Table of Contents
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ALSO BY RUTH CARDELLO WESTERLY BILLIONAIRE SERIES In the Heir LONE STAR BURN Taken, Not Spurred Tycoon Takedown Taken Home Taking Charge THE LEGACY COLLECTION Maid for the Billionaire For Love or Legacy Bedding the Billionaire Saving the Sheikh Rise of the Billionaire Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea’s Redemption THE ANDRADES Come Away with Me Home to Me Maximum Risk Somewhere Along the Way Loving Gigi Recipe for Love (Holiday Novella) A Corisi Christmas (Holiday Novella) THE BARRINGTONS Always Mine Stolen Kisses Trade It All A Billionaire for Lexi Let It Burn More Than Love TRILLIONAIRES Taken by a Trillionaire Virgin for the Trillionaire TEMPTATION SERIES Twelve Days of Temptation Be My Temptation
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Ruth Cardello All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542045919 ISBN-10: 1542045916 Cover design by Eileen Carey
To my husband for being the kind of dad who wouldn’t hesitate to get into a bounce house with our kids.
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Contents Westerly Family Tree Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author
Westerly Family Tree (d): stays with Dereck after the divorce (s): stays with Stephanie after the divorce
Prologue Desperate times call for desperate measures, but surely I can do better than this. Seated at her Queen Anne writing desk, Delinda Westerly tapped her perfectly manicured nails absentmindedly and studied the bold redhead across from her. “You don’t look like a detective.” The woman pursed her wine-colored lips in a childlike pout that didn’t diminish the intensity of her gaze. Her tan pantsuit was understated but tailored to fit. Expensive camouflage. She reminded Delinda of a Siamese cat she’d once had who purred and preened but pounced mercilessly and without warning. “That’s the goal, wouldn’t you say?” “Victor Andrade said you’re the best.” “I am.” “He said you work with Dominic Corisi. Considering his reputation, that’s hardly reassuring.” The detective maintained unblinking eye contact. “And yet, here I am.” Delinda sighed. “Yes.” She picked up a black card that had only the woman’s phone number written in white. “It’s a delicate situation. No one can ever know I was invo
Chapter One Hailey Tiverton reached across the taxi seat and took the hand of her seven-year-old niece. “It’s going to be okay, Skye. You’ll see. I hear there is a private beach, and you love the ocean. The guesthouse is twice the size of my apartment in Mendon. We’ll be happy here. You’ll see.” Her niece didn’t say anything, but she’d hardly said a word in the year since her parents died in a car accident. Just thinking about it had Hailey clinging tighter to the child that her brother, Ryan, had entrusted her to raise, a little girl she was still desperately trying to reach. “I know you didn’t want to move, baby, but we’re not that far from our old place, and we didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t afford the rent hike and . . .” I lost my job because I’ve used every last one of my sick and vacation days to be with you. Hailey let out a shaky sigh. Skye didn’t need to know how frustrating the months of unsuccessful job hunting had been or why they’d taken a taxi instead of the car Hailey
Chapter Two A few hours later, Hailey and Skye walked to the main house to meet with Delinda Westerly. It was a warm evening, so Hailey had chosen cotton dresses for them both. Skye seemed to understand the importance of making a good impression. She’d brushed out her hair and had her new book tucked to her side. “I’ll keep the meeting as brief as I can,” Hailey promised. “You have your book. We’ll leave the door open. If you read you won’t even miss me. She’s expecting me to stay for dinner, but I’ll tell her I can’t.” Skye nodded without meeting her eyes. Hailey raised her hand to ring the doorbell, but the door opened suddenly. “Come in,” Michael said, holding the door open wide. “Mrs. Westerly is in the solarium waiting for you.” They entered the house, and then he closed the door behind them. “She’s looking forward to meeting you, Miss Skye. She asked me to send both of you in.” Skye’s eyes widened. “Oh, I thought—” Hailey stopped herself and looked down at her niece. “That’s very
Chapter Three A week later, Hailey accepted the hand of the formally dressed driver who’d opened the car door for her. “Thank you, Pete.” She slid out and stood on the sidewalk in front of a redbrick office building. He closed the door and said he would park but watch for her. She’d told Mrs. Westerly she didn’t require a driver, but her employer had said that having one would allow Hailey to run errands more efficiently and she’d already hired a very nice man who’d been grateful for the work. Mrs. Westerly had ended all of Hailey’s protests when she added, “Should I tell him he doesn’t have the job? I’m sure he can find other employment.” She definitely knows how to manipulate someone into agreeing. Clutching her purse to her side, Hailey paused before stepping away from the black sedan. What a week. She thought back to her first meeting with Mrs. Westerly and marveled again that she was still employed. It hadn’t seemed like she would be when the older woman had asked, “What is your v
Chapter Four After days of intensive interviewing of candidates, Hailey was back in Braintree exchanging the package with a secretary who seemed inappropriately amused by the confusion. Hailey shrugged her reaction off. Nothing was going to ruin her mood that day. She’d left Skye at the main house with her new teacher. Mrs. Holihen was a multilingual retired teacher in her sixties who had not only taught college-level courses on early childhood development, but was also a grandmother. Her easy smile and quick wit were selling points, but Hailey’s decision had been made when Delinda had asked her where she imagined herself in a few years. Mrs. Holihen had said, “Hopefully spending more time with my grandchildren and perhaps tutoring on the side. Our goal is for Skye to return to school, isn’t it?” “Yes,” Hailey had said. “I can’t imagine how difficult the past year was on her, but children need to be around other children, don’t they? They’re happiest when they have friends.” “I want th
Chapter Five A nervous acid churned in Hailey’s stomach as soon as she saw several cars parked in Delinda’s driveway. She was out of the car and halfway up the stairs of the main house before Pete had time to offer her a hand. The front door opened. Michael had that anxious look on his face again. “Mrs. Westerly probably should have asked you—” “Yes, she should have. Who’s here? Who is she introducing Skye to?” Just then a small herd of children squeezed by Michael and burst down the steps. One of them, a boy who looked about Skye’s age, stopped right in front of Hailey and called over his shoulder, “False alarm. It’s just some lady.” The group turned in unison and stampeded back into the house. Real panic rose within Hailey. She and the therapist had plans to introduce children back into Skye’s life. It had to be done carefully so as not to traumatize her. “Where’s Skye?” Hailey asked in a high pitch. “She’s inside,” Michael said. “If I might be so bold as to suggest—”
Hailey pushed p
Chapter Six After three outfit changes and two panicked drive-bys, Hailey parked her car in front of Mangiarelli’s. It was better if no one knew she was meeting Spencer. She grabbed her purse off the passenger-side seat and scanned the parking lot. There were no other cars. She looked down at the clock on the dashboard. Five minutes late. And he’s not here. There was a slim chance he was inside. Mangiarelli’s was within walking distance of their old college. Would he have parked there? Perhaps re-creating even that part of their old visits. Dressed in a navy pantsuit, Hailey stepped out of her car and entered the restaurant with her head held high. If he doesn’t show, that will be a different kind of closure. I’ll know that despite what he says, he really doesn’t care. Lunch had always been a busy time at the pizzeria, and it still was. Most of the tables were occupied by what looked like college students. She scanned the crowd. Groups of friends. Men. Women. Mixed tables. Some were la
Chapter Seven Hailey took a sip of the soda the waitress had delivered and asked herself why it had been so important to see Spencer. Is it loneliness and loss that brought me here, or something more? Am I trying to recapture part of the past? What was Delinda hoping would come out of us meeting up? Did she want confirmation that it wouldn’t be a problem for her family? Or was she playing matchmaker? I wish I knew which outcome ends my employment with her. Is there any way to do this without risking everything? “Promise me something.” “Anything.” “Don’t tell anyone about today or that we’re talking again. Okay?” He didn’t look happy with her request. “Why not?” I should just say it now—clear the air. Spencer, I’m working for your grandmother. Yeah, that would go over well. What if he has a problem with me being there? Am I willing to accept the consequences when I’m not the one it might hurt the most? I have to be smart about this. There must be an option that leaves all of us in a bet
Chapter Eight Hailey put the air conditioner on full blast. She was overheating, but it had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. Seeing Spencer again had been a million times more intense than she’d anticipated. People don’t meet up after nearly a decade apart and—bam—feel like that for each other again. That doesn’t happen. Does it? She clenched the steering wheel as she drove. Holy shit, no wonder I slept with him in college. But that doesn’t mean I will this time. I’m older, wiser. I understand now that just because something feels good doesn’t mean it is good. One good conversation does not make a relationship, or even a friendship. I have too much to lose to jump into anything. She stopped at a red light and cursed. Why did he have to say all the right things? Why couldn’t he be the dick he describes himself as? It would have been easy to know what to do then. Friends. Who am I kidding? Her thoughts went back to how his kiss had seared through her. One touch. One look. T
Chapter Nine On Saturday morning, after leaving Skye happily hunting through rocky tide pools for crustaceans with Mrs. Holihen, Hailey drove her own car toward a nearby beach to meet Spencer. Although she’d told him she only wanted to be friends, the spa day with Delinda had left her feeling young and beautiful. She hadn’t realized how little attention she’d given herself until Skye said she looked like a princess in the designer dresses she’d tried on. It was a day Hailey would hold dear in her memories, because it had simply been fun. No pressure. No guilt. Just a lot of laughter and silliness as Delinda looked on with a smile. We all needed that. Although Hailey had refused to let Delinda buy her a whole new wardrobe, she had accepted the cotton summer dress she was wearing and one slip dress by another designer that fit her to perfection. It hadn’t seemed right to put such an expensive summer dress over a bathing suit, but that was what she’d gotten it for. She’d chosen a peach bi
Chapter Ten That night, after tucking Skye in bed, Hailey took the remaining craft supplies off the kitchen table in the guesthouse and tucked them away in a cabinet. When she finished, she sat down with the four freshly painted sets of wooden nesting dolls. Each said something about its creator. Delinda chose to draw cats of various colors. She’d chosen a traditional style, and the result rivaled the quality of any Hailey had ever seen in a store. Michael attempted to paint Star Wars characters with hilarious results. They all ended up looking vaguely like who he said they were. Everyone had fun guessing, and he didn’t seem to mind when they guessed wrong. Hailey found a design for robots that made Skye laugh, so she did her best to re-create them. They weren’t perfect, but Skye was playing with them even before they’d dried and that was good enough for Hailey. Skye had stared at her unpainted wooden dolls for a long time before snapping her fingers and saying, “I’ll do it by age. Del
Chapter Eleven Later that week, Hailey was sitting in the wooden bleachers of a large indoor arena, watching Skye take her second riding lesson. Delinda had wanted to come, but Hailey had convinced her to give Skye a chance to decide for herself if she liked the barn’s instructor. Although both Delinda and Skye had been disappointed, Hailey was trusting her instincts on this one. Going along with whatever Delinda wanted was easier, but Hailey wanted more for Skye. Skye needed to be confident enough to choose her own path—even if it ended up not being one that Delinda approved of. That kind of strength could only come from having time apart as well as together. None of that conversation had been easy to have with Delinda. Especially considering that Skye had just been accepted to Sterling Waters, the private school many of the children at the barn attended. Skye had even expressed excitement about attending that school in the fall. There weren’t words to describe how good it felt to wat
Chapter Twelve Saturday evening, still hungry after devouring a high-priced meal of minuscule proportions, Hailey took a sip of wine while letting her eyes wander over Spencer’s chiseled features. He is too damn good-looking. She was glad she’d chosen to wear the second dress Delinda bought for her, a formfitting, knee-length emerald frock with spaghetti straps, because otherwise she would have felt dowdy next to him. He’d casually thrown a jacket over a button-down shirt and gray slacks, and somehow he looked as if he could model the outfit. Some people looked good in anything. And nothing. Oh yes, she remembered too well what was under his clothing. Hailey tore her gaze from his and glanced around. More than one woman was shamelessly trying to catch his attention despite the fact that he was with someone. Handsome, confident, and in the news for making a name in the tech industry—Spencer could have probably left the restaurant with half the women in the place. And according to Instag
Chapter Thirteen As an awkward silence dragged on, Hailey cursed herself for essentially vomiting her fears at his feet. “I’m sorry. That’s not a fair question.” He held his hand over hers, where it lay on his chest. “Maybe not, but I’ve asked myself the same thing.” “And?” She held her breath and waited. “Partying didn’t fix anything. Avoiding my family didn’t work, either. I thought if everyone left me alone long enough, I’d feel better. No such luck. Lately I’ve been talking to my family again. I thought I had my shit together, but I don’t know.” “You’re talking to your family again?” Maybe now is the time to tell him about Delinda. His smile was gentle. “Some of them. What you said was a wake-up call for me.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “I didn’t mean what I said about not needing you.” His face lowered until his lips were just above hers, but the kiss she expected didn’t come. His breath was a tickle. I can tell him later. “Run secluded beach three,” Spenc
Chapter Fourteen Sunday afternoon, in the shade of a huge oak tree, Hailey reclined on a cushioned lawn chair next to Delinda and tried not to think about why Spencer hadn’t texted or called her yet that day. She didn’t want to believe he was the type to bolt after he got what he wanted, but it would fit with his online reputation. Either way, we’re going to be okay because we have to be. Skye and her new friend, Kim, were sitting on the lawn playing with a litter of fluffy Yorkshire terrier puppies. “We’re not getting a dog,” Hailey said between sips of lemonade. “We don’t have the time or room for one. Especially now that we
spend so many nights at the barn.” Delinda fanned her face with the information sheet the breeder had handed her. “These are teacups. The mother was six pounds. The father was barely five. People carry them around in their purses. How much trouble could one be?” “Skye doesn’t need a dog, Delinda.” “They aren’t for her.” Delinda waved the breeder over and pointed
Chapter Fifteen Hailey was in the guesthouse, checking in on Skye’s lesson, when she heard a squeal of tires in the driveway and rushed to the window. Her heart leapt to her throat when she realized it was Spencer’s car. He parked in front of the main house and took the steps two at a time. Even from a distance she could tell he was furious. “Please keep Skye here,” Hailey said in a hurry. “What’s the matter, Auntie Hailey?” Skye asked. Hailey forced a smile. “Nothing, sweetie, I just remembered that Delinda asked me to be there for some business she’s conducting. It’s all really boring adult stuff. Mrs. Holihen, if she finishes her lessons early, maybe you could take her to the park?” “That sounds like a wonderful plan,” Mrs. Holihen said before tapping the table to bring Skye’s attention back to the paper they were working on. Hailey walked as casually as she could to their door and down the steps. As soon as she knew she was out of view of the guesthouse, she sprinted the rest of th
Chapter Sixteen In the kitchen, with Hope in hand, Hailey froze when she heard Spencer at the door. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him. She wanted nothing more than to throw open the door, jump into his arms, and let their passion chase away her doubts. Life didn’t work that way. “Hailey?” She walked over to the door but didn’t open it. “Go away, Spencer.” “I’m not going anywhere until we talk.” She put Hope down, then placed a hand against the inside of the door. Opening it would be so easy. Forgetting the scene back at the main house wouldn’t be. We were all wrong. Delinda manipulated me. I wasn’t honest with Spencer, and he wasn’t honest with me. We all thought we knew what was best and look where it brought us—here we are crashing against the shore again. It was all too good to be real . . . “The person you should be talking to is Delinda. She’s obviously willing to do anything to get your attention.” “What she did was wrong, Hailey. I’m not defending her choices, but I unde