Surrender to Me (Boggy Creek Valley Book 4) Read online

  Surrender to Me

  Book 4 Boggy Creek Valley

  Copyright © 2022 by Kelly Elliott

  Cover art by: Tarah Hamilton

  Cover Design by: RBA Designs, www.rbadesigns.com

  Interior Design & Formatting by: Elaine York, www.allusionpublishing.com

  Developmental Editor: Kelli Collins www.kellicollins.com

  Content Editor: Rachel Carter, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Erin Quinn-Kong, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Elaine York, www.allusionpublishing.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information on Kelly and her books, please visit her website www.kellyelliottauthor.com.

  Prologue – Hunter

  Chapter One – Hunter

  Chapter Two – Arabella

  Chapter Three – Hunter

  Chapter Four – Arabella

  Chapter Five – Hunter

  Chapter Six - Hunter

  Chapter Seven – Arabella

  Chapter Eight – Arabella

  Chapter Nine – Hunter

  Chapter Ten – Arabella

  Chapter Eleven – Hunter

  Chapter Twelve – Arabella

  Chapter Thirteen – Hunter

  Chapter Fourteen – Arabella

  Chapter Fifteen - Arabella

  Chapter Sixteen – Hunter

  Chapter Seventeen – Arabella

  Chapter Eighteen - Hunter

  Chapter Nineteen – Arabella

  Chapter Twenty – Hunter

  Chapter Twenty-One – Arabella

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Hunter

  Author's Note

  Coming Soon

  Other Books by Kelly Elliott

  Hunter

  The sound of hundreds of swarming bees nearly lulled me to sleep as I stared up at the clear blue sky. Arabella lay next to me, her head on my stomach with a book in her hand while she read, and I prayed one of those bees wouldn’t sting me.

  “How many times do you think you’ve been stung by a bee?” I asked, watching one small cloud meander across the sky.

  Arabella put her book down across her stomach, clearly thinking about my question. “Well, if I had to guess, I’d say thousands of times.”

  “And you still want to do this? Take over the apiary someday?”

  She sat up and spun around to face me. “More than anything. The bees are all I’ve ever known. When I’m around them I feel so calm. Safe.” After a beat, she looked away, blushing slightly.

  I touched her arm. “Tell me what you just thought?”

  “Well,” she said, climbing on top of my lap to straddle me. “I feel safest when I’m with you. In your arms.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. I loved Arabella Adams and had since the first time I saw her on the playground in elementary school. Her blonde hair had been up in a ponytail, and she’d been carrying a lunchbox that was in the shape of a bee. I might not have known I was in love with her then, but I knew she was going to be my best friend. And she was.

  I, of course, also had my guy best friends. Aiden O’Hara, who was joining the Navy right after graduation. Kyle Larson, who planned on following in his dad’s footsteps and becoming a cop. Adam Smith, who was destined to be a doctor, no doubt about that. And Bishop Harris, who had dreams of owning the local Christmas tree farm in Boggy Creek. They were more like brothers to me, if I was honest.

  We’d all had a clear path from a young age, and I’d thought I’d known mine. I was planning on going into the Navy with Aiden. It would have sucked to be away from Bella, but it was something Aiden and I had talked about for as long as I could remember. It was our plan. Then my father ended up getting cancer, and I knew what I needed to do. Go to college, get a degree like he’d always wanted, and get my ass back to Boggy Creek to make sure my mom and two baby sisters would always be taken care of in case anything happened to Dad.

  So, I chose to go with my second choice. Be a cop. It’s what I’d wanted to do in the Navy, so it wasn’t that much of a difference. A part of me couldn’t help but be a tad bitter that I couldn’t join the Navy, but my family was my number one concern. Always.

  “I’m glad you feel safest with me, Bella. Don’t ever forget that. I’ll always protect you.”

  She smiled and leaned down. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m glad you’re not going into the Navy.”

  I raised a brow and sat up. Arabella draped her arms around my shoulders and played with the hair at the nape of my neck. “Why?”

  A blush appeared on her face again. God, I freaking loved how easy it was to do that to her. She had one of the sweetest personalities I’d ever known. Her heart was nothing but pure kindness—with a little bit of a naughty side that I also loved.

  “Because that means once we finish college, we can get married.”

  I blinked a few times and then laughed. “I’m sorry, but isn’t the guy supposed to propose?”

  She nodded. “I didn’t propose just now. I simply stated a fact.”

  I laughed again.

  Bella’s smile slipped. “You do want to marry me, don’t you?”

  Before she could react, I turned her around and lay her on the blanket. “I love you, Bella. More than I love anything in this entire world. And you’re mine. My heart will always belong to you, and that’s a promise I never intend on breaking.”

  I ran my finger lightly along her jawline, down her neck, and across her chest. “I love knowing I’m the only man who has ever touched you. Kissed you.”

  There went the blush, this time moving over the tops of her breasts. “And you’ll always be the only man.”

  Rubbing my nose over hers, I whispered, “Good. Now, how long did you say your folks were gonna be in town for?”

  A smile grew across her beautiful face. “Until at least dark.”

  I moved my hand up along her exposed leg, causing her to shiver. “I really love it when you wear dresses, Bella.”

  “I know. That’s why I wear so many of them.”

  “You naughty girl,” I said as I slipped my hand into her panties. She arched her back and let out a soft moan.

  “Someday, Bella, I’m going to buy you a beautiful house, with plenty of land for you and your bees. And we’ll have lots of kids to run around and play with.”

  Her eyes opened and met mine. I could see the love in them, and it made my heart pound something fierce in my chest.

  “I want you, Hunter. Please,” she begged, quickly moving her hands to my jeans.

  It wasn’t long after that I pushed inside of her, groaning at the feel of her body taking mine.

  “Hunter,” she gasped as she wrapped her legs around me. “I love you.”

  My face was buried in her neck when she spoke. Lifting my head, I met her gaze. “I love you too. So very much.”

  We spent the rest of the afternoon on a blanket under a nearly cloudless sky, making love. The sounds of the bees our love song.

  I made a vow to myself that day—or maybe even that day I saw her on the playground. My heart would always belong to Arabella Adams…always.

  Senior year of college - March

 
; My phone buzzed with a text message from Arabella. I turned it over, swiped up, and hit the preview.

  Bella: Are you coming home this weekend?

  With a quick glance to ensure the professor wasn’t watching, I typed my reply.

  Me: Are you? If you’re planning on going home, I’ll be there.

  Bella: I’m home now. We need to talk.

  I frowned. It was odd for Bella to be home on a Thursday. I knew she had classes on Friday as well. Since I only had classes Monday through Thursday, I would often drive the short distance from Manchester, where I went to school, to Durham, where Bella went to the University of New Hampshire, to spend the weekend with her.

  Me: Is everything okay?

  Bella: I don’t want to talk over text. I’ll be home, so just stop by when you get back.

  Me: I’ll leave right after class.

  Three-and-a-half hours later, I sat on the porch swing of Arabella’s house while she sat opposite me. I could tell she’d been crying. A lot.

  “Bella, do you want to tell me what’s going on? You’re starting to freak me out.” Her sky-blue eyes lifted and met mine. My heart dropped because all I could see in them was pain and sadness.

  “I quit school.”

  My mouth fell open. “You did what? Arabella, why in the hell would you do that? You only have this spring semester left and you’re done. Less than two months.”

  She worked her throat as she attempted to swallow. “I don’t need a degree. Not to run my own family’s apiary.”

  With a shake of my head, I tried to figure out what in the hell was happening. “Okay, well, if you want to quit school, I don’t care. I’ll be starting at the police academy soon, and then I’ll be back in Boggy Creek for good.”

  She looked down at her hands and drew in a shaky breath. “I can’t do this.”

  Frowning, I asked, “Do what?”

  When she looked back up, tears were streaming down her face. “I can’t be with you now. Not after… I just can’t.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach like a lead weight. “What do you mean, you can’t be with me? Do you mean right now?”

  She shook her head. “Ever. I want to…I want to break up.”

  When people said a rug was ripped out from under them, I never understood what they meant. Now I did, because my entire world had just been upended.

  “You want to…break up? For good?”

  She nodded and wiped at her tears. I quickly stood and made my way over to her.

  She jumped up and backed away from me. “Don’t touch me!” she screamed.

  I froze. “Arabella—what in the hell is going on? Why are you doing this?”

  Her chin trembled as she just stared at me.

  A sick feeling rolled through my gut. “Did you…did you met someone else you want to be with?”

  A sob slipped free, and she shook her head. “Never.”

  “Okay, then did something happen? Did you sleep with someone else?”

  She spun around and wrapped her arms around herself. The fact that she wouldn’t even look at me told me everything I needed to know.

  Holy fuck. Arabella cheated on me.

  I pushed my fingers though my hair and tried to make sense of what was happening. “Bella, did you cheat on me?”

  She turned back around and looked me in the eyes. “I would never cheat on you.”

  “Then why in the fuck are you breaking up with me? At least give me a goddamn reason.”

  Her head dropped, and she stared at the ground. “I…I don’t…I don’t love you anymore, and I don’t see a future for us.”

  I suddenly couldn’t get enough air into my lungs as I stumbled back, nearly tripping and falling into the porch swing. When she looked back up at me, I knew the words she’d just spoken were nothing but a lie. Yet, she wasn’t taking them back.

  She wiped at her face and pushed her shoulders back. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I never wanted to hurt you. But we can’t be together.”

  I was stunned into silence. Arabella opened her mouth to say something else, then quickly shut it. She turned on her heels and walked into her house, quietly closing the screen door, and then the large oak door, shutting me out of her life.

  When I managed to get my feet to move, I started for the door. But I stopped when James, Arabella’s father, appeared in the doorway.

  “James, what’s going on?”

  He slowly shook his head. “I don’t know, Hunter. All I know is Arabella came home yesterday and said she quit school. Then she locked herself in her bedroom. She only came out long enough to speak to you.”

  “I don’t…I don’t understand. Why would she do this?” I could feel tears burning at the back of my eyes. Arabella was everything to me, and I’d thought I was everything to her.

  How in the hell could this be real?

  James drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Give her time, Hunter. She’s clearly upset about something and refuses to talk to anyone about it. Even us.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Maybe some space is what she needs right now. I bet in the next week or two, you’ll both be inseparable again. You’ll see.”

  I felt my brows draw in as I nodded, wanting to believe the words were true, but somehow knowing deep in my gut that nothing would ever be the same again.

  Hunter

  Present Day

  January in New Hampshire was cold as shit, but seeing my Belgian Malinois K9 partner, Jack, running with pure joy seemed to warm me up. On our days off, I still tried to do some obedience training mixed in with a bit of fun. It kept Jack—who also happened to share my father’s name—sharp.

  My phone rang as I tossed the ball into a snowbank and watched while Jack dove for it. When I saw it was Arabella, I answered.

  In just the last year, Bella had been starting to come out of the prison she’d locked herself away in after we’d broken up nearly ten long years ago. She was slowly talking to me more, especially after becoming friends with my youngest sister, Willa. So, any chance I got to see her or talk to her, I jumped on it.

  “Bella, is everything okay?”

  She let out a giggle, which sounded like music to my ears. To hear happiness in her voice was a nice change. “Everything is amazing. Willa is having her baby! She’s been trying to get ahold of you!”

  Willa was married to Aiden, one of my best friends. I’d always known the two of them liked each other, but with Aiden joining the Navy and then becoming a SEAL, fate dealt them both a few hands that weren’t in their favor. Willa ended up getting pregnant by a dickhead who shall not be named, got married, left him when she caught him cheating, had her son Ben, and then got divorced. After Aiden got shot and could no longer perform as a SEAL, he finally came back to Boggy Creek. Needless to say, when the two of them eventually ended up together, no one was surprised. Least of all me.

  “What? Shit, I just turned my phone back on and you called. Do my folks know?” I called for Jack and headed to my personal truck, a Ford F-150. I opened the back door and Jack jumped in. He was used to both my truck and the police-issued Tahoe that was outfitted for K9 units.

  “I’m not sure. Greer called Abby while I was talking to her, and she told us. She said Aiden freaked out and Hudson had to drive them to the hospital. I figured she might not have called you because she thought you were on duty.”

  I laughed. Oh hell, I wasn’t going to let Aiden live this one down. “I’ll give my parents a call. I need to get Jack home, but I can swing by and pick you up on the way to the hospital, if you want.”

  There was a brief moment of silence, and I braced myself for a no. I’d run into Bella a few days ago at Schmick’s Market, and for once she hadn’t pretended not to see me. She’d actually stopped, and we’d talked for a few minutes. I’d even asked her to have coffee with me this week, and she’d said yes. I’d nearly jumped and fist pumped right there in the middle of the damn grocery store. I wasn’t about to get my hopes up that she’d say yes to
me twice in one week, though.

  The last ten years had been fucking torture. The first year after Arabella broke up with me, I had only saw her a handful of times, if that. It was clear she was keeping to herself, locked away at the apiary. As the years slowly ticked by, I’d seen a bit more of her, but she always treated me as if I was a casual friend. I hadn’t seriously dated anyone since Arabella. I’d had a few flings here and there, but none of them meant anything.

  No matter how hard I tried to fall out of love with Arabella Adams and move on, it seemed I couldn’t. I had once promised her my heart, and it appeared she truly owned it. And I knew a part of her, deep down inside, felt the same way about me. I would catch her looking at me sometimes. I could see it in her eyes. Feel it in the way she smiled at me.

  I still couldn’t figure out why she’d pushed me away all those years ago, though I had some guesses. Some I really didn’t want to think about—some I hated to think about. All I knew for sure was that I still needed answers, and I hoped she would give them to me this week when we met for coffee. I couldn’t keep living my life like this. Holding on to a dream I wasn’t even sure was going to become reality. After a certain amount of time, you couldn’t help but let it slip from your hands to float away downstream.

  Over the phone, Arabella cleared her throat. “If you wouldn’t mind picking me up, that would be great.”

  I was positive my mouth fell open in my state of shock. Not only had she agreed to the coffee date, but now she was going to let me pick her up and spend time alone with her?

  Ignoring the way my heart pounded in my chest, I replied, “No, I don’t mind at all. Give me time to drop off Jack, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Don’t rush. Just be careful driving.”

  Smiling, I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “I will. See ya soon.”

  “Okay, see you soon, Hunter.”

  The moment I hung up with Bella, Willa called to let me know she was on her way to the hospital. She’d already called our folks, and they’d meet us there. I got Jack settled and headed over to Bella’s place. I pulled down the main driveway, past James and Sharon’s house, to the small cabin in the back where Bella lived. It was the original house that had been built on the property when Sharon’s grandfather had bought the place and settled there.