CAPTAIN HEARTBREAKER
BRIGHTON WALSH
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2020 by Brighton Walsh
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not 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.
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Edited by Lisa Hollett of Silently Correcting Your Grammar, LLC
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Cover Art © Lori Jackson Designs
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Captain Heartbreaker is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
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Digital ISBN: 978-1-7338249-1-0
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7338249-2-7
Adventure is in Captain Hudson Miller’s blood. For the past ten years, he's spent his days in the sky, serving as a pilot for the Army. But where adventure called him away, something—someone—is calling him home. On post-deployment leave, he escapes to the one place he hasn’t been since he enlisted: Havenbrook, Mississippi. Hometown of his momma’s peach cobbler, enough memories to last a lifetime, and the only girl who ever left an imprint on his heart.
Mackenna Haven thought she'd have her life figured out by now. Instead, she's a twenty-seven-year-old college drop out who works at her soon-to-be brother-in-law's bar and lives on her parents' land. No husband or kids to her name. Not even a consistent weekend booty call. She's been pretending she's happy working dead-end jobs in an even deader-end town, but she can't stop thinking she was meant for more than this.
After a childhood as best friends and a single weekend exploring more, Mackenna and Hudson haven't seen each other in ten years. But they made a pact that long ago weekend, and Hudson's coming to make good on his promise. Except he walked away from her once already, and she's not interested in opening her heart and allowing him a second chance at destruction.
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CONTENTS
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
Epilogue
Second Chance Charmer Excerpt
Other Titles By Brighton Walsh
Have you read London Hale?
Acknowledgments
About the Author
If one thing made Mackenna Haven feel like she was a child again, it was visiting her daddy at work. Except…she wasn’t exactly visiting him. In fact, she normally did everything she could to avoid it. But with her sister and one of her best friends working at town hall where the mayor spent all his time, it made trekking past his office nearly unavoidable.
Usually, she didn’t have a problem sneaking in. She’d long since established a routine to make this as easy as possible. And by as easy as possible, she, of course, meant no dad within viewing radius. Most people might feel bad about dodging their fathers, but Mac wasn’t most people, and she could only assume those people didn’t have a daddy like Richard Haven.
Luck wasn’t on her side today, though, because some dumbass had locked her normal avoidance entrance—the back door no one was supposed to use unless in case of emergency. But if avoiding her father wasn’t an emergency, she didn’t know what was.
She’d nearly gotten past his door when he bellowed from inside. “Mac! What’re you doin’ sneakin’ on by? Don’t be rude. Get your butt in here and say hi to your daddy.”
Mac froze, her head dropping down between her shoulders as she sagged in defeat.
Okay, so her father wasn’t that bad. He’d never abused them—physically, anyway, though his words sometimes left a lot to be desired—and neither she nor her three sisters had ever wanted for anything material. They’d always had a (large and a bit ostentatious) roof over their heads, a spread of food fit for a king, courtesy of their momma or gran and their amazing cooking, and only designer labels to grace their bodies. Because heaven forbid a Haven wear anything from Walmart. But if there was one person in the world who made Mac feel the smallest, it was her daddy.
And if there was one thing Mac hated most in the world, it was feeling small.
“Hey, Daddy,” Mac said as she entered his office. She waved to Sally, her father’s newest assistant, who was furiously typing away—no doubt from some “urgent” matter Richard Haven had only deigned important enough to give her ten minutes prior.
Ever since Mac’s eldest sister, Rory, had left town hall to focus on King Haven Construction and Design—her new business with her boyfriend, Nash King—things had gone to shit in the mayor’s office. No one was supposed to know Richard had gone through four assistants in the past three months, but this was Havenbrook, and secrets didn’t stay secrets for long.
“What’re you doin’ here in the middle of the day?” he asked. “Don’t you have work or something?”
Work or something was how her daddy had been referring to any kind of job Mac had had since…well, since she’d come back from Mississippi State mid-sophomore year, having flunked all her classes. And having absolutely zero desire to go back.
Instead of telling him she’d be working later that evening at The Willow Tree—or reminding him that she was a grown-ass woman capable of watching after her own schedule—she just said, “Nope.”
And that was it. Mac had learned a long time ago, it was best to stick to as few words as possible around her father. Less ammunition for him to use against her later.
He grumbled something under his breath that Mac didn’t catch. If it was anything like the jabs he’d been taking at her for the past eight years, it wasn’t something she was particularly interested in hearing anyway.
“How’s the new assistant?” she asked, head tipped to where Sally furiously shuffled papers, her glasses sliding down her nose and gray-streaked hair disheveled. It was eleven thirty in the morning, and the poor woman looked like she’d just spent three hours running through an obstacle course rather than sitting behind a desk in the mayor’s office.
Daddy didn’t even spare Sally a glance as he tapped a pen on his desk. “Dunno if this one’ll last.”
“Didn’t you say that about the last three?”
“Well, it was the truth, wasn’t it?”
Mac laughed. “Better be careful, or you’re gonna run out of eligible workers in Havenbrook. You’ll have to start pilfering from Parkersville.”
Ah, yes. That elusive right one. Truth be told, her daddy had been lucky for the past ten years or so. His former assistant, Gloria, had been a hard worker who’d put up with just enough of his shit to make her life easier, but not so much that she was a pushover. Trouble was, Gloria went on maternity leave last year and then decided to come back only part time. She and Rory had job-shared for months before Rory’d hightailed it out of dodge, too. But as of three months ago—right around the time Rory had left—Gloria’s husband had gotten a promotion with a fat pay raise, enabling her to quit entirely.
And poor old Dick was left with no one in their right mind wanting to work for the surly, antiquated bastard. Not that Mac could blame them.
“All right. Well, I’ll let you get back to…” Mac leaned over her father’s desk to peer at his screen. Solitaire. She barely restrained a snort. “Your important work,” she finished. “I’m meetin’ Will and Avery for lunch.”
“Y’all have fun. Tell Will to stop by when she gets back. I have some urgent town matters to discuss with her.”
Urgent matters, her ass. If her sister weren’t such a rule follower, Mac would ply her with liquor over lunch just to ease the pain of an unnecessary meeting with their father wherein he’d, no doubt, assert his importance.
“Will do. Bye, Daddy.” She returned his wave and strolled out of his office and across the hall, collapsing into the chair in front of her sister Willow’s assistant’s desk. Avery managed to always be pulled together in a way that made Mac feel underdressed no matter the circumstances. How the woman could make a ponytail look professional, Mac would never know.
Avery glanced up from her computer, red hair bobbing in that perfect ponytail, and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t make it past his highness’s office without being summoned?”
“No. Who the hell locked my secret entrance?”
Avery heaved a deep sigh. “The firefighters popped in for a quick inspection yesterday, and we got our asses handed to us for not keeping it locked at all times. Something about fire safety and blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing. Being subjected to the growly orders from our local heroes. I’m sure that was such a hardship for you.”
Avery laughed. “I never said the scenery wasn’t nice to look at while they were here.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But give it a week. We’ll start getting lazy and won’t lock it, and then you can use your escape hatch again.”
“You’re so good to me.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
“Like you’d let me.”
Looking completely unrepentant, Avery just shrugged. “I know my worth, what can I say?”
Mac laughed under her breath. “Will about ready yet?”
“Her calendar is clear, but she just took a call on her cell.”
Cell phone meant personal call, which meant Mac had no qualms about interrupting or being rude. “Will!” she hollered toward her sister’s open office door. “C’mon, I’m hungry.”
Will popped her head out, phone pressed to her ear, and held up one finger in the universal sign to wait a minute before ducking back inside.
Avery rested her elbows on her desk and leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Ten bucks says next time she comes out of there, she’s going to be red-faced and flustered.”
Mac narrowed her eyes at Avery. “Who’s she talkin’ to?”
“I’ll give you two guesses.”
Which meant her fiancé, Finn Thomas. Which also meant there was no way in hell Mac would be taking that bet.
“Pass.”
“When I first moved here, word on the street was you never turned down a bet. And now look at you.”
“I never turn down a bet I can win. Accepting any bet just because someone’s got something to prove is how Gary Anders lost his golf cart to me. And last I checked, I don’t have a penis or a need to stroke it, so…” She shrugged as Avery laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Will asked as she came out of her office, purse slung over her shoulder as she smoothed back a flyaway strand of dark hair. And yep…she was flushed and fidgety.
Ugh.
Of course, Mac was thrilled for her sister and the happily ever after she was finally getting with Finn. Those two deserved it after everything they’d gone through. But sometimes…ugh. Just ugh.
“I didn’t realize you were hurtin’ for cash so much.” Mac stood from the chair and led the other girls into the hallway.
“What do you mean?” Will asked, her brows drawn together.
“I figured that’s why you took the job as a sex line operator.”
Avery snorted out a laugh as Will gasped, trying to act offended but stifling her own giggle.
“Would you shut up?” she said without heat, sparing a glance toward their daddy’s office as if to make sure he hadn’t overheard. “Finn and I didn’t… Um, well, we—”
“Didn’t get a chance to bone this morning?” Mac finished dryly.
Much as she’d like to scrub the memories from her mind, Mac had been the unwilling voyeuristic party in many a wild night between Will and Finn—at least until Will had moved out of the house they’d shared and in with Finn. And Mac could say with certainty that little else had scarred her more than overhearing her sister’s sex life. She and Willow had been the closest for the longest out of all their sisters, but even they shouldn’t be privy to the sounds the other made while…ahem…having a good time. Thank God for noise-canceling headphones.
“I’m not dignifying that with an answer,” Will said.
“Ah, but you just did, my sweet sister.” Mac tossed her arm around Willow’s shoulders and tugged her close. “Is Rory meetin’ us there?”
“I don’t think so. She said she’s gonna be swamped this week, gettin’ The Sweet Spot’s reno started. I guess they’re tryin’ to minimize the demolition so they can keep the shop open as long as possible.”
Mac glanced at the bakery across the Square that she knew almost as well as she knew her own home. She’d spent more hours inside those four walls than she could count, keeping her childhood best friend, Hudson, company while he did all he could to help his momma run her new business after her husband had died in combat. It’d been a long time since Mac had been over there to help. Even longer since Hudson had been home.
The familiar pang in her chest at the thought of him kept her company as the three of them walked to The Willow Tree—Havenbrook’s first and only bar, and an homage to Willow herself, courtesy of her fiancé—and ducked inside.
No matter how many times she’d seen the space—and since this was where she received a steady paycheck, she saw it a whole shit-ton—it never failed to impress her that Rory had made it come to life. Though Mac and her eldest sister hadn’t seen eye to eye on a lot of things over the years, it seemed time had healed some of those old wounds. They still weren’t as close as Mac and Will were, but they were getting there.
She couldn’t be happier for her sister’s success—in life and love. And if Mac was a little jealous about both of those things, well, she’d just keep it to herself.
“If it ain’t three of my favorite girls,” Finn called as he strolled out from behind the bar.
“Oh, sure, lump your fiancée in with the other two,” Will said, resting her hand on her hip.
“C’mon, Willowtree, you know you’re my favorite. And you also know…” Finn’s words were muffled as he whispered them into her ear, but from the look on Willow’s face, Mac could guess what he was saying.
“For shit’s sake, you two, get a room.” Mac walked around them, plucked three menus from behind the hostess stand and a few sets of silverware, and led Avery to a table against the wall of windows. She had half a mind to punch in so she could at least get paid for doing Finn’s job.
Some people might not want to eat lunch at the pla
ce they saw most evenings until at least midnight, but when the restaurant pickings were as slim as they were in Havenbrook, there wasn’t much choice. Besides, the burgers here were spectacular.
“I wonder if that’s going to die down after the big day.” Avery tipped her head in the direction of where Finn and Willow stood, right in the middle of the bar, making out like they were a couple of teenagers.
“Unlikely.” Mac placed the menus and silverware on the table. “They’ll be eighty and still goin’ at it like bunnies.”
“It’s making me jealous as fuck. Is it so much to ask to get some new single men in this town?” Avery gasped and leaned forward over the table, her eyes dancing. “I almost forgot to tell you! When I was out on my run this morning, I saw one of the finest men I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“You sure you weren’t hallucinating? Five a.m. is awful early, and you’re bound to start seein’ things.”
“Hallucinating about what?” Will asked as she slid into the seat next to Mac.
“The absolutely gorgeous guy I saw this morning, and no. I’m one-hundred-percent certain he was real. And I’m equally certain he’s not from around here. Plates were from Tennessee. But—” she hummed and fluttered her lashes “—he was delectable. Super tall. Well built. He was wearing aviators, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but he definitely had a military feel to him, know what I mean?”
Captain Heartbreaker (Havenbrook Book 4) Page 1
