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ChapterOne
Hope Radisson pacedthe patio of her Wengen, Switzerland home high in the Swiss Alps. She and her sister’s vacation home overlooked the verdant and dreamlike Lauterbrunnen Valley, the valley of seventy-two waterfalls, arguably the real home of the Hobbit.
A stiff, chilly wind bit at her cheeks as she listened to Patricia, the manager of her Charlotte, North Carolina Lady Fit gym, explain her staffing issues. Hope didn’t mind the wind. It kept her alert, and this was her favorite spot on earth. Even more so because sometimes the charming Major Chad Prescott of Augustine flew over for a visit when he somehow learned she was here. She suspected her younger sister Faith was the culprit. Faith had probably texted him this morning as the two sisters had gotten settled in for a week of hiking, exploring, and relaxing. This trip was always a welcome break from their demanding workload—and Chad was a very welcome break from her demanding life.
As if her thoughts had conjured him, she heard the unmistakable sound of helicopter rotors. Was it him? Her stomach did a flip-flop of anticipation, even as she told herself to calm down. Chad was a flirt to the millionth degree, and he had no clue that she was completely smitten by him. At least she hoped she’d hidden that truth after he broke her heart several years ago.
She was an ultra-successful American businesswoman; she didn’t need a charming foreign boyfriend. She and her two sisters had created Lady Fit together after their mom ditched them when their dad cheated on her one too many times. Their dad only stayed long enough to make certain then-sixteen-year-old Grace could take care of her younger sisters and knew how to access the bank account.
She and Faith now had stores and fitness centers in most major cities throughout America, but their online business was even more profitable. Hope could have her pick of dates with athletes, entertainers, politicians, or billionaires, but she was too busy and nobody except Chad appealed to her. With Grace in heaven and Faith being the creative mind behind the business, Hope had to take care of all the other aspects.
Why she only felt that special zing with an Augustine military hero was beyond her. Chad would never settle down. His philandering ways were lauded throughout Europe. She’d felt his inability to focus on one woman as sharp as a scorpion’s sting.
The only woman she’d ever observed him to be serious about in the three years Hope had known him was the accomplished chef and single mom Sophie Pederson. He’d dated the lady for months before Sophie revealed her lifelong dedication to Prince Malik August. Had Sophie broken Chad’s heart? Hope didn’t know if that was possible. Chad was a generous and giving man, but Hope suspected he was too much of a playboy to let his heart get deeply invested in any one woman.
“Thank you for sharing your concerns and everything you’ve done to remedy the problem,” she said to Patricia. “Are you open to an idea?”
“Of course. Please.”
Hope smiled. Her managers were fabulous at their jobs and respectful of her. “I’d like you to contact each of the universities in your area and speak with their exercise physiology advisors. They will gladly create a list of students qualified and searching for on-the-job experience.”
“Oh. That’s smart. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Let me know how it goes. I’ve got a pressing meeting to attend to. Take care.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
The military helicopter settled onto the pad next to her garage and she slid the phone into a side pocket and let herself focus where she wanted to—Major Chad Prescott. A pressing meeting? More like a fantasy that would never come true.
She couldn’t see the helicopter from here, but she knew that sound. It differed from the chartered helicopters she and her sister paid to fly them from the Bern airport when they arrived in Switzerland. They could afford a helicopter or jet of their own, but a charter was simpler, and why not leave that pad space open for Chad? Chad’s helicopter was more forceful and tough sounding, just like the man. He was tough, but also smooth and beautiful.
She smiled and bit at her lip to tamp down her excitement, focusing on the fall beauty spread below her. Greens, reds, oranges, and yellows decorated the valley and the mountainside while waterfalls danced amongst the rocks and trees.
The rotors shut off and still she forced herself to wait and not run to greet him like an overanxious pup. She didn’t even turn, and she was extremely proud of her self-restraint.
Hope reminded herself for the thousandth time that she was busy and happy. She did not need a man in her too-demanding life. Especially a man who would flirt with her, make her believe the sun rose and set on her face, but never be serious about a relationship.
She was also recovering from the vicious murder of her sister Grace by the foul David Zeus III last year. Thankfully, the famous basketball player Hayden ‘the Beast’ Warren and the infamous Sutton Smith had killed Zeus while rescuing the supermodel Eva Canterbury from Zeus’s demented schemes. It was still hard to forgive and not let anger canker her soul. With a name like Hope, she’d tried to be filled with that virtue, no matter how many times her hope waned and she failed to live up to her name. She needed the Savior’s grace, especially without her sister. At least she still had the real Faith even when hers faltered.
If only she could ‘hope’ for a future with Major Chad Prescott. She smiled to herself but sadly hope was lacking, especially regarding anything lasting with Chad.
The man door around the side of the garage beeped open. Chad knew their security codes. He’d walk through the garage and then into the house. Her excitement mounted, and she clung to the railing to hide the trembling in her hands.
The patio door opened behind her moments later. Her sister Faith had told Chad where she was. Faith knew Hope was determined to only be friends with Chad, but only Grace knew that Chad had opened her mind and her heart to joy and love that beautiful weekend and then moved on a day later. Faith cussed her often for her reluctance and begged her at regular intervals to give the ‘charming stud’ another chance. Hope couldn’t do it. She’d never end up like her parents.
“Now if that isn’t the most beautiful view in the world.” Chad’s smooth, deep, ultra-appealing voice washed over her like silk brushing her skin. The Augustine accent was enough to melt ice, and coming from Chad, even a glacier wasn’t safe.
Hope finally let herself look back at him. Her breath rushed out, and warm tingles covered her body. She was no glacier. She was barely an ice cube.
How did he do this to her? Every. Single. Time. She should probably demand Faith not tell him they’d arrived for a visit, but she didn’t have it in her. Spending time with Chad was the highlight of her busy life.
His generous lips curved in a smile and his green eyes sparkled at her. She’d never seen an emerald gem sparkle as beautifully as his mesmerizing eyes did. His face was manly, but he could definitely be called a pretty boy. His well-built body and developed muscles probably kept many people from daring to call him that, though.
“It is a gorgeous view,” she agreed, sweeping her hand out. “I never tire of it.”
Chad eased toward her like a cheetah stalking a gazelle. He was far too alluring and deadly. Not that he’d ever physically hurt her or anyone who wasn’t a criminal, but he was deadly to her heart. He’d never love her like she did him, and she couldn’t afford to let down her guard and get her heart broken again with a player the likes of Major Chad Prescott. Her older sister being killed, her parents deserting them, and her heart’s destruction at Chad’s hands had caused enough misery for a lifetime.
