Music of the Heart: Cloverton Romance, #3

By Marci Wilson and Haven Saunders

Zoe Redford never planned on returning to her hometown, but after failing to get her music career off the ground, she needs somewhere to regroup. When her sister needs someone to cover a babysitting gig, Zoe steps in to save the day and instantly bonds with young Ella.

Marty Martinez is in over his head as a single father and business owner. When he sees how taken his daughter is with Zoe, he offers her a job as a nanny. As Zoe and Ella spend more time together, so do Zoe and Marty. They both feel a budding attraction, but neither is willing to act on it.

However, when Zoe's ex resurfaces determined to rekindle their relationship, Marty realizes how much she has become a part of his and Ella's lives. While he fears losing Zoe and the family they've become, he would never stand in the way of her happiness…even if that means sacrificing his own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MaHanna Media LLC
• Release date: Jun 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227613035

Book preview

Chapter One

Zoe Redford squeezed her black guitar case between her knees as the train pulled into the Aurora, Illinois station. When she was younger, she’d been determined to keep the case looking like new. Now the hard plastic surface was covered in stickers from the various clubs and festivals she’d played over the years.

Though the case might look old and banged up to some, she cherished every nick and ding. She hadn’t wanted to put the case in the luggage rack above, fearing it would somehow disappear before her arrival. She could replace her clothes and luggage, but she’d be lost without her guitar.

Peering out the window beside her, she searched the platform for her mother’s fiery red hair. Zoe and her sisters shared the telltale Irish feature, but their mother’s hairdresser added copper highlights to take her red hair to the next level. Unfortunately, most people were wearing knit caps to keep warm.

According to the weather app on her phone, she was about to step out into the balmy temperature of sixteen degrees. Warm for a winter morning in northern Illinois. Returning to live in the dinky town of Cloverton after seven years in California would be hard enough. If she’d waited a few more weeks, the weather would have been much nicer. However, she’d run out of patience and, more importantly, money.

Let me help you with one of those. Gus, the conductor, had hoisted her excessively stuffed suitcase up into the overhead compartment when she’d gotten on the train. He’d taken pity on her as she balanced her hiking backpack, guitar case, and purple suitcase. And there he was again with a big smile on his face, ready to help get those bags down.

Gus took her suitcase without another word and guided her off the train. The bone-chilling wind immediately whipped against her face and cut through her thin jacket. She should have dressed warmer. Though the cooler temperatures were normal for January in the Midwest, the LA sunshine had spoiled her.

You’re gonna need to bundle up if you’re sticking around these parts, Gus said with a paternal tone.

I’ll keep that in mind, she said, happy to hear that she didn’t seem like a local. Thank you again for the help.

He gave her a nod and boarded the train.

She found the other Redfords gathered around a nearby bench. Her sisters, Leesa and Cora somehow seemed too grown up. Then Zoe remembered they were twenty-one and sixteen respectively. They had grown up. Caitlin, her mother, stood behind them, still scanning the windows of every car.

Leesa pointed toward Zoe. There she is!

Despite the crowd on the train platform, Leesa, Cora, and Caitlin rushed over and embraced her. They all talked simultaneously and so quickly that Zoe couldn’t make sense of what anyone was saying. Not that it mattered. Her heart was full from seeing her family again. Too much time had passed since her last visit.

Leesa and Cora took Zoe’s luggage, but Zoe insisted she hold onto her guitar. The guitar was the reason she had been in LA. As soon as she’d graduated high school, Zoe bought a one-way ticket and didn’t look back.

Until she had to. She’d been lucky to book jobs as a studio musician, but her own band never seemed to get the attention she and her bandmates craved. So, the band broke up. Two married each other and the third moved to Vietnam. Zoe was left with a cloudy and unsure future.

We’re so happy to have you back. Caitlin smiled as soon as they were in the car to head toward Cloverton.

Zoe turned to glance into the backseat at her sisters. It’s good to be back.

I know it’s not exactly what you dreamed about.

"No, Mama, really. It is nice to be back." And she meant it. Her whole life, she dreamed about getting out of her little town to become a famous guitarist, play in a band, and be free. But freedom in LA was expensive. Really expensive. Returning to Cloverton was logical. She could get a job, get back on her feet, and reconnect with her mother and sisters.

We’re all so proud of you for all you’ve accomplished. Dad would have been, too.

A surge of emotion filled Zoe’s chest. Any mention of her father, who had passed ten years ago in an accident at the lumber mill, set her on edge. I hope so.

Caitlin smiled. Know so.

Shit. She wasn’t even home yet and she was already on the verge of tears.

As much as she loved her mother and her little sisters, home was a hard place to be.

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Zoe’s father bought her a child-size guitar for her eighth birthday. From that day forward, she’d wanted to share her music with the world. As soon as she nailed the F bar chord in ‘Happy Birthday’, she was in the park entertaining anyone who would listen.

Street performers were few and far between in Cloverton, so she’d done well catching the coins and the few bills tossed her way.

As she approached the gazebo after so many years, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. She’d spent so much of her younger years playing requests to help her save up enough to move to California.

Despite the cold, she sat and played. The weather had kept most people from the park, which she didn’t mind. Sitting in her old haunt, strumming her guitar brought back a thousand memories that Zoe was happy to bask in. Her father used to sit with her, encouraging people to stop and listen, and then thanking them when they’d drop money into her guitar case. Had he still been alive when she’d gone to LA, she thought he would have been on the phone to agents and managers, insisting they give her a chance.

The thought brought a smile to her lips and tears to her eyes. He’d been her number one fan.

Well, look who it is. Ryan Carter, owner of the local coffee shop, approached her with a bright smile on his face. The Busker!

Zoe halted her playing and rested her hand on the dreadnought curve of her acoustic. She hadn’t been called by her old nickname for years. The first time someone had called her a busker, she’d taken offense until Ryan had explained the word meant entertainer. After that, she’d worn the term with pride.

Hi, Ryan.

I didn’t know you were back in town.

She nodded with a smile. I got in yesterday.

Just visiting?

No, I’m here for a while.

He ran a hand through his brown hair. Tired of LA?

Something like that.

Ryan hadn’t been the first to ask what had brought her back to Cloverton or how long she planned to stay. She should have spent her time on the train coming up with a good story rather than focusing on how disappointed she’d been about heading back home.

He jerked his thumb toward Main Street. If you’re sticking around, you should play at The Coffee Nut some time. People would be lined up out the door to see you.

She grinned. You’re flattering me.

He offered her a crooked smile. His handsome face hadn’t changed much, however ghosts of wrinkles had started appearing across his forehead. Are you kidding? You’re a star around here.

Zoe laughed softly. I wouldn’t go that far.

We’ve missed your music, he said. Think about it.

I will. Thanks, Ryan.

Stop in before you head home and grab a coffee. On me.

Zoe waved at him, and then returned to her playing as he walked away. She had to admit she’d missed the friendliness of living in a small town. She’d gotten used to strangers looking through each other and ignoring the world around them. It was good to know that she hadn’t lost her ability to be pleasant and easy-going.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone watching her play. Zoe didn’t recognize the dark-haired man, but she offered him a soft smile as she continued to play. He flashed a smile in return.

The longer Zoe sat in the cold, the slower her fingers moved. Even though she had been playing most of her life, the frustration of not getting something right still plagued her.

Perhaps it was time to call it a day and take Ryan up on his offer of coffee. Zoe put her guitar in the red velvet lined case. Since she hadn’t shown up to ask for tips, the case had been tucked behind her. She didn’t even sing. Sitting at the gazebo for the first time in years was more of a sentimental moment than anything.

When she’d played as a kid, her dad would meet her in Centennial Park after his shift ended and they’d work through their slim catalog of songs. Nate Redford was partial to folk music and sang Dylan better than Dylan could—at least in Zoe’s opinion. If her dad hadn’t died, they could have been a dynamic duo who played at coffee shops and weddings. Zoe might have even stuck around Cloverton if she hadn’t lost her dad.

You play really well. The stranger had approached while she was cleaning up. Zoe blinked, taking him in. He was even more attractive now that he was standing closer. He wasn’t too tall, but well-built. His dark hair was longer on top, spiking stylishly. His