She was a successful college grad now, all finished with Stanford and three months into her first job, a marketing specialist at a fabulous start-up company based in Salt Lake City. They specialized in electronic billboards and were growing like mad. Her job was to get them even more contracts, and she was killing it, if she did say so herself. Her boss seemed pleased, and she enjoyed the work, though the sprawling Salt Lake valley was too populated for a backwoods girl like her. She’d come home for Labor Day weekend to enjoy family and her mountains, and then she’d be back to the real world. At least the mountains east of Salt Lake had some great hikes and bike paths she could escape to after work and on the weekends, after she navigated through traffic for a miserable hour.
“I think the lady can decide for herself,” Rich Guy said.
“Back off, Marcus. This one’s mine.” Trey’s eyes swept over her, and for a second, she really thought he meant it, really wanted her to be his. Then he acted like the annoying, possessive big brother, putting his hand on her lower back and escorting her toward the lodge without giving her a chance to choose for herself. She’d choose Trey every time, but she was an independent woman and he needed to know that.
The Richie—Marcus, she supposed—grunted something annoyed and not very appropriate behind them, but Ella was having a hard time focusing with Trey’s warm palm on her back, seeping through her thin shirt, and his words. “‘This one’s mine’? What kind of bull crap is that?” she asked.
Trey smiled down at her, but his blue eyes had something different in them than she’d ever seen. It was almost like he was finally seeing her, but that was probably just wishful thinking on her part. “It’ll get that loser to leave you alone. He’s with a corporate retreat out of Denver, and most of them are stand-up guys, but Marcus Traegger thinks he owns the world and every woman in it.”
“Maybe I prefer guys like that.” She arched a challenging eyebrow. The truth was that no man had ever compared to Trey, but he didn’t know that. Hopefully, he would never know that. How humiliating would that be?
He opened the lodge’s door and ushered her inside. “I’d say too bad for you, because Gavin and I are not letting it happen.” He glowered down at her. It was odd to see anything but a smile on Trey’s handsome face. He was just one of those contagiously happy people. Add to that his good-looking face with the slightly longer curly golden-brown hair and the bright blue eyes she couldn’t resist and she could understand why every woman flung herself at him. No matter how jealous it made her.
Ella stopped just inside the door, taking in the huge open room welcoming her and a pretty blonde she didn’t know manning the front desk. They were far enough away that they still had a small measure of privacy. She whirled on Trey, ready to give him a piece of her mind. He had plenty of women after him, and she could choose if she wanted to go to dinner with some rich yahoo.
A deep voice said, “What aren’t we letting happen?”
Ella pushed away her frustration with the bossy, too-handsome Trey and turned. Her oldest brother, Gavin, was striding down the grand staircase as if he owned the world, or at least owned this corner of it. He pretty much did, though her mama still had her hand in everything. From what Ella had seen on her brief trips home, Gavin was taking over more and more. He was brilliant at it, though it had always baffled her that he’d never left the valley. He’d had a full-ride scholarship to Texas A&M, planning to play cornerback and get his undergrad before going on to law school. Ella had only been twelve at the time, so her memory was a little fuzzy, but she did remember her parents going from thrilled and proud to withdrawn and sad. Papa’s accident had happened around the same time, so Gavin never went away to college; he just got his degree online and worked night and day to make the resort even better than anyone could’ve dreamed. Stetson, their twenty-year-old brother, was fulfilling Gavin’s dream, playing defensive end for Purdue and making everybody proud.
“Gavin!” Ella rushed to the stairs.
He met her at the bottom and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around. “Hey, Cinderella,” he teased. “Come home to clean the chimney?”
“Yes, sir. Put me to work, big brother.”
He released her from the hug and looked her over. “You’re too pretty to be working.”
“That’s what I thought,” Trey said from behind her.
Ella caught a glimpse of a warning in Gavin’s eyes before she rounded on Trey. “Like you’d ever look at me as anything but a sister,” she hurled at him.
Trey’s eyes widened, and she almost faltered. The color of his eyes could go from teal-blue to a more true blue depending on what he was wearing or his mood. His eyes had always mesmerized her.
“He’d better not,” Gavin growled. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Protective and in charge of everybody, that was her big brother. She adored him, but she quite often balked at him telling her what to do. She was very unlike her twin, Cassandra, who was obedient and sweet. If Trey had any inclination to realize she was a woman, she didn’t want Gavin scaring him away.
Trey said nothing, and that frustrated her even more. So he gave a secondhand compliment, but then when she called him out, gave him the chance to say he didn’t think of her as a little sister anymore, he clammed up. What did she expect? She’d been around Trey all of five minutes, and of course she’d imagined something different in his eyes; she’d been praying to see a glimmer of interest for years. The fact that he’d probably never see her as anything but a little sister made her want to punch him in the gut, but that was unfair. This was all on her.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she demanded of Trey. “Don’t you have Instagram videos to shoot for your admirers to gawk over?” Trey was an Instagram and YouTube hotshot. He made videos showing and instructing how to do insane, borderline idiotic tricks on mountain bikes and snow skis. Ella followed him. How could she help it? But she’d noticed that most of his followers seemed to be female and were enthralled with his perfect face and tough body more than learning how to do any of his tricks. She didn’t blame the women, but she could still admit it annoyed her.
“I hired him,” Gavin said.
“You can afford him?” Ella asked. It sounded more like something their brother Heath, would do. His four resorts were even more lavish than this one, and he was always doing some kind of interesting promotion.
Trey chuckled. “I gave him a discount.”
Gavin cracked half of a smile. “You’d better not have, you idiot.”
Trey just gave them a self-satisfied smirk and stepped closer. “To answer your question, beautiful Cinderella, Gavin hired me to impress a bunch of corporate yuppies who have booked the resort this weekend to teach them tricks so they can impress their friends when they go home.”
“So you’re only here for the weekend?”
“Not long enough for you?” Trey arched an eyebrow.
No, it would never be long enough for her. She’d be happy to spend the rest of eternity with Trey, but she clamped a lid on that fantasy. Trey was no Prince Charming, and she was better suited to clean the chimney than campaign for Trey’s affections. Judging by the way he appeared to flit from one gorgeous woman to the next, she should be glad he wasn’t interested. He’d reel her in, maybe finally kiss her like she’d always dreamed about, and then he’d dump her and move on. She’d be in a worse position than ever.
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Her Hockey Superstar Fake Fiance
“Oof!” She slammed into something hard and large. Bouncing back, she hit the pavement on her rear, pain radiating up her backside and her phone skittering away underneath a parked car. Glancing up, way up, she saw a man towering over her. The sun was bright reflecting off the snow so she couldn’t quite make out his face, but his body was tall, lean, and beautifully muscled under a fitted long-sleeved shirt.
“Faith?” Her stomach did a funny flip-flop it hadn’t done in years. That voice saying her name was like going
back into dreams she’d long since stored and tried to forget. Dreams that were beautiful and happy and nothing like her life now. A life without burying her husband Blaine a year ago, a life without the pain, and a life where there was hope. Her life now was far removed from that deep, husky, beautiful voice saying her name.
The man bent down low, and swept her off the ground. Thankfully she had her thick coat on to dampen the impact, but still excitement and heat shot through her as she was lifted face to chest with the man who dominated her night dreams, no matter how many times she’d prayed to not dream about him any more. If she had any money, she’d hire a therapist or voo-doo witch doctor to exorcise him from her memory.
“Faith,” he repeated, saying the name this time almost reverently. Jag’s handsome face looked all lit up. He appeared for all the world like the boy she used to adore, grown into an irresistible man with hard lines and firm muscles and yet a softness in his eyes as he gazed at her.
He lifted her off her feet, without her permission, and much to her body’s happiness, and swung her around like he used to do. Setting her back down, he was still grinning at her. “Faith.” How many times could he say her name in different ways? This time it was a husky groan and she knew exactly what was coming when he said her name in that way and she wanted him to capture her lips—like he used to do—more than she wanted her swim team to win state this year.
He bent down close, his blue eyes taking her in as if she were his entire world. His muscular body surrounded her and for the first time in years she felt safe. Any moment now their lips would connect and all the pain and misery she’d been through this past ten years would disappear and Jag would make everything right in her world like he used to do.
“And who is this?” a snarky voice asked from his side.
Jag wrapped Faith tight and turned her, as if to shelter her from the woman standing next to them. Faith peeked over his muscular arm to see a gorgeous redhead in a tight business suit that pushed her well-endowed front out for the world to enjoy. Faith worried the woman would get frostbite on her beautiful front alignment. It was chilly out here.
* * *
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About the Author
Cami is a part-time author, part-time exercise consultant, part-time housekeeper, full-time wife, and overtime mother of four adorable boys. Sleep and relaxation are fond memories. She’s never been happier.
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[email protected]
www.camichecketts.com
Also by Cami Checketts
Strong Family Romance
Don’t Date Your Brother’s Best Friend
Her Loyal Protector
Don’t Fall for a Fugitive
Her Hockey Superstar Fake Fiance
Steele Family Romance
Her Dream Date Boss
The Stranded Patriot
The Committed Warrior
Extreme Devotion
Quinn Family Romance
The Devoted Groom
The Conflicted Warrior
The Gentle Patriot
The Tough Warrior
Her Too-Perfect Boss
Her Forbidden Bodyguard
Georgia Patriots Romance
The Loyal Patriot
The Gentle Patriot
The Stranded Patriot
The Pursued Patriot
Jepson Brothers Romance
How to Design Love
How to Switch a Groom
How to Lose a Fiance
Billionaire Boss Romance
Her Dream Date Boss
Her Prince Charming Boss
Hawk Brothers Romance
The Determined Groom
The Stealth Warrior
Her Billionaire Boss Fake Fiance
Risking it All
Navy Seal Romance
The Protective Warrior
The Captivating Warrior
The Stealth Warrior
The Tough Warrior
Texas Titan Romance
The Fearless Groom
The Trustworthy Groom
The Beastly Groom
The Irresistible Groom
The Determined Groom
The Devoted Groom
Billionaire Beach Romance
Caribbean Rescue
Cozumel Escape
Cancun Getaway
Trusting the Billionaire
How to Kiss a Billionaire
Onboard for Love
Shadows in the Curtain
Billionaire Bride Pact Romance
The Resilient One
The Feisty One
The Independent One
The Protective One
The Faithful One
The Daring One
Park City Firefighter Romance
Rescued by Love
Reluctant Rescue
Stone Cold Sparks
Snowed-In for Christmas
Echo Ridge Romance
Christmas Makeover
Last of the Gentlemen
My Best Man’s Wedding
Change of Plans
Counterfeit Date
Snow Valley
Full Court Devotion: Christmas in Snow Valley
A Touch of Love: Summer in Snow Valley
Running from the Cowboy: Spring in Snow Valley
Light in Your Eyes: Winter in Snow Valley
Romancing the Singer: Return to Snow Valley
Fighting for Love: Return to Snow Valley
Other Books by Cami
Seeking Mr. Debonair: Jane Austen Pact
Seeking Mr. Dependable: Jane Austen Pact
Saving Sycamore Bay
Oh, Come On, Be Faithful
Protect This
Blog This
Redeem This
The Broken Path
Dead Running
Dying to Run
Fourth of July
Love & Loss
Love & Lies
Cami’s Collections
Steele Family Collection
Hawk Brothers Collection
Quinn Family Collection
Cami’s Military Collection
Billionaire Beach Romance Collection
Billionaire Bride Pact Collection
Billionaire Romance Sampler
Echo Ridge Romance Collection
Texas Titans Romance Collection
Snow Valley Collection
Christmas Romance Collection
Holiday Romance Collection
Don’t Fall for a Fugitive: Strong Family Romances Page 20