Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:57:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.wownovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com 32 32 Above and Beyond Read online Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy (Twist of Fate #4) http://www.wownovels.com/above-and-beyond-4-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/above-and-beyond-4-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Genre: Gay, GLBT, M-M Romance, Romance Authors: Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy Series: Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
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Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 117992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Above and Beyond (Twist of Fate #4)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lucy Lennox	Sloane Kennedy
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B083L8S48C
Book Information:
Lucky Two years ago I humiliated myself by declaring my love to an older man who clearly didn’t share my feelings. And that’s fine. One day Zach will come around. Meanwhile, I’ve built a life for myself in northern Montana, pursuing my college degree while working hard toward certification in high-risk alpine search and rescue on the side. And perhaps I’ve kept the danger part a secret from my two dads. After all, what they don’t know won’t hurt them... Everything’s going exactly as planned until my dads send Zach to check on me just as I’m dealing with an ex who doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no. It’s bad enough Zach still thinks of me as a child; now he also thinks I’m incapable of looking out for myself. I need to get him off my back before he finds out I’m not heading to Wyoming for summer break like everyone thinks. I’m going to Glacier National Park to learn how to rappel from helicopters… Zach Two years ago I wanted something I couldn't have, so I threw myself back into my job as an Army Ranger and wound up scarred in more ways than one. When the army dumps my sorry self back into the real world, it’s time to start over. I accept a summer job teaching high-risk search and rescue. On the way there, all I have to do is peek in on little Lucky Reed and make sure he’s okay. He’s not. Someone has it out for him, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him get hurt on my watch. My plan is to keep him safe until he heads south for his summer job playing trail guide to tourists. Once he’s gone, I’ll be free to head to Glacier where my biggest challenge will be keeping a handful of alpine search and rescue students safe as they learn how to dangle from helicopters high above the Rocky Mountains. It’s all fine. Until it’s not. Danger follows us to Glacier, and by the time I finally start seeing Lucky as more than the awkward teenager he used to be, I wonder if it’s too late to convince him that this scarred soldier sees him as anything but little anymore.
Books in Series:	Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
Books by Author:	Lucy Lennox Books	Sloane Kennedy Books

Chapter 1

Zach

My brother was a dead man.

“Just stop by and check on him, Zach. As a favor to me. It'll take five minutes.”

Those were the words Jake had spoken to me shortly after my plane had landed in Missoula, Montana. The him in question was the son of my brother’s best friend, Xander, and Xander’s husband, Bennett. But the five minutes had quickly turned into ten, then fifteen.

A brief glance at my watch was proof that yet another fifteen minutes had gone by.

Which meant I'd been staring at the kid for half a fucking hour.

It took everything in me not to yell out of my truck’s window and demand that the kid go inside already.

Because maybe then I could finally take my eyes off of him.

I couldn't make sense of how much he’d grown up in just the past couple of years. When I'd first met him, he'd been only fifteen and he’d worn his innocence and sweetness on his sleeve, along with his heart. Back then, I'd wanted to tell him how dangerous a thing that was… how exposed it left him to people, and to men specifically, who’d take pleasure in using his naivety against him for their own gain.

Men like me.

No, I wasn't one of those types who intentionally sought to use and to hurt, but I was just as guilty of leaving shattered lives in my wake. Thankfully, I'd learned my lesson pretty young and hadn't since repeated the mistakes of the past. Any girl or guy I got involved with knew the score. Sex was just that—sex. And it rarely went beyond one encounter.

I'd also gotten better at knowing if a potential partner could handle my rules.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Lucky Reed was one of those people who most definitely wouldn't be able them.

When he'd been fifteen and clearly crushing on me, it hadn't been an issue. I never would've touched any minor and had gone out of my way to discourage sweet little Lucky's undeserved adoration. Problem was, the kid had been persistent and by the time he'd reached eighteen and was a college freshman, my brain had tried to convince me that the teenager was legal and that all bets were off. It had taken an emotionally charged encounter with him one Christmas for me to realize that my iron will to not touch him had taken on some pretty serious chinks.

I physically shook off the memory of the things I'd said to Lucky back then. It wasn't one of my proudest moments. In fact, that night had been a harsh reminder of why I'd pulled away from my friends and family so long ago.

After reuniting with my family in the wake of my brother Jake’s reappearance after having been missing for several years, I'd used my run-in with Lucky as an excuse to keep my distance once again. But the teenager had been only part of the reason I’d started finding excuses to stay away from the little town of Haven, Colorado.

My brother and parents had just assumed it was my most recent deployment that had kept me busy during the holidays and special events. They had no way of knowing that I'd intentionally turned down any opportunities to return stateside for visits and that I'd actually finished my most recent tour of duty six months early after damage to my knee had ended my career in the army.

At the mere thought of the incident that had changed everything for me, I felt my chest tighten and my breath shorten.

Not here. Not now.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus my thoughts on something more pleasant than the day I'd nearly lost my life… the day too many of my brothers-in-arms had lost their lives. I told my brain not to go where it usually did when episodes like this started to happen, but as usual, my rampant mind ignored the order and focused on the one person it wasn't supposed to.

You've got this, Zach.

The memory of Lucky's gentle encouragement helped ease some of the pressure in my chest. I let my mind drift back to that moment on the snow-covered hill near my brother’s cabin when a still fifteen-year-old Lucky had been teaching me to ski. The rest of the family had been gathered in Jake and Oz's—his now husband—cabin for Thanksgiving.

I'd agreed to the impromptu ski lesson after Lucky had learned that I'd never skied before but had always wanted to try it. It'd been just me and the teenager and the stillness of the trees as heavy flakes of snow had fallen around us. It had been one of the easiest, purest moments of my life. I'd forgotten about needing to keep the teen at arm's length and had simply enjoyed his company. There’d been nothing untoward about the encounter. It had just been two people having fun and living in the moment.

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Body and Soul Read online Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy (Twist of Fate #3) http://www.wownovels.com/body-and-soul-3-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Fri, 22 Jun 2018 13:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/body-and-soul-3-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Genre: Gay, GLBT, M-M Romance, Romance Authors: Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy Series: Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
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Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Body and Soul (Twist of Fate #3)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lucy Lennox	Sloane Kennedy
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	1984345303 (ISBN13: 9781984345301)
Book Information:
Oz: Escaping the international modeling scene to design my own fashion collection is the first step to shucking my bobble-headed supermodel reputation and proving to the world I’m more than just a pretty face. But the minute I have to accept roadside help from the sexy man next door, I feel like the airhead people think I am. And what’s worse, the man clearly doesn’t think I’m worth the time of day. But despite trying to ignore my attraction to the mysterious doctor, I can’t help but be drawn to him. With every moment spent together, I begin to realize he’s hiding more than just some details of his past. He has one foot out the door. As soon as I start to feel like everything might be coming together for me, I realize the man I’m falling in love with isn’t who I thought he was. Jake: After three years on the run for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I’ve finally found a seemingly safe place to settle in Haven, Colorado. With friends, a job, and a cabin in the woods, I have everything I need to live a simple life without drawing attention to myself. Everything’s fine. Fine. Until I meet my new neighbor. The gorgeous man is anything but subtle and brings color to my life that I didn’t know was missing. But I learned years ago that falling in love with someone wasn’t an option anymore when simply being seen with me could have dire consequences. It’s time for me to run again, but I wonder if it’s safe to stick around just long enough for a taste… Just when I begin to realize Oz is the missing piece to bring me back to life after years of hiding, my past catches up to me and throws everyone around me into danger. I know I should run, but what if it’s time to finally stop running and make a stand, once and for all?
Books in Series:	Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
Books by Author:	Lucy Lennox Books	Sloane Kennedy Books

Prologue

Jake

This had to be a joke. A colossal, the-world-gets-off-on-fucking-with-me kind of joke.

I stared in disbelief at the flashy red car stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road. A convertible Jaguar sports car? In the Rocky Mountains in November? No. Surely not. Whatever it was, it was blocking the long, secluded road to my cabin. I’d already met my quota of being social for the day, since I’d just finished my weekly run into town to stock up on groceries, so I was eager to get back to the solitude of home. Unfortunately, as much as I would have liked to just steer my truck around the ridiculous vehicle, my instinct to help kicked in, and I took my foot off the gas to let my truck roll to a slow stop, so I wouldn’t end up in the same predicament as the clueless driver in front of me.

A blur of white climbed out of the sports car as I stepped out of my own vehicle (after making sure to angle my tires and set the emergency brake like a sane person). My battered snow boots hit the icy ground with a thunk, and I grabbed my heavy parka from the passenger seat before slamming the truck door closed.

“Need help?” I asked unnecessarily while shouldering on my coat and zipping it up. The person–I could hardly even tell if it was a man or a woman at first–squeaked and hopped around to face me right before slipping on the icy pavement. I grabbed their arm to keep them from taking us both down and a shimmer of warmth cascaded through me as the slim body crashed into mine. My own feet began to lose traction as the figure let out a muffled “oomph” against my chest. I somehow managed to keep us both upright, but I had to grab onto more firm flesh than I would have preferred in order to do it.

“Shit! Hell, sorry!” the person blurted before locking eyes with me. And then it was like time itself came to a complete stop.

Magical blue irises sparkled in the late afternoon sun and fair skin bloomed pink in the cold winter air. The tall pine trees all around us gave the scene a kind of peaceful hush as the two of us just stood and stared at each other through a few inches of frosty air.

A man.

I could see that now. He was fucking gorgeous. Beautiful, like a… like a movie star or a famous singer, maybe. The kind of look that made sure you couldn’t look away. Was it just his eyes? Or was it…

What in the hell was he wearing? I was on sensory overload as I took in his long white-blond hair, which was covered by some kind of fur-lined cable-knit beanie that I swear to god looked like it was spun from the hair of angels. Angora? Was that a thing? I skirted my eyes lower to take in the rest of him and nearly went blind at the sight of all the white.

Because everything he was wearing was white.

Everything.

A chunky turtleneck sweater that framed his face perfectly, tight-fitting wool pants of some kind, and, Jesus Christ, were those Ugg boots? Please, no.

“Yooo-hooo,” the man said after pulling one of his arms free from my hold and waving his ungloved hand in front of my face to get my attention.

I snapped my eyes back up to his face and shook my head. “Uh, yeah?”

“I said I don’t need any help,” the man said as he stiffened his spine and jutted out his chin just a little bit. I almost laughed at both his words and his posture.

“Yes, you actually do,” I corrected, stepping aside. Before I approached the back of the convertible, I heard a high-pitched squawk from somewhere inside the car.

“Do you have a baby in there?” I asked. If so, the poor, poor child.

The man’s big, beautiful, fucking mesmerizing goddamned eyes widened. “Me? Hell no. Me? A baby? Oh, hell no. No. Just… no.”

I held up my hand in an effort to calm him. “Okay, fine. No baby. Who’s crying inside your incredibly inappropriate car?”

“What’s wrong with my car?” he asked in confusion. “It’s brand-new and has excellent safety ratings.”

If he hadn’t asked the question with complete and utter naïveté, I would have been certain he was just fucking with me. Before I could point out the ridiculousness of his statement, the flawless ivory skin of his forehead creased, and he threw his hands up slightly. “Oh, that’s Boo. Boo, baby! Ohmygod, Boo. It’s okay, BooBear. Daddy’s here,” he cooed as he slipped and slid his way to the open driver’s door of the car and leaned in, causing the back of his sweater to ride up and reveal a strip of perfect, creamy skin above the low waistband of his trousers.

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Safe and Sound Read Online Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy (Twist of Fate #2) http://www.wownovels.com/safe-and-sound-2-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/safe-and-sound-2-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Genre: M-M Romance, Romance Authors: Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy Series: Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
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Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Safe and Sound (Twist of Fate #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lucy Lennox	Sloane Kennedy
Language:	English
Book Information:
I've been drowning for a long time. I never thought I'd find someone who knows what that's like... Self-proclaimed playboy, Aiden Vale, has it all - good looks, successful career, plenty of cash in the bank and an endless supply of men who know the score... that one night is just that. So the last thing he wants, or needs, is to forge a connection that might mean revealing more of himself than he's ready to. But when fate intervenes, putting Aiden in the path of someone who threatens to knock down his carefully constructed walls, he's quick to realize the young man he's become infatuated with is hiding a painful secret. I finally have a shot at freedom. I'll never let anyone take that from me ever again... Ash Valentine is just looking for a way out, and the last thing he wants or needs is another man controlling every aspect of his life. Desperate for the cash that will help him flee his abusive boyfriend, Ash accepts what is supposed to be a temporary job at a local coffee shop. But nothing prepares him for the gorgeous and enigmatic Aiden Vale, and the small acts of kindness the charming coffee shop regular bestows on him or the new friends he begins to make along the way. Terrified of once again becoming too reliant on someone else to take care of him, Ash refuses Aiden's repeated offers of help in any form. But when it becomes clear that there's something more behind Aiden's need to save him, Ash begins to wonder if he's found someone who needs saving just as badly. I know he wants to save me, but what if he's the one who needs saving... As their tentative friendship turns into something more, long buried secrets begin to surface. When Aiden's need to protect Ash clashes with the younger man's desire for independence, memories of the one he couldn't save begin to tear at the fragile cords of Aiden's soul, and he's forced to face a truth he's been hiding from for a long time. Threatened with losing what they've only just found, will Aiden and Ash find a way to accept their pasts or will they let the pain drag them below the surface for good? * TRIGGER WARNING - includes scenes of domestic violence. * No cliffhangers and can be read as a stand-alone.
Books in Series:	Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
Books by Author:	Lucy Lennox Books	Sloane Kennedy Books

Prologue

Aiden

“Aiden!”

I opened my mouth to tell him I was coming, but a crashing wave sent me under the water and I choked as seawater attempted to fill my lungs. Muscles burning, I dove under the wave and fought the current that threatened to return me to shore.

“Aiden!” was the first thing I heard the moment my head cleared the water. I sucked in a breath and jerked my head in every direction, hoping against hope I could somehow see better in the darkness. It was only by some miracle I saw the outline of flailing arms in between swells.

“I’m coming!” I managed to cry out. “Don’t fight the current!”

Terror infused my blood, giving me more strength, and I plowed through the water. As another wave tumbled down on me, I dove fast and deep, but when I came up, it wasn’t the open sea I was in anymore. And the darkness of night had given way to daylight.

“Aiden, help!”

I knew that voice.

“Bennett?” I yelled in confusion as I whipped my head around to find my best friend. I flailed as I fought against the raging river I was caught in. Muddy water churned and slapped me in the face as I tried to maintain my equilibrium. “Bennett, where are you?!” I shouted.

God, please let him be on shore. I can’t lose him too.

“Aiden,” Bennett called, but his voice was much softer… weaker. I shouldn’t have been able to hear it, considering how loud the water was. But it was like Bennett was right next me.

Only he wasn’t.

“I’m coming,” I told him, though I knew it wasn’t true.

I couldn’t reach him if I couldn’t fucking find him!

“I’m sorry, Aiden.”

“NO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Because I knew what those words meant. I’d been hearing them for fifteen fucking years. “You hang on!” I demanded.

I would find him. I would save him this time.

Energy surged through my blood, and I managed to reach out and grab a branch from a stationary log along the riverbank. I dragged myself up enough to keep from going under and frantically searched for Bennett.

And then I saw him. Just a few dozen feet upstream from me. His dark hair was bobbing in the water, occasionally disappearing beneath it as he fought the current.

“Bennett, I’m here!” I shouted. I held onto the branch and drifted as far out into the current as I could without letting go. “Grab my hand!”

But he floated right past me, his hand just a few feet from my outstretched one. Time slowed down as his green eyes met mine briefly and I saw the words he couldn’t say.

“NO!” I screamed as I let go of the branch and made a lunge for him. “Stay with me, Bennett!” I begged as a sob caught in my throat. Frustration tore through me as my fingers brushed his, but he didn’t try to grab onto them. His blank eyes held mine for a moment before the water took him under.

I raged at him, the water, the world, and then surged forward with every last bit of energy I had left. The water clawed at me, but I fought it. A voice in my head told me to just let go… that it would be easier if I did. There’d be no pain, only peace.

I knew that voice.

Better than I knew my own.

And god, I wanted to go to it. I wanted to feel those arms wrap me in warmth and welcome me home.

“No,” I whispered. “Bennett… need to save Bennett.”

I let out one final scream and pushed forward with everything I had. My fingers closed around something cold and firm beneath the water, and I pulled as hard as I could. I fought the water for several long seconds before it gave up its hold on Bennett and his body hit mine. Wrapping my arms around him, I quickly turned him over, mindless of the fact that we were still caught in the river’s unforgiving current.

It didn’t matter. We were together. I’d gotten to him in time. Everything would be okay now.

But when I turned his motionless body over, it wasn’t Bennett’s face I saw.

It was my own.

I jolted awake, gasping for air, almost as if my lungs really were waterlogged. But instead of being trapped in a raging, swirling river somewhere in the heart of Colorado, I was sitting in my own bed in my posh apartment in Manhattan. My sheets were soaking wet, and I realized it was because I was sweating like crazy. My breath was still coming in ragged spurts as I grabbed my phone off my nightstand. I hit the speed dial button and put the phone to my ear. My fingers were shaking so badly I could barely hang onto the phone.

It was a dream, I reminded myself.

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Lost and Found Read Online Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy (Twist of Fate #1) http://www.wownovels.com/lost-and-found-1-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Fri, 25 Nov 2016 13:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/lost-and-found-1-read-online-lucy-lennox-sloane-kennedy Genre: Angst, Gay, GLBT, M-M Romance, Romance Authors: Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy Series: Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
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Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Lost and Found (Twist of Fate #1)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lucy Lennox	Sloane Kennedy
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B073P16LB1
Book Information:
He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did… From Bestselling Authors Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox comes an exciting new series about how a twist of fate can change everything... He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did… Wilderness guide Xander Reed has spent fifteen years trying to forget the night he turned to his best friend in his darkest hour, only to find the young man who’d sworn to always have his back was turning his on Xander instead. Two thousand miles and fifteen years of building a new life in the quiet backcountry of the Rocky Mountains should have been enough to put the memory of Bennett Crawford out of his mind forever, but old wounds run deep and when Bennett suddenly reappears in his life as part of a wilderness expedition Xander is guiding, the scars he thought long healed break wide open. I’d only ever wanted to protect Xander from getting hurt again. I never considered the one he needed protection from was me… Bennett Crawford was faced with an impossible choice the night his best friend needed him. He chose wrong. As the only son of one of the wealthiest families in New England, he should have had the world at his feet, but losing his best friend at the tender age of fourteen changed everything. And even though Bennett’s managed to hide behind a mask of contentment as he takes his place at his father’s side in the family business, inside he’s searching for the piece of himself that’s been missing ever since Xander Reed walked out of his life. Bennett’s only saving grace is his work with a group of inner city kids, and when he’s given the chance to show the troubled teens that there’s a bigger world out there waiting for them if they just have the courage to reach for it, he takes it. But when he steps off that bus for what was supposed to be a week of fun and adventure, he’s instantly returned to the past when he discovers their expedition guide is none other than the boy he let go so long ago. Only, the soft-hearted, insecure little boy Bennett once knew is gone, and in his place is a brooding, bitter man who isn’t interested in second chances. People leave. I know that now and nothing Bennett has to say to me will change anything… All Bennett wants is another chance to show Xander that friendship was only the beginning. But when a stubborn Xander refuses to even hear him out, Bennett realizes he’s going to need to fight dirty. Because now that he’s found Xander again, he’s not letting him go a second time…
Books in Series:	Twist of Fate Series by Lucy Lennox
Books by Author:	Lucy Lennox Books	Sloane Kennedy Books

Chapter 1

Xander

“No,” I said coldly just as the man in front of me smiled wide and stepped forward, clearly intent on embracing me.

“Xander?” he said softly, his voice a mix of confusion and hurt. I ignored him as the sharp pain in my belly threatened to send me to my knees.

Bennett Fucking Crawford.

“Xander?” Jake said in surprise.

“No,” I simply said again and then I started to walk away, not caring that what I was doing was beyond unprofessional. My only thought was to get the hell out of there. My dog, Bear, quickly came running after me, easily ditching the kids who’d been lavishing him with the belly rubs he assumed were his due.

Benny, please, I need you…

I shook my head in the hopes of casting that voice aside.

My voice.

My scared, broken, fourteen-year-old voice.

Fire crawled up my spine as I remembered how Bennett had looked at me that night… right before he’d turned his back on me. It had been the last night I’d seen him.

“You okay?” Jake asked with a confused look on his face.

I should have been relieved at the sound of my good friend’s concern, but it just made me want to stride off into the woods.

Alone.

I did alone well. I knew alone. Alone never let me the fuck down.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. He was smart enough not to touch me, but his expression drew into a frown. Gary, the head of the wilderness expedition company I worked for, strode over to us from across the trailhead parking lot. Both he and Jake looked at me like I’d grown a second head.

“What’s going on?” Gary asked.

I couldn’t help but glance back at the bus where over a dozen kids were mingling, along with several adults. But my eyes automatically sought out just one of those people. Dark hair, warm brown eyes, lean body…

Fuck.

“I know one of them,” I motioned with my head towards the bus. “We grew up together.”

Both men looked that way.

“Which one?” Gary asked. “Aiden—”

“No,” I interjected. “Bennett Crawford.”

“Bennett,” Jake said in surprise. “The Bennett?”

I nodded. I’d never told Jake everything about Bennett and me, but he knew enough. “Fuck,” he whispered.

“What? What am I missing?” Gary asked.

“Look, I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t do this.”

“Xander, they’re here. They’ve paid… the kids are looking forward to this trip,” Gary began. He shook his head. “Come on, man, I’m counting on you.”

Guilt went through me as I studied Gary’s face. Yeah, he was technically my boss, but I worked freelance as a wilderness guide and was in high demand. I didn’t need the money from this group of inner-city kids, and I could easily find another company to guide for. But I also wasn’t the type of guy who just left people in the lurch. I looked back at the kids who were completely unaware of what was happening as they talked excitedly amongst themselves and went through their gear.

“I’ll take the Five Lake Loop,” Jake offered. My eyes snapped to his and he sent me a smile. I’d been friends with Jake for several years, ever since we’d met on an adventure expedition to Patagonia. When he’d moved to Haven, Colorado a year ago, I’d suggested Gary hire him as a guide. While I appreciated what he was trying to do, I knew it would never work. There was a reason I’d been selected to guide the group of older kids. I just hadn’t realized who the chaperones would be for those kids until I’d seen the names on the roster just moments before the group had gotten off the bus.

“Jake, you don’t know the Five Lake Loop and you’re not equipped to teach rock climbing or high-water river crossings yet,” Gary said kindly, voicing my own concerns. “Xander—”

“I’ll do it,” I murmured, cutting him off. As much as I wanted to just take off and disappear for a few days, I couldn’t let Gary down… or the kids. I automatically dropped my fingers to search out Bear’s head. The Newfoundland mix had become my shadow in the three years since I’d found him abandoned as a puppy in one of the campgrounds at the end of the summer camping season. I’d felt an immediate kinship with the dog as I’d watched him sitting among the remnants of a deserted campsite, staring in the direction of the narrow dirt road leading out of the campground.

Waiting for his loved ones to come find him, no doubt.

I’d known that feeling.

All too well.

I turned and began striding back towards the group of kids who were starting to look a little bored. My hiking boots made crunching sounds on the sparse pebbles scattered across the unpaved lot. The late afternoon sun slanted through several tall pine trees just beyond the bus, and shadows danced along the overgrown tufts of grass at the edges of the clearing where the kids stood talking.

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Read Online Books/Novels:

Above and Beyond (Twist of Fate #4)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B083L8S48C

Read Online Books/Novels:

Body and Soul (Twist of Fate #3)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

1984345303 (ISBN13: 9781984345301)

Read Online Books/Novels:

Safe and Sound (Twist of Fate #2)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

Read Online Books/Novels:

Lost and Found (Twist of Fate #1)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B073P16LB1