Jayden’s Hope: MacKenzies of Montana Read online

  Jayden’s Hope

  MacKenzies of Montana

  Liliana Hart

  Contents

  Other Books

  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

  Grant’s Christmas Wish Excerpt

  Seduction and Sapphires Excerpt

  About the Author

  Also by Liliana Hart

  Jayden’s Hope is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © Jayden’s Hope 2019 by Liliana Hart

  All rights reserved.

  Publishing in the United States by 7th Press.

  Jayden’s Hope: Liliana Hart

  www.lilianahart.com

  Book Design by Wicked Smart Design

  The MacKenzies of Montana

  Dane’s Return

  Thomas’s Vow

  Riley’s Sanctuary

  Cooper’s Promise

  Grant’s Christmas Wish

  The MacKenzies Boxset

  MacKenzie Security Series

  Seduction and Sapphires

  Shadows and Silk

  Secrets and Satin

  Sins and Scarlet Lace

  Sizzle

  Crave

  Trouble Maker

  Scorch

  MacKenzie Security Omnibus 1

  MacKenzie Security Omnibus 2

  JJ Graves Mystery Series

  Dirty Little Secrets

  A Dirty Shame

  Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

  Down and Dirty

  Dirty Deeds

  Dirty Laundry

  Dirty Money

  A Dirty Job

  Addison Holmes Mystery Series

  Whiskey Rebellion

  Whiskey Sour

  Whiskey For Breakfast

  Whiskey, You’re The Devil

  Whiskey on the Rocks

  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

  Whiskey and Gunpowder

  Books by Liliana Hart and Scott Silverii

  The Harley and Davidson Mystery Series

  The Farmer’s Slaughter

  A Tisket a Casket

  I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus

  Get Your Murder Running

  Deceased and Desist

  Malice In Wonderland

  Tequila Mockingbird

  Gone With the Sin

  The Gravediggers

  The Darkest Corner

  Gone to Dust

  Say No More

  Lawmen of Surrender (MacKenzies-1001 Dark Nights)

  1001 Dark Nights: Captured in Surrender

  1001 Dark Nights: The Promise of Surrender

  Sweet Surrender

  Dawn of Surrender

  The MacKenzie World (read in any order)

  Trouble Maker

  Bullet Proof

  Deep Trouble

  Delta Rescue

  Desire and Ice

  Rush

  Spies and Stilettos

  Wicked Hot

  Hot Witness

  Avenged

  Never Surrender

  Stand Alone Titles

  Breath of Fire

  Kill Shot

  Catch Me If You Can

  All About Eve

  Paradise Disguised

  Island Home

  The Witching Hour

  Chapter 1

  Holly knew she’d found it the second she crested over the hill.

  It sat like a perfect jewel nestled between rolling hills, the white clapboard buildings lined up like soldiers and the streets paved with brick. She could see for miles, past the town and across fields as green as emeralds, with white fences and livestock dotting the landscape. A lake rippled like liquid glass and was framed by the majesty of white capped mountains.

  She’d left the top down on her Mini Cooper despite the threat of a storm. The wind whipped through her hair, leaving it unruly and tangled, but she didn’t care. The sky was gray with clouds that hung low and swirled overhead. If it hadn’t been so unladylike she would’ve let out a battle cry that would have put the rumbling thunder to shame.

  For the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to be free. There was no one to tell her where to go or what to do, how to sit, stand, walk or make small talk. There was no one to tell her where to volunteer, what career path to take, or how many children she should have.

  Freedom.

  She breathed in deep and let the fresh air settle in her lungs. For the rest of her life, she wanted to remember this feeling—everything about it—from the smell in the air to the taste of the first raindrop on her tongue.

  Bags and boxes filled every available space in the tiny car. Derek would have a fit at the thought of her driving something so undignified, and her mother would have agreed with him, but Holland had planned her escape for the last two years, down to the last detail, and she’d thought the little car was impractical and cute—two things she’d had very little of in her life.

  Declan MacKenzie had helped her get her new identification, and with that, she’d been able to open her own bank account. It was the first one she’d ever had that only had her name on it. Derek had made sure she added his name to the trust her father had left her. She hadn’t had a choice. It was never worth the fight that ensued when she disagreed with him. Besides, her mother had felt having Derek control the money was the best option as well. Margaret Hamilton had been infuriated when her husband’s fortune had gone to Holland. With Derek in control, she could still get her hands on it through him.

  For the last two years Holland had lived in numbness. Living wasn’t even the right word. She was a zombie. Her pride always got her in trouble. And she wasn’t one to flinch when a hand was raised in her direction. But that wasn’t Derek’s favorite form of abuse, though he wasn’t above using physical force to get his way.

  What he really enjoyed was the psychological warfare, tearing away her self-esteem and security. Calling her names or telling her she was stupid. If she displeased him he’d freeze her out or cut her down in front of her mother or his friends or co-workers. Or he’d make sure she knew when he visited his mistress and come to her at night with the scent of another woman’s perfume still on his body.

  She’d taken Declan’s advice, squirreling away the allowance Derek put in her account every month and tacking Visa gifts cards onto her grocery bills so it didn’t look suspicious. He never looked beyond what was put on the debit card, as long as it was spent where she’d told him she was shopping. It had taken patience and perseverance, but finally she’d made her escape.

  Declan and her father had been close friends, and they’d worked together on occasion. The day they stood over her father’s coffin was the day he made her promise to come to him for anything, no matter how big, if she was ever in need. She owed him more than she could ever repay, and Declan had wanted to do a heck of a lot more than provide her with the means for a new life. He’d wanted to put a fist through Derek’s face, but Derek moved in some powerful circles, and she didn’t want anything to ever happen to Declan or his family.

  She’d scrimped and saved over those two years, and found the secondhand car in excellent condition at a roadside dealership in Connecticut. Declan had let her keep it in the garage of his Manhattan offices until she was ready to
leave for good.

  And then fate had lent a hand, and Derek had left for a prolonged business trip to Europe. Holland had given him her itinerary before he left so he knew where she’d be, and then on a foggy morning on the way to a ladies’ luncheon, Holland Hamilton had died when her car missed the curve in the road.

  Again, Declan had helped her with the logistics of it all. He’d taken care of the scene, the body, and the medical examiner’s report. And by the time Derek had flown back from London, she’d been zigzagging her way through the country, checking media reports and newspaper clippings to make sure everything had gone according to plan. She’d become Holly Hammels, and Holly wasn’t a high-profile attorney’s wife. Holly was a Montana wilderness woman. And she was free.

  She could only imagine what her father would have said if he were still alive. He’d have wanted to know how she’d gotten into this mess. She wouldn’t have had an answer for him. Derek had been charming and sweet, and he’d swooped in to comfort her when she’d been grieving. She’d thought he’d been the man of her dreams, but instead he’d become her nightmare.

  Her father…God, she missed him. Some days the grief reached out and grabbed her by the throat until she couldn’t breathe.

  Declan had given her a second chance, and by God, she wasn’t going to waste it. He’d given her a home to lease and place to work. And with luck, she could settle in and make friends, become a part of something.

  The contents of the boxes rattled as she drove over the uneven surface of the road. She looked down at her phone, but it was no use. No service. She was going to have to stop for directions.

  Welcome to Surrender

  There was a neat white sign with those words printed in block letters and a planter box beneath that was overflowing with purple and yellow flowers. The town was even better than Declan had described.

  A smattering of cars were parked in front of the hitching posts along the main strip, and she slowed the car and read the signs that hung above each of the doors—florist, bookshop, ice cream shop, bakery, feed store, mercantile, photography studio, and a boutique she was definitely going to have to check out later. The signs in the windows said the stores were open, but it was obvious the locals had more sense than to get out in the upcoming storm.

  She would be fine. She couldn’t be too far from the house she’d leased from Declan. He told her she’d have as much space and privacy as she wanted, and views she’d never see anywhere else in the world. It sounded like heaven.

  It couldn’t be long before the skies opened. The rumbles of thunder were still in the distance, but the storm was moving quickly. She’d been traveling for two weeks, and now that she was this close to her destination, she couldn’t wait any longer to get there.

  Her goal was to find the house, make a hot cup of tea while the storm rolled in, and then sleep for a couple of days straight. She wasn’t scheduled to start her new job as manager of the sporting goods store until next week, so she had time to catch her breath. And maybe over time, she’d learn to stop checking over her shoulder to see who was behind her.

  Holly parked the car in front of the diner, but she left it running. Time was of the essence. She got out and ran up the three wooden steps that led to the covered walkway in front of the diner. The gas lanterns that hung overhead swayed, the flames flickering, and a few customers inside watched the incoming clouds with fascination.

  A bell tinkled above the door and the heavy smell of grease and bacon assaulted her senses. Her stomach growled loudly. Between the adrenaline and nerves, she’d mostly been living on caffeine and power bars, with the occasional drive thru meal tossed in. Getting to Surrender had been the most important thing.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but the sun had been up for a few hours, glaring into her rearview mirror as she headed west. At least until the clouds had started rolling in.

  The diner was charming. The floor was black and white tiles, and booths lined the walls with red vinyl seats. There was a long Formica counter with red barstools, and there was a pie display that looked too pretty to eat.

  Two old men sat at the front booth with a checkerboard between them and steaming cups of coffee within reach. She had the feeling it was something they did on a regular basis. There was a group of teenagers in the farthest booth, giggling and completely absorbed in their own world, and in the booth next to theirs was a single man in a deputy’s uniform, reading the newspaper and eating his breakfast. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the teenagers, or much else for that matter. He barely gave her a glance when she walked inside.

  The only other customer was a lone man sitting at the end bar stool. He was big, and both of his arms were covered in tattoos. His hair was dark and she could see a scruff of beard on his face. His jeans and black t-shirt looked worn and comfortable, but there was something about him that brought anything but comfort. She immediately veered away from him.

  “Hi there,” the girl behind the counter said. Her face was still soft and rounded with youth, and she couldn’t have been long out of high school. Her dark hair was piled artfully on top of her head, and she wore a lime green shirt that said Gladys’s Diner over the pocket, and a red apron was tied at her waist.

  “You look like you could use some coffee,” she said. “Welcome to Surrender. I’m Mac.”

  “More than you know. I’ll take it to go, please,” Holly said, returning the smile cautiously. She’d been amazed how friendly all the people she’d encountered on her journey had been. She’d lived in a bubble in New York, and most of Derek’s associates hadn’t been the nicest people.

  “You’re not from around here, huh?” Mac asked.

  “What makes you say that?” Holly asked.

  “You’ve got a Yankee accent,” Mac said. “We get a lot of visitors during season, and we’re always trying to figure out where people are from. We’re pretty good at it. I hope you didn’t come all this way for tourist season. Everything wrapped up last week. Great shoes, by the way. I saw some just like them in Cosmo.”

  Holly resisted the urge to run out the door and jump back in the car. Just because the girl could place what area of the country she was from didn’t mean she was going to get on the phone to Derek and tell him she was alive.

  The only person who knew her identity was Declan MacKenzie. And it had to stay that way. If Derek knew she was alive he’d come after her with a vengeance, and there was nothing or no one who could stop him.

  Chapter 2

  “Cream and sugar?” Mac asked.

  “Just black is fine,” Holly said. She took the Styrofoam cup Mac gave her and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from her jeans pocket. “I’m hoping you can help me find my way. My phone lost service about an hour ago.”

  “Yeah, cell service sucks out here when the weather is bad.”

  “What did you mean when you said the season ended last week?” Holly asked.

  “Tourist season,” Mac said, taking the paper from Holly and flattening it out on the counter. “Three months in the summer and three months in the winter, Surrender is packed with people. It’s great for business, but it’s nice when they all go home.”

  “Amen to that!” said one of the old men from the front booth.

  Mac grinned and a dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. “You caught us at a good time. Usually this place is packed for the breakfast shift, but with the storm coming, most everyone will stay home today.”

  “Except for me, apparently,” Holly said. “I was hoping I could make it before things got too bad. Am I close?”

  “Let’s see,” Mac said.

  A woman came out from the kitchen, loaded down with plates, and she headed over to the man at the end of the counter and set them in front of him. She was efficient and made it seem effortless, making sure he had everything he needed with a smile. The smile didn’t falter when he returned it with a scowl. He managed to say thank you in a low voice, but that was about as pleasant as he was going to get
.

  The woman had bright red hair and matching lipstick, and she rolled her eyes and winked at Holly after she served the grump. She had gorgeous skin and bright blue eyes, and she was thin as a rail. She was dressed identically to Mac.

  “Better put the top of your car down,” the woman said. “The clouds are about to open. I’m Alice, by the way.”

  “I just stopped in for directions,” Holly said. “I’ll put it up when I head back out.”

  “Where you headed?” Alice asked.

  “MacKenzie land,” Mac said, giving Holly a closer look. “You know that’s private property, right?”

  “Yes,” Holly said. “I’ve leased a house from Declan.”

  The girl’s brows raised almost to her hairline. “Wow, Uncle Dec never does that. The houses on MacKenzie land are for family only. He’s always been very clear about that. Y’all must be close. Or maybe a long-lost cousin?” Mac asked hopefully.

  “He’s your uncle?” Holly could hide the surprise in her voice.

  “Oh, sure. My real name is Mackenzie, but everyone calls me Mac. My mom is Uncle Dec’s sister. There’s a lot of us,” she said.

  “Lord, isn’t that the truth,” Alice said. “You could throw a dart into a crowd and the odds of hitting a MacKenzie are pretty high.”

  “Though we prefer not to have darts thrown at us,” Mac said.

  Another loud rumble of thunder made the glass in the windows tremble. “Can you tell me how to get to the house?” Holly asked.

  “I’d recommend you don’t,” Alice said. “It’s not an easy drive on a sunny day. You sure don’t want to tackle it in this weather. You sit right there in that booth and let me bring you some breakfast.”