Page 4

Chapter

One

Eliza ‘Lizzy’ Birmingham’s mouth gaped open and her eyes were bigger than silver dollars.

The charismatic bachelor billionaire of the year Brandon Richards and his model girlfriend Madelyne Presley were standing outside a shiny, white jet at the small Eudora Kansas airport.

Even more shocking, they were waiting for her.

Because of this illustrious couple, Lizzy was going on a dream vacation, to her dream spot.

Salzburg, Austria.

Salzburg … Austria … as in the very location of the filming of her favorite show of all time, The Sound of Music .

Maybe she’d get to see the Nonnberg Abbey, Hellbrunn Palace, Schloss Leopoldskron Palace, and the lake and the gazebo where the Captain and Maria kissed, ah …

She could already imagine the lush green hills leading up to awe-inspiring and soaring mountains.

Were there really cows with bells and wildflowers?

Could she sing in the hills like Maria and meet a man as handsome and good as the Captain?

Captain von Trapp had been stern and grumpy at first, then revealed what a fabulous man he was.

Her former boyfriends had been charming, and then the masks were peeled off and belittling monsters climbed out.

Pushing away the pain and worry and even her dreams of finding all the spots in Salzburg from The Sound of Music , she focused on Brandon and Madelyne.

They were picture-perfect. He was so debonair in his suit and had a radiant confidence and a fabulous, welcoming smile.

Madelyne was breathtakingly beautiful, but benevolence sparkled in her green eyes.

Lizzy concentrated and was able to not trip and fall walking up to them. It wouldn’t do to reveal her disability within the first few seconds of meeting the glorious and celebrated couple.

They were surrounded by at least a dozen armed men in polos and golf pants. Their clothing looked too mild for their hulking muscles and intense expressions. They appeared as if they ate nails for breakfast.

Brandon’s suit and aura looked more dapper than James Bond, while Madelyne wore a gorgeous pale pink fitted jacket and skirt that Lizzy suspected cost more than her car.

Somehow they didn’t make Lizzy feel like less.

Her ex-boyfriend Darren’s family had been wealthy—by Lawrence, Kansas standards.

She’d won their hearts, but they’d looked down their noses at her initially.

Lizzy was grateful she wore the Anne Klein floral dress she’d found at Goodwill. It was a fraction the cost of one of Brandon’s socks, but it was the nicest item of clothing she owned. Blessedly, it covered the knife wound on her chest and it only had a small red stain on the back.

Not a problem at all. As long as she made certain not to turn around.

“Miss Eliza Birmingham,” the famed Brandon Richards said, extending his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Brandon Richards and this is Madelyne Presley.”

“Neither of you need any introduction,” Lizzy gushed. “Oh, my, goodness. I absolutely love the both of you.” She grabbed each of their hands and squeezed rather than shook. “Can we be friends?”

Brandon and Madelyne both smiled at her exuberance.

“You and I will be lifelong friends,” Brandon assured her.

That reassured Lizzy even more, but it seemed to upset Madelyne.

The beauty shot him an exasperated look, which only made him laugh louder.

So the rumors were true. Brandon cheated on Madelyne nonstop.

Maybe his lifelong friend comment had been a flirtation, though Lizzy hadn’t taken it as such.

Him hurting Madelyne made Brandon’s likeability drop.

The model rolled her eyes. Her sweet expression returned as she focused back on Lizzy. “Yes, we will be dear friends,” she said, every bit as sunshine-y and beautiful as she was on social media. “We’re so grateful to you and all you do to help children in your area.”

The words were a bit flowery, and Lizzy blushed.

She wasn’t certain how to respond, but she appreciated Madelyne’s praise.

Apparently Madelyne had found her and her center on social media, and she and Brandon were giving similar trips and gifts to other women.

She was flattered and a bit apprehensive about what to expect.

She’d never left Kansas, and here she was meeting famous and wealthy people and flying to Austria. It was completely out of her sphere.

“You are a charitable angel,” Brandon agreed. “And we’re thrilled to gift you this two-week vacation to one of our favorite places in Europe and a hundred thousand dollars to reward someone who has given so much of herself.”

Just like that, Lizzy forgot her frustrations with Brandon being a playboy and Madelyne putting up with it.

That hundred thousand dollars was going to make an outstanding difference for her center.

“I’m extremely grateful for you,” she gushed.

“A million times more grateful than I can express. So much love! Please, please know I will only use that money for the children.”

“We know. We’ve researched you.” Brandon smiled.

She shifted uncomfortably at that. They knew she lived in a miniscule, unfurnished—except for a couple refurbished chairs and her bed—apartment above her center and rarely spent any of her salary on herself?

“We are so excited for you to have this adventure,” Madelyne continued, “and we are pairing you with the kindest man who can also protect you. He is one of Brandon’s closest friends. I pray we’ll all be friends for many years to come.”

“Many years,” Brandon repeated.

Again Madelyne shot him a look. Was it something beyond his cheating that bothered her?

“Bless you,” Lizzy said, though she was uneasy about this ‘pairing’. “I guess you both know about my … past.” She was always too profuse, but she didn’t like talking about her controlling and sometimes abusive exes or the man who’d almost killed her.

She glanced at the guard closest to Brandon.

He was huge and buff. He offered her a smile.

The sincerity and kindness in his dark eyes surprised her.

She returned the smile, hoping they all didn’t know about her rocky past and praying her face didn’t show how uncomfortable all these tough dudes made her.

She’d always been drawn to well-built and handsome men, and she had been burned every time.

Now, with the notes from her attacker getting more threatening, escaping to Europe for two weeks and being with a kind man who could still protect her sounded like the ticket.

Even still, she was hesitant about being alone with some bodyguard she’d never met.

“Yes,” Madelyne said. “That’s why we’ve matched you with the ultra-tough, retired Army Ranger Lieutenant Chase Tenley, now a police officer and one of the best men we know.”

“That’s right,” Brandon said. “Chase is your perfect partner.”

Lizzy’s smile disappeared. She’d only broken up with Darren a month ago.

She wasn’t ready for any kind of ‘ultra-tough partner’, perfect or otherwise.

She backed up a few steps, seconds away from spinning and bolting to her rusted out Ford Fiesta in the parking lot.

The only problem was she couldn’t spin and run.

They’d see the stain on her dress and know instantly something was wrong with her legs.

“Um … this might be a mistake,” she whispered, her eyes darting around at all the tough guys.

“I’m grateful to military heroes like Army Rangers, but I’m not comfortable with buff and attractive men.

They like to belittle and smack me around when they get to know me.

Too chatty.” She raised and lowered her shoulders, not telling them her disability was the prime motivator for her father’s and exes’ frustrations with her.

The large men somehow drew closer. Their faces looked intent on protecting her from anyone who would injure her. Her heart beat faster. She needed some space.

Could she back up all the way to the parking lot, or would she trip?

“Oh, Eliza,” Madelyne murmured.

“Lizzy,” she automatically corrected. “We’re friends, remember?”

Brandon nodded, as self-assured as ever.

“Best of friends,” he said, his blue eyes intense.

“Which means Madelyne and I would only pair you with someone who is kind to a fault and would rather cut off his own arm than hurt you. Chase is a ‘buff and attractive man’ and a military hero. He’s also one of the best men I know.

” He gestured around. “All of my lifelong friends are good to the core, but Chase is special. He’s more thoughtful and kind than any man out there. ”

Lizzy’s chest felt tight. Despite his reassuring words, the large men around them were forming a protective circle, as if one of her exes would drive up to the airport and attack. She appreciated them, but their proximity made her feel unsteady.

The huge dude who’d smiled at her murmured, “Give her some space.”

Miraculously, the rest of the men fanned back toward the plane, and she was able to catch a full breath.

Madelyne and Brandon studied her with concern. Brandon rocked on the soles of his expensive cowboy boots.

“I’m sure none of your men would hurt anyone …” That wasn’t quite right. These men were bodyguards and most likely retired military. They had to ‘hurt’ people in their line of work. “I mean, they wouldn’t hurt anyone innocent, and I pray you’ll forgive me and not take offense. Just in my life …”

How could she explain that starting with her own father to every boyfriend she’d ever had to the deranged man who’d almost killed her, she’d been hurt emotionally and physically.

She restrained herself from rubbing at the barely healed knife wound on her chest. Each of the men in her life had been body-builder types similar to these brawny men.

She hated to stereotype, but how did the saying go?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twenty times, learn a lesson, girlie?