Author: Shelly Alexander
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: R
Hot-wired and restless, financial wizard Elliott Remington doesn’t turn down a dare. This time it’s to coordinate a service-dog boot camp for veterans at his family’s resort. Success means a one-way ticket to the West Coast to pursue his dream career. But it comes with a hitch: teaming up with his ex, who vanished on him ten years ago with nothing more than a kiss-off note.
As fiery as her hair and as stubborn as her name, Rebel Tate did what she had to do—for Elliott’s sake and her own. A dog whisperer with a keen sense of survival, she’s lived a tough life. Here she is, back in Angel Fire Falls, doing what she loves, next to a man she’s never forgotten. While the flame between them still smolders, neither is ready to get burned.
For Elliott, trusting Rebel is a gamble. For Rebel, sharing the secrets that sent her running is a risk. Now, while finishing a job that could define both their futures, two hearts are about to collide—and a second chance at true romance could be the greatest dare of all.
Copyright © 2019 Shelly Alexander
He gave her a look that said he had no idea what she was talking about. “Say what?”
She crossed her arms. “Whatever’s on your mind. Whatever makes you feel better, because there isn’t just an elephant in the room. There’s an entire herd of elephants, and judging from the sound of your grinding teeth, they’re about to stampede.” She cocked a hip and waited. Waited for the very thing she’d tried to avoid years ago. His disapproval. His disappointment.
Regret washed through her. Breaking up with him through a note had been cruel. But at the time, it was her only option. If she’d told him the truth about her circumstances, if she’d told him about the horrible secret she was keeping for her dying mother, she was pretty sure he would’ve given up his scholarship and come home to go to community college on the mainland just to be her support system.
That would’ve been the only thing worse than him hating her for leaving him without an explanation.
So it was time to face what she’d done, even if it meant hearing harsh words from the only man she’d ever loved.
Instead, he stewed in silence. She wasn’t sure which was more awful.
His jaw hardened, and his eyes turned icy. Yeah, the silence was much more awful.
“Go on.” She couldn’t stop her foot from tapping nervously against
the cement. “I’m a big girl. I can take it. I’ve been through much worse than a few scathing words from an ex-boyfriend.”
Rem moved to her side.
Elliott studied her, finally drawing in a deep breath. “It’s ancient history. Forget about it. I know I have.”
Oh. Her foot tapping stopped. “Let’s focus on the camp,” he said. “That’s all I care about. Then you and I can go back to our lives.”
She swallowed down the sting in her throat.
She thought he’d ask why, want answers, or just plain tell her off.
She’d been terribly wrong. More than answers, more than having his say, what he obviously needed was for them to go their separate ways. Again.
Something sharp pricked at her heart. Breaking up had been the last thing she’d wanted, but what would a homeless teenager with no prospects have to offer a Wharton grad who was going to have a world of opportunities at his feet? Especially if the truth about what her mother had done ever came to light. So she’d broken up with him and told him to move on without her.
She just hadn’t realized how much it would hurt if she got what she’d asked for, even after all these years.
