A Family Affair (Book 1 of the Smalltown Superstars Series)

Edmonton Alberta… Raven Micelles poured over the guest list and the R.S.V.P cards for her wedding. She was getting married in six weeks and she still had all the final details to work out. The stress of it was starting to get to her. Lord knew her fiancé Dawson had been no help at all. He had been wrapped up, as usual, with board meetings, long nights at work and business trips. Dawson was one of the youngest executives in a high-powered advertising company working on making partner. She was very proud of his success so far, but she did regret how often it took him away from her. She had to admit the Dawson’s career had often placed a wedge between them in the past. Their time apart had been trying. His late nights in the office and the numerous business trips had in the past resulted in infidelity a time or two on Dawson’s part. Resulting in the rocky on-again-off-again relationship they had been painstakingly cultivating for the last four years. But things were different now. Dawson was ready to settle down and commit to her, unlike in the past. He had really change, despite what her fiends might think. Raven sat cross legged on her living room floor cross checking the R.S.V.P cards she had received back with her list of the invitations sent out and the seating plan her best friend Maggie Diggs was helping her prepare. So far, the total confirmed count attending was two hundred and eight between family friends and important business acquaintances Dawson simply could not leave off the list. He saw everything as a tool for advancement. Frankly she did not agree. Raven did not like the idea of using her wedding as a setting to schmooze the partners or client. That her husband of only a few hours would be more caught up in talking shop than dancing with her; but Dawson was adamant about it. “I do all this for us darling. I work so hard now so that we can have all the finer things in life. The big house on the lake, the boat; everything we could possibly want now so that when we start a family we don’t have to worry. I will not have to work so much.” She did not like it but she supposed his logic made sense. It would be nice to have nothing to worry about before they decided to start their family. They could have a little boy with the same dashing good looks as Dawson with his chestnut hair and dark eyes. He always looked so strapping in his tailored suits. A man of power and confidence and only twenty-nine. Raven noticed as she went through all the cards again that most everyone had replied one way or the other to say they were either attending or regrettably could not make it. After all her careful checking there was still one name on her list that had a huge red question mark beside it. A name which was still bothering her. The only name which had no card. Liam Archer, Dawson’s older brother. Raven had never met Liam in the four years that she had been with Dawson. The family story went, as far as she had heard, was that eight years ago the brothers had a falling out. No one would say over what but as far as she understood it Dawson regretted the fight very much, but Liam refused to speak to him. Their parents had taken Dawson’s side in the matter and since then no one in the family had heard from Liam in eight years. She did not know what could cause such a feud, to estrange one son so very much, but she did know how very much it would mean to Dawson if his brother would make peace and attend his wedding. She wanted so much to give this gift to him. She would be damned if she would let some stubborn fool stop her. She had hunted Liam Archer’s address down on the internet and was surprised to find he did not live all that far. Less than two hours away in a small town in the middle of rural Alberta. Some little one-horse town she had never even heard of. Raven had sent out an invitation six months ago, and when she did not receive his R.S.V.P right away she sent him another, and two more since then. She had even at one point tried to call him in an attempt to talk to him and beg him to reconsider but the man only answered the phone and instantly hung up again without so much as a hello. He was rather frustrating. So here she was six weeks to the day and still she had no sign that Liam would attend. “Maggie is there another R.S.V.P card kicking around here somewhere?” She asked pushing all the papers around hopping she might have missed it. “Are you still looking for that one from the brother?” Maggie asked placing the clip board on the floor. She stretched and pushed her long blond hair off her shoulders. “I think it is time to accept that he is not going to come. It is been eight years. You are not going to fix whatever those two are fighting over.” “Why do men got to be so bloody stubborn.” Raven snipped. “I bet it wasn’t even worth it. Dawson was young he probably borrowed his brother’s car without permission and wrecked it.” She laughed. “You know how guy get about their rides.” “Well I think this is a lost cause.” Maggie sighed. “I’m puckish let’s get some ice cream.” “No, I can’t just give this up. This would mean the world to Dawson. I have to do this. I got to get that stubborn jerk to show up.” She said thoughtfully tapping her pen to her chin. “Well what are you going to do? He will not answer your mail, will not answer your phone calls, you are out of luck.” Maggie said getting up on her feet and heading into the kitchen to raid the fridge. “So how long is Dawson gone this time?” “Two weeks.” She said. Dawson had been called away on business yet again. He left for Ottawa that very morning trying to land a huge account. She would not likely hear from him as he tended to get wrapped up in his work and lose all track of time. So, it was just her and the wedding plans. She herself had taken some time off work to get things in order and she had the whole house to herself. The huge empty house that in truth was far too big for two people and definitely way too big for just her. “Too bad you couldn’t just use that time to go to the middle of nowhere there and just drag the stubborn jerk back kicking and screaming.” Maggie teased coming back with two bowls of ice cream. She handed one to Raven. That was not actually a bad idea. Why didn’t she go down there and speak to him face to face? If he wouldn’t answer her phone calls she would speak to him in person. He couldn’t hang up on her then. “That is a great idea.” She said enthusiastically. “What is?” “Going down there and getting him.” She said. “I was just joking.” Maggie laughed. “I know, but why not? He can’t ignore me if I’m standing right in front of him. With Dawson away, he will never even know I am gone. I will have two weeks to try to talk some bloody sense in to that guy’s thick skull and convince him to drop this silly grudge and come to the wedding.” She said happily, formulating the plan in her mind. “What about everything that needs doing here?” “We can still do it all. He is not too far from here. I will just juggle some things around. I have to make this work. I’m getting this guy to the wedding if I have to harass him every hour of every day.” She grinned taking a bite of her ice cream. *** Higgins Alberta … Raven arrived in Higgins Alberta just after lunch the following day. It was an incredibly small town. If she had blinked she could have missed it. She could not imagine that the town had a very large population. She pulled in to the gas station and from her seat she could see the other side of the town. It was nothing more than a tiny grocery store, a bar, a hotel that looked as if it could only room one guest, the gas station, postal boxes, and a very small church. Farther down were a handful of really tiny homes that looked a hundred years old and that was about it. She had absolutely no idea how to find Liam Archer’s place from here. The whole town seemed deserted. She got out of the car and decided to go inside the gas station and ask directions. Inside Raven found an elderly man behind the counter reading a book. He offered her a friendly smile when he saw her. He must have been about seventy with his snow-white hair and thick glasses. “How can I help you?” He said greeting her. She held out the piece of paper she had written Liam’s address on. “I am trying to find my way here.” She said. “Oh, that is Liam’s place.” He grinned. “You just head back out on the road you came in on and take the next right. Drive until you see the twin silos and then take a left and then it is your next right.” He said helpfully. “Thank you.” She said heading for the door. “Oh, but you will not find him home.” The man called after her. Raven paused and looked back at the old clerk. “Why not?” She asked. “Well because he is not there.” The old man said as if it should be obvious. “Do you know where I might find him?” She asked. “Same place everyone else round these parts is. He is at the rodeo. I believe he is competing.” At a rodeo, god only know when he would be back. “Is the rodeo nearby?” “Oh yes, it is not too far. About thirty minutes north of here.” He informed her. She wondered just how hard it would be to hunt down Liam in a rodeo. “I don’t know it would probably be really hard to find him there.” “No,” He chuckled. “Just look for the eight second riders, the horses and you will find him.” He assured her. “You can’t miss him. Just look for the crazy cowboy.” he laughed. “But I suppose you know that.” He said winking. She wasn’t exactly sure what he thought she was there for but she didn’t care to find out. She asked for directions and got back on the road. She followed the old clerk’s directions exactly and she soon came across a huge gathering of trucks and trailers, stables and fences and everything smelled like livestock. It had to be the rodeo. Raven found a place to park and paid her admission. She asked around to find the right arena which so happened to be on the farthest end of the grounds from where she was. She walked through the whole grounds cursing once when she stepped in animal dung. She scraped off the bottom of her shoe on the side of a fence and watched a bit more carefully as to where she put her feet from there on out. She reached the arena and found herself a seat. There were so many men in jeans and hats lined up around the fences and gates tending to the animals and preparing to compete. She did not know how she was going to find the one man she was looking for in all this? She watched as a group of rodeo clowns entertained the crowd between riders. They were sort of amusing she had to admit. Dawson would never find this sort of humour amusing. He was all about class and refinement. She noticed in the starting gate a rider climbing up on the fence and straddling himself over a huge black steed that looked as if it were ready to burst out of the gate. She couldn’t see his face from beneath his black cowboy hat. From where she was seated she could not really see much distinguishing features about him. He seemed fit, trim, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. He wore blue jeans that were covered in dirt and mud with the legs pulled down over what looked like genuine cowboy boots, a grey button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and tanned leather riding gloves. She heard the announcer call out the next rider as the clowns left the arena. “Entering the arena, Liam Archer.” Raven sat at attention the man at the starting gate was the very man she was looking for. She jumped up from her seat and headed down to the front and looked out over the fence to get a better look. She saw a bunch of animal trailers in the back of the arena and she wondered just how she could get back there to meet him. The starting buzzer rang and the gate opened. Raven gasped as the rider dropped into the saddle and the horse tore out into the arena. The animal bucked and bucked wildly thrashing the rider about like a rage doll. It was so violent she thought his neck might snap. His hat flew off and landed in the dirt and Raven saw a head of dark black hair in the whipping of his body as the animal did its best to throw its rider. It all happened so fast in a matter of seconds he was tossed from the horse and his body slammed hard into the dirt face first, his hands out in front of him to break his fall. Raven gasped with fright as she saw the horse almost trample him as it continued to buck and kick. Her hands covered her mouth to stop from crying out in fright. The clowns ran in once more to distract and catch the horse. Liam was back on his feet in a moment scooping up his fallen hat and waving it to the cheering crowd. He looked up at the score board and waited for his time to be posted. Raven looked up and saw seven seconds posted. This seemed to please Liam because he cheered with the crowd then limped back to the fence and climbed over it. She watched him drop down over the other side and limp toward another man. Raven followed the fence line all the way around the arena hoping to get to the trailers. It took a little walking but she eventually found her way to the competitors’ gate. Raven walked through all the parked trailers looking at all the riders and owners grooming and peppering their horses for shows. She wandered around a bit trying to find the man she had seen. At first, she thought she had lost him when she heard a voice laughing. “I swear Liam you are lucky you didn’t break your wrist with that fall.” She heard a male voice say from behind the next trailer. Raven came around the corner and found just what she was looking for. Two men sitting on folding chairs outside a small tent trailer. She was momentarily arrested when she saw Liam up close. He had removed his grey shirt since the arena and wore a sweaty white sleeveless undershirt that clung to his body. A body which was lean and hard and muscular. His filthy jeans hung on his narrow hips, his long legs stretched lazily out in front of him. His skin was bronzed from the sun. His jaw was dark with a light stubble from a few days’ growth. Under that cowboy hat his jaw was strong, his nose was straight and his features ruggedly handsome; he had the most incredible dark eyes a girl could get lost in. The man beside him had light blond hair and was clean shave. Like Liam he was dressed in dirt covered jeans and boots. He too was deeply tanned probably from hours in the sun. He held Liam’s hand in his and he wrapped a bandage around it tending to the wound he must have sustained while dismounting that bucking beast. Neither man seemed to have noticed her. “I don’t suggest you ride again. It is sprained pretty bad. You need to ice it.” The other man suggested. “I can hold on with the other hand.” Liam said refusing to quit the competition. “You stubborn ox, you will not be happy until you break something.” His friend laughed, packing the first aide stuff in his hands back into his kit. “Sill seven seconds that is damn good.” “Hell yeah.” Liam agreed. Raven decided she had the right man and this was as good a time as any to step forward and introduce herself. “Excuse me, Liam Archer?” She asked coming closer. Liam looked up noticing her for the first time. He flashed her a dazzling smile and rose to his feet with only the slightest of groans from the pain in his leg. “Why yes, I am ma’am. What could I do for you?” He said politely offering his hand. He was far more agreeable than she had expected. He didn’t seem at all like the unreasonable, pigheaded, anti-social man his family made him out to be. He actually seemed quite pleasant and friendly. Raven accepted his hand and shook it. He had a strong firm grip and his hand was calloused, it was clear he was no stranger to physical labour. It was strange but just the casual contact between them she could feel a heat radiating from his hand right through her. Raven instantly released his hand. “My name is Raven Micelles.” She introduced herself. He appeared thoughtful for a moment as if he recognized her name but he could not place from where. “Have we met?” He asked after a moment. She smiled and shook her head. “No, we haven’t, I’m Dawson’s fiancé.” She informed him. The stunning smile instantly faded from his handsome face. His features went hard and cold. He stood up straighter his spine ramrod straight. Suddenly she felt very anxious around the man that moments ago had made her fell so welcomed and relaxed. “Um, I have been trying to get you on the phone but you just keep hanging up when I a call.” “That would be because I do not wish to speak with you.” He said with a harshness to his voice. He turned and walked away from her limping into the tent trailer. “Well I wished to speak to you. I wanted to know why you did not reply to the numerous invitations I sent you.” She demanded following him into the tent trailer. “An explanation, is that all? Alright then, I’m not coming.” He said opening a cooler and removing a can of beer he then sat down on the bed and opened it. “Good-bye Miss. Micelles.” Just like that? Well she certainly was not letting him off the hook that easy. “Would you care to tell me why?” She asked. “No.” “That is not good enough.” She said placing her hands on her hips. “This is your only brother’s wedding and he wants you there. Why can’t you make peace? Why can’t you come?” “Because I don’t want to. Dawson knows why and he was a fool to ever think I would.” He snarled. Truth was Dawson had not invited Liam. Inviting Liam had been Raven’s idea. Her in-laws had insisted that he would never accept. She refused to let him prove them right. “I don’t understand this is ridiculous. This is your own brother.” “Save your breath. You will not change my mind.” He said drinking his beer. She stared at him with frustration. How was she going to deal with this man? “You really should come. He truly does wish to make amends for whatever it is you two are fighting over.” She pleaded. “Is that a fact?” He grinned clearly not believing her. “Then why is not he here begging me to come?” He had her trapped, he knew this plan had not been Dawson’s. “Dawson had to work. A business trip to Ottawa. I am trying to surprise him by convincing you to forgive him and show up. As my gift to him.” She said honestly. “Buy him a toaster.” He said standing up and pushing past her to go back outside. “Will you not even consider it?” She asked following him. “No.” “Not even for a moment?” “No.” “Don’t you miss him?” “No.” He snipped. “How can you say that he is you brother.” She said surprised that he could be so callous. Liam turned to face her. “You know what Dawson is? He is a liar, and a habitual cheat, and if you want some useful advice you wouldn’t marry him. It will only lead to heartache.” He said. “Now if you excuse me I think I will go watch the other riders.” He said limping away from her leaving her alone. This man was positively frustrating. Now she understood why his family considered him to be pigheaded. “This is not over.” She called after him. She was far from finished with this matter. If Liam Archer thought he could just shrug her off so easily he was sorely mistaken.