by Taylor Hart
The Fake Fiancé Groom
Texas Titan Romances: The Legendary Kent Brother Romances
Taylor Hart
Copyright
All rights reserved.
© 2018 ArchStone Ink
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. The reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form whether electronic, mechanical or other means, known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written consent of the publisher and/or author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This edition is published by ArchStone Ink LLC.
First eBook Edition: 2018
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the creation of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Also by Taylor Hart
Texas Titan Romances
The Tough Love Groom
The Second Chance Groom
The Dream Groom
Bachelor Billionaire Romances
The Football Groom
The Country Groom
The Unfinished Groom
The Barefoot Groom
The Masquerading Groom
The Christmas Groom
Rescue Me: Park City Firefighter Romance (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion)
The Lost Groom
The Undercover Groom
The LoneStar Groom
The Last Play Series
Last Play
The Rookie
Just Play
A Player for Christmas
Second String
End Zone
Hail Mary
Snow Valley Series
A Christmas in Snow Valley: The Christmas Eve Kiss
Summer in Snow Valley: First Love
Spring in Snow Valley: The Bet
A Return to Snow Valley: The Christmas Boyfriend
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
The Broken Warrior: Zane Kent
The Redeemed Groom: Bachelor Billionaire Romances: The Legendary Kent Brothers
Also by Taylor Hart
About the Author
Chapter 1
Walker Kent sat in the fishing canoe he’d sat in most mornings for the past year. It was early, but he liked early. Growing up, he’d always been an early riser, and when he’d flown helicopters in the army, he’d loved feeling like a bird in the sky. It was peaceful, and he needed peace. Even though he had an apartment in the city, he’d secretly been camping by this lake and mansion house. He didn’t know who owned it, but they were never here. He knew this because he rowed the lake almost every morning.
Looking around the lake, he thought about the past year. His thoughts flitted to the fact that today was the anniversary for officially getting dishonorably discharged from the army. It amazed him that he’d been able to walk on for the Titans two weeks after getting discharged. It’d been a miracle, some would say.
He grunted and thought about how it hadn’t felt like a miracle when he’d been court-martialed. Even though his actions had saved eight of the men and women on that special ops team. Pain clenched his chest. But he hadn’t been able to save Tams. He blinked and kept rowing. She was the best gunner he’d ever had. She was an honorable soldier, willing to lay down her life … and she had.
He rowed harder. This was what had saved him for the past year. This was why he camped out here. He needed to be on a lake every morning. Looking up, he scanned the large house that sat by the lake. It was posh. A large, immaculate, fancy house—the upper fifty million kind of fancy. He’d been on the lookout for a house of his own with access to a lake so he could work out his demons, but he wasn’t quite there yet. Another couple of years, maybe.
Finding this lake had been perfect. It reminded him of his favorite lake in Colorado on his grandfather’s property. That didn’t have a house this huge, but that lake was as good as this one. The property had been left to all the Kent brothers, but none of them were currently using it. He would go back to Colorado one day, but for now he would stay in Texas.
He was grateful he’d been given a nice contract to return and play with the Titans again. He hadn’t known what to do when he’d come home, but fortunately, football had worked out. It had surprised him as much as anyone else that he’d been lucky enough to make the practice team and even luckier to be so good they had pulled him up to first string. He’d helped take the Titans all the way to the Championship. Boo-yah!
His thoughts shifted to another professional football player, his brother Will, who was only three years younger than him. He was second string for the Denver Destroyers. Walker thought of the last time he’d seen Will, or any of his brothers. It had been when his mama had passed away nine months ago. They’d all gathered back in Colorado when they’d received news from the hospice nurse that she was fading.
He rowed faster, feeling the familiar anxiety starting in the center of his chest. Breathe in. Breathe out. Long breaths. The therapist had told him it didn’t surprise him that rowing helped. It required controlled breathing.
Closing his eyes, Walker thought of his mother—her soft hands, her caring face. Of the way he and his brothers had all stood by her casket. Of course, one funeral brings up other funerals, and as always, his thoughts went to his wife, who had passed away three years ago. Laura. He’d been on leave and they’d gone to dinner. It’d been raining and that semi had come out of nowhere. There had been glass all over, and he remembered how loudly the horn blasted. He shook himself. These thoughts did not serve him. That was another thing the therapist had told him.
It should have been him, not his wife, not Tams. Anger surged inside of him. He kept rowing. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement. Stupefied, he let the rowboat slow to a stop. It looked like a woman was standing on the deck of the massive lake house. Good thing he’d cleaned up his little camp before he’d put the canoe in the lake this morning. Having someone here was not good. He began rowing again, unable to stop himself from looking at the woman. Her body was lithe and lean, and she was in Warrior I pose with her eyes closed. His breath hitched. The woman was beautiful. She had red hair, and her tight black yoga clothes contrasted sharply against her soft, pale skin. She looked perfectly serene. Truly, this could be a commercial for the house. She radiated a peace that he would buy in a heartbeat.
Who was she? Sear
ching the rest of the house, he didn’t see anyone else. He’d never seen anyone else here in the past year since he’d been coming to row and then coming to camp. He liked being able to come and use this lake and camp here whenever he wanted. Unfortunately, she might put a kink in those plans.
She put her leg high into the air and moved into another pose. Finding himself admiring her form, he stared. She was flexible. And beautiful. A twinge of attraction pricked the center of his chest.
Lately, with all the relationships his brothers were having, he thought about how he wasn’t having one. Which was fine. He didn’t do relationships anymore.
Still staring, irritation wove through him that someone was here. On his lake. At least, that’s how he felt about it. He snorted. It was probably a billionaire trust fund baby, by the looks of the mansion.
Man, he wanted this house.
He figured, since he was here, he might as well still enjoy the lake. What would be the worst thing, she’d kick him off? It was a good idea to stretch, so he decided he would do some, too. He loved keeping his balance on the rowboat while he stretched. As he tugged his shirt off, he thought about the stupid bachelor auction tonight, which he did not want to go to. It made no sense for him to go to an event where they were raising funds for vets. Annoyance rippled through him. More speculation of the details of his classified dismissal had recently hit the news. It was a complete crap show. He leaned into a pose, stretching his arms wide and lunging to the side. Why did people care so much about a story that, frankly, was none of their business?
Breathe in. Breathe out. He had to get out of Dallas for a couple of weeks, unwind, get to the cabin, and clear his head. He wondered if Sheena Turner would be there to get access to the newest quarterback for the Titans, Riker Dylan. Poor guy.
Kade Kincaid had announced his retirement a few months ago. He said he wanted to focus on his growing family and his lovely wife. Walker had seen the press coverage of his pregnant, pretty wife. He was happy for the guy.
Kade’s brother, Anthony, had decided to go back to the Sentinels as starting quarterback. Walker grinned and thought how at least he’d get the chance to see both of them at the bachelor auction tonight.
Of course, James Knight had wanted all the newbies to come—Riker Dylan, Cole Carmichael, London Wilder, and Knox Sherman. All of them were single, so all of them were roped in. Even though this would be Walker’s second year, he wasn’t in a relationship, so he had to come as well.
Letting those thoughts go, he moved into another pose. He focused on how much he liked being here right now. There was solace here, peace. Everything he wished for in every morning. Today he had it, even though the apparent owner of the house was already irritating him by just showing up.
Chapter 2
Scarlett Powers stretched into the yoga position up on the deck of the lake house she had inherited from her grandmother ten years ago. With a deep breath, she tried to calm the roiling discontent of her mind. She’d just finished filming her latest romantic comedy, Cherished, in New York, and she wanted a full week at the lake house in Dallas before heading to her brother’s wedding in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, filming had run later than expected, and the wedding festivities technically started tomorrow. In the end, she’d really only had two days here, much to her annoyance.
When her father had asked her to go represent the Powers Foundation at the bachelor auction, she hadn’t been pleased. She didn’t need to be in the public’s eye. She needed a break, but her father, in his micromanaging movie mogul billionaire way, hadn’t agreed. He had told her, “We need someone to help take over your mother’s charities, and supporting vets was her thing.”
Of course it had been her mother’s thing. Scarlett’s uncle had died serving in the Army. Her father, on the other hand, didn’t have much that he supported, other than himself.
Scarlett and her mother had been close. Very close. When she’d passed from breast cancer three years ago, it’d felt like Scarlett’s whole world had crumbled. It hadn’t been a happy marriage between her mother and father at the end. Truthfully, it hadn’t been happy between anyone and her father. She tried to avoid him at all costs, and it felt like he was looking for ways to force her to be part of the “Power” family.
She’d agreed to go to the stupid bachelor auction. She would support the cause. She would tow the family line, but it wasn’t for him. It was for her mother.
Peace, she told herself, lowering her head into down dog pose. Yoga was supposed to calm her, not work her into a frenzy.
Beads of sweat trickled down her back, pooling at her neck. It seemed like Texas was even hotter than L.A., and she was glad she’d gotten up at the crack of dawn. She came up into Crescent Pose, but froze when she noticed something in the lake. A canoe. A man. To her shock, the man in the canoe was taking his shirt off. Just the sight of him made her blood boil. He’d interrupted her silence.
Unexpectedly, the canoe teetered and it looked like he might fall in, but he regained his balance, stretching both of his arms out into warrior pose.
She pulled her arms down, captured by this man’s beauty. He was a large man, and completely ripped; even from this distance, she could see every muscle.
Abruptly, he looked up and straight into her eyes. He scowled. It was just a slight movement of his eyes going from curious to angry, but she felt the heat of it.
Scarlett stood, shaken from her pose. Who was this guy? What was he doing on her lake? He didn’t look like he had a camera, so she didn’t think he was paparazzi. She was so tired of paparazzi.
She was about to yell at him when her phone rang from the kitchen. She had one of those annoying, shrill rings that she always vowed she would turn off every time it rang, but she never did because it was effective in getting her attention. She rushed to pull open the sliding glass door and dashed for the phone.
Since it was barely five-thirty in the morning, she knew who it would be—the only other person she knew who loved mornings as much as she did. At least, other than the insane guy on the lake at this very moment. Her lake, she reminded herself.
“Hello,” she said dully, answering only to stop the obnoxious ring.
“I’m impressed you didn’t ignore my call.” Her father’s voice already sounded low and menacing, and the hair on the back of her neck pricked up.
She wanted to give him a cool, calculated retort, but she hadn’t had time to put on that “character” yet. “Good morning to you too.”
He scoffed. “So you’re going to the auction tonight, correct?”
She clenched her hand into a fist. “I said I would attend. Is there anything else?” Her voice was clipped. It felt like every interaction with her father exhausted her, and with her recent health challenge, she didn’t have the energy to constantly battle him.
He cleared his throat. “So you’ll go to the auction tonight. Then I’ll have the helicopter waiting at the L.A. airport to bring you straight to the venue tomorrow.”
Scarlett thought they’d cleared this up in an email. “Yes,” she agreed, chafing under his smothering influence. She couldn’t wait to get back to the deck and to her yoga.
Her father let out a breath. “I want the next couple of days to be perfect for your brother, and I won’t have you sulking around making him upset.”
This threw her for a loop. Her brother was getting married, and she was his fiancée’s maid of honor. She wanted it to be nice for her brother too, and she had never sulked. “Why would I do that? You’re being ridiculous.” A wave of nausea rose alongside her irritation. The nausea hadn’t been too bad overall, but the doctor said she might have it as long as she was on the chemo pills for the next two months.
“You should know something, Scarlett.” He had a foreboding tone.
Her heart skipped a beat. When her father spoke like that, it was never good. She remembered when he’d said the same thing right before he’d told her about her mother dying. “What?” she asked bluntly.
&n
bsp; “Kurt and Marissa announced their engagement last night,” he said, ripping it off like a Band-Aid.
Her mind flitted to her ex-boyfriend. Her long-standing boyfriend who had dumped her over a year ago. Her brother’s best man.
She put her hand to her stomach, feeling even worse. Marissa’s face flashed into her mind. Marissa had been her best friend since forever, until she had admitted that she was in love with Kurt and wanted to be with him. Biting back on the nausea, Scarlett felt her hand start to tremble. Great. Not only did she have to go to her brother’s wedding and be the happy maid of honor and deal with her controlling father; she also got to pretend to be happy for Kurt and Marissa. “Fine,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping she could resist the urge to barf while on the phone.
Her father sighed, sounding tired. “Do you have someone you can bring to the wedding, Scarlett?”
Humiliation and anger roiled through her. “I have to go.”
“Scarlett.” His voice was louder. “I don’t want you to embarrass Brent. Just show up with a date and everything will be fine. Can you do that?”
Before she could stop the words, she blurted, “I met someone, I’m actually engaged.” Her heart raced like a thousand elephants. “I just didn’t want to take away from Brent’s day, so I didn’t say anything before now.”