Cavanaugh Read online

  Welcome to the Family

  Cavanaugh

  Copyright

  About this book

  Reading Order

  Who's Who at Kingsbrier

  Sign up!

  A Request from Jody

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Bonus scene

  Sneak Peek - ADAM

  Author Notes

  Welcome to Kingsbrier

  Fans want to know!

  Connect with Jody

  Also by Jody Kaye

  About the Author

  the end

  ©2018 Jody Kaye

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design ©2018 by Jody Kaye

  No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the consent of the Author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a creation of the Author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, establishments, events or locales is coincidental. Except the original material written by the Author, all books, songs, and product references are the property of the copyright holders.

  This book contains adult language and scenes. It is not recommended for readers under 18 years of age.

  Rose Kingsbrier should’ve had it all. That changed the day her momma died, leaving her alone living a solitary life in a mansion that was more like a mausoleum. She tried for years to get her father’s attention eventually finding it easier to become his source of grief than to live in grief's shadow.

  Convinced that his daughter is irresponsible, now Eric Kingsbrier wants to marry Rose off and make the son of some two-bit business partner his successor at Kingsbrier Holdings. But Rose isn’t going let herself be bartered away and finally forgotten quite so easily.

  When his construction company is hired renovate the Kingsbrier mansion, Ross Cavanaugh gets swept up in the scheming whirlwind that is Rose. He knows this woman is going to be a noose around his neck and take him for one heck of a ride. But Ross can’t seem to help himself around her until Rose proposes a marriage of convenience.

  She may not mind dragging her own reputation through the mud, but Ross has worked too hard to be accused of fortune hunting. Except that Rose gets herself in over her head and agreeing to her offer may be the only way to save her.

  **Cavanaugh is a standalone novel set over thirty years in the past. There is sensitive matter and the characters react to those circumstances based on the time period. Please consider reading reviews or contacting the author if you have questions.

  The Kingsbrier Quintuplets

  Eric

  Brier

  Daveigh

  Miss Cavanaugh

  Cavanaugh

  Adam

  Colette

  Colton

  The Kingsbrier Legacy

  Gray Sin

  Going Down

  View the Family Tree

  **may contain spoilers**

  Adam Kingsbrier Cavanaugh — Quint #1. Oldest son of Ross & Rose. Married to Temple. Father of Gracyn and Rhiannon. Secretly quit medical school and worked for the government. Currently works for Walsh Security.

  Alan Adair — Divorced from Diana. Ginny’s stepfather. Keely’s father.

  Alcee Bennett — Married to Contessa. Father of Journey. Executive at Kingsbrier’s winery. Adam’s high school friend.

  Benita — Kingsbrier’s cook & housekeeper when Rose was a child.

  Brier Rose (Cavanaugh) Newhouse — Quint #2. Oldest daughter of Ross & Rose. Married to Drew. Mother of Lily, Roseanne, Dash, and Gatlin. Former Sheriff’s Deputy. Founded charity for underprivileged children with Colette.

  Capote — Dash’s cat.

  Cassidy Cavanaugh — Younger daughter of Colton & Keely. Half sister to Gracyn.

  Chip — Dash and Kat’s boss.

  Colton Cavanaugh — Quint #5 (identical twin to Eric) Youngest son of Ross & Rose. Married to Keely. Stepfather of Gracyn. Father of Cassidy. Former Navy. Runs the commercial side of Cavanaugh Construction.

  Colette (Strand/Newhouse) Walsh — Married to Devon. Mother of Cadence. Lily Anne & Rodger’s adopted daughter. Drew’s younger sister. A model. Founded charity for underprivileged children with Brier.

  Corey Cavanaugh — Eric & Ginny’s son. Older brother of Cricket.

  Cricket Cavanaugh — Eric & Ginny’s daughter. Younger sister of Corey Cavanaugh.

  Cris Sanchez — Married to Daveigh. Father of Mateo and Cruz Sanchez. Former musician turned songwriter. Part owner of Kingsbrier’s Winery and the Ranch & Vineyard Manager.

  Cruz Sanchez — Second son of Cris & Daveigh. Mateo’s younger brother.

  Dash Newhouse — Drew & Brier ’s older son. Brother of Lily, Roseanne, and Gatlin. Dash is featured in Going Down.

  Daveigh “Davy” Joy (Cavanaugh) Sanchez — Quint #4. Younger daughter of Ross & Rose. Married to Cris. Stepmother of Mateo. Mother of Cruz. Veterinarian.

  Diana Adair — Ginny’s mother. Keely’s stepmother. A librarian.

  Devon Walsh — Married to Colette. Father of Cadence. Phoebe’s younger brother. Head of IT at Walsh Security. Works with Adam Cavanaugh.

  “Drew” Andrew Newhouse — Married to Brier. Father of Lily, Roseanne, Dash, and Gatlin. Lily Anne & Rodger’s son. Colette’s older brother. Former professional football player. Adam Cavanaugh’s childhood best friend. Raised alongside the quints.

  Eric Cavanaugh — Quint #3 (identical twin to Colton). Middle son of Ross & Rose. Married to Ginny. Father of Corey and Cricket. Runs the residential side of Cavanaugh Construction.

  Eric Kingsbrier — Married to “Miss Joy” Kingsbrier. Rose’s father.

  Gatlin Newhouse — Drew & Brier ’s younger son. Brother of Lily, Roseanne, and Dash.

  Ginny (Adair) Cavanaugh — Married to Eric Cavanaugh. Mother of Corey and Cricket. Daughter of Diana. Stepsister of Keely. Designer at Cavanaugh Construction.

  Gracyn Adair/Cavanaugh — Adam & Keely’s daughter. Colton’s stepdaughter. Half sister to Cassidy and Rhiannon.

  Gwen — Dash & Kat’s ski resort coworker.

  Jai Sethi — Father of Kat. A Boston-based surgeon.

  Joe — Sheriff’s Deputy who attended the Academy with Brier.

  Journey Bennett — Alcee & Tessa’s daughter.

  “Miss Joy” Kingsbrier — Married to Eric Kingsbrier. Rose’s mother.

  “Kat” Katahdyn Sethi — Daughter of Jai. Dash’s girlfriend. A ski patrol medic.

  Keely (Adair) Cavanaugh — Married to Colton. Mother of Gracyn and Cassidy. Ginny’s stepsister. Alan’s daughter. Diana’s stepdaughter. A physical therapist.

  Lacey Tompkins — Brier’s frenemy. A flight attendant.

  Lily Newhouse — T
he older of Drew & Brier’s twin daughters. Sister to Roseanne, Dash, and Gatlin.

  Lily Anne (Andrew) Newhouse — Married to Rodger. Drew and Colette’s mother. Rose’s life-long friend.

  Liz Sanchez — Cris Sanchez’s first wife. Mother of Mateo.

  Mateo Sanchez — Cris’s son. Daveigh’s stepson. Cruz’s older brother.

  Monroe Walsh — Devon and Phoebe’s stepmother.

  Phoebe Walsh — Devon’s older sister. CEO of Walsh Security.

  Rhiannon Cavanaugh — Younger daughter of Adam & Temple. Half sister to Gracyn.

  Rodger Newhouse — Married to Lily Anne . Rose’s distant cousin. Drew and Colette’s father.

  Rose Kingsbrier-Cavanaugh — Married to Ross. Mother of Adam, Brier, Eric, Daveigh, and Colton. A former wild-child. Headed Kingsbrier Holding company.

  Roseanne Newhouse — The younger of Drew & Brier’s twin daughters. Sister to Lily, Dash, and Gatlin.

  Ross Cavanaugh — Married to Rose. Father of Adam, Brier, Eric, Daveigh, and Colton. Owns Cavanaugh Construction & Kingsbrier Wineries.

  “Tessa” Contessa (D’Amico) Bennett — Married to Alcee. Mother of Journey Bennett. Temple’s younger sister. Adam’s high school lab partner.

  Temple (D’Amico) Cavanaugh — Married to Adam. Stepmother of Gracyn. Mother of Rhiannon Tessa Bennett’s older sister. A doctor.

  “Miss Thandie” — Rose’s executive assistant at Kingsbrier Holding company.

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  Thank you!

  For Judy, Joyce, Joan & Jill

  “I am not stubborn!”

  “Sugar, under Merriam Webster’s definition of stubborn in the dictionary there is that famous picture of the Kingsbrier Quintuplets. You are front and center, although no one could conclude which of the five of you should hold the official title.”

  “That’s mean.”

  “Nah, baby, mean is that I heard y’all knocked Miss Rose out of the running.”

  Brier sat up, pulling the sheet to her chest. “What does that mean? I don’t have a bad bone in my body and my momma is sweet as pie.”

  “I’m just going to leave the ‘bone in your body’ comment alone. I can’t even go there. It’s just too easy that you’d set yourself up for a come back to that.” Brier slapped Drew’s hand away as he smugly reached for her cheek to pull her in for a kiss. “As for your momma, she is ‘sweet as pie’ now. Where do you think that streak comes from? How the hell do you think she managed to stand her ground with all those kids for eighteen years?”

  “I am not stubborn,” Brier repeated sullen. She’d been privy to some of the wild-child stories about her mother that Drew hinted at.

  —Brier (The Kingsbrier Quintuplets No.2)

  1980-something…

  Rose watched bourbon spurt from her father’s lips. The spray of light brown droplets hit the server’s sleeve and spattered like mud on the white cake frosting as the innocent woman went to place the dessert before him. The table’s occupants began scrambling to ensure that Eric Kingsbrier was okay. Rose’s cheeks bunched up in a devious smile. Quick as lightning flashes, Eric’s incensed eyes locked with hers. Rose covered her own initial expression that was a little bit “who me?” with one that was a lot more “I have no clue what you mean!”—although everyone had heard exactly what Rose said.

  Her father glared across the table, shooing the poor waitress’s hands away. He had enough decorum to allow the situation to die down without harsh words. They were in public. He had a solid reputation to uphold. Although, he’d give Rose an earful about her conduct once they were alone. The only parenting skill Eric Kingsbrier retained in his regulated existence was discipline. Fortunately for Rose, Eric hadn’t proven to be near as attentive a progenitor as her mother. That orderly and controlled life existed on a parallel plane to Rose’s. Up until recently, it was only when she did something like this, that Eric found unable to ignore, that their courses intertwined.

  Tonight Rose’s behavior was intentional. Causing her father embarrassment forced them back on separate paths. Exactly where they belonged as far as Rose was concerned.

  The server returned to a large brown tray set behind their family table at the country club with the now soggy slice of cake. She promised to replace it with a fresh one, acting like the entire situation had been her fault. The waitress didn’t put anyone else’s order in front of them. Instead, she took the full tray back to the kitchen, ensuring no one had to decline Mr. Kingsbrier’s polite insistence that they should all dig into their delicacies without him.

  Rose’s mouth twisted up, her brow furrowing. Waiting for her slice of berry mascarpone layer cake was now penance for her bad manners. She’d made every excuse possible to get out of this awful dinner from the get-go. Then Rose touted one flippant remark after the next throughout the meal. This last one seemed a swift and keen way to be shuttered from the table once and for all. She hadn’t expected the turnabout of having to extend the evening waiting for dessert.

  She’d also never seen her father spit. That was one for the books. If Rose were the type to keep score over the miserable way Eric acted toward her versus the creative yet indignant responses she came up with to make her father feel like he failed his late wife, it was a point in her column that she was glad to accept.

  “Why did you have to go and say that?” Her best friend, Lily Anne, seethed in Rose’s ear.

  Lily Anne wadded up her fabric napkin and chased off in the direction of the kitchens where the waitress had disappeared to. Without a doubt, she’d seek out maître d' to explain the server’s less than professional appearance before he’d have the chance to get upset. That was the problem with Rose’s partner in crime.

  Lily Anne had boundaries.

  Her absence left Rose sitting with her father, his business associate, Mr. Midgett, and the man’s son; whose stature did little to offset their surname.

  Shoot! Rose thought. Because the last place she wanted to be was left alone in the younger, short man’s company.

  From the moment they’d been introduced—and with little eloquence or deference for civilized manners—Midgett Jr. yammered on about the potential for “merging Kingsbrier assets” with his company’s. Hint, hint, wink wink,… gasp, choke, puke! So Rose pulled out the stops, encouraging Lily Anne to sit across from mini-Midgett at the dining table and making questionable statements of her own to lead the boy believe Rose’s intent was to be a less than virtuous wife.

  It was a good thing that the room’s temperature was set to frigid, allowing Rose to keep her cool since he now seemed more interested than put off by those remarks. Midgett Junior believed that, given enough leash herself, Rose was the kind of woman who’d ignore her spouse’s philandering.

  As if.

  Rose opened her mouth, blowing out a perturbed breath. Appearances no longer mattered. Midgett was as unimpressive a potential husband as she was a wife. She glanced at the carpet, contemplating her next move. A pair of crisp gray slacks with polished black loafers stopped next to her chair. She’d know those enormous feet anywhere.

  “Oh, Rodger, there you are! I’ve been looking for you all night!” Rose squealed, jumping from her seat, latching onto his arm.

  Baby pink manicured fingernails pressed through the worsted wool of his dress suit jacket, clinging to Rodger’s coat like a lifeline.

  On the way to the club, he’d been over-hot with the summertime Texas sun beating through the car window. Now, seeing the faint hair on Rose’s forearm sticking up, Rodger thanked goodness for the air conditioning in the ballroom. Its coolness masked the irritated heat rising from under his collar. Rose had stomped on Rodger’s plan with her shenanigans. His blue eyes cast Rose a look of haughty derision. Her own widened in response.

  Save me,
they pleaded, and as was his norm, Rodger Newhouse swooped in to defend Rose Kingsbrier against the smarmy sea of eligible bachelors that her father thrust toward her.

  Rodger didn’t know what Rose had gone and done this time. Not that it mattered. She’d gotten riled up enough to create a scene that caught the attention of the entire ballroom. That it happened at the same time as he’d finally got up the nerve to approach the Kingsbrier table was what irked Rodger.

  Eric Kingsbrier, a man Rodger called “uncle”, had long since made his intentions clear regarding the sole heir to his oil fortune. Eric planned to deliberately bypass Rose and hand the reins of his company over to a responsible man of his own choosing. It was no surprise that his twenty-two-year-old daughter was one of the most sought-after brides in East Texas. Rodger sympathized with the plight of his lifelong friend. Rose felt belittled by her place in the world. Not that her legendary antics did anything to improve how anyone outside her closed-circle of confidants viewed her.

  While he promised to do his best for Rose, that didn’t mean Rodger allowed her to bowled him over. Her closest friends never did. That was the single-most quality that had attracted him to Lily Anne.

  Rodger gritted his teeth, allowing Rose to lead him to the parquet dance floor. The formal tea-length dress she wore, which was the same color as her name, swished back and forth as she walked. The sound grated on Rodger’s nerves more than Rose forcing him to dance to the live muzak in the hall. He wanted someone else. Rose was the gatekeeper. He only needed to get his hands on the key.

  Rodger pulled Rose into his arms and she wrapped her hands up around his neck. He glanced back at the spot she’d been sitting in. The fairer haired blonde with her hair cut into a bob returned to the table and began chatting with the youngest man.