Page 1 of Revived My Heart

Chapter 1

~ Mason ~

Iwatched the happy couple out on the dance floor, their arms wrapped around each other, and I was happy for them, I truly was.

Christian was one of my best friends up here in these woods, away from the world, and our little slice of heaven.

And he found the perfect woman in Janelle, who was busy fighting off every woman that tried to get near her husband.

But I had my wife, the love of my life, and I lost her, stupid cancer. I also knew that I wouldn’t find someone like that again. I was forty-seven and long since believed that a second woman would come waltzing into my life.

Truth be told, I didn’t want it.

My heart would forever belong to my first wife, and no one woman wanted a widower, trust me.

We were grumps and often scared of the opposite sex. Well, at least Janelle wasn’t scared of me. Quite the opposite. I kind of think I was scared of that spitfire.

Not that it matters, because they were both happily married.

I had another sip of my beer, watching them yet again, ignoring the ache in my chest.

If I didn’t acknowledge it, then it wasn’t real, right?

It would go away.

“You look lonely, Mason,” one of the blonde bimbos said, walking up to me. She was just hitting on Christian, but Janelle shot that down.

“Not lonely,” I told the woman. Beth? Barbie? I couldn’t remember her name for the life of me, but I knew it was a B something.

“How about you take me on the dance floor for a spin?” she offered, running her nail over my arm but for some reason, though she looked hot as shit tonight, I wasn’t feeling it.

No, tonight, my thoughts were of my late wife and how she would have loved the cabin I built. She adored the woods as it was some of her favorite places to be, which is why I had to leave the city life and find this place. All so I could honor her.

“Nah, think I’m calling it tonight. You enjoy though,” I said, climbing off the stool. Poor Beth. Barbie. Whatever. She struck out twice tonight and that was very abnormal for her because either one of us would have taken her somewhere.

I threw some cash on the bar top and waved my hand at the bartender before clapping Christian on the back as I walked by them. They both gave me a smile then I stepped outside, smelling the crispness in the air and knew that a storm was brewing in tonight.

Which meant that anyone on these roads was going to be paying heavily if they didn’t get off and soon. I adjusted my hat, pulling it lower before heading to my truck and starting it up.It wasn’t quite cooler up here during the summer, but we sure tended to get a lot more rain, which was nice. But with all the dirt and trees, that leave a lot of mud and debris, so you had better have a truck. Or at least a vehicle that was able to handle the terrain.

I pulled out of the spot and made my way home, glad I only lived minutes from the small bar. This mountain town was a quiet small place, but it was home.

In fact, I think there was a new diner owner who planned on reviving the only decent place to eat around here. That would be nice because I was getting tired of making my crappy leftover meals, or frozen shit. Thank goodness I had friends that took pity on me and invited me over for a bite here and there, or gave me food, because I really was a horrible cook.

I turned down my lane, ready for my bed and to call it a night, letting the ghosts of my past and her amazing cooking haunt me tonight.

~ Patty ~

“You need a change of pace,” someone told me, making me grind my teeth.

“That, in other words, was get the fuck out of town and away from us,” I muttered, making my way up the winding road to the small little mountain town I heard so much about.

When the mayor of Cherryville told the city that I was stealing their money at the local diner, I was furious. I wasn’t, but he claimed I hadn't paid taxes.

Why would he say that?

Because I refused to go out on a date with him.

He was a slimeball and from some of things I heard from certain ladies, he was a creep to date. I knew the moment I said no, there would be hell to pay, and lookie here. I was forced to leave town, even though the sheriff knew not to believe the mayor. He was the one who told me it was best to leave the town, to find somewhere else and start again.