The Bet Read online

  I guess what I’m saying is. It’s important to keep your options open. It’s important to live and not get so hung up on the past. The past is called the past for a reason. If you are constantly looking behind you, your eyes aren’t on the road ahead. You don’t drive a car that way, so why would you live your life that way? Isn’t life more important than driving that beat up Subaru?

  I love you so much. As a mom I have to allow you to make mistakes, to learn and to grow, but you need to know that my love for you is unending. Regardless of what you’ve done, my love is unconditional. Where you’ve been helps you grow, and, my little treasure, I want you to grow!

  Well, the bell just rang. I may not give this to you until you get married. I know you’re rolling your eyes right now, but let’s just say you probably aren’t ready to hear all this from me just yet. But one day, one day this letter will make sense, and I hope it finds you on that very day. In fact, that’s my prayer right now.

  Love you,

  Mom

  Kacey wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand but cried harder when she saw several other letters in the same pile. Her mom had written her letters and never given them to her. Mom was always strange like that, writing down her thoughts, then forgetting that she wrote them down in the first place.

  Kacey always saw her mom writing little things down in her notebooks, but she had no idea it was ever for her.

  She tucked the letters back into the manila envelope and walked outside to the porch where Travis was sipping wine.

  “You saved all of this for me?”

  Travis looked into her eyes and nodded. “I don’t know what any of it said, Kace. I never looked. I just knew, one day, one day you would want all of it, and selfishly I wanted to be the man to give it to you.”

  Kacey sat on his lap and leaned against his chest.

  ”I have a confession to make.” He laughed nervously.

  “What did you do?”

  “I got drunk.”

  “Now?”

  Travis laughed again. “No, not now. I got drunk a few weeks ago, and I complained to Grandma about how no woman would ever compare to you. I’m pretty sure I was feeling sorry for myself, and I never make a habit of doing things like that, nor do I make habits of drunk-dialing my own grandmother.”

  “Do you think that’s why she faked her stroke?” Kacey asked, taking the wine out of his hands and sipping it.

  “It’s possible.” Travis exhaled. “Either way, I don’t care. I’m thankful.”

  “Me too.” Kacey nestled into him and sighed. “Me too.”

  “Maybe now she’ll direct her attention to Jake while we enjoy a honeymoon far, far away from the family.”

  Kacey laughed. “You mean you don’t want your mom, dad, Mr. Casbon, and Grandma to join us?”

  “We’d get kicked off the plane in seconds, admit it.”

  Kacey giggled. “I’d rather have you to myself anyway.”

  “There’s one more thing.” Travis sighed heavily.

  “What?”

  “Jake owes us a million dollars.”

  “Huh?” Kacey jerked back and looked Travis in the eyes. “What the heck? Why?”

  Travis grinned smugly. “I bet him a million dollars when I was eight, that I would marry you.”

  Kacey burst out laughing. “Shall we call him tomorrow?”

  “We shall,” Travis agreed, then his mouth found hers, and immediately she stopped laughing, too distracted by what his mouth was doing.

  She’d left home to escape the pain, not knowing that one day, this day, she’d return to find her own true happiness.

  Author Note

  After writing close to fifteen or sixteen (I've lost count!) of these, it never gets old. I still find myself staring at the screen going, "Holy crap, I'm really an author and I’m really doing what I love!" It's incredible and I can only thank God every second of every day that he's allowed me this awesome opportunity to live in my computer and make up stories. ;)

  Thank you to Laura Heritage for being basically the best editor/friend/cover artist a gal could ask for. You do such an excellent job. I seriously don't know what I would do without you. Oh, and p.s. thanks for tutoring me on how to use commas. Also, thanks for not getting mad when I forget. Every. Single. Manuscript.

  Also a huge thanks to my "usual" publisher, Astraea Press. They are awesome enough to let me self pub my stuff while still publishing my historicals... basically they are the best publisher ever.

  Readers. You guys rock my face off. Seriously. I would dance for you right now if it wouldn't be totally awkward and slightly inappropriate. Thank you so much for your continual support and encouragement! As always, help a girl out... write reviews, good or bad, doesn't matter. I'm happy either way! There's always room for improvement, right?

  Follow me on Twitter @RachVD or hang out with me on Facebook: Rachel Van Dyken Author.

  Happy reading... see ya at The End.

  Other books by Rachel Van Dyken

  Every Girl Does It

  Compromising Kessen

  Savage Winter

  The Parting Gift

  Waltzing With the Wallflower

  Beguiling Bridget

  Taming Wilde

  The Ugly Duckling Debutante

  The Seduction of Sebastian St. James

  The Redemption of Lord Rawlings

  The Devil Duke Takes A Bride

  Upon A Midnight Dream

  Whispered Music

  The Wolf’s Pursuit

  An Unlikely Alliance

  Tear: A Seaside Novel

  Pull: A Seaside Novel

  Coming Soon:

  Shatter

  Divine Uprising

  Irresistible Terms

  Elite

  About the Author

  Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

  She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband and their snoring boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandyken.com.

  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

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Author Note