The Crown Ranch 1: Missing the Crown Jewels
Autore
Valerie J. Clarizio
Letto da
262K
Capitoli
14
Heâs a veteran striving to overcome his demons. Sheâs a divorcee clawing her way out of despair. When she and her familyâs prize racehorse are threatened, the two are forced out of their hidey-holes to ward off the enemy.
Divorce Moved Her to Despair, But Now She Has A New Chance at Love
After a devastating divorce, Peyton Crown is finally surfacing from a dark hole of despair. She finds herself hoping for a new life with Mason âStormâ Starr, her brotherâs best friend.
Striving to Overcome His Demons, He Seeks Solitude In The Country
Stormâs intent is simple: hide in the quiet confines of his best friendâs family horse ranch in Kentucky. The perfect place to sort out his life after walking away from the Army and fight his internal demons. His solitude is interrupted by his buddyâs little sister. The chemistry between them is off the charts, and he willingly surrenders the battle. Enemies Threaten To Upturn The Familyâs Kentucky Derby Ambitions
The Crown family begins receiving threats, just weeks before the Kentucky Derby. The overprotective men in Peytonâs life vow to keep 24/7 tabs on her and the familyâs prize horseâPrince Bourbonvilleâa hopeful for the next Triple Crown. Circumstances arise that threaten to keep Peyton and Prince away from the derby, but Storm and her brother Coach are determined theyâll attend, no matter the sacrifice. Missing the Crown Jewels is a thrilling and heartwarming romance novel that will leave you wanting more!
Chapter One
Book 1: Missing the Crown Jewels
âOkay, Peyton, since you wonât put on your big girl panties and saddle up since your divorce, Brittiany and I took the liberty and checked out this new guy we met at the country club. Heâs perfect for you.â
The air drained from Peytonâs lungs. Why did her friends think it necessary to keep trying to set her up? Peyton shook her head. âPlease tell me youâre lying and heâs not coming here tonight.â
Laurenâs smile stretched from ear to ear. âHe is, and you are going to thank us when you see him. Heâs so cute. If not for Warner, I would have kept him for myself.â
Peyton sprang to her feet, but Lauren snatched up her arm before she could turn and run out of the bar. When, or if, she were ever again interested in a guy, a man like the one sitting at the end of the bar, Storm Starr, would be at the top of her list even though he was her brotherâs best friend. But there was no use thinking about him. A handsome, tough, ex-military guy like that would surely want a smart, self-assured woman, not one like her, not one who was so easily made a fool by her ex-husband. Sheâd caught Storm staring at her on occasion with interest in his eyes, and he seemed to show up everywhere she goes lately. Whatâs that all about?
Lauren tugged on Peytonâs arm, snapping her out of her reverie. âCome on. Just meet the guy. Give him a chance. What could it hurt?â
âNo. I donât want to. Iâm not ready.â
âPeyton, itâs been three years since your divorce. Donât let one jerk prevent you from finding Mr. Right and sharing your life with someone who will make you happy. Someone who will love you for the wonderful person you are.â
Peyton swung her gaze from Lauren to her friend Brittiany, hoping to find support, but Brittiany nodded. âLaurenâs right. Itâs time to hop back up on the saddle and take a chance.â
Her gaze shifted to the door. The lingering effects of the last disaster of a relationship still haunted her daily, and she knew she should make a run for it, but her feet stayed in place. She was lonely and scared. Real lonely.
âPlease, just meet him. Weâre not asking you to marry him.â
Laurenâs pleading eyes convinced Peyton to sit.
Lauren glanced at her phone. âWarner just texted. Theyâll be here in five minutes.â
Peyton expelled a breath. Her body quivered. She still had time to dash out.
âWait until you see him. Heâs handsome and friendly, too,â Lauren assured her.
Curiosity was getting the better of Peyton, and the idea of not being lonely anymore was appealing even when weighed against the fact sheâd been taken for a fool in her last and only real relationship. But in the end, that wasnât a real relationship. It was all a ploy by her ex-husband to get her dadâs money. Tyler had needed cash to dig himself out of the financial predicament in which heâd buried himself. Thank goodness her dad caught on before it was too late. Heâd been within an inch of writing a checkâa big check.
* * *
Storm sat at the end of the bar near the kitchen door. His usual spot. It had the best vantage point. Both the front and back doors were in perfect view, allowing him the advantage of seeing trouble the second it walked through the entrance.
At this moment, the spot also served as the prime location to keep an eye on thingsâon her, Peyton Crown, his best friendâs little sister. The woman whoâd infiltrated his dreams more times this past year than he could count.
On the rare occasion sheâd actually talked to him, she hardly ever looked him in the eye, but when she did, heâd lose himself in those dark irisesâso dark they were almost black. In the beginning, it bothered him to no end that she never made eye contact with him when they spoke. He couldnât help but wonder why. But as time went on, heâd come to realize she didnât make eye contact with any man except her dad and brothers. Stormâs hands fisted on top of the bar. Heâd like to wring the neck of that jackass of an ex-husband of hers for shooting this bright, beautiful womanâs self-esteem all to hell. He never met the guy but heard enough from her brother to know the guy was a real piece of work.
Peyton didnât see him when she walked in with her friends, but he saw her immediately even through the crowd of regular, Friday night patrons. In the small town of Bourbonville, there wasnât much for entertainment. The three bars on Main Street were about it, so they were always busy, especially on the weekends.
The front door swung open, drawing Stormâs attention from Peyton. Warner stepped through with another manâa stranger. Maybe it was Brittianyâs boyfriend. She went through them pretty quickly.
Lauren waved the men over to their table. Being a lawyer, Warner was a pretty good dresser, and the strangerâs suit looked like one Warner might wearâexpensive. Why would a guy be wearing a suit like that in the Bourbonville Pub on a Friday night? Itâs not like they were at a country club or anything.
Warner stepped up to Lauren and gave her a peck on the cheek, then he turned and gestured between Peyton and the stranger as if introducing them to one another. Peyton flashed a soft smile and shook the manâs hand. The guy returned her smile. Between his perfectly aligned white teeth, beach blond hair, and expensive suit, the man looked like he came off the cover of a magazine. Most of the females in the immediate area had their gazes glued to him.
Brittiany slid down a stool, and the stranger took her vacated spot next to Peyton. So, Brittiany and Lauren set her up on this date.
The way this guy carried himself, walked in with confidence, and soaked up the gazes of the opposite sex irritated Storm. He looked shifty, kind of slithered when he moved.
Storm took a long pull from his bottle of beer and set it back on the bar just as someone smacked him on his shoulder blade.
âWell, I know I donât have to worry about her whenever youâre around, thatâs for sure,â Peytonâs brother Coach said as he leaned over the bar to get the bartenderâs attention.
Though Coachâs statement was true, he hated getting razzed about it. Even though Storm never admitted it verbally, his friend seemed to know he had it bad for Peyton. Coach was intuitive that wayâalways was. His intuitiveness came in handy when they were in the Army and on missions. But right now, his awareness was a pain in Stormâs side.
Coach took a slug of his beer but kept his gaze on his sister. âWhoâs that slimeball talking to my sister?â
âI donât know. He just walked in with Warner.â
âWell, I donât like him.â
âMe either.â
