Hope Falls_Accidental Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Melanie Shawn. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Hope Falls remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Melanie Shawn, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Accidental Gifts

  Elena Aitken

  Ink Blot Communications

  Contents

  Dear Reader

  Free Books

  Accidental Gifts

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Castle Mountain Lodge

  Free Books

  Also by Elena Aitken

  About the Author

  Dear Reader,

  I’m so excited that this book is part of Melanie Shawn’s Hope Falls Kindle World. It was a lot of fun writing in Melanie Shawn’s world and bridging the gap between Hope Falls and Castle Mountain Lodge! I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I did.

  ~Elena

  Free Books

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  Accidental Gifts

  City girl Tess Roger's idea of adventure involves putting cream instead of milk in her coffee, so she has no business consulting on a new adventure park. But when her best friend makes her a deal she can’t refuse, posing as a consultant is exactly what she does. Surely she should be able to fake her way through a meeting or two. How hard could it be?

  Max Grant isn’t blind. It’s easy to see that the super sexy, consultant put on his account doesn’t know a thing about adventure activities. He can see after only five minutes of meeting her in Hope Falls that she isn’t who she says she is. But there’s something about her and when the chance to take her back to Castle Mountain Lodge comes up, he can’t resist the opportunity.

  Lies have a way of building, and with her feelings for Max growing, Tess can’t keep it up for much longer. But telling the truth could mess everything up including the chance for love.

  For exclusive stories and offers make sure to stay in touch with Elena!

  1

  “Tess, you have to do it. It’s not really a big deal and you’d really be helping me out.”

  Tess took her time swallowing the piece of muffin she’d been chewing before she answered her best friend. “No. I don’t have to do it, it is a big deal and you’re wrong, it would not be helping you out.”

  If Clara thought that in any way Tess would be helping her out by impersonating her with an important client, she was delusional. And clearly she should seek medical attention, because her delusions could be symptoms of a more serious problem.

  “It really would be helping me out. This is a no-brainer job anyway.”

  “Thanks.”

  If Clara caught the sarcasm, she didn’t say anything.

  “I’ve already taken care of all the hard work. All you have to do is take the client to Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures and show them some of the options. It’s super easy.”

  “He’ll know I’m not you.”

  “No he won’t,” she said easily. “I’ve never met him. We’ve only chatted on the phone a few times. Mostly we’ve been communicating via email anyway. Please do this. You owe me.”

  Tess most certainly did not owe Clara anything. At least, not that she could remember. Of course, there was the time when they were seventeen when Clara took the blame for the beers her dad found in her closet. And the time when Johnny Miller broke up with her when she’d been so sure he was going to ask her to marry him instead. Clara had dropped everything and come over, spending the whole weekend eating ice cream and drinking too much wine with her.

  There were lots of times like that. But surely, none of those times added up to a favor of this size.

  “Clara. Even if I do owe you—” She held her finger up to silence the interruption before it began. “There is no way I can do this. You’re the business consultant. Not me. I don’t care how easy you think it is. I can’t do it. I’m a payroll clerk, not a consultant. I don’t know the first thing about business. I process paychecks.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong.” Her friend raised one eyebrow and took a sip of her drink. “But you’re not processing any paychecks right now, are you? Including your own.” Clara knew she had her on that point. Tess had been laid off from her job five weeks earlier and was having more than a little trouble finding a new one, which was why she’d agreed to accompany her friend to Hope Falls for a work trip in the first place. What she had most decidedly not agreed on was impersonating her friend while she ran off with her current boy toy to Europe on a last-minute vacation.

  “You know I’m not,” she grumbled and took a long sip of her latte. “You don’t need to point it out all the time.”

  Clara pulled a folder out of her bag and slapped it on the table. “I only point it out because this is your chance to actually earn a paycheck.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t think I’d ask you to do this for free, do you?”

  If she were honest, Tess had expected to do it for free. She didn’t need handouts from her best friend. She wasn’t totally unprepared. She had a savings account. Just like her dad had taught her when she got her first part-time job at sixteen. “Save for a rainy day, Tess. Always make sure you have at least three months’ worth of your salary put away in case the unthinkable happens.”

  She hadn’t listened to all her father’s advice over the years, but she had listened to that little tidbit. Like a good girl, she dutifully saved and put away money. And she definitely had three months of salary put away. The only problem was, Tess took that advice when she was sixteen and working two days a week at Twisty Treat making ice cream cones. Turns out that even with ten years of interest, three months of salary from Twisty Treat a decade ago didn’t add up to much. It certainly didn’t add up to enough to live on for much longer than two months. If she didn’t find some money, and soon, she wouldn’t be able to pay rent. And she didn’t even want to think about the balance on her credit card.

  “How much money are we talking about?” Tess put her latte down and slowly slid the folder closer. It didn’t mean she had to open it. But if it was closer…it wouldn’t hurt to take a little peek…

  “Normally I wouldn’t do this,” Clara said, “but because you’d really be helping me out with this one, I’ll give you eighty percent of my fee.”

  “Eighty percent?” Tess would have liked to sound a lot more professional than she did, or at the very least, a little calmer. But it was hard to sound either professional or calm when choking on your coffee. She swallowed hard. “What type of money are we talking about?” Not that she’d turn anything down at that point, but it seemed like a logical question to ask. She flipped the folder open and scanned through the contents. “And what exactly is Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures?”

  “It’s this great place where they specialize in adventure activities. Just like the name suggests.” Tess ignored her friend’s sarcasm. “Zip-lining, horseback riding, kayaking— things like that. All you have to do is show him around and explain how he can integrate those types of activities into his existing business. I’ve done all the work for you. Just read my notes.�
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  “No way.” She slapped the folder shut. “Can’t do it.” That was putting it mildly. Tess simply did not do outdoor activities. Especially anything involving adventure of any kind. She was a city girl through and through. The very idea of going anywhere near a horse or a hike or anything at all that involved some sort of outdoor risk was definitely not her area of expertise. “You lost me at outdoor.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. Besides, you don’t actually have to participate in any of the activities, just show him around. Meet with him a few times and go over the information I put in the file. Convince him how easy it would be and detail the pros and cons. It’s all right there.” Clara pointed to the file again before she flipped through a few pages to a contract. “Including my fee,” she added. “Remember. You’ll get eighty percent.”

  Tess’s eyes trailed down the page to where her friend was pointing and immediately widened. “Eighty percent? You’re sure?”

  Clara nodded.

  Tess swallowed hard. Decision made. She was pretty sure she could put up with some dirt and a few bugs if it meant paying her rent for the next few months and maybe even taking care of some of that pesky credit card balance.

  “So, you’re in? Because I think I saw his car pull up.”

  “What?” Tess managed to pull her gaze away from the contract long enough to glare at her best friend. “Now?”

  Clara’s smile was sweet. “Yes. Remember, you’re Clara Clark. Everything you need to know is in here and the client’s name is Maxwell Grant. Here he comes.”

  With one final death stare at Clara, Tess turned around in her chair just in time to watch the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on walk through the door.

  It had already been a long day. After a flight to Lake Tahoe, followed by a forty-five minute drive to the town of Hope Falls, the last thing Max wanted to do was have a meeting inside. He’d much rather tie his hiking boots on and hit the trails. For the last few hours, the scenery of the Northern California mountains had been tempting him and he was itching to get outside and explore.

  It had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d been at Castle Mountain Lodge, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies. From what he’d seen, Hope Falls was a very quaint little town, but he missed being outdoors. With any luck, the initial meeting with the consultant wouldn’t take terribly long and he could go exploring.

  There weren’t many people in the little coffee shop, and his eyes immediately locked on a table with two women. Two very beautiful women. Maybe he could tolerate being inside for a little while longer. The blonde smiled broadly in his direction. She had to be Clara Clark.

  “Hi there.” He extended his hand. “You must be—”

  “I’m Tess,” she interrupted. “This is Clara. You must be Maxwell Grant, her client.”

  “Max.” He tilted his head and looked at the brunette, who still sat quietly. She seemed to undergo some sort of transformation while he watched and must have remembered why she was there. Her pretty mouth turned up into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and she stood.

  “Sorry about that,” she said. “I’m usually a little more prepared.” She glanced quickly at her friend. “Why don’t we all get some fresh coffee and get to know each other?”

  “Oh no,” Tess said. “I have to get going and the two of you probably have a lot of work to do. I wouldn’t want to get in the way. Besides, I have a flight to catch.”

  “That’s too—”

  “I think you have time,” Clara interrupted him and focused on her friend. “Your flight doesn’t leave for a while yet and there’s always time to have a coffee.” She gritted her teeth and gestured with her head to the table.

  “Oh, I would if I could.” The blonde stood from the table and gathered her purse. “But I’m sure you both have important work to do. So I’ll go. Besides, there’s a car waiting for me outside.” She blew them both a kiss.

  “A car?”

  Max took a step back and watched the exchange between the two friends with a shake of a head. He might be an expert outdoorsman who’d come a little too close to a grizzly once or twice, scaled sheer rock faces, and rafted some of the worlds wildest rapids, but women were one thing he didn’t think he’d ever get a handle on.

  “Must run, darlin’. I’ll touch base with you later this week.”

  And just like that, the bubbly blonde was gone and Clara looked stricken.

  “Are you okay?” Max pulled a chair over and guided her to sit down again. “You look a little pale. Let me get you some water.”

  “Oh no. I’m—” She put her hand on his arm and the touch immediately sent a shock through him. Her too, obviously, as she stumbled over her next words. “I’m okay. I mean…I’m fine. I was just…never mind.” She yanked her hand away and opened the file. “We should probably get to work.”

  Work was the last thing on Max’s mind, especially after that touch. But it was the responsible thing to do. After all, the management of Castle Mountain Lodge had hired him to do a job and they were footing the bill for his trip to Hope Falls in an effort for him to collect as much information as he could about opening up an adventure park. For an outdoorsman like him, it was the perfect job. And he wasn’t going to screw it up.

  “I think that’s a good idea, Clara.” He pulled out a chair and sat across from her, trying not to focus on how pretty she was and how she didn’t look anything at all like he’d pictured. She was softer somehow than the ambitious, no-nonsense tone of her emails. But then again, a lot could get lost in translation through email. Including the chemistry that obviously sizzled between them.

  2

  This was crazy. The whole idea was absolutely insane. There was no way she could possibly pretend to be a consultant for an outdoor adventure park. Why couldn’t it have been a coffee shop? Or a spa? Or even...anything at all.

  They made small talk for a few minutes and Tess was careful to steer the conversation away from the actual reason they were there in order to buy herself a bit more time. Finally, she suggested that Max get himself a coffee so they could get down to business. The moment he got up, she flipped open the file and scanned it for any detail she could use.

  Clara was right; everything she should need to know was in the file. The only problem was she didn’t have time to read the file. Her eyes trailed down the first page until it landed on something she could use to get started: a list of the activities Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures offered and a rank of how it would apply to his operation. Okay. She could work with that.

  Feeling slightly more prepared—although only very slightly—she pulled that paper to the top of the pile and took a deep breath. She had a moment to watch him while he added sugar and cream to his drink. And was he ever something to watch.

  Clearly he’d spent a great deal of time outdoors. His wide, strong shoulders were carved from hours likely spent chopping wood or climbing rocks, not that she could imagine anyone actually climbing rocks. But it seemed like something this man would do. Plus it seemed like a very sexy thing to do. Not that Tess wanted anything to do with it. Not unless it meant looking at the muscles in Max’s back. She could probably handle—

  “Clara?”

  She shook her head to snap herself out of her daydream in time to focus on the man in front of her—the real live object of her fantasy. “Sorry, what?” It was the stupidest thing she could have said, and the moment it came out of her mouth, she wished she could take it back.

  His mouth turned up in a slow, sexy smile. “I just asked if I could get you anything.” He put his cup on the table, but only slid into his seat when she shook her head no. The last thing Tess needed was more caffeine. If she was going to be able to get the job done, she was going to need to focus. And the sooner she got it done, the sooner she could cash the check and relax, knowing her bills were paid for at least another month or two.

  “So I guess we should get started.” Tess hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. She certainly
didn’t have any experience in the subject, and acting had never been her strong suit—at least, that’s what her high school drama teacher would say. But, there was no other choice. She’d just have to fake it. She opened the file and pulled out the piece of paper she’d decided to focus on. “So from what I see here…I mean, what I’ve found…” The slip was fast and she covered it quickly, but she didn’t miss the look of question in Max’s eyes.

  Shit.

  She smiled sweetly and kept going. “If your lodge is looking to integrate some more exciting activities, there are definitely some viable options that, from what I can see, should have an excellent rate of return. Are you ready to explore some of those?”

  “I’ve never been more ready.”

  It was a cheesy thing to say, but coming out of Max’s lips, it was one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard. It didn’t hurt that Max simply oozed sexuality. Not that she needed to be thinking of him like that. She didn’t need to be thinking of any man like that. With everything else she needed to be concerned about, men were definitely not making the list any time soon.

  “Okay…” Tess clicked her pen a few times and scanned the list. “Zip-lining.” She settled on the first thing she saw.

  “What about it?” He grinned and took a sip of his coffee.

  “Based on my research, zip-lining seems like an activity you should be able to integrate into Castle Mountain Lodge.”

  “Really?”

  The way he questioned her made Tess second-guess herself. “Um…” She scanned the sheet again. “Yes.” She swallowed hard and tried for way more confidence than she felt. “Based on my research and analysis, zip-lining as an activity for Castle Mountain Lodge scores a solid eight, making it an excellent choice. Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures has experienced a lot of luck with it, and…” Tess called upon some information she remembered seeing on the Internet awhile back. “It seems to be very popular with both families and couples looking for a little adventure. A great choice.”