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Finding Absolution
ISBN # 978-1-78184-413-7
©Copyright Carol Lynne 2013
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright July 2013
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s
imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
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Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way,
Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature
readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 2.
This story contains 83 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end
of the book containing 6 pages.
Cattle Valley
FINDING ABSOLUTION
Carol Lynne
Book twenty-nine in the Cattle Valley series
How can two men find common ground when one makes a living in the soil and
the other in the surf?
Pressured by his friends Kai and Quade, Van Duggins makes the trip from Oahu
to Wyoming for the annual Cattle Valley Days celebration. Used to surfing
every day, Van expects to be bored out of his mind without an ocean in sight.
What he didn’t expect was to meet a man who would change his life forever.
Raised by his grandparents, Jon Porter returns home after college to help his
ailing grandpa take care of the family farm. He doesn’t begrudge giving up his
chosen career to help the man who raised him, but his situation has been hard on
his love life.
For one week a year, Jon is able to break free of his responsibilities long enough
to enjoy the Cattle Valley rodeo. It’s his chance to be the man he was born to be,
and he refuses to waste a second of it. When trouble finds him on his first
evening at the rodeo, a stranger with long dark hair and a devilish grin rescues
him.
Dedication
For Margaretha. Thank you for your continued support.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the
following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Jeep: Chrysler Group, LLC
Wrangler: Wrangler Apparel Corp.
Olympic: International Olympic Assoc.
Cadillac: General Motors LLC
Criminal Minds: CBS Television Studios Coke: The Coca-Cola Company
Stetson: John B. Stetson Company
Chapter One
A sense of pride filled Van Duggins as his student, Kai Hachiya, accepted
his first place trophy and cheque. It was Kai’s third win in four surfing
tournaments, and Van was beginning to think he was no longer needed.
“Did Kai talk to you about Wyoming?” Quade Madison, Kai’s partner,
asked.
“He mentioned it.” Van glanced at Quade. He hated to admit it, but he’d
grown to really like the guy, and Kai definitely surfed better with Quade around.
Unfortunately, liking Quade and following him and Kai to Cattle Valley didn’t
go hand in hand. Never in his life had he been landlocked. The mere thought of
not being able to see the brilliant blue of the ocean made Van’s stomach turn.
“Not my idea of a vacation,” he mumbled.
“Maybe not, but you won’t know until you try it,” Quade replied.
“I won’t be able to breathe,” Van countered.
“You don’t have to worry about that, they have air in Wyoming, too.”
Quade laughed and slapped Van on the back. “It would mean a lot to Kai if you
joined us.”
“Funny, Kai told me it would mean a lot to you.” Van smiled. “So what’s
the real reason you want me to go to this festival in the middle of nowhere?”
Quade took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m proud
of Cattle Valley. I guess I’d just like to share it with you.”
Van had prepared an excuse to get out of the planned vacation, but he
couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. Quade had been nothing but supportive
of Kai’s training and career, and had rarely asked for anything in exchange. “I’ll
have to leave right after the carnival or whatever it is.”
Quade chuckled. “Don’t act so thrilled.” He bumped shoulders with Van.
“You probably won’t admit it afterwards, but you’re going to love the rodeo.”
Van grunted in reply.
“I’m starving,” Kai announced as he finally joined them. “I’ve got an
interview in an hour, but I thought we could get something to eat first.”
“You aced everyone,” Van congratulated Kai.
Kai grinned. “I almost clucked on that last wave, but I remembered what
you taught me and hit the lip perfectly.”
There wasn’t much that he hadn’t taught Kai, and the kid never forgot a
single lesson. Before long Van would become obsolete to the man he’d grown
close to. However, there was still one thing the beach rat had refused to get
through his thick skull. “Language,” he warned. How many times had he
explained to Kai that he hated slang?
“Sorry.” Kai broke away from Quade and wrapped his arms around Van.
“I couldn’t have won without you.”
Van hugged Kai back. They both knew the truth, but the words were nice
to hear. “You’d better get something to eat while you can.” He released Kai and
took a step back.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Quade asked.
Van turned his attention to the ocean. “I think I’ll go home and catch some
waves while I still can.” He winked at Kai. “Not many of those in Wyoming.”
Kai’s handsome face lit up like Van had just given him the world. “Really?
You’re coming with us?”
“I’ve decided I can’t go to my grave without seeing a rodeo.” Van settled
his sunglasses down over his eyes. “When do we leave?”
“Wednesday,” Kai replied. “I booked you a seat just in case.”
With a nod and a wave, Van walked to his Jeep. He untied the leather
thong that held his shoulder-length hair at the nape of his neck and headed out of
the parking lot. Driving along the coast with the ocean breeze in his face always
made him feel free. He’d spent the first eight years of his life in a depressing
apartment on Central Park West in Manhattan with a mother who had little use
for him outside the money she received monthly from his father.
Van had grown up believing his dad was a rich son of a bitch who cared
nothing for him. It wasn’t until his mother had been invited to Europe for the
summer with her newest lover and had informed Van that he’d be shipped off to
Oahu to stay with his father that he’d met the man for the first time.
Turning down a dirt driveway, Van returned to the small cottage hidden
behind years of brush and trees. The house his father had owned and the only
place in the world Van had found true love and acceptance.
It had become clear on his first visit to Oahu that his father wasn’t the rich
man he’d thought him to be. Instead, Jimmy Duggins had worked two jobs,
grown his own food and lived in a house that had barely been more than a shack
at the time in order to pay the large sum of child support Van’s mom had
demanded.
Smiling at the memory of his dad’s broad grin the first time they’d met,
Van parked in front of the house. He’d done a few renovations since he’d first
set eyes on the beach shack, but the hanging wind chimes and folk art were one
hundred per cent original. Christ, he missed that man. Everyone on the island
had called Van’s father Jimmy Jam, and despite working two jobs, the seasoned
surfer had taken the time to teach Van everything he knew about the island, the
ocean and what it meant to be a man.
“I’m going to Wyoming,” Van said to the house. At his father’s request,
Van had cremated his dad’s body after he’d passed and sprinkled the ashes
around the yard and on the beach, making the whole damn place his forever.
“Did you ever think you’d see me at a rodeo?” Van had refused to admit it to
Quade, but the more he thought about going to the competition the more excited
he became.
Van got out of the Jeep and headed straight to the back of the house. He
stripped out of his clothes and grabbed a pair of board shorts from the
clothesline. The true beauty in the shack’s location was the isolation, something
he’d grown to crave when he was away from it.
The row of surfboards that leaned against the house like ancient warriors
were a daily reminder of his past. He ran a hand over the pale yellow board his
