Broken Harts

By Pandora Spocks

Two weddings.
One Valentine's Day.
And hearts will be broken.

 

A wedding on Valentine's Day? It's beyond cliché.

But it's what Ali Hart's niece Shannon wants. So Ali will wear the pink tulle bridesmaid's dress, carry the rose and eucalyptus bouquet down the aisle, and keep her opinion to herself.

 

Ali is back in New York to get ready for the wedding, but her older sister and brother seize on her visit as the perfect time for Ali to make arrangements for their elderly father, who can no longer independently care for himself.

 

A navigational error puts Ali on a collision course with destiny. Now what? 

 

***

A wedding on Valentine's Day? It's perfect.

Unless you're not positive that she's the one for you.

 

In the dark recesses of his heart, Logan Pryce knows that Catherine von Hollen isn't the love of his life. The daughter of his father's business partner, they've known each other for years. She's blonde, gorgeous, and everyone loves her. On paper, it's perfect. On paper.

 

A chance encounter with a nameless redhead on a crowded subway platform causes Logan to question everything he thought his life was going to be. Will he stay with the safe bet, or will he take a chance on something more?

 

If you love your romance with a little heat and plenty of heart, you're going to love Broken Harts!

 

THIS STORY IS A PART OF THE FOREVER YOURS HOLIDAY COLLECTION.

ALSO IN THIS COLLECTION:

* Bella's Wish by International Bestselling Author Linzi Basset

* All's Fair in Love and Spells by Victoria Escobar

*My Italian Valentine by the USA Today & International Bestselling Author Diana Nixon

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bratty Ginger Books
• Release date: Feb 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393216711

Pandora Spocks

Pandora Spocks is a bratty ginger and hopeless romantic who lives her happily ever after in South Florida. Pandora has entertained herself with the stories pinballing around in her head for years. Recently she decided to try her hand at sharing those stories with others. The author of Luke & Bella: Two Streets Over and the Rannigan's Redemption series, she enjoys reading and writing literary erotic fiction. Pandora is currently busy writing her next spicy romance.

Book preview

Two weddings.

One Valentine’s Day.

And hearts will be broken.

A wedding on Valentine’s Day? It’s beyond cliché.

But it’s what Ali Hart’s niece Shannon wants. So Ali will wear the pink tulle bridesmaid’s dress, carry the rose and eucalyptus bouquet down the aisle, and keep her opinion to herself.

Ali is back in New York to get ready for the wedding, but her older sister and brother seize on her visit as the perfect time for Ali to make arrangements for their elderly father, who can no longer independently care for himself.

A navigational error puts Ali on a collision course with destiny. Now what? 

A WEDDING ON VALENTINE’S Day? It’s perfect.

Unless you’re not positive that she’s the one for you.

In the dark recesses of his heart, Logan Pryce knows that Catherine von Hollen isn’t the love of his life. The daughter of his father’s business partner, they’ve known each other for years. She’s blonde, gorgeous, and everyone loves her. On paper, it’s perfect. On paper.

A chance encounter with a nameless redhead on a crowded subway platform causes Logan to question everything he thought his life was going to be. Will he stay with the safe bet, or will he take a chance on something more?

If you love your romance with a little heat and plenty of heart, you’re going to love Broken Harts!

THIS STORY IS A PART OF THE FOREVER YOURS HOLIDAY COLLECTION.

ALSO IN THIS COLLECTION:

* Bella's Wish by International Bestselling Author Linzi Basset

* All's Fair in Love and Spells byVictoria Escobar

*My Italian Valentine by the USA Today & International Bestselling Author Diana Nixon

Chapter 1

Ali Hart tightly gripped the pole beside her as the crowded subway jostled along the tracks. She grimaced as she caught her reflection in the window, her red hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders, her brown eyes looking tired from the strain of the past week. The subway car was surprisingly packed for this time of day, and she shifted, attempting to move away from the man who had just stepped on her toes for the third time.

I hate the city.

But Alison, it’s not like you have a real job. You can’t possibly expect Brendan and me to just drop everything and run into the city to deal with Dad.

Ali replayed the conversation in her head. "I do have a real job. I just happen to do it from my home. In Florida, I might add."

Her sister Megan had rolled her eyes. You write kids’ books. Big woo! Anybody can do that. And you don’t have a family like we do.

It was true. Ali lived a solitary life in a condo overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Juno Beach. It wasn’t as though she never dated; she’d simply never found anyone she could see spending forever with. It could be that she’d never met anyone who matched up to her idea of the perfect man.

Ali had always been her Daddy’s girl. Jackson Hart, Pulitzer prize-winning author, had never been an easy man to live with, but by the time Alison was born, age had mellowed him a bit. The fact that she’d grown up to be a writer had pleased him endlessly, much to the further disdain of her older brother and sister, Brendan and Megan.

So when the old man had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Hart sibling consensus was that Ali was the natural choice to deal with the fallout.

As the train pulled into the station, Clumsy Feet stepped on her toes for the fourth time, and Ali glared at him.

Oh, thank God, she muttered to herself as the doors slid open, and she allowed the sea of commuters exiting the train to wash her out onto the platform.

Ali was pushed along as everyone hurried on their way until the crowd thinned enough for her to look up and see the black and white 86th Street sign overhead.

"Eighty-sixth? Shit!" The senior care center she had been headed to was on 96th. She turned just as the doors closed and the train headed out of the station.

Great! Just fabulous. Walking ten blocks wouldn’t usually be a problem. But the mid-November temperature was an unpleasant thirty-eight degrees, and a nasty sleet was coming down. There was nothing to do now except wait for the next train and hope she would still be on time for her appointment. 

This is why I hate the city.

MY GOD, LOGAN, THE wedding is only a few months away! We have to make these decisions!

Logan Pryce rolled his eyes, juggling the phone and his brown leather messenger bag against the jostling crowd while he negotiated the stairs down into the 86th Street subway station. I know, Catherine, but honestly, I trust your taste. Pick what you like.

Sometimes I’m not sure you really want to get married, she pouted into the phone.

Sometimes I’m not sure myself. Logan judiciously bit back the comment.

He rolled his eyes again. Look, Catherine, I’m working. My client wants to build that custom retail space in the subway station. That’s where I am right now. 

Breathing deeply, he aimed for patient and reasonable. Babe, pick the flowers you like or wait until I get back to Chicago tonight. Either way will be fine. I promise. But I’ve got to go.

He disconnected with Catherine and looked around for the clients he was meant to be meeting.  Winning the bid to design the subway retail space was a big coup for his architectural firm.  Pryce-Von Hollen Designs was highly successful in Chicago, but this job would open the doors to the lucrative Manhattan market. And the project was Logan’s baby.

As he scanned the crowded station, his gaze was drawn to a woman who had just gotten off the train. The first thing he noticed was her brilliant red hair. Even in the flat white light of the platform, her hair gave off a golden glow, and he had a sudden wish to see it in the bright sunlight.

She reversed direction to re-enter the train, but before she could, the doors closed, and the train lurched into motion. Even from a distance, Logan could see her annoyance. He wondered what was wrong. Perhaps she had accidentally left something on the train. Or maybe she’d gotten off at the wrong stop. Goodness knows, he had done it a time or two himself. He grinned at the memory.

Then, as though she felt him watching her, she looked up and straight into his eyes. He felt a jolt of electricity.  Her golden-brown eyes widened as she stared back at him. It felt as though everything in the busy station stopped as they gazed at each other across the heads of hundreds of passersby. Logan felt his breath leave his body.

Suddenly, a large man barreled right into the woman, and she went down.  Logan was by her side in an instant. Are you alright?

I think so, she answered shakily, pushing herself into a sitting position on the filthy floor of the platform.

Here, let me help you up. He took her hand and gently helped her stand. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?

Again, cognac-colored eyes bored into his own blue ones.  No, I think I’m alright.

They stood that way, temporarily lost in the moment. Can we... Logan began as the next train arrived.

The woman looked toward the boarding commuters. I have to go. I’m late for an appointment.  This wasn’t my stop. She seemed apologetic.

Logan stepped back to allow her past him and onto the train. She stood just inside the doorway, and as it closed, she placed her palm on the glass. Logan mirrored her palm on the outside of the glass, their gazes locked until the train rumbled away.

Chapter 2

Arriving at Golden Years Senior Living a mere ten minutes behind schedule, Ali nevertheless apologized profusely.

I’m so sorry I’m late; I accidentally got off at the wrong subway stop.

The admissions liaison, a tall, friendly black woman named Thelma Wolf, waved her off with a neatly manicured hand. Don’t worry, we’re not so formal around here. Come let me give you a tour.

Ali dutifully followed Ms. Wolf through what she supposed was a nice enough facility, were one not considering housing a beloved parent. The place looked clean and well-kept, the staff they encountered were affable and appeared to care about their jobs, and the residents seemed happy. Knowing her father, though, Ali knew he would hate everything about it, from the name and its cheesy metaphor to the fact that he’d be unable to come and go as he pleased.

But she found herself unable to pay attention to the woman’s running commentary. Instead, Ali’s thoughts wandered back to the man she had encountered in the subway. For whatever reason, she’d looked up and found her eyes riveted to his, which were the most mesmerizing shade of blue she’d ever seen, almost the color of the ocean water beyond her apartment’s terrace just before a storm blew in from the east. She had been so enthralled, she’d all but forgotten the missed train until some lout knocked her on her ass.

But then, he’d been there. He, with those dreamy eyes and a jaw so square, one might think he had been drawn that way from some artist’s imagination. She brushed her fingertips across her thumb, recalling the strength and warmth of his touch as he had helped her up.

And his voice, that deep, rumbling baritone. Are you alright?

He might have said more than that, but if so, she couldn’t recall. She had been lost in his eyes, vaguely aware that she needed to catch the next train.

Why? Why did I hurry off so quickly? she wondered miserably as Ms. Wolf rambled on about social groups for the residents.

So I call Golden Years and say I’m running late. Why didn’t I at least get his name? She sighed deeply.

As they returned to the lobby where they had met, Ms. Wolf smiled kindly. Well, there you have it. Are there any questions I can answer?

Ali shook her head. No, thank you, you’ve been extremely helpful. I appreciate your taking the time to meet with me today. I’ll talk with my brother and sister, and we’ll make a decision.

It’s my pleasure. If you think of anything, you have my card. Just give me a call.

Stepping outside, Ali glanced up to see that the November sky had turned even darker during the time she’d been inside. As a rogue, chilly gust buffeted her, she decided that the weather fit her mood.

No way would Jackson Hart allow his children to move him into Golden Years, or anywhere else, for that matter. He wasn’t so far gone that he wouldn’t put up a hell of a fight. One she definitely didn’t look forward to.

And why should he go? He was comfortable in his own home. For the cost of moving him to a care facility, the money could be better spent on round-the-clock care in his own apartment, where he could happily putter about, organizing and reorganizing his office and occasionally yelling at the talking heads on cable news.

However, the idea of leaving Dad at home would be a huge fight when she broached the subject to Megan and Brendan. They were hell-bent on moving him out of the apartment before Christmas, which was baffling to Ali.

What was their hurry? It wasn’t like they had to care for him themselves, despite how they presented it to Ali.

Megs, in Greenwich with her hedge fund manager husband John, and their grown children Shannon and Kyle, rarely bothered to go into the city, let alone check in on Dad. And Brendan, in Long Island and currently between wives, was even less likely to worry about their father. On the other hand, however, if Ali was honest, she wasn’t sure she blamed them.

Twenty and twenty-two years her senior, respectively, Brendan and Megan had quite the ax to grind. The highly