The Faithful One
Billionaire Bride Pact Romance
Cami Checketts
Birch River Publishing
Contents
Free Book
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
About the Author
Also by Cami Checketts
The Adventurous One by Jeanette Lewis
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Cami Checketts
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.
Created with Vellum
Dedication
To all my friends. Thank you for being there through the laughter and the tears.
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Chapter 1
The nonstop ringing of his cell phone pulled Zander from his sleep-induced coma. He pushed his hand through the sheets until his fingers connected with metal. “Lo?” he muttered.
“Zander. How are you, son?”
“I feel like somebody smacked me in the head with a baseball bat. You?” He sat up in bed, trying to clear his head. Pulling his phone away to check the time, he sighed. It was four a.m. His dad, an early riser and confirmed workaholic, never seemed to take into consideration the time change from Kauai to the East Coast.
His dad chuckled. “Probably because you work so hard. Everything’s okay?”
His dad knew he wasn’t accomplishing much of anything but traveling and training to compete in Ironman races. Yet his dad acted like he was proud of him and always treated him like he was fragile. Zander would be annoyed, if he didn’t understand.
“Hanging in there.” They rarely scratched beneath the surface, both afraid of the emotions that might arise. “How about you?”
“Good, good. Hey, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure.” His dad had given him a huge inheritance and annual annuities that made it pretty fruitless to waste time holding down a regular job. Zander owned a couple of successful businesses that sold everything from training gear to nutritional supplements in the Ironman and triathlon circuits, but he had great people in place to run them and he mostly just traveled, trained, and competed. After he sobered up a couple of years ago his dad had gifted him a six-point-five-million dollar condo in Midtown. That was home when he went home. He hadn’t been back to his parent’s mansion in Vermont since his mom was murdered ten years ago. No intention of ever returning. He endured enough pain during an Ironman race, no need to set himself up for the emotional version of torture as well.
His dad asked for favors so rarely, Zander always said yes when he could make it work with his training schedule. “What’s up?” His head still felt groggy. He regularly woke at six a.m. to train and sometimes five in areas where the heat came early in the day, but four was stretching it a bit. He tried to focus on his father’s words.
“Have you ever seen that show Undercover Boss?”
“Yeah.” Oh, no. Television shows and him didn’t mix. The Bachelor had been a huge mistake. Every woman trying to connect with him on any level they could, whether it was throwing their clothes off or trying to psychoanalyze why he hadn’t formed lasting relationships since his mother’s death. He wasn’t sure which of his dad’s lamebrain marketers had come up with the idea of putting him on the show in the first place, but then it might’ve been his dad hoping he’d find a wife and live happily ever after. Must be a curse of parenthood, wanting your children to be happy.
He and his dad had a rare fight after that nightmare wrapped up and aired. They both came to the conclusion there would be no more television fiascos. It hadn’t helped that Zander had been plastered most of the show and put off a horrible persona for his dad’s brand. His dad owned everything from grocery stores to hotels to toy stores. It was important to him to give a good impression. Huge fail on Zander’s part, but of course his dad didn’t blame him. He never would.
“Don’t worry. I’m not putting you on it.” His dad laughed uneasily. “Though I’m sure you’d do great representing us now.”
“Thanks,” Zander muttered, but he wasn’t so sure. Tranquility Woods in Maryland was one of the most luxurious and effective addiction centers in the nation. Zander had come out truly a better person with a faith in the good Lord that had been missing before, but he hesitated to say he was a changed man. He was sober and he was doing semi-productive things, but he still didn’t feel like the kind of man he wanted to be, like his dad.
“I want to do something similar on our own,” his dad continued. “Nobody but you and I will know about it. It’ll basically be a vacation.”
He paused and the silence was heavy. Zander’s entire life was a vacation and he knew it bothered his dad. His dad worked from five a.m. until eleven p.m. then dropped into bed and started all over again in the morning. The words vacation and relaxation were almost curse words to him. He never said anything about Zander’s lifestyle, well, maybe he complained to their longtime cook and friend, Hannah, but he was always kind and patient with Zander. Probably worried he would relapse into alcoholism or worse, move onto hard drugs, if he said boo to him. No, that wasn’t fair. His dad genuinely loved him.
His dad cleared his throat. “I think there are some triathlons going on in the area over the next month that you could compete in and it’d be a great place to train.”
“Okay. The half Ironman in Kauai is tomorrow then I can fly out. My next full Ironman is the first weekend in December in Australia so I’d have a few weeks at your resort.” That didn’t sound too bad. He’d go stay in one of his dad’s luxury hotels, get to know the staff, and report in.
“Great. I’ll email you the info. It’s one of my smaller places, a bed and breakfast in Montgomery.”
Had he heard his dad correct? He wouldn’t really send him back to that area. Auburn was about an hour from Montgomery and he and his mom had flown into Montgomery that fateful trip.
“Montgomery?” he pushed out.
“I know it’s tough, son, but you need to face it at some point.”
Okay, scratch all the thoughts about his dad being patient. How could he send him back there? The memories whooshed in without invitation and Zander blinked quickly, jumped to his feet and went out on the master suite’s deck. The rental house overlooked Secret Beach on Kauapea Road. The sound of the waves usually relaxed him, but nothing could relax him as he tried hard to not think about his mom.
The one thing he did know about his dad—when he had an idea he didn’t back down. Maybe that was why he was a billionaire. Zander used to share that quality with his dad. It was the reason he’d excelled at football and been recruited by some of the top D1 schools in the nation during his senior year of high school. He’d quit football after his mom’s death, barely scraping out a bachelor’s degree as he drank every night to try to dull the pain.
“Anyone in particular I should watch?” He’d do this for his dad and then he’d be done. He’d avoid the demons waiting for him in the nearby town of Auburn and then
he’d never, ever return.
“I don’t want to tip you off. Just befriend everyone. You’re great at that. Like your mom.”
A hard knot squeezed in his chest. He couldn’t think about her. Not now.
“She’d be proud of you.”
“Please don’t, Dad.” His mom always thought he could do no wrong, but he couldn’t remember her without thinking of that night.
“Make her proud. Will you, son?”
Zander wanted to say yes. With everything in him, he wanted to, but he couldn’t lie to the only person on the planet who truly cared about him. “I’ll try,” he squeaked out.
It was lame, but his dad let him get away with it. He’d let him get away with everything short of murder since Zander had found his mom dead and blamed himself.
Chapter 2
Chapter
Trin hurried into the entryway of the Cloverdale bed and breakfast. She felt like she was in Gone with the Wind every day in the exquisite southern style mansion. She’d worked hard to make sure that the twelve guest suites were immaculate and always rented. At five hundred to a thousand dollars a night she knew the bed and breakfast was profitable for Mr. Keller, but the billionaire probably didn’t care with all the luxury hotel chains he owned and who knew what other businesses and investments. Yet he’d always treated her and the Cloverdale as if they were something special. She hated to think of him as a surrogate father because that was just cheesy, but he was a really cool guy.
He’d personally called and told her about the important guest they had coming to stay. A young man who was going to stay for a few weeks and participate in triathlons in the area while he trained for an Ironman. Trin prayed it wasn’t Mr. Keller’s son, Zander. She’d watched The Bachelor, along with every other besotted woman in the nation. Zander was too handsome for his own good and though he had an understated wit and she’d been impressed with the considerate way he treated all the candidates, it was obvious he was free-loading off his dad and she had a hard time respecting someone like that.
“I finished polishin’ the big ole Sunny Suite, those stompin’ grounds are cle-ean, not a tassel out of place,” Moriah’s petite yet shapely form swept down the grand staircase. “It’s fit for the queen of Bathsheba.”
“I think we need it fit for the king.”
“That too. Yes, ma’am.”
Trin swatted at her. Children, teenagers, and young adults in the south seemed to have it drilled into them from birth to yes, sir, and yes, ma’am, any adult, even if the person they were addressing was barely an adult. Moriah did it to tease Trin more than anything, but Trin did love the manners the children here displayed.
“Don’t you yes ma’am me or I’ll dock your pay.”
Moriah giggled. “You know I’m the best housekeeper and cook in any county in the state so I don’t think you’d better be fixin’ to mess with my pay.” Moriah laid the accent and sass on thick.
“You watch the attitude, friend.”
“I’m a Southern girl. Attitude is what draws the men in.” Moriah snapped her fingers.
“I wish I had a little of that sass.”
“Naw. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”
“Thanks.” Trin clapped her hands together. “Okay. I think we’re all ready. Mr. Keller said this man is a very special guest of his so I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“Mr. Keller thinks you bathe in wine, bless his heart. His special guest better be on their best behavior.” She placed a hand on her hip and tossed her black cornrows.
Trin laughed. “Is bathing in wine a good thing?”
“It means you are tasty and intoxicating. Yeah, girl.” Moriah threw a hip out and her hands up. A dance move ensued that Trin couldn’t accomplish if someone pushed her rear in the right directions.
“Oh, my, goodness.” Trin shook her head and hurried behind the large check-in desk. Her open office was directly behind the desk. Her employees teased her about Mr. Keller having a crush on her and it just weirded her out. He was older than her stepdad and was truly like a favorite uncle or father figure.
She tapped on the keyboard to bring up the reservations for the week. The house was full. They had another couple coming in tonight, but everyone who was staying here added to the charm of the place, in Trin’s opinion. She hoped their special guest agreed, a Mr. Jason Hunley. Nice name.
The door sprung open and Marcus tugged one bag behind him, shouldering a garment style bag. Marcus winked at her and Trin chose to ignore it. He was a great employee. She’d found him on the Riverwalk downtown. He’d asked her to spare some change. She’d given him five bucks and told him if he could clean up, she’d give him a job at the Cloverdale Mansion. It had been the bravest thing she’d done in a long time, opening her home to someone who may or may not respect it.
He’d shown up a couple hours later. Somehow he’d taken a shower and put on clean clothes. He now shared the refurbished slave quarters at the back of the property with her. They each had their own apartment and she made sure to lock hers every night.
Marcus was a good guy who’d just gotten down on his luck. Trin knew exactly how that felt. If she worried that he also seemed to have a propensity for alcohol and weed, she kept it to herself. He’d only missed work a few days and that was all right. She and Moriah could keep everything going without him. It was just really nice to have him help with yard work and being a bell hop, plus he could fix anything. He’d saved Mr. Keller all kinds of money tinkering with things. She knew above all else the billionaire cared about things being in the black so she made sure to keep it that way.
Walking behind Marcus with an athletic style bag slung over his shoulder was none other than Zander Keller. The air seemed to suck out of the two-story foyer as he focused in on Trin and those smoky blue eyes penetrated to her very soul. His perfectly-sculpted lips turned up in a smile that just radiated appeal. It was like those lips were sucking her in and saying, You’d give anything to kiss me. She gave herself a shake. No need to react like a drama queen just because a fine man walked through their door.
Trin broke from his gaze and glanced over at Moriah. Her mouth was honestly hanging open. Trin tried to get her attention, but it didn’t work. Yes, Zander was one of the best-looking men on the planet, but they had to be professionals.
Zander walked forward and extended his hand. “Miss Dean? I’m Jason Hunley.”
Trin placed her hand in his and plastered on her professional face. Huh? She wanted to spit out something like, Come again? Why were Mr. Keller and Zander lying about who he was? His normally dark hair was highlighted and longer than usual and he had a few day’s growth, probably attempting to cover that handsome face, but none of it really worked as a disguise. Either he thought she lived under a rock or he didn’t really care if she recognized him.
“We’re thrilled to have you here, Mr. Hunley.” She gestured to Marcus and Moriah. “If there is anything any of us can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let us know.”
“Thank you.” He released her hand, those blue eyes regarding her solemnly.
“Marcus. Will you please take Mr. Hunley’s bags up to his room?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Trin didn’t scold him, though she wanted to. Marcus had picked up on the ma’am thing and was rolling with it nicely, though he was from upstate New York.
“Would you like a glass of lemonade?” Trin asked Zander.
“Sounds great.”
She walked with him to the north side of the house where a long, spacious gathering room took up the front part of the house with an archway into the large dining room. The kitchen was at the rear of the north wing. That was Moriah’s haven.
“Moriah?” Trin nodded to her friend. “Would you please bring some refreshments for Mr. Hunley?”
“Of course. I’m on it, ma’am.” Moriah rushed through the gathering area, the dining room, and into the swinging door of the kitchen.
Trin didn’t let herself l
ook at him as they walked into the living room and each chose a plush straight back chair to sit in. What was he doing here? Was Mr. Keller checking up on them? Why? He had hotels all over the nation, no probably all over the world. She’d always wondered why he’d taken an interest in Trin’s home, bought it from her mom after her grandparents’ deaths, promoted Trin to manager, and then sunk exorbitant amounts of money into it. Now she had no clue why he would waste his time sending his son undercover to monitor them. Their reviews were fabulous on Trip Advisor and Yelp and honestly they were too small of apples to even be in the barrel of Mr. Keller’s responsibility list.
Her eyes raised to meet Zander’s again. His eyes were impossibly blue. Women had described them like the ocean or the sky, but Trin thought they looked like the gorgeous blue butterflies that she used to chase at home in Wisconsin. Smoky blue in the middle and almost gold on the edges.
His face had been sculpted into irresistible manly lines and currently was covered with dark stubble. The recent pictures she’d seen of him were clean shaven, but he’d always had that sexy Hollywood-style stubble when he did The Bachelor. Trin couldn’t say which she preferred. Both, please. He had a really nice build, but he looked like he’d filled out a little bit since The Bachelor as well. She’d heard he had gone through a high dollar rehab not too long ago and it was obvious he was in peak physical condition.
She couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to overcome an addiction as strong as alcohol or drugs. Moriah always teased her because Trin couldn’t walk away from a plate of cookies and she was pretty sure there were no addictive chemicals in them, but maybe Moriah had a secret ingredient she wasn’t sharing.
He smiled at her as she studied him and the room’s temperature spiked. My, oh, my. “So, Mr. Hunley.” Did he think they lived under a turtle’s shell? She knew exactly who he was. She wondered if Marcus and Moriah had already figured it out too. “Are you here for business or pleasure?”
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