Surrender to Temptation
SURRENDER TO TEMPTATION
Book Six of the Fitzgerald Family
E.B. WALTERS
Copyright © Ednah Walters 2013
Firetrail Publishing
Logan, UT
ALSO BY EDNAH WALTERS:
The Runes Series:
Runes (book one)
Immortals (book two)
Grimnirs (book three)
The Guardian Legacy Series:
Awakened (prequel)
Betrayed (book one)
Hunted (book two)
The Fitzgerald Family series
Slow Burn (book 1)
Mine Until Dawn (book 2)
Kiss Me Crazy (book 3)
Dangerous Love (book 4)
Forever Hers (book 5)
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared
or given away as it is an infringement
on the copyright of this work.
§
This book is a work of fiction. The names characters, places, and
incidents are products of the author’s imagination and
are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to any
actual events or persons, living or dead,
actual events, locale or organizations is
entirely coincidental.
§
Firetrail Publishing
P.O. Box 3444
Logan, UT 84324
§
Copyright © 2013 E. B. Walters
All rights reserved.
ISBN:
0991251709
ISBN-13:
978-0-9912517-0-4
§
Edited by Kelly Hashway
Cover Design by Margaret McFarland. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Firetrail Publishing
publication: Nov 2013
DEDICATION
§
This book is dedicated to my brother, Arthur
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
§
I am so lucky to have found you because you
are awesome. I would not have asked for a more
thorough, meticulous, and professional editor.
To my beta-readers, Jeanette A. Conkling, Toni Steiner, and
Julie Barrett, I don’t know what I would do without you guys.
You are gurus at finding typos and inconsistencies, going through
the final product, and giving it the stamp of approval. I couldn’t
have polished this book without your keen eyes. Thank you.
To husband and my wonderful children, thank
you for your unwavering love and support.
You inspire me in so many ways
Love you, guys.
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PROLOGUE
Chase studied the woman seated across from him. Keira Higgins—perfect wife material. She was smart and had a great sense of humor. They came from the same family background, had the same level of education, and the same appreciation for finer things in life, including cuisine. She would fit in perfectly with his large family. The fact that she was also gorgeous and an enthusiastic lover didn’t hurt. Not that being great in bed was a criterion he looked for in a wife. No woman had ever left his bed unsatisfied.
Keira forked a piece of strawberry sabayon and placed it on her tongue. She hummed as she savored the treat and pushed the bowl aside.
Chase frowned, wondering why her eating habits bothered him. Keira was a food critic with the L.A. Times, which meant she ate out often and had to watch how much she consumed. With the stroke of her pen, she could make or destroy a chef’s dream, but that was the least of his worries. She had nothing but praise for the dishes served in his restaurants. But tonight’s dinner wasn’t for an article. Tonight was a prelude to something more—the beginning of the rest of their lives. Why then was he hesitating? Could his mother be right? Was he about to propose to Keira for the wrong reasons?
“Why are you frowning?” Keira asked, yanking him back to the present.
“You look exquisite tonight.”
She smiled. “That’s the third time you’ve said it tonight but the first time it sounded like a bad thing.”
Chase chuckled, took her hand, and pressed his lips to her knuckles. He didn’t miss the tremor that shot through her. “No, you are perfect.”
“And this,” she indicated their leftover meal with a nod, “has really been amazing. I will never ever imply that you are not the
chef de cuisine
of your restaurants.”
He’d gone all out, preparing everything while she watched. They were in the kitchen of The Haven, his restaurant on Melrose Strip. He’d opened a second one in Burbank, but The Haven would always be his first love. It was successful, frequented by young professionals and Hollywood elite. The one in Burbank was doing just as great. The ambience lured the clients in, but the food, all his original recipes, turned them into regulars. Now he was ready for a new project—starting a family. “How do you feel about horses?”
Keira’s face lit up. “Love them.”
“Breeding them?”
She smiled. “Haven’t a clue.”
“I have ranch in Montana where I breed race horses. The restaurants are in good hands, so I want to focus on the ranch.”
She leaned forward. “Ooh, sounds intriguing.”
“At present, I have a foreman, a horse breeder with an eye for winners, and connections in the industry, but I need to take charge of things.”
“Do you have pictures?”
“No, I have something better. Wait here.” He leaned forward and kissed her, then stood and strolled to his office. As soon as she accepted his proposal, he planned to fly her out and show her the ranch. He’d spent the last six months remodeling the ranch house and hired hands’ quarters. Chase opened the drawer and reached inside for the box. He heard her behind him and smiled. Patience was never Keira’s virtue.
He stood, the box with the ring clutched in his hand, and started to turn. Pain spiked through his skull as something blunt connected with the back of his head. He tried to break his fall and shifted his body to face his assailant. All he caught was a glimpse of a familiar face before he blacked out. Why would his new
sous chef
attack him?
CHAPTER 1
“Why would anyone in their right mind want to go to Montana on vacation? Why not a Caribbean cruise or visit an island resort?” Amelia asked as she tilted her head to stare at Nikki Savoy’s pensive face.
Nikki shrugged. Amelia was her childhood friend and legal advisor, but Nikki wasn’t about to disclose her real reasons for going to Montana. Amelia would not understand Nikki’s need for answers. She never liked Nikki’s sister, Dee, whom she’d often called ungrateful and an attention hog. Dee hadn’t been…
No, Nikki refused to think about her sister in the past tense as though she was dead. Dee wasn’t perfect, but she was her baby sister. Nikki planned to find out the truth about what happened six months ago. Her sister could not have attacked her boss or burned down his restaurant after he’d just promoted her.
“Hmm-mm, I want to go to a place that’s different, a place where I won’t bump into people every time I turn around. I doubt I can do that on a cruise or at a resort.”
“But why some God-forsaken, uncivilized farm in Montana?” Amelia asked.
Nikki laughed. According to Amelia, if a place didn’t have skyscrapers, it was uncivilized. “I’ve always wanted to see how ranchers lived.”
Amelia wrinkled her nose. “I can tell you how without going there. They roll out of bed, chow down on canned food warmed over a campfire, saddle their horses, and ride across a vast, hot and dusty land filled with stinking cows and mean horses. You hate horses.”
Nikki shuddered. She didn’t hate horses. She was a little scared of them. Not the same thing. “This is a chance to bond with them. Or one,” she added softly.
Amelia laughed. “I guess anywhere is better than staying around here. With all the running around you’ve been doing, you need rest.”
“And I hear there are some hot cowboys in Montana. I might even meet someone,” Nikki interjected playfully.
“You’ve got to be kidding! The men there need women to pamper them. Don’t they pay women to move out there and marry them? What do they call them?”
“Mail order brides, but you’ve got your centuries mixed up,” Nikki said with a laugh.
“Okay. If some tobacco-chewing, mucous-spitting, leather-skinned cowboy offers to be your slave for eternity, I’ll take a leave of absence from my practice and join you.”
“Deal,” Nikki said, laughing. She stopped when her eyes shifted to her sister.
Dee lay on a hospital bed, still and silent, body wrapped up like a mummy. Forty percent of her body had burned. They had to put her in a medically-induced coma as they performed surgery after surgery and allowed her body to heal.
“When I look at her, I wish I didn’t have to go,” Nikki whispered.
“Don’t start, Nikki. You need a break or you’ll make yourself sick,” Amelia protested. “Besides, your parents are here, too. Which reminds me, where are they? I love listening to your father’s charming southern drawl.”
“They’ll be here.” They were staying with her and came to the hospital every day to read to her sister. “My mother is taking it hard. And Dad…” Nikki sighed. Charles Marshal might not be her biological father, but he would always be the one she called Daddy, since hers hadn’t wanted the job.
“Is worried about you,” Amelia finished. “Otherwise he would not have insisted you take a break.”
Nikki smiled. “Do you know he offered to pay for my vacation?”
“That’s so sweet. Why didn’t you take it?”
“Because I can afford to pay for my vacation.” Besides, they were retired teachers, and their savings were already being depleted by Dee’s medical bills. “I worry about them. They’re not used to big cities—”
“But have had six months to find their way around San Diego,” Amelia finished. “Besides, your father can charm his way out of anything. And don’t let me start on your southern belle mama. So stop looking for a reason to stay. You’ve been by Dee’s side every day since the accident, Nikki. You’ve become a recluse. You don’t date anymore. You even stopped taking new clients.”
Nikki sighed. It seemed like eons ago when she’d dreamed of becoming an artist, but circumstances had forced her to forget that dream. Well, not exactly circumstances, just her parents and her innate will to please them. Dee had needed to attend a top-notch culinary school and find placement in the right kitchens to continue her studies. How had her mother put it? Both her daughters couldn’t afford to choose careers that didn’t guarantee them an income. One of them had to be sensible. Her parents were retired schoolteachers, and her mother had wanted her to go into teaching. So the dutiful daughter that Nikki was, she had pushed aside her personal dream and done the right thing. But instead of being a teacher, she’d gone into nursing, and she found out that she had a knack for dealing with crabby patients, thanks to years of handling Dee and her tantrums.
Two years into her job and Nikki had begun to wilt. The artist in her kept calling to her. Then inspiration had hit. Soon she was taking evening classes in graphic design. Then web design. Her first paying customer turned out to be Amelia’s law firm, and the rest was history. She now designed websites with eye-catching graphics. Her client list kept growing—until the phone call from Los Angeles about her sister’s ‘accident’.
“Nikki?” Amelia asked.
“Things sometimes don’t go according to plan, Amelia. Dee once dreamed of owning a restaurant. She made the most mouth-watering dishes.” Nikki’s voice shook as she finished the last sentence. She blinked rapidly to stop the sudden rush of tears. Six months and she still couldn’t deal with what had happened to her sister and what was yet to come. Dee would face criminal charges after she recovered.
Even worse, every time she saw how still and unreachable her sister was, Nikki was reminded of the last time Dee had visited her. They’d fought over money. Dee had flown from L.A. to San Diego to borrow some. Again. She always lived beyond her means. Nikki had told her no this time, followed by a long lecture about being thrifty, which she now regretted. As a self-employed graphic designer with a growing clientele and a part-time nurse at a private clinic, she earned a lot more than her sister made as a chef. That was another thing that didn’t make sense. Dee had been promoted to
sous chef
and her prospect had seemed bright. She’d had no reason to burn down her employer’s restaurant.
Nikki could still recall the headline—
A Promising Young Chef Sets Fire to Her Employer’s Restaurant.
Rumors had it that the owner, Chase Fitzgerald, had barely escaped with his life after rescuing his girlfriend from the fire. They’d hailed him a hero.
What really happened that night? Was it a love triangle gone wrong? Had Chase led her sister on and then dumped her? According to the e-mails Nikki had received from Dee, her sister had had a special relationship with Chase Fitzgerald. Every time they got together, all Dee ever talked about was Fitzgerald.
Then there was Keira Higgins, Fitzgerald’s fiancée and a food critic with the L.A. Times. The criminal lawyer Nikki retained for Dee had said Keira planned to file civil and assault charges against Dee. According to the report she’d filed with the L.A.P.D., Keira claimed Dee had attacked her and tried to burn her with lighter fluid, and that was how the fire had started.
Nikki didn’t buy it. Her sister wasn’t violent. Bratty and a bit self-centered, yes, but not violent. She also didn’t belong in jail. To help her, Nikki had to find out what happened that night. Ms. Higgins had refused to talk to her when she’d flown to L.A., opting to talk through her snooty lawyers. And the look on her face during their meeting had said the woman was out for blood. She couldn’t just sit back and wait for her sister to come out of the coma and face criminal charges. Arson meant jail for her sister. And because it was supposedly deliberate and people got hurt, it meant years in jail. Worse, the investigator working for Dee’s lawyer was also slowly sucking Nikki dry financially, so she needed answers, which left the elusive Chase Fitzgerald.
“Hey! Earth to Nikki Savoy!” Amelia snapped her fingers in front of Nikki’s nose.
Nikki blinked and threw an apologetic glance at her friend. “Sorry.”
“Do you know you do that a lot?” Amelia asked.
“Do what?” Nikki asked defensively.
“Space out. One minute you are here and the next gone. And the expression on your face is usually very peculiar—a mixture of pain and regret.” Amelia glanced at Dee and added softly, “There was nothing you could have done for her, Nikki. You’ve always been there for her.” Amelia perked up and faced Nikki. “So, where did you meet this Jade Knight? And how come I’ve never heard of her?”
“Jade and I were in college together. If you must know, we roomed together for a couple of semesters.” The lie rolled off Nikki’s lips so easily she almost believed it herself.
She knew nothing about Jade Knight except that she was Chase Fitzgerald’s sister. Nikki had met the professor during her last interview with the lawyers, Mo Fitzgerald and Brian McQueen. Finding Chase Fitzgerald hadn’t been easy. Getting access to his ranch had taken some serious scheming on her part and a dose of good luck.
“And you don’t know everything about me, Amelia Simmons,” Nikki added.
“Please,” Amelia said as she rolled her eyes.
“Get off my business and drive me to the airport, midget.”
“Don’t push it, giant,” Amelia retorted.
Nikki grinned. She would miss Amelia and her sassiness. Amelia and Dee were the only ones who ever got away with calling her a giant. Nikki was tall. At five-foot-ten, she was an oddity among her friends and relatives. As a child, she’d always felt self-conscious about her height. And although she didn’t mind being teased by people who loved her, it hadn’t always been amusing to be the tallest girl in her little town and the butt of everyone’s jokes. Anyone seeing her and Dee together could never guess they were sisters, and it wasn’t because of their different last names. Nikki had inherited her father’s height and favored his side of the family in looks, while Dee was a replica of their mother.
Stopping by the nurses’ station, she made sure the nurses had her cell phone number, her parents’ number, and Amelia’s before leaving the ICU. Outside, Nikki settled in the front passenger seat of Amelia’s BMW and closed her eyes, hating that her thoughts always returned to her last meeting with her sister. If Dee didn’t make it, Nikki would live with the guilt forever.
Amelia pulled away from the medical center and headed east. San Diego International Airport was only ten-fifteen minutes away from UC San Diego Medical Center, which housed the regional burn center.
“So what are you going to do about your clients while you’re gone?” Amelia asked.
“Ever heard of a laptop and a cell phone?”
“Ooh, you mean you can actually access the internet between, uh, milking cows and shoveling horse manure?”
“Very funny,” Nikki retorted. “But if it will ease your mind, I have everything set. I’ve finished the contracts that were due this month, including the one for Southern Yacht Club, and have the next month to myself—no deadline or last minute conferences. Surita can take care of things while I’m gone. If not, she can reach me on my cell phone. If clients want to talk, we can Skype. But, I’m hoping they won’t need to. The next two weeks are me-time.”
“Wow. That was fast. You just started the club’s site last week.”
Nikki shrugged. Not being able to sleep well had given her plenty of time to either worry about her sister or work. She’d chosen work. “The check should be in the mail in a few days, counselor.”
“What about the one for that law firm— Fitzgerald and McQueen?”
“Done.”
“You did a top notch job, right? Because they’re huge and can send more customers your way.”
“What do you think?” Nikki asked defensively. Amelia didn’t need to know about the law firm’s connection to her sudden trip.
“You always come through. I wish I could say the same for some of my partners at the firm.” While Amelia ranted about her coworkers, Nikki’s thoughts drifted to Dee’s boss, the reason she was headed to Montana.
What if Chase Fitzgerald learned of her identity and connection to Dee while she was at his home? Would that make things worse for her sister? Nikki’s stomach churned. She hadn’t been able to relax since she finagled her way into getting this assignment. The last thing her parents needed was another daughter in trouble with the law or the Fitzgeralds. From her investigation, they were huge, filthy rich, and influential. But Nikki had no choice. Too much was at stake. She had to find something, anything to keep her sister from going to jail. If it meant getting into the reclusive Chase Fitzgerald’s ranch under false pretense, so be it.
Amelia pulled up at the Delta terminal, parked, and came around the car just as Nikki removed her suitcases from the back.
“I’m going to miss you,” Nikki whispered.
“Same here. Don’t worry about a thing while you’re gone,” Amelia commanded as they hugged. “I’ll stop by your house to check on your parents, just in case.”
“Oh, you’re the best. Thank you. Dad might say he has the city figured out, but it’s all talk.”
“I know. He’s so adorable. Besides, next time my parents are in town, I can take off and let you entertain them.” She winked.
Nikki shuddered. Amelia came from East Hampton, New York. She was fun and down to earth, but her parents were country club snobs. According to them, everything and everyone in L.A. was pretentious. “Okay.”