Trust in Us (Forbidden Love Book 1) 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

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Trust in Us

  S.M. Harshell

  Copyright

  Trust in Us

  Copyright ©2017 by S.M. Harshell

  All rights reserved.

  Cover designed by Amanda Zundel

  Cover photography by Nathan Hainline

  Models: Nathan Hainline and Cassady Rose

  Editing by Kim Young @ Kim’s Fiction Proofreading & Editing Services

  Published by S.M. Harshell

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, things, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark ownership used for various products, music, and/or restaurants referenced within this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Trust in Us

  First Edition

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  A Message For Readers:

  Acknowledgments

  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

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Important information

  More from the Author

  About the Author

  Dedication

  To my Dad.

  You were my first hero. You taught me girls don’t always have to be girly and that’s okay. Learning to ride dirt bikes and sitting in the garage watching you fix something are some of my fondest memories. I think I knew what wrench or screwdriver to use before I knew what a curling iron was for. You taught me “not all the bad guys wear black hats”, to be selective in my choice of friends, and listen to my gut. I’ve tried to live my life following that advice. When someone says, “You are just like your dad,” I don’t know that they always mean it as a compliment, but I’ve always taken it as one.

  Thank you for all the encouragement.

  I love you.

  A Message For Readers:

  While I was writing Cole’s character, I knew from the beginning he was a broken man. There were aspects of writing this story that I found difficult. For instance, there is mention of a childhood sexual abuse and of suicide. These are heavy topics and I understand some readers may consider them an on-page trigger. I wanted all readers to be aware before reading any further.

  S

  Acknowledgments

  To the little boy who is braver than anyone thought possible and stronger than a man three times your size… You’ve been through hell, but you fought to come out on the other side. I am in awe of your strength, determination, and the way you carry yourself. I am so proud of you.

  To my husband… Thank you for loving my brand of crazy and putting up with me. For being my rock when I wasn’t strong enough and my soft place to land when I couldn’t take the pressure anymore. I love you to the moon, baby. #teamfancy

  To my children… You are now old enough to know mommy writes book porn. However, I don’t care if you’re eighty, you still aren’t allowed to read it. I love you. #teamrainbow

  To my mom… Thank you for being you! I love you!

  To my dad… Thank you for everything. I love you!

  Lisa, you have been my cheerleader from day one. You believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself, always pushing me. I would be lost without you in my life. Thank you for being you and letting me “word vomit” on you constantly. I love you.

  To my beta readers… Your help was invaluable. Thank you for making Trust in Us the best it could be.

  Amanda Zundel, you did an amazing job on the cover. It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing my vision to life.

  My editor, Kim Young… You are fantastic at what you do. From the beginning, you have made me look so much better than I really am. I have learned so much from all your comments and corrections.

  To those who answered my million questions to verify that the research I did was correct. Dad, Mark, Amanda, Scott… Your help was a godsend. Thank you!

  To all the blogs that work overtime to share, post, review, and pimp authors the way you do. I am in awe of your dedication. Authors wouldn’t be where they are without your help, so thank you for loving th
e written word.

  Finally, to the reader… You help drive me. I keep going because of you. I love hearing what you think about my characters, good or bad. Thank you for taking an interest and sharing, posting, or messaging me. I would be nothing without your support.

  “A woman, who opens her heart to love after it’s already been broken, is braver than any person you’ll ever meet.”

  ~Unknown

  Chapter One

  J

  My father owns Z’s Service, a mechanic and body shop sitting on the outskirts of town. We fix pretty much all makes and models of cars, trucks, heavy machinery, and motorcycles. Pop loves when a classic comes rolling in. They’re still his favorite to work on. Taking something rusted or gutted and making it shine like it did thirty years ago is a feeling of achievement for him.

  I have worked here since I was about fourteen, but have been coming to this place my entire life. As soon as I could walk, I learned about engines, carburetors, oil filters, and brakes. I have always been treated like one of the guys. Never babied, never talked down to. Pop made sure they all knew I wasn’t the girly type, and I sure as hell pulled my own weight around this place. Pop treats me like the son he always wanted.

  My mom died from cancer when I was almost three. I don’t remember her, but Pop talks about her all the time. How long her hair was, how she sang softly to herself while doing the daily chores, how she was the great love of his life. They met when her father brought his Mustang to the shop where Pop worked. She stepped out of the car, made eye contact with him, and smiled. That was it. He was head over heels from that point on. They married five years before I was conceived. They wanted to have a big family, but after I was born, they found out she had stage four breast cancer.

  Pop and Uncle Kevin, who was really just Pop’s best friend, bought this place right after she died. Uncle Kevin is the silent partner. He doesn’t know the first thing about being a mechanic. He owns a fancy restaurant in town. When Pop was looking to buy, he needed cash. Uncle Kevin gave him the start-up with the promise of being a very silent partner. So, after all these years, it’s been Pop, the garage, and me. It’s all I know.

  When I walk in the bay door, I see some guy leaning back against my toolbox. You never mess with a mechanic’s toolbox. You don’t touch it, open it, or borrow anything from it without asking. It is an unwritten rule in any garage. Apparently, this guy didn’t get the message.

  When I walk up and stop in front of him, he stops talking to Todd, looking at me with an eyebrow raised. I pretend I don’t notice how handsome he is. The dark hair that is just long enough in the back to touch his collar, the tattoos covering his arm, the biceps flexing as they cross over his chest. His shirt stretches tightly, jeans sitting low on his hips, a chain hanging from his pocket.

  “Can I help you?” he asks.

  “Yeah. You can get your ass off my shit.” I hear Todd laugh behind me, so I look over my shoulder and narrow my eyes at him.

  “Your shit?”

  “Yes, my shit. That toolbox you’re leaning on belongs to me.”

  He takes a step forward, a confused look on his face. “Your toolbox?”

  I spin around, pinning Todd with my stare. “Is he slow or something?”

  Todd laughs harder, walking up to stand next to me. “Not that I know of. J, meet Cole, the new heavy machinery mechanic your dad hired. He starts tomorrow. He was just taking a look around, dropping off his toolbox.” He points to the black double-stacked Snap-on toolbox sitting in Todd’s bay. Turning to Cole, he says, “This is Darren’s daughter, JJ…or just J.”

  “This is JJ? When Darren said I’d be working with his kid, I assumed it was a guy.”

  I make a Vanna White move with my hand. “Well, I’m not.” I’m wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and my black steel-toe boots. It’s nothing fancy, but with all the hours I spend in the gym doing squats to make my ass look amazing in these jeans, I know there is no mistaking my gender.

  His eyes travel down, then back up my body. “I can see that. Sorry for the mix up.” He holds his hand out to me.

  “Yeah, whatever,” I mumble, shaking his hand. “I got work to do.”

  I walk away, heading for the office to grab my button-down work shirt with Z’s logo on it. I hear Cole ask Todd if I actually fix cars or just answer phones. I slam the door, cutting off Todd’s response. Ass. Just because I have a vagina, I can’t be a mechanic? I told him he was leaning on my tools. Did he not get the hint? Every time someone new starts, I get the questions and the looks. Yes, I am the owner’s daughter, but I can go to any shop in town and get a job. I know this, but it takes a while for the newbies to learn it.

  “Is that you, J?”

  “Yeah, Pop.”

  I walk toward Nancy’s desk. She’s the receptionist/bookkeeper, the one who keeps our asses in line. She’s been here almost from the beginning. Nancy is in her early fifties and runs this office with an iron fist. She may be old enough to be someone’s grandma, but she doesn’t look it. When you hear someone say “a biker’s old lady”, she fits the bill. She likes wearing jeans and heeled boots, her Z’s shirt cut low enough to show her ample cleavage. I personally think she’s been in love with Pop for as long as I can remember. They never show any kind of emotion toward each other, but I see the look in her eyes when she looks at him. There is definitely something there. She’s tough as nails and has no problem busting your ass if you don’t turn in your slips after completing a job, but I’ve seen how she softens for Pop. I love this woman with all my heart.

  “Morning, Nan.”

  She looks up from the mess of paperwork in front of her. “Morning, J. How’s Mr. Pierce’s truck coming?”

  “Almost done. As long as the part comes in today’s delivery, we’ll be good to go.”

  “Thanks,” she says, turning back to her paperwork.

  Pop’s office is behind Nancy, a wall separating the two. Sticking my head through the door, I see him on the phone. He has lived a hard life, and it shows. He’ll be fifty-six, but he works like he’s still in his thirties, which takes a toll on him. His long, mostly gray hair is always pulled back into a ponytail that runs halfway down his back, holders every few inches. Pop has a bandana wrapped around the top of his forehead and pulled low. He’s sporting a black one today, which matches his sleeveless Z’s Service shirt. I walk toward his desk and sit in the chair across from him, waiting.

  He hangs up and turns to me, stroking his long, grey goatee. “Did you see the new guy on your way in? He starts next week.”

  I roll my eyes and sigh. “Yeah, I saw him.”

  “J, I know you hate new people, but we need the help. I scored that big contract with the city, so I need everybody I can get. We will get all their vehicles, from the daily pickup trucks to the big salt trucks. This could mean big money for us.”

  “Pop, I get it. It’s not that I hate new people. I hate the attitudes I have to deal with.”

  “Cole is a good guy. Just give him a chance.” When I start to stand, Pop points at me. “I mean it, J. Don’t fuck this up with your attitude. Keep that shit in check.”

  “I got shit to do, Pop. We done?”

  He looks at me for a long minute. “Yeah, we’re done. Remember what I said.”

  Before saying something that would piss him off, I walk out of his office, heading to the bay. Stopping at the bathroom to put my shirt on, I look in the mirror. Biting my tongue has never been my strong suit. If it’s in my head, it comes out of my mouth…usually with the word fuck thrown in somewhere. I grew up with a bunch of tough guy monkey men. I learned the word fuck by the time I was three. Most women don’t understand me. They think I’m trash or a lesbian because of what I do for a living, how I talk, how I dress. Pop thinks it’s because I didn’t have a mom around growing up. I am my father’s daughter. Whether she was here or not, it was inevitable.

  Chapter Two

  J

  I head out to the bays to check on today’s delivery, hoping
Mr. Pierce’s fuel pump is in it. I would love to get this one done. It has been one headache after another.

  I see Mike splitting the order that was just brought in. “Hey, Mikey. Please tell me my fuel pump’s in there?”

  “Yeah, J. It’s here. I was just about to head over to the truck with it.”

  “I got it. I can’t wait to get this one done.”

  “I am pretty clear today, so let me know if you need a hand.”

  “Thanks, Mikey. I’ll yell if I need you.”

  Mikey, one of the younger mechanics, is a good kid. Pop hired him right out of vocational school. He likes to hire them young before any other garage can ruin their impressionable minds.

  Hoisting the box onto my shoulder, I walk past Todd’s bay, noticing Cole still standing around.

  “Do you need help?” Cole asks, but I don’t acknowledge him.

  Todd chuckles. “This is probably something you should learn now. J is one tough chick. She can fix almost anything, she can lift at least two times her weight, and she will kick your ass if you treat her like a girl. I made that mistake once. She cussed me out and made me look like an ass in front of the whole garage. J may be stubborn, but she will ask for help when she needs it.”