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Los Angeles life is just weighing on me these days. Back to you. You pulled me over, and I haven’t the slightest idea why. I wasn’t going but thirty-five miles an hour. Did I miss something?”
“Well, the speed is forty-five, so you were actually going too slow, but that’s not why I pulled you over,” he said, walking to the front of her car. “I pulled you over for a hit-and-run accusation that was made just before I pulled you over, and I see there is evidence on the front grill of your car.”
“Hit and run? Surely, you have the wrong vehicle pulled over for that. I didn’t hit anyone, nor would I run if I had. Are you sure you’re looking at evidence and not just splattered bugs?” Darby quickly walked to the front of her vehicle to see what he was so sure pinned a hit-and-run on her. When she got there, she was perplexed. “See, just dead bugs.”
“And feathers.”
“Right, there’s feathers because I hit a…” Darby let her head fall back in disbelief when the realization of what she’d been accused of washed over her. “Chicken. I hit a stinking chicken.”
“That’s right. You hit a chicken, Rusty, specifically, and didn’t stop,” the officer pointed out.
“I didn’t think I needed to when an animal ran across the road on a suicide mission. Besides, he was fine and just kept on running. I saw him,” she defended.
“That’s beside the point. The fact is, you hit Rusty and just kept going,” the officer explained. “Out here, it’s considered a courtesy to stop, check on them, and inform the owner. You did none of those things. In fact, you hardly slowed when I was trying to pull you over, Miss Grace. It’s like you have something to hide.”
“I have nothing to hide. I just didn’t know about Pine Valley courtesies. I only keep tabs on laws.” Darby began to laugh, the fatigue and weight of the situation weighing on her overly tired mind. “I thought you pulled me over because I’m from California, and you assumed I had marijuana in my car.”
“How would I know if you had marijuana in your car simply by your plates, ma’am?” The officer was perplexed. Darby clearly didn’t fit into the norm of Pine Valley.
“Well, the first thing you did was lean your head in my car and sniff…”
“I have allergies, Miss Grace. You making fun of me or something?”
“Ohhh. It makes sense now. I understand the red eyes, too. Allergies, not drugs.”
“Excuse me? I am a law enforcement officer, and I take my duty and service seriously. Maybe they don’t out in Los Angeles, but here, we do.”
“I’m sorry. L.A. law enforcement takes it all seriously, too.” She waved her hands wildly. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. Nor was I making fun. I’d never. I just thought maybe… Oh, never mind. The hole I’m digging is just getting bigger with everything I say.” Her shoulders went lax again, and she was ready to get on with the last couple of miles of her trip before she really did land herself in the clank.
The officer looked around. “A hole?”
“You know. Digging myself into a hole. It’s an expression, like I’m digging myself deeper… Oh, never mind, again.”
He smiled. “I’m just kiddin’ with ya. I knew what you meant.”
Her brow shot up, and words dripped in. “Oh, you were kidding. You have jokes. Awesome.”
“Where’re you headed, Miss Grace? Why’re you in Pine Valley? Do I need to worry about you for any reason other than those you’ve already listed? Or do I need to worry about the animals roaming around out here?”
“I’m here to visit a friend. Well, surprise visit, anyway. I’m headed to the Williamson Winery and staying at the bed and breakfast if she has room for me.”
“You friends with Miss Alice?” He smiled wide at her name, and there was a certain twinkle in his eye.
“Yeah, I’ve known her since I was just a little girl,” Darby said.
“Well, why didn’t you start with that? You didn’t run over old Rusty as a favor to Alice, did you?”
“No. I didn’t even know about Rusty… the chicken. Didn’t know Alice had a problem with… him.”
“Well, long story. I’ll let you get back to your travels. She’s just on up the road there, but I’d recommend giving Old Man McDonald a follow-up. Maybe apologize and such.”
“Old Man McDonald?”
“Rusty’s caretaker.”
“Oh, I get it. Makes sense. Old McDonald, the chicken. Let me guess, he has a farm because that would just top my already disastrous and really strange day. Just go ahead and say it, E-I-E-I-O.” Darby wasn’t sure if she was really living through this odd moment or if sleep deprivation was to blame.
“No. No farm. Lives in the tree house a few miles back, and pretty sure he doesn’t find that song amusing after a lifetime of jokes.”
“A tree house. Makes sense. And I’ll make sure I don’t sing the nursery rhyme because it’s not like that would be weird or anything anyway.” She was oddly amused, tossing her hands in the air. “You sure got here in a hurry for the incident only occurring a few miles back.”
“Oh, I was having coffee with Tom,” he said. “I was in the area.”
“Tom?”
“Tom McDonald,” he deadpanned.
“So, you were at the tree house with Old McDonald and saw me hit the chicken…”
“Rusty.”
“Right,” she corrected. “Rusty. You saw me hit Rusty and came after me.”
“No. I wasn’t in the tree house. I was on Tom’s front porch with him, just like every mornin’. We have a cup of coffee and chat about things.”
“Old McDonald has a porch on the tree house, and you saw me from up there, got it.”
“No.” The officer had a bewildered look on his face. “I was at Tom’s across the way. He’s Mac McDonald’s son. We watched it happen, Tom reported it, being as I was sittin’ right next to him, and I came after you. When you wouldn’t pull over, I had the officer on traffic duty intercept ya.”
“Let me guess, Mac McDonald – cute – is Old Man McDonald? Live’s in the treehouse across from… Tom? Am I getting it right?” The officer nodded and Darby had propped the door of her car open and sat down while her head spun with senseless information. “And I signaled that I was pulling over, but there just wasn’t a safe place on the side of the road, and it’s so winding through here.”
“See, now you’re catchin’ on,” he said with a chuckle. “And now I know why you were waving your arms all wild-like. I just thought you were being extra friendly or tossing contraband out the window. I guess I can call off the search.”
Darby panicked. “Contraband?”
“I’m just messin’ with ya. After that whole marijuana comment, I thought it’d be funny.” A deep rolling laugh escaped the older man. “I guess you Los Angeles types are a bit sensitive.”
“Well, not usually. That’s why I’m here. Clear my mind and get… insensitive.”
“I’d have thought a big celebrity like you wouldn’t have the kinda problems you’re claiming.”
Her eyes shot up in surprise. “So, you do know who I am. I actually thought maybe that’s why you pulled me over. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened when a police officer recognized me.”
“It took me a minute, but I put it together. Around here, you won’t find much of that paparazzo-type stuff. We just live and let live. Nobody cares much who each other is as long as you’re kind to folks and don’t wreck the place. Just leave us how you found us.” The officer began to walk away after a quick pat on Darby’s shoulder. “Just don’t forget to follow up with McDonald and tell Miss Alice I said hello.”
“I will. Wait, who should I say sends their hello?”
“You just tell her Sheriff O’Reilly says hello.”
“O’Reilly.” Her heart flipped at the name. She’d be lying to herself if she said it was a name she hadn’t thought about in the past ten years. Suddenly, she was piecing it together. She knew who she’d been talking to all along, just hadn’t recognized him until now. “Duke. You’re Duke O’Reilly.”
He tipped his hat while half in and half out of his squad car and winked. “You do remember us around here. I was starting to wonder if too many gray hairs and happy lines across my face had made me that forgettable or if Hollywood had wiped your memory.”
“No.” she smiled. “Not at all. I guess I was too distracted, frazzled really, and tried to put it all together. It’s good to see you, Sheriff O’Reilly.”
“Duke’s just fine. I’m sure I’ll be seein’ ya ’round town,” he said with a lazy drawl that hinted toward his Irish roots.
“I hope so… Duke.”
“By the way, you got a taillight out!” he hollered before closing his door and turning his rig around right in the middle of the road.
Darby couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course, her taillight was out, and the central theme to being pulled over was a suicidal chicken… not the actual infraction. This was Pine Valley, after all.
Suddenly, she felt the weight of the world lighten a bit, and a little like she’d made it home. And… she still had to pee.