Marrying Raven (Brides of Clearwater Book 2) Read online

  Marrying

  Raven

  Brides of Clearwater Book 2

  Melanie D. Snitker

  Marrying Raven

  Brides of Clearwater Book 2

  © 2018 Melanie D. Snitker

  Dallionz Media, LLC

  P.O. Box 643

  Boerne, TX 78006

  Cover Image: Jennifer Pitts Photography

  https://www.jenniferpittsphotography.com/

  Cover: Blue Valley Author Services

  http://www.bluevalleyauthorservices.com/

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Please only purchase authorized editions.

  For permission requests, please contact the author at the email below or through her website.

  Melanie D. Snitker

  [email protected]

  www.melaniedsnitker.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Marrying Raven

  Brides of Clearwater Book 2

  By Melanie D. Snitker

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2018 Melanie D. Snitker

  This book is dedicated to all

  who embrace second chances.

  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

  Acknowledgments

  Connect with Melanie

  About the Author

  Books by Melanie D. Snitker

  Chapter One

  Raven Weber leaned against the counter and checked the messages on her phone while she waited for her order. Clearwater Coffee, one of the most popular coffee shops in town, bustled with activity around her. The cappuccino machine whirred, a microwave dinged, and all the while, sounds of patrons visiting filled the air.

  Someone called her name, and she waved in response. This was the kind of atmosphere she loved. Having grown up in Clearwater, she was bound to run into someone she knew just about everywhere she went. Especially in this neighborhood merely blocks from her parents’ house.

  Raven wished she could relax for a while, but she needed to get back to work. She stood on her toes to see past the machines on the other side of the counter. Chrissy, one of Raven’s close friends, secured the lid on the last of four cups of coffee and placed it in the carrier before approaching the counter. Her black hair, complete with purple, pink, and blue streaks, shone under the lights above.

  “Here you go. This one,” Chrissy tapped one lid with a brightly-colored fingernail, “is yours.” She glanced over to make sure no one was waiting to order and then rested an elbow on the counter. “I don’t know how you consume that much caffeine in one beverage.”

  “It’s a gift.” Raven grinned, resisting the urge to snatch the cup out of the carrier and take a swig of the hot drink right now. Everyone who knew Raven well also knew her penchant for coffee. She didn’t start her day without it, and she needed a fix midway through the afternoon as well. Thankfully, the ladies she worked with didn’t mind. They put their own orders in, and Raven happily did the fetching, especially if it meant getting out of the office for a few minutes.

  The bell above the shop’s door rang as a new customer entered. Chrissy noticed him perusing the menu before turning her attention back to Raven. “You and Wade going out tonight?”

  Raven would normally be looking forward to a date with her boyfriend on a Friday night. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so. Maybe tomorrow.”

  Chrissy looked surprised. “Something going on between you two?”

  Raven shrugged. It’d take more than a text-based conversation for her to know the answer to that. “He’s been busy with work. We haven’t talked much the last couple of weeks. I’m half expecting him to call and suggest a movie or something.” Maybe. Probably not. She wasn’t sure which was worse: that he wasn’t calling, or that she wasn’t sure she cared.

  The customer who’d come in a minute ago stepped up to the counter. He made eye contact with Chrissy and gave her an entirely inappropriate smile. “Hey, baby. I’m ready to order.”

  Chrissy raised an eyebrow at Raven. “Looks like I need to sell someone some manners.”

  Raven covered a laugh with one hand. Her friend may be barely over five feet tall, but between the colorful hair, bright nails, rings on every finger, and attitude, she was more like a bouncer than a coffee barista. “You tell him, girl.” Raven picked up the drink carrier and gave her friend a smile. “Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome. Don’t work too hard.”

  Raven raised a hand in farewell as she turned to leave the coffee shop. Mrs. Meridian, Raven’s biology teacher in high school, stopped her. Even though she was retired now, Mrs. Meridian remained active in community projects.

  Raven’s former teacher patted her hand. “Have you run into Heath yet? I heard he’s getting out of the house now. I imagine that horrible surgery left him on his back for a while.”

  Raven resisted the urge to tell Mrs. Meridian that she hoped she wouldn’t cross paths with Heath Shaw, but it was no use. The older woman was already speaking again.

  “I ran into his daddy the other day. Heath is hoping to be back on the field as soon as he can. That boy was always determined.”

  Determined. That’s not how Raven would word it. Just thinking about her ex-fiancé had her clenching her teeth. He should’ve stayed in Cleveland and recovered from his injury there instead of returning to Clearwater. He’d probably only come back to get the sympathy from his many adoring fans.

  Not that she was bitter. The day he’d broken off their engagement and walked out of her life was one of the most painful days of her life. But over the twelve years since, she’d realized Heath had done her a favor. If he was that dedicated to playing football and leaving his hometown behind, it would’ve happened eventually. It’s good he was in a hurry to leave again because it meant Raven might not have to run into him at all.

  Mrs. Meridian seemed to wait for a response.

  Raven forced a smile. “Yes, once Heath sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him.”

  Mrs. Meridian’s smile widened as she patted Raven on the shoulder. “Well, you’ve got your hands full there, dear. I’ll let you go. Don’t work too hard now.”

  “I won’t, Mrs. Meridian. You have a great day.”

  Maybe the coffee shop wasn’t the best place to hang around if Heath was the talk of the town. She left and walked the block and a half to Clearwater Rehabilitation Center. While Clearwater may not be a huge city, supporting a population of just over 25,000 people, the CRC was one of the best centers in the Texas Hill Country. The off
ice was consistently busy with patients seeking help in their process of healing from injury.

  It was a great place to work, and it allowed her to do what she loved without leaving her hometown.

  She’d started handing out coffee to her co-workers when their boss, Fay Bright, breezed into the room. “We’ve got a new patient today in room seven. Ruptured Achilles tendon. He’s two weeks into recovery, so we’ll take things slow at first.” She traded the iPad mini for the cup of coffee Raven held out to her. “I evaluated his injury. Can you take care of the exercises for me?”

  Raven accepted the iPad from Fay and glanced through the list of exercises. These would be simple enough, although it seemed like a lot for someone who had had surgery recently. Wait, Achilles tendon? Four weeks? Surely not. Even as she tried to convince herself she was being paranoid, her stomach tightened.

  Fay must have thought she was reacting to the exercise regimen. “Nope, that’s right. He’s in a hurry to get his leg back to normal again. I’ve set up an intense therapy timeline. We’ll stick with it unless we see any reason to do otherwise.”

  Raven would’ve objected, but Fay excused herself and went to her next patient. That left Raven standing there holding an iPad and trying to convince herself to scroll up and look at the patient’s name.

  Instead, she took her own cup of coffee, tossed the carrier into the trash, and headed for room seven. The world wouldn’t possibly be this cruel to her. There were plenty of sports where an incident could rupture the Achilles tendon. CRC was the best rehabilitation center around, and it got patients from hundreds of miles away. This guy could be anyone.

  Confident she was being silly, she scrolled up on the patient information as she opened the door, searching for the name before she could introduce herself. “Hello—” The air whooshed from her lungs as she looked from the words she could scarcely believe to the man himself.

  Yep, it was Heath Shaw sitting in the chair. He was the boy she’d grown up with. The man she’d fallen in love with and promised to marry. He was also the man who’d walked away from her—from them. All over a potential football career.

  Waves of resentment crashed into her. This was the heart of Texas, and her brother-in-law coached the local high school football team. That meant Raven attended way more football games than she cared to. But she’d purposefully avoided seeing a single NFL game over the last twelve years.

  The last thing she needed was to watch Heath on TV. She hadn’t wanted to see him then, and she sure didn’t want to see him now. As far as she knew, this was the first time he’d bothered to step a toenail in Clearwater. Clearly, he hadn’t been in a hurry to reunite with her, either. It could just as easily have been another dozen years if his injury hadn’t mucked things up.

  All right, God. I know You like to keep me hopping, but this? I’m seriously questioning Your sense of humor right now.

  Unfortunately, Heath was still in the room. All this time should’ve aged the man. But there he sat, looking every bit as much of a handsome jock now as he had their senior year. His sandy brown hair needed a cut, the ends curling slightly over the top of his ears. And those blue eyes…

  …were watching her every move.

  Oh, good grief. How long had she been standing there staring at him? Well, if the bewildered expression on his face was any indication, he was as surprised to see her.

  Her hurricane of emotions hovered over irritation as she focused on why he’d left their hometown. She took another leisurely drink of her coffee and wished she’d had Chrissy add a third shot of espresso. After placing the cup on the counter, along with the iPad, Raven crossed her arms and studied her patient. “Heath.”

  “Raven.” He cleared his throat and shifted his booted foot on the floor. “I had no idea you worked here. I didn’t even know you’d become a PT.” He cleared his throat again.

  He hadn’t kept up with what she was doing. Nice to know his plan to cut her out of his life had been so complete. She raised an eyebrow. “Technically, I’m a physical therapist assistant. I’ve been working here for the last four years.”

  “If I’d known…” His sentence trailed off.

  If he’d known, he would’ve what? Gone somewhere else for therapy? Asked for a different PTA? Stayed out of Clearwater completely? Raven swallowed a retort. He was here for therapy, and she was his assigned therapist. At least for today. Be professional, Raven. The quicker you get the guy through therapy, the sooner he’ll be out of your life. Again. Besides, he was probably trying to recover enough to get back to Cleveland.

  She picked up the iPad and propped one hip on the counter. “Your chart says you were injured during a football game, but no complications during surgery to repair your Achilles. We’ve got a rigid therapy schedule set up for you. Are you sure you’re up to therapy twice a week?”

  Heath sat up straighter, pride flashing in his eyes. “I’ll come in as often as I can. I want to get rid of these crutches.” A tendon in his neck twitched as he clenched his jaw. A sure sign her question had aggravated him.

  Good.

  “I’m sure you’re ready to get back on the field as soon as possible.” Okay, that edge to her voice might not have been entirely professional. Raven sighed and lowered the iPad. “Look, if you’d rather have a different PTA, I can speak with Fay this evening.” She wasn’t sure what kind of response she was looking for. If he agreed, it’d be another dismissal to add to the list. But if he was fine with her managing his PT, then she’d have to deal with seeing him for the next few weeks.

  His blue eyes blinked in surprise. “I want the person who can best help me recover my strength.”

  Fay insisted Raven was the best PT assistant she’d ever had working for her, and that’s why she’d arranged it this way. Well, Raven would do her job. She’d help her patient the way she was trained and push past the fact that it’s Heath. She could do that, right?

  “Then we should get started.” Raven withdrew some pamphlets from one of the cabinets. “These are for you to take home. I’m sure your doctor has gone over the kind of recovery you can expect from this type of injury.”

  “Yeah.” Heath took the pamphlets from her, folded them, and slipped them into a back pocket.

  She checked the iPad. “Looks like you’ll be in every Tuesday and Thursday starting next week. I see that Dr. Bright adjusted your boot. Make sure you continue to sleep in it and let us know if you experience any pain at the incision site. Sometimes adjustments can cause the boot to rub it, and we can fix that easily enough.”

  “Will do.”

  “Let me know if you experience a lot of discomfort during the sessions, and we’ll back off a little.”

  “I think I’ll manage.” Heath’s displeasure showed through, and it deepened his voice. There were many times in school when he’d stood up for her, and his voice would deepen like that as he confronted her tormentors.

  The memory sent an unexpected tendril of warmth through her, and she frowned. “I’m sure you will. You’re good at that.”

  “At what?” There was no missing the challenge in his eyes or the way his large hands curled around the arm of his chair.

  Raven realized it would take little to turn this to a discussion that was long overdue. A discussion she had no intention of ever having for fear of opening old wounds. She ignored his question. “All right, let’s get started. We have a section of indoor track on the other side of the building. We’ll work on putting some weight on that foot while you’re walking and see how that goes. Then we’ll go to the gym after that to start on upper body and upper extremity circuit training.”

  He reached for the crutches that were leaning against the wall nearby and used them to get to a standing position. “Let’s do this.”

  Raven stifled a sigh. If she’d known this would be waiting for her today, she might’ve climbed back in bed this morning.

  God, we’re going to have ourselves a little chat later.

  ~*~

  Heath c
ouldn’t stop stealing glimpses of the woman he hadn’t seen in years. Raven seemed as self-assured as ever. Growing up, she’d been the one girl in school who didn’t care what everyone else was doing. She knew what she wanted, and she was content to be herself. He’d hated that some of their classmates focused on those differences and teased her about them. Especially when they’d drawn Heath to her in the first place.

  Now her ability to pretend something didn’t bother her frustrated him. She’d been the last person he expected to see walk through that door. He knew he’d end up running into her eventually, but he’d banked on later. That’s what he got for not keeping tabs on her. If he’d known she was a PT assistant here, he might’ve gone somewhere else for therapy. This whole thing had thrown him for a loop. Now he was second-guessing nearly every decision he’d made in the last twelve years. It was clear she wasn’t happy to see him. Yet here she was, carrying on professionally as she explained everything to him and then helped him with his gait. All business.

  He caught a whiff of lavender. It’d always been her favorite flower, and the scent had haunted him for months after he’d left.

  Heath hoped he appeared every bit as stoic as she did. Seeing her had been a shock, and it dawned on him that he’d be working with her twice a week. Yeah, if anyone needed incentive to make a fast recovery, he had it.

  He listened as Raven gave him directions, and he showed that he understood what to do. The track they were using ran the length of the hallway, and he’d walked it three or four times. Heath’s leg and foot already ached. He wasn’t about to admit it, though. He’d known therapy wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t expected it to be this difficult, either. He swallowed his aggravation.

  When Raven announced they’d finished with that part of his therapy, Heath released a slow lungful of air. “Great. To the gym, then?”

  “To the gym.” Raven slipped the small iPad into a pocket of her colorful scrubs and then led the way.