Two of a Kind: A Callaghan Family & Friends Romance Read online

  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

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Epilogue

  Two of a Kind

  Callaghan Family & Friends

  Abbie Zanders

  Published by Abbie Zanders, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  TWO OF A KIND

  First edition. March 15, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Abbie Zanders.

  Written by Abbie Zanders.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Two of a Kind (Callaghan Family & Friends)

  Acknowledgements

  Before You Begin

  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

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Epilogue

  BONUS Sneak Peek: Spencer and Kayla’s Wedding

  Thanks for reading Spencer and Kayla’s story

  About the Author

  Also by Abbie Zanders

  Two of a Kind

  Callaghan Brothers Family and Friends

  Copyright 2018 Abbie Zanders

  Acknowledgements

  Book cover design template from Book Cover Mall.

  Stock photos from DepositPhotos and Pixabay.

  Professional editing by Meg at megedits.com. Meg is not only a skilled and talented editor, but she’s also a kindred spirit.

  Additional editing by Kristin at C&D Editing services. Kristin reminds me (in the best way possible) that proper English grammar is not and never has been my forte.

  I’d also like to give a shout out to my awesome reading croies and ARC Angels, the Zanders Clan. I am so lucky to have you!

  ... and THANK YOU to all of you for selecting this book. You didn’t have to, but you did.

  Before You Begin

  Pack your bags, it's time to take a trip back to Pine Ridge, Pennsylvania!

  It's been a while since I released a book in the Callaghan world, but I haven't forgotten about my promise to give some of my favorite secondary characters their own stories. The question was, who was going to tell me their story first?

  You might be surprised by the answer. I know I was, especially when not one, but two people kept whispering in my ear. Two of my most hated characters, in fact. What was I supposed to do with them?

  As it turns out, they had quite a few ideas. And let me tell you, villains make awesome characters. No one expects them to play by the rules or do the right thing. Sometimes, they're not as bad as you think they are. And sometimes, they're even worse.

  Going back to Pine Ridge is like going home for me, and it’s a journey I plan to take several more times. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  If you like what you see, feel free to check my other titles and click the link at the back of this book to sign up for my newsletter, receive a free ebook, and get a chance each month to win a $25 gift card, just for being your awesome book-loving self.

  Warning: Contains mature themes.

  Chapter One

  “Charles and I are moving to Denver.”

  Kayla stopped mid-chew and stared at her mother, careful to keep her expression neutral. Charles was her mother’s latest husband, the third to hold the position. Kayla’s father, husband number one, died in a car accident the day after her thirteenth birthday. Husband number two, Brian O’Connell, suffered a massive heart attack almost ten years earlier. Unkind whispers painted Patricia Coxton-Jennings-O’Connell-Davidson as something of a black widow; Kayla couldn’t help wondering what poor Charles had in store for him.

  She finished chewing the tender piece of chicken and sipped her water before responding. “When?”

  “As soon as possible. Charles wants to be closer to his daughter. She’s having her third child in a few months. Three children, all under the age of five. Can you imagine?”

  Yes, Kayla could imagine it all too clearly. She shuddered. Children were not her thing.

  “What I can’t see, Mom, is you playing dear old grandmamma to three snot-nosed rugrats.”

  Patricia scowled and lifted her glass of wine. “Bite your tongue.”

  Kayla smirked, knowing she had touched a nerve. Her mother lacked the innate maternal instincts most women had. Patricia had, in fact, stated on more than one occasion that Kayla wouldn’t even exist if she hadn’t over-imbibed at her twenty-third birthday celebration and neglected to use birth control. She also never failed to thank Kayla every year for not giving her grandchildren and the age-related stigma that came with it.

  “Anyway,” Patricia sniffed, “Charles will be handling all of that.”

  “He’s okay with that?” Kayla asked carefully. Charles seemed like a genuinely nice man. A widower, he had been alone for years before he met her mother and she decided to change his relationship status. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Charles was also handsome in a mature, Fortune 500 kind of way and extremely well-off. Patricia wouldn’t have given him the time of day if he had been anything less.

  “He is,” Patricia confirmed. “We’ve discussed it. I’m his wife, not the mother of his children.”

  “And his daughter? How does she feel about it?”

  A dismissive wave of a manicured hand. “She’ll just have to deal with it.”

  “Like she did with your wedding?”

  It was no sec
ret that Charles’ daughter, Lydia, had been wholly opposed to the marriage. She believed that Patricia had more fondness for her father’s financial security than the man himself. She wasn’t entirely wrong. Charles was a good man, but Patricia would not have pursued him if he hadn’t had the funds to back up all that goodness. Patricia’s brief stints in the food service industry during and immediately after high school had convinced her that it was better to marry money than to earn it.

  “Lydia is a grown woman, not a little girl. She’s going to have to accept that her father is a healthy, virile man with needs.”

  With that discomfiting thought, Kayla speared another bite of chicken with a piece of broccoli and some penne.

  “Are you sure you should be eating that?” Patricia commented with disapproval. “Carbs are not your friend after thirty, Kayla.”

  Kayla flicked a glance at the broiled salmon and artfully arranged green beans on Patricia’s plate. She had to admit, her mother looked closer to Kayla’s age than she did to her own fifty-nine years. The woman was extremely disciplined when it came to maintaining her appearance. She ate right, exercised, and never missed her weekly spa treatments.

  “Yes,” Kayla answered, bringing the fork to her mouth. “I’ve made my peace with it.”

  “Don’t be flip. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life”—yes, she was—“but the dew is off your lily. No man is going to want a woman who doesn’t take care of herself. Do you think Charles and I would be together now if I’d let myself go?”

  Kayla didn’t consider eating a few bites of whole-grain pasta was “letting herself go” precisely. And truthfully, yes, she believed her mother and Charles would still be together if she added a few extra pounds and relaxed her sphincter a little, because Charles really was a nice guy. Oh, it might have been Patricia’s appearance that drew his eye in the first place, but from what Kayla could tell, he wasn’t the type to write someone off because they weren’t model-perfect.

  In that moment, Kayla actually felt a stab of sympathy for Charles. Her stepfather, Brian, had been the same way. After the honeymoon, Brian had found out the hard way that Patricia put a lot more time and effort into the outer packaging than what was inside the box. As for her father, well, perhaps she was remembering the past through the eyes of the daddy’s little girl she had once been, but he had been a good man, too.

  Kayla said none of that. Her opinion was just that—her opinion. As Patricia had pointed out, she and Charles were adults and capable of making their own decisions without Kayla’s, or anyone else’s, interference. Instead, Kayla asked, “What are you going to do with the house?”

  “Sell it, of course,” Patricia said immediately, then narrowed her eyes. “You don’t want it, do you?”

  Kayla shook her head. No, she didn’t want Brian’s house. The ten years she had spent there had been unpleasant and turbulent, and she had moved on since then.

  “Good. The realtor can decide what to do with the contents. Charles and I are making a fresh start.”

  Kayla now understood why Patricia was being relatively docile about the move to Denver. Charles had probably promised her a stately manor and an unlimited budget to decorate however she wanted. Poor Charles didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Patricia had expensive taste.

  “What about the stuff in the attic?” Kayla asked, thinking about the multitude of boxes and chests she had seen up there. None of it was stuff they had brought with them, which meant most of it was probably from Brian’s first marriage.

  “I have no use for it.”

  “Lexi might.”

  Patricia waved her hand dismissively. “She’s head chef and partner at the Celtic Goddess, Kayla. She’s worth millions. She’s not going to care about worthless, sentimental trinkets. Besides, she chose to leave that life behind when she moved to Georgia and broke her father’s heart.”

  That wasn’t quite the way Kayla remembered things happening, though Patricia did have one thing right. Brian’s heart was broken over the events that led him to send his daughter Lexi to live with some aunts in Georgia. He withdrew from the world until his heart couldn’t take it anymore.

  As for Lexi, well, she might be rich and successful, but she was also Brian’s daughter. Kayla had no doubt she would at least want the option to keep some of her father’s things for sentimental value. Unlike Kayla, Lexi was softhearted that way.

  Kayla made a mental note to visit the house and go through some of those old boxes to see if there was anything salvageable after all these years.

  “Have you contacted a realtor yet?”

  “No, not yet. I was hoping you would take care of that.”

  Kayla put her fork down and pushed the plate away as the true motive for this cozy mother-daughter dinner was revealed. She had known all along it wasn’t just to discuss Patricia’s plans; a simple phone call would have sufficed.

  “Things will be hectic for a few weeks,” Patricia continued. “The stress of moving, the drama I’m sure I’ll have to endure. Putting the house on the market and dealing with the realtor would be one less thing for me to worry about. Plus, you’re right here, and it’s not like you have anything important going on.”

  Some daughters might have taken offense, but not Kayla. She was used to her mother speaking her thoughts aloud, and had braced herself accordingly before entering the restaurant. In an odd way, it made Kayla feel special. She was quite possibly the only person Patricia was honest with. Her mother cared too much about what other people thought to tell them what was really on her mind. Appearances were so important to Patricia.

  “I can take care of it,” Kayla agreed.

  Patricia nodded. No praise, no thanks. Kayla hadn’t expected any.

  “Anything else?” Kayla asked. Now that Patricia had achieved her objective, there was no reason to linger.

  “No, I think that’s it.” Patricia signaled for the server. “I’ll call once we’re settled in Denver.”

  They settled the bill then parted ways with a brief hug outside the restaurant.

  Kayla drove back to her place, the tension slowing fading away as she put the restaurant and her mother far behind her.

  Chapter Two

  Kayla sighed in relief as she kicked off her shoes and slid the deadbolt in place. She loved her mother, she really did, but even a few hours with the woman was exhausting. She didn’t realize exactly how much so until she had been living on her own for a few years.

  She flipped the switch by the door, bathing the room in soft light. Her home was her sanctuary. She had bought the small rancher a few years earlier. Two bedrooms, one bathroom on a half-acre lot in an older section of town, about fifteen miles from Pine Ridge. The neighborhood was quiet and the people tended to mind their own business, which was ideal for her. She’d had enough of the nosy, gossipy types to last a lifetime.

  She took her phone out of her purse and saw three missed calls. The first was from Simon, the guy she had met last week. She deleted it without listening. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but one date was enough for her to know he was not her type. Their dinner had been pleasant, the conversation topical and politically correct. Wholly uninteresting and incredibly boring.

  The second was a courtesy call from the car dealership, reminding her of an upcoming appointment for a routine lube, oil, and filter.

  The last was from her boss, Annette, asking her to call back as soon as possible, then qualifying that by adding “as long as it is before midnight.” Kayla looked at the clock. It wasn’t quite nine yet, but she had no intentions of returning the call. Annette probably wanted the same thing she always wanted—for Kayla to cover for someone else.

  Annette thought that, because Kayla was single and without kids, she was at Annette’s beck and call. Kayla put an inordinate amount of time and effort into her job at the travel agency, often working long hours and weekends. It was nice to have some time to herself, too. Just because Kayla hadn’t been stupid enough to get marr
ied and start popping out babies didn’t mean she didn’t have a life.

  One of the benefits of that was, if she wasn’t scheduled to work until two the next day, she could sleep in and spend the rest of the morning doing whatever the hell she wanted.

  Another benefit: she answered to no one but herself.

  Kayla slipped off her pumps, then went into her bedroom to change into roomy yoga pants and an old T-shirt. With a glass of wine in hand, she put on some soft music for background noise and sorted through the mail. All junk. She fired up her tablet and checked her emails, which also turned out to be mostly spam. She paid some bills online, then did a search for local realtors. She was scanning the list of potential agencies when a noise outside got her attention.

  Chapter Three

  Kayla took her glass to the sink and peered out the window. The noise came from the property on the right. A six-foot privacy fence separated the yards, while Kayla’s shed and the big apple tree farther back shielded the view. None of that did anything to keep her from hearing yet another shouting match from the new neighbors. Angry shouts punctuated with a few slamming doors and a crash or two.

  Kayla hadn’t actually met them yet; they didn’t seem any more inclined to be neighborly than she did, and for that, she was glad. They had moved in about two weeks earlier, a mother and teenage daughter from what she could tell.

  No one could accuse Kayla of being a snoop, but she did like to be aware of her surroundings and be able to recognize those she shared property lines with.

  She had been out front adding some colorful impatiens and coleus to her flower beds when a car and a moving van had pulled up next door. The woman looked to be around her own age—mid-thirties or so—and the girl, maybe sixteen. Kayla had been prepared to offer a polite wave, but they hadn’t even looked over in her direction. That was fine with her. The best neighbors were those who minded their own business and kept to themselves.

  Within an hour, the moving guys were gone, and Kayla hadn’t seen either of them again.