Buch lesen: «Win, Lose...Or Wed!»
Win, Lose…Or Wed!
Melissa McClone
MILLS & BOON
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For Tom, Mackenna, Finn and Rose
Special thanks to:
Colin Goldstein, Michael Leming, PortlandHikers.com,
Terri Reed, Tiffany Talbott & Virginia Kantra
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PROLOGUE
“TWO more minutes, Millie.”
Oh, boy. Millie Kincaid shivered. It was almost time.
She glanced at the gilded framed full-length mirror hanging on the wall of an opulent mansion in Pacific Palisades, California. She barely recognized her reflection. The curly updo, the professionally applied makeup and the elegant gown made her look like a princess, not a schoolteacher from a small town in Central Oregon.
She felt a little like Cinderella. Not that Millie needed an invitation to the ball to find her Prince Charming. She’d already found him on a reality television show, no less. Her heart beat faster. She just had to get through the show’s final episode tonight when “The Groom,” Jace Westfall, a money manager from Philadelphia with his own company, would pick his bride.
An aviary worth of butterflies fluttered in Millie’s stomach. She couldn’t believe she’d made it to the finale. She’d only attended the show’s audition so her friend wouldn’t have to go alone. Her father, a successful motivational speaker, who didn’t think she was living up to her potential, told her she wasn’t ready for a show like this, and she’d wondered if he were right.
Until meeting the handsome “Groom” and falling for him.
Despite the certainty in her heart that she’d found the “one,” she wasn’t expecting an engagement ring after only knowing each other a few weeks. What she really wanted was time alone with him, away from the cameras, crew and other contestants. How would they get along when it was only the two of them? Her head told Millie counting on forever was nothing more than a teenage fantasy. Yet, in her heart, she couldn’t help believe she’d glimpsed her future in his eyes.
“Millie?” Avery, a young production assistant, adjusted her headset. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Millie stepped over cables running along the inlaid wood floor, teetering on the crystal-encrusted high heels they’d given her to wear, and ignored the bright lights and cameras focused on her. She straightened. “I’m ready.”
Grinning, Avery clutched a clipboard to her chest. “You look so beautiful. Just wait until Jace sees you. He’s going to love you.”
Millie hoped so.
I never thought I’d find someone like you on this show.
Jace’s words, murmured in her ear after a good-night kiss, sent anticipation rippling through her.
“Well, I think he knows the real me.” Jace saw beyond Mousy Millie, the nickname given by her father when she was an awkward, shy teenager, to the woman she really was inside. Jace asked questions about her job as a special education teacher and listened to her answers. He wanted to know her thoughts, her opinions, her dreams. He talked with her, not at her. As joy overflowed, Millie motioned to her fancy hair and beautiful dress. “The rest is window-dressing.”
“Which is why you were selected the viewers’ bride choice on the show’s Web site. You and Jace are the perfect couple. Right up there with the ultimate reality couples Trista and Ryan and Amber and Rob.” Avery sighed. “And you are beautiful. So accept the compliment and say thank you.”
Millie’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”
She appreciated Avery’s kind words, but she couldn’t help wondering how beautiful her competition, Desiree Delacroix, a mortgage broker from New York, would look. The other bride finalist exuded strength, confidence and raw sex appeal. Desiree had no problem wearing a string bikini or just a towel in front of Jace and the cameras. Millie would rather face an entire class of kids sick with the stomach flu than wear a swimsuit on television. She’d chosen Whistler, B.C., as her final date location instead of Cancún, Mexico, to avoid wearing skimpy clothing. Two women couldn’t have seemed more different, yet they shared a love of children, a belief in the institution of marriage…and an attraction to Jace Westfall. Thinking about their similarities and differences made Millie squirm.
The set went quiet, as if someone had hit the mute button. Avery touched her earpiece. “It’s time.”
Every one of Millie’s nerve endings sprang to life. Excitement surged. She couldn’t wait to see Jace.
She walked through the mansion, accustomed by now to ignore the equipment, the cameras and the crew. The show’s host, who also worked on the network’s nightly entertainment news show, gave her the thumbs-up. He’d interviewed her when she first arrived. Now it would only be her and Jace. And the cameras.
Rounding the corner to the final set, she saw him, standing on a balcony with hundreds of flowers. Jace wore a black tuxedo with a red rose boutonnière pinned on his lapel. He seemed taller, almost larger than life, all dressed up and his light brown hair neatly styled. This was how he would look on his wedding day. She sucked in a breath.
His eyes widened when he saw her. Uh-oh. He looked almost…scared. Her heart went out to him. This was a big moment for both of them. Millie fought the urge to run and reassure him the way he had that first night on the show when the world of reality TV had threatened to overwhelm her.
But before she could reach him, he smiled. At her.
Suddenly all was right in the world. In Millie’s world.
The backdrop of the Pacific Ocean stretching to the horizon brought out the blue in his eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if they had children whether their babies would have his eye color or green like hers. Maybe hazel.
No, she was getting ahead of herself. But that was part of his appeal. He might be strong and solid, but he also made her loosen up and want to take chances. When Jace was around, her dreams became possible. She loved that about him.
If they had children someday, Millie hoped the kids inherited Jace’s smile. She loved his wide, easy smile. Not to mention the determined set of his jaw and the little bump on the center of his nose. He was so handsome, so supportive, so caring.
Contentment coursed through her. The way his gaze never left hers made Millie feel cherished and adored. She seemed to be floating, even though she knew that was physically impossible. Unless a fairy godmother had waved a magic wand.
Millie wouldn’t be surprised. The balcony defined romance with the elegant flowers and flickering candles everywhere. Music—Pachelbel’s Canon in D—played from hidden speakers while waves crashed against the shore below.
A breeze ruffled Jace’s hair. A strand fell forward across his forehead, making him seem appealingly real and approachable.
Even though she knew the killer setting was as carefully contrived as her appearance tonight, Millie found herself totally caught up in the mood. The moment. The magic.
She moved toward him. The scent of roses, her favorite flower, wafted in the air. She caught a scent of salt, too, blowing off the ocean. Millie wanted to etch every detail on her brain so she wouldn’t forget anything. Of course, she would be able to watch the scene over and over again. That was one good point of the show, a visual recording of their falling in love.
Millie stopped in front of him. “Hi.”
“Hi, Freckles.” His appreciative gaze started at the top of her head and went down to the tips of her oh-so-out-of-her-budget sling backs. “Though I don’t see many freckles tonight. You look amazing.”
Okay, relenting and allowing the production staff to do her hair, makeup and clothing for tonight’s show had been a good thing after all. She kind of liked looking and feeling like a princess. Millie wiggled her toes.
“Stunning,” he added.
His words wrapped around her heart like a warm hug. “Thanks,” she said. “You, too. Stunning. I mean, handsome.”
“Millie.” Smiling, he reached toward her and his large hands engulfed hers. “My sweet Millie.”
This was it. Her pulse quickened. She wanted to hear him say that he chose her. That he wanted her.
“Being with you has made these past few weeks fly by.” His warm voice, his words, resonated with her. “You always had an encouraging word or a smile for me. I don’t know how I would have made it through without you.”
“Me, either.”
“We had so much fun together.”
Remembering all the good times, Millie nodded. Those were only the beginning. They had a lifetime of memories to create together. A lifetime. She nearly sighed.
He looked at their linked hands. “You became my confidant, my counselor, my good friend. I’ll always value our friendship.”
Friendship? Anxiety spurted through Millie. Okay, don’t overreact. A relationship, not to mention marriage, needed a strong foundation that friendship provided.
Jace squeezed her hands. The action gave her no comfort. Zero reassurance. She needed him to say she was his choice.
His gaze returned to hers. “But you deserve someone better than me, Millie.”
Oh, no. He can’t be serious.
She searched his face for a sign to contradict his words, but found…nothing except for a fleeting look of regret in his eyes. A vise gripped her heart. She couldn’t breathe.
“You need someone who will love you the way you should be loved.” Jace said the words as if he were doing this for her own good. “I can’t do that. I just…can’t.”
Millie heard a gasp. She wasn’t sure if it came from her or one of the crew. It didn’t matter.
She wanted to run away, but her feet remained cemented to the balcony. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. What was she going to say?
I can’t do that.
His words reverberated through her body. Her eyes stung, but she was too numb to know if she was crying or not.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” Jace said, his eyes dark. “I never wanted to do that, Millie. I really do…like you.”
Like. Not love.
He didn’t love her. He didn’t want her.
The truth hit fast and hard like a javelin aimed right at her heart. Millie wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to quell a rush of nausea.
Jace had never said he loved her. She’d known he’d kissed Desiree, too, but Millie had thought…She’d believed…
She had been wrong. About every moment they’d spent together. About every kiss they’d shared. About everything she thought she knew about Jace Westfall.
She’d been duped. Used. Dumped.
And she merrily went along.
Innocent. Naive. Stupid.
Millie turned away from Jace. She forced her feet to walk off the romantic set. Ignoring the cameras focused on her, she hoped someday to be able to forget the looks of pity on the crew’s faces.
Never again. Millie left the mansion and stepped into an idling limousine. She would never let someone do this to her again.
CHAPTER ONE
Six months later…
HADN’T she learned her lesson the first time?
Standing on the granite plaza of San Francisco’s Union Square with the statue of the goddess Victory looming over her, Millie couldn’t believe she was doing this again. She shifted from foot to foot, trying to tap down her nervousness. She needed to pay attention to Pete Kenner, producer of Cash Around the Globe, the reality TV show she’d agreed to appear on.
Appear?
That’s what the casting director had called it, but if things went Millie’s way, she would spend the next thirty days racing around the world with a cameraman and sound guy at her side. Anxiety crept down her spine.
You know they will want you to jump out of an airplane or climb a mountain. Neither of which you have the courage to do.
Her father’s words rushed back. He’d called her a coward, saying she was too soft and introverted to compete let alone win. What if he was right?
“You can only use the credit card for air travel,” Pete explained. With his coiffed blond hair, tanned skin and smart clothing, he looked more like a model in Maxim than the head honcho for the network’s most promising new show. “You will purchase tickets for yourself and your camera crew. You must remain with your crew at all times—24/7. Attached at the hip. Unless you use the rest room or shower.”
Did rain showers count? Millie wondered. Mist pelted her cheeks, the dreary June weather adding to her growing apprehension. Doubts surfaced. Her father had predicted she would be the first one eliminated. She could easily make as big a fool of herself on this show as on…
Stop.
Think positive. Be confident. She could do this.
She would prove her father wrong.
So what if she had vowed never to step in front of another television camera again? Millie wasn’t a reality TV contestant junkie. She was only doing the show to help her students at Two Rivers Elementary School. Whatever money she won would go directly to her school to keep upcoming budget cuts from affecting the students. The show’s participation fee had already saved the after school track and field program she’d founded and coached for special needs students. That alone made up for whatever the show put her through over the next month.
And if she kept saying the words over and over again, she might come to believe them.
As Millie zipped her fleece-lined blue windbreaker to the top, she tried to remember her cameraman’s name. Zack? Zeke? And her sound guy. Ron? Maybe Ryan?
Names usually stuck with her, but right now her mind was as blank as a chalkboard on the last day of school. Not a good thing when the two guys would be filming and recording everything she said and did.
“Bathroom breaks won’t give us a lot of privacy,” an older woman said. Her jacket resembled Millie’s except for the orange color. Each contestant had been assigned a color and given clothes to wear during the race. Even their backpacks, lying on the other side of Union Square, coordinated to their colors.
Pete’s bright white teeth contrasted with his dark tan. “There’s no such thing as privacy on a reality television show.”
Millie caught herself nodding. She didn’t want to appear to be a know-it-all even if she was the only former reality TV contestant on the show.
A passing car honked its horn. Men in three-piece suits and women in raincoats stared at the lights and cameras. A construction worker yelled, asking if they were filming the new season of The Amazing Race.
No. Oh, no. That was one show she wouldn’t want to be on. Relying on a partner, a teammate, to win or lose didn’t appeal to Millie in the slightest. Cash Around the Globe would be different. Better. Or she would never have agreed to do it.
“Any questions?” When no one spoke up, Pete clapped his hands. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Millie took a deep breath, the cold June air chilling her lungs. Goose bumps prickled her arms and legs.
A red light glowed on the cameras. Show time. She pasted on a smile, resigning herself to the role she would play until she was eliminated from the race or crossed the finish line.
Colt Stewart, with war correspondent good looks and a charming smile, stepped forward. “I’m going to be your host during the race around the globe. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”
“Yes,” Millie said along with the other contestants.
“I didn’t hear you,” Colt said. “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”
The contestants shouted a hardy, “Yes!”
Colt flashed an even wider toothpaste ad smile at the cameras. “Welcome to Cash Around the Globe. This is the most exciting, most adventurous, most dangerous race you’ll see on television. You won’t want to miss a single episode.”
By the time the race finished airing next season, her life would—she crossed her fingers—be back to normal. No more marriage proposals from strangers. No more early morning phone calls from talk show hosts. No more reality TV.
“Racers, prepare yourself,” Colt yelled.
The contestants around Millie postured themselves for the best possible start. She did the same. A clanging rang out, the sound of a cable car bell. Ding. Ding. Ding.
“Go,” Colt shouted.
Two guys, one in black, the other green, sprinted to the line of backpacks. Millie ran after them, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She would not fall behind. All the softness had been driven out of her. She was ready this time.
Ten feet from her blue backpack, she noticed a round zippered pouch with a globe imprinted on the front. Inside she found thirty dollars and a small key on a chain and a clue card.
“Make your way to Coit Tower,” Millie read for the camera’s sake. “You must travel via public transportation. Look for the green and blue flag. There you will find your next clue and something to take with you on the race.”
Take with her? Her excitement swelled. A GPS unit would be great. Useful. Millie reread the clue.
“Coit Tower?” She’d never been to San Francisco before, but had heard of the landmark. Heart pounding, she surveyed the buildings around her. High-end department stores, boutiques and hotels. She saw a uniformed security guard and ran to him. “Could you please tell me where to catch the bus to Coit Tower?”
The guard led her to the bus stop. “Take the 30 or 45. Grab a transfer ticket when you board. Get off at Washington Square. Take the 39 to the top of Coit Tower. You can walk, if you’d rather, but it’s a steep climb.”
“Thank you,” she said as the 30 bus pulled to the curb with a squeal of breaks.
The bus passed through Chinatown and North Beach also known as Little Italy. At Washington Square, she transferred to bus number 39 and rode to the top of Telegraph Hill. She exited. The camera crew followed her.
Tourists milled about the base of Coit Tower, snapping pictures. Not even the overcast skies could detract from the lovely view. Millie searched for a flag, but came up empty. She hurried up the steps to the tower’s entrance.
Inside the circular lobby, Millie found colorful murals, but no clue box. That meant she had to go up. She disliked—okay, hated—heights, but purchased three tickets from the gift store anyway. With the camera crew and two students from Brazil, she crammed into a small elevator.
At the top, the doors opened, and everyone spilled out. She climbed a winding staircase to the upper viewing area. A breathtaking panoramic view of jutting skyscrapers greeted her through arched windows, but she stayed far away from the edge.
Millie stared for a moment feeling so much like a small town girl in the big city. And then she remembered…the race. Self-preservation kicked in. She located a blue and green banner flapping in the breeze.
“There’s the clue box.” A lock, however, kept her from opening it. “Good thing I have a key.”
Millie stuck her key in the hole, but the lock wouldn’t open. She tried again. “Why isn’t this working?”
She took a closer look. “Two holes.”
Millie inserted her key in the other hole. No luck. Fear pulsed through her veins. If she couldn’t open the box to get a clue, she would be eliminated. Over her dead body.
Leaving the key in the lock, she examined the clue box. “What am I missing?”
“This,” a male voice said from behind her.
She turned. A dangling silver key caught her attention. Millie focused on the man holding it.
Jace Westfall.
The air rushed from her lungs. No. He couldn’t be here. With her. Now.
She felt wobbly, off-kilter as if she were standing on the top of a mountain or a tall tower that, Millie realized, she was. She struggled to breathe, but managed only a few gasps of air.
Falling.
That’s all she could think about.
She was going to fall. Fail. Again.
Millie thought she had prepared for everything. But not for this. No way could she have prepared for this. For him.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded ragged. Well, she felt ragged. But losing control would only give the show what they wanted. Drama. Obviously they had arranged for Jace to meet her here.
He waved the key. “Bet this opens the lock, Freckles.”
Millie winced at his use of the endearment. She couldn’t answer. She didn’t want anything to do with him. If he were the last man on Earth, she would gladly die a virgin. She gnawed on the inside of her mouth.
A second cameraman, one she didn’t recognize, moved closer.
She wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“You okay?” Jace asked quietly with a quick concerned look.
Millie wished he’d stop pretending. His compassion was nothing more than an act. He only cared about how he would be portrayed on camera. She wouldn’t be taken in by his good looks and charm again.
Yes, she might have been heartbroken the night of the Groom finale, but she’d quickly realized everyone had gotten carried away on the show. Nothing, not even her feelings, had been real. “I’m fine.”
She stared at his jacket and his pants. They matched the ones she wore. Why would he be wearing…?
The answer hit her like a shot put to the head. The clue had said she would find something to take with her on the race. Jace wasn’t only here to give her the key.
Millie’s heart dropped to her feet and kept right on going over two hundred feet to the ground below. Splat. “You’re a contestant on Cash Around the Globe?”
He nodded once, his jaw tight.
She cringed, feeling duped. Used. Manipulated. Again. Just seeing Jace once made her nauseous. She couldn’t imagine seeing him day after day during the race. “I can’t believe you did this. You set me up.”
“This wasn’t my idea.” Jace inserted his key and unlocked the clue box. “The producer, Pete, said there would be game twists, but I never expected to see you again.”
Never wanted to see her again, Jace meant.
She felt a familiar sting.
“I didn’t expect you, either.” The words rushed from her mouth. Millie didn’t want him to think she played a part in this. She couldn’t bear him to suspect she might still harbor feelings for him. “I was hoping for a GPS unit.”
“Maybe we’re jumping to conclusions.”
Please, oh please, let them both be wrong. “Maybe.”
He opened the box. “There’s only one clue pouch in there.”
“So we’re either in last place or…”
“Or they sent racers to different locations.” He finished the thought for her.
Once she had taken his ability to complete her sentences as a sign of how close they were, how much in tune. She knew better now.
“So what does the clue say?” she asked.
Jace opened the clue pouch and pulled out a card. “Congrats on teaming together to find your second clue. Working together will be the key to your continued success in the race. The two of you are now teammates, one of eight teams competing for the cash. Using public transportation, make your way to the Marina Green to find your next clue. You don’t want to come in last and go home empty-handed!”
So much for maybe.
“Teammates,” she said.
A muscle twitched at his neck. He nodded. “Teammates.”
Just great. Six months later, and Millie was right back where she started. Standing in front of Jace Westfall for the world to watch and critique. She bit back a sigh. Whining or moping wouldn’t change anything. Unfortunately.
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
He consulted the clue. “Find a bus.”
“No, I meant…” Millie struggled for words, aware of the camera aimed at her face. She had to get over the intrusive cameras, the way she had on The Groom, or she wouldn’t survive long. At least the network hadn’t discovered a way to tap into her mind and broadcast her inner most thoughts. No, they just edited her actions and words so everyone watching assumed they knew everything about her. What she thought, how she felt, who she loved…“What do we do about…us?”
Jace’s eyes were wary. “What do you want to do?”
Quit.
But she couldn’t. So many children needed her to win this race. She thought about Bonnie, the petite little girl with Down syndrome who loved princesses and running the hundred yard dash, and Samuel, the gentle eight-year-old boy with Autism who was also a math wiz and javelin thrower. Each one of Millie’s students was a special, precious gift. She had learned so much from them, more than she’d taught them.
“I guess—” she straightened her shoulders “—I want to win a million dollars.”
It was only for thirty days, she told herself, as she climbed down the steps to the elevator. She could survive anything for a month.
Even Jace Westfall.
And then she wanted never to see him again.
What do we do about us?
Millie’s earnest question sliced through Jace’s pretense of composure. He jabbed his finger at the elevator button. He only wished he knew.
Competing on Cash Around the Globe was supposed to save his company and his family, but now…
Jace gazed down at Millie, who rested with her eyes closed against a mural covered wall. He couldn’t believe she was here, but knew he wasn’t dreaming. Not with the subtle changes he couldn’t have imagined.
Her trademark ponytail was longer though the ends still curled in familiar wisps. She’d lost weight though her curves were all too visible in her warm-up suit. Her eyes seemed to be a deeper green than before.
Some things hadn’t changed like those damn freckles on her face that he’d always wanted to trace with his finger.
A part of him was happy to see her.
That wasn’t good.
I want to win a million dollars.
He’d never expected to hear those words from sweet, adorable Millie.
What was she doing here? Her father was loaded. She didn’t need the money. Not the way Jace and his family did.
The show’s generous participation fee and the one million dollar prize had overcome his reluctance to step in front of the cameras and be humiliated again. But with Millie involved he was suddenly rethinking everything. Jace didn’t like that. Once he made a decision he stuck with it.
Not her fault, he reminded himself.
“Do you want some water?” Jace asked.
Millie’s eyelids sprang open. Wounded green eyes stared at him. “No. Thanks. I’m fine.”
Yeah, right. Less than an hour into the race, Millie looked liked she’d dragged herself halfway around the globe already. Her skewed backpack was ready to topple her slender frame at any moment. She couldn’t stand up straight.
This race would chew her up and spit her out. He didn’t want to see her hurt again.
“I’ll carry your pack,” he said.
She adjusted the straps, straightening the backpack. “I’ve got it.”
But she didn’t. Not really. That put him in an awkward position.
From the first day Jace had met her, he’d felt drawn to her. She was kind and insightful and smelled like grapefruit. But the more he got to know her, the more he realized how different their lives were. How different they were. Sure, she was an incredible woman, but she wanted more from a relationship than he could give her. He’d saved them both a lot of pain by not choosing her at the end of The Groom.
Still he liked her and appreciated her wanting to win, but he had to be realistic. She, like his mother and sisters, was the kind of woman who needed to be coddled, cared for and protected. He didn’t want to take on vulnerable Millie, too.
Maybe that’s what the producers had in mind, pairing up opposites and seeing how they would get along or not. He could only imagine how this “twist” would be used once filming finished. The editing room was where hit reality television shows happened. He’d learned that lesson on The Groom and wasn’t about to make the same mistakes again.
That was why Jace wanted—needed—a different partner.
He needed a teammate who would meet challenges head-on, never give up and do whatever it took to win the million dollar first prize. Jace couldn’t afford to lose.
He stabbed the down button again. “What’s taking so long?”
“It hasn’t been that long,” she murmured.
The elevators opened as if on cue.
He and Millie entered followed by the two camera crews. The doors closed, making it a tight fit with the backpacks and production gear, and the elevator descended.
Tension filled the static air. Darting glances, unspoken words, an uncertain future. The first two things didn’t bother Jace, but the third needed to be dealt with. Now.
“You know, Freckles, the show will be challenging,” he said, mindful of the cameras mere inches from them. “You can always stop if you think the race will to be too much for you.”
“I can handle the race,” Millie said as if she were discussing a parent-teacher conference and not a race around the world. “The clue said working together was the key to success.”
Success wouldn’t cut it. Jace had to win to put the money back into his struggling money management firm. His family relied on him for their paychecks and pretty much everything else. He wouldn’t let them down. “I came here to win.”
She raised her chin. “So did I.”
“I’m not going to lose.”
“Neither am I.”
She still didn’t get it. He had to make her understand. Hell, he needed her to quit.
“I trained for this.” He’d trained as if his life depended on this race. In a way it did. If he lost, his family would pay the price. Success at all cost. That was his motto. “Trained hard.”
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