Sherryl Woods - Beach Lane

Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author

Sherryl Woods

‘Sherryl Woods always delights her readers—

including me!’

—No.1 NewYork Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

‘Woods…is noted for appealing, character-driven stories that are often infused with the flavour and fragrance of the South.”

—Library Journal

‘A sweet read, perfect to enjoy again and again’

— RT Book Reviews on A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

‘Infused with the warmth and magic of the season, Woods’s fourth addition to her popular, small-town series once again unites the unruly, outspoken, enduring O’Brien clan in a touching, triumphant tale of forgiveness and love reclaimed.’

— Library Journal on A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

‘Timely in terms of plot and deeply emotional, the third Chesapeake Shores book is quite absorbing. The characters are handled well and have real chemistry—

as well as a way with one-liners.’

— RT Book Reviews on Harbour Lights

‘Sparks fly in a lively tale that is overflowing with family conflict and warmth and the possibility of rekindled love.’

— Library Journal on Flowers on Main

‘Launching the Chesapeake Shores series, Woods creates an engrossing…family drama.’

— Publishers Weekly on The Inn at Eagle Point

www.mirabooks.co.uk

Dear Friends,

From the very beginning, not only the O’Briens, but all the rest of us, have been befuddled by the not-dating stance determinedly taken by Susie O’Brien and Mack Franklin. Finally these two are getting their act together in Beach Lane . This book will also give you a glimpse into Susie’s side of the family—father Jeff and his ongoing tense relationship with his brother Mick; his mother, Jo; and Susie’s brothers, Matthew and Luke.

As if Mack and Susie’s relationship hasn’t been difficult enough, they’re about to be thrown a major curve, which has the power to pull them together or tear them apart. To his everlasting credit, when those very scary chips are down, Mack doesn’t even hesitate to step up. For me he’s the ultimate hero! I hope you’ll agree.

Beach Lane will hopefully make you laugh, but it’s almost guaranteed to have you shedding more than a few tears, so keep the tissues handy! And be attuned to the next budding romance in this series between two very unlikely people. It will play out in An O’Brien Family Christmas , which you can look out for later this year from Harlequin MIRA.

All the best,

Cover

Praise

Title Page

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

Epilogue

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Copyright

Men were the bane of Susie O’Brien’s life. She was surrounded by them, all of them stubborn in the extreme, beginning with her father, Jeff. Add in her uncles Mick and Thomas, her brothers and, the very worst of all, Mack Franklin, and it was a wonder she could get through a day without screaming.

Today, in fact, already seemed likely to test the limits of her patience in never-before-imagined ways. Before she’d even had the first sip of her coffee, her uncle Mick came charging into the Chesapeake Shores real estate management company that she ran with her father.

“Where’s Jeff, that—” At her frown, he cut off the disparaging epithet he’d apparently been intent on using. “Your father, where is he?”

“Dad had an appointment with a client,” she said, then chose her next words about her father’s whereabouts carefully. She knew that this particular piece of property was a hot-button issue for Mick. “He’s showing her a house on Mill Road. It’s the third time she’s gone through the place. He’s almost certain she’s going to sign a contract today.”

Mick frowned, obviously clicking through his own mental data bank of properties on Mill Road. Then astonishment dawned. “The Brighton house? He’s finally going to unload that old eyesore? How’d he get the listing? Last I heard, no one in that family would even speak to an O’Brien.”

Susie hid a smile. It still stuck in her uncle’s craw that old Mr. Brighton had refused to sell him a key piece of shoreline property when he’d been developing Chesapeake Shores. Apparently the refusal had something to do with a Brighton-O’Brien family feud several generations back that neither coaxing nor big bucks had been able to resolve. For all Susie knew, some great-great-uncle’s rooster had chased a Brighton, who’d lopped off its head and cooked it for Sunday dinner. In her family that was all it would take to start a feud that could last for eons.

“Seems that way,” she confirmed. “Apparently Mr. Brighton’s heirs don’t have the same aversion to dealing with an O’Brien that he did.”

“Stubborn old coot,” Mick muttered.

“Why did you want to see Dad?” Susie asked. “Is there a problem?”

For years now the only things that brought the two brothers together were problems and the entreaties of their mother. Nell O’Brien insisted that even the sparring brothers and their families had to spend holidays under the same roof. Susie couldn’t recall a tension-free holiday meal in her entire lifetime. The antacid business probably thrived thanks to the O’Brien dynamics.

Mick and her dad could be civil for an hour or two, which was more than she could say for Mick and her uncle Thomas, at least until recently. Lately they’d apparently struck some kind of accord, which was akin to achieving peace in the Middle East. Like those treaties, Susie suspected this one didn’t have a lot of hope of lasting, though now that Thomas was with Connie Collins she seemed to have a soothing effect on him. She also seemed determined to maintain the détente.

“There’s water leaking in Shanna’s bookstore again,” Mick told Susie, referring to his daughter-in-law’s business on Main Street. “And, frankly, the plumbing in Megan’s gallery should be checked, too. The last thing she needs is a flood ruining all that expensive art.”

Susie gave him an innocent look. “Isn’t the art hanging on the walls?”

Her uncle scowled. “What’s your point?”

“Only that it would take quite a flood to ruin the paintings.” She beamed at him. “Besides, since you gave Megan that space for a dollar a year, didn’t you agree to take care of all the upkeep? I can look at the lease, if you like. We kept a copy here—at your insistence, as I recall.”