Ivy Layne – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Ivy Layne – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:06:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Ivy Layne – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Forbidden Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #9) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/forbidden-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-9-read-online-ivy-layne Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:06:55 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/forbidden-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-9-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Suspense Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)

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In a house haunted by lies, love might be the most dangerous threat of all.
After serving a year in prison for a crime he swears he didn’t commit, Ford Sawyer returns to the shadowed halls of Heartstone Manor only to find freedom offers no escape. His father’s true killer is still out there, and suspicion clings to Ford like smoke. Worse, the man who once defended him now wants him dead—and has sent a killer to finish the job.

Paige McKenna thought taking a nanny job with the wealthy Sawyers would bring her closer to the truth about her father’s mysterious disappearance. But instead of answers, she’s entangled in secrets far darker than she imagined. And at the heart of them stands Ford—magnetic, brooding, and possibly a murderer.

As dangerous truths rise to the surface and a ghostly presence stirs within the walls of Heartstone Manor, Ford and Paige must decide if they can trust each other. Because someone is watching, someone is hunting—and the past isn’t done with either of them.

Forbidden Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s the ninth and final book in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

PAIGE

ONE YEAR AGO

Istared into the cold dregs of my coffee and let out a sigh. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep for a million years. Slouching back in my chair, I tried a deep breath, hoping some oxygen in my brain would wake me up. I hadn’t slept well in months. At night, I’d lain in my childhood bedroom listening to the rattle of my mother’s breaths as she struggled for air, dying a little more every day. Now, the silence was oppressive, every creak of the house as loud as a gunshot.

I was alone. I’d thought it was all I wanted.

I hated this house. The walls were a sick mustard shade, stained by years of cigarette smoke. The linoleum in the kitchen was faded and worn through in spots. My mother had refused to update any of it. Decorations were a waste of money, she’d insisted, and waste was sinful.

I’d escaped this house as soon as I could figure out how, leaving at eighteen for college, paying my way by working as a nanny, a job I’d found out of pure luck. I’d arrived on campus knowing my scholarships would only go so far, and I needed to find a job fast. Then a professor had a friend who had lost their nanny last minute. They were desperate. I was desperate. I didn’t have a ton of experience with kids, but neither of us was in a position to quibble. I took the position, and within six months I’d moved out of the dorms and into their home, changing my major to early childhood education. Who knew I’d love taking care of someone else’s kids?

I didn’t want my own—not anytime soon—but for the first time in my life I’d seen what a family was supposed to be like. For so many years it had just been my mother and me, after my father had walked out on us. Nothing about growing up with Harriet McKenna brought to mind the concept of family. Constant criticism and a liberal smack of her palm on my cheek when she was displeased had left me feeling like the only point of family was to escape them.

But at eighteen, a freshman in college warmly enfolded into the Bellingham family, I saw what it could be. A husband and wife who loved each other, who made time even though they both had busy careers. Who doted on their children despite their packed schedules. The kids were easy to love. Abby, an infant, fussy at nap time and not a fan of the bottle, but otherwise the cutest thing I’d ever seen. And Joshua—a spirited two-year-old. We did well enough once he learned he couldn’t charm me, though deep inside I had to fight not to give in when he flashed those dimples.

I stayed with the Bellinghams through college and two years of grad school, intending to leave and find a teaching job from there. The kids were old enough to go to school, and I needed to make a decision. I had the degrees. I’d acquired some in-class experience. What did I want?

I’d been headed to the classroom when a friend of the Bellinghams made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: follow their family as they traveled, minding two young children. It was a chance to see Europe on someone else’s dime. I’d met the Smiths in the course of my years with the Bellinghams—they were kind and fun, their kids boisterous but good-hearted. I said yes, packed my bags, and off we went.

Another four years passed that way. I could have gone on like that forever. Halfway through my twenty-ninth year, I got the call. My mother—who I’d barely spoken to in almost a decade—was sick, dying, and alone. Reluctantly, I went home, though “home” hardly seemed the word to describe this place. I looked around again and sighed. What a waste. What a sad house she’d lived in—we’d lived in. Now that I’d seen the world and knew how things could be, the stark contrast was all the more apparent.

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Advertisement Reckless Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #8) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/reckless-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-8-read-online-ivy-layne Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:08:00 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/reckless-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-8-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Suspense Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)

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Sawyers Bend has a way of hiding its secrets. But this one won’t stay buried forever.

Avery Sawyer runs a successful brewery in Sawyers Bend, but the shadow of her father’s unsolved murder looms over everything. Prentice Sawyer made enemies easily, and a year after his death, no one has been brought to justice. The killer has made it clear - he’s not finished with the Sawyer family.

Avery is tired of looking over her shoulder. She’s determined to find the killer and set her family free from their father’s past. But someone wants her to stop digging—badly enough to break into her brewery and steal the evidence she’s collected. It’s a warning Avery can’t ignore, even if it only fuels her desire for answers.

Police Chief West Garfield has been chasing leads for over a year, and they’ve all ended in dead ends. He’s known Avery since she was a kid, long enough to know she won’t back down, even if she’s diving headfirst into danger. Teaming up might be the only way to protect her, but that’s a complication of its own. Avery isn’t a kid anymore, and West realizes he wants to keep her safe from everyone but him.

In a town where secrets run deep and trust is a luxury, Avery and West must navigate old grudges, buried truths, and their own growing feelings. Because someone in Sawyers Bend will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried—and if they’re not careful, it could cost them everything.

Reckless Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s eighth in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

AVERY

My small, cluttered office didn’t feel like the place to have a serious meeting, but I couldn’t think of another option. I sure as hell wasn’t going to do it around any of my other employees. Definitely not in the taproom where anyone could walk in. This time of the morning, we were unlikely to have a crowd, but in a tourist town, you never knew. There were a lot of reasons people visited Sawyers Bend, and the active foodie and brewery culture in the area was at the top of the list. I’d had more than one group stop in for a breakfast beer.

I was stressing about the location of the meeting, because I didn’t want to think about the reason we were having it in the first place. I mentally reviewed my arguments, hating that my mouth was bone dry and my heart thudded in my chest. Why should I be nervous? I’d fired more than a few employees since I’d started my brewery. Why was this one any different?

Because it was. Hiring Matthew Holt was arguably the worst mistake I’d ever made, both as a woman and a business owner. Matthew had to go. It had taken me far too long to reach that conclusion, and my gut told me he wasn’t going to go quietly, hence the dry mouth and pounding heartbeat.

The pen I fiddled with slipped out from between my fingers, rolling across the desk to fall on the floor, and I added sweaty palms to the mix.

“Fuck, Avery, get your shit together,” I told myself. “Everybody messes up. Time to clean up and move on.”

Firing Matthew was the right thing to do. My gut knew it. My head knew it. So why was I dreading saying the words? I couldn’t answer that question, and as knuckles rapped on the doorframe, I knew I was out of time.

I looked up to see Matthew’s familiar, charming smile spread from ear to ear, a shock of his golden blond hair falling in his eyes.

“What’s up, boss?” he said, folding his lanky frame into the chair beside my desk. “I was just about to head out to the Orchard to go over plans for the Halloween party. The new fall brew is going to make a splash. It’s fantastic. We make magic together.”

He winked, and my stomach squeezed, reminding me exactly why I was firing Matthew. We hadn’t developed the recipe together, unless you counted his standing behind me, second-guessing every choice I made as collaboration, which Matthew did. As far as I could see, his presence had only served to get in my way until he could take credit once the job was done. And I was pretty damn sure that if the new recipe wasn’t as amazing as we thought it would be, he would quietly slide into the shadows, leaving me to take the blame. Because that was how Matthew worked.

I’d finally reached the point where I could recognize the formula: step one, compliment me enough to get me excited, so I’d work my ass off; step two, swoop in and take the credit. But this was my brewery. My work. And I was done letting him manipulate me.

“Matthew,” I said, threading my fingers together and resting my hands in my lap. “I appreciate everything you’ve done here at Sawyers Bend Brewing, but I think it’s time we part ways.”

I expected shock and anger. Even rage. I was prepared for it. I didn’t expect Matthew to fold his arms over his chest and lean back in the chair, giving me a gentle, condescending smile.

“Ave, baby, I think you were right to break things off between us. At least for now. I haven’t given up completely.” He winked again. How had I ever found this man charming? “But you can’t deny that I’m a hell of a brewmaster, and I’ve made all the difference around here.”

A spurt of rage burned through my chest, firing hotter as I had to concede and recognize he wasn’t wrong. Not entirely. He was a great brewmaster. I’d learned from him, and Sawyers Bend Brewing was better for his tenure here. But that wasn’t the whole story. Being good at his job wasn’t enough.

I tried for a professional smile. I could guess from his expression that what I managed was more of a stretch of my lips over gritted teeth.

“Matthew, you’re an excellent brewmaster. But at the end of the day, I don’t think our visions match. I think you’d be happier somewhere bigger.”

Matthew shook his head and tried again. “Ave, sweetheart⁠—”

His use of my nickname grated.

“My name is Avery, and I’m not your sweetheart. Do I need to point out that this is part of the problem?”

He gave a confused shake of his head, and I didn’t know if he was being obstinate or if he just didn’t get it. I had a feeling it was door number two, which didn’t say a lot about my taste in men. I was pretty sure he had no idea what a dick he was. How could he when he had so much to offer? Brewing expertise and orgasms—what more could a woman want? How about mutual respect, or letting me run my own goddamn business rather than coming in once I’d gotten some traction and trying to take over the whole place?

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Advertisement Broken Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #7) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/broken-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-7-read-online-ivy-layne Fri, 06 Dec 2024 20:23:18 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/broken-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-7-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Billionaire Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)

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Sterling

Forrest Powell is a liar.

For the first time in my life, I trusted a man, and in return, he broke my heart.

He lied about everything. Who he was. Why we met.

I dumped him, but he didn’t leave. He gave me space, but he was there. Hanging around town, working for the family business. Waiting for me to forgive him.

Not going to happen. We were over. I was never speaking to Forrest Powell again.

Except for one thing. The treasure hunt. Forrest’s father left behind a fortune hidden beneath layers of codes and clues.

Not a single person on the planet had been able to break his codes. Until me.

The problem? I can’t go after the money without Forrest.

And I'm not sure if a fortune is worth risking my heart again.

Broken Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s seventh in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

STERLING

“Give me the statue.”

Forrest stared at me, his hazel eyes surprised, then carefully blank. “What?” he asked, shaking his head.

Of course, he was confused. After refusing to speak to him for over a year, I was standing on his doorstep just before midnight, demanding he hand over a priceless family heirloom.

“I need to see the statue,” I clarified, impatient. “Let me in.”

“What?”

Forrest still wasn’t getting it. But why would he? He didn’t know that the statue had been haunting me. Teasing me. Demanding I come here and see if I knew what I thought I knew.

For most of the last year, that ugly little statue of Emperor Vitellius had meant nothing to me. Nothing and everything. The statue was the reason for my broken heart. It was the reason Forrest Powell had come to Sawyers Bend and taken a job at my family’s inn. The reason he’d pursued me and made me think he loved me. The statue was the cause of all my heartbreak.

Except that it wasn’t. Forrest Powell was the cause. He was the one who’d chosen to lie. He was the one who’d used me for his own ends. The statue of Vitellius was innocent. And while Forrest’s secrets had broken me, the Vitellius held its own secrets. Secrets that might have the power to set me free.

Even after a year, the sting of his betrayal hadn’t faded. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye. I stared carefully at his left ear and said, “I need to see the statue. Just let me in.”

Without another word, Forrest stepped back to allow me through the door of his house. I’d never been here. He bought the place after I dumped him, putting down roots when I’d expected him to walk away. He had what he’d come for, after all.

It had been weird, not knowing where Forrest lived. Too many nights, I woke, dreaming of the statue of Vitellius, haunted by it. Until I’d hunted down Hawk, our head of security, and asked him for Forrest’s address.

Hawk knew all; he had a file on Forrest. He gave it to me grudgingly and only after asking, “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Nope,” I’d answered. “But I need it anyway.” Feeling the weight of his brotherly concern, I’d added, “It’s about the statue. It’s not personal. I promise.”

He’d grunted and given me the address, saying only, “Be careful.”

At the moment, I didn’t care about careful; I just wanted to see the statue. Following Forrest through the entry into the rest of the house, I had an impression of high ceilings, wood beams, and glass, but that was it. I didn’t bother to look around. I couldn’t risk letting my heart crack open even a little bit.

We came to a stop in his modern chrome and concrete kitchen, and I turned to face him, my eyes on the frayed collar of his T-shirt, ignoring the way it stretched over his broad shoulders. If I looked at him too closely, I’d be lost. Those dark, soft curls. Messy, as if he’d been running his hands through them. Cheekbones that would have made his face austere if not for his full lower lip and the golden warmth of his hazel eyes. I couldn’t look at his face and not remember everything I wanted to forget.

“Why do you need to see the statue?” he asked.

“I can’t explain until I look at it. I know it’s late, but this is important.” I could have waited for a better time. I could have come to see him in his office. But after months of that fucking statue teasing me, the answer had come to life the night before like a puzzle piece snapping into place. And I couldn’t wait a second longer, no matter how much it hurt to be this close to him.

I could feel Forrest’s eyes on my face, assessing me. “I’ll get it,” he finally agreed, turning to head for a hallway off the kitchen.

“Get a pad of paper and a pen. I forgot to grab one on the way out of the house,” I said, yanking out a chair and sitting at the kitchen table, then popping back up, prowling around the room for the switch that would turn on the light above the table. “I need a light. Do you have a magnifying glass?” I called after him.

I sat back down, tapping my fingers on the table. I was so close to finding out if I was right. I needed to know, needed it enough to put myself through this pain. I’d lied when I said the sting hadn’t faded. This wasn’t a sting. Being this close to Forrest was fucking agony.

People say time heals all wounds, but it wasn’t doing a fucking thing for this one. It was all my own fault, too. Not the breakup—that was one hundred percent Forrest’s fault. His lies, and his stupid attempts to convince me that he’d made a mistake, that he cared about me. I wasn’t falling for that bullshit again. Losing him the first time was bad enough, the ache in my chest a raw thing that never went away. Not that I could admit that. Like the perverse creature I could be, I’d convinced my brothers not to fire Forrest, setting myself up for the torture that was sharing the small town of Sawyers Bend with the man I never wanted to see again.

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Advertisement Wicked Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #5) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/wicked-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-5-read-online-ivy-layne Sat, 26 Aug 2023 11:52:40 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/wicked-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-5-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Suspense Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >143

Finn Sawyer hates everything about being back in Sawyers Bend. He walked away from his family years before, living off his wits and skills in the kitchen, refining his craft as he worked his way across Europe. Then the father who left him for dead is murdered, and the will offers Finn a chance at his dream. If he can live in Heartstone Manor with his siblings for five years, he'll end up with enough cash to set up his own restaurant. Now Finn is back in Heartstone’s kitchens, the only place he ever felt at home.
Just one Savannah Miles. She’s bossy, annoyingly organized, and the only thing that keeps Heartstone Manor running. Oh, and she hates him. Good reason to keep his distance. But Finn can’t forget the way it felt to kiss her, to hold her in his arms. If she was forbidden then, now she's untouchable. When he looks at Savannah, all he wants to do is touch.

Wicked Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s fifth in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

SAVANNAH

He was out there again, skulking around the kitchens of Heartstone Manor in the middle of the night. None of the kids at school would believe it.

Finn Sawyer, the undisputed king of our high school, cooking? For fun? No way.

Watching him bent over a copper saucepan, his dark hair falling in his eyes, I wished with desperate rage that I’d told his secret before he’d told mine.

Now it was too late.

If I said anything now, everyone would think I was lying in revenge.

The more I thought about what he’d done that day at school, the more I wanted to bash him over the head with that copper saucepan. I hated no one on this planet as much as I hated Finn Sawyer.

The day he’d transferred to the local high school, he’d become the bane of my existence. Before that, no one cared that I lived in the big house. I was the daughter of the housekeeper, a townie, just like everyone else. I’d made it clear early on that I barely interacted with the Sawyers, and everyone pretty much forgot I had anything to do with them.

Then Finn got himself expelled from Laurel Country Day, and even his father’s generous donations hadn’t been enough to convince the school to take him back. Setting fire to the headmaster’s office tended to make school administrators cranky. Coming into our rural public high school from an elite prep school like Laurel Country Day should have been hard for Finn. After all, he didn’t know a soul except for me, and by unspoken agreement, Finn and I pretended to be strangers.

It wasn’t an act. Not really. We might have slept under the same roof, but I could count on one hand the number of conversations we’d had. Prentice Sawyer did not encourage chit-chat between the family and staff. I might have been young, but I knew enough about life to understand how it was.

My mother had a good job. She worked her ass off, but Prentice Sawyer paid her well, especially considering she didn’t have to worry about room and board. I love Sawyers Bend, but it’s not exactly bursting with jobs. If I got my mother fired, we’d go from comfortable to desperate in a heartbeat. Which was the only reason I hadn’t bashed Finn with that copper saucepan. Yet.

He flicked the whisk in lazy swoops, his t-shirt stretching across his back as he leaned over the pan and drew in a long breath, savoring the rich scents of vanilla and cream. He was so absorbed that he hadn’t noticed me lurking in the dark hall leading to our small apartment off the kitchens.

This wasn’t the first time Finn had snuck into the kitchens late at night to cook. His relationship with the family chef was an anomaly in Heartstone Manor. He’d pestered Chef Guérard to teach him to cook for years until the chef had agreed to a single lesson if Finn would promise never to bother him again. I don’t know what Chef Guérard saw in Finn, who was only fourteen at the time. It must have been something extraordinary because he never argued about teaching Finn again, even though he knew he’d be fired if Prentice ever found out.

I’d seen Finn during his lessons a few times, barely recognizing him as the boy who ruled our high school with disdain and sullen apathy. With Chef Guérard, he was all intense focus, seeming to absorb the chef’s instructions into his very cells.

That wasn’t the Finn I knew from school. Another kid might have been bullied after transferring from his cush private school to our rural public one. Not Finn. In the perverse way of teenagers, he rose to the top of the social hierarchy powered by the sheer force of his indifference. He slouched around school, sullen and sneering, impervious to anything the other kids might throw at him.

On his third day, two boys in his class jumped him behind the gym, thinking to teach him a lesson about the pecking order. He’d pummeled them both, walked away, and never said a word to anyone. That was all it took. Within two weeks of his transfer, he’d become the bad boy every girl swooned over and every boy wanted to be. Ugh. I tried to pretend he didn’t exist.

Until recently, it had worked out fine. He ignored me. I ignored him. Problem solved. Until today. Today, Finn Sawyer ruined my goddamned life, and, for once, I had something to say about it. Stepping forward, I left the dark of the hall for the dim light of the main kitchen.

“Why did you do it?” I demanded, keeping my voice low so it didn’t carry down the hall and wake my mother.

Finn’s shoulder jerked a fraction of an inch, the only sign that I’d surprised him. Then, with a careless flick, he tossed his hair off his forehead and shrugged.

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Advertisement Scheming Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #3) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/scheming-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-3-read-online-ivy-layne Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:59:10 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/scheming-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-3-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Insta-Love, Romance, Suspense Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 105921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Scheming Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #3)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Ivy Layne
Language:	English
Book Information:
Scarlett I don’t want to lie to him. I really don’t. First of all, he's hot. Really hot. I know I swore off gorgeous men for the rest of eternity, but Tenn Sawyer has me questioning all of my choices. At least, any choices that mean I can’t have him. Second, he isn’t just hot, Tenn is bossy and domineering and patient and his smile makes my panties melt. And that was all before he kidnapped me. After... I have no reason to trust him. There's too much at risk to follow my gut. One mistake and I'll lose everything. But with Tenn, I can't seem to help myself. Tenn I knew she was trouble the second I lay eyes on her. Okay, it took me two minutes to figure it out. At first all I saw was a gorgeous woman I needed to get to know. Preferably naked. Five minutes later, everything changed. Scarlett isn’t just a woman I want, suddenly she's my lifeline, the only thing keeping me from a murder charge. And if that isn’t complicated enough, every other word out of her mouth is a lie. She needs my help. She won't trust me enough to ask. Every moment we're together binds us until I can't imagine not having her, even with all of her lies between us. When she finally comes clean, and I understand what's at stake, I'm not worried about going to jail. I’m too busy trying to keep us alive. Scheming Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s third in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend.
Books in Series:	The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
Books by Author:	Ivy Layne

Chapter One

TENN

"Tennessee Sawyer! Don't you dare walk away from me!"

Fuck. I knew that voice. I'd been dodging her for weeks. Couldn't a man enjoy an early morning run in peace? Apparently not.

I came to a stop on the neatly graveled path that ran from the back of my family's inn into the trails beyond. I didn't usually get up this early. My brother Royal was the early riser, which worked out great for me. He covered mornings and I rolled into the office at a reasonable hour, staying later to cover part of the evening shift. Better for the Inn and better for my sanity.

I didn't want to wake up this early every day. I was only up now because Royal had a romantic evening planned with his girl and I'd offered to cover. But there was something to be said for the cool of early morning, the light mist slowly burning off in the newly risen sun. The Inn gardens were dreamy and green, flowers laden with dew, most of the guests still in bed. Peaceful and quiet.

At least, it had been before Vanessa tracked me down.

I came to a stop in front of my brother Ford's ex-wife. No one should be this put together so close to sunrise. Her ink-black hair was swept back from her exquisite face with a narrow leather headband that perfectly matched her red lips and equally narrow red belt. The little black dress was too formal for a summer morning, but it showed her long, sleek legs to perfection.

Vanessa knew exactly how gorgeous she was. I wondered if she knew the strain of the last month showed through her polish. Jail could do that to a person. New lines fanned from beneath her eyes, matching the grooves that cut between her arched brows and beside her full lips.

Until recently, Vanessa had been a thorn in my side. Irritating, at times mildly painful, but otherwise, no more than an inconvenience.

My older brother Ford had divorced her years ago, getting out of the ill-fated marriage unscathed except for the hefty alimony check he wrote every month. Vanessa had been happy to leave it at that, more interested in Ford's name and money than the man himself.

That is, she'd been happy enough until Ford was arrested for my father's murder. No income meant no alimony.

Since the day those hefty checks had dried up, Vanessa had been on the warpath.

I scanned the garden, hoping to see an early rising guest or a member of the staff. Anyone. I had a few inches and at least eighty pounds on Vanessa, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.

The last time we'd underestimated her, she'd nearly killed someone.

"Vanessa." I kept a safe distance between us. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We need to talk, Tenn." She sidled closer. I backed away. I didn't see a weapon in her hands, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"We really don't need to talk," I countered. "And right now, I'm wondering why we don't have a restraining order against you. Probably because we never thought you'd make bail, and if you did, you'd never be stupid enough to come back here."

"Tenn, please, you're the only one reasonable enough to talk to me."

"I'm not all that reasonable. Not anymore." I knew why she was here. Everyone thought I was a soft touch. They weren't wrong. I had a habit of falling for the whole damsel-in-distress thing. Most of the time, the woman in question deserved my help. I'd paid for legal fees when an employee tried to leave her abusive husband, had covered rent for another when a sudden illness drained her bank account.

Maybe I'd been taken for a ride here or there, but my judgment was mostly sound. Then, Vanessa had started targeting me with her sob story and vague threats. I didn't mind stepping in when someone needed help, but I was done being seen as the family sucker.

My father had been murdered.

My brother Ford was in jail for killing him, though no one really thought he'd done it.

Since then, someone had tried to kill my oldest brother, Griffen, twice, and Vanessa herself had attempted to stab my brother Royal. It was irrelevant that she'd mistaken someone else for Royal in the dark. Royal was fine, but J.T. was still recovering from his near-miss at Vanessa's hands.

It was not a good time to be seen as a soft touch. I had no intention of being Vanessa's next victim.

"Vanessa, the Inn is private property. We made it clear you aren't welcome here. Do I need to call West?"

Vanessa's face blanched at the mention of the police chief. She sidled closer again, one arm held out, beseeching. Her beautiful features transformed into a seductive half-smile. It was a little scary how well she manufactured innocent desire. I wasn't falling for it.

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Advertisement Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) Read Online Ivy Layne http://www.books2020.com/sweet-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-2-read-online-ivy-layne Sat, 12 Dec 2020 14:03:19 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/sweet-heart-the-hearts-of-sawyers-bend-2-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Alpha Male, Funny, Romance, Suspense Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 94585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >104

Read Online Books/Novels:	Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Ivy Layne
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B0881B6VSJ
Book Information:
Royal has more trouble than he can handle. His father's been murdered, and the killer is trying to destroy the Sawyers any way they can. The last thing he needs is to complicate his life further. Like, say, with a woman. But Daisy Hutchins doesn't feel like a complication, she feels like the only thing that makes sense in a life turned upside down. Daisy isn't looking for any kind of complication, especially one of the male variety. She has enough trouble of her own, and men have brought her nothing but bad luck. Royal swears he's different. The scary thing is...Daisy almost wants to believe him. Everything about Royal screams danger for a normal girl like her. Royal is gorgeous, rich, and powerful. Daisy should send him packing before he makes everything worse. But when he smiles, all she can think is Yes Sweet Heart is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It’s second in The Hearts of Sawyers Bend series, featuring the Sawyer family of Sawyers Bend.
Books in Series:	The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
Books by Author:	Ivy Layne

Chapter One

Daisy

I should have brought a smaller basket. I fumbled, trying to balance the wide, woven basket against my hip as I searched through the dark for the staff entrance to The Inn.

Another of my bright ideas that didn’t quite pan out the way it was supposed to. Lately, I seemed to have a lot of them. I’d been to The Inn at Sawyers Bend hundreds of times, but I’d always come through the front as a guest of the restaurant and bar.

Today, I was delivering what I hoped was a tempting selection of treats from my bakery, an example of the kind of thing I might provide for The Inn to leave in guest rooms or sell in the small shop by the front desk. Anything to expand my client base. Right now, I needed every penny I could get.

I usually had a lull in the early morning after the first wave of baking was done and before our doors opened for the day. Grams could handle our first few customers, and I’d figured I could drop off the basket and get back to Sweetheart Bakery in time for the opening rush. And I might if I could find the staff entrance.

At the back of the enormous timber and stone building, I stared over the gardens, lit with spotlights here and there. Even in the dark, the gardens were beautiful, flowing from the back of The Inn, the gravel paths leading to benches, to soft grass perfect for a picnic, and further to the guest cabins scattered along the river.

Fatigue pulled at me, and for a moment, I wanted nothing more than to sink onto one of the pretty iron benches, unwrap one of my own cookies, and just take a break.

Not yet. Not for a while, maybe. I’d been running on too little sleep for too long, but I couldn’t stop until I’d fixed the mess I’d gotten myself into.

Hitching the basket higher on my hip, I watched as tendrils of light from the rising sun crept through the garden. One more minute. Then I’d get it together, find the staff entrance, drop off my basket, and get back to work. As I soaked in the beauty of early morning in the mountains, the burble of the nearby river, and the mist rising off the gardens, I realized where I’d gone wrong.

Of course, the staff entrance wouldn’t be at the back of the building. During the day this space was mainly used by guests. I’d passed through the guest parking lot as I’d walked from the bakery and had completely forgotten about the smaller parking lot on the other side of The Inn. That must be where I’d find the staff entrance.

My energy renewed, I awkwardly re-balanced the basket and started along the gravel path to the far side of The Inn, hoping I wasn’t leaving a trail of prettily wrapped brownies and cookies behind me. Approaching the corner, I took the narrower path to my right, marked with a small sign that read STAFF ONLY, hoping I’d find the door I was looking for.

I wasn’t expecting to run into a wall. With a yelp, I backpedaled, scrambling as the basket tipped, trying to get my feet under me before I landed on my butt.

Not a wall. A man. Tall, in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, he barreled into me, the cardboard box in his arms bumping my basket and sending it tumbling.

I winced at the thuds of brownies hitting the grass and shouted, “Hey, wait a sec,” but the man flung out an arm, shoving me hard. So much for not landing on my butt. My feet flew out from under me, brownies and cookies raining down on the wet grass.

I stared in stunned amazement at the figure leaning over me, his features hidden by the deep hood of his sweatshirt. For the first time, my heart chilled. I’d assumed he was an employee coming in to work, or a guest out for an early run. That he’d apologize for bumping into me and we’d laugh and go our separate ways.

He said nothing, only loomed over me, face shadowed, radiating menace.

My heels kicked at the grass, hands scrabbling to pull me backward, away from this sudden threat. The man in the sweatshirt hesitated, his hands flexing on the box he held before whirling and racing around the corner, exactly where I’d been headed. He disappeared from sight, and I let out a breath of relief.

I should have collected what was left of my treats and gone back to the bakery to try again another time. Or brought what I could salvage to the front desk and dropped it off there.

I should have done anything other than follow the stranger with the box.

I don’t know why I did, why I was so sure he was up to no good, or what I thought I could do about it.

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Advertisement Stolen Heart Read online Ivy Layne (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #1) http://www.books2020.com/stolen-heart-1-read-online-ivy-layne Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/stolen-heart-1-read-online-ivy-layne Genre: Romance Authors: Ivy Layne Series: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
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Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Stolen Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #1)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Ivy Layne
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B086N6XSJ1
Book Information:
Griffen What happens when the only person you ever trusted betrays you? Hope Daniels was my friend. My confident. Right up until the day she stabbed me in the back and cost me everything. My family. My fortune. My legacy. Now my father's been murdered and his will might be the death of me. It wasn’t enough to banish me fifteen years ago. Even dead, he cant resist twisting the knife. He’ll give me back everything I lost, everything he stole … if I marry Hope. To make matters worse, the fate of the town rests in my hands. My siblings hate me, that family estate is falling apart, and my father’s murderer is still out there. My only ally is Hope, the one person I know I can’t trust. Except this Hope is different from the girl I knew. For one thing, she’s not a girl any more. She’s a woman. I want to hate her. I absolutely don’t want to want her. But I do.
Books in Series:	The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Series by Ivy Layne
Books by Author:	Ivy Layne

Chapter One

Griffen

I hated my desk. This office had been mine for the better part of a decade. It should have felt like home, but I’d never been a desk kind of guy. Any excuse to get in the field. I did my job, didn’t slack on the paperwork, but I never felt truly alive sitting behind a desk.

Now, it looked like I’d be stuck here for the rest of my life.

Fucking Andrei Tsepov and his fucking idiot goons. I should be glad it was just a bullet to the shoulder. More than a few men had died that night. I could have been mowed down by one of the AR-15s they were using. If a bullet from an AR-15 had hit my shoulder I would have lost my arm.

One shot from a handgun and I’d been down. Shoulder wounds are a lot more complicated than people think. The bullet had nicked an artery and torn through ligaments and tendons, breaking bones along the way.

Hours of surgery, weeks in a sling, followed by months of physical therapy. I was almost as good as new.

Almost.

For a guy with a regular job, almost would have been good enough. For me, almost meant the end of my career. It had to be my right fucking arm, didn’t it? My brain might have the reaction time I needed, but my right arm would always be a fraction too slow.

No matter how much I wanted to be in the field, wanted the adrenaline and the rush, I wouldn’t risk a client’s life to soothe my ego.

I was grounded. I’d have to find a way to live with that.

I’m not a brooder. I grew up in a family of volatile personalities, surrounded by rage and betrayal, malice and grudges. I’d walked away when I was twenty-two, resentful and angry, but once I’d tasted the freedom of life away from my family, I’d made a decision.

I wasn’t going to let the bullshit get me down.

There’s always a bright side, always a reason to laugh. I’d never give in to hate. I’d seen what happened to people who did that, seen the way it sucked the life from them, leaving them dried-up, bitter husks.

That wouldn’t be me. That would never be me.

For fifteen years, I’d managed to hold on to that, always ready with a smile, always looking for the silver lining. And now this. Holed up in my office during the day, hiding in my condo at night. Grumbling, growling, and snapping at my friends, the friends who’d become my family.

I knew I was being an asshole. I tried to smile, to laugh, tried to pretend everything was great, but we all knew it was a lie.

Everything wasn’t fucking great. Everything was all fucked up.

A buzz sounded on my phone. Alice at the front desk. I picked up the handset and winced as I heard myself bark, “What?”

I was being a bastard. Alice was like a sister, now married to my best friend. She was family. She deserved better than me being a dick.

Before I could apologize, she let out her sparkling pixie’s laugh and said, “Hello to you, too, sunshine. You have a visitor. Says her name is Hope Daniels. Should I bring her back?”

Hope Daniels?

Not possible.

What were the chances the name could be a coincidence?

None. No chance.

I cursed the universe. Kick a man while he’s down, why don’t you? Whatever dark force had brought Hope Fucking Daniels to Atlanta, it could just take her back.

Twenty-year-old Griffen would have welcomed her with open arms. The Griffen of six months ago would have at least been curious. Now? With this fucking bum shoulder aching like a rotten tooth, I wanted to tell Hope to fuck off and get out.

No good could come of Hope Daniels walking back into my life.

“Griffen? You want me to just leave her standing here until she gathers dust?”

I couldn’t help the tiny smile that spread across my face. I shut it down. Might as well get this over with. I’d find out what Hope wanted and get rid of her. No big deal.

“Bring her back.”

“Righty-ho!” Alice hung up.

Hope fucking Daniels.

Alice was going to want to know who she was. Cooper, Evers, Knox, everyone would want to know who she was. When was the last time a woman had walked into the office and asked for me? Never. I kept my personal life separate from work. Always.

Hope wasn’t personal. Not like that.

She wasn’t a woman, she was a sign of the fucking apocalypse.

All too soon, Alice swung open the door of my office. My first thought was that she must have made a mistake. The woman standing beside her was not Hope Daniels.

She was tall and slender like Hope, with the same sandy brown hair and cognac colored eyes, but this was not my Hope.

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Read Online Books/Novels:

Scheming Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #3)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

Read Online Books/Novels:

Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B0881B6VSJ

Read Online Books/Novels:

Stolen Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #1)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B086N6XSJ1