by Box Set
“I love you, Jake Jericho,” she whispered against his lips. “All of you.”
His eyes opened, and even in the low light she saw the emotion burning there.
“I love you, Harper Haley,” he said slowly, as though the words were unfamiliar. She knew the feeling. She’d only spoken them one other time, and he was there then, too. “I loved you twelve years ago, but I wasn’t ready to own it. To be worthy of it.”
“Well, you can’t take it back now, so I sure as hell hope you’re ready to own it,” she said, smiling.
“Aw, it’s so sweet when Mommy and Daddy get together,” said a voice behind Harper that reminded her they had an audience.
She laughed as she turned to see Frankie and Marco standing in their respective doorways. Marco was mouthing feelings to Jake with a thumbs up.
“Y’all can go,” Jake said, chuckling.
“Wait,” Harper said. “If you’re going to Montana, I need a ride home.”
Jake touched her face, as if he was in awe of what had just transpired. “Come with me.”
“What?” she laughed.
“It’s just three or four days,” he said. “Can you clear it with your dad?” He leaned down to kiss her again as if to reassure himself it was all real. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Now?” she said, looking down. “I have nothing with me. I’m wearing flip flops.”
“You’re perfect,” he said. “I’ll buy you whatever—”
“I’ll buy me whatever,” she corrected.
Jake grinned and did a little mock bow. “Yes ma’am. Does that mean you’ll go?”
Two doors closed behind her, and she laughed as she turned to see them leaving.
“I guess so,” she said. “As long you realize that I’m an independent girl. You having money means nothing.”
“We are flying on a private jet,” he said. “Would you rather hitch a ride and meet me there?”
Harper laughed and pinched him in the stomach. “I’ll make a concession.”
“Do we need to shake on the terms?” he asked, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Harper’s smile was naughty as she claimed his mouth.
“I have a better idea.”
Acknowledgments
Hello, Readers!
I hope you’re enjoying reading about all these sexy Saddle Creek boys! Of course, I’m a little partial to Jake, but I love them all and I hope you will, too. Lots of love went into this box set, and it was very much a group effort so I want to shout out big hugs and high fives to my fellow Heartbreakers and Heroes ladies! Virginia, Jennie, Carmen, Veronica, Codi, Christine, Tina, Jodi, Heather, Michelle, and Hayson….I love y’all huge!
Okay, now I need to say a special note to any New Yorkers out there. Yep, I made it all up. If you’ve read my other books, you know that all my towns are fictional, I make them up and therefore have complete control over landmarks and all that. So….HERO IN DISGUISE taking place in New York City was a bit more challenging. I’m a Texas girl, but I have been to NYC. Once. LOL. So here’s a big blanket “Please forgive me” if I’ve messed up your city. Further disclaimer: My waterfront buildings in Brooklyn…completely fictional. Speak-easies and Prohibition and pirate smuggling activity…all fell out of my brain. I like to think all that could have happened, but it was all fun and speculation and total artistic license. So please don’t head to Brooklyn, a few blocks from the bridge, looking for this cool quaint little historical district with The Steaming Mug and Sticks!
Thank you so much for reading HERO IN DISGUISE, and I’d love to hear your thoughts! Come find me at www.sharlalovelace.com, or message me on Facebook @sharlalovelace.
Happy reading!!
xoxo
Sharla
About the Author
Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of sexy small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a tricked-out golf cart, and two crazy dogs. She is the author of five stand-alone novels and the exciting Heart Of The Storm series. For more about Sharla's books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com, and keep up with all her new book releases easily by subscribing to her newsletter. She loves keeping up with her readers, and you can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter as @sharlalovelace.
Also by Sharla Lovelace
Don’t Let Go
Loving The Chase
The Sweetest Chase
Second Chance Hero
By Michelle Major
Edited by Arran McNicol
Second Chance Hero
Travis Jackson might not be the white knight Hailey Moore needs, but he’ll risk his future to win her heart.
To the ladies of Heartbreakers and Heroes. It’s been a wild ride and I’m honored to be on it with each of you.
Rule #11: A real man doesn’t build himself up by tearing others down.
Chapter 1
"You told me you loved me."
Hailey Moore heard the woman's shrill voice ring out over the din of the busy coffee shop but didn't look up from her purse. She continued to root around the bottom, praying for a few loose coins the way a drunk hoped for one last swallow at the bottom of the bottle.
The barista behind the counter, whose nametag said Janie with a heart over the "i," cleared her throat.
Hailey held up a finger. "Give me a second," she murmured, and kept digging. She'd scraped together enough cash for her favorite caramel latte with extra whip, but a muffin would complete her morning. She needed caffeine like she needed air, and a dose of carbs along with it would ensure she wasn't jittery before her interview. She needed a job as much as caffeine and air combined.
Her fingers sifted through a wad of receipts and...jackpot. She pulled out a five-dollar bill, Abraham Lincoln's face bringing tears to her eyes. "I could kiss you, Honest Abe," she whispered, and handed the barista the money. "I'll have a cinnamon roll as well, please."
"I thought I was the one. I thought I was special."
Hailey cringed as the woman continued her tirade.
Janie shook her head, her heavy black bangs shifting across her forehead. "I wish he'd find a better breakup spot. All those distraught women are bad for business."
"This one isn't the first?"
"She's the fourth in the past six months. At least he tips well after one of these scenes. Last time he left a hundred-dollar bill on his way out. We appreciate tips, you know?" Janie handed her back a single and change. Hailey would have liked to pocket the money, but dropped it into the tip jar instead.
"Thanks, sweetie." Janie smiled. "We'll have your coffee and pastry ready in a jiffy."
Hailey moved to the edge of the counter, discreetly glancing over her shoulder to the corner of the coffee shop where the woman's voice was coming from, harsh and piercing like an old-time fishwife. Hailey tried to be subtle but the scene was like the proverbial train wreck, and she could not look away.
It was hard to imagine such nasty, vile words could come from such a beautiful creature. The woman had blond hair tumbling in perfect waves to her waist, and if she wasn't a model, she could have been. Even in profile, her features were perfectly symmetrical, her skin bronzed like she'd just spent a week on a tropical island. The man across from her at the small cafe table was just as gorgeous, only dark-haired and olive-skinned, all lethal power in a grey suit that looked custom-fitted to his broad shoulders.
Hailey tucked a wayward curl behind one ear as she felt color rise to her cheeks. She didn't normally go for the reeking-of-wealth, corporate-merger types, but this man...
Was looking straight at her. His gaze crashed into hers with the force of a runaway train, and Hailey felt the unlikely pull of more than attraction. For the briefest second there was something in his gaze--stark, unrestrained and wholly out of place in the eyes of a man who otherwise seemed to show no emotion at all.
Hailey had always had a soft spot for lost souls. Gr
owing up in the valley outside of Bozeman, Montana, she'd gathered stray pets like her grammy had collected Precious Moments figurines. She had more than one scar to show for trying to rescue an injured animal that couldn't bear a life culled from the wild.
It was her lack of a self-preservation instinct--she was working on that, swear to God--that had her walking toward that corner table after Janie handed her the coffee and bagged cinnamon roll.
"Excuse me?" The smile she'd pasted on her face faltered as the too-beautiful-for-words couple turned matching glares on her. Well, not exactly matching. The woman was practically spitting fire. The man's eyes, not as dark as they'd appeared across the coffee shop--more maple syrup with flecks of burnished whiskey at the edges--appeared as frozen as ten thousand Minnesotan lakes in the dead of winter. That cool gaze licked up her skin, making her shiver even in the heat of a St. Paul summer morning.
Hailey tore her eyes away from his, focusing on the blond. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," she said, ratcheting up her smile a few notches, trying for a mix of hopeful and empathetic. She was a master at empathy.
"This is a private conversation," the woman said through clenched teeth.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't have been shrieking like a teenager in a haunted house," Hailey answered, smile still in place. She heard a muffled laugh from the man but kept her gaze on the woman. "We've all been in your shoes--"
"I highly doubt it," the woman answered, eyeing Hailey from the tips of her faux-leather pumps to her slightly wrinkled blouse.
Hailey ignored the insult. "The fact is you can't look to a man for your self-worth. You have to make yourself feel special. You are own your best friend."
The blond's jaw dropped, and although Hailey wasn't exactly sure if that was a good sign, she forged on. "Love won't complete you. That's just a line from a movie." She leaned forward a little. "A really good movie. I mean, Tom Cruise in his glory days, and Cuba Gooding Jr. was so fine...but still, it's just a movie."
"Are you paying her for this, Travis?" the woman asked, zeroing her glare back on the man.
"No, Monica. I'm not," he said, holding up his hands, palms out. "This is priceless."
"He's not paying me," Hailey said, shifting the pastry bag so she was holding both it and the coffee cup in one hand. She tapped a finger on the table. "I'm making a point here--"
"About Tom Cruise," Travis supplied.
"About love," she corrected, and was rewarded with a slight lip curl from him. "It's an illusion," she told beautiful, blond Monica. "Full of expectations no one can fulfill. You're better than this. He's better than this."
"He's a rat-fink bastard," Monica said.
Hailey shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Oh. My. God." Monica stood from her chair and...yeah, definitely a model. She towered over Hailey, which wasn't hard to do, as Hailey barely made it to five feet four in heels. "Are you the next notch on his belt?"
Hailey laughed at the ridiculousness of that idea then made the mistake of meeting the man's gaze again. For a moment that ice turned molten. She felt the heat of it down to her toes. "Of course not," she said, resisting the urge to fan herself with the pastry bag. "I only--"
"Short and dumpy aren't your usual criteria, Travis," Monica said, her eyes narrowed to such slits it was a wonder she could see out of them. "Although breaking up with me shows you've totally lost your grip on your sanity."
"Dumpy," Hailey sputtered. It took a lot for her temper to flare...dumpy did it. "Girlfriend, I'm trying to help you stop making an ass of yourself here. If you--"
Monica's open palm landed against Hailey's cheek so hard and fast that she reeled back from the force of it. The coffee cup and cinnamon roll went flying and Hailey let out a yelp, partly from the pain but mostly from losing the breakfast she didn't have the money to repurchase.
"It's all downhill from me," Monica shouted, then elbowed Hailey out of the way as she stomped out the door.
Tears stung Hailey's eyes as she gingerly touched her fingers to her face. "That's going to leave a mark," she whispered.
"Honey, I don't even need a tip after that show," Janie said, coming up behind her and pushing her down into Monica's vacated seat. "You must have some kind of bitch-blond death wish..." The barista tossed a look at Travis of the tailored suit. "No offense."
He inclined his head. "None taken."
"I'll get this cleaned up." She turned again to Hailey. "You need ice for your face?"
"I'm fine," Hailey said at the same time Travis answered, "Yes, she does."
Janie called to another one of the baristas, who came around the counter with a mop and bucket, then moved away.
"So that didn't go exactly as I'd planned it," Hailey said. She glanced around at the other customers, who had clearly found the scene vastly amusing. Man, did her face sting.
"Exactly what did you plan?"
Hailey swallowed. Those five words, the most she'd heard Mr. Tall, Dark and Power Suit speak, seeped into her skin. His voice was like the wind whipping over the plains--raw, wild and making every hair on her body stand on end. She'd been in St. Paul for almost three months and loved the hum of the city, but this man's voice made her homesick for parts of herself she'd thought had been happily left behind in Montana.
"I was trying to help you." She cleared her throat. "And your girlfriend."
"She wasn't my girlfriend," he said, his eyes raking over her, making her feel like the country bumpkin she wanted to pretend she wasn't.
Making her feel less than the drop-dead gorgeous blond had. Making her feel insignificant, like David had a week ago. She bit down on her lip.
"Christ, please tell me you aren't going to cry."
Her eyes narrowed, but his rudeness banished her tears. "How could she not be your girlfriend? You told her you loved her."
Another flicker in those eyes. "I never said that. She wanted to hear it, but I never said the words."
"What did you say?"
"Dirty words, sweetheart," he told her, his voice pitched low. A raspy whisper across her heated skin. "Words that would make a woman like you blush."
This man was like quicksand, she realized with a start. He pulled her further under with each dangerous glance, every move he made. She could struggle all she wanted, but there was little chance of escape. She held on to the edges of the cafe table like it was a jungle vine, her only hope for survival.
"You don't know anything about me," she said, because how else could she answer and still hold on to her dignity?
She waited for him to lash out. That was what men like this did. It was what David had done. Powerful men chewed up women like her and spat them out when they were sick of the taste, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. So she straightened her spine, shored up her defenses and waited.
"You aren't dumpy," he murmured.
"I'm not..." She slowly released her grip on the table. "Thanks. I should...um...I need to go. Sorry about your--"
"Wait." He stood, took two steps away from the table and took the plastic bag filled with ice away from the returning barista. He slid into his chair like it was a throne and held out the bag to her.
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"The outline of her hand is imprinted on the side of your face."
"Shoot," Hailey whispered. "I have an interview in..." She checked her watch. "Five minutes. Maybe they won't notice."
One of his thick eyebrows lifted.
"You don't know everything," she said with a sigh.
"You're right," he agreed. "I don't know why you interfered with my business."
"I prefer rescue," she said, then gasped as she placed the cold bag to her cheek.
He didn't smile, but she got the feeling she amused him. The way he might be by a litter of puppies or a cat video. Probably not a cat video.
"Why?" he asked again, and something in his tone made her answer honestly.
"Because you looked like you needed a hug."
"Are you joking?" he said.
Okay, angry wasn't the right word. Furious was more like it.
"I'm not joking." She closed her eyes for a moment as she got used to the cool against her cheek. When she opened them again, he'd leaned closer, his whole body shifting in a way that could only be seen as intimidating. She was far more comfortable with angry Mr. Power Suit than she had been when he was gentle.
"I have people," he said slowly, like he was schooling a young child, "who fall all over themselves to see to my every need. They'd kill for five minutes of my time. People fear me and--"
"Are you bragging or apologizing?"
She could see the faintest trace of pink around the collar of his crisp white button-down shirt. "I'm not doing either. It's a fact."
"A sad fact," Hailey said softly. His loneliness was a tangible force, or maybe it was simply the reflection of her own newly solitary existence. Hailey was a people person. She liked long talks late into the night, cuddling, a cozy dinner with friends. She craved connection and thought she'd found the promise of the future she wanted when she followed a man to Minnesota. Now she had...nothing.
She gasped and darted a glance at her watch once again. Nothing except a job interview she was almost late for.
Forget the caffeine and carbs.
"I've got to go," she blurted, jumping up from her chair.
"You should stay," he told her, and it was as much a command as a suggestion.
Either way, she liked the sound of the word stay in his deep, quiet voice. She liked the way his eyes studied her.
She liked it far too much.
"Nope," she said with a quick shake of her head. She lifted her purse from her lap to her shoulder. "Got to go. Now."