Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
A mountain with a legend.
A sassy wedding planner in desperate need of a date.
A cocky firefighter she can’t stand… her only option.
Finding out your sister is marrying your ex is a major gut punch. The thought of showing up to the wedding solo? Even worse.
That’s exactly the situation Harlow Hayes is in, unless she finds a date—fast.
Enter Linc Masters.
Childhood nemesis turned local firefighter. The boy who tormented her every chance he got, now the man who lives to push every one of her buttons.
She can’t stand him, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and he might be the only one bold enough to pull it off.
The plan is fake the perfect love story, survive the weekend, go back to hating each other.
Only, the longer they pretend, the more the lines begin to blur.
Old memories resurface.
New sparks catch fire.
And the secret they buried that night on Heart Mountain has them questioning everything.
Like, maybe the legend isn’t just a story.
Maybe the villain was the hero all along.
And maybe—just maybe—the rivalry was only a disguise for something far more beautiful waiting to be told
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Living next door to your childhood nemesis can have its perks. Not only are they easily accessible for your tormenting pleasure, but you also have the advantage of watching their every move, sometimes catching glimpses of those rare, vulnerable moments, giving you the perfect opportunity to strike.
The rivalry never fades; it only grows stronger with age.
Unfortunately, it can also have its drawbacks. Especially when that nemesis is infuriatingly beautiful, with an attitude that sets your blood on fire, and a smile that makes you forget why you’re supposed to hate her in the first place.
That’s Harlow Hayes, the raven-haired beauty who has been wreaking havoc on every one of my emotions since childhood.
It would seem tonight is no different, because as I step outside to take out the trash, I’m handed a front-row seat to another one of those vulnerable moments…the sound of angry voices spilling from the house next door.
“How could you do this to me?” Harlow cries, her voice sharp with fury. “Especially when I’m about to start my last year of high school.”
Well…this sounds juicy.
Smirking, I linger by the trash bin and take in the drama unfolding.
“I’m sorry, but this is best for the family.” Her father’s voice doesn’t sound the least bit remorseful.
“You mean it’s what’s best for Hattie,” Harlow retorts, bitterness lacing every word at the mention of her older sister.
He doesn’t deny the accusation. “That’s right. This is important for her future, and it’s a good opportunity for mine.”
“What about my future?” she fires back. “You have two daughters, remember?”
My smugness slips at the crack in her voice.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Harlow, stop being so dramatic,” her mother cuts in, entering the conversation. “Don’t you think you’re being just a little selfish right now?”
My expression hardens at the response, but I’m not surprised. Her parents have always come across as cold and aloof, especially toward my family. Then again, dumping frogs into the pond to scare their daughter probably didn’t help matters.
“I’m being selfish?” she all but chokes out. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Her outburst fades when my front door swings open to reveal my brother, Cash.
“Yo, what the hell’s taking so long?” he asks, reminding me about the video game battle I’m supposed to be having with my brothers.
I lift a finger to my lips, silencing him.
Confusion flickers across his expression just before another shout cuts through the night, Harlow’s voice even sharper this time.
“I don’t care what either of you say. I’m not going, and you can’t make me!”
A second later, she bursts from the house, bolting into the night.
“Get back here, young lady!” her father bellows, his voice trailing after her.
She doesn’t look back. Just disappears down the dark street, neither of them realizing the audience they have.
“Damn it.” He slams the door, the sound echoing off the surrounding mountains.
Cash’s gaze meets mine, a flicker of amusement there. “Looks like the Ice Queen’s in trouble.” He chuckles.
I bite my tongue, hating the nickname, even if it is how she’s always acted toward us.
I shouldn’t care. She sure as hell wouldn’t want me to, but for some reason, I do.
I always fucking do.
“Come on, let’s go,” he urges, nudging toward the door. “Time’s wasting.”
Every instinct tells me to follow him, to forget about her, but I can’t shake the image of her out there, alone and vulnerable.
We might have a complicated history. Hell, it’s downright turbulent, but that doesn’t mean I want anything bad to happen to her.
“Go ahead and start without me,” I say, already stepping off the curb. “I’ll jump in when I get back.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” he calls. “Linc, where the hell are you going?”
I feel bad ignoring him, but I keep my focus locked on the direction Harlow went, having a pretty good idea where she’s headed.
Heart Mountain.
Passion Falls’ most historic landmark, and the place where our rivalry has always burned brightest. Where I’ve ambushed her more times than I can count, hell-bent on getting revenge for whatever stunt she’s pulled on me.
It’s ironic, considering the legend tied to it. A ridiculous myth that claims if you share a kiss on the mountain’s ledge at midnight, under a full moon, you’ll be bound to your one true love forever.
Total bullshit.
At least when it comes to Harlow and me. If anything, it’s only ever added fuel to the fire.
I don’t remember how this feud between us even started, but I remember the rush I felt—the hit of adrenaline—and I’ve been chasing it ever since.
The mountain looms ahead, a dark silhouette against the wide, open night sky.
As suspected, I catch sight of Harlow, her shadowy figure slipping onto the trail.
I quicken my pace and eventually find her at the base of the mountain, curled in on herself beneath a cluster of towering spruce trees. Her knees are drawn tight, head buried in her arms, and shoulders shaking with quiet, broken sobs.