Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé Read online

  Her Guy Next Door Fake Fiancé

  Rachelle J. Christensen

  Contents

  Also by Rachelle J. Christensen

  Free book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Jack’s Pizza Recipe

  Sneak Peek

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Praise for Rachelle J. Christensen

  Praise for

  Rachelle J. Christensen’s Award-winning Novels

  Hawaiian Masquerade is the perfect summer read. Set on the beautiful island of Kauai, you will fall in love with the characters, the story line, the setting, and most of all the romance. I would highly recommend this fast-paced, fabulous clean romance.

  --Cami Checketts, author of The Feisty One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance

  Christensen has done a magnificent job of putting together an unlikely match and letting it challenge the characters to grow, change, and become better together than they were apart. This is a wonderful, sweet romance that you’ll want to stay up to finish.

  -Lucy McConnell, author of the Billionaire Marriage Brokers series

  "SILVER CASCADE SECRETS is an exciting romantic suspense novella … Great writing, a sweet romance, and an intriguing mystery all rolled into a single story."

  —Heather B. Moore USA Today Bestselling Author of Finding Sheba

  "Just in time for fall, … romantic suspense which will tingle the spine and thrill the heart."

  —DESERET NEWS, Melissa Demoux

  "...A great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend."

  —Diane Darcy, USA Today bestselling author

  “Don’t expect to get a lot of sleep…If the thrills of the chase don’t get you, the thrills of the heart will.”

  —J. Scott Savage, author of the Mysteries of Cove Series

  “Diamond Rings are Deadly Things pulled me right in from the first page and held me captive until the very end. Great characters, a compelling plot, a surprising twist at the end... Rachelle Christensen knows how to craft a great mystery.”

  —Tristi Pinkston, author of the Secret Sisters Mysteries

  Also by Rachelle J. Christensen

  Other Works by Rachelle

  Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things (Wedding Planner Mysteries #1)

  Veils and Vengeance (#2)

  Proposals and Poison (#3)

  The Soldier’s Bride (A Music Box Romance #1)

  Carve Me a Melody (A Music Box Romance #2)

  Hawaiian Masquerade (Burke Billionaire Romance #1)

  The Billionaire’s Stray Heart (Burke Billionaire Romance #2)

  The Refugee’s Billionaire (Burke Billionaire Romance #3)

  How to Fetch a Fiancé

  River Whispers

  Hope for Christmas: An Echo Ridge Romance #1

  The Kiss Thief: An Echo Ridge Romance #2

  The Princess Bride of Riodan: An Echo Ridge Romance #3

  Coming Home to Love: An Echo Ridge Romance #4

  Novellas:

  Silver Cascade Secrets

  Double Take

  Claire’s Christmas Dance

  Nonfiction:

  What Every 6th Grader Needs to Know: 10

  Secrets to Connect Moms & Daughter

  Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, certain characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Peachwood Press LLC

  All rights reserved.

  Original Cover Design: Steven Novak

  Cover Design © Peachwood Press

  Edited by: Jenna Roundy and Janet Halling

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  Published by Peachwood Press, LLC November 2019

  Created with Vellum

  Free book

  Get your free book!

  Tyler, thank you for holding my hand, loving my heart, and rescuing my words from the darkness.

  1

  The snowfall in Echo Ridge was beautiful—gorgeous snow globe-like flakes floating through the air, dusting the pine trees and making the road through the canyon a slick mess. Liza Sorenson checked the dashboard clock. It said 8:30 a.m., so there was plenty of time to drive carefully out of the canyon and into the heart of Echo Ridge, park in front of Stellar Ads, and set up for her presentation at nine.

  “Okay, deep breath,” Liza commanded herself. “You’ve got this.” She pumped her brakes as she descended, watching the road for signs of white-tailed deer. The last thing she wanted was to hit a deer on the way to work today. She’d prepared a great presentation on how to easily make over and upgrade websites with copy editing techniques for their new clients. Hopefully, it would amaze her boss enough that he would consider Liza for a promotion.

  She tapped the steering wheel of her car with her index finger as she mentally rehearsed the points of her presentation again. The snow was falling steadily and the flakes were sticking to the hood of her blue Ford Fusion, making it look like a speckled Easter egg.

  If only they called snow days for work. Liza would stay home, curl up with her laptop, and write. But no, today was important and she would succeed at this job. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she took the last stretch of road out of the canyon. The bare space on her left ring finger no longer taunted her, but there was still a painful twinge in her heart if she allowed her thoughts to go there.

  Instead, she took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. There was a beautiful white two-story house with green shutters that she always admired on her way to work. The guy who lived there was technically her neighbor, but she didn’t really know him, although she’d heard rumors that he was a bit of a bad boy. The white fence surrounding the acre of property had an inch of snow balancing along the rails. Everything was dressed in white this morning—the bushes, the trees, the mailbox, the white pickup in the driveway dusted with snow and—

  “Noodles!” she screamed as she tried to dodge the pickup backing out of the driveway. She swerved to the right, slamming on her brakes, but the tires had no grip on the ice. The car slid into the side of the pickup with a sickening crunch. Airbags bloomed around Liza’s body, and then everything was quiet.

  Liza groaned and rubbed the back of her neck, pushing the airbag out of the way. “No! This did not just happen. No!” Her body was stiff and tense, and she reminded herself to breathe. She turned her car off and was fumbling for the door handle when the door opened.

  “Are you okay?” a man asked as he crouched down and pushed the airbag out of the way. “Did you hit your head?” He moved aside a lock of her hair, and the
ir eyes met.

  Liza stared at him. His eyes were framed with thick lashes, and the scruff on his cheeks made him appear rugged. He wore a gray wool coat with the collar turned up. What had he asked her?

  He cocked his head, studying her with those arresting green eyes. “Are you okay?”

  Wait. What was happening? She’d been in a wreck, and now she was checking out the guy who had totaled her car. He had asked her if she was okay. She shook her head and closed her eyes, groaning at the stiffness in her body. “No, I’m not all right!”

  “Here, let me help you. Where are you hurt?” He reached out his hand—his large, strong hand—and helped her from the car.

  She stood blinking as the snowflakes fell on her lashes. “I don’t think I’m hurt. Just my neck feels tight. You pulled out in front of me! I couldn’t stop, and then the ice—everything is frozen!”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t get all the ice scraped off my windows, and I didn’t see you. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” He spoke with a musical cadence to his voice, and Liza felt herself leaning towards the low rumble.

  This man had wrecked her car. She took a few steps forward to inspect the damage, almost wishing she could cover her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see. The headlight on her passenger side was completely smashed and her fender had some serious dents, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought—except when she stepped closer and saw that the smashed part of the car had tilted the tire at a weird angle.

  “What am I going to do?” Liza turned toward the snowy road. “The cops won’t get here for at least twenty minutes, and then it’ll take them an hour to cite the accident. I’ll miss my presentation!”

  The man flinched. “Did you call the cops already?”

  “No, I just need to find my phone. Or you can call them.” Liza groaned again. “He’s gonna fire me.” How could this be happening? Just a few minutes ago, she’d been dreaming about getting promoted, and now her quick-to-fire boss would be waiting on her. Rick loved to threaten people with their jobs, and she’d seen enough people get fired to always walk on his right side.

  “I’m not going to let you get fired. This is my mess, and I’ll clean it up.” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and then nodded. “I have an idea. You take my pickup to work; I’ll get your car into the shop today and get it fixed up. Don’t worry about cops and the insurance. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “But—” Liza protested.

  “But nothing. Let me handle it. Go to your meeting and I’ll see you after work.”

  “But what if you’re some kind of criminal? And this is just your method of stealing cars?” Liza could hear the hysteria in her voice, but she didn’t know how to calm down. This guy had wrecked her car, and now she was thinking about walking away from the accident and leaving him with her vehicle?

  He smiled, and Liza felt her knees go weak. She leaned against the car. Gosh, he was handsome, and was that a dimple? Be strong, Liza! She couldn’t just walk away from an accident. Isn’t that what everyone said? Never leave the scene of the accident without calling the police. But her job was on the line. And this handsome stranger was offering to fix her car and let her drive his pickup to work.

  She looked over at the white Ford pickup. Well, at least he had good taste. Her family was a Ford family. She sighed and took a closer look. The tires were brand-new and well-equipped for driving in Echo Ridge Canyon.

  “My name is Jaime Maldonado. Here’s my card with my number. Text me, and I’ll update you on your car. You obviously know where I live, and no offense, but my pickup is a lot nicer than your car.” He handed her the black electronic key fob. “Take it and be safe.”

  “I’m Liza Sorenson.” She tucked the card in her pocket and curled her fingers around the key fob.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Liza, but I’m sorry we had to meet in this way,” Jaime said.

  She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “Okay. I’m trusting you and I don’t know why, but I guess it’s because I don’t have another option. I need this job.”

  Jaime pointed behind her. “I’m just going to jump in your car and back it up a little bit. No sense putting more scratches on my pickup.”

  Liza was going to reply with some sarcastic remark about him only caring about his pickup when she turned and saw the crumpled front end of her car. She shrugged. It was no use. She would think about it later. After her presentation. After she’d applied for the new position that her boss had been hinting about. She grabbed her bag and lunch sack out of the car, noticing that the stiffness in her neck had subsided. Hopefully, she could make it through the day.

  She trudged through the snow and hopped into the heated leather seats of the pickup. The engine started up with the push of a button, and she searched for the defrost for a moment, then flipped it to high. She admired the display screen, which was larger than the one in her car. She changed the music from the local rock station to her favorite Christian music station and gripped the steering wheel. The leather was warm—the heated steering wheel was definitely a plus. After half a minute, she eased carefully out onto the highway and put the pickup into drive. Jaime waved to her as she drove away. She couldn’t remember his last name. For a second, she questioned her sanity again. Maybe she’d hit her head in the accident. The responsible Liza would never leave her car broken down in some guy’s driveway.

  Wait, his business card would have a name on it. She fished it out of her pocket when she stopped at a red light. The card was printed in gray with black and white lettering. The design was simple, yet sleek and stylish. Jaime Maldonado of Ratchet Revisions. Underneath his name in script was printed, Translation and editing services for your online business.

  She knew his name and his business now. She also knew that he was ruggedly handsome. No, he was gorgeous—more beautiful than should be humanly possible. He drove the nicest pickup she’d ever seen, and even though he’d wrecked her car, she would be seeing him again later that day. She told herself that the flutter in her stomach was because she was nervous about being late for her presentation. It didn’t have anything to do with his caramel-colored skin, black hair, and green eyes.

  2

  By the time Liza made it to the Stellar Ads parking lot, her trembling had nearly subsided, but she still felt on edge. Too much adrenaline coupled with the coffee she’d guzzled that morning had her nerves ready to explode.

  She made herself take three cleansing breaths before she entered the office, then pasted a smile on her face and prepared to meet the wrath of Rick the Prick, as her coworkers liked to call him behind his back. Her mother would say that it was unladylike to even think of the moniker, but it suited her boss so well, she couldn’t help it. Her smile turned genuine as she walked down the hallway toward the conference room. She was going to nail this presentation.

  Nita, her best friend and coworker, met her at the door, “Give us five minutes, Liza. Running just a tad slow this morning.” Nita was the head of the design team, and she was always looking out for Liza. They had developed a good friendship over the past several months as they endured Rick’s yo-yo personality, subtle threats, and firing rampages.

  “No problem. See you soon.” Inside Liza’s head, she was doing backflips. She wouldn’t have to hear Rick’s disparaging comments about her being late or be threatened about her job. Phew. Focus, she reminded herself. She had everything set up in under five minutes, so when the rest of the team trailed in, Liza was ready. She didn’t allow herself to think about her crumpled car, that handsome guy next door, or the fact that she had driven his pickup to work.

  When Chrissy came in, Liza flashed her a smile despite the scowl Chrissy sent her way. She was one of the design team’s underlings and resented the very breath in Liza’s body. They had both applied for a new position last year, and when Liza was rewarded for her hard work, Chrissy took it personally. Never mind, Liza reminded herself. I’m here to show them I deserve this. Thankfully, her brain cooperated, and
she was able to remember all of the major points of her presentation.

  “Well done, Liza,” Rick said as she finished. “You’ve done an excellent job of showing this team exactly what they need to do to make our clients happy. You also showed me you’re the best candidate to attend the All-Star Design conference in Florida next week.”

  Liza froze. She started to open her mouth, closed it, and swallowed. She cleared her throat. “The All-Star Design conference?” Her voice squeaked. Anything but that. That was the design conference where she had first met Mark two years ago. Her ex-fiancé was a web designer, and they’d actually traveled to the conference together last year. She’d been engaged then. And this year, the creep would be there again with his company, a booth, and some floozy to try to attract male attention to his table space.

  “Yes, you’ve been to that conference before and represented us well. I was undecided until I saw your presentation,” Rick said. “But I’ll get your name on that ticket today.”

  “But I wasn’t planning on going, and I’m not sure I can get out of my prior engagement,” Liza stuttered.