The Producer's Unlikely Bride (The Blushing Brides Book 6) Read online

  “Okay, enough of that,” Cassidy said shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. The image of a run on the bathroom was not the visual she wanted to have of her fellow firemen.

  “Cassidy, oh my gosh, I’m so glad you’re back.”

  Cassidy would have recognized Ivy’s voice anywhere. Not only was she the only other woman in the firehouse, but her voice held just the slightest valley girl twang. On anyone else it might have been annoying, but Ivy was wholesomely sweet, down to earth, and as cute as a button. Her blond hair perfectly framed her heart-shaped face, and big blue eyes sat above a ski-sloped nose that contained no trace of freckles, unlike Cassidy’s.

  Ivy attacked her with a hug before Cassidy was ready and the gesture jostled her full arms sending the contents flying to the floor. Ivy’s eyes widened as she released Cassidy and her petite hand flew to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I was just so excited to see you. You don’t know how awful it’s been being the only woman here for the last month.” She dropped to the floor to help Cassidy pick up the hats.

  Ivy was teasing mostly, but Cassidy had been at the firehouse before Ivy arrived, and she remembered how hard it was being the only female. “Don’t worry about it. They’re just silly hats, and I’m sorry I left you high and dry.”

  “Marcel? Is that you?”

  Cassidy froze at the stern sound of her captain’s voice. Having been recently promoted, Captain Darryl Fitzgerald was now all business. Every rule needed to be followed to the letter and the teasing shut down when he was around. She snatched the hat and stood. “Good morning, Captain, what can I do for you?”

  “You can follow me to my office. We need to have a chat.”

  “Of course, sir.” Cassidy fought the anxiety clawing at her throat. Captain Fitzgerald was intimidating, but she had just returned. She couldn’t have done anything too bad. Maybe it was about the hats. She would explain that the guys were just razzing her a little and then take them to her car so they were out of sight.

  Cassidy’s anxiety increased when Captain Fitzgerald shut the door to his office behind her. Closed door meetings rarely held a good outcome. “Have I done something, sir?” She hated the slight tremble in her voice, but she knew he controlled her future and she loved her job.

  “Sit.” He pointed at one of the chairs opposite his desk and then walked to his own chair and sat down. “I know that you had time saved up for this trip, but I need someone I can rely on in this firehouse.”

  “I understand, sir, and I have no intention of going anywhere else anytime soon.”

  He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “That is good to hear, but to be sure, I am placing you back on probation. You’ll have cleaning duty for the next month, and I want that truck sparkling at the end of every shift. Is that clear?”

  Cassidy had no idea if he had the power to do that since she technically had done nothing wrong, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. She loved this job and this house. No way did she want to go back to being a floater, so if he wanted her to wash the truck every day, she would do it. If he wanted to put her on kitchen duty, she would do that too even though her cooking left a lot to be desired. “Crystal clear, sir. I promise I am committed to this job and will do whatever it takes to prove it to you.”

  “Perfect, now we should discuss the mail situation.” He steepled his fingers and regarded her with a cool stare.

  She furrowed her brow, confused as to what he could mean. “I’m sorry, the what?”

  His eyebrow inched up his forehead. “You don’t know?” Cassidy shook her head. “It appears you garnered a few fans while you were gallivanting on your show, and as they didn’t know where you lived, they dropped your mail here.”

  Cassidy winced and bit the inside of her lip. No wonder he was angry. “I had no idea, sir. I’m so sorry.”

  He waved a hand dismissing her. “It is what it is, but I want them gone from the firehouse at the end of your shift.”

  “Of course sir. Um, where are they?”

  He nodded to the corner of the room. Cassidy turned and spied a large brown bag that she hadn’t noticed when they entered. Roughly the size of a burlap sack, it bulged and protruded as wide as appeared possible. “All of that is for me?”

  “Yep, letters, gifts, you name it. I suggest you find a better place for it.”

  “Yes sir.” Cassidy pulled her shoulders back as she faced the mountainous bag. Since shift had just started, she might as well drag it to the bunk room and go through it while there was time. She didn’t need all of this cluttering her small house either.

  The bag proved unwieldy but thankfully just enough extra sack remained at the top that she was able to drag it down the hallway and into the bunk room. Meant generally for sleeping when they worked long shifts, the bunk room held rows and rows of two beds separated by half walls. A small table that held a lamp sat between each two-bed section.

  She and Ivy shared the section at the very back of the room, and sweat rolled down Cassidy’s spine as she dragged the bag to the bunk she normally slept in. With a sigh and an exhalation, she plopped down on the bunk and opened the bag. If Santa had been real, she would know exactly how he felt. She grabbed one of the envelopes and opened it.

  “Dear Cassidy, I saw you on the show, and I think we’d make a great couple. I love horses and roller skating. You can call me at 555-1324. Signed, David. P.S. If a woman answers, it’s just my mom.”

  Cassidy shook her head and laid the letter to the side. No need to keep that one. She wanted a man established enough that he lived on his own or maybe with a roommate. Rent wasn’t cheap in the city, but moms were a no go. With a sigh, she reached into the bag again. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  **

  Jordan issued his apology as he hurried into the office. “Sorry I’m late. We were helping with a drug bust.”

  “Of course you were,” Graham said with a roll of his eyes.

  “It’s no problem, Jordan, we were just getting started.” Mr. Keyes, their father’s attorney adjusted his tie before placing his hands on either side of a stack of papers. “I’m sure you know that I called you in today for a reading of your father’s will. Most of it is rather straightforward, but there is something I wasn’t sure you were aware of.” He picked up the top sheet of paper and scanned it before flipping it around to them. “Did you know your father owned a bar?”

  “A bar?” Graham asked leaning forward.

  “That’s not possible. Dad was an alcoholic. Why would he own a bar?” Jordan asked.

  “It hasn’t been a bar in a long time. I drove by the other day, so I would have current information for you both. It appears to be boarded up currently.” He pulled a picture from the stack and slid it across the table to Graham who glanced at it before handing it to Jordan.

  “So, we should just try and sell it, right?” Jordan asked. He had no use for a bar or the rundown building in the picture.

  “No, we can’t sell it. Dad obviously kept the bar for a reason,” Graham said.

  “He probably just forgot he owned it and therefore forgot to sell it. What would we do with an old building?”

  Mr. Keyes said nothing but moved his head from one brother to the next as they argued.

  “What would we do?” Graham turned in his chair to face Jordan. “We fix it up, give it new life, take it back to how it once was.”

  Jordan shook his head. “I have no time to fix up a bar. And what about the money? Did Dad leave any money to fix this bar?”

  “Your father left you the proceeds from the sale of the house and he had a few stocks and bonds, but it isn’t much.”

  “See? It isn’t much. Probably not enough to fix up an old bar.”

  Graham folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not selling. Dad could have sold the building years ago, and he didn’t. That tells me it meant something to him, so I’m going to restore it with or without you.”

  Jordan turned fierce eyes on the lawyer.
“Can he do that? Can he make me keep it?”

  Mr. Keyes shrugged. “He could offer to buy you out, but there is no stipulation that he has to sell.”

  Before he could say anything else, Jordan’s phone buzzed. He swiped the screen, shook his head, and stood. “I have to go, but this isn’t over. We are going to discuss this Graham.”

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  At the sound of the angry voices, she clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound. She had to get out of here, but the men were still in the room. Was this why he had been so angry when she came back? What would they do if they found her?

  She faintly heard the sliding glass door to the balcony patio open. Now was her shot, and it might be the only one she had. As quickly as she could, she pushed open the door. Don’t look at them. Just grab your purse and get out of here. But her eyes shifted to the left anyway. As if drawn by force. For a moment she froze. Long enough for the man on the patio to turn and catch sight of her. His face was shrouded in darkness, but she could feel the frosty hatred in his gaze. Her feet regained their ability to move and she bolted out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

  A noise sounded behind her, but she didn’t know if it was the patio door or her overactive imagination playing tricks on her. She burst out the front door and raced down the driveway knowing the men were just behind her. Her breath and the sound of her heartbeat thundered in her head. Would she make it? Frantically, she pushed the unlock button on her key fob. She wanted to turn around, but she knew looking behind her would cost precious time. When she reached the car, she yanked the door open and slid into the seat. Her fingers trembled so badly that she nearly dropped the keys as she jammed them into the ignition. As it finally slid in, she chanced a glance at the front door.

  He stood there in the shadows looking as if he belonged in the darkness. As if he owned it. She jerked the car into drive and sped out of the driveway certain that he would jump in a vehicle and follow her.

  Fear and anger took turns controlling her body as she drove. Tears blurred her vision, and she blinked against the dam determined to hold them in. She would not cry. She did not cry. But what was she going to do now? It was supposed to have been a simple meeting, a chance to land a new publisher for her books after the last company dropped her. Instead it had turned into something else, something nefarious feeling, and she was a witness. A witness who was never supposed to be there.

  She glanced in the mirror to see if he was following her, but only darkness stared back at her. He hadn’t seemed in a hurry as he stood in the front doorway, but now he knew what she drove. Would he hunt her down? Why hadn’t she done better homework on him?

  Disgust filled her as she thought of how she had come crawling to him. How she was willing to do nearly anything to get him to promote her. How could she have gotten involved with a man like that? Well, almost involved. Her momma sure wouldn’t be proud. Heck, she wasn’t proud. She had no idea how she had wandered so far down the wrong path.

  Maybe it had been the move to California or the first award. After all, she’d been a poor girl growing up with only her big imagination to keep her company. Especially after her father left them. Maybe it had been the first time she saw her name on a cover. When she’d first begun writing, she’d been young and idealistic. She’d wanted to write clean romances that people could read anywhere and not be ashamed, but the publishing world was competitive. New authors were writing books every day and her work wasn’t selling the way it used to. Then, after her attempt to discredit Ava McDermott had backfired, her publisher had let her go. Now, she had a stack of bills that needed to be paid and no way to do it. That was why she had gone to him.

  But he’d wanted more than her books. He’d lured her here with big promises and the right words that fed her ego, but he’d really just wanted to get her into his bed. That low down, dirty…. No, she would own this. She had reached out to him. She had been the one trying to further her career. She was the one who hadn’t done her homework completely. His personal life should have been in her research. Maybe then she would have known about whatever he had going on the side. Well, that wouldn’t happen again. She would just have to be more careful in the future - cross all the “t”s and dot all the “i”s. If there was a future.

  She wiped her finger across her cheek. A tear had escaped her eye and was trying to snake down her cheek, but she wasn’t going to let it succeed. Of course, what would smeared makeup matter if he went after her? Her makeup should be the least of her worries.

  Suddenly headlights flared in her rear-view mirror. Bright and unforgiving, they blinded her, forcing her to throw up a hand. Oh no, had he pursued her after all? The lights grew closer and filled her mirror. Was he trying to run her off the road? Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe it was just teenagers out for a joy ride, but they were driving awfully close to her - dangerous on city streets.

  She slowed down to let the vehicle pass, but it didn’t. Instead, it matched her pace. These weren’t teenagers then. They would have driven past her. Maybe yelled or flipped her off, but they would have passed her. Her tears dried up as fear overtook her anger and self-pity. How was she going to get out of this now? She was unfamiliar with this area and had no idea how to outrun them.

  She twisted in her seat to try and get a better view of the vehicle behind her, but it was too dark and they were too close. She glanced around for her phone to call 911 but it was on her passenger seat. Just out of reach. Wait! Where was her purse? Oh no, she had left it there. Her heart sank. Now they would know for sure who she was and where she lived.

  The fear grew icy talons and clawed up her insides. Were they going to run her off the road and then shoot her? Suddenly, lights flashed to her right. She had just enough time to register a large dark truck approaching and then her head was thrown into the window with the impact.

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  The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet

  A SWAT officer. A bored billionaire heiress. A bet that could change everything….

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  Brie Carter fell back spread eagle on her queen-sized canopy bed sending her blonde hair fanning out behind her. With a large sigh, she uttered, “I’m bored.”

  “How can you be bored? You have like millions of dollars.” Her friend, Ariel, plopped down in a seated position on the bed beside her and flicked her raven hair off her shoulder. “You want to go shopping? I hear Tiffany’s is having a special right now.”

  Brie rolled her eyes. Shopping? Where was the excitement in that? With her three platinum cards, she could go shopping whenever she wanted. “No, I’m bored with shopping too. I have everything. I want to do something exciting. Something we don’t normally do.”

  Brie enjoyed being rich. She loved the unlimited credit cards at her disposal, the constant apparel of new clothes, and of course the penthouse apartment her father paid for, but lately, she longed for something more fulfilling.

  Ariel’s hazel eyes widened. “I know. There’s a new bar down on Franklin Street. Why don’t we go play a little game?”

  Brie sat up, intrigued at the secrecy and the twinkle in Ariel’s eyes. “What kind of game?”

  “A betting game. You let me pick out any man in the place. Then you try to get him to propose to you.”

  Brie wrinkled her nose. “But I do
n’t want to get married.” She loved her freedom and didn’t want to share her penthouse with anyone, especially some man.

  “You don’t marry him, silly. You just get him to propose.”

  Brie bit her lip as she thought. It had been awhile since her last relationship and having a man dote on her for a month might be interesting, but…. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem very nice.”

  “How about I sweeten the pot? If you win, I’ll set you up on a date with my brother.”

  Brie cocked her head. Was she serious? The only thing Brie couldn’t seem to buy in the world was the affection of Ariel’s very handsome, very wealthy, brother. He was a movie star, just the kind of person Brie could consider marrying in the future. She’d had a crush on him as long as she and Ariel had been friends, but he’d always seen her as just that, his little sister’s friend. “I thought you didn’t want me dating your brother.”

  “I don’t.” Ariel shrugged. “But he’s between girlfriends right now, and I know you’ve wanted it for ages. If you win this bet, I’ll set you up. I can’t guarantee any more than one date though. The rest will be up to you.”

  Brie wasn’t worried about that. Charm she possessed in abundance. She simply needed some alone time with him, and she was certain she’d be able to convince him they were meant to be together. “All right. You’ve got a deal.”

  Ariel smiled. “Perfect. Let’s get you changed then and see who the lucky man will be.

  A tiny tug pulled on Brie’s heart that this still wasn’t right, but she dismissed it. This was simply a means to an end, and he’d never have to know.

  * * *

  Jesse Calhoun relaxed as the rhythmic thudding of the speed bag reached his ears. Though he loved his job, it was stressful being the SWAT sniper. He hated having to take human lives and today had been especially rough. The team had been called out to a drug bust, and Jesse was forced to return fire at three hostiles. He didn’t care that they fired at his team and himself first. Taking a life was always hard, and every one of them haunted his dreams.