Special Delivery (The Great Outdoors Book 4) Read online

  Special Delivery

  The Great Outdoors Series

  Shayne McClendon

  Special Delivery by Shayne McClendon

  The Great Outdoors Series

  Original Edition Copyright © 2013 Shayne McClendon

  Updated Edition Copyright © 2016 Shayne McClendon

  Updated Edition: October 25th 2016

  Published by Always the Good Girl LLC

  www.alwaysthegoodgirl.com

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Also by Shayne McClendon

  The Barter System Series

  Choice of Subjects (Prequel)

  The Barter System

  Hudson

  Pushing the Envelope

  Backstage

  Liberation

  Radiance

  The Great Outdoors Series

  Sunny’s Heart

  Permission to Come Aboard

  Permission to Land

  Short Story Anthologies

  Quickies – 2014 Edition

  Quickies – 2015 Edition

  Sports Romances

  Love of the Game

  Hart of the Matter

  Leap of Faith

  Country Romances

  Yes to Everything

  Somebody

  Gravity

  Break Down Here

  Roadside Assistance

  Dramatic Romances

  Completely Wrecked

  The Hermit

  More fantastic escapes for my readers are coming soon!

  Dedication

  For Jana who listens to my ideas and Alexandra who helps me turn them into a reality.

  I couldn’t do this without you guys.

  If you love an old-fashioned love story, then Special Delivery is for you. I have a soft spot for it in my heart because I just adore Spencer and Shania.

  You might recognize them from a few other things.

  No matter who you are or what kind of life you lead, I imagine everyone has their own little hang-ups about how they look or sound or think. It’s part of the human condition. Sometimes, you find a person who gets you…even when you might not always get yourself.

  This story is set in a place that’s been an idea paradise for me each time I’ve spent a few days there – New York City.

  Enjoy, darling!

  Much love,

  Shayne

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  The Bishop Legacy – Part One

  The Bishop Legacy – Part Two

  Author’s Note

  About Shayne McClendon

  Special Delivery

  Spencer Bishop III is searching for love and coming up empty. Until the day he makes a delivery to the woman he’s been looking for all his life.

  Too bad no one believes in soul mates anymore.

  Concealing his identity and struggling for patience, he agrees to an unusual relationship just to be near her.

  Shania Murphy knows she’s more than a little eccentric. When Spencer steps off the elevator, she takes her oddness to an entirely new level.

  Muses are rare. Muses who make your body go rogue are rarer still. Obsessed with his symmetry and certain she’s weirder than she ever imagined, Shania uses her art to keep him close…until she can gather the courage to bring Spencer as close as she really wants him.

  Prologue

  January 1996

  Standing in the library his grandfather used as his office, Spencer Bishop III stared out over the garden behind the brownstone.

  Hurt and more than a little angry, he needed time with the man who’d always been a source of steady guidance.

  “I can’t believe she broke up with me, Grandad.”

  Spencer Bishop I, gestured to the seating area in front of the fireplace. Uncertain how to deal with the first bruise to his ego inflicted by a woman, he sank into one of the wing chairs with a sigh. His grandfather sat and cleared his throat.

  “Bishops,” he began, “want the best. Finding the right woman isn’t a job interview and these women you’re dating are estimating their divorce settlement before they’ve been asked on a second date.”

  “I thought she loved me…”

  “You most certainly did not. You were bored and restless, susceptible to her attentions. Nothing more, nothing less.” He shook his silver head and smiled. “If you had feelings for her in the slightest, she wouldn’t have had to ask if you planned to propose in the future. Am I right?”

  “How could I marry someone who hates kids and dogs? I mean, what kind of person is that, Grandad?”

  “The very idea.” They laughed and just like that, his favorite person put things in perspective. “Spencer, you won’t find the right woman until you least expect her…when you aren’t even looking for her. That’s how I found my Genny.”

  “I don’t know where someone like Grandmother would be. I wouldn’t even know where to look.”

  “That’s the magic and the thrill of it. Your soul mate will be in the last place you’d imagine and won’t be anything like women you meet before her.”

  Sitting forward, he put his hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “She’ll flip your entire world upside down and you’ll do anything, say anything, to gain her attention.”

  With a grunt, he replied, “Hopefully, she won’t be married.”

  “Don’t borrow trouble, boy.” Grinning, he stood carefully. “If she likes kids and dogs, you can work with anything else. Now! I’m going to hug up my Genny and then I’m taking you both to dinner.”

  Spending time with his grandparents always reminded Spencer about who he was and what was important.

  Love, common goals, and above all…patience.

  Chapter One

  December 2003

  Spencer truly enjoyed his meetings with Harper Delkin.

  Several years older and naturally gruff, he acted as Spencer’s mentor in his first year of college.

  Their families did a lot of business together, on and off the books, so they’d developed a strong business relationship that eventually made them friends.

  As close to friends as the Delkin heir was capable of being.

  “Harper. Good to see you again. How’s married life treating you?” They shook hands and he chuckled when Harper rolled his eyes.

  “More of a pain in the ass than I expected.”

  Surprised, he said, “Already? It’s only been two months!”

  “You were at the wedding. I know you noted the level of outrageous extravagance she demanded.”

  “I take it this isn’t a love match?”

  “Hardly. It’s a merger.” Looking down, he added quietly, “And fully my own fault.”

  “It could still work
out.”

  “I won’t hold my breath. I suggest you don’t either.”

  Turning his attention to Harper’s bodyguard and best friend, he wondered at the tension the topic clearly caused him.

  “Elijah. Thank you again for sending your men to cover my grandmother. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “Anytime. I’m training a four-man contingent for you.” Spencer parted his lips to object. “Pay them, Mr. Bishop. You’ll never know they’re there. With your spreading reach in the world in which we live, it’s foolish to think you can remain invisible as you have.”

  Releasing a heavy sigh, Spencer nodded. “You’re right of course. You typically are.” He grinned. “It’s more than four men, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I’ve been in contact with Gerald to arrange housing.”

  Spencer held out his hand, pleased to have the opportunity to shake a man’s hand who rarely spoke but had always gone above and beyond to protect anyone weaker than himself.

  That was basically everyone.

  The bodyguard seemed off balance but shook firmly. The first time he’d met him when he and Harper were in college, Spencer was fascinated.

  The blonde seemed ancient in so many ways, despite being a mere two years older than his charge.

  Both were several inches taller than Spencer. A common theme since he’d entered the corporate world. His height resulted in many underestimating him but Harper never did and he appreciated it.

  Gesturing to the small conference table, Spencer said, “Let’s go over your requirements for the server farm.” He pointed to a third chair but Elijah shook his head with a small smile.

  Harper’s eyes widened as they sat. “I thought my team finalized everything weeks ago. What are you missing?”

  Sitting back, Spencer chose his words with care. “This is something that needs to be arranged between us, Harper. I need your signature on the lease and your personal word regarding its use before I’ll allow construction to begin.”

  Tilting his head, the dark man frowned. “What’s different about this deal than the dozens of others we’ve done?”

  “Everything.” He cleared his throat. “Grandfather built our North Dakota bunker after World War II and we’ve used it for decades to store irreplaceable documents, assets, and original patents for our family and the corporation.”

  “The same use we have planned.”

  “We pay the man who acts as our caretaker in cattle. He’s fully off the grid. To duplicate our facility for Delkin Acquisitions, to stock it to your specifications, I need certain assurances.”

  “Your grandfather insisted?”

  “Yes. I agree.”

  There was a long pause before Harper stated, “It’s a personal relationship.”

  Spencer tapped the table with one finger. “As well as an exclusive one. Something I won’t jeopardize. I need your staff to leave no footprint on the land above the bunker. It needs to blend into the environment around it.”

  “Is it tribal land?”

  “Not exactly. My grandfather purchased it before I was born and turned it into a wildlife sanctuary. A village exists there that requires no outside assistance.”

  “Brilliant.”

  “Agreed. The families who live there are Lakota. They wish to be left alone and are fiercely loyal to my family.”

  Harper sat forward, his gaze intent. “Your mother…wasn’t she from North Dakota?”

  “Yes. My father met her during an inspection.”

  “There was a whisper years ago after your grandfather formed the foundation dedicated to tribal matters. I didn’t think they were true.”

  “We conceal the connection. This is need to know, Harper. The villagers wish to be left alone and the Bishop name would make that harder to achieve. Any team members you send must maintain confidentiality. I won’t have the delicate balance we’ve created fucked with in any way.”

  “Of course. Holy shit, Spencer. When Hollow suggested working with you to establish the facility, I wasn’t informed of the special circumstances.”

  Spencer winked. “And yet, you know he was aware of them.” Harper grunted with a half-smile. “He prefers you simply sign the checks. Normally, that’s not an issue. This is a special case and I need guarantees.”

  “Understood.”

  “If our arrangement isn’t followed, I’ll lock you out and have everything inside it trucked to your estate.”

  “Harsh.”

  “Necessary. In the center of tens of thousands of acres of heavy forestation, there’s a preserved way of life. Such enclaves may be the only opportunity to safeguard ancient Native American culture.”

  Nodding, Harper held his hand over the table and the men shook. “You have my word. I’ll personally guarantee adherence. Write it up and I’ll sign off.”

  Spencer reached behind him and picked up a blue file. “Take all the time you need to review it.”

  Laughing, Harper flipped through the pages inside. “You were confident.”

  “You need the facility. Considering what all of us dabble in, you need the security.” Inclining his head at the file, he added, “I personally sent an encrypted copy to your assistant and the password key to Hollow. All correspondence regarding this project will follow the same procedure.”

  “You’re more like your grandfather every year, Spencer.”

  “And you’re more like your father.”

  “An incredible compliment. May both of us maintain the excruciating standards they’ve set.”

  “I hope so. Let me take you to lunch and you can tell me about your latest run-in with Hudson Winters.”

  “He mentioned it?”

  “I dragged it from him since I’m involved.”

  Grimacing, Harper said through gritted teeth, “The man lives to irritate me.”

  “He’s a formidable opponent. I find his lone wolf methods fascinating to watch.”

  Flipping to the back page of the contract, Harper removed a pen from his inside pocket and signed his name before turning the page toward Elijah. The bodyguard bent and signed his name as a witness.

  “You don’t want time to review it?”

  “I trust your stipulations. My people will work around them.” Standing, he grinned. “We need steaks and scotch.”

  Chapter Two

  April 2004

  They broke ground on the Delkin bunker in the spring. All six floors would descend deep underground and be undetectable from above.

  Walking the site, a man approached with a smile. Though Spencer knew him by another name, he always called him by the one he’d chosen in his new life.

  “Hollow. Good to see you again.”

  “Mr. Bishop.”

  They shook hands and Spencer laughed. “We’ve known one another too long for such formalities.” He gestured at the massive excavation. “Everything going well?”

  “Better than expected. The villagers are helpful.” Pausing, he said, “I’ve finished setting up the shell corporation for you. May I ask why you’re distancing yourself from the Bishop name so thoroughly in this?”

  “I’m buying a small company. It’s completely different than anything else the foundation does. I don’t want it connected to the family holdings.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Don’t ask. It’s a bug in my brain.”

  The much taller man stared at him for a long moment. “You want to know you can create something on your own, without the power of your legacy behind you.”

  Surprised, he nodded. “Yes.”

  “I know what it’s like to live in the shadow of greatness. To wonder if your accomplishments are the result of actual skill or a product of nepotism.”

  “In your case, I can personally attest to uncommon skill.” They turned together to watch as a load of steel rebar was lowered into the hole with a crane. “Granddad made me swear I’d never consult anyone else for our internal systems.”

  “A damn smart man, Bishop One.”r />
  “He loves when you call him that. Said it sounds like a battleship.” They both chuckled. “Thank you for monitoring this project personally. I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t thank me. This facility is selfishly motivated. Making sure we treat the land – and the people who live here – with respect is the least I can do.”

  A group of young men approached. Spencer knew all of them by name and smiled in welcome. One of them was a new addition to the community.

  Greeting all the boys, he asked the tallest of them, “Sóta. How are you settling in?”

  “Great, sir. The village is a big change from the foster care system.”

  “I imagine. You’re even taller than you were three months ago! My growth spurt never showed up.”

  “You seem bigger than life to me, sir.”

  “Thanks. Have you finished your college applications?”

  The young man nodded. “I c-can’t thank you enough for the letters you sent on my behalf.”

  He put his hand on Sóta’s shoulder. “Every word was true. You can thank me by living the life you’re meant to live.” Nodding to the village in the distance, he added, “And one day giving back to those who gave you sanctuary.”

  “It will be my honor, Mr. Bishop.”

  “None of that now. I’m Spencer. Keep me posted and let me know if you need anything.” To the other boys, he asked, “Young men are honest to a fault. Tell me what you think the village needs. Your elders insist you require nothing.”

  All of them started talking at once. Requests for a community center, a gym, and updated equipment for the winter were their first suggestions.

  Hands behind his back, he nodded seriously. “Hmm. All excellent ideas. We can’t have too much heavy equipment running here at the same time. If I give you my word to break ground on a community center after the first thaw next Spring, can you endure until then?”

  They laughed and high-fived as they assured him they could.

  “Excellent.” He handed each of them a card with his contact information. “Make me a cohesive list. Work together to evaluate the needs of the old, the very young, and everyone in between. I expect to see items that offer benefit to every man, woman, and child of the village.”