The vows were clean and simple and true. Within no time, we were married. We kissed, and our guests erupted into cheers and claps. Even the dogs barked their approval.
Alice laughed, and I swept her into a playful hug and swung her around. I’d found my lifelong partner, my shining muse, and I was never letting her go.
* * *
Don’t miss Tracy’s story
as the Daughters of Country
series continues in
Wild Nashville Ways
by Sheri WhiteFeather!
Available July 2020
from Harlequin Desire.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Scandalous Engagement by Jules Bennett.
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Scandalous Engagement
by Jules Bennett
One
Josie Coleman flung open the front door of her beachfront home and rolled her eyes.
“I’ve told you for years to just come on in,” she exclaimed as she stepped back. “Why do you insist on knocking?”
Her best friend, Reese Conrad, shrugged like he always did when he refused to just walk into her home, where he was always welcome. She always just walked right into his house when she stopped by. They didn’t live far from each other on this stretch of beach in Sandpiper Cove, North Carolina. It was one of the things she treasured about the place.
“Respect,” he replied in that low, gravelly tone of his.
She always asked the same question and he always gave the same one-word response. She’d also offered him a key, but he always said he didn’t need one because he only stopped by when she was home.
Typically, they were either at his place, out on his yacht or traveling together when their schedules permitted.
“I thought you were out of town on a work trip.” Josie walked through the spacious open layout of her living room and headed back toward the wall of open glass doors leading to her patio. “I’m having coffee if you want to join me.”
“It’s five o’clock in the evening.”
She stopped and threw a glance over her shoulder. “What does that have to do with the love of coffee?”
He laughed and shook his head. Like he didn’t know her mad love of coffee?
“I’m good,” he replied as he followed her out onto the outdoor living area. “And I cut my trip short because I had seen all I needed to see.”
Something crossed through his eyes, something almost...sad. Reese was usually the happiest guy she knew. He had everything—a successful career in the restaurant industry, parents who doted on him and loved him unconditionally, her as a best friend. What more could he need?
Yet something was off.
“Everything all right?” Josie asked as she settled into her lounger and curled her hands around her favorite coffee mug, the one Reese had given her last Christmas.
Reese shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced out at the horizon. It was impossible to be in a bad mood with this view, but she couldn’t get a bead on what was going through his head. That was a first. They always knew each other’s thoughts. They could be at a party or in a crowded room and one look at each other and they’d smile or nod, knowing exactly what the other had on their mind.
There was something to be said for the unique bond between lifelong besties.
“Honestly—”
Her shrill ringtone cut off anything he was about to admit. Josie sat her mug back on the glass table and picked up her cell, then muttered a string of curses.
“What now?” she answered, totally not in the mood for her ex-husband.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Reese staring at her. Reese knew the mess she’d gotten into by marrying the wrong guy on a whim. The marriage had been a mistake and she was still trying to figure out how she’d temporarily lost her mind and agreed to marry a man she didn’t love.
Oh, Chris was a nice guy; he just wasn’t for her, and lately he’d been trying to win her back. There was no going back.
“Listen, I’m not trying to be rude,” she said now into the phone, “but it’s not going to happen. We’re divorced for a reason.” She sat up and swung her legs to the side. “You’re a great guy, but we’re just not good together, Chris.”
Yet he’d been calling and texting more and more. Josie could see where Chris would be confused. They’d only dated for three months before they’d up and eloped. Never in her life had she made rash choices—she prided herself on being just as regimented and predictable as her military father—yet she’d been spontaneous with one of the most important decisions of her life.
For someone normally so methodical about her life, that rush to the courthouse had been completely out of character. But Reese had just gotten engaged and that act had made her wonder if she should be entering the next chapter in her life as well.
Obviously, the answer had been no.
Now here they were: she was divorced and Reese had a broken engagement. Maybe they just needed to stay as they were, as they had been for years. They were happy hanging out and traveling together. Having significant others enter the mix would only mess up their perfect best-friend vibe.
But she had yet to get Chris to understand her point of view. Unfortunately, no matter how much she told him she wasn’t getting back together with him, he didn’t get it. Maybe if he believed there was someone else he would realize there was absolutely no room for him in her life.
“I’ve moved on,” she blurted into the phone as she came to her feet. Josie darted her gaze to Reese, who merely raised his brows in surprise. “That’s right. He’s here right now, so I have to go.”
Josie disconnected the call and tossed her cell onto the lounger she’d just vacated. Reese continued to stare at her, but she just sighed and shrugged.
“He’s getting relentless,” she defended. “I had to say something.”
“So I’m your rebound guy?”
Josie smiled, feeling a tiny bit guilty for using Reese. “He doesn’t know who’s here, and it was the first thing that came into my head. He has to think I’ve moved on with someone else or he’ll keep wasting his time trying to win me back. He has to let it go.”
She crossed the patio and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I used you as the scapegoat. Let’s forget about Chris. What were you getting ready to say before?” she asked.
“I went to Green Valley, Tennessee,” he told her. “It wasn’t just about business.”
Josie dropped her arm and wiggled her brows. “Something personal? A woman?”
He hadn’t dated since he’d ended things with his fiancée nearly a year ago. He’d been too busy taking over his family’s posh restaurant empire, with establishments up and down the East Coast. Recently his father had suffered a heart attack, which led to open-heart surgery. Reese’s parents were now at some tropical resort to celebrate his life and their new retirement.
So what had Reese been doing in Tennessee if the trip didn’t pertain to his business?
Before he could explain further, the doorbell chimed and echoed through the house and out the patio doors. Why did she have to keep getting interrupted when she was just trying to get the scoop on her friend, who obviously had something serious going on?
“Sorry about that,” she told him as she came to her feet. “I’m not expecting anyone, so just give me one second.”
Josie crossed the living area to the foyer and glanced through the sidelight. Seriously? What would it take for Chris to get the hint?
On a frustrated sigh, Josie opened
the door. Her ex stood before her. The man was tall and strong, and always took pride in his athletic build. He wasn’t unattractive. He just wasn’t the right guy for her. If she could keep him in the friend zone, that would be fine, but he didn’t want to accept that.
“Chris,” Josie groaned. “We just hung up.”
“I know, I know, but I had just pulled up to your house when I called and I only want a few minutes of your time.”
Chris stared at Josie with his heart in his eyes and she wanted to tell him to go out with some dignity, for pity’s sake.
“I only wanted five minutes in person,” Chris explained. “That’s all. Just five minutes.”
“Chris, we’re not doing this again. We’re not meant for each other.”
“But what if we are?”
Before she could respond, Reese’s arm slid around her waist and he pulled her against his side.
“Everything all right, babe?”
Babe? What the hell was he doing?
She glanced from Reese to Chris and remembered what she’d said earlier. Well, damn. Looked like she’d caused a minor mess here.
Chris’s eyes went from Josie, to Reese, and back again.
“Can we talk alone?” he implored.
“Say what you want,” Reese stated with a smile. “My fiancée doesn’t keep secrets from me. Right, lover?”
Was he out of his ever-loving mind? She didn’t need his help, and he was making this uncomfortable situation an impossible one.
Engaged? That was taking things a bit far. She’d only mentioned that she’d moved on, not that she’d moved on and was ready to walk down the aisle again.
“You’re marrying this guy?” Chris asked. “I always knew there was something more than friends going on with you two. Were you seeing him the entire time we were together?”
“What? No, of course not,” she said defensively, wondering how she could circle around and restart this conversation with less chaos and confusion.
“As you can see, Josie is not available,” Reese added with another squeeze of her hip. “We’re getting ready to go out for the evening.”
His hand dipped down over the curve of her hip and too many thoughts and emotions hit her at once. First, why was he being so handsy? Second, was she enjoying this?
She shouldn’t have a rush of tingles from her best friend’s touch. It wasn’t like they’d never touched before.
But they’d never touched like this. Not in a faux intimate way.
And it was like something shifted between them.
He was so firm, so strong, and he smelled too damn good.
No.
She shouldn’t be thinking of Reese’s muscle tone and his cologne. That would only lead to trouble, right?
Yes, trouble with a big fat capital T.
The last time she’d let herself step outside her comfort zone, she’d found herself married to the wrong man.
Reese was her friend.
Her best friend.
And she needed to keep him in that zone. She liked her life nice and tidy. She liked having everything, and everyone, in their own place.
But that excellent muscle tone...
To save her sanity, Josie extracted herself from Reese and offered Chris a sympathetic smile.
“I do hope you can move on,” she told him. “There’s a woman out there for you. She’s just not me.”
Chris’s expression went from disbelief, to anger, to...hell, she wasn’t sure, but the man wasn’t happy.
His eyes scrutinized her. “Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you’re not even wearing a ring. You deserve better. You know I treated you like a queen.”
Before Josie could reply, Reese stepped forward.
“What she deserves and doesn’t deserve is none of your concern anymore. You’ve had more than that five minutes you asked for.”
Without another word, Reese stepped aside and slammed the door in Chris’s face. Josie stared at the space that had just been open and couldn’t believe Reese had the audacity to...to...
“Are you serious?” she exclaimed.
Reese turned and started back toward her patio as if he hadn’t just acted like a complete jerk. She marched right after him. This was her house, her ex, and Reese wasn’t just going to do whatever he wanted and manipulate the situation to his liking!
“Are you going to explain yourself?” she demanded as she stepped outside.
Reese shrugged and took a seat on the sofa. “Explain what? He called and you told him you were in a relationship, so when he showed up, obviously I’m the one who had to play the role.”
Josie tucked her hair behind her ears and crossed her arms over her chest. In the last twenty minutes, her ex-husband had said he truly believed they could get back together and her best friend had claimed to be her fiancé. Even stalling for a few seconds trying to gather her thoughts didn’t calm her mood or give her any more clarity...especially over the fact that she’d liked Reese’s touch more than she should.
“Engaged seems a little over-the-top, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Not really. The guy is persistent. You have to push back with people like that. Subtlety isn’t something they understand.”
“Oh, an engagement and slamming the door in his face were far from subtle hints.”
He offered her a wink and a grin. “You’re welcome.”
Josie growled and clenched her fists. Reese might be her very best friend, but he could be quite infuriating at times...in an adorable kind of way. He meant well, but sometimes that alpha quality took over and common sense vanished.
“Better drink your coffee before it gets cold,” he added, pointing to her forgotten mug.
Josie reached for the drink and crossed to where he sat with that smug smirk on his face.
“I really want to throw this in your face,” she grumbled.
“Aw, darling. Is that anyway to treat your new fiancé? Be nice or I won’t get you that ring you need.”
“You know he’s going to tell people what just happened,” she informed him. “We’re both in the public eye. How will we dodge this?”
If she had a job where people didn’t recognize her or didn’t know her name, Reese’s engagement claim wouldn’t be a big deal. But considering Reese was a billionaire mogul splashed all over the internet right now for taking over his family’s empire, and she was an influencer and columnist for the country’s top-selling magazine, there was no way an engagement between them would go unnoticed.
“I’m not too worried about the public.” Reese shrugged. Again with that damn shrug, like this was no big deal. “Just wait and see how it plays out. He may surprise you by keeping quiet, or we may need to play it up. What kind of stone would you like in your ring?”
Josie narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to need to switch to wine for this conversation.”
Ignoring his chuckle, she stepped back into her house and moved into the kitchen. From her vantage point at the wine fridge, Josie stared out at Reese, who didn’t seem to mind that he’d just upended both of their lives. He simply sat in one of the sturdy wicker chairs and stared out at the horizon.
When he’d first arrived today, he’d said he needed to talk. All she’d managed to learn was that he’d been away on personal business. If it hadn’t concerned a woman, then what else would it be? He didn’t have much of a social life. If he went out to dinners, they were all work-related, and the majority of the time, those dinners were in his own restaurant.
The man worked like a maniac, and that was saying something coming from Cocktails & Classy’s most celebrated columnist. Josie never took a day off either, but at least she could work from home and only travel to the headquarters in Atlanta when she absolutely had to. Reese traveled all over, constantly on the lookout for new ways to keep his restaurants
fresh and upscale.
She poured a glass of pinot and swirled the contents before heading back out. She never got tired of the ocean breeze, and she always slid open the wall of glass doors when she was home. The added outdoor living space was what had sold her on this house right after her divorce.
Now that she’d calmed down a little, Josie stepped around the coffee table and took a seat on the sofa across from Reese.
“Want to tell me why you got so territorial?” she asked.
He propped his feet on the coffee table and laced his fingers behind his head as he stared at her, since she now blocked his line of sight to the ocean.
“Besides the fact that he was the wrong man for you to marry in the first place? I was trying to help you out.”
Josie took a sip and set her glass on the table before leaning forward and keeping her gaze locked on his. “I can fight my own battles.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he retorted.
While she appreciated the way he was always ready to protect her, she didn’t need him to. His failed engagement and her failed marriage had really opened her eyes to the fact that there was no rush to move on to what was expected. Who said she had to get married right now? There was no magical age when she had to be married, and who said she had to be married at all?
But she knew Reese might want a family and a married life of his own.
The day would come when he would find the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
The thought unsettled her. Or maybe it was that Josie could still feel his fingertips along her waist and her hip. She shouldn’t still be tingling in those spots, but she was—which was both confusing and frustrating.
Josie’s cell buzzed on the table and she glanced to the screen at the same time Reese muttered a curse. Chris’s name popped up with an unread message.
“He’s still not taking the hint?” Reese asked. “I slammed the door in his face.”
She didn’t bother opening the text; she would deal with it later...or not.
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