Itโs just a belated goodbye, right? No harm, no foul.
A FOOL FOR YOU
Foolproof Love #3
Katee Robert
Releasing Oct 3rd, 2016
Entangled: Brazen
Itโs been
thirteen years since Hope Moore left Devilโs Falls, land of sexy cowboys and
bad memories. Back for the weekend, she has no intention of seeing the man she
never got over โฆ or the two of them getting down and dirty. Itโs just a belated
goodbye , right? No harm, no foul.
Until six weeks later, when her pregnancy test comes back positiveโฆ
Daniel Rodriguez hasnโt forgiven himself for how things went down with Hope all
those years ago. He knows sheโs better off without him, but when she shows up
on his doorstep, panicking because sheโs pregnant with his baby, he canโt help
seeing it as a chance to make up for the past.
Too bad Hope has no intention of going along with his plans.
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Chapter One
Hope Moore held her breath as she passed the sign declaring Welcome to Devilโs Falls . She hadnโt
crossed the town boundary in thirteen years, not since she sat next to an open
grave as they lowered her brother into the ground. Not since she turned her
back on her entire life here, whisked away by her parents to the best medical
facilities Texas had to offer.
She touched her
knee . Sheโd never cheered again, never run track, never done any of the things
she โd had planned when she was eighteen and had graduated high school with
stars in her eyes.
Stars in her eyes,
and love in her heart.
Neither had lasted
past that car crash.
Oh, it had taken the
love a lot longer to die than it had her knee, but Daniel Rodriguez made sure
she knew where she stood with him.
She caught herself
taking her foot off the gas and picked up speed again. There was no telling if
she โd see him while she was here, but it couldnโt matter. Sheโd moved past what
happened that night, moved past the disappointment that sheโd almost let sour
everything else about her life. It might not have happened like she planned,
but sheโd made the best of her college experience, and sheโd gone on to create
a successful little niche for herself, helping people and institutions with too
much money on their hands create trusts and scholarships for those in need.
And now Hope was back
in town to finally do that in her brotherโs memory.
She pulled onto Main
Street, heading for the only lodgings someone out of town with no relatives to
stay with would considerโSara Janeโs B&B. It was a nice little place, but
Sara Jane was nosy to a criminal degree and gossiped more than anyone Hope had
ever come across. The second she checked in and went up to her room, everyone
with a phone would be getting a call letting them know that she was back in
town .
It wasnโt that it
was a secret, but she couldnโt help but feel that sheโd always be John Mooreโs
little sister, the one who survived when her older brotherโher better in a lot
of waysโdidnโt. She knew that was her own insecurity. Sheโd had too many
years of therapy to believe anything else, except in her darkest heart of
hearts , the place she didnโt let see the light any more than strictly
necessary .
But it was hard to
ignore that little voice when driving through Devilโs Falls. No, not through.
To. This was her destination.
Her parents hadnโt
been too thrilled about her coming back, even for a limited time, but even they
couldnโt deny that this scholarship she was here to set up was a good thingโthe
right way to honor John. Heโd been in the middle of a full ride at the
University of Texas when he was killed, and it made sense to set it up to allow
other kids the opportunity heโd never be able to realize.
She pressed a hand
to her chest and pulled into the nearest parking spot against the curb. God,
even after all this time, it still hurts. Most days it didnโt. Heโd been
gone long enough that sheโd processed her grief as much as one person could
process grief, and she was able to focus on the good memories.
Her eyes focused on
the sign sheโd been staring blindly at, and she frowned. Cups and Kittens. That was new. In a
town as mired in the past as Devilโs Falls, change was something of a novelty.
Or maybe she was biased in a negative way, because the only thing this town
held for her was memories. Some bad, mostly good, all dust now.
Pathetically
grateful for something external to focus on, she climbed out of her car and
looked at the cheery window painting depicting kittens frolicking in between
flowers .
The B&B could
wait a little while longer. Her meeting with the town board wasnโt until tomorrow,
so there was no reason she couldnโt do a little poking around in the meantime.
Thirteen years was a long time. If anyone had asked her, she would have joked
that she hadnโt expected anything about Devilโs Falls to change while she was
gone .
Apparently sheโd
been wrong.
She pushed through
the door and froze in the face of a pair of cats staring at her from their
perch on a table overlooking the big window in the front. The sight surprised a
laugh out of her. โCups and Kittens, indeed.โ
โIn the most literal
sense .โ
She glanced over at
the woman behind the counter, a third cat lounging near the register.
Familiarity rolled over Hope. โJules Rodriguez.โ Danielโs little cousin. Not so
little anymore. Last time sheโd seen Jules, the girl had been lanky to an
almost awkward degree and had braces with bright green bands. Sheโd grown up
pretty , and there was more of Daniel about her now than there had been when she
was a kid.
Or maybe Iโm just
back in Devilโs Falls and seeing Daniel wherever I look.
Julesโs dark eyes
cleared . โHope? What are you doing back in town?โ She hesitated. โI donโt
suppose youโre here to sweep my brooding cousin off his feet and shove him back
into real life?โ
Her mind tripped
over itself trying to keep up with the other womanโs verbal gymnastics. Jules
had always been like that, now that she thought about itโa bright and bubbly
steamroller . She tried to weed her way through what the woman had just said,
but there was only one thing she could focus on. Daniel. Always Daniel. โWhat
do you mean, back into real life?โ
No, she really
didnโt . She studied Julesโs face , the way she wouldnโt quite meet her eyes. โIs
he okay?โ She hadnโt missed the way Quinn Baldwyn had frozen up when sheโd
asked that same question a few weeks ago at his sisterโs wedding, and worry had
been simmering in the back of her mind ever since, no matter how many times she
told herself it wasnโt any of her business. Daniel was a grown man, and he had
always been more than capable of taking care of himselfโand everyone else
around him. Things changed, but she couldnโt see that changing.
Jules shifted, her
hand darting out to pet the calico on the counter and then darting away when
the cat swiped at her. โDefine okay.โ
It was none of her
business . It stopped being her business a very long time ago.
But that didnโt stop
her from clearing her throat and asking, โIs he โฆ is he married?โ Did he build
the house we always talked about and have those two wild boys and one sweet
girl ? Does he bring his wife waffles for breakfast in bed on the weekends?
But Jules was
already shaking her head, her mouth turning down. โNope. No wife, no kids, no
serious relationship in , well, thirteen years.โ
Hope blinked.
โYouโre joking.โ
โI wish I was.โ A
calculating look came into her eyes, but then she shook herself and it was all
guileless enthusiasm. โWhat are you doing for dinner?โ She rushed on without
waiting for a response. โWeโre having a little thing with Quinn and my friend
Aubry, and, well, I kind of went and married Adam Meyers.โ
Some things really do change. She remembered Adam, the wild-eyed boy whoโd
grown into a wild-eyed man, better than she remembered Jules. No one had
expected him to come back to Devilโs Falls after he blew out of town that last
time , let alone to settle here and โฆ get married. โWow. Whatโs Daniel have to say
about that?โ
โHe was best man at
our wedding.โ Jules laughed. โThough he was pretty furious at the beginning.
Here, sit down. You look like you could use a coffee, and Iโll tell you the
story since weโre generally pretty dead Thursday nights. Then Iโll close up and
we can go to dinner. The boys will love to see you. Quinn was just talking
about you the other day.โ
Hope wasnโt sure she
actually agreed to any of it, but the next thing she knew, she was drinking
coffee while a cat curled up in her lap and listening to Julesโs wild tale
about a fake relationship that turned into a real relationship. Somehow in the
middle of that, she was bundled up into Julesโs truck, and by then it was too
late to change her mind.
She settled into her
seat , consoling herself with the fact that Jules had very specifically not
mentioned Danielโs name. There was no reason to think heโd be there, but it would
be nice to reconnect with some of her old friends. As much as it had hurt when
things went south with Daniel, knowing that sheโd lost Quinn and Adam, too, had
just been salt in the wound. Sheโd chased them around since she could toddle
after her big brother and his friends, and theyโd turned into true friends over
the years. She understood why they hadnโt reached out, but she wasnโt going to
turn down a chance to catch up with them.
It would probably be
the only nice thing about being back in Devilโs Falls.
โฆ
โYou havenโt even
heard what Iโm asking.โ
โDonโt need to.โ
Daniel Rodriguez leaned down and unbuckled Ritaโs saddle and hefted it off the
horseโs back. Theyโd had a good run today, the hot sun making it impossible to
think too hard about anything other than whether a human being could roast
alive in Texas in August. He hadnโt yet, so that put the odds ever so slightly
in his favor .
All he wanted was to
finish here and head back to his place for a cold shower and an even colder
beer .
It would just
fucking figure that the universe had other ideas. He glanced up, but Aubry
Kaiser hadnโt moved. In fact, with her arms crossed over her chest and her chin
up , all signs pointed to this adding up to an argument he couldnโt possibly
win .
She frowned harder.
โItโs your birthday. You canโt just sit at home by yourself.โ
โSince itโs my
birthday , this is the one day a year I should be able to do exactly that
with no one bitching at me.โ He regretted the harsh words almost as soon as
they were out of his mouth, but Aubry wasnโt like his little cousin. She was
meaner than a rattler and twice as likely to bite.
She narrowed her
amber eyes at him. โYour cousin misses you.โ
That explained why
she was out here when he knew for a fact she thought horses were akin to
goats โas in, the devilโs own creatures. Hell, she was giving poor Rita a
suspicious look even while guilt-tripping him using the one person in his life
he couldnโt say no to.
Which doesnโt
explain why Jules herself isnโt here.
โShe sees me on a
regular basis.โ
โThis is your
birthday .โ Aubry sighed and rolled her eyes, looking put-upon. โLook, it goes
like thisโJules has worked really hard to put together a surprise birthday
party for you, and if you donโt show up to be surprised, sheโs going to be
crushed .โ
He stared. โI donโt
want a surprise birthday party.โ The fact that it was no longer a surprise said
a whole lot about Aubryโs priorities, and he couldnโt blame her for that.
โLook at my face.
This is the face of a woman who doesnโt give two fucks what you care about.
What I care about is Jules, and that means youโre going to go shower off
the smell of that animal and show up at their house in an hour, right on time.โ
She paused, her brows slanting down in an expression that was downright
forbidding . โYou helped me out not too long ago, so Iโm going to do you a solid
and give you the lowdown. Ready?โ
โJules is worried
about you. Really worried. If you donโt show up tonight, sheโs going to take
that as a sign to go forward with plan B.โ
He knew he was going
to regret it, but he still asked, โWhatโs plan B?โ
Aubry gave a tight
smile . โA full-scale intervention with everyone in your life, including your
parents . The kind where they sit you down in a circle and each speak their mind
in the most uncomfortable way possible until youโre ready to beg the ground to
swallow you whole.โ Her smile dimmed. โSheโs worried about you, Daniel.โ
Everyone seemed
worried about him, though they usually did him the courtesy of at least trying
to hide the looks exchanged when they thought he wasnโt looking. The whispered
conversations with his various cousins and his parents. The never-ending work
that was only there because they were throwing him a goddamn bone. It didnโt
seem to matter that he hadnโt done anything requiring an intervention. Heโd
just stopped enjoying the company of people, mostly because he was such shitty
company these days. But try telling that to the family, and they acted like he
had just confessed to being an ax murderer.
At least Jules had
mostly stayed out of it. Up until today.
He
grabbed the curry brush and went over Ritaโs back. Aubry was right. Showing up
to a party he didnโt want on a day he sure as fuck didnโt feel like celebrating
was vastly preferable to the alternative. โExplain to me what the plan is.โ
She gave a grin that
did nothing to reassure him. โDinner and drinks. Itโll be nice. Adam and Quinn
miss you.โ
โI see those
assholes every day.โ Kind of hard not to when they worked the ranch alongside
him . It felt right to have Adam back, to have Quinn there, but at the same time
it was a constant reminder that they were a man short.
โItโs different and
you know it,โ Aubry continued, obviously enjoying how miserable he was. Sheโd
always been a mean one, which never failed to amuse him because Jules was her
polar oppositeโas bright and happy as a spring day. Rita shifted in her stall,
and Aubry went even paler than she was normally . โDinner starts at six. Donโt
be late.โ Then she was gone, moving at a clip fast enough that a less cautious
man than Daniel would call it running.
He waited a good
five minutes before he followed, hauling the saddle into the tack room and
sorting out the bridle. He didnโt begrudge Quinn his happinessโor Adam, for
that matterโbut sometimes it sure as fuck was hard to be around them and their
women . The fact that one of those women was his little cousin barely entered
into it.
He headed for his
truck and took the pitted dirt road leading around the edge of his parentsโ
property to the little house heโd built a few years ago. It wasnโt anything
fancy , but it got the job done, and it was far enough outside town that most
people thought twice before stopping by unannounced.
Most people not
including his family.
The shower did
nothing to ward off the feeling of pending doom. It wasnโt that he didnโt like
Jules or Adam or Quinn or whoever the fuck else was going to be at this damn
party , but he wasnโt in the partying sort of mood. Truth be told, he hadnโt
been in that mood for over a decade. It was almost enough to make him call the
whole thing off, but the knowledge that Jules would have no problem bringing
the party to him got him moving again. Not to mention the potential intervention
he needed like he needed a hole in the head.
At least if he went
there , he could hang out for the appropriate amount of time, make his excuses,
and slip out while everyone else was occupied. Two hours, tops.
Feeling
significantly better, he pulled on a pair of his favorite old jeans and a
T-shirt and grabbed his keys. It struck him as he walked out the door that he
was thirty-fucking-four years old. How the hell did that happen? He
shook his head. He knew damn well how that happened. One day turned into a
week , a month, a year, a decade. All while he kept on keeping, the world
changing around him, but never changing enough.
He glanced at hishis
watch . โTwo hours starts when I get there.โ
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee
Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpaโs knee. She found romance
novels at age twelve and they changed her life. When not writing sexy
contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games
with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and
p lanning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
Start the Series Today
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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