Secrets Lies and Family Ties Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 2 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 3 - Colt

  Chapter 4 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 5 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 6 - Colt

  Chapter 7 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 8 - Colt

  Chapter 9 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 10 - Colt

  Chapter 11 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 12 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 13 - Colt

  Chapter 14 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 15 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 16 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 17 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 18 - Colt

  Chapter 19 - Colt

  Chapter 20 - Colt

  Chapter 21 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 22 - Colt

  Chapter 23 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 24 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 25 - Colt

  Chapter 26 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 27 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 28 - Colt

  Chapter 29 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 30 - Colt

  Chapter 31 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 32 - Colt

  Chapter 33 - Gabrielle

  Chapter 34 - Colt

  Chapter 35 - Colt

  What's Coming Next?

  Want to Stalk Me?

  End of Book Stuff

  Other Books by Elise Noble

  Secrets, Lies, and Family Ties

  Elise Noble

  Published by Undercover Publishing Limited

  Copyright © 2021 Elise Noble

  Preorder

  ISBN: 978-1-912888-45-0

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organisations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

  Edited by Nikki Mentges, NAM Editorial

  Cover design by Abigail Sins

  www.undercover-publishing.com

  www.elise-noble.com

  A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

  CHAPTER 1 - GABRIELLE

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  Scheiße

  For fanden.

  Helvete.

  Voi vittu.

  Fuck.

  I could curse proficiently in five different languages—none of them in public, of course—but somehow, somehow, I didn’t have the words to convey just how screwed I was today.

  Or rather, not screwed.

  A weird gurgle burst out of my throat, the sputter of hysterical laughter turning into a sob, and I kicked the tyre of Siri’s Audi. Then winced because my stupid satin wedding shoes gave my toes no protection whatsoever. Dammit all to hell! German cars were famed for their reliability, but five minutes ago, a red light had lit up on the dash, so I’d pulled over to check the glove compartment for an owner’s manual—there wasn’t one—and now the engine wouldn’t start again. Was this karma? Probably. Siri hadn’t wanted me to take the car, but I’d been so desperate to get away that I’d ignored her wishes and driven off anyway, her words ringing in my ears.

  “Gaby, do you even remember how to drive?”

  “I’ll figure it out,” I’d called over my shoulder.

  And now I was stuck.

  Stuck at the side of a highway in… Well, I had no idea, but I was fairly sure I was still in Oregon.

  I began to regret hurling my phone at Emmett. If it had hit him, I could have taken some small measure of satisfaction from that at least, but the asshole had ducked and the phone had smashed against a vase of flowers, which had teetered over onto the floor and shattered, and…

  Don’t think about it, Gabrielle.

  But how could I not? Right now, I should have been feasting on smoked salmon and champagne with my closest friends, dancing my first dance and celebrating the fact that I was Mrs. Emmett Collins. The fireworks should have come later, when my family found out what I’d done. Would the fact that I hadn’t actually gotten actually married mean they’d be happy now? Of course not. The circus had only just begun. Me eloping instead of trotting down the aisle at the huge celebration my mother was insisting upon would make the gossip pages back in Europe, where the paparazzi fed off my blood like hungry jackals, but me eloping and then ditching my fiancé five minutes before we got hitched? Now, that was a good old-fashioned front-page scandal.

  And I wasn’t sure I’d survive another.

  The ocean was to my left, out of sight but close enough for me to smell the salt on the air. To hear the siren’s call. Could I walk there? Not for the first time, I considered swan-diving into a watery grave, just vanishing under the waves and ending it all, but like so many things in my life, it wasn’t to be. Three years ago, it had been my brother who found me on the cliff-edge, but today it was a stranger who stopped to help.

  “What seems to be the problem, ma’am?” he asked.

  Everything. Everything was the problem.

  The man was big. Big all over. Broad shoulders, strong arms, muscular legs stuffed into a pair of worn blue jeans. Handsome in a rugged, unpolished sort of way, an oak tree that needed pruning. Hair the colour of dark chocolate, a neatly trimmed beard, and an easy smile. Kind eyes, but still I stepped back on instinct and tripped over my stupid dress. Would have landed on my well-padded ass if he hadn’t shot out arm to catch me. The glint of a gold star clipped to his belt caught my eye, along with something else. Yes, he was definitely big all over.

  He followed my gaze, and thankfully misinterpreted as I fought not to blush.

  “I’m a sheriff’s deputy right here in Baldwin’s Shore.” He set me back on my feet. “Having car trouble?”

  Car trouble, man trouble, can’t-put-a-foot-right-trouble.

  “The engine won’t start.”

  He gave me a slow perusal, head to toe, but he was polite enough not to mention my attire. “Got enough gas? I always carry a spare can.”

  “I…think so?”

  “Let’s take a look.”

  A woman climbed out of the passenger side of his truck, a pretty brunette. The deputy’s wife? He was clearly off-duty. The back of the pickup was filled with furniture—a bed, something in bubble wrap, and a tiny pink dressing table. A girl scrambled out of the back seat, and the woman turned to wag a finger.

  “Kiki, stay inside.”

  “But I want to see the princess.”

  I stiffened, but the little girl wasn’t to be deterred as she ran in my direction.

  “Sorry, she’s fascinated by your dress.”

  “It’s a princess dress! I love it!”

  So had I once. The boutique owner had signed an NDA, and I’d snuck in under cover of darkness with Siri. Phil, my best friend, my sister from another mister, my partner in crime, had watched me try on dress after dress via Zoom, and I’d fallen in love with the jewelled bodice and sweeping chiffon skirt. Phil said the sweetheart neckline did magical things to my boobs, so she’d given me the thumbs-up too. The first time Emmett had seen me wear it was when I threw my engagement ring at him
.

  The little girl reached out to touch one of the pearls, but the brunette quickly lifted her away.

  “Kiki, you mustn’t bother people.”

  “It’s okay.” I tried a smile, pulled it off through practice and sheer willpower. How old was the girl? Six? Seven? When I’d been her age, I’d dreamed of pretty gowns too, although the shine of dressing up quickly wore off when I was forced to do it all the damn time. “What’s your name, little one?”

  “Kinsley Hannah Haines. And I’m not little anymore—I’m nearly eight. Are those real diamonds?”

  My earrings and necklace? Yes. The beads on the dress? No.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  If they’d all been real, my bodyguards would have kept me on an even tighter leash. As it was, they were probably scouring the Oregon countryside in between getting berated by my mother for losing me and squashing Emmett into a pulp. Okay, so the last part was probably wishful thinking, but Phil had emptied a jug of Pimms over him so I had to be thankful for that, at least.

  “Your accent’s weird.”

  Funny how children always said what adults wouldn’t dare, wasn’t it?

  “I’m not from around here.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Denmark.”

  Not quite true, but close enough, and in my experience, most Americans couldn’t find Denmark on a map anyway. Or many other European countries, which was why I’d chosen to come here in the first place. It was far easier to fly under the radar in the US. Or it had been until now. After today, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to show my face in LA again.

  The car coughed as the deputy tried to start it, and the vindication that I hadn’t been a complete fool, that the car really was broken, was of little consolation. I was thousands of miles from a home I didn’t want to live in, freshly single, with no phone and only the five hundred bucks in emergency money that Siri kept stashed under her car seat. Clean underwear was a pipe dream.

  “Are you okay?” the brunette asked, the first brave enough to broach what was clearly the bigger issue.

  Claiming I was fine would be an all-too-obvious lie, so rather than insult both of us, I just shook my head.

  “Do you have far to drive?”

  “I don’t even know where I’m going,” I admitted.

  “You need help with directions? I have a maps app on my phone.”

  “No, I mean I just got in the car and started driving without a destination in mind.”

  “In your...?” She gaped at my dress, and I honestly couldn’t blame her.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh. So, uh…”

  Thankfully, the deputy’s reappearance put an end to that non-conversation.

  “It’s not the gas. Did you know your alternator warning light’s on?”

  So that’s what it was. “I was aware of a light. Is an alternator fundamental to the running of the engine?”

  His eyes rolled halfway, then he seemed to catch himself. Hey, it wasn’t my fault my first car came with a chauffeur.

  “It charges the battery and powers the electrics while the car’s running. So if you want headlights, then yeah, it’s key.”

  “I see.”

  “Maybe there’s somebody you could call?”

  “My phone broke.”

  He fumbled in his pocket. “Here you go—borrow mine.”

  I just stared at it. Who on earth would I contact? Not my mother—I already had a headache and I didn’t want to make it worse. My sister was too young, the baby of the family at fifteen. My brother? He’d help me—he always did, but I’d already burdened him with so many of my troubles. Plus he was working in India this week. So he’d be asleep, and when he travelled, he turned his phone off overnight because otherwise people kept bothering him.

  That left Siri or Phil. Siri was on the family payroll, so technically she reported to my mother, and even if I swore her to secrecy, Mor would strong-arm my whereabouts out of her in one hot second. And Phil... Phil had only flown into the country two days ago. She didn’t have a car, and practicality wasn’t her strong suit. Plus there was a bigger problem—I didn’t know her new number by heart. I’d just programmed it into my phone, the phone that was now lying in pieces in a borrowed house in Gold Beach.

  “You don’t have anyone to call?” the deputy asked.

  “Is there a garage nearby? Maybe I could just buy a new alternator and carry on?”

  How much did an alternator cost, anyway? At times like this, I missed my father more than ever. He’d have known the answer. I’d have called him in a heartbeat.

  “Want me to arrange a tow?”

  Did I have any other choice? I wasn’t ready to face the people I’d left behind, not yet.

  “Yes, please.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “My name? Uh... Uh...” I needed to remain incognito, and having people call me Gabrielle or even Gaby would hardly help with that. “I’m Brie.”

  My chest hitched as the word left my mouth. Nobody but my father had ever called me that, and I missed him so, so much.

  “Brie.” The deputy tested it out, then smiled. “I’m Deputy Haines—Colt—and this is Brooke. I see you’ve already met Kiki.”

  “You both have a beautiful daughter.”

  Why did Brooke look so horrified?

  “Oh, no, no, no. We’re not together.” They weren’t? I’d just assumed... Colt wore a wedding ring, and Brooke had a diamond on her finger. “Colt and my boyfriend—fiancé—are old friends, and they work together too. He just gave me a ride to the furniture store. I couldn’t fit a bed into the trunk of my compact. But you’re right about Kiki—she’s super cute.”

  I liked Brooke. She was doing her best to make an awkward situation slightly more bearable.

  “Thank you for stopping.”

  Colt tipped an imaginary hat. “It’s not every day you see… Well…”

  So much for things not being awkward.

  But Brooke came to the rescue again. “Let’s sit in Colt’s truck while we wait for Ernie to get here.”

  “Ernie?”

  “He owns the local garage.”

  “Do you think he’ll take long?”

  She scrunched her lips to one side. “Maybe an hour or two? Ernie runs the place with his wife, but she’s gone to visit her sister. And Carl Tuttle often helps out too, but he broke his arm falling out of The Cave last week, so I guess Ernie’s on his own today.”

  “He fell out of a cave? Didn’t he use a safety rope?”

  Brooke stared at me, puzzled. “A safety rope?”

  “Spelunking can be such a dangerous pastime if one doesn’t take the proper precautions.”

  What was so funny? Brooke’s peal of laughter make Kiki giggle too. And Colt was smirking.

  “The Cave is a bar. He got drunk and fell down the steps outside the door.”

  Perhaps I should have guessed? Rural Oregon was a whole different world to the one I was used to.

  “A bar. Of course.”

  Brooke looped her arm through mine and led me to the truck. We both looked at the door, then at my dress, layers and layers of chiffon versus an opening designed for jeans and a plaid shirt. How had I ever fitted into the driving seat of Siri’s Audi? I had to conclude that it had been through grim determination mixed with sheer desperation to get the hell away from Emmett. And Vania, my now ex-friend. If I cared to think about it, her betrayal hurt even more than his.

  “Maybe you could change your clothes?” Brooke suggested. “There’s a stand of trees you could use for cover.”

  “I don’t have any other clothes.”

  “This really was a spur-of-the-moment trip, huh?”

  “Yes, it really was.”

  Colt joined us, and his expression said the news wasn’t good. “Ernie’s tied up fixing Bobby Graham’s truck so he can tow his trailer to the cattle auction in Deschutes County tomorrow, but he’ll come after that. Why don’t you take Miss Brie to get coff
ee and something to eat while I wait here with her vehicle?”

  Brooke looked to me, questioning.

  Going to a café was the last thing I wanted to do, especially in this outfit, but I had to use a bathroom sometime. And I couldn’t go without drinking for the rest of the day either. Better to get it over with, and at least out here in the middle of nowhere there wouldn’t be many witnesses to my humiliation.

  “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

  CHAPTER 2 - GABRIELLE

  “I DON’T SUPPOSE Deputy Haines carries a pair of scissors in his truck?”

  “Scissors?”

  “Or even a knife?”

  Brooke braked at a stop sign and eyed me up doubtfully. “I’m not sure…”

  I realised where her thoughts were going. Perhaps mine would have gone there too, given a few minutes, but I wasn’t about to try anything stupid with a small child in the back seat.

  “I just want to cut off the bottom of this dress.”

  Kiki gasped behind me. “Cut the dress? Noooooooo! You can’t. You can’t cut it!”

  What choice did I have? “I’m not sure I’ll fit into a bathroom stall otherwise.”

  And it was just a dress. Fabric and beads, forever tainted by the morning from hell.

  “We could swing by my place if you want?” Brooke offered. “I’m sure I have clothes that’ll fit you. Kiki’s right—you shouldn’t ruin the dress. Even if you never want to wear it again, you could sell it.”

  Sell it? No way. If anyone found out who it had belonged to, it would become a macabre souvenir that popped up at auction every few years to remind me of my bad decisions. But the idea of borrowing clothes filled me with relief. Brooke was shorter than me, and thinner too, but if she had something stretchy... I hadn’t cried since I left the house this morning, but now my eyes prickled, not because of grief or longing or regret but due to her kindness. She had no idea who I was, and yet still she was willing to help me.

  “That would be very generous of you.”

  Another sideways glance. “Okay, so I guess that’s a plan.”

  Brooke pulled into the driveway of a two-storey house, a little dated but neat and tidy. A family home. She hadn’t mentioned having children of her own, but since she was engaged, maybe she and her fiancé were planning ahead? I was about to pay a bland compliment out of habit when she carried on along the driveway and parked in front of a double garage at the back.