Where I Belong 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

  Other Books in the Pine Valley Series

  About Heather B. Moore

  Jane & Cameron

  A Pine Valley Novel

  Copyright © 2018 by Mirror Press, LLC

  E-book edition

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles. This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Interior design by Heather Justesen

  Edited by Cassidy Wadsworth Skousen and Lisa Shepherd

  Cover design by Rachael Anderson

  Cover image credit: Deposit Photos #62592897

  Published by Mirror Press, LLC

  Worth the Risk

  Where I Belong

  Say You Love Me

  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

  Other Books in the Pine Valley Series

  About Heather B. Moore

  Dear Reader,

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  Thank you!

  Heather

  Jane Morris makes a living by cleaning the houses of the wealthy residents of Pine Valley, and she tries hard not to judge their extravagant lifestyles. But when one of her clients goes through a devastating breakup with his fiancée, Jane finds herself in the middle of his emotional mess. She wants to help him, but Cameron Vance is a man she could easily lose her heart to. Jane agrees to be his date to the charity event of the year, organized by Cameron’s mother. But the magical night shows Jane that if she’s a Cinderella, then Cameron is definitely a candidate for Prince Charming.

  “Wow, this is the set-up.”

  “Are you kidding me, man?”

  “You’re a lucky guy.”

  “It’s about time.”

  “She looks expensive.”

  “I can’t believe you’re actually getting married.”

  “Didn’t you just meet a couple of months ago?”

  “Congratulations, my friend.”

  Cameron Vance’s head hurt, but he smiled through the comments—the same comments over and over. He smiled, he laughed, he slapped backs, he accepted congratulations, he joked, and he held Crystal’s hand as they answered question after question. Granted, his answers were much less enthusiastic than hers. He didn’t necessarily like huge crowds at his newly renovated cabin in Pine Valley. But Crystal had insisted.

  Engagement parties were wedding protocol, and she was all about protocol.

  “Oh, there’s the guy that sold your condo,” Crystal cooed in Cameron’s ear. There were at least fifty people on the main floor of the cabin, and that plus the blaring music made it hard to carry a conversation.

  Cameron turned to look toward the front door. Jeff Finch, the real estate agent, had arrived, and as he approached, one of Crystal’s friends drew her away to talk about the upcoming honeymoon to Vail, Colorado.

  “Jeff, welcome,” Cameron said, shaking the man’s hand.

  Jeff’s blue eyes focused on Cameron, and he smiled. “Congratulations. I didn’t even know you had a serious girlfriend when I last talked to you. The renovation is incredible, by the way.”

  Cameron chuckled. It was August now, and he’d had a whole construction crew working around the clock so that he wouldn’t have to move twice when he got married. “Thanks for hooking me up with Grant Shelton,” he said. “He and his brother-in-law do great work.”

  Jeff nodded. “I’m glad.” His gaze shifted to Crystal.

  Cameron looked her way too. Even if no one knew her, it was obvious Crystal was the bride-to-be, since she took every chance she got to show off her three-carat diamond ring.

  “Is that the lucky lady?” Jeff asked.

  “Yeah, that’s Crystal,” Cameron said, seeing her as Jeff must see her. Blonde, blue-eyed, petite, and energetic. She talked a mile a minute when she was excited, and her favorite thing to do was make plans. Plans for the wedding, plans for the honeymoon, plans for their future.

  “Is she from Pine Valley?”

  “No,” Cameron said. “We met at a friend’s party a couple of months back.” He didn’t miss the surprise on Jeff’s face.

  “A couple of months? And you’re getting married in September?”

  Cameron swallowed. It had all gone so fast—a whirlwind, really. His mom had commented that Crystal must have had her dress and ring picked out the first week they started dating. And that was saying a lot from his mom, since she was the most organized and efficient woman he knew.

  But Cameron had been quick to defend Crystal. When they met, she hadn’t known that he was from a wealthy family and ran two of his dad’s clothing manufacturing companies. She wasn’t a fortune hunter or anything. She had her own money.

  “When it’s right, it’s right,” Cameron told Jeff with a laugh.

  Jeff didn’t look convinced, but he smiled. “Well, congratulations. I hope the two of you will be happy.”

  “Thanks,” Cameron said. “The bar is over there—feel free to get what you want and mingle. Lots of single ladies here tonight.”

  Jeff nodded. “I’ve got some timeshare hookups if you’re looking for a place for a honeymoon, but you probably have it all worked out.”

  “Oh yeah, we do,” Cameron said. “My dad has a place in Vail, Colorado. Crystal wasn’t too excited at first, since it’s a mountain resort town like Pine Valley. But she’ll love it.”

  “I’ll love what?” Crystal said, coming up to Cameron and looking with bright interest at Jeff Finch. She looped her arm through Cameron’s and settled in close to him. “You’re the realtor, right?”

  “That’s me,” Jeff said.

  Crystal’s laugh tinkled as she extended her hand to shake Jeff’s. “I’ve seen your pictures and signs all over.”

  Jeff shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m so glad you could come to our party,” Crystal said. “Sorry the place is so cramped. Cameron and I have talked about adding a couple of extra rooms.”

  Crystal had talked about it, but Cameron didn’t see th
e need. He was ready to move on from the renovation and not start up any new project for a while. It had already taken time enough away from his work schedule.

  Jeff looked surprised at Crystal’s comment. “I think the place is great as is. It’s really beautiful.”

  Cameron agreed.

  “It is great.” Crystal wrinkled her nose. “Too small, though.”

  Jeff opened his mouth, then shut it. He looked at Cameron, an eyebrow lifted.

  What? Cameron wanted to say. But his head hurt, and he didn’t want to get into a tiff with Crystal at their engagement party. Besides, his parents had just arrived.

  “Well, congratulations again, you two,” Jeff said. “I’ll be out of town during your wedding, but if I don’t see you before then, I hope you enjoy Vail. I hear it’s beautiful in September.”

  “Thanks, we will. And thanks for coming tonight,” Cameron said.

  Jeff moved away, mixing into the crowd.

  Cameron’s parents were making their way toward them but were stalled by a mutual friend who greeted them. Cameron was impressed his father had come tonight. Cameron had told him this party wasn’t a must-attend—it had been a last-minute thing Crystal had suddenly planned. So it was sweet of his parents to make the effort.

  “Honey?” Crystal said next to him.

  He looked down at her.

  “You need to stop telling people about Vail,” she said. “I mean, we haven’t completely decided.”

  Cameron blinked. “What do you mean, we haven’t decided? The place is booked, and we were just talking about it yesterday.”

  Crystal smiled that smile of hers that meant she was trying to be sweet although she completely disagreed. “Remember how I told you my friend Deeann went to Italy on her honeymoon last spring? She said it was absolutely amazing. They spent ten days—”

  “Crystal,” Cameron cut her off. “You know I can’t be gone for ten days—especially in another time zone and across the ocean.”

  “Cameron, this place looks beautiful!” a woman’s voice cut in. “I love what you’ve done with it.”

  Cameron turned to see his mom. They shared the same brown eyes and dark brown hair. “Thanks, Mom,” he said. “Hi, Dad.”

  His dad grinned and pulled him into a bear hug. “You’ve been busy, I see. Even Grandpa Vance would be impressed with what you’ve done to his old cabin. Good thing the quarterly numbers showed a profit, or we’d be having a serious discussion right now.”

  Cameron pulled away from his dad and laughed. “I told you it was going to be a good quarter. The Adidas contract we signed in March is only the beginning of more great things to come. I have a meeting with Under Armour next week to see if they’re interested in contracting with us for manufacturing as well.”

  “That’s my boy,” his dad said in a jovial tone, clapping Cameron on the shoulder.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Vance,” Crystal said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but tonight Cameron promised not to talk about business. We’re focusing on celebrating our engagement.”

  Cameron vaguely remembered agreeing to something, but the silence that fell within their small circle was palpable.

  “All righty, then,” his dad said, his mouth still smiling, but his eyes gleaming with several questions Cameron knew he wasn’t looking forward to answering later.

  “We’ll go hit the refreshments since we had to leave another dinner party early to come here,” his mom said, ever the tactful person. “Crystal, dear, did you put the refreshments together? They look wonderful.”

  Crystal straightened but still clung to Cameron’s arm. “I used a catering company.”

  “Of course you did,” his mom said with a sweet smile. “But it still takes time and effort to put everything together. It all looks very nice.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Vance.”

  Even though Crystal’s tone was pleasant, Cameron felt her stiffen at his side. He didn’t know why Crystal felt defensive around his mom. As far as he was concerned, his mom was a genuine and capable person. She sat on several boards of companies his dad owned under his parent company Vance Enterprises. She also ran the charity division of VE and was always bringing people and opportunities together.

  As his parents moved away, Cameron suddenly felt stifled in this crowded room. He just wanted to go out onto the back deck and breathe in nature. He’d had several alterations made to the backyard as well, adding a fountain and a stepped terrace. A couple of fire pits were strategically placed, affording a great area for get-togethers.

  He knew there were a couple of dozen people out there, but it was way less crowded than inside the cabin. “Let’s go outside for a little bit,” Cameron said to Crystal.

  Her lips pursed into a pout that Cameron knew well. He remembered her Italy comment and wanted to groan. He didn’t want to discuss this here and now. Anger shot through him, and he determined not to give into this point of debate. He’d already given in to plenty.

  “I should talk to Dawson, and I think he went outside,” Cameron continued, tamping down his frustrations. “I told him I’d introduce him to my dad.”

  “That lawyer guy?” Crystal’s expression went into a full pout. “He’s so full of himself.”

  Cameron felt like he’d been slapped. He and Dawson weren’t best friends or anything, but his dad needed some legal counsel on one of his employees who’d been caught stealing last week at one of the manufacturing plants. Cameron leaned down and kissed Crystal on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a little bit then,” he said firmly and walked away.

  His mind spun with a dozen thoughts as he moved toward the back doors, greeting friends as he went.

  Someone bumped into him and dropped whatever she was carrying. “Oh, sorry,” a woman said, bending to pick up a plastic bag that looked like it was full of dirty napkins and empty plastic cups.

  Cameron recognized her as the woman Crystal had hired to clean the cabin once a week. Her name was Jennie or Jackie, or something.

  Her dark green eyes widened as she looked at him. “Oh, Mr. Vance. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

  She was probably about twenty-five or twenty-six, only a few years younger than he, yet she was always so formal around him.

  “No, it’s my fault...” He glanced at the trash bag she was carrying. And then he noticed her name tag: Jane. “Crystal hired you for tonight?”

  “Yes.” She reached up to smooth back her nearly black hair. Jane was pretty in a natural way. Her eyes were framed by thick eyelashes, and she didn’t wear a bit of makeup. Yet her cheeks had a natural pink to them, and her full lips... well, he shouldn’t be paying such close attention.

  Cameron blinked and cleared his thoughts. “Oh, I didn’t realize. Well, thank you. I appreciate your help.”

  Tiny lines appeared between her brows. “You do know I’m getting paid to work here, don’t you, Mr. Vance?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Cameron said. “It’s okay to thank people who are working for me—especially ones who have to clean up after my mess.”

  The lines between her brows disappeared, and she smiled. “Then you’re very welcome, sir.”

  “Jane,” he said, touching her arm. “That’s your name, right?”

  She nodded, and he couldn’t help but notice the faint blush on her cheeks.

  “Please call me Cameron. Mr. Vance is my dad.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her mouth rounded in an O.

  Cameron suddenly knew that any makeup on this woman would only detract from her natural beauty. Her plain white blouse and black pants might make another woman fade into the background, but not Jane.

  “I’ll try to remember that, sir. I mean, Cameron.” She gave him an apologetic smile; then her gaze shifted. “I should get back to work. Thank you.”

  He was about to ask her what she was thanking him for when he saw Crystal hurrying toward him, a broad smile on her face.

  “You won’t believe who I just talked to,” she said, grasping his hand. “My friend Lacey i
s a travel agent, and she told me that there’s a fantastic package to Italy in September. Come on, you’ve got to meet her and hear what she says.”

  As Crystal tugged him through the gathering to the other side of the room, Cameron wondered how long it would take for the place to clear out if he accidentally set off a smoke detector.

  “Come back in the morning,” Crystal had told Jane the night before. “My fiancé and I want some privacy. Although frankly, I thought this place would be cleaned up by now...”

  Those words still rang in Jane’s mind the next morning as she pulled up to the Vance cabin near the exclusive Pine Valley Ski Resort. She climbed out of her car that had seen better days, but since she didn’t drive long distances, the car was fine. And she liked the maid service logo painted on the side: The Cleaning Lady, along with her website. She grabbed the utility bag that sported the same logo out of the back seat.

  Jane knew it was a generic name, but it left no doubt what type of business she ran. She stood for a moment and looked up at the sprawling cabin before her. Crystal had told Jane that the cabin had been in the Vance family for decades, and it had been a dinky little thing until Cameron had done a massive renovation. Now it was more of a mini-mansion cabin, which was the case for this side of the mountain. And Cameron Vance was just another wealthy person who Jane cleaned for, although technically his fiancée had hired her.

  Jane was by no means complaining. She loved the flexibility of her job and the ability it gave her to help her dad financially. His retirement got him by, but with his advanced diabetes, he had extra expenses and had a hard time getting around now with the pain in his legs. She wished more than once that she’d moved to Pine Valley sooner. But this had been her dad’s home with his new wife for the past eleven years, and it was always a sore point when Jane came to visit her dad.

  Her parents had divorced when she was fifteen, and her dad had remarried soon after, leaving her mom devastated. When Jane had attended her stepmom’s funeral two years before, Jane was shocked at her dad’s decline in health. She had to practically force him to retire from his assistant manager position at a discount store. Being on his feet most of the day wasn’t keeping him healthy.