Chapter 1
Chapter One
SERENITY
When I moved to Hope Valley, it had been in the hopes that whatever had been in the water that rained so much goodness down on my baby sister, Stella, would somehow find its way to me. After the past several months, I figured I was more than due for a bit of goodness.
Sure, from the outside looking in, my moral compass might have come off as a little shaky.
And, yes, up until a couple months ago, I’d done some questionable things, but I wasn’t a bad person.
Everything I’d done had been to protect the people I loved.
I hadn’t liked the role I’d been tasked to play.
In fact, I despised it to the point the sensation of my skin crawling had become a constant thing I’d had to learn to deal with.
But there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my family. Seeing any one of them hurting caused a physical pain inside of me. That was the only reason I’d allowed them to talk me into doing the things I’d done.
You see, the Ryans came from a long line of grifters and con artists that dated back to the Pilgrims coming over on the Mayflower, or so rumor told.
Truthfully, I hadn’t had the patience to research just how far back it really went.
But anyway, the craft had been passed down from generation to generation.
My siblings and I had grown up in the life, learning different cons from the time we were in diapers.
Each of us had a specific role to play. Stella was the smart one.
She had a gift for reading people and situations and had hands that were so fast and feather light, not a single mark ever felt their wallets or watches being nicked.
My older brother, Spencer, was the clever one.
He could talk people around to his way of thinking with minimal effort.
You could have been standing in front of a bright red barn, but by the time he was finished, you would have been convinced it was purple simply because he’d said so.
He could fleece you blind without you even realizing he’d done it.
And me, well, I was the pretty one.
That was all my worth seemed to be marked by.
I wasn’t smart like my little sister or cunning like my big brother.
I was pretty, that was it. That was my claim to fame.
I could dazzle men long enough for my family to bleed them dry.
I was a deft hand at twisting them into compromising positions that would come in handy if we ever needed excellent blackmail material.
It seemed the only tools I had at my disposal were my body and face, at least to everyone around me.
The fact I looked good in a skirt was all that was required of me.
And I hated it.
Despite being able to pull off each job without actually letting a mark touch me, I’d still go home at night and stand beneath a scalding shower until every inch of skin on my body glowed bright red, and still, I couldn’t seem to get clean.
I might have played at seduction, but I wasn’t a whore.
I’d had sex with exactly two men in my life, so when it came to the con, I drew the line at anything physical.
However, that didn’t make me feel any better about what I was doing.
It was as if there was a layer of grime over my skin that I would never be able to wash away.
People thought my looks were all I had to offer, and I’d spent my entire life smiling through the pain and hiding just how much that hurt.
Then everything changed a handful of months ago. It started with my father pulling a con on the wrong people and putting our entire family in danger. Fortunately, the story had a happy ending that came with my baby sister finding true love and all of the Ryans getting to step back from the life.
I was thrilled Stella found the man of her dreams and my brother got to focus on his wife and daughter without having to constantly look over his shoulder in fear that a con might have caught up with him.
I loved that my folks had been able to sit back, relax, and enjoy their days with their kids and grandchild.
But while everyone else had moved on, I’d been cast adrift.
I couldn’t exactly use my grift skills in the real world, not that I’d wanted to. Walking away from that life had been the biggest blessing I’d ever experienced. I was grateful for a chance to do something else.
Anything else.
This was the fresh start I’d been wanting for as long as I could remember.
Not having the first clue what I wanted to do with my life was terrifying, but I was determined not to waste this chance.
I was going to grab hold and find the same damn happy my sister had, and I prayed this town was the first step in that.
I could have moved anywhere, but there was just something about the small mountain town that called to me.
It was the beauty of the vibrant green mountains that surrounded the valley, the fresh smell of pine that filled my lungs with each inhale.
Hope Valley felt magical, and every time I stepped foot in the town, I felt this sense of belonging that sank down into my bones. It was as if I were home.
Drawing in a deep breath, that crisp pine air invigorating me, I grabbed hold of the handle and pulled the door open, ready to take the second step toward my fresh start.
I’d been inside the Tap Room once before, but that had been at night when the place was buzzing with people and music as the drinks flowed.
The jukebox was playing, only at a much lower volume, more like ambient noise carrying in the air below the murmured chatter.
There was a decent size crowd, thanks to the fact that the place served lunch and dinner before things really picked up, but the vibe was much more sedate in the middle of a workday than it was on a Friday or Saturday night when people were looking to cut loose.
“Welcome to the Tap Room,” the woman behind the bar greeted.
She looked to be a few years older than I was, maybe early forties, but she wore her age well and would have been able to pass for years younger.
Her personal style seemed to be a mesh of rocker, hippie, and country girl.
It wasn’t a combination I would have thought would work, but on her it totally did.
Her long, shiny black hair was pulled back into a stylishly messy French braid that hung over her shoulder, the ends of the multicolored scarf she was wearing as a headband twined through the strands.
Another one was strung through the belt loops of her jeans.
The stacks of bracelets on her arms jangled as she moved, and chunky silver and turquoise rings caught the overhead light as she rested her palms on the bar top in front of her.
Her smile was warm and friendly as I moved closer. “What can I get you?”
“I’d really love a job if you have one of those available,” I answered quickly. Putting it out there had to have been better than hemming and hawing. No need to waste anyone’s time.
The woman’s eyes narrowed, her gaze growing a tad more scrutinizing. She snapped her fingers like a lightbulb had just flipped on, declaring, “I knew you looked familiar. You’re Stella Ryan’s sister, right?”
My throat closed up at the mention of my sister’s name, making it difficult to swallow.
If this woman new Stella, odds were she already knew about our family’s reputation.
“Uh, yeah.” I pushed my discomfort down so she couldn’t see it.
It was something I’d gotten damn good at.
After all, a guy wouldn’t buy that I was into him if I cringed every time he got close.
I’d had to become an expert at hiding what I was feeling.
I extended my hand across the bar. “Serenity Ryan, but most people call me Sere. Less of a mouthful.”
There was no disgust or hatred in her gaze as she took my hand, giving it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Sere.” Her words rang with sincerity. “I’m Rory Paulson. My husband, Cord, works at Alpha Omega.”
Alpha Omega was a private investigation and security firm that had set up shop in Hope Valley some years back.
Its reputation was well known far and wide, not only because the guys who worked there were the very definition of badass, known for getting the job done by any means necessary, but also because they were enjoyable as hell to look at.
Stella’s new man, West, was part of the Alpha Omega crew, as was Stella herself. Once the owner of the place, Lincoln Sheppard, saw how my baby sister’s grift skills could come in handy for some of their cases, he took her on too.
Stella had talked my ear off about her love for her new job, as well as how awesome everyone she worked with was.
“Yeah, of course.” I vaguely remembered her husband from the sorry excuse of a kidnapping my sister and I had been tangled up in several weeks back.
It was a long story, but the gist of it was the man my father had conned just so happened to be connected to some pretty bad people.
However, in an unexpected twist, he was also a world-class idiot who didn’t have the first clue what he was doing.
West and his guys had busted in to save the day, but that was after Stella and I had already managed to get free and beat the living snot out of the pain in the ass. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Casual as could be, Rory bent her elbows and rested her forearms on the wooden counter between us. “So, Sere. You got any experience waitressing or bartending?”
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding until right that moment, when my lungs began to burn and the pressure in my chest built. The exhale slowly skated past my lips on a quiet whistle as relief swamped me that Rory wasn’t the type of woman to judge or hold my past against me.
“I waited tables when I was younger. It’s been a while, but I think I can pick it back up pretty fast. As for bartending, I can pull a beer like no one’s business, but aside from that, my skills are pretty limited.
” My lips pulled into a line. “I’m not much of a mixologist. But I’m more than happy to make up for that by bussing tables,” I added quickly.
Anything to make myself the most appealing hire there ever was.
I wasn’t sure why, but just like the town had called to me, the Tap Room was calling as well. Now that I’d gotten this far, any outcome that didn’t end with me being newly employed at the local watering hole would suck.
“Well, lucky for you, this place is known for its beer.” She waved her hand along the back wall where beer taps were lined from end to end, more brands and flavors than I’d known could possibly exist. “If it’s cool with you, I’ll start you on the floor for now.
But on the off chance I need you behind the bar, one of the other bartenders or I will handle the more complicated orders.
You can stick with pulling beers until you think you’re ready to get your feet wet. ”
My eyes rounded and my jaw dropped. “Wait . . . I have the job?”
She let out a musical laugh, the sound nearly as beautiful as she was. “That’s what you wanted, right?”
I pulled the corner of my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down. “Well, yeah. But—”
“You don’t know this about me yet, but you will.
I tend to follow my gut when it comes to meeting new people.
It hasn’t led me wrong so far, and my gut is telling me you’re good people.
I like your sister and she speaks highly of you.
” Man, but I had the best little sister in the world.
“If you two are anything alike, I think this will work out perfectly.”
I hoped she was right, because my gut was telling me this was exactly where I was supposed to be.