Ultimate Book Bundle Featuring Roadtrips and Romance

Featuring Roadtrips and Romance

Liz's car breaks down on day one of her California coast camping trip and her old high school crush rescues her, but the tent is only big enough for one air mattress...

 Folly and Forever

Bethany marries her roommate just to save her house and help him get custody of his kid who is being neglected...

Voyages and Vows

Dani's fiancé left her at the altar. Her man of honor steps up and offers to marry her right then and there...and she says yes.

Snowfall and Secrets

Tess's new landlord is hotter than the sun, but a complete grump. But when the temps drop to negative 15, her heater craps and there is no way he's letting her stay alone without heat. He brings her back to his place but he only has one bed...

Pyramids and Promises

Jessica left her cheating husband 4000 miles away. But he's a crazy stalker and found her anyway. Just as he's about to hit her, her hot new neighbor's dog attacks him...

Lakesides and Longing

Paige wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Her enemy rushes to her room and doesn't hesitate. He climbs into her bed and pulls her thrashing body into his arms, holding her until she calms down….

Christmas and Commitment

Mia's fiancé left her at the altar. But she take my honeymoon anyway--why waste the trip? The eye candy in the suite next to her shows up at her door half-dressed looking for his dog...

Monkeys and Mayhem

Anna's one night stand from three months ago left a business card with an address in Thailand told her to come visit him sometime. After too much wine, she boo

Roadtrips and Romance

Liz wiped the sweat out of her eyes—thanks to the
San Diego sun—and then heaved up the hood of her
ancient Ford Taurus. Using the set of tools she
always had on hand, she checked the strength of the battery
and went over the litany of other issues that could be wrong.
“Shit,” she mumbled. The engine was dead.
Pressure built up behind her eyes. All that planning. All
that money saved. Something she should easily be able to
handle was going to screw everything up.
Liz pulled out her cell and called her dad.
He answered on the first ring. “How’s the start of vacay?”
“Over.” She took in a shaky breath. “My engine’s dead.”
She glanced up through the tears in her eyes at the motel
she’d stayed at the night before—nothing special, but it had
done the job. She was only supposed to be there one night,
but it looked like she’d have to extend her stay. “Can you
bring the tow truck?”
She lived in Vegas with her father, where he ran his own
auto mechanic shop.


“Oh, honey.” The sadness in his voice almost made her
eyes spill tears. “Are you sure the engine is dead?”
Liz let out a laugh. “Come on, Dad. You’re going to ask
me that question?”
“Of course you’re sure,” he said. “Knowing you, you
checked everything four times.” She’d been tinkering in her
father’s mechanic shop for as long as she could remember
and based on pictures she’d seen, even earlier than that.
“Exactly. So can you bring it?”
“Sure. I’ve got a full plate today at the shop, but I’ll call in

some reinforcements for tomorrow. I can be there mid-
morning.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She tried to hold her voice steady, but she
wasn’t succeeding.
“I’m so sorry, honey. I know how much this trip meant to
you.”
Liz swallowed the tears, knowing she’d have to get off the
phone before she completely lost it. “Me too,” she whispered.
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
They hung up, and Liz gave her car another once over.
Nothing had changed. Not bothering to put the hood down,
she dragged herself out onto the beach. She collapsed on a
sand dune overlooking the ocean. She tried to hold back the
tears, but they came anyway. What a crappy way to start, and
quickly end, her one and only vacation.
This had been her tribute to her late mother. She was
going to retrace her parent’s honeymoon. Her mother had
told her of the beautiful sites she’d seen on this roadtrip. It
was Mother’s only trip outside of Las Vegas, and she spent
the rest of her short life planning the repeat with Liz.
Instead, she’d died when Liz was twelve, leaving only
dreams.
Liz had saved and planned for this trip for years, and now

it was gone with one dead engine. If her boyfriend, Tanner
hadn’t run off to Honduras, they could’ve taken his car. She
didn’t want to resent him too bad, but at this point, she
wanted to blame someone. He was supposed to be here with
her. In some ways she expected this. His causes always came
first. After five years, she should know better than to expect
anything different.
The waves crashed on the shore, and several black and
tan dogs splashed in the water surrounded by a group of
people who all looked like they just stepped off the set of
Baywatch.
This summer was supposed to be the last hurrah before
she got married and started real life. Instead of going to
college, she’d apprenticed under her dad for four years and
spent the next six saving for her own shop, which she would
start working on as soon as she got home. Her dream was to
open an all-female auto mechanic shop. If and when she
succeeded, she wouldn’t have time for fun. She’d been
looking forward to this summer since she graduated high
school, and it took her ten years to save her money. Now it
was ruined.
One of the black dogs broke away from the group and
made a beeline for her. She turned around to see if there was
a bird or a person behind her, but she was the only one out
here. She turned back around just in time for the dog to
knock her onto her back. Liz shoved at the pup, but instead
of the dog moving, it collapsed on top of her and licked her
face. A large hand gripped the collar and yanked the dog off.
“Nona, stop. Bad dog.”
Liz sat up to see Nona sitting in front of her owner,
hanging her head down. She whimpered and pawed at the
sand.
“Stay,” he commanded.
Nona collapsed in the sand and covered her snout with

her paws. Liz had never seen such a thing. Her best friend,
Jenny had a big dog, but he never listened to Jenny.
Liz glanced up and groaned. Here she was, bawling her
eyes out, and of course she’d come face-to-face with the last
person she expected to see. Seriously, what were the
chances? They were both over five hours away from where
they’d grown up.
Adam Winslow was handsome in high school, but he was
even more so now. His jawline had sharpened, and he had a
sexy five o’clock shadow. His raven-black hair was long on
top but styled back, and his limbs were dark and defined. She
shook her head, suddenly remembering his less than attrac‐
tive personality from high school. In spite of having looks
that made every girl in the school grovel at his very feet, he’d
been a prick.
Adam offered his hand and helped her up. “Are you
okay?” He seemed to study her, his piercing eyes distracting.
“Are you crying? Did Nona hurt you?”
Liz wiped at the tears on her face, feeling silly. “Nona
didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”
“But you’re crying. Where’d she hurt you? I’m so sorry.”
“No, she didn’t hurt me. Really.” Liz wiped the rest of the
moisture off her cheeks. “I was crying before she ran me
over.” She hated having to admit it, but it was better than
letting him think his dog had done something to her. They’d
shared a few classes in high school but it wasn’t like they ever
even uttered two words to one another.
He met her eyes, and a light bulb of recognition flicked
on. “Snow?”
She laughed through a sob. She hadn’t heard that nick‐
name in years. Sure everyone called her that in high school,
but no one did now. “Yeah, I go by Liz now.” She sniffed and
sighed loudly. “But long time no see.” She felt so foolish.

Jenny would get a kick out of her run-in with Adam. It
would be the only story Liz would have for her.
“I’ll say. Sorry, only the teachers called you Liz in school.
I’d actually forgotten it was your real name.”
In seventh grade, she tried out Missy Gobel’s bright red
lipstick, and everyone said she looked like Snow White. The
nickname stuck. She still wore red lipstick, but mostly because
she didn’t know how to wear any other kind of makeup.
He chuckled, and then his face turned sad again. “What’s
wrong?”
Liz shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just disappointed
because my vacation got hijacked.”
Nona crawled over and nudged Liz’s foot. She leaned
down and scratched Nona behind the ears.
“I thought I told you to stay,” Adam scolded.
Liz grinned. “Come on, Adam, she’s trying to love on me.
Why’d she zero in on me in the first place?”
She sat down, and the Doberman climbed in her lap.
Adam gave the dog a patronizing look. “Probably because
you were crying. She thinks it’s her mission to make every
woman and child happy. The women usually respond better
to it than the kids. She scares the crap out of them.”
Liz laughed, her tears gone. “Wow a dog who saves the
world from tears. I’m impressed. I’m also surprised you
remember me.”
“You sat in front of me in AP Bio. How could I forget the
girl who showed no fear at any of the dissections? You grad‐
uate from med school yet?”
“No. I didn’t go to college.”
He opened and closed his mouth. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to. I’ve always wanted to
work on cars with my dad. So that’s what I’m doing.” She
brushed her hands on her worn and holey jeans as she stood
again. Nona stayed as close as she could get. “I’m opening my
own shop when I get back to Vegas.”
“Good for you. But that doesn’t answer the million-dollar
question. What happened that your vacation’s been
hijacked?” She was so surprised by his niceness. He seemed
to genuinely care about her predicament. Maybe she’d
misjudged him in high school.
He nudged her, and she sighed. “My car engine died and I
can’t go on my roadtrip now. It would take too much money
to fix the engine, and I don’t have enough to rent a car
either.”
She sniffed. Funny how she couldn’t utter two words to
the gorgeous Adam Winslow in high school, but now she was
spilling her whole sob story to him. Course, back then he
wouldn’t have uttered two words to her either.
“Where were you going?” he asked, the sincerity on his
face unmistakable. Who knew the Vegas playboy, Adam
Winslow, could be so human. She didn’t usually follow the
lives of her classmates, but Adam was a local celebrity. Jenny
probably knew his life story.
“I drove here to San Diego, and then my plan was to make
my way up the coast, ending in Vancouver. I was going to
camp out on the beach every night. Now I have no car, and
by the time I figure out how to get the money to get it fixed,
it will be too late. Engines are very expensive, even if I can do
the labor myself.”
Nothing was expensive for the Winslows, who had more
money than God. His dad owned half the casinos in Vegas.
“Camping, huh?” A slow grin appeared on his face.
“Yeah. You know, with a tent and an air mattress.”
He nodded, the devastating smile still there. “Never done
that before.”
“You’ve been deprived.” Before Mom died, they took
camping trips around Vegas all the time. They did occasionally afterwards as well, but they weren’t quite as fun. Still,
camping was in her blood.
He chuckled. “I know. Just after my tenth birthday I told
my mom I wanted to camp on the beach because of a movie
I’d seen. So she bought a million-dollar RV and took me to
one of those fancy parks here in San Diego. They wouldn’t
even let us have a campfire.”
“Poor you.” Her lip tugged as she envisioned Adam’s
version of camping. Him being followed around by a nanny
making sure he didn’t get speck of dirt on him and eating in
their fancy RV with precious china.
“Yeah.” He shook his head, and the smile drifted away. “I
feel bad your trip got messed up. Can I do anything to help?”
“No, my dad is driving the tow truck out tomorrow
morning.” The tears started again, and Nona stuck her snout
up, wanting to get at Liz’s face again. “I’m so sorry. I’m not
usually a crybaby, but I’m so disappointed. I won’t get the
opportunity to do this again.”
Adam didn’t respond. She should let him take his dog
back to his friends, and his friends’ dogs, who were having a
great time on the beach.
He took out his wallet. “Let me fix your problem for you.”
“That’s nice, but I don’t want your pity money.” Yep. Still
a prick. Wave a magical money wand, and suddenly all your
problems are fixed.
“No, that’s not it. I just broke up with my fiancée, and I
could use a few weeks away from my family.” He dropped his
gaze and ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath
and met Liz’s eyes again. “What if I came with you? I could
supply the car. You said you’ve already got everything else. I
can buy another tent.”
She let out a laugh, and his face fell.
“Sorry. You’ve never been camping before, right? We’re
talking a month of sleeping on the ground. Using campground showers. Plus all the sites I’ve booked only allow one tent.” The whole idea was absurd.
He hesitated a moment. “I can handle that. Please. I’ve
never camped before, and I think it would be fun. Can your
tent accommodate two air mattresses?” She chewed on her
bottom lip.
“I have a boyfriend.” And he would not approve of the
proposed situation. Liz couldn’t believe she was more
concerned about Tanner’s potential concerns than her own.
She was actually considering it.
“Where?” Adam asked with a smirk.
“Tanner is in Honduras working on a Habitat for
Humanity project. He was supposed to come with me, but he
had to extend his stay for another six months.”
She didn’t tell Adam how much it bothered her. Tanner
was going to propose on this trip. They’d talked about it and
she’d picked out the ring. They would get engaged in
Newport, Oregon, and elope when they arrived home in
Vegas.
Tanner promised he’d make it up to her. He said the work
he was doing was super important, which Liz supposed it
was, but she was still disappointed. He encouraged her to go
anyway, not that she would’ve let that stop her. But now, not
only did she not have her boyfriend to join her on her trip...
she didn’t have a trip. She’d planned for possible issues, but
she never thought she’d have a car problem she couldn’t fix.
Adam shifted, so he was in Liz’s line of sight. “I’m not
looking for a relationship or anything. Seriously. I want to
spend a few weeks figuring out what’s next for me. My dad is
upset I broke off my engagement, and I don’t want to go
home to him. I’ll pay half of everything. Please.” His face held
almost desperation.
This was a viable, though slightly bizarre, option. As the seconds passed, the hope in his eyes grew. He really wanted
to do this.
But she still wasn’t sure. To buy herself a bit more time,
she joked. “I haven’t seen you in over ten years. How do I
know you’re not some creep?”
“You don’t.” He smiled and laughed, and it was such a
warm and comforting sound, Liz couldn’t help but laugh as
well.
She worried it would make the entire trip awkward and
weird. She didn’t even know him. But without him, the trip
wouldn’t exist.
Despite all the ways the universe was scheming against
her, something about this felt right.