Scent of Cedar Read online

  The Friendly Beasts of Faraday Book 1

  A Sweet Contemporary Holiday Novella

  by

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  SHANNA HATFIELD

  Scent of Cedar

  The Friendly Beasts of Faraday Book 1

  Copyright © 2018 by Shanna Hatfield

  All rights reserved. By purchasing this publication through an authorized outlet, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook in a digital format. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, transmitted, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, now known or hereafter invented, without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions.

  For permission requests, please contact the author, with a subject line of “permission request” at the e-mail address below or through her website.

  Shanna Hatfield

  [email protected]

  shannahatfield.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Rob Foote

  To those who willingly

  offer a helping hand…

  Prologue

  A legend exists that at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, those with pure hearts can hear animals talk as they rejoice in the Holy birth.

  In the tiny town of Faraday, Oregon, the animals put their own spin on the Christmas Eve legend…

  “I hereby call to order the annual meeting of the Friendly Beasts of Faraday,” Lolly said, glancing around with a spark in her eye that challenged anyone to argue with her authority to take charge.

  None of the other animals dared cross the double-humped camel. After all, Lolly founded the association and held the starring role in the Christmas Eve living nativity performance that took place every year since she arrived in the town of Faraday a decade ago.

  “What’s the first order of business?” a curly-horned sheep named Shep asked.

  “Our humans are pathetic!” Lolly stated with such overwrought emotion, people arriving to watch the nativity performance turned and stared at her.

  “Maybe dial it down a notch, dear,” Ivy, a red and white cow, suggested. “I’m just as distraught as you about Seth and the other boys dragging their heels when it comes to finding true love, but screeching won’t help matters.”

  Lolly took a deep breath and calmed herself. “Agreed. My apologies. I’m just so tired of watching Rhett come home to a lonely house night after night, month after month, year after year. He needs a good woman in his life, one who’ll make him smile.”

  “And laugh,” cooed a dove from the rafters above them.

  “Yes, Jasper, he needs to laugh.” Lolly agreed as she looked up at the bird. “What do you think of the new stable?”

  “Rhett and Seth did a good job constructing it. The stable is sturdy and the fence looks nice too,” Jasper said. The dove waggled his wing in the direction of the fence that surrounded them on the town square where the nativity took place near a towering pine tree aglow with Christmas lights.

  “Drew and Drake helped put it together,” Lolly said. She scowled at a cream-colored pony as it munched hay, ignoring them. “Sir Camelot, do you think you could join our conversation, or would that disrupt your dinner?”

  The pony gave Lolly a cool glare and lifted his chin. “My people are already married and have four of those rotten little devils that spent their formative years pulling my tail, yanking my ears, and making my life pure misery. I was promised peace and rest, and yet, because no one has a donkey for the nativity, here I am.”

  “Should call him Sir Grumpsalot,” Ivy murmured to Shep, making him baa with laughter.

  “I heard that!” the pony said, raising his chin even higher.

  “Now, Cam, just settle down,” Lolly said, trying to placate the pony. “No offense, but I don’t want to see you here next year. We need a real donkey.”

  “No offense taken and if I come across one, I’ll let you know.” Sir Camelot’s chin dropped a notch. “For all intents and purposes, though, I have nothing to contribute to your meeting, other than to warn you if you start pairing off your humans, sticky-fingered little monsters are sure to follow. You’ll only have a year or two of peace while they’re all lovey-dovey before it starts.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind children. I think they’re cute,” Ivy said. She watched the local veterinarian’s little boy, Nick, as he held his mother’s hand. “Let’s make a list. Rhett Riggs, local mechanic and supposed bad boy of Faraday needs a wife.”

  “Don’t call him a bad boy.” Lolly scowled at the cow. “Rhett’s always willing to help others and he’s got a heart of gold, even if he looks like he rode into town on a Harley, which he did, and needs a haircut.”

  “Oh, I think the right girl will love that hair,” Ivy said, grinning at Lolly. “Are we agreed Rhett needs a wife?”

  “Agreed,” Shep said, surveying the crowd. “Nick and his mother need someone, too. I have the perfect person in mind for them.”

  “Drake Miller,” Lolly and Ivy said in unison.

  Shep turned and glared at them. “How did you know?”

  “Because when Nick starts school in the autumn, he’ll be in Drake’s class.” Lolly grinned. “I think you and Jasper should take the lead on this one, Shep. Angela is a great veterinarian, but she seems determined to avoid falling in love. You’ll have your work cut out for you. Drake would be a great match for her and he’s going to make a fabulous dad after teaching first grade.”

  Shep tipped his head back to stare up in the rafters. “You up to the challenge, Jasper?”

  “I am if you are.”

  “Great,” Ivy said, taking mental notes as the unofficial secretary of the group. “Drake’s taken care of, but what about his brother, Drew?”

  Lolly glanced over to where the handsome, brawny man spoke with Rhett and Seth. “Drew’s shy and quiet, except around his friends. It will take someone special to draw him out of his shell. The woman to capture his heart will have to work her way past his defenses. Drew deserves a woman who’s beautiful inside and out, and full of joy.”

  “That’s a rather extensive order,” Cam commented around a mouthful of hay. “I can’t think of a single woman in town who fits that description.”

  “Me either, but maybe someone new will move to Faraday,” Ivy said, drawing a chortle out of Cam. “Don’t you guffaw at me, you little runt. It could happen.”

  Cam returned to eating, shifting so his backside faced the rest of them.

  Ivy sighed. “We’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open for the right someone for Drew. Since he delivers the mail, he’ll meet any new women who move here. At least that fact works in our favor.”

  “Who’s next?” Shep asked, moving away from Lolly as a group of humans, both big and small, headed their way.

  “My Seth is the only one left,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “He’s impossible. His grandfather has tried to set him up multiple times and it always ends badly. I have no idea what to do to help him. He barely leaves the ranch, except to hang out with Rhett, Drake, and Drew. Seth’s quite a catch, and I don’t say that because I’m completely biased. The ranch is a great place to live and raise little
ones.”

  “We’ll just have to hope more than one new woman moves to Faraday this year,” Jasper said. “I think by this time next year, though, they should all be in love. Do we need a vote?”

  “Yes,” Shep said. “I make a motion that we do whatever necessary to ensure the next holiday season finds Rhett, Drew, Seth, and Drake hopelessly in love before Christmas Eve.”

  “I second that motion,” Lolly said, ignoring the group of people standing in front of the fence trying to take a photo with her in the background. One obnoxious parent kept motioning to Lolly, like she should automatically do their bidding.

  “All in favor?” Ivy asked.

  “Aye!” they all agreed.

  “Any other business?” Ivy asked.

  “We really do need to find a donkey,” Lolly said as one of the humans picked up a toddler and set it on Cam’s back. The pony froze mid-chew then dropped his belly so the little boy almost fell off. “One good with children.”

  “I concur,” Jasper said, smoothing his feathers.

  “We don’t need to vote on it, but everyone should take the initiative to search for a donkey. If one is located, Jasper can communicate to all of us on the matter.” Ivy glanced up at the bird then back to Lolly. “Anything else to discuss?”

  “No. I move to adjourn the meeting.” Lolly narrowed her gaze as the adults continued inching closer to her.

  “Meeting adjourned and none too soon,” Ivy said, stretching her neck toward the costumed humans heading their way. “And for goodness sakes, Shep, don’t fall into the manger this year.”

  “It wasn’t my fault,” the sheep protested. “The mule we had last year knocked me into it on purpose.”

  “And that’s why we’ve got Cam this year.” Lolly turned from her friends to the people trying to take a photo of their child in front of the fence. “You want a photo op with your little darlings? I’ll give you a photo op you won’t ever forget.” She leaned over the fence and opened her mouth, dropping it over the closest child’s head.

  Ivy mooed with laughter while Shep and Jasper joined in the amusement.

  “Taste good, did it?” Ivy asked when Rhett ran over and extracted the child from Lolly’s mouth, handing the girl back to her mother. Lolly ignored his admonishments for her to behave and quit treating the kids like giant lollipops.

  “Like peppermint and strawberries mixed with fuzz,” Lolly said, sticking out her tongue and spitting as everyone ducked. She grinned and turned back to her fellow Friendly Beasts of Faraday members. “I can’t wait until next year. It’s going to be the best, most magical Christmas ever.”

  Ivy bobbed her head in agreement. “A season filled with love.”

  Chapter One

  Shafts of soft morning sunlight bathed Cedar Haynes in golden warmth as she lazily stretched in bed.

  “Now this is more like it,” she said, slowly opening her eyes and looking around the room. Although it was her bedroom, it was as unfamiliar to her as everything else in the house she now owned. Thick ivory drapes were pulled back, allowing light to seep into the room through the lace-covered windows. Buttery yellow walls provided a lovely background to the cream-toned sleigh bedroom set that looked like something from a French movie set.

  The cream comforter on the bed, a crystal vase of yellow roses on the dresser, and a landscape painting of yellow and white tulips in a field added to the soothing, elegant atmosphere.

  Cedar sat up and gave the room another glance then extended her arms above her head before she rolled out of bed and dressed in yoga pants and a heavy sweatshirt. She knotted her long blonde hair on top of her head in a messy bun, pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks, and then wandered downstairs.

  “I should send Juniper something for doing such a great job with the house,” Cedar muttered to herself as she made her way to the kitchen and plugged in the coffee maker. She opened a cupboard by the deep farmhouse sink and took out a ceramic mug, gratified she’d known exactly where to find it. It had been dark and late when she arrived last night, but her sister assured her she’d be able to find everything without any problem.

  Six weeks ago, Cedar shocked everyone by deciding to move to the small Oregon town of Faraday near Mount Hood. Eager to leave behind her hectic, crazy life in Portland, her sister offered to help her locate the perfect house. Juniper ran a successful real-estate business, so Cedar was more than happy to give her free rein in finding a place and filling it with furniture.

  The warm, inviting house and furnishings were as different as day from night to the stark, aloof world where Cedar had spent the last eight years. Her downtown condo, full of chrome and glass, always looked upscale and trendy, but it had never felt like home. Never gave her a place to relax and unwind, not that she spent much time there anyway. She’d always been too immersed in her work.

  This vintage house, with its wide doorways, multi-paned windows, and beautiful oak floors spoke to her heart and made her glad she’d walked away from a career and life many people might envy. What good were the wealth, position, and power as chief financial officer for one of the top companies in the country if she was dead before she turned thirty?

  After an episode two months ago, Cedar knew she had to make changes in her life. Big changes. In spite of her family’s determination to paint her problems with a rosy brush, Cedar readily acknowledged she’d had a nervous breakdown. Working seventy-hour weeks without a vacation in five years would tend to do that to most people. Mix in a demanding, unreasonable board of directors, an office romance that ended horribly, as well as an incompetent assistant who just happened to be the company president’s step-daughter, and it was a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

  The therapist she’d been seeing recommended Cedar change jobs, change location, change whatever she thought would help her to relax and relieve her overwhelming stress load.

  The month-long leave of absence she planned to take from her job turned into a decision to make it permanent. After enjoying a few weeks of peace and quiet, she knew she was incapable of returning to the toxic, soul-sucking atmosphere of the office.

  The day after she gave her notice, she felt such freedom, as though a heavy weight had floated off her shoulders. The decision to shake up her entire world, like a child with a snow globe, came easily. She sold her condo, all furnishings included, to a co-worker, and her Mercedes to a neighbor.

  She purchased a new SUV, told her sister to find her an old-fashioned house that could be a cozy home, and began preparing a business plan to start her own financial consulting business. So far, she had three clients with signed contracts and more interested in hiring her.

  Cedar was through living a high-powered, stress-ridden lifestyle, one she’d once excitedly embraced then merely endured. Her new business would allow her to work from home and she could choose how many hours she worked each day. Besides, Faraday was only a little more than an hour from Portland if she needed to meet a client in person.

  For now, though, she planned to spend the next few weeks settling into her home and community. With the holiday season right around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to relax, indulge in pampering herself, and keep her workload light as she grew accustomed to her new life.

  The house Juniper found was located on an acre at the outskirts of Faraday. The town, population twelve hundred, promised to provide the peaceful existence she craved. Although Cedar hadn’t set foot in Faraday before arriving last night, she’d trusted her sister to do what was best. It had taken all her time and energy to wrap up loose ends, both in her personal life and at work. That’s why Juniper had been the one to take care of getting the house move-in ready for Cedar. Basically, all Cedar had to do was pack her clothes and what few items from the condo she wanted to keep, drive to Faraday, and step into a world she’d often dreamed about but never thought to experience.

  Daylight lightened the early November sky as Cedar looked out the kitchen window at her neighbor’s pasture. Frost clung to the wooden fence a
nd tipped the blades of dry grass, painting the world with a magical white wand. In the distance, a berry-red barn provided a bright, cheerful contrast to the landscape filled with shades of gray and brown.

  In spite of the nippy temperatures, she pushed the window open and breathed deeply. Wood smoke, loamy earth, pine, and a smell she couldn’t quite identify drifted on the slight breeze. The fresh air invigorated her, leaving her eager to explore her new home and town.

  Cedar poured a cup of decaf coffee and carried it into the adjoining family room. Steam from the fragrant hazelnut-flavored brew wafted around her. She took a sip as she pulled back the curtain on the door that opened onto the wrap-around porch. Her gaze swept over the backyard and her neighbor’s place.

  “Mmm,” she said, taking another sip of coffee before setting the mug on the coffee table. A patch of sunshine streaming in the sparkling glass of the sliding door beckoned to her. She sank onto the floor and let the light caress her face.

  Cross-legged, she lifted her spine, rested her hands on her knees, and touched her thumbs to her middle fingers, focusing on quiet meditation. She let her mind drift to serene scenes and breathed from deep in her abdomen.

  A sudden thumping sound threatened to disturb her, but she ignored it. It was probably the wind blowing a shutter.

  Breathe deep. Focus.

  Another thump followed by a horrid, ghastly, unearthly sound caused her eyes to pop open in alarm. She looked up into a long, hairy face that appeared more alien than real as it pressed against the glass door.

  Cedar screamed and scrambled backward, looking around for something, anything, that might serve as a weapon. She glanced at the door to see the monster was no longer there. Where had it gone?

  This was bad, so bad. Her hand splayed across the base of her throat as her breath came in ragged gasps. Was she having another breakdown? Had the move been more upsetting than she wanted to admit?

  In truth, she’d been happier and more content since she made her decision to leave Portland than she’d been in years. But if she’d just hallucinated, perhaps she better make an emergency appointment with her therapist.