Breaking Clear (Full Hearts Series Book 3)
Read Breaking Clear (Full Hearts Series Book 3) Online
Authors: Mj Summers
MJ Summers
Copyright © 2015 by Gretz Corp.
All rights reserved.
Published by Gretz Corp.
First edition
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Information is available upon request
Kindle Edition: June 2015
EPUB ISBN: 978-0-9921422-3-0
Break in Two (Full Hearts Book One)
Don’t Let Go (A Full Hearts Novella) – Prequel to Breaking Love –
E-book only
Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book Two)
Letting Go (A Full Hearts Novella) – Prequel to Breaking Clear –
a FREE downloadable E-book
Breaking Clear (Full Hearts Book Three)
Breaking Hearts (Full Hearts Book Four) –
Coming November 2015
The Full Hearts Series has more than one possible reading combination for your enjoyment. Each book can be read as a stand-alone (i.e. NO cliff-hangers) but each book also has at least one character linked to another book in the series.
BEST Reading Order: Entire Series as listed above
OR
If Cowboys Aren’t Your Thing
: Breaking Love, Letting Go, Breaking Clear
OR
Breaking Love, Breaking Clear
OR
If You ONLY Love Cowboys:
Break in Two, Breaking Hearts
OR
Don’t Let Go, Break in Two, Breaking Hearts
For my beautiful children, O, E and A.
You’ve shown me just how full one’s heart can be,
you remind me every single day that the world is full of
infinite possibilities, and you force me to continue
to grow and learn, whether I like it or not.
As with Grandma and Grandpa,
you three are never, ever to read my books.
Dear Reader,
Well, here it is—my third novel. If you had asked me two years ago if I would ever write a book, I would have looked behind me to see who you were talking to. And now, as I sit at my desk, hours away from completing my third novel, I find myself with a wonderful career that I can take anywhere and work on anywhere, creating stories that you can enjoy anywhere. Well, except the naughty scenes. There is a time and a place to enjoy them and most certainly a time and a place to write them.
Breaking Clear
(Book 3 of the Full Hearts Series) is the story of old friends and new love. It is the story of a family trying to heal from a painful past and trying to make room for one another once again. It is the story of Harper Young, who I hope you met and loved in
Breaking Love
(Book 2 of the Full Hearts Series). She may be the life of the party, the strong, feisty best friend everyone wants to have, but she’s also had her share of heartache that she does her very best to forget. She is about to become reacquainted with Evan Donovan, the super-hot boy next door who grew up to become a super-hot man. Their love story, like so many in real life, is full of ups and downs, tender moments and terrible arguments. They’ve both been hurt badly and need to help each other find their way home.
Unlike real life, their love story is a work of fantasy and as such, Evan and Harper do not have to practise safe sex. Were they real, they most certainly would.
Before we begin, I want to pass along my heartfelt gratitude for honouring me with your time as you start this story. It is because of you that I have a wonderful new life in which I can spend hours every day lost in worlds of my own creation, which, as far as I’m concerned, is the very best job on the planet. My sincerest hope is that you, too, will find your escape in these pages.
Happy reading,
MJ
“Sometime Around Midnight” by The Airborne Toxic Event
“Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran
“Break Your Plans” by The Fray
“Foolish Games” by Jewel
“Detlef Schrempf” by Band of Horses
“Hold Fire” by Delays
“Let Your Hair Down” by Magic!
“Rotten Love” by Levy
“One More Night” by Stars
“Not a Bad Thing” by Justin Timberlake
Manhattan, New York
The call came on a Thursday afternoon. It was an early summer day not unlike many Harper Young had spent as art director at
Style
magazine. She silenced the ringer on her cellphone without looking to see who it was. It would be several hours before she would check her messages and hear the news. It would be many months before she would realize that this was the call that had caused her carefully carved-out life to veer sharply in a direction she never could have anticipated. Sliding her phone back into the pocket of her trousers she continued to work, forgetting about the call completely.
“Stop, Assaf. Wait. The balance in this shot is off. We have one too many to the left.” Harper strode quickly across the set and motioned to a tall, slim girl wrapped in a leather-belted trench coat.
Assaf, the photographer, nodded and a stylist whisked the girl away. Harper stepped over to one of the models to quickly adjust the collar on his jacket. She glanced at his face, her hands never stopping. “Dylan, was it? Your first day?”
The young man nodded.
“You’re adorable. But you need to stop giving me the blue-steel look or you’ll be fired.” Turning back to the rest of the waiting team, she clapped her hands together. “Okay, everyone! Let’s get moving. Music up. Models, eyes forward. Think cold winter streets, think frostbite—but sexy frostbite.” This caused some people to laugh, and Harper smiled too. “That’s it, people. Let’s have some fun!” she called out, giving Assaf a wink.
Even though it was an unseasonably hot day in New York City, Harper’s mind was on the November issue of the magazine, full of luxurious cashmeres, tall leather boots and the darker makeup trends that come with the winter season. Sia sang over the speakers as the camera snapped and the models pouted and turned under Assaf’s direction. In her twelve years at the world’s premier fashion magazine, Harper had spent the last four as art director, overseeing hundreds of shoots like this one. She controlled every detail, managed every crisis, commanded respect from everyone around her. She had made her way up the ladder and knew what it took to stay there. Decisiveness and confidence were every bit as important as knowledge of fashion.
This moment was her favourite—the thrilling culmination of weeks of planning and dozens of choices. This was when she felt most alive. The buzz of activity around her, the art and beauty she had envisioned being captured so it could be shared with the world. This was why she had gotten into fashion all those years ago. This made wading through all the challenges of tempers, prima donnas and nervous advertisers worth it. Tomorrow, in the quiet of her office, she would examine the contact sheets and see the fruits of her hard work; she would have that familiar sense of satisfaction in knowing she had done what she set out to do. Another moment she savoured.
Glancing at the door, she noticed her immediate boss, Blaire Jones, watching the shoot’s progress. At forty-eight, Blaire looked closer to forty than fifty. Her petite frame did little to stop her from intimidating others wherever she went. Blaire gave Harper a quick nod before exiting the studio. After so many years working together, Harper was trusted to handle even the most important shoots and today’s was no exception.
Harper eyed the lighting and was about to call out to Assaf when her cellphone buzzed in her pocket again. Taking the phone out, she saw it was her brother Craig calling. Putting her cell on silent mode, she made a mental note to call him back when the shoot was finished. Right now, she had to keep her eye on the room.
Boulder, Colorado
The sun ducked behind a fluffy white cloud, offering Evan Donovan a temporary respite from the heat as he reached into the chalk bag strapped to his waist with one hand, the other clinging to the tiny hold above his head. Glancing down, he could see the ground was at least a hundred feet away now, and a satisfied smile crossed his face as he reached his chalked fingers up to find the next hold. Climbing gave Evan a thrill that was beyond compare—the solitude, the freedom, the knowledge that he had both the determination and the staying power it took to make it to the top. Climbing wasn’t just a sport for him. It was a reminder of how he wanted to live his life—taking smart risks that would lead to success. Taking risks required confidence, focus and drive, all of which he felt as intensely as the granite his body was pressed against. Here, he was unstoppable. Here, he would dominate. And there was nothing in the world like it.
Glancing down again, he called, “Hey, dog! You coming or what?” His dog, Boots, ignored him and continued sniffing around at the bottom of the cliff, searching for butterflies to chase. What he would do if he ever caught one, Evan didn’t know. Boots, a massive grey pit bull, was probably the most gentle animal he’d ever come across. The dog had found Evan, not the other way around, six months ago when he had appeared late one evening at a new house Evan was building. He had been close to starving and bore both fresh wounds and old scars. Even now that his wounds had healed and he was healthy, Boots was a terrifying animal to look at, but he was quick to offer a big dog-smile, and his exuberant tail wagged his entire body whenever he greeted someone. “I’m going to beat you to the top!” Evan warned, chuckling to himself as he watched Boots peer up and then race to the trail that led around the side of the cliff and to the top of the ridge.
The cloud passed by, giving way to the sun again. Fresh beads of sweat formed on Evan’s face. The heat didn’t bother him, though. In fact, today, nothing could bother him. He’d finally gotten the approvals for all of the utilities on the largest land-development project of his career. He’d put in the bid over a year ago, knowing it was a long shot. But he had won it and now was back on top, putting a long distance between himself and the hardship the recession had caused. With all the permits in place, he could get his crews to work first thing Monday. And once everything got started, it would be a long time before he would find himself climbing again.
But this wasn’t the moment to think about all of that. He needed to clear his mind of both his success and his responsibilities so he could stay focused on what his body was doing. Each muscle needed to work in unison to avoid a fall. Even though he was harnessed into safety gear, he knew from experience how painful it was to slam against the rock if he slipped.
Ten minutes later, with the last of his strength, he pulled his muscular body up over the side of the cliff, then stood and turned to take in the view. Boots, who had made it to the top already, hurried over to join him.
“Let’s have some water and relax a while.” Reaching into his pack for a bowl and a water bottle, he filled the dog’s dish before plunking himself next to the animal. Evan endured Boots’s customary face licks before wiping his cheek and sucking back a long, refreshing drink. Taking off his shirt, he used it to wipe the sweat from his face and chest before tossing it into his pack.
