Summer Vows (Arabesque)
Read Summer Vows (Arabesque) Online
Authors: Rochelle Alers
A Hideaway Wedding Wager
Twins Ana and Jason, along with their
cousin Nicholas, are successful thirtysomethings who are single—and loving
it. They have no idea that their relatives are betting on which one of them
will get married first. But by the family’s New Year’s Eve reunion, will all
three have learned what it means to be really lucky—in love?
Can she trust him with her life…and her
heart?
As CEO of Serenity Records, Ana Cole never backs down. Now
the hot new recording artist she’s signed has made her the target of death
threats, forcing her to go into hiding. And protecting her is U.S. marshal Jacob
Jones.
Jacob has better things to do on his vacation than play
bodyguard. Until he gets a glimpse of the body he’ll be guarding… Spending days
and nights together in close quarters stokes their mutual attraction into an
inferno of desire. But if Jacob can outwit a would-be assassin, will their love
outlast his assignment?
Rochelle Alers
Summer Vows
Hideaway Wedding Series
Good-natured boasting raises its multimillion-dollar head at
the Cole family compound during a New Year’s Eve celebration. Family patriarch
Martin Cole proposes each man in attendance place a one-million-dollar wager to
the winner’s alma mater as an endowment in their name. The terms: predicting who
among Nicholas, Jason or Ana will marry before the next New Year’s Eve.
Twins Jason and Ana Cole have given no indication they are
even remotely thinking of tying the knot. Both claim they are too busy signing
new talent to their record label. Former naval officer Nicholas Cole-Thomas has
also been dragging his feet when it comes to the opposite sex. However, within
the next six months Ana, Nicholas and Jason will encounter a very special person
who will not only change them, but change their lives forever.
In
Summer Vows,
when CEO of
Serenity Records Ana Cole signs a recording phenom to her label, she
ignites a rivalry that targets her for death. Her safety and well-being are then
entrusted to family friend, U.S. Marshal Jacob Jones, and Ana is forced to
step away from the spotlight and her pampered lifestyle. She unwillingly follows
Jacob to his vacation home in the Florida Keys until those responsible for the
hit on her life are apprehended. Once Ana gets past Jacob’s rigid rules, she
finds herself surrendering to the glorious sunsets and the man willing to risk
everything, including his heart, to keep her safe and make her his own.
Nicholas Cole-Thomas’s entry into the world of horse breeding
has caused quite a stir in Virginia’s horse country. Not only is he quite the
eligible bachelor, but there is also a lot of gossip about his prized Arabian
breeding stock. In
Eternal Vows,
Nicholas meets
Peyton Blackstone, the neighboring farm’s veterinarian intern. He is instantly
drawn to her intelligence, but recognizes the vulnerability she attempts to mask
with indifference. Nicholas offers Peyton a position to work on his farm, and
when they step in as best man and maid of honor at his sister’s
spur-of-the-moment wedding he tries to imagine how different his life would be
with a wife of his own. Just when he opens his heart to love again, someone from
Peyton’s past resurfaces to shatter their newfound happiness, and now Nicholas
must decide whether their love is worth fighting for.
Record executive Jason Cole will admit to anyone that he has
a jealous mistress: music. As the artistic director for Serenity Records Jason
is laidback, easygoing and a musical genius. His brief tenure running the
company is over and he’s heading to his recording studio in a small remote
Oregon mountain town to indulge in his obsession. But all that changes in
Secret Vows,
when Jason hears restaurant waitress
Greer Evans singing backup with a local band. As they become more than friends,
he is unaware of the secret she jealously guards with her life. And when he
finds himself falling in love with Greer, Jason is stunned to find she is the
only one who stands between him and certain death, at the same time realizing
love is the most desperate risk of all.
Don’t forget to read, love and live romance.
Rochelle Alers
Happy the husband of a good wife,
twice-lengthened are his days; a worthy wife brings joy to her husband,
peaceful and full is his life.
—
Sirach
26:1, 2
Prologue
M
artin Diaz Cole extended the lacquer and
walnut burl finish humidor to his youngest brother, waiting for David to select
a cigar. He repeated the gesture with his brother Joshua, and then his nephew
Timothy before he selected his. It was hours from dawn and yet the other three
men seemed reluctant to retire to the suites assigned them or to their
respective homes.
It was a ritual that had been repeated for more years than
Martin could remember. The entire Cole extended family came to West Palm Beach,
Florida, on Christmas Eve for a reunion that usually culminated with a wedding
before the end of the year. But unfortunately there had not been a wedding in
several years—not since his nephew Diego married Vivienne Neal. His niece Celia
didn’t figure into the equation because she’d married her FBI special agent
husband in Virginia and hadn’t been able to repeat her vows for the entire
family because a winter storm had blanketed North Carolina’s Great Smoky
Mountains with nearly two feet of snow. She’d also been in the second trimester
of her pregnancy and had curtailed traveling until after the birth of her
daughter.
Using a cutter, Martin snipped the end of the cigar, moistened,
lit it and pulled in a mouthful of sweet, fragrant tobacco. It wasn’t the
quality of the finest Cuban cigar, but it came close.
David Cole blew out a perfect smoke ring. “Are you certain
these aren’t contraband, Martin?”
The first time Martin had smoked a Cuban cigar was when he’d
visited his late mother’s country of birth after graduating college, and he’d
found himself enthralled with them. Over the years he’d smoked cigars from
around the world, but none compared to a Cuban. “Bite your tongue, little
brother. We both wish.”
Squinting through a cloud of smoke, David Cole’s jet-black eyes
narrowed. “When am I going to stop being your little brother, Martin? I’m old as
dirt, almost completely gray,
and
I’m a
grandfather.”
“And you still have two kids who should either become a priest
or nun, because they’re never going to get married,” Joshua Kirkland teased.
David glared at his half brother, hoping to intimidate him, but
knew there were few things or people who could intimidate or frighten the
retired career army officer. “Don’t act so smug, Josh. Serena and I had four
children to your two, so there’s no comparison.”
A rare smile tilted the corners of Joshua’s firm mouth. “My two
kids have given me six grandchildren, and still counting,
hermano
. How many do you have?”
David took another puff of his cigar. Even after so many years
the teasing had continued. As the youngest of five, he’d been the last to marry
and father children. His wife had given him four children, the last two twins,
and the taunts about his children being marriage-phobic subsided when his older
son and daughter married. It was only his twins who appeared reluctant to settle
down. He knew both were too involved in growing the record company he’d
established years ago.
“Don’t look so smug, Josh. I’m willing to bet when Jason and
Ana marry they’ll both have a whole bunch of children between them.”
Timothy Cole-Thomas leaned forward, staring at his uncle. “Is
there something you’re not telling us, David?”
Dimples creased David’s lean face when he smiled for the first
time. He knew his twins better than anyone—and that included their mother. Both
were comfortable divulging their closely guarded secrets about the business and
their personal lives with him. Ana, as CEO of Serenity Records, had just signed
a hot new recording artist that was rumored to become a crossover phenomenon.
His daughter had confided to him that she now felt secure enough to shift her
focus from business to her personal life. She’d recently closed on a condo and
bought a new car—two things on her “to-do” list she’d neglected for years. For
years she’d rented a studio apartment, while contracting with a car service to
drive her around.
“Not really.”
Martin ran a hand over his cropped silver hair. “I think David
should put his money where his mouth is.”
“Hear, hear!” chorused Joshua and Timothy.
Grinning, David shook his head. “You guys have got to be
kidding.”
“Do we look like we’re kidding?” asked Joshua. “I agree with
Martin. You should put up or shut up.”
David squinted through a cloud of gray smoke as he met the
gazes of his brothers and nephew. “Well, gentlemen, I’m willing to wager a
million dollars that my son or daughter will marry before Nicholas. What’s the
matter? Is the wager a little too steep?” he asked when a groan and soft
whistles echoed in the library.
“I don’t mind donating the million if it’s going to a worthy
cause,” Timothy said.
Joshua cleared his throat. “Who are we betting on?”
“It has to be Jason and Ana,” Martin remarked.
“Don’t forget Nicholas and Joe, Jr.,” David reminded him.
Timothy Cole-Thomas crossed a leg over the opposite knee. “It
can’t be Joe, because his father’s not here for the wager.
Martin nodded. “Timothy’s right. It will just be the four of
us. I’m willing to put up a million, but, David, you’re going to have to ante up
two mil because you have two kids to Timothy’s one.”
The seconds ticked as the three men stared at David. “No
problem,” he said after a pregnant pause. “I’ll wager two million. Whoever wins
will establish an endowment in his name at his alma mater. If none marry, then
we’ll set up a foundation in the family name: ColeDiz.”
“What are the rules, Martin?” Joshua asked.
David frowned. “Why are you asking him? It’s my kids you guys
are betting on.”
“Mine, too,” Timothy reminded him. “It has to be either Martin
or Joshua to determine the rules if this wager is going to be impartial.”
“Timothy’s right,” Joshua concurred. “Let Martin establish the
contest rules.”
David’s frown faded. “Okay.”
Martin stood up and walked over to an antique desk and picked
up a pad, then handed a sheet of paper to each of the assembled. “Write down the
names in the order in which you believe Nicholas, Jason and Ana will marry. Also
indicate the name of your alma mater.
Joshua Kirkland jotted down his wager. “David, if you’re a
little short on funds, I’ll spot you a million,” he teased.
“Yeah, right,” David drawled. As Samuel Cole’s son, purported
to be the first black U.S. billionaire, money had never been a problem for
anyone claiming Cole blood.
Martin completed his slip. “We’ll put the slips in an envelope,
seal it and everyone can put their initial across the flap. Next year this time
we’ll open them to find out the winner.” Pushing off his chair, he stood up and
stubbed out his cigar and placed the envelope in a wall safe behind a framed
print of James Baldwin. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m exhausted.
Happy New Year,” he said, with a mock salute. “I’ll see everyone at brunch.”
One by one the men walked out of the library. David was the
last one to leave. He wasn’t as concerned with his children marrying because he
and Serena had raised them to be free spirits. His eldest son and daughter had
married and had given him grandchildren. That was enough for him.
Unlike his brothers, Martin and Joshua, David was not
competitive. Never was and never would be. Martin had always been the consummate
businessman and Joshua the military career officer. He’d had a brief stint as
CEO of ColeDiz International, Ltd., but for him it had always been music. First
it had been his band Night Mood and then his independent recording company
Serenity Records. The label’s focus had always been discovering new talent and
it had continued until he retired and turned the day-to-day operation over to
Jason and Ana.
The odds were in his favor, because he had two children with
which to wager. And he predicted Ana would be the first to marry because he’d
overheard her talking to her mother about her biological clock. At thirty-three
she only had two more years before she would fall into the high-risk category.
However, David wasn’t as certain when it came to his son or nephew.
Nicholas owned and operated a horse farm in Virginia and the
last he’d heard was that the former naval officer wasn’t even remotely close to
becoming involved with a woman. It was the same with Jason. His son hadn’t been
a relationship in years, and seemed quite content living the life of a
bachelor.
Snuffing out his cigar, David pushed to his feet and left the
library. He usually didn’t make resolutions for the New Year, but this was one
time he wanted to lord it over his brothers and nephew that there was nothing
wrong with his unmarried twins. And if he did win the wager, then he would make
certain to never let them forget it.