Project: Runaway Bride

He didn’t know where Juliet was or why she’d disappeared before she could walk down the aisle, but despite his personal feelings on the topic, he wouldn’t rest easy until he at least knew that she was safe.

* * *

Careful of her footing, Juliet wrapped the sides of her unbuttoned cardigan more tightly around her torso and followed the steep, uphill trail from the dock back to her family’s cabin. No one had been out to the Vermont lake house for quite some time, so the path was overgrown, the boat was still in storage and the inside of the house was in need a good dusting.

As far as Juliet was concerned, that made it the perfect spot to hide out for a while. She was thinking forever, but knew realistically that she could probably only stretch it out for a few days to a week, and she’d been here two days already.

She was a coward for running away for even that long. She should have walked into that vestibule and told her family there was something she needed to confide to them, just as she should have told them when she’d called things off with Paul the first time. Should have walked to the front of the church or asked Paul to come back and speak to her, then told him she’d changed her mind—again.

What was it about him, about the expectations of her family, even, that made her such a pushover and chicken?

Regardless of what anyone might have thought of her actions or mind-set, she shouldn’t have tucked tail and run. But darned if she could regret the decision. Even the thought of remaining in that church, in that gown, a moment longer than she had was enough to start her hyperventilating.

Never mind the idea of actually walking down the aisle. She was certain she would have passed out right there between the pews if she’d forced herself to go through with it. Or possibly thrown up on some of the guests, since an upset stomach had become her close and frequent companion.

The one thing she knew for sure was that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got back. To everyone.

Already, her cell phone’s voice-mail box was filled to overflowing. According to the call log, it had started ringing only moments after she’d fled the church. As soon as her sisters had realized she was missing, she assumed.

But even though she knew her family must be worried sick, and the frequent ringing and beeping of her phone had driven her almost batty, she hadn’t bothered to check missed calls or listen to messages. She hadn’t even taken the time to turn the phone off until she’d been on the road and well away from Manhattan.

Instead, she’d hurried back to the loft she shared with her sisters, ignoring the strange looks she received from random strangers for racing around in public in her full-skirted, custom-made fairy-princess bridal gown, and grabbed her phone, money and a single change of clothes. She hadn’t known where she was going or how long she’d be gone, but even though she hadn’t wanted to take the time to slip out of the wedding dress right then and there, she’d suspected racing around in the thing would get old fast.

She’d been on the road a couple hours before deciding to head for the lake house, partly because she knew it would be well stocked with everything from food to clothing. Reception was lousy, though, so once she finally turned off her cell, it was doubtful anyone could reach her unless they sent up smoke signals or parachuted in.

And it was only for a few days, she told herself again. Just until she cleared her head and figured out what to do...about everything.

She was panting slightly as she reached the top of the hill and the end of the path that led into the clearing surrounding the cabin. It was brighter here, and warmer with the sun shining down on the house through the break in the trees.

Shading her eyes, she followed one long side of the wraparound porch railing to the front door...and came to a screeching halt at the sight of a hunter-green Range Rover parked right behind her silver-blue BMW.

Her heart lurched. Who did it belong to? Had someone followed her, or was it a complete stranger? And if it was a stranger, had he simply happened by—hard to do when the cabin was nearly impossible to find without directions—or was he, or she, up to no good?

A dozen home invasion/hostage movie-of-the-week scenarios played through her head and she swallowed nervously, wondering if she should move forward to investigate or race back the way she’d come to hide in the woods or hike into town for help.

Before she could make a decision, she heard a creak and heavy footsteps clipped across the porch floor. Her head swiveled and she found herself staring up into the dark, dangerous eyes of Reid McCormack.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a humorless, almost feral grin. “Hey there, runaway bride.”

Four

Reid knew he shouldn’t, but he was enjoying the look of shocked dismay on Juliet’s face.

He hadn’t wanted to come here. Hadn’t wanted to see her again knowing she’d been ready to walk down the aisle and marry another man. Even after calling things off once. Even after all they’d shared. And on top of it all, she’d been ready to marry a man who hadn’t treated her right—at least not since Reid had met her.

But he’d promised her sisters. And yes, there was a part of him that needed to know she was okay.

Clearly, she was, so he could head back to New York now. Leave her to her own mysterious devices. Let her explain to her family why she’d run off in the first place. He’d said he’d find her, not that he’d provide an essay on the reasons behind her sudden disappearance.

Still, he didn’t move from where he stood on the porch of her family’s lake house, hands gripping the railing.

She licked her lips, the tendons of her throat flexing as she swallowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Funny thing about your family,” he replied sardonically. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t get rid of them. You Zaccaro girls seem to think I’m your personal problem solver.”

“My sisters called you?” she asked in little more than a whisper.

“No. They showed up at my office on a Saturday, less than an hour after you ran off from your own wedding. Care to explain that one?”

She threw her shoulders back, lifted her chin. “It’s none of your business what I do.”

True. She’d made that clear even while they were seeing each other, sneaking around and burning up the sheets behind everyone else’s backs because she hadn’t wanted anyone to know about their involvement. Too bad he was part rat terrier; nothing made him dig in his heels more than being told to get lost. It was what made him such an exceptional investigator.

Pushing away from the porch railing, he straightened. “Right. But since I’m here...”

He trailed off, letting her head fill with question marks over what he’d been about to say and what his intentions were. Turning on his heel, he crossed the porch and went inside, leaving her to follow.

Or not. But if she ran, on foot or by car, he would chase her down. And he’d catch her. Again.

* * *

Who did he think he was?

Juliet stood frozen in place, scared spitless and furious beyond belief both at the same time. If that was even possible.

She couldn’t believe he’d found her so quickly. Although maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised, given his skill set and how good she knew him to be at his job.

But even if her sisters had gone to him for help, she didn’t know why he’d agreed to look for her. She’d been pretty sure he hated her, given their last interaction. The one where she’d thanked him for being so nice and showing her a good time, but told him she didn’t think things would work out between them and that they shouldn’t see each other anymore.

He’d always had the softest brown eyes, like melted chocolate or a big cup of cappuccino. From the first moment she’d locked gazes with him, those eyes had told her he was strong and kind and trustworthy.

Not exactly thoughts she should have been having about a man other than her fiancé, but tell that to her heart or her gut or whatever else was screaming at her louder than her IQ.

It was why she’d broken things off with Paul the first time around. Her attraction to Reid had become too overwhelming, driving her almost inexorably into his arms. She wasn’t the type to carry on an affair while she was engaged to another man, though, and knew that she couldn’t continue to feign interest in her upcoming nuptials when her heart was no longer in it. But once she was free to explore her feelings with Reid—and he’d been all too happy to reciprocate—the intensity had scared her.

Maybe that was why she’d run away. Not from her wedding, but from him. Gone running back to Paul, pretending her time with Reid had never happened. Because he was a man she could all too easily fall in love with.

As far as everyone else was concerned, she’d still been promised to Paul all along.

She hadn’t known how to tell her parents that she’d called off the wedding after they’d put so much time, money and emotion into planning the event. Not to mention how much they’d been looking forward to having Paul as a son-in-law.

She’d never worked up the courage to tell her sisters, either. Because then she would have had to tell them about Reid, and she hadn’t quite been ready for that discussion. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lily and Zoe with the information but simply that she didn’t yet know how to put her confusing, jumbled-up emotions into words.

Then things had gotten a bit too serious with Reid and begun to scare her. So what had she done? She’d tucked tail and run. Something she realized was becoming a nasty habit.

Or maybe she was just unlucky in love and would mess up any relationship she got into. In which case, why not stick with the status quo?

No one except Reid and Paul had known she’d broken the engagement, and Paul had never given up trying to get her to change her mind. He’d apologized again for losing his temper with her. Agreed that commuting back and forth between Connecticut and New York was a compromise he’d be willing to make, at least for the first few years of their marriage. And he’d assured her that if designing with her sisters was what she enjoyed, then of course he wanted her to continue her partnership in Zaccaro Fashions.