Rudolph's Runaway Bride (Holliday Islands Resort Book 9) Read online

  Rudolph’s Runaway Bride

  George H. McVey

  Copyright © 2019 by George H. McVey All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Erin Dameron Hill/ EDH Graphics

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental or used fictitiously.

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  Table of Contents

  Also by George

  HOLLIDAY ISLANDS RESORT SERIES

  Introduction

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Also by George

  You can find all of George’s books on his Amazon author page.

  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007E39QUG.

  HOLLIDAY ISLANDS RESORT SERIES

  After growing his Alaskan resort empire into the “honeymooner’s paradise of the world,” Gordon Holliday is ready to retire. But there’s no way he can cruise the globe in his luxury yacht until his sons are groomed and polished into proper executives to take his place. There’s just one catch: He’s convinced their biggest current job requirement is marriage!

  To help find the perfect matches for his nine billionaire playboy sons, he secretly enlists the help of a high-end matchmaker, Evelyn Reese of True Love Connection, Inc. (TLC.net). She visits the islands under the auspices of becoming a future investor and begins to work her magic. What ensues is a delightful romp of sizzling new business “partnerships” and dates, laugh-out-loud mayhem, and sweet holiday attractions. You won’t want to miss a single one!

  Join us at the Chat, Sip, and Read group on Facebook for parties, live chats, giveaways, and other festivities surrounding the launch of this sweet holiday romantic comedy series: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChatSipandRead

  Book 1: The Dashing Groom — Jo Grafford

  Book 2: Dancing to the Altar — Christi Bortner

  Book 3: Love Comes Prancing — Danni Roan

  Book 4: Her Christmas Vixen — Ginny Sterling

  Book 5: Comet’s Blazing Love — Jenna Brandt

  Book 6: Cupid Takes a Wife — Marie Higgins

  Book 7: Donner Let Her Go — Amelia Adams

  Book 8: Blitzen the CEO — Lisa Prysock

  Book 9: Rudolph’s Runaway Bride — George McVey

  Book 10: Mommy’s Kissing Santa — Kit Morgan

  Introduction

  Unlike the famous saying, what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

  Reality TV star and youngest of nine sons, Randall Rudolph Holliday is surprised when his father orders him to return home and run his Alaskan island that caters to billionaire clients looking for a high-end wilderness experience. The last thing he expected was his father to demand he find a wife too! The challenge is -- Rudy is still legally married from a quickie Vegas wedding the prior year to the woman whom he can’t get out of his thoughts.

  Clarice Reese is just months away from marrying the man she is convinced is her perfect match when the worst mistake of her life shows up claiming they are still husband and wife. All she wants is a quick divorce and to put the accidental marriage far behind her. When her husband challenges her to see if they might be a match and scores higher than her current fiancé, what’s a girl to do?

  Will Rudy and Clarice be a True Love Connection or will she once again run away from him? Does Clarice get her divorce and marry the man who is waiting for her in New York? Could it be true her fiancé might not be who he claims to be? Is there any Christmas magic left for the youngest Holliday brother or is it time to say goodbye to Rudolph’s Runaway Bride for good?

  Acknowledgments

  As I often say no book or series is the work of one person. This time that is especially true. I want to start by thanking Jo Grafford who came to me almost a year ago with this intriguing idea for a holiday series. We sat down and started hammering out the big picture and the more we worked on it the more I realized we had something really special. So thank you Jo for allowing me to help you get the Holliday Island Resort Series off the ground.

  However, Jo and I knew that the series we wanted needed more than just us so after the holidays we started searching for our team of talented writers. So thank you to all the talented authors who agreed to work on this project with us. I can say that this has been the smoothest group I’ve ever worked with and I truly enjoyed every conference call and interaction we’ve had. So thank you Christi Bortner, Danni Roan, Ginny Sterling, Jenna Brandt, Marie Higgins, Amelia Adams, Lisa Prysock, and last but definitely not least, Kit Morgan. It’s been a blast working with each of you. I think this is the dream team of Multi Author Projects for me.

  As always I have to thank my beautiful wife of 33 years, Sheri. Without you I’m not sure I’d be the romance writer I’ve become. Though the stories may differ it is because of our ongoing love story that I am inspired to come up with the stories of others. I love you more today than when I first saw you 35 years ago.

  Many thanks goes to my editor Carolyn Leggo and my final look grammar goddess Amy Petrowich. They make me look gooder at this writing thing than I really am.

  Then, thanks to my beta read team, all forty-six of you. Those little catches you make are very helpful.

  To my wonder Advance Read Team who get the book before it publishes and then leave me great and honest reviews on launch day. Thank you for your support.

  I also owe Erin Dameron-Hill a hearty thank you for the wonderful cover. With just a few words from me you find the perfect models for my hero and heroine. You are a joy to work with.

  I also need to thank my readers group, George’s Gorgeous Readers. I thank you all for your support and encouragement, all 500+ of you. Especially those that shared those tiny acts of love your partners do that make you feel special. I used a few of them and shared with others in this series.

  Lastly, you the reader who has grabbed this book. Thank you for coming along with me on this wild adventure. I hope this book brings you joy and happiness.

  George

  Prologue

  One year ago

  Clarice stared at the man sitting across the table from her. She’d come to Las Vegas to be part of the dream wedding of one of the clients of True Love Connections. The bride was a sweet lady from Nebraska who had always dreamed of a Vegas wedding with Elvis officiating. When she’d asked Clarice to be her maid of honor how could she have said no. She thought while she was here she’d try out the online matchmaking services that she oversaw. After all, who would want a matchmaker who was single without even a real relationship since high school? That was before she met her date, Chester Rollings. Just one look and it was obvious that the man had used an old photo of himself on his profile. The guy she agreed to date was a lawyer who had looked a bit like th
e actor Chris Pine. The man sitting across from her was ten years older than that photo and at least fifty pounds heavier with a very bad comb-over hiding his obviously rapidly thinning hair.

  Honestly she would have been okay with all of that but the indication that he’d lied about everything started the minute she sat down. “Hello Clare Bear, I already ordered you the grilled chicken salad and a drink. I got you a Between the Sheets which is where I’m hoping we end up tonight.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Just a little what happens in Vegas joke.”

  “You ordered me a salad and a drink?”

  He pushed the glass across the table to her. “Sure did; you’re three behind, drink that one quick so you can catch up.”

  “I thought you didn’t drink, that’s what your profile on TLC.Net said.”

  “Only when I’m on a date with a hot babe like you, Clare Bear.”

  “Look Chester, let’s get this straight right from the start, my name is Clarice not Clare Bear.” Her foot started tapping rapidly on the floor.

  The man across from her laughed. “Relax Clare Bear, you obviously need a ride on the Chester Rollings Express. After you eat your salad and have a few more drinks I’ll get you between the sheets for that seven-minute ride to heaven, sweet cheeks.”

  “I’m sorry, what did you say to me?”

  “You heard me, now drink your drink before it gets warm.”

  Just to shut him up Clarice picked up the drink and quickly choked it down. Whoever had mixed it had a heavy hand with the rum, cognac and triple sec as well as the sugar syrup. It was too strong and too sweet and gave her both an alcohol buzz and a sugar rush almost instantly. “Tell me Chester, are you even a lawyer? Your profile said you were an entertainment lawyer, is that true?”

  He waved his hand as if it didn’t matter. “Everyone lies on those things, Clare Bear. I doubt you’re really a business owner unless it’s in the service industry. I work for an entertainment law firm but you say what you have to, to get the hook up.”

  Now Clarice was mad. She and her mother ran a legitimate matchmaking company for people looking to make a love connection and enter into a serious relationship. This liar seemed to think they were like Tinder for a quick hook up. “I think we’re done here. I happen to be one of the owners of TLC.Net and we are not for hook ups. We are serious matchmakers helping people make life long romantic connections. I’ll make sure your profile is removed when I get back to the offices.”

  She stood and started to turn to walk away when Chester’s hand locked around her wrist. “Sit down! We’re not done until I say we’re done here. I spent money on you and we aren’t finished until I get my return on the investment.”

  She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them but most of the attention seemed to be focused on the guy on the other side of the restaurant. No one was looking her way and could see this large, rude man restraining her. “Let me go.”

  He squeezed her wrist hard enough to hurt. He may be fifty pounds heavier but she wasn’t sure it was fat, his grip was like steel. “I said sit down, you are mine until I’ve gotten what I’m owed from you.”

  He pulled her toward him and she stumbled and fell onto his lap. “That’s better now, just be a good girl and you’ll have a story to tell around the water cooler tomorrow about your ride on the Chester Express.”

  Just when she thought he was going to force a kiss on her a hearty slap sounded on his shoulder.

  “Chester, the lady doesn’t look like she wants you sweating on her, why don’t you let her go.”

  Clarice looked up into the handsome face of a Greek god of a man. His arms were straining at the seams of his white button down shirt and his face was tanned and held just a hint of stubble.

  “Leave off Rudy, she’s my date for tonight.”

  The brown eyes that had looked like melted chocolate to her earlier now resembled those of an angry animal. “I thought Mister Drysdale told me you were working tonight? I know he was looking for you a few minutes ago, something about his dry-cleaning?”

  Her ‘date’ released her arm. “She wasn’t gonna be worth the ride anyway. Too skinny and snotty for my taste. Probably a cold fish anyway. You’re welcome to the Ice Queen, Mister Lone Survivor. After six months alone in the desert she probably looks good to ya.”

  She pulled herself off Chester’s lap as he moved out of the seat and headed for a grey haired man in a suit on the other side of the bar. Clarice looked at the man and realized that she recognized him. Chester had been right; he was mister Lone Survivor, Rudy Holliday winner of the reality game Lone Survivor. She’d watched every week to see what new and interesting thing he was going to say or do. He’d outlasted every other contestant by six weeks. It seemed like he would survive forever before the Adventure Network had ended the show with him winning the Million Dollar prize and a show of his own on the network. She remembered there had been talk about a party for him here in Vegas but she didn’t realize it was tonight or that her creepy date had been working at it.

  “Thank you for rescuing me there. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  The handsome survival expert smiled at her. “If you’d have yelled one of the security guys would have helped you. How in the world did you end up on a date with Chester the molester anyway?”

  She giggled like a school girl at his crude nickname for Mister Rollings. “It was a matchup from TLC.net.”

  “Ah that was your mistake, online dating; everyone lies in those profiles.”

  “TLC isn’t a dating site, we’re a matchmaking site. People who sign up are supposed to be looking for a True Love Connection with their soulmate.”

  Rudy smiled. “You work for them and you think people don’t lie on your website?”

  “I’m part owner and obviously I realize people can lie, but why would you if you’re looking for a real love match?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t ask me, I’ve never seen a true love match. I’m not sure they exist. My parents divorced four years ago and I can tell you they didn’t love each other.”

  “Well, I see true love matches every day so we will just have to disagree about those.”

  “I’m Rudy as you know, well my real name is...”

  “Rudolph Holliday, star of Lone Survivor the desert edition. I watched you make survival look easy, like most of America did.”

  His smile turned up about three watts. “Well actually my real name is Randall Rudolph Holliday but everyone just calls me Rudy. My dad took the whole Christmas thing too far and named all my brothers and myself after Santa’s Reindeer. As the youngest I got stuck with Rudolph.”

  Now it was Clarice’s turn to laugh; she was feeling very warm and relaxed with him. “After six months in the desert your nose is kinda bright red.”

  He sighed. “Like I haven’t had to hear that from every production assistant all day long.”

  “Well how about this, it must be fate that you came to my rescue Rudolph, and I’d ask you for a date but my dad warned me off of strange red nosed reindeer like you. My name is Clarice.”

  “Wow it must be fate. Does that mean you’ll give me a kiss before the night is over or do I have to play all those reindeer games first?”

  “Let’s start with a drink, dessert dweller.”

  “I can do better than that, come join my party and I’ll feed you the best finger foods this hotel has to offer. “

  She wrapped her hand around his strong arm. “What woman can say no to finger foods?”

  The sunlight shining through the window onto her face awakened Clarice. Why hadn’t she closed the curtain last night? She started to get up and then realized that she was only covered by the silk sheet on the bed. She never went to bed in her current state. Her head hurt and her mouth felt dry while at the same time her stomach felt like it was on a rollercoaster ride to beat them all. She cracked her eyes open to realize that worse than being undressed,
she wasn’t in her hotel room. She looked to her left and almost screamed because she also wasn’t alone!!

  There lying beside her in all his muscular and tanned glory was Rudy Holliday. She tried to think of why she would be in his bed, but her head pounded so bad and she couldn’t remember much of anything from last night. She slowly sat up trying not to disturb her bed mate and look for her clothes. Thankfully some of them were right beside the bed and she was able to slowly roll out of the bed and put them on while kneeling below the top of the mattress. Then she stood up to look for the rest of her clothes when something sparkled on her left hand in the sunlight streaming through the window. Holy Moly! She had on a huge diamond ring and a simple wedding band. Oh no! This just kept getting worse. She looked around and saw on the table in the corner was her dress from last night as well as a folder from the Love Me Tender Wedding Chapel. She opened the folder to find a picture of her and Rudy standing in front of Elvis holding hands. But the worst evidence something had gone horribly wrong was the marriage certificate that declared in black and white she’d married one Randall Rudolph Holliday. Her stomach lurched and she raced to the bathroom, where she fell on her knees and proceeded to toss the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

  A large, rough, warm hand started rubbing her back and another scooped her hair away from her face, holding it behind her. She struggled to stand. “Easy Love, might be best if you stayed where you are a few more minutes to be safe.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Clarice cried as her stomach lurched again.

  “You’re my wife, of course I’d call you love.”

  “I don’t understand how I married you, I don’t even know you. I mean, I know of you but I don’t know if we’d be a good match or anything about you besides what was on the show.”