by Marie Tuhart
“You left your parents heartbroken,” Reynolds said.
“Oh, bull,” she muttered. “My parents only cared for the Worthington name. They didn’t care about me or what I wanted from life. They wanted the perfect, robot daughter. I couldn’t step out of line. I had to make everyone happy but myself. And God forbid if I did something that caused people to think poorly of the Worthington name.”
“It doesn’t matter. You need to come back.” Reynolds took a step forward.
“Whose army is going to do that?” Ian asked, as the entire family closed ranks around her. Protecting her. Her heart filled with so much love for her adopted family.
Reynolds gave them a sly grin before going to the door. He pushed it open, and in walked her parents. Her mother patted her perfectly coiffed, dyed-blonde hair. And her father cupped her mother’s arm as she tried to walk on impossible high heels. Kristen glanced at her father. His hair was more white than brown, and he had lines of tiredness around his eyes.
“No,” she whispered, allowing herself to sag against Cameron. They couldn’t force her to go back, could they? She was a grown woman. Still, fear filled her veins.
“No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want,” Cameron whispered in her ear as if he read her mind.
“I know who you are,” Tira said to her parents before turning to look at Kristen.
Kristen held her breath. Was Tira going to denounce her? Tell her she had to go back to her parents? Was the entire McMillan family going to turn against her?
“Thank goodness, Kristen doesn’t take after either of you.” Tira wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something really bad.
“Who are these people?” Kristen’s mother asked in a tone that set her nerves on edge.
“We’re her family.” Reid stepped forward. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Excuse me—” Her father stepped forward. “—but I’m her Gordon, her father.”
Kristen straightened, and Cameron tightened his hold on her waist. She appreciated his support, but it was time for her to take control of her life. She tilted her head and rose on her toes, brushing a kiss against his rigid jaw.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. She stiffened her spine and stepped away from Cameron’s hold. Keeping her head up, she pushed between Ian and Alec. “You might be my biological father, but these people here are my true family.”
“Stop this nonsense,” Gordon ordered. “These people”—he waved his hand—“have obviously brainwashed you. You’re coming home now.”
“I’m not.” Kristen was amazed at how strong her voice was. She wanted to run. She wanted to let Cameron and his family handle this. But she wouldn’t. Time to put her family to rest.
“Don’t talk back to me.”
Kristen flinched at his harsh tone, but she wasn’t going to back down. Hands settled on her shoulders. Cameron’s hands. He always supported her, no matter what.
“First of all,” Kristen started, “I’m thirty-two, not two. Second of all, I’m a grown woman, and I will make my own decisions.”
“Your decision is to come home,” her father said as if he believed he had the right to order her around.
Kristen rolled her eyes. “I am home.”
“But, darling girl,” her mother started.
Oh Lord, she hated being called “darling girl,” especially in her mother’s whiny voice.
“You can’t possibly want to live…well, here,” her mother said.
The disdain in her voice made Kristen’s gut clench. Her mother was such a snob.
“If you mean here in Grant, then yes.” Kristen looked her mother in the eye. “I have a nice place to live, a thriving business, and people who care about me. Me, as a person, not as something to be brought out only when I’m useful.”
“You’re living above your café,” her mother whined.
“Yes, and I love every minute of it.”
“Enough.” Her father took a step forward.
Kristen held her ground, not only holding Cameron back but his brothers as well.
“You will come home now, or I will tell the world about Cameron McMillan and his dirty ways.”
“Excuse me?” Cameron’s voice was clear and strong, but his body vibrated with anger.
“I will go to the college board and explain to them how you defiled my daughter, forced her to go to that dirty club, and how you beat her.”
Kristen’s face grew warm, but she reminded herself there was nothing wrong with what she and Cameron had done. They were consenting adults.
Cameron was shifting behind her, his muscles tensing up. She wanted to defuse this as quickly as possible but was unsure how.
“Go right ahead,” Reid said.
Kristen’s head turned to stare at Cameron’s dad. Then Tira stepped forward, along with Alec, Graham and Ian.
“As you can see, it doesn’t matter what you say, Cameron and Kristen have our support and our love.”
Gordon snorted and trained his nasty glare on her. “What about your café? How will you feel when you have to close it because you have no customers?”
She winced. Damn. Her father knew right where it hurt. But there was more at stake here than her business. Cameron’s career could be at risk.
“Drag me through the mud all you want, but Cameron and his family have done nothing wrong or illegal.”
“They won’t be dragging you anywhere.” Cameron stepped in front of her. “Go ahead and talk to the university board. I think you might find they are already aware of my involvement at Decadence.”
“You defiled our daughter,” her mother cried out.
“He defiled nothing,” Kristen shouted from behind Cameron as she forced her way between him and Alec again. Damn dominant males. “I’ve been my own woman for years now. What we did was consensual.”
“It changes nothing,” her father said.
“Oh, I say it changes everything,” a new voice said.
Jack and the sheriff stood in the doorway. This just kept getting better and better. Soon, they’d have the whole town involved.
Her father glanced over his shoulder. “Who the hell are you?”
“Jack Christenson. I run Decadence.”
“And I’m Sheriff Brooks.” The sheriff moved into the room. “I’ve received several complaints about strangers in town, making threatening innuendos about the people in my town.”
“You did?” Kristen didn’t know why she was surprised. Her father could be a real ass at times.
“These people seemed to think this family is all smiles and sunshine, but they’re not. They took my daughter away.” Her father hands waved in the air as he spoke.
“You threw me away.” It was as if her father’s words broke the dam. “You didn’t want a daughter, you wanted a showpiece, and when I wouldn’t conform, you found ways to belittle me and try to force me to be what you wanted. Well I have news for you; I’m me, and I’ll never be what you want.” She was out of breath when she finished, but the weight she’d been carrying around disappeared. No more running, no more hiding. She’d found her true home and nothing, no one, was going to take it away from her.
“We only wanted what was best for you,” her father said.
“You wanted what was best for you and your so-called friends. Enough of this. You aren’t wanted here.” Kristen was proud at how steady her voice was.
“Hear, hear,” Jack said.
“We’ll ruin everyone in this town!” her father raged.
“Just try.” Jack’s shoulders drew back, and Kristen watched the Dom come out. “I have a team of lawyers on speed dial, plus the press. Shall I prove to you who has the bigger balls?”
“Now there’s an image I could live without,” Tira muttered.
Kristen burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. Soon, almost everyone was laughing.
Her father’s face grew red. “Let’s go. I’ll inform the media.” He spun on his heel.
Her mother g
ave her a haughty look and followed before Reynolds sidled around the tight knit group to follow her parents.
Only the PI remained. “I don’t have a hand in this game. They hired me to find her, and that was it. If you need me, I’m more than willing to talk.” He pulled out his card and handed it to the sheriff before moving to the door. “Nice town you got here.”
Kristen tilted her head, and it was then she heard voices. Loud of voices. She strode over to the door and her jaw dropped open. The local news agency was outside.
“We’re outside the Christenson building, and it’s as if the entire town of Grant is here. The reason for this gathering is because these people”—the female reporter waved her hands in the direction of her parents and lawyer—“are trying to force one of our own, Kristen Caldwell, beloved owner of the Cozy Corners Café, to go with them. From what this reporter has found out, these people are the well-known Worthington family from California.”
Kristen let out a breath. Well, the cat was out of the bag. Not that she cared anymore. No matter what happened, she had a place in this town.
“The Worthingtons used to be worth billions, but in the last five years, they’ve squandered away their fortune. From other reports, because Kristen left, they allegedly could no longer sell their stories about their poor, distraught daughter to the tabloids.”
Her body sagged, and Cameron’s arms went around her waist, holding her against him as he cursed. Her parents had sold her out to the tabloids? Not her boyfriends like she thought?
“In our investigative research, we found out that they need their daughter to shore up their finances. But as they have seen, there is a lot of support in Grant for Ms. Caldwell. The Cozy Corner café owner won’t be going anywhere she doesn’t want to. Not if this town has anything to say about it.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Alec muttered.
“Good idea.”
The group slipped away.
****
Hours later after Kristen had explained everything to her new family, she and Cameron were finally alone at his place.
Snuggled up on the sofa, TV playing quietly in the background, Kristen hated to ruin the peace they found, but there was still one thing they needed to settle.
“Are you planning to go back to Scotland?” she blurted out.
Cameron stiffened. “Why do you think that?”
She maneuvered herself as best as she could since she was lying on him until she could see his face. “I heard you and Jack talking after the scene we had together.”
“That was over a month ago.”
She nodded. Could she survive if Cameron left? Hell, what was wrong with her? She could go with him. Skye could handle the café.
“And you’ve been stewing about it all this time?”
Kristen ducked her head, nodding. “Yes. I’ve…I’ve been waiting for you to tell me. I don’t understand. Why would you leave me?”
He tipped her head up, surprising her with the intensity of his gaze. “Do you remember what I said before we walked into that room today?”
Kristen nodded. Since they’d left his parents’ place, all she could think about were those three little words. Did he really mean them?
“I. Love. You.” He punctuated each word with a kiss. “Never doubt that.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“About time you admitted it.” He cupped her chin and took her lips in a hard kiss.
She opened her mouth to his questing tongue. They tasted, teased and tempted each other. Both were breathing heavily when the kiss ended.
Cameron gazed down at her. “After the scene when Jack had asked me, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But I knew I was falling for you. What we have goes beyond the kink.”
“It does.” Her heart swelled with her love for him.
“About a week after our scene, I realized I didn’t want to go back to Scotland, at least not without you. But you have a business here.”
She opened her mouth to say she’d follow him anywhere.
He placed his fingers against her lips. “A business I would never ask you to give up. My family is here, my teaching is here, and Jack just asked me to become a partner in Decadence.”
“What?”
Cameron gave her that devil-may-care smile of his. “The club is growing, and because I enjoy teaching, he offered me a job. I’ll still be teaching at the university, but I’ll cut back my schedule.”
“Are you sure?” For the first time in her life, she found a man willing to put her first. It scared her.
“Yes. Scotland was a good place for me to heal. But I’m home now. With you.”
“Oh, Cameron.” Tears filled her eyes. She was so happy.
“And this isn’t the way I planned it, but, Kristen Caldwell, will you become my wife?”
She laughed. “Yes.” She kissed his lips. “Yes, yes, yes.” Each word was punctuated by a kiss.
Laughing, he slipped his hand behind her neck on the last kiss.
“Now that that’s settled…” He expertly flipped her from leaning on his shoulder to over his knees. “I owe you a punishment for not telling me your fears and concerns.”
“Yes, Sir.” Kristen grinned. She’d gladly take this punishment, because he was right. She’d never hide anything from him again.
Epilogue
Six months later, Cameron stood at the altar in the small church, waiting. A grin spread over his lips. Kristen was worth waiting for.
After the craziness with her parents, the café hadn’t been the same. Busier than ever, Kristen was forced to hire more people. Skye had developed a talent for baking, relieving Kristen from doing it all herself.
“Nervous?” Alec asked.
“No.” He was anxious to have Kristen to himself. The double doors opened, and his attention shifted. First came the flower girls, then two of the girls who worked at the café, then his sister.
Skye looked beautiful in her flowing, dark-blue gown as she walked down the aisle. Then there was a pause, and The Wedding March started. Cameron couldn’t tear his gaze away when his bride-to-be stepped into the doorway with his father.
Kristen wore a beautiful, white gown with a sash made of McMillan tartan. Pride and love swelled in him as she floated down the aisle toward him.
They stopped next to him, and his father turned to Kristen. “If Cameron doesn’t treat you right, he’ll answer to me.” He lifted Kristen’s veil and kissed her cheek, then placed her hand in Cameron’s before taking a seat.
“You are so gorgeous you take my breath away,” Cameron whispered as they turned toward the minister.
“And you, dear Sir, are so sexy in your kilt,” Kristen said.
The minister cleared his throat, and the ceremony began.
Minutes felt like hours to Cameron before the minister finally said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Cameron’s lips covered Kristen’s, keeping the kiss light and playful. When he lifted his head the minister said, “I present Mr. and Mrs. Cameron McMillan.”
The crowd cheered.
Kristen turned to him and asked, “So now that we’re married, do I get to see what you wear under your kilt?”
“That, my saucy bride, is a Scotsman’s secret, only to be revealed after the couple’s first is born.”
“I can’t wait.” Kristen laughed as they started down the aisle together.
A year later, sworn to secrecy, Cameron showed her what he wore beneath his kilt, and Kristen could only smile.
About the Author
Multi-published author Marie Tuhart lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her muse, Penny, a four-pound toy poodle. Marie loves to read and write. When she’s not writing, she spends time with family, traveling, and enjoying life.
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Also available
from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
and major retailers.
Adam
Doms of the Silver Screen Book Two
By Marie Tuhart
Director Adam Bainbridge has one job to do—get the film finished. Something that would be much easier if he weren’t in love with the leading lady. Taught to always hide his feelings, he denies the passion and love he feels for his ex-wife. Seeing her every day in the arms of another man is too much for his Dom side to bear. He’s always wanted her back in his life, in his bed, and under his command. Too bad she has other ideas that don’t include him.
Looking to take her acting career to the next level, Nicki Masters accepts the role of a lifetime. She doesn’t count on her ex-husband being the film’s director. She’d loved him enough to wait for him once despite the pain they experienced together, and he never returned. Now that she’s tried to move on, the sexy Dom wants a second chance. Loving him again would be the biggest challenge of her life. She just doesn’t believe she can teach an old Dom new tricks.
Also available
from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
and major retailers.
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Real Men Wear Kilts
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Unable to say no to family, photographer Isla McAllister agrees to attend the Highland Games under one condition—no roughing it. She wants a comfy hotel room where she can escape her family’s matchmaking schemes and avoid her ex-fiancé? Her plans go awry when she discovers her room has been given to a hot highlander with a smile that resurrects forgotten fantasies. Unfortunately, he’s a kilt-wearing piper, just like her ex.