by Taylor Hart
The Undercover Groom
Taylor Hart
Contents
Introduction
Free Last Play Romance
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
Free Last Play Romance
Second String: A Last Play Romance
Also by Taylor Hart
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© 2017 ArchStone Ink
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. The reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form whether electronic, mechanical or other means, known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written consent of the publisher and/or author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This edition is published by ArchStone Ink LLC.
First eBook Edition: 2017
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the creation 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.
Introduction
Greetings fellow readers,
My mother has always said that a girl who makes a handful of true friends in her lifetime should consider herself extremely lucky, for friends are rare jewels that should always be cherished. I consider Taylor Hart to be one of those rare jewels and am grateful to call her a friend. Taylor never meets a stranger and has the remarkable ability to brighten a room with her smile. I love how vibrant and rich the world looks through Taylor’s eyes. She’s a wonderful author who inspires and encourages me as we continue down our lifelong path of writing.
That’s why I’m pleased to introduce The Undercover Groom. When I read The Undercover Groom, I told Taylor that I couldn’t think of a more perfect fit to the series! I love how she artfully combines suspense and romance in this fun Billionaire Romance. I was drawn in from the first page and read it in one sitting.
Pull up a comfy chair and get ready to be swept away in Nick and Ava’s story!
All of my best,
Jennifer Youngblood
Bestselling Author of How to See With Your Heart
Check out Jennifer’s Amazon Author Page HERE
Free Last Play Romance
You can get a free copy of The Rookie, A Last Play Romance by Taylor Hart by clicking here.
As an added bonus, you’ll also receive updates when the next Taylor Hart Romance is released so you don’t miss out on one of these sweet romances.
Chapter 1
Nick Freestone got off his flight from Ecuador back to Salt Lake City and stared out the windows at the mountains that surrounded the Salt Lake Valley like sentinels, large and looming. As a kid, he’d always felt safe with the mountains around him, like their watchful gaze would keep bad guys out. Too bad he knew better now. He thought of the recent undercover case he’d been involved with; it had messed with his head, and the trip to Ecuador made a good palate cleanser. Pushing thoughts of the case out of his brain, he tried to relax and focus on the good. It did feel good to be back home.
Efficiently getting from the terminal to his car, he liked the fact he’d spent the money on the black Mustang last year when they’d come into a windfall of money from Luke’s deal. Of course, he would never tell Luke how much he liked it.
Nick shook his head. As much as he appreciated Luke, he also sometimes wanted to punch him. Did he really need this much money? To Luke, it was a simple game he knew he could win and make himself and his brothers richer and richer. To Nick, it felt a bit extravagant. But hey, he did like driving the car.
He sighed. It’d been a heck of a two weeks in Ecuador building schools. He’d told his brothers he’d gone to Mexico to relax. He hadn’t told them what he’d really been up to, as he didn’t want to hear the pooh-poohing in their voices. Ecuador had accomplished two things for him: cleared his head from his last case and made him feel useful. To him, the trip was a success.
His phone buzzed, and he saw Luke’s face on his phone as he pressed answer. “Miss me?”
A loud sigh filled his ear. “Nice of you to call the last two weeks.” Luke’s snarky voice clipped through the phone.
Nick rolled his eyes and merged onto I-80 toward Park City. “I was too busy having fun to call. What, were you sitting by the phone?”
“Hey, I have a wife and kid. You think I’m lame enough to sit around waiting for you? I have a life.”
Nick smiled. “That’s right, you don’t sound like you’re trying too hard to convince yourself or anything.”
“You didn’t answer any of my calls,” Luke countered, like a nagging housewife. “Good thing for you I still had a crew put some time in on that old shack you call a house.”
Nick tensed. “I told you to stay out of my house.” He’d recently bought a place in Midway about ten miles east of Park City that needed some work.
“Settle down. I just had them fix a bunch of walls that were about to fall in on each other. Support walls. That’s all. No need to get huffy.”
Nick shook his head. This was why he hadn’t answered calls the past two weeks; his brother drove him freaking crazy. But he knew there was no changing Luke. He braced himself to see how much the crew had messed up his house and he changed the subject. “You gonna barbeque for me tonight?” It’d been a thing to hold the Sunday night barbecuing at Luke’s or Damon’s places.
Luke cleared his throat. “About that.”
“What?”
“Well, Savannah’s parents want to have dinner at their house tonight. I guess Beth has a guy she’s getting serious with.”
Beth. He liked Beth. He knew she and Savannah had been training for a marathon lately, and he remembered thinking Beth was looking good, though he didn’t want to admit he’d had a crush on her growing up. Unlike Savannah and Luke, though, Beth had never been into Nick. “Oh.” He said it softly, not sad, but not certain he liked the idea of Beth settling down.
“You’ve always had a thing for her.”
“Have not.”
“Have too.”
Nick headed for a gas station at the base of Parley’s Canyon and pulled over to fill up. “So no barbecue?” he asked, getting out and pulling his credit card out of his wallet.
“Sorry.”
After Nick ran his card, he caught sight of a woman standing in front of the gas station. The woman wore a hoodie, looking around at the mountains nervously. She was tall, but extremely lean. She wore jeans, but he noted they were designer jeans with sparkles on the pockets. Not homeless, he thought as his eyes continued to scan her, but she held her backpack in a death grip.
Something wasn’t right. Maybe it was his cop instincts, or just his people in
stincts, but he could almost feel how terrified she felt. It’d been a thing for him, sensing other people’s emotions. His partners on the force teased him about knowing people’s thoughts. If they showed up on a scene, he could usually predict what people would do.
“Nick!” Luke hissed through the phone.
Nick was jolted back to reality. “What?”
“I said, let’s do Monday night at Antonio’s, so we can catch up—just the guys.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t move, his feet glued to the cement. The fear wafting off of the girl was getting stronger. “I gotta go.”
“Or I’ll stop over tonight.”
“Fine.” Nick hung up and waited, evaluating her. He finished with the gas and then, casually, went around to the other side of his car. Digging into a locked compartment, he grabbed the gun within and slipped it into the front of his jeans. He took a couple of steps closer to the girl, looking around at the mountains as if he was just wandering without a purpose.
Without warning, she pulled off her sunglasses and glared at him. “What’s your problem?”
“Oh. Hey.” He acted nonchalant, making a show of looking around. “Nothing. I’m just … I just wondered if you know where I can get a taxi?” If he were truthful, she was probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even hiding in a hoodie. Her hair was jet-black, and her blue eyes glared defiantly from within the hood. Her body was slim, ready to take off into a run. She was tall—not his six foot one, but he would guess five-nine or -ten.
She scowled and put her sunglasses on again. “You have a car.”
Even though she gave all the signals that she wasn’t interested and wanted him to leave, he didn’t. Long ago he’d learned to listen to his gut, and right now it was saying he should be right where he was.
A black sedan pulled up in front of the convenience store and slowed in the middle of the driving lanes, driving suspiciously slow before coming to a stop in front of them. The windows were blacked out.
He felt her step behind him. “Who are you?” she whispered.
Every part of him was on alert. He saw two men in suits get out. He played it cool. “Are you in trouble?” he whispered back without looking at her.
Before he could say anything else, he felt her arms on his sides, turning him to face her. His heart raced as he looked into those blue eyes. Breathing fast, she pulled him closer.
He found himself putting his arms around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
Before he knew it, she pulled him in for a kiss.
At first he went cold, letting her lips move against his as his other senses fumbled with the distraction. She was undeniable, though, and he felt himself yield to her as she pulled him into make-out mode.
She smelled like sun tan lotion, even though it was apparent she hadn’t just gotten back from anywhere tropical. She tasted like mint gum. He wondered if he would get more of a taste when she pulled back, but she ducked her head into his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered against him. “Please, just …”
Nick forced himself back into readiness. The allure of this woman was making him act like a rookie. He saw two dudes in suits walk past them into the convenience store, leaving their car running. His heart was still beating out of control, and he tried to glance around casually. “Who are you running from?” he asked just as softly, but couldn’t stop himself from running his hand down the hoodie covering her head.
She said nothing, only pressed herself closer to him.
It felt so natural to hold her protectively, even though his training and instinct was to keep her at arm’s length and use his gun to protect both of them. His gut didn’t know what to do.
He felt her shaking against him, the terror rolling off of her. “What is going on?” he asked again.
Out of nowhere, a grey truck appeared at the curb. The driver’s side door opened and Nick recognized the retired Sheriff Frank Kantrell, his neighbor and friend. Frank looked confused upon seeing him, but he nodded to the woman. “Hurry, let’s go.”
The woman jumped out of his arms and into Frank’s truck.
Nick was disoriented as he watched them take off down the road. He looked around, trying to notice anything out of the ordinary besides the car, but he knew better than to stay in one place where there were things like this circling about. As he walked back to his car, the men from the black sedan came out of the store, looking around.
“Ya see anything?” one said to the other.
“Nothin’,” the other one said, and they both got into the black car and took off.
Nick watched them leave and noticed they were driving a car with Georgia plates. His mind flashed to the gorgeous girl who’d just kissed him and the scared way she’d clung to him before bolting into Sheriff Kantrell’s truck.
As he distractedly replaced the gas nozzle, he no longer felt carefree. He would get to the bottom of what was going on.
Chapter 2
Ava slumped down in the passenger side of the truck. She tried to control the shaking that had started when she’d relaxed briefly in the guy’s arms, and she really tried not to wonder if part of the shaking was because of the way his soft lips had kissed her back. She had distinctly felt him pull her close, offering more than just a haven in his arms … offering passion.
“Are you okay?” Frank Kantrell stared at her.
Exhaling sharply, she pushed away thoughts of the kissing man. This was not the time to feel anything for a random guy; this was the time to protect herself. “I’m sorry I called you. I didn’t know where else to turn.”
“Nonsense.” His voice came out in an angry growl, and she noticed he looked the same as ever for the most part. Even though he was more grey, he still wore the cowboy hat, the mustache, the Wranglers, and the boots. A true cowboy. He dodged in and out of the freeway traffic. “Do you think they followed you?”
Ava tugged off her hoodie and carefully looked behind them, wondering if somehow they had found her. “I don’t know. There was a black car with two men in black suits back there. I paid for the bus ticket in cash and I did exactly what you said: left everything except a bag of clothes.” Pathetically, she lifted her backpack with jittery fingers. “I’m sorry to ask this of you. I have to keep running for a while, but be untraceable.”
Frank only cursed under his breath and kept his eyes on the road. It’d been a Hail Mary, calling him three days ago, asking for a place to stay for the night and some money to get her by. “What’s your plan?”
Plan. Plan. Plan. How did she tell him she’d made a hundred plans, but each collapsed to make room for a new one? “I’ll stay tonight, then get on another bus.”
“To where?”
She hesitated, unsure of her plan and not wanting to involve him.
“Where to?” he demanded. “If you don’t tell me, young lady, I’ll pull this truck over and dump your butt off.” The look on his face told her he wasn’t messing around.
“California,” she said cautiously, still not sure about her plan but thinking it was the only way to remain untraceable.
“Why?”
She swallowed. “There are communes still. Where people can go off grid and live.” It sounded lame, even to her. “There’s one called Slab City. I’ve done some research on it and Hal would never suspect it.”
He grunted, and Ava evaluated him again. It’d been ten years since she’d last seen him, when she’d stood next to him at his daughter’s grave. Her best friend. A sharp stab of pain went through her chest thinking about Katie. “How are you, Frank?” She should have checked in on him sooner, but life had gotten in the way.
Frank scoffed and took the turn for Midway, Utah. “Better than you, girl.”
Letting out a breath, she stared out the window, wondering what in the world she was doing.
“I had a dream about Katie last night,” Frank said quietly.
She started, because her ow
n dream about Katie less than a week ago had precipitated the call to Frank to begin with. Her palms felt sweaty.
He took another side road, heading out to his ranch. She’d met Katie there when she was twelve and her parents had shipped her out to Utah for a month to stay at the Kantrell summer camp. Frank had a faraway look in his eye, a smile playing at his lips. “You and Katie were on Plush and Palooza, riding them down by the river. And you both were laughing, you know, like you two used to.” She saw him blink. “I just watched you both and I felt … happy.”
Her own emotions were close to the surface, but she pushed them away, focusing on the scenery. “I miss her. Every day.”
Frank sighed. “I’ve never dreamed about her. And I thought … I think it’s a sign.”
Yanking on the steering wheel, he pulled into his ranch. The Triple K. The red sign at the top was rusted, but still bold and beautiful. A mantle of comfort settled over her, just as it had all those summers she’d spent here.
The road winded through thick forest trees, then opened up to the ranch. With its columns and black-shuttered windows, the large house reminded her of colonial homes in the South. She remembered the first time she’d watched Gone with the Wind with Katie; they had joked that Katie lived at Tara.
“What was the dream a sign of?” she asked quietly.
Frank pulled in front of the house, the truck crunching to a stop on the gravel. He gave her a grave look. “I think you should stay here.”
“What?” There would be no way she would put him in danger. He might already be in danger. “No, no. Like I said, I just needed a place for the night and some cash, until I can get somewhere and figure this all out.” She felt a slow headache starting behind her left eye and pressed the heel of her hand against it. She didn’t care how long it took; she would live like a homeless person for all she cared, so long as she could get away from her ex. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
