by Jo Grafford
The Dashing Groom
Holliday Islands Resort, Book #1
Jo Grafford
Copyright © 2019 by Jo Grafford
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN: 978-1-944794-44-6
Contents
About this Series
Introduction
Also by Jo Grafford
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Phantom’s Challenge
Chapter 2: The Endorsement
Chapter 3: The Encounter
Chapter 4: A Ghost Revealed
Chapter 5: Exes and Agents
Chapter 6: Running Interference
Chapter 7: Fall of the Heart
Sneak Preview: Lawfully Loyal
Sneak Preview: His Wish, Her Command
Read More Jo
About this Series
After growing his Alaskan resort empire into the “honeymooner’s paradise of the world,” Gordon Holliday is ready to retire. But there’s no way he can cruise the globe in his luxury yacht until his sons are groomed and polished into proper executives to take his place. There’s just one catch: He’s convinced their biggest current job requirement is marriage!
To help find the perfect matches for his nine billionaire playboy sons, he secretly enlists the help of a high-end matchmaker, Evelyn Reese of True Love Connection, Inc. (TLC.net). She visits the islands under the auspices of becoming a future investor and begins to work her magic. What ensues is a delightful romp of sizzling new business “partnerships” and dates, laugh-out-loud mayhem, and sweet holiday attractions. You won’t want to miss a single one!
Check out our Amazon Series Page.
Book 1: The Dashing Groom — Jo Grafford
Book 2: Dancing to the Altar — Christi Bortner
Book 3: Love Came Prancing — Danni Roan
Book 4: Her Christmas Vixen — Ginny Sterling
Book 5: Comet’s Blazing Love — Jenna Brandt
Book 6: Cupid Takes a Wife — Marie Higgins
Book 7: Donner Let Her Go — Amelia Adams
Book 8: Blitzen the CEO — Lisa Prysock
Book 9: Rudolph’s Runaway Bride — George McVey
Book 10: Mommy’s Kissing Santa — Kit Morgan
Introduction
Warren “Dash” Holliday agrees to return to the Holliday Islands Resort to transform Dasher Island into a skiing wonderland for sweethearts. There’s only one catch. His billionaire father wants a celebrity endorsement for his new black diamond and trick slopes by Christmas, and that’s only a month away.
Jovie Cyrus, a championship skier, is looking for a much needed break from the competitive circuit and the paparazzi. When an invitation arrives to spend a working vacation on a new set of slopes in Alaska — with zero media coverage until after the holidays when her endorsement goes live — she can’t resist.
But when she arrives at the luxury resort, she discovers the world’s most elusive extreme skier is already out there testing the new lanes. Determined to finally face off with the man who’s been challenging her world records from afar, she finds herself heating up the slopes with a truly extraordinary athlete — one who will test not only her strength but her heart in their race to the top!
Also by Jo Grafford
Mail Order Brides Rescue Series
written exclusively by Jo Grafford
Hot-Tempered Hannah
Cold-Feet Callie
Fiery Felicity
Misunderstood Meg
Dare-Devil Daisy
Outrageous Olivia
Jinglebell Jane — coming December, 2019
The Lawkeepers
A Multi-Author Series
Lawfully Ours
Lawfully Loyal
Lawfully Witnessed
Lawfully Brave — coming December, 2019
Ornamental Match Maker Series
A Mini-Series within a Multi-Author Series
Angel Cookie Christmas
Star Studded Christmas
Stolen Heart Valentine
Miracle for Christmas in July
Home For Christmas — coming December, 2019
Whispers In Wyoming
A Multi-Author Series
His Wish, Her Command
His Heart, Her Love
Other Multi-Author Series Books
Silverpines Series #27 —Wanted: Bounty Hunter
Silverpines Companion Tale: The Bounty Hunter’s Sister
Sailors and Saints #3 — The Sailor and the Surgeon
The Bride Herder — Herd the Heavens
The Belles of Wyoming — Wild Rose Summer
Brides of Pelican Rapids — Rebecca’s Dream
Holliday Islands Resort — The Dashing Groom
Her Billionaire Series
written exclusively by Jo Grafford
Her Billionaire Boss
Her Billionaire Bodyguard — coming soon!
Lost Colony Series
written exclusively by Jo Grafford
Breaking Ties
Trail of Crosses
Into the Mainland
Higher Tides (Series Finale) — coming Thanksgiving!
To receive a personal email each time Jo releases a new book, sign up for her New Release Email at www.JoGrafford.com or follow her on Bookbub at www.bookbub.com/authors/jo-grafford for an instant but shorter announcement.
Acknowledgments
Thank you so much to Trudy Cordle, Jhommie Giorla Kem-ing, and Amy Petrowich for beta reading this story. I also want to give a shout-out to my Cuppa Jo Readers on Facebook for reading and loving my books!
New readers are always welcome to join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CuppaJoReaders for book chats, sneak peeks, parties, cover reveals, giveaways, and more!
Much love, Jo
Prologue
Evelyn Reese, owner and CEO of True Love Connection — otherwise known as TLC.net to her rich and often famous clientele — tied the belt of her wool-cashmere melton coat, curled one hand around her crystal clutch, and reached for the handle of her suitcase. She rolled it into the foyer of her Manhattan apartment and pressed the down arrow on the elevator pad.
It was time to depart New York. According to the text she’d just received, an honest-to-heavens royal chariot awaited her on the curb.
She was accustomed to being wined and dined by her privileged customers. She’d been chauffeured many times in their limousines, treated to dinners at the most exclusive restaurants in the country, and been the beneficiary of no small number of exorbitantly priced thank you gifts when she succeeded in helping them find their perfect matches. Her navy melton coat was one of those gifts. It had cost the grateful giver no less than $4,000, a price tag that would’ve covered nearly an entire month’s rent at her high-rise apartment.
Still, she could not remember ever being summoned to travel thousands of miles on such short notice. She’d received the surprising phone call less than twelve hours earlier. Nor could she remember a customer ever sending a privately owned jet to fetch her.
I’m being summoned by a billionaire. Not a new billionaire. Not just barely a billionaire. A mega filthy rich, many-times-over billionaire! Only six hundred or so families in the U.S. could boast that kind of financial status and all the privilege that came with it.
Her heartbeat quickened as her keen business mind ran over the possibilities of what this parti
cular client could mean for TLC. She’d built the agency from the ground floor after the death of her beloved husband, one of the heroic firemen who’d perished during the 9/11 tragedy. What had started off as a dream on paper — a tribute, of sorts, to the one and only love of her life — had since flourished into a thriving matchmaking business. One that had rather miraculously found its niche catering to the unique needs of celebrities, major league athletes, and trust fund babies.
Gordon Holliday was none of those things. He belonged to a far more exclusive class, something closer to royalty. Like herself, he was in the romance business, but the comparison stopped there. He didn’t match couples the way she did. Instead, he’d created a paradise on earth for them to escape to after they found each other — a magical place called the Holliday Islands Resort. Lauded by feature columnists as a “honeymooner’s paradise,” it was comprised of nine islands named after Santa’s reindeer, of all things, located in the Prince William Sound waters that lapped the southern border of Alaska. It was one of those ultra high-end getaways she’d heard about but never aspired to visit, for the sole reason it was out of her price range. Way out of her price range.
And now she was being personally summoned to this exotic mecca for reasons yet unknown to her. Her ambitious brain had been pondering the possibilities all night long, since she’d been unable to sleep, and all morning, as well.
Was he seeking out her services for himself? Holy freaking moly, as one of her administrative assistants liked to say. Or did he have a patron at his resort in need of her services?
* * *
The sleek black Rolls Royce limousine idling on the curb was the nicest one Evelyn had ever had the pleasure of stepping inside, and she’d certainly attended her fair share of weddings and balls in them. For one thing, it looked and smelled new, as in brand spanking new. The creamy leather seats didn’t possess a single stain or scratch, and the gold-flecked granite inlays sparkled without so much as the smudge of a fingerprint. One sip of the sparkling mimosa awaiting her in the nearest cupholder proved someone had done his or her research with unsettling accuracy. It was her favorite — pomegranate juice with a dash of champagne.
Why? She took a hesitant sip. Gordon Holliday must want her presence at his resort pretty badly if he was willing to tailor her trip to such personal and intrinsic detail. They had yet to meet face-to-face, and already she felt as if she was being wooed and charmed, subtly reeled in… But to what purpose?
The pièce de résistance of her journey to the airport was when her chauffeur bypassed the terminal altogether, rolled down his window, and flashed an I.D. that permitted him to drive her straight to the jet awaiting her on the tarmac.
Unbelievable!
She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Ow! Ok, so this is really happening. It still felt like she’d wandered onto a Hollywood movie set, especially after she boarded the plane. The interior reminded her of an upscale penthouse — all leather, teak, and chrome.
“Welcome to the Holliday Islands Resort jet service, Mrs. Reese.” A stewardess in a navy dress, bearing a resort crest trimmed in holly, offered a sunny smile. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in an elegant French twist.
Jet service to the resort, eh? Meaning your boss owns more than one of these beautiful beasts? Evelyn felt her eyes widen like a starry teenager as she took in her surroundings. This was so much better than flying commercial.
“How may I help you settle in, Mrs. Reese? Would you care for a blanket or a beverage?”
A bemused smile tugged at her lips. “You wouldn’t, by any chance, have another one of those pomegranate mimosas on hand?”
“But of course, Mrs. Reese. I’ll mix you a fresh one right away.” The stewardess was back in moments with the bubbly drink. “Now, about that blanket…” She produced a white, angora throw that was heated to toasty perfection. “If you prefer, you can retire to the suite in the back. It has a king-sized bed and a jacuzzi.” The young woman’s perfect pencil eyebrows rose in inquiry.
Of course it does! Evelyn smothered a chuckle. “I’m fine right here, but thank you.”
“Very well. I’ll bring you a breakfast menu, then.”
For the first time in months, she felt the stresses of her high-powered job slipping away as the jet climbed into the heavens. She should have felt guilty about leaving her daughter and business partner alone this close to the holidays. But the truth was, Clarice could handle the day-to-day operations of TLC in her absence and handle them well. And maybe, just maybe, it would rebuild her wildly talented daughter’s confidence in ways she’d been unable to do since her fateful trip to Vegas a year ago.
Clarice had come back changed, somehow. Older, more serious, more determined than ever to take their firm to the next level with the most upgraded version of her rather genius matchmaking computer program. What’s worse, she’d used her new algorithm as an excuse to rush into an engagement to a man named Winthrop Alastair Rothschild IV whom Evelyn wasn’t near convinced was her perfect match. So far, however, her daughter had cleverly sidestepped their every attempt to discuss him.
All she wanted was for Clarice to enjoy a drop of the happiness she herself had once known. It was a discussion she intended to have with her, come hail or high water, upon her return to New York. She’d waited long enough. Successful matchmaker in the making or not, Clarice was her daughter first which made her happiness her mother’s business.
In the meantime, the mimosa fumes, warm blanket, and soft leather of her reclinable seat wrapped Evelyn in a cozy cocoon of nostalgia and memories. Sleep. I need sleep before I face my billionaire client. If she played her cards right, heaven only knew what doors their upcoming interview would open for her and Clarice.
By the time the jet landed in Anchorage, nearly seven hours had passed and she felt rested and ready to face what came next.
Her stewardess reappeared. “Mr. Holliday is ready to see you. We’ll be taking a helicopter the rest of the way to his yacht.”
Um…wow. A private jet plus a yacht big enough to boast a helipad. Ah, the lives of the mega-wealthy! Evelyn swallowed hard, knowing she was about to step into a world of lavish affluence like she’d never experienced. Thank God for her many years of working as a model. It was how she’d paid her way through college, and it was how she was going to present herself as a poised and successful businesswoman during her upcoming appointment, despite the butterflies swarming inside her midsection.
She freshened up as quickly as possible and allowed the stewardess to lead her to the awaiting helicopter. Though the airline runways and apron were clear of precipitation, the surrounding countryside was drenched in white from many recent snowstorms. The frigid late November breezes whipped at her freshly styled hair, making her wish she’d taken the time to unearth the fur-line cossack she’d packed.
Thankfully, the interior of the helicopter was just as warm as the jet. It was smaller but equally sumptuous with more ivory leather and chrome. She waved away the stewardess’s offer of hot cocoa and glued herself to the window. They dipped and cruised their way across the choppy water of the Prince William Sound, towards a cluster of islands.
An enormous white yacht came into view. It was drifting no more than a quarter mile off the coast of the nearest island. Despite her growing trepidation about the perils of making her first amphibious landing, the pilot hovered their craft over the boat and gently lowered it home without incident.
Soon, she was being greeted by a uniformed butler and escorted below deck, where she found herself inside a floating mansion. That was the only way to describe the vast interior of the yacht. There was more of the leather and chrome furnishings she was beginning to recognize as Mr. Holliday’s signature decor.
And then, without warning, the man himself appeared in the arched doorway of his great room on the ocean.
So this was Gordon Holliday.
Her heart skipped a few anxious beats as his magnetic presence filled the room. He was a
dark-haired man with a tinge of frost at his temples and dark assessing eyes that seemed to take in her entire person in two blinks. If she had to guess, he was only a few years her senior. She’d been expecting someone older. Then again, looks could be deceiving. She was continually assured she didn’t look anywhere near her upper forties.
“Evelyn Reese.” He breezed his way into the room with an air of supreme male satisfaction, as if his living room was exactly where she needed to be. “Welcome to Alaska. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
His tone was genuine, though he hadn’t truly given her much choice after his uber generous donation twenty-four hours earlier to the charity she ran every year to provide Christmas gifts to families of the fallen 9/11 heroes. Her fierce sense of honor demanded she at least hear what he had to say. Not to mention, she’d been unable to resist an all-expense paid trip to Alaska from a potential client. She’d never traveled this far north, though it had long since been on her bucket list to do so.
“I am happy to be here,” she said simply, tugging off her gloves and holding out her hand. “How may I help you?”
“Right to the point, eh?” His deep baritone chuckle resounded through the room. “I like that.” He shook her hand but didn’t immediately let go of it, almost as if he’d forgotten to.
