The Coulson Boys (Adam) Read online

  THE

  COULSON BOYS

  (ADAM)

  By Karen Lamb.

  *

  Copyright ©2018 Karen Lamb

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed by a newspaper, magazine or journal.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  This is the first Romantic novel by writer Karen Lamb, she has previously written thrillers in collaboration with her husband John.

  Karen, who currently lives between her homes in France and the UK, came to write books late in life and quickly it became a passion. When she is not writing, her other interests are cooking, walking, fly-fishing, and travel.

  Her goal is to make this book the first of a trilogy about the COULSON BOYS.

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  THE COULSON BOYS (ADAM).

  Adam Coulson is the eldest of four brothers, his high profile and fast life in the city, working as a top financial advisor, is no longer rewarding and he realises he needs a change; a new challenge. His boss believes he is simply suffering from ‘Burn Out’ and suggests a year’s sabbatical to clear his head. Adam travels to India and trains to be a yoga teacher, returning rejuvenated and ready to live a more meaningful life, far away from the trappings of London.

  He ventures to a remote part of Northumberland and meets a woman who turns his bachelor world upside down, making him question what he truly wants; and it’s not what he is expecting!

  Enter ‘stage right’ the grieving, beautiful widow Claire who has given up on love and life. Is Adam the man who can heal her broken heart and is she the one who can make him finally settle down, even though she thinks she is too old for him? But life has a funny way of showing us options we never imagined possible. The book is full of fun with delicious twists and turns but remains reassuringly true to all romance readers’ hearts.

  This is book one of a trilogy involving the ruggedly handsome Coulson boys; they have the capacity to make women’s hormones ‘scream’ with just one look.

  CHAPTER 1

  Once again, my tired body had refused to sleep; the truth was I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since my husband, Will, died twelve painful months ago. The empty space in my bed cruelly reminded me each morning that he was gone, and life would never be the same again. I’m not looking for sympathy; I’ve had enough of that, I’m not a stupid woman, I recognized the signs of depression, I had watched its devious ability to slowly suck the very life out of me, ‘where was death when I needed her most?’, I repeatedly asked. The only answer I found was to do what I have done every day for the last year, and that was to turn over and hide under the duvet and cry silently into my pillow.

  A couple of hours later I heard my mobile phone vibrating on the bedside table, reaching for it I saw the name ‘Laura’ flash across the screen. I had no intention of answering it, but the persistent calling became more and more difficult to ignore, Laura was not likely to give up easily, I made a mental note not to leave my mobile by my bed.

  Laura was a good and loyal friend; she had been more than patient over the months, allowing me space to grieve. Recently her patience had begun to wear thin, she had sensed my mental attitude had become dangerous and even suicidal

  Swiping the screen, I heard my voice answer with what could only be described as a less than enthusiastic tone, in contrast Laura responded with an annoyingly cheerful voice,

  “Good morning Claire, Yuck, you sound awful, are you ill?”

  “No, nothing like that I’m just a little tired, I didn’t sleep well last night”.

  “Oh no that’s not good, how long has this been going on?”

  “I suppose, on and off for the last year”, I mumbled in a weary voice.

  “What?”, shrieked Laura, as I resorted to holding the phone away from my ear, “why didn’t you tell me sooner, it sounds like at the very least, you need to try some of my ‘happy pills’.”

  So far, I had refused all forms of medication, preferring to take herbal tea at bedtime, which clearly was working a treat!

  “Yes, okay maybe I will try a couple, thanks” anything to get Laura off my case.

  “Good, I love them, do you know when I take a couple I can’t even hear Frank’s snoring, now that’s a result” she chuckled.

  Laura and Frank were at that dangerous period in their marriage, she was bored, and Frank, was working too hard and too many hours to keep his wife in the luxury she had grown accustomed to. They had tried for children, but it just never happened for them. Lately I suspected Laura had been having an affair, in the vain attempt to spice up her life, while completely ignoring the cracks in their marriage. Poor Frank he adored her, and hadn’t a clue their relationship was in tatters.

  “What are you up to today, any plans?” I knew of course before I replied, that my day would be pretty much full of sad moments, crying, and abject despair, culminating in my snuggling back under the duvet, yes that pretty much summed up my sad pathetic life right now, but no way was I prepared to admit this to Laura, instead I tried to sound a little more upbeat.

  “Oh, I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Excellent” pounced Laura “so nothing important, why don’t we take advantage of this gorgeous weather and go out for a pub lunch, then maybe a bit of retail therapy afterwards. What do you think?”

  What do I think? I thought it sounded like a really bad idea! My mind began frantically searching for any excuse I could think of that I hadn’t already used to not go on a girl’s day out.

  “Sorry Laura I’m just not really feeling up to a day out, I wouldn’t be good company.”

  “Okay Claire, this is going to be hard for you to hear, but enough, you’re allowed to scream, you’re allowed to cry, but you are not allowed to give up, this cannot go on, we all understand you’re sad and feeling like crap, but do you know what? I’m not taking no for an answer. So get up, have a shower and put something nice on, I’m picking you up in an hour.”

  And there you have it! I was stuck with nowhere to hide; this was not what I had in mind as I reluctantly heard myself agree. What else could I do, there is only so many times you can say no to a friend!

  CHAPTER 2

  Ten minutes later I reluctantly left the sanctuary of my bed, dragging myself into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. The stinging hot water began to turn my poor body an ugly blotchy red, it was almost like a form of self harm as I allowed the shower to continue to burn my delicate skin, finally common sense prevailed and I turned the temperature down to a cooler setting.

  I began washing my hair in an indifferent manner, no thought or care given to my actions. I turned off the shower jets and stepped out onto a thick white and pale blue bathmat, I felt my toes bury themselves deep into its softness, as if trying to anchor myself for the day ahead! Reaching out for the bath towel I started to gently dry myself, the redness now fading a little. By way of an apology, I gently rubbed on some rich moisturizing cream, its cooling properties and heady perfume had an immediate effect, and helped to calm my scalded skin.

  Step one achieved, now, step two, what on earth was I going to wear? Making decisions had become foreign to me and the smallest one seemed to take me a lifetime to resolve!

  I opened the large wardrobe doors, and looked at the row of clothes in front of me. There had been a time when I took great pleasure in my appearance. Planning my outfit for the day was something to enjoy and take time over, nowadays I usually picked an old pair of joggers and a sweatshirt, that’s if I even bothered to get dressed!

  Taking a deep breath, I passed my hand
s over the racks of clothes, stopping at a pair of black wool trousers and a black and white jacket, opting for a white sweater to wear underneath. A safe choice, comfortable and suitably smart for lunch, the last thing I needed was Laura’s disapproving look necessitating in a change of outfit!

  As I sat in front of the dressing table mirror, I barely recognized the sad pale-faced woman starring back, I squeezed my eyes shut, shocked at how grief had touched every part of me, my face was no exception, why had I allowed this to get so out of control?

  Okay, I sighed, where to start, I used to love wearing makeup, and my once skilful hands had known exactly how to apply it with maximum effect. I had a subtle touch; I knew how to accentuate my best features, which were my big brown eyes and full lips. I reached for some foundation, the coloured tint cleverly hiding the pallor of my skin and concealed the black circles under my eyes, a touch of blusher gave a hint of much needed glow, a little eyeliner to make my eyes larger and finally some mascara, a few minutes later I was satisfied with my work, I felt I had managed to hide my mask of grief, at least for now!

  I slowly got dressed and looked at the finished result in the full-length mirror. I judged that this was as good as it got today! As I looked my thoughts drifted back in time, Will had loved my curvy body and wasn’t afraid to show how much it turned him on! He always took the time to compliment my appearance, spinning me around while giving me one of his smiles that told me how much he loved me. After a year of not hearing his loving words and feeling his roaming hands, I had lost my confidence and was at rock bottom. God how I missed him, as a sob caught in my throat!

  Thankfully the doorbell rang and brought me back to reality, I quickly slipped on some black patent shoes and made my way to the door. Okay, no going back, I can do this, it’s only a few hours, and then I can climb back into my fleecy pyjamas and slippers, watch a movie, one that would inevitably make me cry, whether it intended to or not!

  “At last, I thought you’d never answer the door,” I gave Laura one of my ‘don’t push my buttons’ look, before she grabbed me and gave me a huge hug, I felt my own resistance, it reminded me of all the ‘pity hugs’ I had received from friends after Will’s death.

  “Right, let’s get going I’m doing the driving so you can relax and enjoy the ride”

  “Thanks, I haven’t done much driving recently”.

  My lack of self-confidence had turned me into a nervous driver. Will had done the bulk of the driving, he loved it. I clearly remember the day he bought his dream car, a beautiful black Jaguar, it’s bright red leather interior screamed luxury, it offered all the creature comforts, including heated seats, I had to admit it was heavenly for those long journeys which we regularly made, now the sleek car was sadly confined to the garage. I was too scared to drive it, too sentimental to sell it. On the rare occasions that I needed to drive I resorted to MIMI, my little Mini sport, she was pacey, not that I ever drove her above 60 though!

  Laura opened the door to her red sports car, one of the many expensive gifts she had received from Frank.

  “Promise me Laura we are not going to be doing any speeding today?”

  A naughty look shot across her face,

  “Would I do such a thing?” as her foot hit the accelerator and I gripped the seat for dear life.

  CHAPTER 3

  Thirty minutes later we were pulling into the car park of a pretty little pub called The Packhorse. Originally it had been a stage-coaching inn for travellers to stop for replacement horses and to take refreshments before continuing on the road north to Scotland. The front of the pub was covered in a lilac blue wisteria, which cascaded down the walls; a collection of ornamental window boxes were bursting with a mix of springtime pansies and geraniums, their colours splashed across each windowsill, every inch of the building screamed of traditional character and hospitality.

  “Isn’t this perfect?” exclaimed Laura “and the best bit is the food is to die for. They have a new young chef who is experimental and fast becoming a culinary star, you have to get here early to beat the lunchtime rush, fortunately I booked a few days ago”,

  “Oh you did,” as I pretended to look cross, “what if I had refused to come out with you?”

  “Have you forgotten how persuasive I can be?” Laura smugly smiled back at me before rushing forward to open the large entrance door, and waved me through

  “After you madam”

  My eyes took a second to adjust to the soft lighting, I looked around, taking in the beautiful interior; it had been sympathetically decorated in a style suited to its age. Huge oak beams crossed overhead, a mix of wood panelling and brick and stone gave a very warm and inviting look.

  “Nice isn’t it?” remarked Laura who was looking rather pleased with herself.

  “Yes, it certainly is a great choice, how did you find this little gem?”

  Tapping her nose

  “That would be telling,”

  “So you’ve been here before?”

  “Once or twice, be a darling and grab a table, I’ll order us a drink at the bar, a white wine spritzer with ice?”

  “Yes please”

  I sat down and watched Laura approach the barman who gave her a beaming smile; she immediately went into flirty mode flicking her immaculate long brown hair with a nonchalant hand.

  “Hello” she said alluringly. I had to admit she still knew how to turn men’s heads and especially guys a lot younger than her. I heard the barman say how nice it was to see her again, confirming she was indeed a regular here!

  As I soaked up the ambience, I suddenly thought how much Will would have loved it here. We would regularly go out for lunch or supper, he loved to surprise me.

  “Claire, get your ‘glad rags’ on,” he would announce, “no cooking for you today, there’s a great new gastro Pub I have heard about.” and off we’d go cruising the countryside before stopping to enjoy some delicious food together!

  My unexpected trip down memory lane hurt, creating that all too familiar heaviness in the pit of my stomach, tears stung my eyes, all of which were not lost on Laura as she sat down next to me.

  “You look like you’ve drifted off into the past again, which is no bad thing, but I watch what it does to you and it breaks my heart to see you so unhappy.”

  The moment was broken as the handsome young barman served our drinks, once again he saved his smile for Laura, I swear I felt her softly purring that succeeded in bringing a touch of colour to his cheeks. I nudged her with my elbow and she turned to me with a smirk and asked with a mock innocence.

  “What?”

  “You know ‘what’!” I whispered, “he’s old enough to be your son.” She ignored me and returned his smile.

  “Thank you Henry, you are a treasure.” He placed 2 menus on the table next to our drinks, and quickly rattled off the specials of the day.

  “I’ll let you have a few minutes to decide what you would like and come back for your orders,”

  “Ooh I can’t wait” giggled Laura as she once again sent her sexy energy flying into his direction, this time I gave her a kick under the table, which brought her attention back with a painful “ouch!”

  “Laura you’re so bad, flirting like that with the poor boy,”

  “Oh stop” laughed Laura “I didn’t see him object, did you?” She was right, he was lapping it up as he headed for the bar with a huge grin on his face.

  I took a sip from my drink, the taste of alcohol felt strange in my mouth, I truly couldn’t remember when I had last had a drink, the hit of wine rushed around my blood stream hitting me like an express train,

  “Whoa! I need to take this slowly,”

  “Out of practice? We need to change that; I remember you were a ‘bubbles girl’, right? Every Friday, Will, would buy you a bottle of champagne to enjoy over the weekend, well, unless I arrived at your door to help you drink it,”

  “Now who’s getting sentimental?” but she was right, the last few month’s hadn’t been a picnic
and maybe it was time to stop this depressing insanity.

  I turned to Laura, “Will you help me, I don’t know how to do this, I don’t know how to move on?”

  Laura gently squeezed my hand, “I am making you my number one priority, I’m not going anywhere, we’re friends, just like Thelma and Louise” she smiled,

  “Oh heck, if I remember rightly that didn’t end too well!” I turned my attention to the menu.

  “Can you remember the specials”?

  Laura was gazing dreamily over towards the bar,

  “Nope I was too distracted.”

  Suddenly I heard a strange and unfamiliar sound, I was laughing, really laughing and it felt so good!

  CHAPTER 4

  The next morning, I was up, showered and dressed by nine. For a change it actually felt good to be getting out of bed before lunchtime. I headed to the kitchen, my favourite place, I loved how the open plan design worked so well to include sitting and eating areas, the light oak and ornamental wrought iron decoration on the kitchen units, merged with the state of the art integrated dish washer, fridge freezer, a combination steam cooker and microwave, it had been designed to be luxurious as well as practical, the overall effect was light, spacious and sociable.

  It’s weird, but since Will’s death I had become quite obsessive in my daily routine, my focus was to make sure that everywhere was immaculately clean and tidy, and this was despite the fact I spent my day in jogging pants and a sloppy sweat shirt, my hair messy, and my face bare of makeup. Yet I was driven to living in a spotless house with everything in its place, I think I was in some small way trying to hold onto to his memory, how crazy was I?

  It was Will who had first fallen in love with the cottage, it had needed a lot of work and he had thrown himself completely into the task of rebuilding and renovating it, restoring its old features with the help of an architect friend and some brilliant builders. His vision had been to turn it into our dream home, under this roof within these walls I felt safe and close to him, it was my haven of peace in an otherwise sad and scary world. I know you may think I am insane, and I would partially agree, but in rough seas we tend to seek a harbour for safety till the storm has passed.