by Taylor Hart
ALMOST EVERYTHING
DESTINATION BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
TAYLOR HART
CONTENTS
Copyright
Introduction
Foreword
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
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Copyright © 2016 by Taylor Hart
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.
INTRODUCTION
Dear reader,
Thank you for purchasing Almost Everything, the third book in the romantic new series, Destination Billionaire Romances. Exotic locations, handsome men, and some very nice kissing scenes are brought to you by a hand-picked ensemble of hopeless romantics—I mean, talented writers.
Where does one meet an eligible billionaire? Join us as we journey to the Santa Barbara Marina, a Hawaiian beach, and a private island off the coast of Alaska, where some interesting men—and sometimes women—of means unknowingly await love to enter their lives. Come visit a secluded mansion in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or explore the romantic recesses of an enchanting rainforest, while our heroes and heroines find out if they’ll be as lucky in love as they are in fortune.
Each author in this series has researched and in many cases visited the location chosen for the story to bring a local flavor to your Kindle.
Our billionaires are strong men and women who love to tangle with equally strong counterparts. Sparks will fly, kisses will ignite, and romance will abound.
If you’d like to receive updates when new Destination Billionaire Romance books release and pick up a free book, you can sign up for the Gelato Books Newsletter by clicking here.
I hope you enjoy Almost Everything.
Amberlee Day, author of the Sweet Penny Cove Romances
FOREWORD
Meeting Taylor Hart was so coincidental that at the time, I thought it was pure luck. We were at a writers’ conference, and neither of us had signed up for the provided lunch. There were five of us milling around the lobby, checking our phones for local eateries, and we all ended up going to a Kneaders-like place together.
Looking back, I think there was more to it than luck. Over lunch, we found out we all wrote contemporary romances. (What are the chances?) We even joked about writing an anthology together. After exchanging email addresses, we went on our merry little way. About a week later, I thought, why not? Emailing the women from that lunch turned into Skyping which turned into collaborating, which turned into the popular Snow Valley anthologies, which turned Taylor Hart into one of my dearest friends.
Taylor’s writing style is quick, and she grabs you from the first page. Don’t even think about putting one of her books down. I made that mistake and spent the next three hours in a battle of wills with my Kindle. (The Kindle won.)
So, I’m excited to introduce you to one of my favorite writers and a wonderful person who serves others with an open heart—I hope you enjoy Almost Everything.
Happy reading,
Lucy McConnell
1
Montana Crew stared at the crowd from backstage. How many had shown up tonight? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand? The arena was big and the crowd electric. Energy surged through Montana like the roar of a diesel engine on a cold winter morning—loud and startling, signaling that it was time to wake up. A satisfied grin spread across his lips. Being a country-western music star had always been his dream, and it was a good life.
Tiffany Chance and her band, Fusion, had the crowd on their feet, swaying from side to side. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of Tiffany’s husband, Sam Dumont, in the VIP section. Sam pointed at him, and Montana pointed back. Various football players from the Storm and the Destroyers were with Sam.
Another football player—his neighbor and friend, Cameron Cruz—stood next to Montana and bit his lip. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Montana grinned, happy he could help make Cam’s dreams come true. “Oh, you’re doing it. I bought the rights to your song on the condition that you’d perform with me a couple of times a year.” Obviously, Montana didn’t need Cam to do this. No, Cam needed to do this for himself.
Cam chuckled as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “I feel like it’s the opening game of football season.”
Montana gave him a heavy pat on the back. “You’ll do fine.” Out of nowhere, he caught sight of golden-white hair in the crowd. Like Lily’s hair. Frantically, he looked for her but didn’t find her. Of course it wasn’t her. Everywhere he went, she danced at the corners of his vision, but he hadn’t seen her since he’d left Springs Hollow seven years ago.
She’d made her choice.
Some of the electricity faded, and he turned to his manager, Kirk. “How much longer is this set?”
Kirk put up two fingers. “Two minutes, boss.”
“You don’t think my song’s kinda cheesy?” Cam gulped back a swallow.
Montana scoffed. “Songs about first love are always cheesy.”
Cam sucked in a breath and nodded, turning a bit pale. He let out a breath. “How come I have no problem facing down linebackers and defensive tackles, but this …” He trailed off and searched the crowd.
Montana nudged him. “Because every time you sing, you bare your soul.” He sighed and gazed at the crowd. “C’mon, Cam. Think of it like throwing a perfect spiral into the end zone. Easy.”
“Yeah.” Cam scoffed.
Lily’s face flashed into his mind, and Montana looked for her again. At least he had the perfect life when he wasn’t thinking about her—his first love.
Last night, once again, he’d been plagued by her face in his dreams. Closing his eyes, he tried to push away the thought of her. The harder he pushed, the more the memories haunted him.
* * *
The first time he’d seen her, she was sitting on the edge of the Springs Hollow swimming hole. He’d only been in town a week. Jason, a kid in his new foster family, had convinced him to come.
Lily sat in the dirt with her three friends wearing a pink polka-dot halter-top swimsuit. She was a siren calling out to him.
When their eyes locked, he could swear there’d never been anything like her before, and there never would be after. Instant attraction. His hands had gotten sweaty, and he’d been tongue-tied when Jason introduced all the girls. The only name seared into his brain was hers—Lily Ray Gold.
Reaching out, she’d taken his hand all professional-like. “Want me to teach you how to go on the rope swing?”
A big, dopey grin had filled his face. “Yeah.”
After they’d climbed to the top, she
held out the long, knotted rope to him. He pushed it back to her. “You first.”
“Are you a scaredy-cat?”
His heartbeat quickened. Warm chills rushed through him. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to get to know a girl. Smiling, he put the rope between them. “Then let’s do it together.”
Then they were flying, falling through the air. Her laughter had rained down hot against his face. Fighting against falling in love with her had been as useless as fighting against gravity.
“Montana!” Like the chilly water at Springs Hollow, Cam’s shout got his attention. “We’re on!”
* * *
Lily Ray Gold, L.R. Gold to her legal associates, watched the concert from the sidelines. It wasn’t her choice to be here. Hot wrath rose up inside of her. Refusing to go closer to watch the show, she stayed on the edges of the fence line.
She wanted to bolt, run, leave like any reasonable person would do if they were this close to a hot, bubbling magma-filled volcano. But she couldn’t. She’d promised Jason she would finish this mess.
Tears instantly stung her eyes, and she pushed her emotions down. She wouldn’t disappoint Jason any more than she could forget the memory of his hand inside of hers and his soft words as he’d pleaded with her to deliver the envelope in person.
Dang. She kicked the side of the fence and listened to the stupid, whiny country music.
Her phone, vibrating against her side, pulled her from her dark thoughts. Brad. Clearing her throat, she stuck her ear to the phone and plugged her other ear with her hand. “Hey.”
“I take it you got there safely.”
The relationship had developed in an office setting, following long nights working on cases. Although she’d been reluctant to get close to anyone, Brad was fun. “Yes.”
“You said you’d call,” Brad reminded her.
It wasn’t in her nature to be responsible for her time to anyone. This part of any relationship was something she didn’t care for. “Oh, sorry. Yep, I’m here.”
“So, you’re watching the concert?”
“I’m not watching,” she insisted. “I’m waiting for it to end.” The crowd got louder, and it was impossible to carry on a conversation. “Sorry. I’ll call later!” she yelled.
Shutting off her phone, she glanced at the big stage. Smoke flooded the arena, and Montana appeared on a lift in the center of the stage. He wore a black hat, and his head was tilted down. A black muscle shirt emphasized his tanned, toned biceps. Dark jeans and black boots completed the dramatic image. A screen played snippets of various country music videos where beautiful women danced, and some good old boys laughed.
When Montana had made it big, she’d vowed never to listen to his music, and she’d made good on her promise. Every time his deep voice came on the radio, she turned it off. If she went to a club and his guitar solo started over the speakers, she left. By all accounts, Lily had taken great care to scrub her life free of ever knowing Montana Crew.
For a second, as she watched Montana bring the mike to his lips, her mouth went completely dry. He was gorgeous. And she recognized the song. It was the one he’d played the first night she’d known she was in love.
* * *
She remembered sitting next to Jason, the bonfire across from them. Montana played a song on his guitar for them. At first, Lily had only listened because Montana was so cute. He had a slow, sweet smile, and his green eyes always lit up when she entered the room. The magnet-like pull she felt for him got her attention.
But when she heard him play and then sing, she’d been lost.
He was good. More than good. It was like one of the times she’d been in art class and seen a picture of Starry Night by Van Gogh for the first time. Immediately, she’d recognized greatness.
She had seen it in him then, only sixteen and singing a song she’d never heard before—one he’d made up. The words had been so raw, so vulnerable, so everything. They’d made her feel like the first time she’d tasted homemade peach ice cream when she was five at her grandmother’s house, surprised and delighted. She wanted more and knew nothing would ever be better.
When he’d finished, two of her friends sat on the ground staring up at him, completely stars truck. They wore the same look when they watched MTV and Bon Jovi. But it didn’t matter, because the only one Montana looked at was her.
* * *
The music ended and the arena went wild.
Finally, she let out a sigh of relief. She would give him the envelope and be done with Montana Crew forever.
2
Montana sat in his dressing room chair. Sweat beaded on his head, and he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. Closing his eyes, he smiled, loving how every part of his body vibrated.
It was always this way after a show. This vibrating. This release. He had a room full of people he had to go meet and greet, but he’d told them to give him a five-minute break. Relaxing back against the chair, he let himself breathe deeply.
There was a knock at the door. “Boss, there’s some attorney here. There’s some legal thing she says needs taken care of,” Kirk called out.
Keeping his eyes closed, he waved a hand in dismissal. “Take care of it, Kirk.”
“Boss, she insists you have to sign it off, for the court or something. Says she represents Jason Given.”
His eyes flipped open. Standing, his heart rate spiking, he threw back the door.
Lily Ray Gold. The intense blue eyes. The color of the great big Wyoming sky on a clear day. Her hair was like rays of pure sunshine, still long and luscious. She wore a red skirt and top, all businesslike; with heels that made her almost eye level. Her lipstick matched the dress, and her eyes were drenched in black. She looked the same, but also completely different from the girl he’d known.
His heart cranked up to a hundred and twenty miles an hour, faster than he’d ever gone on the back roads of Jackson Hole in his Porsche. “I saw your hair in the crowd.” It was the first thing out of his mouth before he could turn his filter on.
Cocking an eyebrow, she gave him a bored look.
It felt strange, having her look at him like that. They’d always had this thing. Every time they looked at each other, even before they’d actually known each other, they’d smiled like they were sharing secrets. She held up her hand, offering an envelope.
Reflexively, he put his hand out.
She plunked down the envelope, her eyes meeting his. “You have officially been given the last contents of Jason Given’s estate. Please sign here.” She grabbed a pen from Kirk and snagged his clipboard.
“Jason’s dead?”
Their eyes held for a second. Then she scoffed. She thrust the clipboard and pen at him. “Sign here, please.”
His thoughts were a flurry of memories and mixed emotions he couldn’t get ahold of.
She tapped the clipboard. “Sign here, please.”
“But …”
She moved closer to him, and her eyes widened. “Sign the paper, Montana, and I’ll give you what Jason wanted you to have.”
He tried to focus, then swiped the pen and signed his name.
“Thank you.” She shoved the clipboard back at Kirk and gave Montana a nod. “Our business is finally over.”
“Wait.” Montana followed her.
Turning on her heel, she flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder, leveling him with a glare. “It’s not much fun to watch someone else ride off into the sunset, is it?”
* * *
Montana sat in his Jackson Hole home a day later, staring at the envelope in his hand. He still hadn’t opened it.
Moving it back and forth in his hands, he could tell it was a key. He’d gone through the motions of getting on his jet and getting back to Jackson. He’d been exhausted, but he held the envelope even when he crashed into his bed.
This morning he’d gotten up, drank coffee, and gone for a horse ride. Now he was sitting at his kitchen table, staring at the envelope. He couldn’t
explain the myriad of emotions creeping through him.
Seeing Lily had done something to him. More than that, hearing Jason was dead had unlocked all the stuff he’d buried, dug up again and then put away, and vowed to never examine or think about again. Now, it wouldn’t go away. His thoughts were all sticky and gunky. His gut hurt like it was an engine filled with bad oil.
A knock sounded at the door. A distinguishable, Hunter James knock.
Montana suddenly remembered Hunter had asked for a Junto meeting this morning.
“Crap.” Montana didn’t move, but he heard Marta, the woman who worked for him, open the front door.
“How are ya today, Marta? Beautiful day, isn’t it?” Hunter’s voice boomed through the front entrance.
No. He couldn’t deal with the meeting, the playful banter of the guys as they discussed which charity to give to. Putting on a controlled face, he moved into the front entrance to greet his neighbor and business mogul friend.
