Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) Read online

  Wild Fire

  By

  Danielle Rose-West

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

  Wild Fire

  Copyright © 2013 by Danielle Rose-West

  This work is registered with the UK Copyright Service.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Publishing History: First Edition

  Kindle Edition

  Published by Danielle Rose-West

  Cover Design by Ramona Lockwood (http://coversbyramona.blogspot.com)

  Dedication

  To my family for all your love and support.

  Thank you for always being there for me.

  You helped make my dream a reality.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  Prologue

  Kerry sat in her car and wondered for the hundredth time if she was doing the right thing. Jake was going to kill her when he found out. She wasn’t even sure if she could pull off the meeting without rousing suspicion. Her heart was pounding, her palms were sweating and she was shaking from head to toe.

  Taking a deep breath, she pulled up the internet on her phone and looked again at the website for The Fairy Tale Match. It seemed to promise so much; a guaranteed love match or your money back. Simple, right? Not in her case. She was meant to be her brother coming here to meet with Ms Feather about finding a love match. However, her brother didn’t have the faintest idea that he’d signed up to their website at all. Kerry had done it all. She’d entered his profile and she’d answered the corresponding emails that had come from the company. Now they wanted to meet to finalise details before sending a match to stay with him for three weeks.

  Her stomach flipped and she clapped a hand over her midriff, trying to quell the nauseating twists it was currently doing. She took another deep breath. This was just what Jake needed, she told herself. Even if the woman didn’t turn out to be his perfect match, it could open up his mind to the possibility of finding someone new. But if the website could find someone he’d fall in love with, then maybe, just maybe, she’d get her brother back…….and maybe he’d forgive Dan.

  Her heart squeezed at the thought. Jake hadn’t spoken to Dan in over two years and neither had she. If things didn’t change, there was no chance she’d ever have of a happy ever after herself. She’d loved Dan since she was a child and knew without a doubt he was the one for her. If only he’d seen it too then none of the horrible events that changed Jake would have ever happened.

  Her brother had gone from an open, smiling and kind man to an angry, brooding man that had no time for anything or anyone other than work. It was not a life she wanted for him or for her. Resolved to her plan, whatever the consequences, Kerry turned her phone off and got out of her car. She locked the door, straightened her jacket and headed for the café doors. She could do this.

  Entering the café, Kerry looked around at the patrons, trying to pick out Ms Feather. The place was crowded, with several women sitting by themselves with laptops in front of them. How was she ever to pick out Ms Feather? Pursing her lips with determination, she approached several women, all of whom shook their heads at her enquiry. At last she spotted a tall thin woman sitting in a booth at the back of the café, almost hidden from view. This had to be her.

  “Ms Feather?” Kerry enquired as she approached. The woman looked up from her laptop. Kerry found herself staring into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. For the first time in her life, she realised what was meant when people said someone had sparkling eyes. Ms Feather’s eyes really did seem to have a sparkle in them, despite the rest of her rather severe appearance. Her suit was a slate grey, without the slightest wrinkle to mar its surface. Her hair was twisted into a tight bun at the back of her head and she had small wire framed glasses perched on the end of her nose. Kerry gulped back the sudden need to confess everything; sure the woman could see her guilt on her face. Ms Feather reminded her of a governess.

  “Indeed,” Ms Feather answered, standing politely and offering her hand. “And you are?”

  “Oh, I’m Kerry Carter, Jakes sister,” Kerry replied nervously, shaking her hand quickly and letting go before Ms Feather could feel her trembling. “He asked me to apologise, but he was unable to leave the ranch today, due to an unexpected emergency. He hoped it would be okay if I came in his place?” She smiled at Ms Feather, trying to stop the wobbling of her lower lip.

  Ms Feather pursed her lips, looking rather put out. “Well, really he should have just notified me and we could have rearranged the meeting.”

  “He really didn’t want to put you out or to slow things down,” Kerry lied, feeling awkward. “He thought it best if I come in his place. Here, I have a letter he has signed giving me authority to act in his stead.” She shoved the letter under Ms Feather’s nose. It was true her brother had signed it, but he hadn’t known what he was signing. She’d stuck it in with a number of business letters and he’d trusted her enough just to run through them all and sign them without reading the contents. She’d felt guilty at the time, but it was for his own good.

  Ms Feather read the letter. “Very well,” she said at last. “Take a seat Ms Carter and we shall proceed.”

  Kerry sat down in the booth, opposite Ms Feather. She placed her hands in her lap and tried to hide their shaking. So far so good!

  A waitress in a bright pink uniform fluttered up to the table. “Can I get you anything dear?” she asked Kerry, her round face beaming at her in a rather peculiar manner. She was almost bouncing on her toes as if really excited to serve them.

  “Just a coffee, thank you,” Kerry replied, secretly wondering if the woman had had too much of the stuff herself. The woman nodded, but continued to stand there, staring at Kerry as if she was a long lost relative. Kerry had the weird feeling the woman was holding back from launching herself across the table to hug her. Ms Feather cleared her throat, trying to draw the woman’s attention away from Kerry.

  “I’ll have another coffee too, please,” she said in a rather loud voice. The waitress jumped slightly.

  “Of course; I’ll bring them right over. Nothing to eat?” she asked absently, still staring at Kerry.

  “No, thank you,” Ms Feather said in a rather pointed voice. The woman nodded and at last drifted away. Kerry couldn’t help but wonder whose idea it had been to hire such a strange woman.

  “Now,” Ms Feather said, drawing her attention. “Let’s go over the contract you will be signing on behalf of your brother.”

  For the next hour, Ms Feather went over the finer details of the Fairy Tale Match contract. Kerry barely noticed when the waitress brought their coffees a
nd stood there again for several moments until Ms Feather had glared her away.

  It was to be agreed that The Fairy Tale Match would find a suitable candidate for Jake to meet and that they would spend three weeks in each other’s company. Since Jake had no idea that this was happening, Kerry had asked that the person come to stay with them, rather than Jake going to her home town. She’d made out he couldn’t leave the ranch and thankfully that was mostly true. They would pay for the airline tickets for the woman to travel to them and would put her up in their home for the three weeks she’d be staying. If after three weeks one or both of them felt they didn’t suit and had no wish to pursue a relationship, they would be reimbursed all fees on both sides.

  “However, we are very confident we will find a match based on the details given by Mr Carter when he joined our site,” Ms Feather said, as she placed a copy of the contract in front of Kerry. “Our success rate is extremely high. We do give an option for a woman to bring someone with her, if she is travelling to the gentleman; however that isn’t often taken up, as the women we deal with know we do extensive background checks to ensure safety. We take our role in match making very seriously.”

  “I have to say, this is a most unusual dating site,” Kerry observed. “I have never heard of one dealing with contracts or visits like this before. Don’t you normally give the person a choice of candidates?”

  “At The Fairy Tale Match, we believe that the perfect person isn’t always just down the road from you or easily accessible. We are here to help people meet, who under normal circumstances, wouldn’t. That is why we are the Fairy Tale Match. We match people who wouldn’t normally meet without extra help,” Ms Feather explained proudly. “Our organisation has been working to help couples meet for many years now, with huge success. We believe the right person isn’t always obvious from the start. We have a certain method in finding our matches that really works and we ask that they take three weeks to get to know each other so they can really see if they are suited. I am confident we can find the perfect person for your brother, using our unique methods. No other dating site can boast the same success rates, I assure you.”

  “This sounds amazing!” Kerry commented, awestruck. “How soon do you think you would find a match for Jake?”

  “It could take a while depending,” Ms Feather replied, placing a pen down in front of Kerry. “If you’ll just check over the contract and sign, we will get the ball rolling.”

  Kerry read through the details. It was all there, including getting their money back if they didn’t find a love match. Really, she had nothing to lose. Taking hold of her courage, Kerry picked up the pen and signed the document before handing them both back to Ms Feather, who tucked the contract into her briefcase. She then handed Kerry her copy of the contract, complete with Ms Feather’s signature on behalf of The Fairy Tale Match.

  “We will be in touch as soon as we have found the right person,” Ms Feather told her. “If your brother has any questions in the meantime, he can contact us through our website or call this number.” She handed Kerry her business card.

  Kerry thanked her for her time before leaving the booth. She quickly ducked out the café and made her way back to her car. She’d done it. The meeting had gone well and she’d pulled it off. Now all she had to worry about was how Jake was going to react when he found out!

  *****

  Back in the café, a small plump figure in bright pink, plopped herself down in the seat Kerry had just vacated.

  “Well, I think that went well,” she said, her hand fluffing at her wild grey hair, trying to pat it back into its knot and failing miserably.

  “You almost ruined the whole thing,” Ms Feather snapped. “What were you thinking, Flo? Standing there and staring at the girl like some kind of mad woman?”

  Flo drooped slightly on her seat. “I just got a little excited, Lotta” she defended herself. “It has been a long time since I saw her last.”

  “But you have to remember that she doesn’t know you,” Lotta exclaimed exasperated. “She hasn’t the faintest idea that you are her fairy godmother. Times have changed, how many times do I have to remind you? People today don’t believe in us. They think we are myths and stories; that we aren’t real. That’s why we set up this business in the first place. It makes it much easier to help true loves find each other.”

  Flo pouted. “I much preferred it when we could pop up in our charges lives and say “I’m you Fairy Godmother.” It was so much nicer when they knew who we were and what we were doing for them.” She sighed heavily. “We can’t even show off our magic anymore.”

  “At least we still get to help them,” Lotta reminded her. Flo grumbled her agreement, but she still looked a little glum, which was very unusual for her and indeed it lasted all of two minutes before she sat up with bright eyes, her cheeks blooming red with her excitement.

  “So, what happens now?” she asked, her eyes shining brightly. Lotta held back a groan. Why did she always end up with assignments that entwined with Flo? The woman needed restraints!

  “We need to find Jake’s true love and hope she is already single and in a position to be pushed into this arrangement,” Lotta explained patiently. “He is the key to undoing the tangled web that revolves around several people, including your charge.”

  “That shouldn’t take long,” Flo announced, popping a chocolate she’d plucked from the air into her mouth. “He is a very sweet boy. I remember him. He and his true love will be happily ever aftering before you can wave a wand!”

  “He was,” Lotta told her. “But that has changed over the recent years. I have done some digging and it seems that Jake has changed into a bit of a beast of a man. He won’t be easy to handle.”

  Flo looked upset. “But he was so lovely. What happened?” “It’s complicated but part of the problem is that he thinks his heart has been broken,”

  Lotta informed her. “It hasn’t, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking it has and making life very unhappy for those around him. He is full of bitterness and mistrust. He is determined never to give his heart again. It is going to take the very special beauty of his true love to turn this beast back into a prince.” She paused a moment, tapping her lip with her finger. Her eyes took on a sudden gleam. “And I think I know just where to find her!”

  Chapter One

  Laura sighed heavily as she took a quick glance at the time. She was making good progress considering the two detours she’d had when she’d taken wrong turns and should be at the Twisted Tree Ranch soon. Her heart slammed in her chest and nerves ate at her stomach. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was bone dry. She grabbed the water bottle from the passenger seat of her hire car, flipped the lid and drank deeply. She threw the bottle back on the seat and tried to stop the shaking in her hands.

  She could hardly believe that she was actually doing this. Laura was, by nature, a shy person. She didn’t like the lime light or attention of any kind, for that matter. It was a wonder to anyone that knew her that she’d ever had a boyfriend, not that he hadn’t been a total jerk! Yet here she was, having flown all the way from England, about to meet a man she’d only emailed a few times and had never seen.

  A cold sweat broke out all over her body and she had to concentrate on not hyperventilating. It had seemed so easy and exciting back in England. The Fairy Tale Match website had appealed to her romantic side completely. She had always been soppy over fairy stories ever since she’d been a little girl. Finding a website that seemed to promise that kind of love had caught hold of her and she’d actually joined. Her! Laura Hamilton!

  Laura felt a hysterical laugh building in her throat. How could she have thought it a good idea? She had virtually no confidence and could hardly describe herself as a real beauty. She wasn’t the kind of woman men went for. She was the friend type. The one they all came to with their problems. Not the wow, wouldn’t I love to spend my life with you type. She was going to be a real disappointment to Jake Carter. Her knees shook at t
he thought.

  She saw a rather battered sign at the side of the road and felt her stomach knot in fright. The Twisted Tree Ranch was just down the next turning. With shaking fingers, she flipped on her indicator, even though there was no other traffic on the long dusty road and turned into an even smaller dirt road that wound along ahead of her. Driving slowly, she jostled down the road, looking out for the ranch house.

  Suddenly it came into view, round a bend in the road. She slammed on the brakes and sat staring at it. It looked large, even from a distance, its wooden walls looking warm and inviting, easing some of her panic. Nestled under a hill, she could see the rest of the ranch spread out in the valley, lush green grasses swayed in the breeze with a number of horses grazing in the fenced off pasture.

  Men worked hard amongst the horses, some wiping sweat from their foreheads with their neck kerchiefs. They had a real western feel about them, decked out in jeans, shirts and complete with Stetson hats. She could see a number of smaller cabins tucked away to one side, which must have been where the ranch’s usual guests stayed. She knew from Jakes emails that they ran part of their ranch as a tourist attraction and many people from all over the world came to experience life on a real old west style horse ranch.

  Laura’s stomach fluttered again and she began to sweat even though the rental car was blasting her with cold air. Pulling on every bit of courage she possessed, she put the car back on the road and continued towards the ranch.

  “Just breathe and stay calm,” she counselled herself as she drove. “You can do this. He sounded like a very nice man in his emails and he is looking forward to meeting you,” she continued. “Of course, he is expecting you tomorrow!” she grimaced to herself. Her flight time had been moved up, so she’d flown in much earlier than expected and decided to drive down the same day instead of staying over a night at the airport. She had managed to email Jake. She just hoped he’d read the email before she showed up.