Page 1 of Easton’s Claim

Chapter One

“You seriously flew into town and then left again without even stopping by to see me?”

Easton Colebrook grinned at the outrage in his sister’s voice. “It was only a pit stop, so I didn’t have time, and that’s why I’m calling you now. I’m already on the road.”

“Why the big rush to get home? Dad’s fine.”

“No reason.” A total lie. He was a man on a mission. In some ways, the most important mission of his life. But unlike all previous missions, conducted with his teammates to back him up, this time he was going in solo.

Charlie grunted. “I was thinking of maybe coming down for the weekend. Been a few weeks since I was home. I owe Dad a visit, and I guess it’s the only way I’ll get to spend time with you before you ship out again.”

“Perfect, we can catch up then.”

“You’re up to something,” she said in a suspicious voice. “I can feel it.”

Yep.“Nah. So what day do you think you’ll drive down?” She worked for the DEA as a computer forensic examiner in D.C., just a few hours’ drive from their family home in the Shenandoah Valley.

“Maybe Friday night, just depends on my work schedule. We’ve been doing a lot of overtime on this latest case.”

“Can’t wait to hear all about it. Look, I’m just outside of town now, so—”

“Okay, I’ll let you go then. Say hi to Dad and Wyatt, and I’ll see you on the weekend.”

“Sounds good. Bye, Charles,” he teased, because she hated it when he called her that.

He ended the call before she could respond and passed the sign that readWelcome to Sugar Hollowwith a mix of peace and anticipation building inside him.

Four long months had passed since he’d last been home. Four months of dust and sand and grit, living in a warzone where enemy attacks could happen at any moment, and often did.

The constant grind of the deployment cycles to Afghanistan were starting to wear on him, and his body was beat up and sore. More than ever he craved the stability of home and family. Being here gave him the chance to recharge and unwind.

And to finally go after the woman he’d loved for more than a decade.

Piper had been on his mind constantly this last rotation. She’d been part of his life since he was thirteen, when she’d first moved to Sugar Hollow with her father as a high school senior.

Easton had still been too young for her to notice him back then, but even at thirteen he’d been pea green with envy that his eldest brother Wyatt had taken her to prom, then dated her briefly before leaving for boot camp at Parris Island.

Easton had finished school and joined the Corps. He and Piper had remained good friends throughout those years but nothing more, and when he’d been discharged and come home, she’d been engaged.

He’d thought he’d lost her forever then, but over the past couple of years her marriage had crumbled. He hadn’t realized how bad things had gotten. During his last visit home in May, he’d found out she was separated, and waiting to file for divorce. That day marked the first time he’d ever had a shot with her, and it had changed everything.

Including him. From that day on he’d severed contact with the handful of women he’d been seeing over the past year, his mind locked on one single goal: making Piper his.

Singing along to his favorite country song on the radio, he drove through the heart of downtown. Down Main Street, past all the brightly painted Victorian-style shops, restaurants and charming little B&Bs brimming with bright bursts of color from flowers spilling out of hanging baskets and window boxes.

No matter how much the world changed, the unique core of Sugar Hollow never did. He took comfort in that.

Two miles out of town he turned west, out toward the rolling farmland that made up the heart of the Shenandoah. It was late September, the days still warm and sunny, the nights crisp and cool. His favorite time of year. The oaks and sugar maples were just beginning to turn color. In another few weeks, the entire valley would be ablaze with spectacular fall color.

When he turned up the long driveway a few minutes later and his childhood home came into view at last, he let out a sigh of appreciation.

The two-story, pale yellow farmhouse sat in the middle of a sixty-acre parcel they used as a horse farm, handed down through the generations since before the Civil War ravaged the Valley. A lush green lawn spread out in front of it, and tidy flowerbeds hugged the base of the wraparound porch.

Coming home always relaxed him, reminded him of what was important in life. He’d have a quick visit with his dad, hit the shower, get a hot meal in his belly and turn in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day, years in the making, and he’d spent the past four months planning it carefully.

Everything hinged on how Piper reacted to what he was going to say, and he was nervous as hell about the outcome. Her douche of an ex had hurt her, destroyed her confidence. She’d always seen him as a friend, as Wyatt’s little brother. So his feelings toward her were going to come as a hell of a shock.

It was a risk he was prepared to take, because now that he was home, he couldn’t hold back another day. Whatever it took, he was going to show Piper that he was the man she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

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