THE MILE HIGH MADNESS
Colorado Romance Collection
By Annabelle Anders
The Mile High Madness
Annabelle Anders
Copyright © 2019 Annabelle Anders
EPUB Edition
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.
Six contemporary Colorado romances make up this spicy collection by Annabelle Anders. Enjoy all the Mile High Madness – from Downtown Denver to the top of the Rockies – because what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but when you’re a Mile High, you can always… “Blame it on the Altitude.”
Book included in this set:
BACHELOR NUMBER FIVE
HUNTER: I’m all about pitching the the worlds series. I don’t date but I do have fun. So, why am I messing around with a girl who works for the paparazzi? Hell, if I know. But she’s somehow climbed inside my head – not to mention my bed…
HOLLY: I’ve dropped out of graduate school, am living with my parents again, and I hate my job. Now I’ve won this hot baseball dude at the auction and can’t seem to give him up. Couldn’t get much worse, right? Apparently, you don’t know me that well…
MAKE IT A DOUBLE
NOEL has poured enough drinks to understand the game.
ELLIOT Stafford is a one night stand.
A hook up.
He’s the hangover that could last a lifetime.
Is she crazy to think they might
“Make it a Double?”
PEYTON’S KISS
No one ever promised Stella Fairchild that life would be fair. If it was, then her best friend wouldn’t be dying. A little girl wouldn’t be losing her mother. And a lonely cowboy would be ready for love. Under the blue skies of Colorado, however, fate has its own ideas. And maybe, just maybe, silver linings can be found hiding in the storm.
WHISPER ME HOME
THE COUNTRY MUSIC STAR:
Women have spoiled me. I’m not gonna lie. It’s been that way since I turned thirteen and it’s only gotten better – or worse – depending how you look at it. But it’s all catching up with me. Enter Charlie Roberts. She’s magic. She’s my witch. She’s my pregnant little hippie.
THE MUSE
He’s steak and burgers and I’m couscous and tofu. This guy. Colt Forrester storms into my life in a cloud of despair. And I feel it. But I feel so much more. I’ve always been a giver but will I give Colt too much? I know he’s gonna leave me and I need to stay whole. But what if it’s too late? Can I live without my heart?
MY FOREVER SUGAR
ISABELLA: He proposed. I said yes. But now it’s time to move away from everything I know. Can our love endure his legacy?
TUCKER: I’ve discovered my soul mate. That was the easy part. Throw a city girl into the mountains and the true test begins. But I refuse to fail. I’ll do anything to keep from losing……My Forever Sugar.
THE BOY NEXT DOOR
PENNY never intended watching her new neighbor, but the window is right there. And, damn, those abs, that chest!. He’s way out of her league. But a girl can look, right? Ever since the divorce she’s just felt so… invisible.
MILITARY PILOTS get any woman they want. So when Penny tells Chaz he’s too young for her, he can’t help but take a second look. She’s sassy, she’s earthy. She’s real. Hell, if she doesn’t do something for him.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Collection
BACHELOR NUMBER FIVE
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
MAKE IT A DOUBLE
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
PEYTON’S KISS
Dedication
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
WHISPER ME HOME
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
MY FOREVER SUGAR
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
THE BOY NEXT DOOR
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Excerpt from The Perfect Debutante
Read More by Annabelle Anders
BACHELOR NUMBER FIVE
By Annabelle Anders
CHAPTER ONE
Holly
“Pick up the dry cleaning. Ship these back, all of them –they pinch – they’re the wrong size. And then drop off the notes for Monday’s show to Dan so he can go over them. Oh, and make me a new hair appointment.” Star grabbed the coffee from me and shoved another opened package of thongs into one of the boxes and a stack of files on top. Acting as personal assistant to Miss Star Martin was not where I’d pictured myself at the ripe old age of twenty-five, but the pay was good. And until I could settle on something else, being a gopher would have to do.
Lots of people might consider the position glamorous. Produced live every weekday morning in Denver, Star Martin’s Morning show drew great ratings and had been syndicated in over twenty major markets.
In reality, I spent most of my time in her downtown apartment, ironing, handling fan mail and god help me, taking care of Barbara – her bird.
Not that it wasn’t a gorgeous working environment: Luxurio
us furnishings, custom hardwood flooring with huge windows overlooking the mile high city. Of course, the windows faced west, providing amazing views of not only iconic downtown landmarks but the mountains in the distance as well.
“This isn’t happening to me! Tell me this isn’t happening!” Star stared at her phone in horror. Or at least it sounded like horror. I couldn’t go by her expression since her last round of Botox. She’d spent thousands of dollars on plastic surgery. Not that I’d seen the bills, but that weird tilt to her eyes gave away the facelift and even I knew those lips couldn’t be natural.
Setting the boxes on the huge dining room table, I glanced up. No way this was a real emergency. I’d learned after my first week that in Star Martin’s world even a hangnail required my immediate and undivided attention. It was my job to coddle her through such mini disasters.
“Marco needs me in L.A. and I’m going to miss the auction tonight! God damn it!” She fluttered her hands and paced back and forth in front of the windows. “I need that interview!” She dropped to the leather couch and frantically tapped out a text or two on her phone.
“Anything I can do to help, Miss Martin?” I wasn’t sure if I should leave or hang around and wait for this latest to pass.
My frantic boss waived one manicured hand in the air, scowled at me and focused once again on her phone.
I’d heard snippets about the auction and the interview for two weeks now. Star’s producers thought she could get some big wig political guy to talk to her by “winning” him at a local charity bachelor auction. They were always looking for something fresh. Something to make the show stand out.
I suppose if I cared about my job in any way whatsoever, I’d feel this way too. As it was, I simply wanted to get through each day. Every morning that was my mantra: make it through another day.
This was another one of those situations that I couldn’t win. If I were to stand around waiting for her to get off the phone, she’d chastise me for not running her errands, but if I left without the go-ahead, she’d get all pissy that I couldn’t read her mind.
My older – and only – brother, Simon landed the job for me. I’d been kind of a mess when I came home from New York last spring and he didn’t want me to have to go back to waiting tables.
After nearly six months of this torture, though, I’d kill for a server job. Simon had stuck his neck out for me though. If I wasn’t already a big enough disappointment to my family by now, walking out on this job would seal the deal. One year. I could handle anything for one year.
I gathered the boxes again and moved toward the door. Star had probably forgotten I was here. I needed to escape while she was preoccupied. Besides, it was Friday. I could run these errands and then go home and hide from the world until Monday.
Except I lived with my parents for now and my mom treated me the same as she had before I went away to college. I needed to find my own place but for some reason hadn’t done anything about it.
“No!” Star screamed across the room. I flinched when her iPhone went flying across the apartment, bouncing off one of the windows.
Rather impressive really. I’d never seen shatterproof in action.
“Holly! Did I say you could leave yet? No! I specifically asked you to wait ’til I was off the phone.” She grabbed a manila envelope and shoved it on top the pile of boxes I was already struggling to balance. “This is against my better judgement, but I don’t have any other choice.” She took a deep cleansing breath and then pinned me with her evil gaze. “You are going to bid on the senator for me tonight. His information and the cashier’s check are in this envelope. This is important, do you understand? Bid as high as you need to, but do not let him slip away.” She glared at me. “Do not mess this up.”
What?
“But?” I’d never done anything like this. The auction had been touted as a huge black tie affair. I was not the right person for this job. “Can’t somebody else do this? I’m not really…” I trailed off at the look on her face.
“If you want to keep your job, you’ll do this and you’ll do it right. How difficult can it be anyhow? Bid until nobody outbids you. Don’t mention my name. In fact, this might work better than if I do it myself. If he doesn’t know the date is with a reporter maybe he won’t be so defensive when we go out.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t have anything to wear.” Which was the truth.
Star examined me from head to toe and then wrinkled her nose. “You have my credit card. Get your hair and makeup done at Minnelli’s and have Monique at La Boutique set you up with a dress for tonight. Do not get it dirty and we’ll return it on Monday. Shoes too, I imagine.” She glanced down at her hands and cursed. “Where’s my damn phone?”
I climbed into the elevator and hit the lobby button impatiently wondering if I should laugh or cry. It was already three thirty in the afternoon and the auction started at eight. I shifted the boxes in my arms and hit the glowing button three more times. So much for my weekend plans.
A text came in from Star.
Star: Minnelli’s at 3:45. They’ll do something with your mop and makeup. Monique’s staying late for you so get your ass to La Boutique right after. Don’t fuck this up.
Monique was Star’s dresser. She chose Star’s entire on-air wardrobe.
I didn’t want somebody else to dress me.
The elevator doors opened and still looking at my phone, I crashed into the lobby.
Literally.
The boxes and files shot into the air and then like a fountain, came raining down around me.
I’d slammed into something solid, warm and tall that tickled my senses. Spicy. Woodsy.
Masculine.
My mouth opened but nothing came out when firm hands grasped my arms. “Woah there, Andretti.”
Geee–Haww!
My senses swam as my gaze travelled up, broad chest, chorded masculine throat, chiseled but scruffy jaw but those eyes… Oh Mercy. Those eyes! The color reminded me of a beach in Key West. Blue, with a hint of green, and sparkling. Set in a perfectly tanned face, they laughed down at me.
Not at me, exactly.
In fact, we both kind of paused for a minute while a shock of something familiar bolted between us.
Well for me anyhow. Wishful thinking on my part to imagine he felt the same.
Not that he looked familiar, anyway, but I felt the strangest sensation when he smiled at me. Like he knew everything I’d lost and would somehow help me find it.
I shook my head at my fantastical imagination. This was what happened when you embraced isolation. Contact with one hot guy and I was imagining love at first sight.
I pulled my eyes away from him and gurgled something incoherent at the mess strewn about the marbled floor. The upscale lobby looked like a panty raid gone bad. Tiny slips of lace, satin and silk, in a variety of colors, seemed to have flown in every direction.
“No worries,” I chirped nervously. “These aren’t mine anyway. Well, I’m sending them back. For my boss. They’re too small. For hers. Not mine. I don’t even know if they’d fit me. She’d kill me if I tried any of them on…” My eyes about popped out when I realized one of the pairs of underwear looked to be… crotchless? His gaze landed on the exact same pair. “Not very practical, are they?” Stop talking Holly! Maybe he’d slip away quietly and leave me alone to my mortification.
But when I crouched down, he was right there beside me reaching for the nearest item – a purple bra – with… yes. With cups made up of feathers.
“You don’t have to.” I couldn’t help myself and glanced into his eyes again. When we both reached for a white teddy our hands froze for a second. He was so close his breath warmed my skin. I licked my lips and tried to think of something to say that might convince him I wasn’t a crazy person. “Are those contacts?”
It was just that his eyes…
He laughed and then pulled at one of my curls. “Are these natural?”
I felt my skin grow hot and shook m
y head. But I was laughing with him now. Crawling around in this sea of lingerie was just… too ridiculous for words. I stretched across the floor to grab a hot pink push up bra. “Really,” I continued snatching up various pieces of underwear. “You don’t have to…”
“Of course, I do.” Gravelly, deep, sexy as hell voice. “We need to clean this up before I can take you for a drink.” And then he winked at me.
He was joking. He had to be joking.
I laughed awkwardly as I scooped up the last bra and put the boxes back together. He’d gathered the files into a tidy little stack. When I went to stand up again, he practically lifted me by the elbow. Something about his touch. It effectively cut off all communication between my mouth and my brain.
“Thank you,” I managed. But instead of letting me go, he’d tucked Star’s files and that envelope under his arm.
“There’s a great pub half a block from here. Do you like micro brews?” Although his eyes sparkled, he almost seemed serious now. When I didn’t answer right away he tilted his head. “If beer’s not your thing, we can go somewhere else… wine? Margaritas? Lemonade?”
I hadn’t felt this drawn to a guy in months. Well, probably not ever. Despite his amazing looks and cocky attitude, I sensed something vulnerable. Except… “I can’t.” I bit my lip and flicked my gaze toward the files. “I’ve got this thing to go to…”
He tipped his head to one side as though trying to read me and then thumped a fist against his heart dramatically. “You’re breaking my heart Andretti.” But he still had Star’s files tucked securely beneath his other arm. “Dinner?”
Oh wow. I wanted to. I wouldn’t normally. This sort of thing hadn’t happened to me in forever, and of course, tonight of all nights, there was no way I could go. If I asked for a raincheck would that make me seem easy?
But then he slipped the files out from under his arm. “Later tonight, you’ll be lying in bed, all alone, wishing you’d said yes.” He donned a cocky grin.
“You’re horrible.” I laughed.
He straightened the files on top of my boxes. I couldn’t help noticing his tanned hands. They shouted strength and finesse and before I knew it I was imagining them touching me… I dragged my gaze back to his face. Everything about this man messed with my libido. When he seemed satisfied the files wouldn’t slide off as soon as I moved, he met my eyes with an intensity I didn’t expect. He leaned forward, spiking my temperature. “If you change your mind, I’m in 3303.”
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