Novels by Josie Hart

The previous day had been a welcome distraction for Seb, and spending time with Piper had solidified their friendship and got it back on track. He was still suspicious of why she was being so coy about her reasons for coming home so abruptly. But pushing the issue might inflame whatever emotions Piper was already feeling. He hadn't heard from Will either which was a good thing. No doubt Will would spit his dummy out when he found out they'd spent yesterday together and even though it was platonic Will would still act like he was hard done by. He seemed to have this misconception that every woman was in love with him and would follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be. Well, there were women out there like Piper, who wouldn't fall for his charms and he knew the kiss they'd shared had meant nothing to Piper. Seb wanted to call Piper and arrange another meet-up with her. Calling it a date brought with it expectations that neither of them wanted, especially Pi

Dale Ridgeley sat in his office staring at his computer screen like it was miraculously going to type up his student report for him. Since Piper had left he hadn't been able to focus on anything, especially work.How dare that bitch up and leave him without a word! He'd come home from work to find that all the stuff Piper kept as his flat missing, and when he'd tried to call her the number had been disconnected. When he'd contacted her work, they'd politely advised him that she no longer worked there and refused to give him a forwarding address or telephone number. He'd even gone in and tried to sweet-talk the stupid fat receptionist into giving him the information, but she wouldn't budge and hadn't even fallen for his charms. He wondered what Piper had told them about him before she up and did a moonlight flit?Well, it was all lies! Whatever she'd said, she was a liar!When he'd realised her mobile had been disconnected, he'd tried calling everyone she k

When Seb called and asked Piper if she fancied lunch, she'd jumped at the chance. She'd spent all morning researching her options about starting work but was still none the wiser. She still couldn't decide whether or not being self-employed was the best way to go. "What's the situation with work?" Seb asked, "Have you made a decision on what you want to do?". "Nope, I feel like I'm just waiting for the penny to drop. I never thought it would be so hard just to make a decision. I'll have to do something soon as my savings are starting to dwindle. Are you glad you're self-employed?". "I like not having anyone to answer to and being my own boss is always a positive. It does have its disadvantages though; work is practically non-existent through the winter months so I have to always make sure I've saved enough money to see me through". Seb answered honestly. "But if you were to go self-employed your work wouldn't be seasonal, so straight away you have an advantag

Will was starting to get annoyed at Piper giving him the silent treatment, anyone would've thought he'd cheated or something with the way she was carrying on. So he told a little white lie? It was for a good reason and with the best of intentions. He just wanted time alone with her. Well, enough was enough - today he was going to go and confront her, and bring her a nice bunch of flowers to help sweeten her up. Flowers bought, he made his way up to her parent's house and rang the bell. Hopefully, Piper would answer the door as he didn't feel like trying to explain to her parents why he'd turned up bearing flowers. They weren't naive enough to believe he was just being kind. For all, he knew she might've already told them of the events of that night. A shadow came into view and as the door opened Will held his breath but put on the biggest smile he could muster. Piper stood there with a look of complete annoyance "What do you want? Generally when someone

By the time Piper got home, it was past 11 pm and both her parents were asleep. She carefully crept up to her bedroom and quietly got changed into her pajamas. Easing into bed she reminisced over the night and how perfect it was. Seb had walked ger home, said goodnight, and left. He was a true gentleman and Piper loved him even more for it.When she checked her phone she realised there was a text message on her phone. Opening it she stared in horror "You can't keep ignoring me you BITCH! Hiding won't protect you! Escaping London won't protect you either!".It was from an unknown number and she knew enough to know that they'd used an online text service in order to remain anonymous. She started shaking and her heart rate quickened. All she wanted was to be left alone, to forget her past and look forward to her future. There were times she wished she'd just stayed in Porthleven where she was safe and then none of this would've happened.Telling her parents w

Seb and Piper sat and talked well into the evening just like old friends. There was no awkwardness, no expectations and he seemed so relaxed which he hadn't been in all the time she'd been home. She noticed he was still guarded whenever she tried to turn the topic onto his time in the Army. He wasn't hostile, he would just start looking uncomfortable and then start directing the conversation elsewhere. She also noticed his face would light up whenever he talked about working on his boat and he talked endlessly about it. She loved listening to him and watching him smile so naturally. His skin was gently sun-kissed, but not enough that he looked too tanned and the hairs that were poking through his top were just the right shade of blonde. These were things that Piper was just observing without any kind of hidden agenda or lustful thought. She was done with men for the time being - it was time to finally focus on herself. Her thoughts were broken by Seb "Fancy s

The first thing I do this morning is to buy the local newspaper on the way to work to see if anyone has reported the accident last night. I scan the newspaper and find the article, which luckily hasn't made it to the front page - thank goodness for small miracles. Last night a local man under the influence of alcohol plowed into 16-year-old Tommy Fletcher who is a local of Salem. He is currently being treated in hospital for a leg injury sustained during the accident. A witness has confirmed that Tommy was pinned underneath the vehicle and that an unknown female came to his rescue and stayed with him until help arrived. At this moment in time, the local police have not released the name of the driver, and have also been unable to confirm the identity of the unknown hero, but are keen to speak with her. A witness? Shit! I was so positive there was nobody else around last night. Oh my god! My mum is going to go ape shit if she puts two and two together! As I re-read the article I calm

I slowly walk home thinking about Charlotte and the things my mum had told me. It was hard to focus in the bar with the anonymous Micah commanding my attention - completely my fault by the way. Anyone would think I was a love-sick teenager and not a grown woman. If Charlotte were here she would have teased me relentlessly. As I walk, I suddenly hear brakes screeching and then a loud scream. Looking up I can see a dark blue Chevrolet has failed to stop and has hit what looks like a teenage boy. I immediately call 911 before running over to assess the damage. The car has mounted the curb and has pinned this poor boy by his leg underneath it. His screams are ferocious and I panic not knowing what to do. "It's ok - I've called an ambulance and they're on their way. What's your name?". I ask as calmly as I can. "Tommy". The boy replies crying "Please help me, I'm stuck". Looking at him he can't be more than 16. I look into the driver's side to find the driver is an older gentleman uncons

Instead of going home, I've ended up in O'Neills which is the only Irish bar in town. Sitting at home when I feel like this isn't a good idea. I'm sure a drink won't hurt me. Mac the owner puts a Guinness down on the bar as I take a seat. I frequent here enough that he knows what my drink of choice is. Just as I'm about to take a sip my eyes are drawn to a tall, dark-haired man standing at the pool table alone. My breath catches as I just stare at him like a mental patient. Who is this guy? As I cast my eyes over him like a ravenous animal I can immediately tell he's substantially taller than me; at least 6ft 5. He has lustrously thick black hair that looks untidy but beautiful. His eyes are expressive and large that look as deep as rich, dark chocolate. To top it off his lips are a plump and sultry shade of deep pink. Oh my god! I don't think I've ever seen a man as beautiful as him. I can't call him handsome as that word just doesn't do him justice. Before I can look away he sudden

I arrive at the kennels to find my mom deep in conversation with one of the dogs Rocky. I've warned her so many times that she needs to be careful talking to them when she's at work. All it takes is for one of the customers to walk in and they'd think she was nuts! "Rocky - now you know you need to take a bath. You'll be going home later and you need to be all shiny like a new penny, no arguments". Rocky barks then turns around in a circle and lies down in a huff. I don't need to be able to understand him to know he's defeated. "What brings you here sweetie?". Mum looks at me suspiciously. She knows when I show up unannounced that something is playing on my mind. She can read me like a book. I reluctantly pull the note from my pocket and hand it over to her. As she reads it, I see the worry take over her face and she takes an age to reply. It almost feels like she's calculating in her head what to say to me, which isn't like her at all. My mom is and always has been very direct and

So far today, all I've managed to do is stare at my computer screen with all our inventory. I've even read the note about a thousand times trying to reveal the sender. Why am I so frustrated? I can't concentrate on anything to do with work. It's a good job I have my assistant Maisie here to serve the customers and keep things ticking over. Surely the mystery sender should know what sending this would do to me? Why send it to me and not Charlotte's parents or even the Police? "Genie, are you ok?". Maise looks at me concerned with her big brown eyes. She's as blonde as I am dark. People would describe us as polar opposites but we work well together and have even formed a friendship outside of work. "I'm ok Maisie. Sorry, I'm preoccupied today. I received some unusual news this morning and I'm trying to decide what to do about it". "Anything I can help with? A problem shared is a problem halved? Or so the saying goes?". She really is a sweetheart. But I can't tell her about the note

Today is such a beautiful day in Salem, I can already tell by the early dawn sun shining through my window. What does today have in store for me? Work! I work at The Jonathan Corwin House which is known locally as The Witch House. It's famous as the original owner of the same namesake was one of the judges who presided over the notorious trials and it's now a museum and I'm lucky enough to run it. What's even better is, I live opposite so it's simply a short walk to work every day. I live in a two-bedroom townhouse that was left to me by my Grandma after she passed away 4 years ago. It still has all its original Victorian detail and I plan on keeping it that way. As you can tell, I'm a sucker for History! I can see the post has already arrived - the usual bills and leaflets that will be going straight into the trash. As I rifle through the envelopes, one catches my eye as it's marked as URGENT. The handwriting isn't familiar to me either as I scan it before opening it. I can't rememb