A knowing grin tugged at one corner of her mouth. “When fate takes hold of the wheel?”
Betzy gave that some thought, realizing that, as much as she liked being in the driver’s seat, she didn’t always steer things in the right direction.
Yet somehow, despite the ruins she’d raced into, things were turning out just as she’d dreamed.
A deep rush of gratitude pooled into her heart, so full she couldn’t contain it. She pictured her father up in the heavens, with Grandpa and Winston at his side. Perhaps they had a bit of pull. It seemed that what Grandma had been trying to tell her was true after all.
With that acknowledgment running through her mind, she wrapped an arm around her grandma, locked her eyes on Sawyer through the small crowd, and gave her an honest answer.
“It feels…better than I ever imagined.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Her Best Friend Fake Fiancé.
For more Fake Fiancé fun catch the next in the series, Her Stand-in Fake Fiancé by Cindy Roland Anderson.
Watch for the Benton Brothers Romance Series to continue. James’ book, 28 Days with a Billionaire, can be found here. Zander and Duke will get their happy ending soon as well, but for now, enjoy this sample chapter from Fresh Starts by Kimberly Krey.
Fresh Starts
Chapter One
Bree spun full-circle as she looked over her now vacant home. Blank walls and empty spaces that – to anyone else – would look like just another house on the street. For Bree it was different.
In the kitchen, she saw little Sophie proudly making her very first pizza. She envisioned Carter in the front room, dancing his heart out to his favorite tunes.
Her chest rose as she considered all she’d accomplished in the six years since her divorce. Running a successful daycare business from home was at the top of her list. Second only to an achievement that had taken nearly five years to master: Fear-free living. Would all of it be lost to her now?
Her brother’s footsteps sounded down the hall. “You about ready to go?”
Bree gulped, trapped in the mental mud of her mind. The part that held memories of her terrorized years. “Almost.”
If the clock Mom gave her were still on the shelf, Bree would hear it in the quiet moment. The absence of it held a significance all its own. One she wouldn’t focus on then.
“Come here, sis.” Braden draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a sideways hug.
Bree hugged him back and stepped away before she could cry, squeezing her eyes shut to trap the tears. Tears from leaving the home she loved. Leaving the only sibling she had. Leaving her very own kids.
“I wish there was a better way to ensure your safety.”
His words were laced with a sense of burden that put a rock in Bree’s gut.
“We just don’t know what Carl Ronsberg is capable of.” He glared down at the floor. “Or maybe we do.”
Or maybe we do…Four words. Four words that – when used separately – were as harmless as a stray kitten. But when used with that name they were enough to shoot ice through her spine. Carl Ronsberg – the stalker she’d help put behind bars. The stalker who’d be out in just fourteen days.
Haunting images soaked into her mind like a crimson stain, spreading to her blood in a wicked flash. “Yeah.” It came out in a whisper. She cleared her throat, put strength into her next words. “I still can’t believe you bought that orchard house. I, I can’t…” She shook her head, awed by Braden’s plan to get her safely out of Montana before Ronsberg was free. A plan that would let them test the stalker-infested waters while she stayed in a place off the Oregon Coast. A home Braden purchased just after the scumbag was sentenced five years ago. “I really appreciate you letting me live there for…” she couldn’t get herself to say the better part of a year. “For a while. I know it’s a sacrifice.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t have bought the place if it wasn’t a good investment. This won’t put me out a bit.” The expression on his face changed, a pained look she’d seen before. A look that pulled at her far-too-close-to-the-surface emotions.
“Mom and Dad might not have been around at the time,” he said, “but I’m positive they’re the ones who led me to that orchard.”
The truth of his words swelled in her chest. She pulled in a breath of promise. “I’m sure they were too.” Whether in her home state of Montana, or the soon-to-be safe house in Oregon, they would always be with her.
“Should we clear out? Your new tenants will be here first thing in the morning.” He glanced down at his watch. Dad’s old watch. “And it’ll be officially tomorrow morning in just twenty minutes.”
“It’s that late?” Bree asked. “Think the kids are still up?”
