Here is another sneak peek for you! This one is all about Chances. My gift to you! Enjoy!


Mercedes heaved a sigh as she pulled off the road, she was lost and tired, and all she wanted was to get to where she was going. Looking at the rearview mirror, she glanced back at her sleeping children, Kylie, 6; CJ, 11 and Roman, 15. Seeing a house up ahead, she prayed someone was home because the last two places she visited were pretty small cottages that were dark and creepy. The little yellow house with blue shutters reminded her of her grandmother's place.

Parking the car, she stepped out and looked around, she hadn't noticed anyone at home, but she heard a noise in the back. She hesitated for a moment before looking at her sleeping kids and heading around to the back, hoping someone was back there rather than something.

Walking towards the back of the house, she froze, seeing a shirtless man holding an ax over his head, his rippling muscles on full display. Her throat went dry as she watched him bring the ax down with a hard and powerful swing, putting a crack in the log before bringing his arms back for a more powerful swing, splitting the log in half with a satisfying sound.

Bending down, he grabbed the broken pieces and tossed them into a pile before grabbing another log and starting the process all over again. She should have said something, but she was stuck in a trance, examining his body as he raised the ax again; if she believed that a man could easily turn a woman on by such actions, she would admit that her entire body responded to him in a way that it had never responded to another man.

Realizing how creepy she was being, she cleared her throat. "Uh, excuse me."

She stepped closer to the man, who didn't even acknowledge her; he just grabbed another log and started the process all over again, which Mercedes felt was rude; she didn't need to see that sexy ass show again, hearing him grunting in satisfaction, No! "Excuse me!"

She moved closer to him, and that's when she noticed the white earbud in his ear. He couldn't hear her because he had earphones on; just fantastic.

She walked over to the pile of discarded chopped wood and caught herself from almost face planting; this was the worst time to wear flip-flops. As she hopped over a log, she slipped and landed butt first on the ground. She whimpered at the soreness as a deep laugh surrounded her.

Sam Evans hadn't meant to laugh; he just couldn't help it. He had noticed the short, beautiful woman when she walked to the back; always be aware of your surroundings; that was a lesson he learned the hard way.

Not wanting to be bothered, he figured she would turn around or walk away, but this one was determined; he'd give her that, so he gave a show, taking pride in the fact that she was watching him, he always did love giving a show to a beautiful woman.

He watched from his side-eye with amusement when she walked towards him and smirked as she fell in slow motion, landing on her butt. He could tell that she was not like the women around their small town.

First, they were not as bold as to interrupt a strange man with an ax, and second, her wearing a pair of blue jean shorts and an off-the-shoulder shirt. Hair in a messy bun and a pair of flip-flops didn't scream "perfect miss" small town; no, she was definitely lost.

He reached down and helped her up, and she wiped her behind, which his eyes seemed to be glued on.

"Hey!" She clapped to get his attention. "My eyes are up here, buddy."

Sam laughed as if she wasn't just checking out all his assets. "You really oughtta be careful, darlin'." He finally spoke, his accent surprising her.

She always did find men with accents irresistible. Shaking it off, she looked around. "I was trying to get your attention, I am lost, and you are the first person I have seen for miles."

Sam folded his arms across his chest. "Is that right? Well, what can I do you for?"

"I am looking for Blueberry Hill, the B&B?" She said.

Sam's eyebrow rose. "Blueberry Hill? What brings you here for that place?"

"My business, can you direct me there or not?"

Sam smiled, leaning closer to her, ready to have some fun. "If you are looking for a place to stay, I can offer you a room; that rundown place isn't somewhere a pretty Lil thing like you should be staying."

And there it was, just like all the men in her life, here was another one thinking he knew what was best for her. "I'm sure I can manage. Can you direct me there or not?"

"That place isn't really fit for visitors; it's not even open, I don't think; that owner, unfortunately, passed a few weeks back," Sam said, moving some of her hair out of her face. "My offer for a room is still available; you won't really find a hotel for about 50 miles. It's the summer months, and everything is booked."

Mercedes knew the stats; with Starry Hill being a small town known for its history and a few attractions, people used to travel there and stay at her Aunt's B&B all the time, but when her Aunt grew older and unable to keep it up, tourism had died a bit. It's one of the reasons Mercedes was tempted by the offer she was made; she wanted to restore it.

"You know, I will just find it on my own." She said, turning away from him. Sam grabbed her arm as a voice came from behind them.

"Mom?"

Sam let go of her, surprised. "Mom?"

"What's up, Rome?" She said, turning to her oldest and smiling at the look he was giving her. She noticed that protective look ever since the divorce, and no man could look at her without Rome right there, and it was sweet.

"You weren't in the car, just making sure you were good." He said, arms crossing over his chest as he stood to his full height catching a glimpse at Sam. Mercedes might have been short at 5'3, 5'3, and a quarter on a good day, she would tell people, but Rome got his height from his father standing at 6'0.

"Yeah, are the kids up?"

"Nope, just me."

Mercedes turned back to Sam. "So blueberry hill, yay or nay? I gotta get these kids settled."

Sam nodded, looking behind her, wondering how many kids she had. "Five minutes down the street, you will turn left and see a long winding driveway that's Blueberry Hill."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Sam watched her walk away and lingered only a moment before returning to work in the backyard.


As Mercedes reached the car, she was tempted to look back to see Sam, but she pushed forwards and started the car. As she backed out, she sighed internally; that really was a sexy man. She pulled into the winding driveway and stopped behind a BMW, following his directions. A man stepped out, and Mercedes looked at Rome.

"Give me a second, okay?"

He nodded, and she stepped out. "Hi, you must be Sebastian Smythe, my Aunt's estate lawyer."

The man smiled kindly and took Mercedes' hand. "You don't remember me do you?"

Mercedes looked at him, confused. "I'm sorry, should I?"

He nodded. "You used to come here when you were younger, and my grandma lived right next door until your Aunt bought her house to extend the B&B."

Mercedes narrowed her eyes at the man; she hadn't been out this way since she was eleven. But then it hit her. "Sebastian? BAS!"

The man nodded. "I was hoping you couldn't forget your first kiss."

Mercedes giggled. "Boy! I was ten! And you have come a long way from that lanky blonde! You're a brunette now!"

"You are one to talk! Look at you! You're a vision; are you excited to be back?" He asked as she smiled at him.

"You are making me blush! Stop." She said softly. "Not glad for the reason I am here, but I am glad that I get to be back. I had a fun time coming here every summer." She said, looking at the home.

It was a beautiful two-story Victorian home with seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The outside greeted her with a wrap-around porch covered in overgrown grass, weeds, and trees. Just the outside alone was going to cost a pretty penny; she was sure of it.

"Can I assume the inside needs just as much work as the outside?"

"It's not horrible, but this place hasn't been updated in years. Roz just didn't have the strength to do it."

Mercedes nodded. "I am going to have to look into some contractors. What about the main house?" Mercedes asked.

"Fully renovated; I went in and ensured it was fully cleaned and stocked on your arrival, so you and the kids have a place to stay." He said, pulling out a set of keys. She looked over to the small house next to the B&B, the ranch home would do great for her and the kids and allow her to figure out how she would fix up and fully restore B&B.

"Well, then let's go inside and see exactly what we are working with…." She said, turning towards the car. "You guys wanna come inside with us?"

"Yes!" CJ jumped up, climbing out of his seat. "Looks like it might be buried treasure."

Sebastian smiled, looking at the young kids. "How old are you guys?"

CJ beamed. "I'm 11. Rome is 15, and Ky is 6!"

Kylie was currently on her big brother's back, looking shyly at Sebastian.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you guys. You know my husband and I have 10-year-old twins. And Mrs. Chang has a 7-year-old daughter and 14-year-old daughter; they live right down the street there, so you guys will have plenty of kids to play with."

Mercedes walked up the stairs, pushed open the double doors that lead inside, and noticed that they would have to either replace the doors or see if they could be refurbished. As she walked further in, the floorboard creaked; though she would love to keep the beauty of hardwood, they were for sure going to need to update them.

"I'm here! Sebby, I am so sorry I am late!" Someone said, and Mercedes turned to see a woman running up the stairs. "Mike took forever to come back, but I am here. Hi, you must be Mercedes. I am Tina, and I own the chocolate shop with my husband, Mike. I was always the one who had been helping Roz. So Sebby figured it would be good for me to be here."

Mercedes nodded as they walked through the home, taking mental notes as she went through each room, knowing she wanted a theme to run through each room. She had not only done her research but talked to her best friend Kurt, who not only wrote for a Vogue but had a travel blog that would promote Blueberry Hill if she implemented the changes.

"So, what do you think?" Tina asked her as they walked around the backyard.

"I love it, but it's not gonna be cheap to fix up. I am going to have to look into getting a loan or something."

Tina looked over at her. "Sebastian didn't tell you?"

Mercedes looked at her and then Sebastian. "Tell me what?"

"Your Aunt left enough money to renovate and get you started; she just wanted to know that you would do it before I let you know how much she left you," Sebastian said.

"How much did she leave for this place?" Mercedes asked as she led the kids out of the B&B.

"$250,000."

Mercedes' eyes widened as she stared at him. "$250,000?"

"Yea, it's to get you and the kids settled, add to or upgrade your new home, and it's to fix up the B&B."

Mercedes smiled. "Leave it to Roz to make sure I stay. Not that I wasn't going to; I want this, we want this. This place is just as beautiful as I remember it, and I know I can make it perfect again."

Sebastian handed her a folder. "Here is a list of contractors in the area; they all can come and give you their bids after explaining what you want. There are also applications; once people knew you were reopening, they wanted to apply for Maids and cooks. People are really excited."

Mercedes looked at the list. "Wow."

"THERE'S A POOL!" Cj yelled, and Mercedes turned to see the kids running to the backyard of the other house.

Mercedes, Tina, and Sebastian followed them. "Your Aunt had it put in for the neighborhood kids; she liked throwing pool parties for her staff and family."

Mercedes smiled, imagining the kids at a pool party, the adults relaxing on the patio grilling. It was the small-town feeling you just couldn't really get from a high-rise in the city.

Tina smiled. "I promised your Aunt I would help you as much as you need. So please feel free to call me or stop by. This town may be small, but it's our home, we have so many things we are trying to do, and they start with the B&B."

Mercedes turned to her. "I don't understand."

"There are two big events during the year in this town, the Summer and Winter Festival. With Blueberry Hill getting fixed up, it will bring in even more to our community."

Mercedes glanced around and smiled; this was a significant change, but she believed that everything happened for a reason, and she really wanted to bring this place back up to its former glory, not just for herself but for her family, both past and present.

"I guess we are rebuilding a B&B." She smiled as the kids jumped around happily.