The Scarlet Wedding

by Lorana Hoopes

  The stress on the word other led Calvin to believe Chris was asking for help in hiding, making, or selling drugs. All things Calvin would never do. He sucked in a deep breath as he thought about his answer. “I love you Chris, I do, but I won't do anything illegal, not even for you.”

  Chris nodded, his shaggy brown hair swishing against his pale skin. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks for the food though.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  After one final awkward stare, Chris shuffled to the front door. As the door closed behind him, Calvin leaned against it and sighed. Giving tough love was not easy, and he hoped he was doing the right thing.

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  Chapter 15

  A Free Story For You

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  The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet

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

  Read on for a taste of The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet….

  Chapter 16

  The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet Preview

  Brie Carter fell back spread eagle on her queen-sized canopy bed sending her blond 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 don’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.

  “You gonna bust that one too?” His co-worker Brendan appeared by his side. Brendan was the opposite of Jesse in nearly every way. Where Jesse’s hair was a dark copper, Brendan’s was nearly black. Jesse sported paler skin and a dusting of freckles across his nose, but Brendan’s skin was naturally dark and freckle free.

  Jesse flashed a crooked grin, but kept his eyes on the small, swinging black bag. The speed bag was his way to release, but a few times he had started hitting while still too keyed up and he had ruptured the bag. Okay, five times, but who was counting really? Besides, it was a better way to calm his nerves than other things he could choose. Drinking, fights, gambling, women.

  “Nah, I think this one will last a little longer.” His shoulders began to burn, and he gave the bag another few punches for good measure before dropping his arms and letting it swing to a stop. “See? It lives to be hit at least another day.” Every once in a while, Jesse missed training the way he used to. Before he joined the force, he had been an amateur boxer, on his way to being a pro, but a shoulder injury had delayed his training and forced him to consider something else. It had eventually healed, but by then he had lost his edge.

  “Hey, why don’t you come drink with us?” Brendan clapped a hand on Jesse’s shoulder as they headed into the locker room.

  “You know I don’t drink.” Jesse often felt like the outsider of the team. While half of the six-man team was married, the other half found solace in empty bottles and meaningless relationships. Jesse understood that - their job was such that they never knew if they would come home night after night - but he still couldn’t partake.

  Brendan opened his locker and pulled out a clean shirt. He peeled off his current one and added deodorant before tugging on the new one. “You don’t have to drink. Look, I won’t drink either. Just come and hang out with us. You have no one waiting for you at home.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. Jesse had Bugsy, his Boston Terrier, but he understood Brendan’s point. Most days, Jesse went home, fed Bugsy, made dinner, and fell asleep watching TV on the couch. It wasn’t much of a life. “All right, I’ll go, but I’m not drinking.”

  Brendan’s lips pulled back to reveal his perfectly white teeth. He bragged about them, but Jesse knew they were veneers. “That’s the spirit. Hurry up and change. We don’t want to leave the rest of the team waiting.”

  “Is everyone coming?” Jesse pulled out his shower necessities. Brendan might feel comfortable going out with just a new application of deodorant, but Jesse needed to wash more than just dirt and sweat off. He needed to wash the sound of the bullets and the sight of lifeless bodies from his mind.

  “Yeah, Pat’s wife is pregnant again and demanding some crazy food concoctions. Pat agreed to pick them up if she let him have an hour. Cam and Jared’s wives are having a girls’ night, so the whole gang can be together. It will be nice to hang out when we aren’t worried about being shot at.”

  “Fine. Give me ten minutes. Unlike you, I like to clean up before I go out.”

  Brendan smirked. “I’ve never had any complaints. Besides, do you know how long it takes me to get my hair like this?”

  Jesse shook his head as he walked into the shower, but he knew it was true. Brendan had rugged good looks and muscles to match. He rarely had a hard time finding a woman. Jesse on the other hand hadn’t dated anyone in the last few months. It wasn’t t
hat he hadn’t been looking, but he was quieter than his teammates. And he wasn’t looking for right now. He was looking for forever. He just hadn’t found it yet.

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  The Story Doesn’t End!

  You’ve met a few people and fallen in love….

  * * *

  I bet you’re wondering how you can meet everyone else.

  Star Lake Series:

  Sealed with a Kiss: Meet the quirky cast of Star Lake and find out if Max and Layla will ever find love.

  When Love Returns: Return to Star Lake to hear Presley’s story and find out if she gets the second chance with her first love.

  Once Upon a Star: Continue the journey when aspiring actress Audrey returns home with a baby. Will Blake finally get the nerve to share his feelings with her?

  Love Conquers All: Meet Lanie Perkins Hall who never imagined being divorced at thirty or falling for an old friend, but will his secrets keep them apart?

  The Star Lake Collection: Get the latter three stories in one place. Series will include book 1 when it releases around November 2020.

  The Heartbeats Series:

  Where It All Began: Sandra Baker finds forgiveness and healing even after making a horrible choice.

  The Power of Prayer: Will Callie Green find true love or be defined by her mistake?

  When Hearts Collide: When Amanda Adams goes to college, she finds a world she was not ready for. But will she also find true love?

  A Past Forgiven: Jess Peterson has lived a life of abuse and lost her self worth, but when she finds herself pregnant, will she find new hope?

  The Heartbeats Collection: Grab all four Heartbeats novels in one collection

  Sweet Billionaires Series:

  The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet: Can a spoiled rich girl change when a bet turns to love?

  The Billionaire’s Secret: Can a playboy settle down when he finds out he has a daughter who needs him?

  A Brush with a Billionaire: What happens when a stuck up actor lands in a small town and needs help from a female mechanic?

  The Billionaire’s Christmas Miracle: A twist on a Cinderella story when a billionaire meets a woman who doesn’t belong at the ball.

  The Billionaire’s Cowboy Groom: Will one night six years ago keep Carrie from finding true love?

  The Cowboy Billionaire: Coming Soon!

  The Billionaire’s Bliss: This collection contains The Billionaire’s Secret, The Billionaire’s Christmas Miracle, and The Billionaire’s Cowboy Groom

  The Lawkeeper Series:

  Lawfully Matched: When the man she agreed to marry turns out to have a dark past, will Kate have to return home or will she find love with her rescuer in this historical fiction?

  Lawfully Justified: Can a bounty hunter and a widow find love together in this historical fiction?

  The Scarlet Wedding: William and Emma are planning their wedding, but an outbreak and a return from his past force them to change their plans. Is a happily ever after still in their future in this historical fiction?

  Lawfully Redeemed: What happens when a K9 cop falls for the brother of her suspect? Contemporary romance.

  The Lawkeeper Collection: Get all four books in one collection

  The Are You Listening Series:

  The Still Small Voice: Will Jordan listen to God’s prompting in this speculative fiction?

  A Spark in the Darkness Will Jordan be able to help Raven before the rapture occurs?

  Blushing Brides Series:

  The Cowboy’s Reality Bride: He’s agreed to be the bachelor on a reality dating show, but what happens when he falls for a woman who’s not one of the contestants?

  The Reality Bride’s Baby: Laney wants nothing more than a baby, but when she starts feeling dizzy is it pregnancy or something more serious?

  The Producer’s Unlikely Bride: What happens when a producer and an author agree to a fake relationship?

  Ava’s Blessing in Disguise: Five years after marriage, Ava faces a mysterious illness that threatens to ruin her career. Will she find out what it is?

  The Soldier’s Steadfast Bride: coming soon

  The Men of Fire Beach

  Fire Games: Cassidy returns home from Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy to find obsessive letters from a fan. The cop assigned to help her wants to get back to his case, but what she sees at a fire may just be the key he’s looking for.

  Lost Memories and New Beginnings: A doctor, a patient with no memory, the men out to get her. Can he keep her safe when he doesn’t know who he’s looking for?

  When Questions Abound: A Companion story to Lost Memories. Told from Detective Graves’ point of view.

  Never Forget the Past: Fireman Bubba must confront his past in order to clear his name and save lives.

  Love on the Run: Graham is forced into lockdown with one of his employees. Will he be able to save her from her ex and will she steal his heart?

  Secrets and Suspense: Cara Hunter is hiding something about her military past. When she’s suspected of murder, will she be able to convince Cole she’s the victim?

  The Men of Fire Beach Collection: Books 1-3

  Texas Tornadoes

  Defending My Heart: Forced to confront his past, Emmitt finds news that will change his life.

  Run With My Heart: Sentenced to community service, Tucker finds himself falling for the manager.

  Love on the Line: Blaine has hired Kenzi to redo his cabin, but what happens when she finds his darkest secret?

  Touchdown on Love: When Mason’s injury throws him together with ex-girlfriend, will sparks fly again?

  Second Chance Reception: Jefferson is hiding something. When he falls for the team cook, will he let her in?

  Small Town Short Stories

  Small Town Dreams

  Small Town Second Chances

  Small Town Rivals

  Small Town Life

  Life in a Small Town: All four stories in one collection

  Stand Alones:

  Love Renewed: This books is part of the multi author second chance series. When fate reunites high school sweethearts separated by life’s choices, can they find a second chance at love at a snowy lodge amid a little mystery?

  * * *

  Her children’s early reader chapter book series:

  The Wishing Stone #1: Dangerous Dinosaur

  The Wishing Stone #2: Dragon Dilemma

  The Wishing Stone #3: Mesmerizing Mermaids

  The Wishing Stone #4: Pyramid Puzzle

  The Wishing Stone: Mary’s Miracle

  The Wishing Stone Collection

  To see a list of all her books

  authorloranahoopes.com

  loranahoopes@gmail.com

  About The Author

  Lorana Hoopes is an inspirational author originally from Texas but now living in the PNW with her husband and three children. When not writing, she can be seen kickboxing at the gym, singing, or acting on stage. One day, she hopes to retire from teaching and write full time.