Love On the Run Read online

  No wonder Guillaume had been so angry.

  Kylee glanced at Guillaume—no, it was Bill now—and saw him conversing with the group at her table. He was obviously successful as well as incredibly handsome. If not for her glimpse of the emotions he had shown earlier, she would have never guessed at his former life and the tragedy behind the mask.

  When she finally greeted the last of the guests, Kylee headed for her table, leaving Elaina to officially welcome the crowd and introduce the speakers and singers who would entertain them as they ate. After dessert was served, Kylee would make her presentation of the video and the children.

  “So, Dr. Dubrey, why haven’t you married?” Mrs. Boswell was saying as Kylee arrived at the table. “Audrey has quite the eye for you, you know. Her two kids are practically in high school, so they wouldn’t be much of a bother. The fact that she’s moved to the same condominium complex as you is really quite convenient. I keep telling her to chase you a bit, you know. Men liked to be chased.” Mrs. Boswell batted her mascara-laden eyes, and Kylee’s sympathy went out to the unfortunate Audrey who had trusted Mrs. Boswell with her heart.

  “I’m afraid I’m a born bachelor,” Bill said as he applied crab paste to a wheat cracker. He met Mrs. Boswell’s gaze with a direct stare. “My focus is on my work. I’m much too busy for a relationship.” He took a bite of the cracker and swallowed before adding, “I especially like to work on subjects with your potential, Mrs. Boswell. You’re a perfect candidate for my latest sculpting methods.”

  Mrs. Boswell flushed and brought a hand to her well-endowed bosom. “I may come to see you very soon.” She elbowed her husband, who nodded with a distracted smile. Kylee had the feeling that the heavyset Mrs. Boswell did whatever she pleased, with or without her husband’s approval.

  Kylee slipped into the chair next to Bill as the waiters began to serve the main course. Usually she would have mingled with the guests instead of eating, in order to personally iron out any problems that might arise, but tonight Elaina and Troy would have to handle that. She owed Bill this much. She had brought him here using Nicole’s name, and then, worse, she had inadvertently set him among sharks—or at least one shark. Kylee felt she should give him as much support as she could muster.

  “So how long have you been in California?” Kylee asked.

  He set down his fork and looked at her steadily. “Four years.”

  “He studied in France, you know,” Mrs. Boswell said. “The French are simply the best at maintaining beauty, aren’t they?” The other women at the table nodded. “But it’s certainly good to be able to go to an American,” Mrs. Boswell added with a sniff. “I don’t trust foreigners.”

  Kylee caught an amused glint in Bill’s eyes, and she almost laughed aloud. What would Mrs. Boswell say if she knew Bill had been born in France as Guillaume Debré? Well, Kylee wasn’t about to tell her.

  Everyone was blessedly silent after the waiters delivered the food, but only for a few moments. When the talk began again, it turned to politics and the economy. Kylee only partially listened as she studied Bill from the corner of her eye. She had known him fairly well during the two years she and Nicole had been friends, and his appearance was uncannily the same. There were almost no wrinkles around his eyes, and his hair didn’t have even a trace of gray. Underneath the new polish of poise, he still had something boyish and open about him. Was that what had made Nicole love him so deeply?

  Kylee sighed inwardly and forced herself to think about the speech she would make. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could help the children—and the sooner she could get away from Bill Dubrey and the hurtful memories of Nicole.

  END OF PREVIEW. If you would like to purchase This Very Moment, please click here. Or turn to the next page to learn more about Rachel Ann Nunes including her pen name novels..

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  RACHEL ANN NUNES (PRONOUNCED NOON-ESH) learned to read when she was four, beginning a lifetime fascination with the written word. She still reads everything she can lay hands on, from children’s stories to science articles.

  She began writing in the seventh grade and is now the author of over thirty published books, including the popular Ariana series, The Huntington Family series, Eyes of a Stranger, and Saving Madeline. Her novel Before I Say Goodbye won the 2011 Whitney Award in the general fiction category. Imprints, An Autumn Rain Novel (2010), Fields of Home (2008), and The Independence Club (2007) were all Whitney Award Finalists. Her picture book Daughter of a King was also voted best children’s book of the year in 2003 by the Association of Independent LDS Booksellers.

  Rachel and her husband, TJ, live in Utah Valley and are the parents of seven awesome children—three boys and four girls. Rachel writes Monday through Friday in a home office, but she takes frequent breaks from writing to read or swim with her kids.

  Rachel also writes mainstream romance under the name Rachel Branton and urban fantasy under the name Teyla Branton. To learn more about these titles, please see the list of books below or visit TeylaRachelBranton.com. You can join her pen name mailing list here. To read about upcoming Rachel Ann Nunes titles, visit http://www.RachelAnnNunes.com or join her emailing list here.

  You can also write to Rachel at [email protected].

  BOOKS BY RACHEL ANN NUNES

  Women’s Fiction

  Flying Home

  Fields of Home

  Saving Madeline

  Before I Say Goodbye

  The Gift of Angels (novella)

  A Greater Love

  A Heartbeat Away

  Huntington Family

  Winter Fire

  No Longer Strangers

  Chasing Yesterday

  By Morning Light

  The Independence Club

  Ariana Series (and Spin-off)

  Ariana: The Making of a Queen

  Ariana: A Gift Most Precious

  Ariana: A New Beginning

  A Glimpse of Eternity: The Story of Ariana’s Daughters

  Rebekka Series

  This Time Forever (also Mickelle #1)

  Ties That Bind

  Twice in a Lifetime

  Mickelle Series

  This Time Forever (also Rebekka #1)

  Bridge to Forever

  Deal for Love Series (Romantic Suspense)

  A Bid For Love

  Framed For Love

  Love On The Run

  Deal For Love: 3 Book Set

  Romance

  To Love and to Promise

  Tomorrow and Always

  Where I Belong

  A Greater Love

  This Very Moment

  In Your Place

  For Children

  The Problem With Spaceships: Zero G

  Daughter of a King

  The Secret of the King

  UNDER THE NAME RACHEL BRANTON

  Lily’s House Series

  House Without Lies

  Tell Me No Lies

  Your Eyes Don’t Lie

  Hearts Never Lie

  Broken Lies

  Lily’s House Novellas

  Cowboys Can’t Lie

  Finding Home Series

  Take Me Home

  All That I Love

  Then I Found You

  Noble Hearts

  Royal Quest

  Royal Dance

  Lisbon's Misadventures (Picture Books)

  I Don't Want To Eat Bugs

  I Don’t Want to Have Hot Toes

  UNDER THE NAME TEYLA BRANTON

  Unbounded Series

  The Change

  The Cure

  The Escape

  The Reckoning

  The Takeover

  Unbounded Novellas

  Ava’s Revenge

  Mortal Brother

  Lethal Engagement

  Set Ablaze

  Colony Six

  Sketches

  Imprints

  Touch of Rain

  On the Hunt

  Upstaged

&n
bsp; Under Fire

  Blinded

  Short Stories

  Times Nine

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  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

  Epilogue

  Bonus! Preview of This Very Moment

  About the Author

  Books by Rachel Ann Nunes

  Under the name Rachel Branton

  Under the name Teyla Branton