Coral Hearts Read online

  Coral Hearts

  The Morgan Brothers Book 1

  By Avery Gale

  © Copyright January 2016 by Avery Gale

  ISBN 978-1-944472-26-9

  All cover art and logo © Copyright 2016 by Avery Gale

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Jess Buffett

  Published by Avery Gale Books

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  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

  Epilogue

  Books by Avery Gale

  Chapter One

  Coral would recognize the sound of his walk anywhere. The distinctive scrape of well-worn Ariat boots and the metallic clink of spurs against the hardware store’s aged wide plank flooring left no doubt Sage Morgan was stalking down the store’s wide center aisle. The man never simply walked anywhere. He was either stomping like an angry bull in a china closet, swaggering like he had the world in his pocket—which was pretty close to the truth, or he was stalking some unsuspecting fool who’d messed up his order. Holy Mother Mary and sweet baby Jesus, don’t let it be me—not today.

  Sighing softly to herself, Coral simply didn’t have the energy to deal with Sage if he was aggravated with her. She couldn’t remember making an error on his last order, but then again, she hadn’t been getting enough sleep to remember much of anything. Coral tried to stand perfectly still at the top of the ladder where she was currently teetering. She hoped like hell he didn’t notice her. The man was sex on two legs and her traitorous body reacted to him in ways that were downright embarrassing. Sage Morgan had the starring role in each and every one of her erotic fantasies. And, the more rumors she heard about his sexual predilections the hotter those fantasies became.

  Even though they’d eaten lunch together a few times recently, Coral was sure it had simply been a matter of convenience in the crowded diner. She needed to remember he’d simply been polite, and it didn’t mean he’d actually want to fulfill those hot porn clips playing out in her imagination any time she thought about him. Something about Sage Morgan tugged at her very soul and she wasn’t even sure what it was about him that called to her. He was tall, dark, and intimidating, but there was a softer side to the shrewd businessman others seemed focused on.

  Coral enjoyed their conversations, and Sage seemed to enjoy bantering with her as well. She’d been amazed at his wide range of interests even as they’d teased each other about differing opinions on a few things. Sage always listened attentively to her views and never criticized her even when he hadn’t agreed with her. And damn if that wasn’t just one more another thing that made him insanely sexy in her eyes. Knowing he respected her opinion warmed her heart—no one had ever cared about anything except what she could do for them.

  For the most part, over the past year Sage had seemed content to just watch her from a distance—their interactions had been intermittent at best. She’d chalked it up to luck. It was as if she’d somehow acquired her own guardian angel in the flesh…and some mighty fine flesh she’d bet it was too. Rolling her eyes at her own sass, Coral tried to keep still as Sage drew closer.

  A few weeks ago things seemed to shift—although the change had been so subtle she’d worried she was imagining it. Coral noticed Sage was almost always at the diner when she came in for lunch. At first, she’d been hesitant to accept when he motioned her over to his table, after all, he was one of the largest ranchers in the state. Sage Morgan was well respected and from a good family.

  Coral’s own reputation was intact—mostly. The only thing tainting it was her family. Well, her family and the fact she had a job that wasn’t ever going to make her rich. She loved her employer, but the truth was there wasn’t really any room for advancement. Without any sort of formal education, she was probably going to be stuck working as a sales clerk forever. Sighing to herself, Coral wondered how she had managed to get painted into what seemed like an ever-shrinking corner.

  Before Sage started eating lunch at the diner, several other local men had seemed interested in her, but now they all walked a polite, but very wide circle around her. It wasn’t as if Coral’s lunches with Sage meant she was giving up a banging social life, but she had finally started making friends and had hoped to begin dating again. And even though she’d been fantasizing about Sage Morgan almost every night since she’d met him, he had never asked her out on a date—why she’d clung to the fantasy for so long she wasn’t sure. Of course, Murphy’s Law was always in full effect when it came to Coral, so the minute she decided to begin looking elsewhere for companionship—the calls started.

  And now, after the third week of those I-know-where-you-are phone calls, she was probably going to have to move on again soon—and wasn’t that a depressing thought. She needed to get a little bit more money put together so she’d actually be able to get all the way to Portland this time. She hated to leave, but she didn’t want her boss getting caught in the crossfire either. Charlotte O’Donnell had treated her like a daughter, and it was going to break her heart to have to leave, but she wanted the older woman be safe—and that meant moving on. Coral felt her eyes fill with tears she didn’t dare let fall. Crying never fixed a damned thing, Coral Ann.

  “Good afternoon, Charlotte.” Coral was brought back to the moment by Sage’s deep voice as he greeted her boss. For God’s sake, why don’t I just swoon and fall off the ladder? Yep, falling in a heap at his feet will prove why you’re a bad bet as date material.

  Charlotte O’Donnell had given Coral a job and a place to live when she’d needed it the most, and the elderly woman was the closest thing to a mother Coral had ever known. Coral thought back the evening late last summer when her car had decided to tank outside downtown Pine Creek, Montana’s only small diner. That mechanical mishap turned out to be the biggest blessing she’d ever received. Just like that, recalling the events that led her to that moment made Coral shudder. Shit! Hold still you idiot, he’s going to hear the damned ladder rattle and know you’re up here.

  The conversation that had been taking place below her paused, and Coral held her breath. If it was possible for someone to think themselves invisible she would have vanished into thin air. Just hold on for a few more seconds. He’ll sign his ticket and move on. Sage and his brothers were among Charlotte’s most loyal customers. At least one of them was in every day, and usually Coral saw more than one of the Morgans at some point before the store closed. O’Donnell Hardware was a throwback to an earlier era when small mom and pop businesses lined the main streets of small towns. A time when everyone in town knew everyone else, and kids played outside until the streetlights came on and no one worried.

  Coral hated the fact so many of those small businesses had closed their doors, but their inability to compete with superstores was making places like O’Donnell’s few and far between. Coral knew Charlotte was trying to keep the store profitable until she finally decided to retire. The elderly woman probably could have retired a decade ago, but for a woman who had worked hard all her life, retirement was meant for those who couldn’t work. And as long as she could work, she planned to. She’d told Coral several times retirement didn’t have anything to do with age.

  “What was that?” Sage’s question cut
through Coral’s musings but not the black spots dancing in her vision. Fuck a fat fairy. I have to stop holding my damned breath every time that hot cowboy walks into this store. He’s going to think I’m a Froot Loop. Damn it, I’m going to end up with fricking brain damage from a lack of oxygen. Why doesn’t he just go? How long can it take to buy rope anyway? At least her subconscious mind had been paying attention. That’s awfully soft rope. Wonder what he plans to do with that? Even the black dots didn’t obscure the erotic picture that flashed through Coral’s mind. Leapin’ lizards I really do have to stop reading all those erotic romances.

  The disaster that came next would have made Lucille Ball proud. Just as Coral realized her fingers were slowing slipping from the ancient wooden ladder’s smooth top rung, Sage’s commanding voice cut through the fog, “Coral? What the hell are you doing up there? Come down here before you…” was the last thing she heard before everything around her faded from her vision, and the world dropped out from under her. Those pesky black spots melted together blocking out every single defense she’d erected and Coral let herself fall into a sweet blissful void of nothingness.

  Sage had come into the hardware store hoping to bump in to the most interesting woman he’d ever met. Coral Williams had seemed intent on keeping him at arm’s length ever since she’d arrived in town, but Sage had finally decided to step up his pursuit of the skittish little mare who had caught his eye. There was something about her that called to him, and he’d spent months trying to pinpoint what it was before finally admitting it was everything. She was the very definition of petite. Hell, if she was more than an inch or two over five feet he’d eat his Stetson. Slender, but with sweet curves in all the right places, he spent more time than he cared to admit wondering what she would look like out of those worn out Levis.

  Coral’s dark chestnut colored hair was streaked with gold highlights making him think it had been painted by the angels before they’d sent her into his path. Every person who’d been in the diner the day she arrived had told him the first thing they’d noticed was the way she almost seemed to glow as she stepped through the door. Hell, Sage had yet to meet a single person who didn’t think Coral hung the moon and stars—and in Big Sky Country that was saying a lot.

  He really needed to get this figured out—she was turning him into a sap. If he wasn’t careful he was going to end up sounding like a fucking Hallmark card. And he really wanted his damned brothers off his case. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary they were teasing him relentlessly about the way he was “not-handling” the situation. They hadn’t been impressed by his slow progress, citing his lunches with her as worthy of a junior high school crush rather than a man who had been trained as a Master for more years than he could remember. Evidently, all the training in the world as a sexual Dominant didn’t matter a twit when you were hit by a bolt of pure lust-lightning.

  Truth was, it had been his conversation with Sally over at the diner that had sealed his change of direction. When Sally had confided how awful she’d felt on Christmas Eve when she had finally had to shoo Coral out the door so she could close up the diner. Sally told him Coral had obviously been trying to stay away from her lonely apartment as long as possible, nursing a small cup of hot tea for more than an hour. Sally’s soft blue eyes had filled with tears as she’d confided in him. “It broke my heart to send her home, Sage. I tried to get her to come home with me, but she didn’t want to impose on my family’s Christmas. Damn, I was almost sick by the time I got home for worrying about her.”

  The idea of the sweet woman he’d spent months coaxing closer like a timid colt spending Christmas alone sent a lance of pain straight through his own heart, as it had Sally’s. Knowing she’d been alone while he and his brothers shared the holiday with a lively parade of family and friends moving in a steady stream through their enormous log home had solidified his determination, Sage would make sure she attended their annual New Year’s celebration. Damned stubborn woman isn’t going to ring in the New Year alone—it’s just that simple.

  The first time he’d laid eyes on Coral she’d been bent over the hardware bins trying to find some obscure, specialty nails old man Stevens had asked her for. Sage had known instantly the old fart didn’t need the nails, but was using the request as an excuse to look at the pretty brunette’s luscious ass. When Sage leveled a look at the old man with knowing suspicion, Stevens had become flustered, and assured the young woman he’d return later after she’d had time to look for the unusual piece of hardware.

  When Coral stood up and turned his way, Sage felt all the air leave his lungs in a crushing whoosh. Her long hair had fallen in a cascade of chestnut waves over her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face as the sunlight caught the golden highlights. It made it look like light fairies were dancing around her. Damned if those rumors about glowing hadn’t been exactly right. Her cheeks were a deep pink from leaning over and her chocolate brown eyes glittered with mischief. “Okay Mr. Stevens, I’ll keep looking if you’re sure they are down there. And I’ll check with Charlotte when she gets back from the doctor’s office too.” Coral had spoken to Mr. Stevens, but she’d locked gazes with him.

  Old man Stevens had nodded and then turned toward Sage and winked as he’d hobbled out of the small store. Sly fox still knows how to corner his prey even if he’s too old to chase it. When he returned his attention to Charlotte’s new clerk, she smiled, and his heart had nearly stopped. She’d swiped her dusty hands down the front of her faded jeans and then held out her small hand. “Hi, I’m Coral. It’s nice to meet you. What can I help you find?” The instant their hands had touched heat sparked in every cell in his palm before racing up his arm, and spreading through the rest of his body in a searing arc heating every part of him at the speed of light. Sage had done his share of battles with electric fences over the years, but nothing had prepared him for the shock waves Coral’s touch left in its wake.

  Hell, Sage thought his brain must have been a bit fried, because it had taken him a few seconds to realize he hadn’t answered her question, or released her hand. Reluctantly releasing his grip, he’d let her fingers linger over his as he withdrew slowly. “Hi, I’m Sage Morgan. My brothers and I own the 5M Ranch north of town. I’m sure you’ll be meeting them all at some time or another. I’m here to pick up the fencing supplies Charlotte ordered in for us. She left me a message this morning saying everything was here.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Morgan and let’s…” it was all she’d gotten out before Sage had interrupted her, because having Coral call him Mr. Morgan wasn’t going to do at all.

  “Please, call me Sage. Mr. Morgan is my pop, and you’ll probably meet him soon enough since he and Mom are back for the summer. But watch out for him, because no man raises five sons without becoming a real character.” Coral’s enormous smile had been as bright as the morning sun, and just as welcome. Something about the pretty young woman standing in front of him warmed the ice he’d kept around his heart after his ex’s betrayal, and knowing he’d been the one to send that sparkling smile dancing over her sweet face was an added bonus.

  Fuck, just thinking about his ex-girlfriend made him feel like his blood pressure was spiking. Everything about Mackenzie Leigh had been an illusion, and remembering how she’d fooled him sent a wave of fury through Sage. How the hell had he not realized what a viper that woman was? She was wicked to the core. Sage wasn’t sure he’d ever been so deluded by anyone. And the worst of it had been the fact Sage had nearly destroyed his relationship with Brandt before he’d come to his senses. He counted himself lucky since he’d had almost an entire year of peace and quiet—fuck it, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough time between them in his opinion. But, evidently the rumor mill had started churning the minute he’d taken an interest in Coral, because messages from Mackenzie had begun within a few days of their first meeting. The past month he’d gotten texts almost daily.

  Sage had wondered a thousand times why he’d made an exception to his “no repeat dat
ing” with the viperous bitch—his only explanation was the fact he’d only seen the carefully crafted side of her she’d wanted him to see. Where she’d gotten the crazy notion he’d consider reconciling with her after she’d almost managed to ruin both his and his brother’s reputation was a mystery for the ages, but he’d given up trying to explain “crazy” a long time ago.

  Chapter Two

  Thinking back on the day they’d met, Sage remembered how Coral hadn’t batted an eye about helping him transfer the large pallet of supplies onto the flatbed of his truck. She had somehow even managed to make sure everything stayed nicely sorted so it would be easier to unload once he returned home. It had been hard work, but she’d stuck it out until the job was completed. He’d been damned impressed, and told her so. Coral had tilted her head to the side as if trying to figure out whether or not he was being sarcastic before simply explaining it was what Charlotte had hired her to do.

  They’d chatted for a few minutes before he’d driven back to the ranch lost in his thoughts about the woman he’d just met. Sage had been impressed with Coral’s insightful questions about ranch life, and her cautious enthusiasm for her new hometown. A few of her questions had seemed oddly out of place, and he remembered wondering how she could seem so skittish and gregarious at the same time. He knew women didn’t usually travel alone across the country without becoming a bit cautious, but she seemed oddly focused on whether or not the locals looked after one another? He’d briefly wondered who or what such a sweet woman could be hiding from, but he’d let it go.

  Sage knew his immediate physical attraction had been more than a little influential in the decision, but Coral Williams was the first woman he’d even given a second glance since exorcizing Mackenzie from his life, and he hadn’t been willing to let go of the feeling his libido might not be dead after all. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t played at the club since he’d broken up with Mackenzie, but in Sage’s opinion sex during play was nothing more than physical relief. The attraction he felt for Coral was something else entirely.