Don't Break My Heart (Return to Redemption, Book 6)

by Laurie Kellogg

  Don’t Break My Heart

  The Return to Redemption Series—Book 6

  by

  Romance Writers of America®

  Golden Heart® Award-winning author

  Laurie Kellogg

  Remember Luke and Sabrina from A Heart Decision?

  Catch up with old friends at their wedding,

  and join the town of Redemption celebrating!

  Architect Justin Riverá recently lost his best friend and business partner to cancer. Before his widowed buddy died, Justin agreed to become his fifteen-year-old goddaughter’s legal guardian. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know a thing about raising a teenage girl or have the slightest clue how to cheer up Haley, who’s facing her first Christmas without her parents. When his brother’s family (which includes Haley’s best friend), are invited to Luke and Sabrina’s Christmas Eve destination wedding—which involves a three-day vacation at a mountain ski resort—his brother insists they should join them for the holiday. For Haley’s sake, Justin agrees, never suspecting one of the other guests is his first and only love, who, for some mysterious reason, disappeared sixteen years ago, deserting her family and all of her friends—including him.

  When high school counselor Trisha Mason sees her unforgettable college boyfriend at a wedding, she’s tempted to run the other way. Much to her dismay, he’s hunkier than ever, and his goddaughter is a determined matchmaker. Consequently, when Justin attempts to resume their relationship by seducing Trisha, she can’t resist falling into bed and in love with him all over again. She’s always had a soft spot for troubled teens, and would love to be Justin’s wife and Haley’s stand-in mom. But despite being eager to spend more time with her in and out of bed, Justin still seems as anti-marriage as he was in college. Regrettably, Trisha has no choice but to end their fling after their vacation. Otherwise, she’ll be forced to confess her secret.

  Don’t Break My Heart

  Copyright 2014 Laurie Kellogg

  LK Books

  All rights reserved

  ISBN-13: 9781938618154

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations. Thank you for respecting this author’s hard work.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are used only to provide authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, places, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance between the novel’s characters and setting and actual individuals or places is completely coincidental. All inaccuracies or mistakes are the author’s and accidental. The author apologizes for any factual discrepancies or typographical errors. If you find any, please contact the author so she can correct them for future copies.

  Editor

  Gwynlyn MacKenzie

  Copy Editor

  Heidi Luchterhand

  Beta Reader

  Elizabeth Walls

  Proofreader

  Kristi Judd

  Author’s Note

  Many readers have e-mailed me and expressed an eagerness to see more of the characters from previous Return to Redemption books. When I wrote the ending for A Heart Decision, I thought, what better way to give readers a chance to visit with the citizens of Redemption than at a destination wedding and holiday getaway.

  Consequently, when I planned Justin and Trisha’s reunion story, I knew I had to bring them back together at Luke and Sabrina’s reception.

  To avoid any confusion for those who haven’t read previous stories in the Return to Redemption series, I’ve included a reference guide at the back of the book to help identify the characters and which books they’ve appeared in. This guide will also help refresh the memory of readers who have already enjoyed the previous books in the series.

  Dedication

  Since this novel includes all the past Redemption heroes and heroines—who my editors worked tirelessly to ensure remained heroic and in character—I’m happy to dedicate this story to the two women who help polish my stories.

  To Gwynlyn and Heidi, the wind beneath my wings.

  I wouldn’t want to do this without you!

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Author’s Note

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  EPILOGUE

  Laurie’s complete book list

  About the Author

  Excerpt of Baby, I’m Back

  CHAPTER 1

  Acknowledgements

  Character Guide

  CHAPTER 1

  “I get why you’re going to this stupid wedding, but why do I have to go, too?” Haley whined as her overnight bag thumped down the steps behind her. “I’ve never even met these freakin’ people.”

  Justin Riverá gritted his teeth and paced the living room while mentally counting in reverse from a hundred. “You have met the bride. She was Dani’s nurse during the induction phase of her chemo.”

  “That was like a zillion years ago.”

  In reality, less than five years had passed since his niece developed leukemia and he spent several weeks preventing his brother, Nick, from strangling the doctors because they couldn’t guarantee his daughter would survive. Although, to be fair, Justin supposed gross exaggeration was typical for a hormonal teenager.

  Haley jammed her arms into the down-filled parka he held for her. “You expect me to remember some woman I met at a hospital when I was eleven and my best friend was about to die?”

  Eighty-seven, eighty-six, eighty-five....

  When he’d assumed custody of his best friend and business partner’s orphaned daughter six months ago, his patience countdowns had begun at ten. He’d always had a soft spot for Haley, but while caring for her through her dad’s illness and death, he’d grown to love her as much as if she were his. Nonetheless, after weeks of arguing night and day with F. Lee Haley, his cool-off time had stretched to fifty seconds. Then last month, she’d secretly begun cutting school to lie in bed all day and stare at the ceiling, and he’d had to raise it to a hundred.

  Today, counting down from a thousand might not be enough to keep him from exploding.

  His nails bit into his clenched palms while he reminded himself what Jake Manion, the psychologist who lived across the road from Nick, had said. ‘Your job as her guardian is to set limits and make her feel safe and loved—not to make her like you.’

  “And what do you mean you ‘get’ why I’m going?” He pulled his gloves on. “Why do you think I’m attending this wedding?”

  “There’s gonna be a lot of single, desperate bridesmaids for you to hit on, aren’t there? You haven’t dated anyone since you moved in to take care of my dad.”

  He’d actually moved in to supervise her after Marc became too ill to handle the job. But he’d never tell her that.

  “Dani told me her dad calls you Justin-One-Night because you date women and break up with them in less than twenty-four hours. Dani thinks you’ve lost your touch as the king of one-night stands. If I stay home, you’ll have a chance to get lucky.”

  He didn’t even want to contemplate what she knew about getting lucky. “I’ll worry about my own love life, thank you. I don’t need your help.” Besides, she’d be sharing a hotel room with Dani, so even if the opportunity to hook up
with a woman presented itself, having Haley along would be no real obstacle.

  “Come on! I’m almost sixteen. Why can’t you just leave me here and go by yourself?”

  And come home in three days to find her overdosed on sleeping pills or in the bathtub with her wrists slit? No way. She’d scared the hell out of him the previous week. He’d had trouble waking her one morning because she’d taken a heavy dose of Benadryl at three a.m. because she couldn’t sleep.

  He’d been taking her for grief counseling with Jake once a week to make sure her understandable depression hadn’t made her suicidal. Even though Manion had assured him she was coping and showed no signs of wanting to die, Justin still had his doubts. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

  If any teenager had cause to consider killing herself, Haley did. She’d experienced way too much loss for a kid her age. First, a drunk driver had killed her mother, Lindsey, when Haley was only thirteen, and more recently her father had died of asbestos related lung cancer.

  Despite Dani’s leukemia being in remission long enough to make a relapse highly unlikely, he knew Haley still feared losing her best friend in addition to her parents.

  “Well?” She waved her hand in front of his face, proving he’d zoned out. “Why can’t I stay home?”

  Before he could press his lips together, the four final words of authority he’d hated as a kid rushed out with a little more volume than he’d intended. “Because I said so!”

  For several seconds, her mouth opened and closed like a rainbow trout’s, suggesting she was struggling to find a new angle to continue her argument. Finally, she tossed her hands up. “Fine. But the only reason I’m goin’ is ‘cause I promised my dad I’d obey you.”

  “I don’t care why you go as long as you do.” He yanked open the front door and hauled their suitcases out to his silver Tacoma while she dragged her feet, following him.

  It wasn’t as if he was keen on going, either. Still, it was Christmas Eve, and his brother and sister-in-law really wanted to attend Sabrina’s wedding, not just because they’d become good friends, but also to express their gratitude for the extra TLC she’d given their daughter in the hospital.

  Nick had laid a two-ton guilt trip on Justin, claiming if he and Haley didn’t tag along on the family’s three-day vacation in the Pocono Mountains, he’d be depriving Dani the chance to spend the holiday with her favorite uncle and BFF. Talk about sucking up.

  “I promise you’ll have fun. Ryan is coming, too,” Justin said as she opened the pickup’s passenger door.

  “And you think that’s a good thing?” She snorted softly.

  Okay, so maybe she didn’t relish sharing his niece’s attention with Dani’s boyfriend.

  “Half the town is invited. Doc Foster and his wife chartered a tour bus to transport everyone to the wedding and back to Redemption. We’re all meeting at the library parking lot. It’ll be like a rolling town Christmas party.” He hoisted the suitcases over the truck’s tailgate, climbed behind the wheel, and waited while Haley scrambled in and buckled her seatbelt.

  “If you had the slightest clue about me, you’d know I’m not exactly thrilled about celebrating Christmas without my mom and dad.”

  “I do know that. And if you had a clue about me, you’d realize you’re not the only one who misses them. That’s why this trip will be good for both of us. The resort has snow tubing, skiing, and ice-skating. We’ll be having too much fun together to think about what’s missing in our lives. You can consider your presence a Christmas gift to me and your Aunt Samantha and Uncle Nick,” he said, borrowing the same lame reasoning and bad pun his brother had used to coerce him into accompanying them.

  “Dani’s parents aren’t my aunt and uncle.”

  Fifty-four, fifty-three, fifty-two....“Technically, we’re not related, either, but you’ve called me Uncle Justin since you learned to talk. And since we’ve become a family, that makes my brother and his—”

  “My parents only gave you that honorary title ‘cause you’re my godfather. My godmother actually is my aunt.”

  Ouch. From the first time he’d held his goddaughter as an infant, he’d felt a special bond. Apparently it was all one-sided. “You may not consider me your family, Pinky, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I love you, and you’re stuck with me.” The same way that kids had no choice about the parents they were born to.

  She turned away to stare out the window. “I never understood why my mother made her sister one of my guardians. Did she really think I’d want to live in some third-world country with a missionary I barely know?”

  “When you were born, your mother had no idea your aunt would eventually become a globetrotting do-gooder.”

  In fact, Haley’s aunt hadn’t been Lindsey’s first choice as godmother to her baby. She’d originally planned to bestow that honor on her best friend—the same woman he’d spent the last sixteen years trying to forgive and forget.

  ~*~

  “Wait. Let me get this straight,” Trisha Mason said as she stowed her suitcase in the trunk of her friend’s Corolla. “Sabrina, the bride, jilted her previous fiancé in order to marry your brother. And now the ex-fiancé is paying for this huge Christmas Eve extravaganza at his home? What kind of lunatic foots the bill for some other guy to marry the woman he loves?”

  “A lunatic who has nine zeroes on the net income line of his tax return. He’s also been one of Luke’s best friends since college,” explained Frankie Connor, who’d been baptized Francesca and threatened to hurt anyone who called her that. “Not only is BJ paying for the wedding, he’s also covering the cost of the hotel, meals, and resort services and activities for all of the guests for three days and nights—including spa treatments.”

  “Seriously? She ditched a billionaire? Wait, are you talking about BJ Elliott, the venture capitalist?”

  “Venture capitalist, investor, corporate raider—take your pick. Ben’s a financial genius with a heart of gold to go with his Midas touch.” Frankie handed her a to-go cup from Dunkin’ Donuts. The steam from the coffee mingled with her breath’s vapor in the nippy December air. “Don’t worry, I remembered you switched to decaf.”

  “Thanks.” Trisha pulled off her gloves as she got into the car, praying it wouldn’t be any colder in the mountains. “I was gonna offer to pay for half of the hotel bill. Now I feel like a mooch. Are you sure it’s all right for you to bring me as your guest?”

  “Absolutely.” Frankie started the engine and waved her hand. “The cost of this weekend is chump change to BJ. He loves treating people. Most of my good pieces of jewelry were Christmas and birthday gifts from him. And I’m just one of his buddy’s sisters.”

  Trisha sipped her coffee. “Other than you, I don’t know a soul involved in this wedding, so I think it’s a bit presumptuous to go along for the free ride and let him pay for everything.”

  “You’ll be doing Sabrina a huge favor. We grew up together, and she’s always had it bad for Luke. She feels awful about hurting Ben. So when she realized I, one of her bridesmaids, didn’t have a date, she begged me to invite a single, pretty female friend instead. I think she’s hoping BJ will meet someone tonight who’ll console him at his darkest hour.”

  “I may be single,”—she peered into the visor’s vanity mirror and finger-combed her dishwater blond hair—“and I can pull off attractive, but Lordy, Miz Scarlett, I don’t know nuthin’ about bein’ pretty,” she said, doing a bad imitation of Prissy from Gone with the Wind. Currently she knew nothing about birthin’ babies, either, although, she’d be learning soon enough.

  “That’s ridiculous.” Frankie choked, nearly spewing a mouthful of coffee. “You’re gorgeous. You have the creamiest complexion I’ve ever seen. And I’d kill for your eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Elizabeth Taylor was your grandmother.”

  Trisha glanced over at Frankie’s lush breasts. “I might have an okay face, but unlike you, I won’t win any wet T-shirt contests.�
�

  “Nonsense. Without a bra, you’d beat me hands down. You’d be surprised how many men prefer high and perky boobs. Don’t knock yourself. You have a cute figure.”

  “That’s today. You didn’t know me back in high school when I had to stuff an extra twenty-five pounds in my wide-load jeans.”

  “And you’ve never seen how many of the male students—and teachers, for that matter—stare at your ass when you’re walkin’ away. Nor have you heard the lewd comments they make to each other. But I have, and let me tell you, every time one of them claims he’d like to hit that—”

  “Why don’t you offer to be BJ’s consolation prize? You’re not just passably pretty—you’re beautiful.” Frankie was one of those sultry brunettes with dark soulful eyes and a body straight out of girlie magazine. “Considering how little you make as an English teacher, it wouldn’t hurt your financial future to snag a billionaire as your next husband.”

  Frankie pulled onto the highway and shrugged. “I’ve known Ben forever, and there’s absolutely no sexual chemistry between us. That’s not something I would fake—especially with a nice guy like him.”

  “But you think he’ll make my girl parts tingle?”

  “You never know. You don’t earn much more as a school counselor than I do as a teacher, so why not give him a whirl? Remember the old saying about it being just as easy to fall for a rich man as a poor one? Speaking as the estranged wife of one of her brother’s police force pals, I can assure you that falling for a rich guy is actually easier. Ben’s big and blond. The two of you would make gorgeous babies.”

  Damn. If this wedding had been three months ago, she would’ve been happy to give this billionaire a chance. Especially since her libido had shifted into high gear in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, there was no way Ben would be interested in her now.