With white-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes, Kelly was tall and thin with a shapely figure. She’d always considered herself fortunate in the looks department.
Fortunate because of the numerous modeling jobs, that were helping her pay for her college education.
But unfortunate because of the number of men that seemed to be drawn to her only because of her looks. And her looks were deceiving. After graduating with honors as the valedictorian of her high school graduating class at Crystal Rock High, Kelly had enrolled at Wisconsin with a scholarship, and was focusing her studies on business.
As the remainder of the wedding party began to go their separate ways, Ethan stood waiting, wearing an inquisitive smile.
She hesitated. “I’ve got a couple of things I need to do first, Ethan. How about I meet back up with you once I’m finished?”
She could see that he was disappointed.
“Okay, Kelly.” He sighed. “You are gonna hang around with me later tonight–aren’t ya? Except for a couple of my brother’s friends, I don’t really recognize too many people here.
“Sure–I’d like that. I’d be glad to introduce you to a few of my sister’s single friends, too.” Despite their age difference, Kelly knew that there was interest on his side. It was always better to let guys down easily, she’d discovered, and she was getting to be very good at it. “You’re the only one in the wedding party to get stuck with someone who’s a whole, lot younger than you.” Ethan was in his late-twenties, and was an eighth grade science teacher.
Ethan snorted. “Ouch–talk about letting someone down easily.” He gave her a rueful smile. “Don’t worry–I’ve got the message. It’s just that I can’t help being interested in you, Kelly – and not just because you’re so hot.”
Startled, Kelly blinked, as she stared at Ethan.
“You’re one of the most mature college students that I’ve ever met. Although, how you can put aside, what could be, a very lucrative career in modeling, is beyond me.”
“Well, I’ve set a lot of goals for myself.” Kelly shrugged. “The money I’ve been making is great–and it’s allowed me to do a lot of traveling–I’ve seen a lot of places I wouldn’t have otherwise. But…” She grimaced.
Ethan grinned. “Your knack with numbers is pretty unusual, too–you know?”
Kelly smiled. “Yeah. I think Mom and Dad are still in shock about the fact that I’m considering becoming an accountant. But they also understand. It took me less than six months to get Callahan Construction back on track, when they let me take over the books a few years ago.”
“Yep–like I said–you’re pretty damned amazing.” Ethan sighed, lifting a brow. “’Speaking of parents–I haven’t seen mine for a while. Maybe I’ll go check up on them during our break.” He didn’t appear to be very anxious to leave her side. “Are we meeting back up at the reception for pictures, then?”
Kelly nodded, as she pointed out the solarium of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. “Your parents will probably be hanging out in there, along with mine.”
Reaching out, Ethan gave Kelly’s hand a squeeze. “Alright. I’ll see you back inside–in about an hour, then.”
Kelly kept her eyes on Ethan as he strolled along the cobblestone pathway. After reaching the entrance, he glanced back at her with a smile and a wave of his hand before stepping inside.
Turning her eyes out toward the lake, Kelly drew in a deep steadying breath. She felt a little guilty about brushing Ethan off. But it’d already been a really long day, and it promised to be an even longer night. What she really wanted right now was some time alone.
Frowning down at her heels, Kelly began strolling along the cobblestone pathway leading away from the inn. She sighed, easing down onto a bench. Slipping off her heels, Kelly peeked behind her—no one seemed to be hanging around nearby. “What the heck,” she muttered. After standing up, she lifted the hem of her gown and began slipping down her hose. She folded the hose and stuffed them discreetly into one of her shoes, before sliding the shoes underneath the bench.
She needed to take a walk–and to have a little get away time from the noise and confusion of the wedding.
“Ah, free at last,” she mumbled under her breath. She began to hurry, nearly skipping along the path that turned into a nature walk, as it led away from the inn.
Despite the darkness settling in, small beams of light lit up the path. Bird feeders hung from the lower branches of several of the trees, while squirrel feeders were mounted into the trunks of a few of the old solid oaks. Although the landscape along the trail was occasionally broken up by the placement of a bench, surrounded by plantings of coleus, impatiens and hostas, ferns and natural foliage lined the edges of the scenic walkway, that ran alongside the shoreline of Crystal Rock Lake.
It was crazy to think about how many times she’d actually followed this trail that led to the beach. As a kid, Kelly and her twin brother Jeff had tagged along with her father when he’d driven back and forth to Dragonfly Pointe. Mike Callahan had been the contractor in charge of renovating the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, and was still coordinating the additional construction projects taking place periodically along the point.
She knew it was silly, but even though the technics of the lighting had been explained to her a bunch of years before, Kelly still liked to think of it as magic. And that aura of enchantment was beginning to kick in for her, as she followed the old familiar path. She’d invented some pretty ridiculous stories here at Dragonfly Pointe when she’d been a kid. The festive atmosphere of the wedding today had reminded her of her favorite–about finding her prince, and living happily-ever-after.
Kelly snorted. Yeah, well–she’d had a pretty vivid imagination. And almost every little girl in the world had, most likely, had that same–kind of stupid, identical fantasy.
Her nickname of ‘Princess’ had been well-deserved, though. Nearly as far back as she could remember, Kelly had been interested in fashion–beginning first with her fascination in dressing-up, and then continuing on with the stylish details, she’d insisted on, in her every day look as she grew older.
She’d nearly driven her mom crazy.
But it was funny how, once her mom had become proficient with using a computer, that that pair of shoes that Kelly had asked for, or that lovely jean jacket had appeared under the tree at Christmas, or in a shiny gift bag on Kelly’s birthday. Kelly had a feeling that she was spoiled, compared to her older siblings. But it’d been different when her older sisters and brother had been growing up–their family hadn’t attained financial security until after the Dragonfly Pointe Inn had been renovated by her father’s company, Callahan Construction.
It’d been Kelly’s interest in fashion that’d drawn the attention of Danielle Loughlin, Jake Loughlin’s wife. The Loughlins were owners of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. After Kelly had modeled in one of the inn’s yearly charity events, Danielle had referred Kelly to her former agency.
And the rest was history.
Or, as in her case, Kelly would’ve really liked for it to become history. Even now, she was still getting calls about additional work. But, occasionally, she still accepted a job because she couldn’t resist the exorbitant amount of money that the agency offered her.
Reaching the final curve of the pathway leading down to the beach, Kelly glanced over at the park and froze.
His eyes met hers as he drew on his lit cigarette, one last time. Letting the butt drop unconsciously to the ground, he stamped it out with his boot.
When Kelly, accusingly, held Luke Bryant’s gaze, mumbling unintelligibly, he quickly bent down, and snatched up the butt from the ground.
Hiking up her skirt, Kelly left the path determinedly to join him. “Damn it, Luke Bryant–you know better than to just drop a lit cigarette, out here in the woods. Besides—I thought you quit?”
“I did, Princess.” He sighed. “But sometimes, it helps steady my nerves.”
Kelly hesitated, taking a long, hard look at Luke. Even with his
dark brown hair cropped short, and that shadow of stubble appearing along his chin, he was still the sexiest man alive. And tall and lean, but incredibly muscular, he had a body to die for. His facial features were ruggedly cut, and sometimes appeared severe and harsh, since he rarely smiled–which was probably the reason so many kids had been scared of him when they were growing up. Well, that nasty scar along the side of his face might’ve had something to do with it too. But he was thinner—and his face appeared to be incredibly pale—against the deep dark blue of his uniform. “This Air Force stuff looks like it’s taking its toll on you, Luke.”
Luke smiled sheepishly. “Ah, but the flying part is great. I wanted to be a pilot, and I’ve become a pretty damned good one, at that.”
That gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine. But there was something he still wasn’t telling her. She could see it in his eyes, as she continued to study him with concern. “But?”
He hesitated, staring her down, before seeming to come to a decision. He finally shrugged. “But, nothing. I’m here for the wedding–and to hook back up with a few of my friends.” He suddenly smiled and winked. “I wanted to enjoy the last couple days of my leave.”
Kelly nodded her understanding. “I’ve got about thirty-five minutes before I need to get back to the reception for pictures.” She hesitated. “How about taking a walk with me?”
He grinned, and her stomach did a flip-flop. “Sure, Princess.”
She gave him a rueful smile, and reached for his hand.
Kelly’s eyes shot to Luke’s, as the shock from his touch sent an electrifying jolt shooting straight through her entire body.
This has been the prologue and first chapter of
Two Hearts Surrendered
Volume I of the Two Hearts Wounded Worrior Romance series
by
Tamara Ferguson
Concealed in My Heart
Regina Puckett
Charity Fields has everything she has ever wanted. She has just married her childhood sweetheart and has landed her first leading role in a major motion film production. But soon a terrible lie and a heartbreaking betrayal turns her life upside down, and she has to rethink her entire future. Charity realizes she needs to put some distance between her and her old love, so she relocates to California to begin a new life. When she’s faced yet again with another loss and betrayal she doesn’t think her heart can handle the pain. Through it all Charity discovers that she has strength she never knew she had, and even if she has to keep her new love concealed in her heart, she will survive no matter what.
(This is Volume I of the Warren Family Series.)
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Tweleve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
First Chapter of Songs that I Whisper
Chapter One
“Millions of dollars are invested in these huge productions by people who expect to make a substantial profit once the movie is released. You have absolutely no professional experience whatsoever. Do you really believe you have enough talent to make this film a success?”
While her drama classes hadn’t included instructions on how to handle impertinent journalists, she had been raised never to back down from a fight. She squared her shoulders, smiled, and returned the reporter’s blunt stare. Her father’s favorite saying came to her mind in this brief moment: “Smile, my dear. Your friends will love you all the more for it, but it will drive your enemies crazy. When they discover they can’t get under your skin, they’ll get bored and leave you alone.”
Charity had inherited her grandmother’s Irish temper so while she was smiling, she was also mentally plotting the reporter’s gruesome death. "While I don’t mind you questioning my abilities, I do take great offense at you insinuating that Mr. Bennett didn’t know what he was doing when he hired me. He has a proven track record of only signing the most talented people in the industry. He believes I’m ready to costar in this film. That should be all you need to know regarding whether or not I’ll be able to live up to the investors’ expectations.” She had to shut her eyes against the onslaught of cameras flashing. Just as she had almost blinked away the bright white spots from her vision, and was able to see again, someone stumbled into her, almost knocking her down the steps. The crowd had separated her from her mom and Mr. Bennett. One minute they had been exiting the airport lobby, and the next thing she knew, she was being surrounded by this crowd of over-eager reporters.
Mr. Bennett’s rich, baritone laugh rang above the loud chatter of the media surrounding them both. It was a relief to hear and a good sign he was satisfied with how she was handling the mob. The twitch above her right eye stopped, and after a moment or two, she finally relaxed her wrought iron stance.
At five feet nothing, Charity had always been small and had learned at an early age to take up for herself, but this was the first time another adult had tried to bully her. Her short stature, big green eyes, red hair, and freckles may have given the reporters a false impression, that she was nothing more than a wilting flower, but she had never been a push over. While her defiant answer may have went over well with Mr. Bennett, it only served to stir up the crowd even more. Soon questions were being fired from all directions, but instead of letting the chaos befuddle her, Charity focused on the hawk-eyed guy leaning directly into her face. Bits of saliva hit her chin every time he spoke, repulsing her, but she continued to hold her own, and stand firm. He could have been mistaken for a true Texan with his faded jeans and western styled shirt except, for the heavy New York accent that gave away his northern roots.
The Texan in disguise took advantage when she made eye contact. "David Warren is one of the most popular leading men in the movie industry today. Don’t you think you might be outclassed? Tennessee isn’t exactly the movie capital of the world."
Charity just barely managed to keep the irritation out of her voice, “I hope you’re not insulting my home state. You obviously haven’t done your homework very well if you don’t know about all of the talented people who were born in Tennessee, and have succeeded in the movie industry. You make it sound like we’re a backwards group of people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As far as working with David Warren, I’m looking forward to it.”
The reporter accepted her challenge and leaned in even closer. He shot back, "That might be true, but do you really think he feels the same way about working with you?”
It had been very naïve of her to believe that saying goodbye to her new husband was going to be the worst thing that happened to her that morning. The faces in this crowd were a strange combination of leers and amusement, but instead of letting that put a dent in her self-confidence, Charity took a deep breath and jutted out her chin. "You should ask David Warren about his feelings, not me.” All she had standing between her and this mob was her pride and confidence. She refused to be intimidated by a group of people she had never met before, and would probably never see again.
Fortunately, before any more questions could be asked, Mr. Bennett pushed through the crowd to be by her side. "Ladies and gentlemen, 1966 is going to be Bennett Brother’s Productions best year ever! I would love to stay and chat longer, but we have people at the stadium waiting for Charity’s arrival. I promise to make all of the cast and crew available for interviews while we’re out here in Dallas filming.” With only a few toes getting trampled and a few precisely timed elbow jabs, he managed to pull Charity and her mother through the crushing reporters with brute force, elegant grace, and old world charm. Even on the way to the limo, the reporters and cameramen followed closely on their heels. The fake Texan managed to jump in between them and the
limo door, but Mr. Bennett’s driver had the moves of a ninja. With a cordial smile and a quick push, he had the reporter out of the way and the door opened before the reporter even knew what had taken place.
Once in the quietness of the limo, Charity had trouble catching her breath and her heart felt as if it was going to pound right out of her chest. She was so angry that she felt sick to her stomach. She was going to have to work on curbing her tongue if she was going to last very long as an actress. There had been so much she would have liked to have said to the rude reporters, but the days of speaking her mind without thought were over. She had chosen a profession where she was constantly going to be thrown into the public eye. Charity lifted her hair and let the car’s air conditioning wash over the dampness along the edge of her hairline. She closed her eyes against the refreshing chill and thought about Johnny’s last words to her at the airport. When faced with telling him goodbye, she had thrown her arms around his neck and begged him to come with her. Of course, Johnny did what he always did and remained practical. She appreciated his gentle reminders of all the reasons he couldn’t join her in Dallas, but more so, how he spent their last few minutes together; him so sweetly telling her again and again, how much he loved her. He had always been her biggest cheerleader and had been the one in the end to insist she take her first acting job. Her first impression of Johnny had been that he was larger than life and a very attractive blonde hero since the first time they met in the seventh grade. It had been love at first sight for both of them. The memory of his lingered kiss in the middle of Nashville’s Airport made her smile. When she found the energy to reopen her eyes, Mr. Bennett was busy giving the limo driver instructions, and her mother had her eyes closed and her head back against the headrest.
When the limo began moving, Mr. Bennett turned and settled back in the cushioned leather seat. His excitement was obvious as he spoke, "I can't wait for you and David to meet. The two of you are going to work so well together. I feel certain there’s going to be wonderful chemistry between you. Even with the age difference, you have so many similar traits. I haven’t been this excited about a project in years.”
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