Destined to Succeed

Destined to Succeed

by Lisa M. Harley

Published by Lisa M. Harley

Copyright 2013 ©

All Rights Reserved

Nook Edition

Destined To Succeed- Copyright © Lisa M. Harley 2013. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

~ACKNOWLEDGMENTS~

I want to thank my mom who read the book and told me it was much better than my first one…so that’s nice, right? lol

Stacy Bailey Darnell ~ LYSDHA

Maria DeSouza ~ So glad we are buddies.

Megan Hand ~ Thank you for everything.

A special thanks to Cade’s Ladies: Alison G. Bailey, America Matthew, Ciara Martinez, Jamie Zishka, Kim Anderson Bias, Krista Tangora, Maria DeSouza, Megan Hand, Rachael McClusky, Stacy Bailey Darnell, and Trish Kuper.

Thanks to Editing Divas for all your help.

Indie Chixx - Ya’ll rock! Thanks so much for all of your support…I love you guys!

I want to give a shout out to my buddies in: BDHM, Kindle Buddies, Book Broads, Book Lovers and More, and Write With Me.

I also have to thank the amazing Robin Harper with Wicked Cool Design for her beautiful work on my cover. You are a great cover designer and an even better person.

I have to thank all of the extremely talented authors I have met through this process.  You all amaze me and make me strive to be better.  Thank you.

And to all of the bloggers who have supported me throughout this process – I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.

To all of my amazingly awesome Facebook followers - I LOVE YA’LL!

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.

~Booker T. Washington

~Table of Contents~

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
Epilogue
Destined to Forgive Prologue
About the Author

~Prologue~

Six months ago

Cade~

That was that. I wasn’t the daddy. I was so damn sure that baby was mine. I was already picturing us on the ranch. Her ridin’ horses and me teaching her how to be a real little cowgirl. Lor had shattered that dream, when she knocked on the door that day.

I could tell she had been cryin’. Her eyes were all red and her cheeks were tear stained. I opened the door, and I just knew. I knew what she was about to tell me.

“Hon, it’s okay. I can tell by the look on your face, what you’re about to tell me. I’ll be gettin’ outta your hair, now.” I started to turn and walk away. I couldn’t help the tear that was streamin’ down my cheek. Damn, I wanted that baby to be mine more than anything in this world. I knew I had lost her momma, but I was hopin’…well, it didn’t matter what I was hopin’. It wasn’t gonna happen now.

“Cade, I’m so sorry. I know how much you wanted it to be yours.” She started to cry again.

“Hon, I know you’re happy that it ain’t mine, so quit your cryin’ and go on home to asshat,” I said with a chuckle. I was tryin’ to tease her…to make her smile. And she did. She gave me a very small, sad smile. Then she turned and walked away. That was that.

Present

Goddamn, I was tired. It had been a hell of a day on the ranch. It was birthin’ season and we had the vet out all day. That was gonna cost a small fortune, but it was worth it when you saw those new calves and foals bein’ brought into the world. I was sore. I was gettin’ too old for this shit. All I had been able to think about all day was gettin’ home, takin’ a shower, and crawlin’ into bed.

When I walked around the front of my house, I saw Clay’s truck parked out front. What the hell was he doin’ at my place. He was screwin’ up my plans.

I walked in the living room, hung my Stetson on the hat rack, and that’s when I heard it. That fuckin’ little bastard.

I flung the door to my room wide open. There he was. Screwin’ that little blonde hussy, Anna. What the fuck?

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me, right now?” I screamed as I ran toward the bed.

“Get the fuck out, man. Can’t you see I’m a little busy?” He didn’t even stop what he was doin’ to say that. I grabbed him by the hair of his head and pulled him off of her.

“You. Get the hell out.” Normally, I wouldn’t have talked to a woman like that. But this chick was a pain in my ass. She was only screwin’ Clay to get to me. She had tried everything in the world to hook up with me. It wasn’t gonna happen. So, now she had moved on to him. I’m sure she was thinkin’ about me the whole time. It was probably her idea to do it in my house, and my bed.

“Cade, baby,” Anna moaned, biting her lip seductively. Then she curled her finger at me, “Join us?”

“You have got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me…Can you not take a hint? I will never sleep with you. You are not what I’m lookin’ for.” I was lookin’ for a wife. Not some cheep ass floozy that just wanted to screw me to get my ranch. “Ya’ll have five minutes to get your shit and get the fuck out of my house. Tick-tock.”

I started toward the kitchen. I needed a beer. I grabbed a cold one out of the fridge and took a seat at the table. All of a sudden, I heard the front door slam and said a little thank you that they were gone. They weren’t. I looked up and my cousin Cord was standin’ in the doorway.

“I need one of those too. Had a hell of a day,” he groaned as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and took a seat across from me at the table.

“You and your damn brother seem to think this is your house.”

“Well, it kinda is, right? I mean you’re like our brother. Mi casa, su casa?” He grinned and continued to suck down my beer.

“Why was your day so hard? Have a hard time pickin’ out your tie?” I loved to give him a hard time. He was the only one in our family that had a job. Meaning, he didn’t work on the ranch. He was a lawyer. I always knew he would make somethin’ of himself. Now that brother of his was a whole other story.

“Asshole. I’m working on a big case. I’m gonna have to go to Dallas next week. Why don’t you come with me? It’d be good for you to get away from the ranch for a bit.”

That actually sounded great. I hadn’t had a vacation in years. This ranch meant everything to me. Since my parents had died, I had worked my ass off to make it the success it had become. And I trusted my farmhands. I knew they could handle it if I was gone for a few days.

“How long you gonna be gone?” I asked.

“Three days. Come on, it’ll be like the old days. We used to have fun together, remember?”

“Yeah, that was before everyone in town knew you were a lawyer. That totally ruined your reputation.” He laughed and I threw my bottle cap at him.

Dallas would be fun. I needed to have some fun. Some fun that didn’t include visiting the local tavern and takin’ home whatever girl I chose for the night. That shit was gettin’ real old, real quick. Loralei Harper made me realize I wanted a wife and a family. I wasn’t gonna get that with one of those floozies down at the bar.

All of a sudden, I heard Clay screamin’. I ran out to the porch and saw what he was yellin’ about. I took off runnin’ toward the horse barn. What the hell was goin’ on? How did this happen? The farmhands were screamin’ and runnin’ out of the barn carrying the new babies we’d spent all day birthin’.

Clay, Cord, and I got to the barn about the time it happened. Flames were everywhere and then there was an explosion. I heard screamin’ and cries of all of the animals that we couldn’t get out. I tried to run in. I tried to save them. Cord and Clay pulled me back. I fell to my knees. Dear God, why? Why? Were there people in there? Oh my God, where’s Colt?

~Chapter 1~

“Where the fuck is he?” I yelled as I ran down the hall of the emergency room at St. John’s Hospital. I ran smack into Cord.

“Cade, calm down. He’s back with the doctor and they haven’t told us anything yet. Just back down.” Cord was tryin’ to calm me down. Yeah, right. My cousin had ‘bout been blown up in my fuckin’ barn. There wasn’t a chance in hell of me calmin’ down.

“Where is that little bastard?” I was lookin’ all around the place tryin’ to find Clay. He had been at my house and he brought that skank, Anna, there.
Damn it!
I was so pissed off I couldn’t see straight and I was scared for Colt. The twins, Colt and Cole, had always held a special place in my heart. I didn’t know what I would do without either one of them.

As I was searchin’ around the room, I finally caught a glimpse of Clay out of the corner of my eye. He was sittin’ next to Anna on a couch in the waiting room.

“Why the fuck is she here?” I yelled, as I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up off of the couch. “What do ya know about what happened, boy? And ya better not even think about lyin’ to me.”

“Cade, man, put me down. What the hell is wrong with you? You think I know something about this? Colt’s my brother...I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. Get the hell off me!”

As much as I wanted to beat his ass, I didn’t. I let go of him and he fell back into Anna.

“You. Get the fuck out. We don’t need you here,” I growled at Anna.

She stood up and tried to hug me. What the hell was wrong with this woman? I grabbed her by the chin, “Do you not understand fuckin’ English? I. Do. Not. Want. You. Go home. This is family business and you sure as hell ain’t family.”

She started to tear up as she turned around and kissed Clay on the cheek and walked out the ER doors. I needed to have a talk with that little bastard about his taste in women, but first I needed to make sure Colt was gonna survive this.

I nodded for Clay to follow me and we started back toward Cord. He was talkin’ to a man in a white coat. I assumed by the coat that he was a doctor.

“How is he, sir? He gonna be okay?” I asked, so afraid to hear the answer.

“And you are, uh, related to Mr. Walker?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah, I’m his cousin. Please just tell me what’s goin’ on,” I pleaded.

“Well, he’s going to be okay. He will need to remain in the hospital for a while. He has some pretty serious burns to his torso and face. He was apparently shirtless at the time. He’s not looking too pretty right now, but we’ll have him all fixed up soon.”

What a relief. I could feel the fear leaving my body. Thank God he was gonna be okay. Cord grabbed me and Clay in a big hug. I think we all teared up a little, but not for long. I had to see him that was all that mattered right now.