Sweet Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
1001 Dark Nights
Sweet Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2016 Liliana Hart
ISBN: 978-1-942299-40-0
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
Sweet Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
It’s been twelve years since Liza Carmichael stepped foot in Surrender, but after her great aunt’s death she has no choice but to return and settle her estate. Which includes the corner bakery that’s been a staple in Surrender for more than fifty years.
After twenty-five years on the job, Lieutenant Grant Boone finds himself at loose ends now that he’s retired. He’s gotten a number of job offers—one from MacKenzie Security—but he’s burned out and jaded, and the last thing he wants to do is carry the burden of another badge and weapon. He almost turns down the invitation from his good friend Cooper MacKenzie to stay as their guest for a few weeks while he’s deciding what to do with the rest of his life. But he packs his bag and heads to Surrender anyway.
The only thing Boone knows is that his future plans don’t include Liza Carmichael. She’s bossy, temperamental, and the confections she bakes are sweet enough to tempt a saint. Thank God he’s never pretended to be one. But after he gets one taste of Liza and things start heating up in the kitchen, he realizes how delicious new beginnings can be.
About Liliana Hart
Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling Author of more than 50 titles. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she’d found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.
Since self-publishing in June of 2011, Liliana has sold more than 5 million ebooks and been translated into eight languages. She’s appeared at #1 on lists all over the world and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times list. Liliana is a sought after speaker and she’s given keynote speeches and self-publishing workshops to standing-room-only crowds from California to New York to London.
Liliana can almost always be found at her computer writing or on the road giving workshops for SilverHart International, a company she founded with her husband, Scott Silverii, where they provide law enforcement, military, and fire resources for writers so they can write it right.
Connect with me online:
twitter.com/Liliana_Hart
facebook.com/LilianaHart
My Website: www.lilianahart.com
Also by Liliana Hart
Click to purchase
The MacKenzie Series
Dane
A Christmas Wish: Dane
Thomas
To Catch A Cupid: Thomas
Riley
Fireworks: Riley
Cooper
A MacKenzie Christmas
MacKenzie Box Set
Cade
Shadows and Silk
Secrets and Satin
Sins and Scarlet Lace
The MacKenzie Security Series (Includes the 3 books listed above)
1001 Dark Nights: Captured in Surrender
Sizzle
Crave
Troublemaker
Scorch
Spies and Stilettos
THE COLLECTIVE SERIES
Kill Shot
THE RENA DRAKE SERIES
Breath of Fire
ADDISON HOLMES MYSTERIES
Whiskey Rebellion
Whiskey Sour
Whiskey For Breakfast
Whiskey, You’re The Devil
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
JJ GRAVES MYSTERIES
Dirty Little Secrets
A Dirty Shame
Dirty Rotten Scoundrel
Down and Dirty
Dirty Deeds
STANDALONE NOVELS/NOVELLAS
All About Eve
Paradise Disguised
Catch Me If You Can
Dedication
To Scott~
Because we get to do life together. And we’re a heck of a team. Thank you always for your unwavering support and love.
Acknowledgments from the Author
A huge thank you to MJ Rose and Liz Berry at Evil Eye Publishing for being the most awesome publishers ever, Jillian Stein for being a social media genius, and all the other 1001 Dark Nights authors who make this so much fun.
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Click here to explore
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
TAME ME by J. Kenner
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Click here to explore
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
ADORED by Lexi Blake
HADES by Larissa Ione
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair
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1001 Dark Nights story
The First Night
by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose
Table of Contents
Book Description
About Liliana Hart
Also by Liliana Hart
Dedication
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Discover 10
01 Dark Nights Collection Two
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Discover More Liliana Hart
Discover the MacKenzie Family World
An excerpt from The Darkest Corner by Liliana Hart
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories… to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday’s wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier’s daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story… I begin a new
one… like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chapter One
A brisk March wind blew through Surrender.
“Being a cop doesn’t mean I crave donuts.” Grant Boone glared out the window toward the bakery across the street.
Cooper MacKenzie snorted, “You were a cop.”
Grant’s hands fisted in his lap and his gaze dropped to stare at them as the familiar anger raged through his body. His light brown hair, which was long overdue for a cut, hung down to hide his expression. He knew Cooper hadn’t meant anything by it, but damn, the words still pierced him like a knife to the gut.
“My mistake,” he said. “I was a cop.”
“Come on, Grant. You know I didn’t mean it that way. Hell, you’re still the best there is. Your chief will wake up and realize his screw-up before long. Though I’ve always thought you and the city would clash before too long. Hell, look at you. You look like you walked out of one of those Marlboro commercials. What the hell is a country boy like you doing in Detroit anyway?”
Cooper wasn’t the first person to tell him he didn’t belong in the Motor City. But he’d served the city with a purpose. He’d worked undercover, and he’d been an asset to the force. It wasn’t often they came across a six-foot-five, two-hundred-and-forty-five pound bruiser to work the biker bars and clubs.
“There’s no going back, Coop. I gave that shithole city the best years of my life. And for what? A forced retirement under a cloud of an internal affairs investigation.” Grant set his coffee on the desk and knuckled his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept a full night through. God, was he tired.
A bright red BMW SUV sped down Main Street, kicking up leaves as it turned with a squeal of tires and parked illegally at the side of the little bakery across the street.
“Holy shit,” Grant said, bringing his boots down to the floor with a thump. “Who is that maniac?”
“Damn,” Cooper said, whistling through his teeth. “I’m going to have to give her a ticket this time. We’ve warned her about the speed three times already. But you’re going to want to steer clear of that mess.” Cooper brought his own feet down and pushed back his chair. “She’s nothing but trouble.”
Grant forgot his own problems back in Detroit as he watched the woman with fascination. The driver’s side door opened, and a pair of fancy cowboy boots touched the cobbled street. By the time she stood to her full height his mouth was already watering. Pure lust rolled deep in his belly. She looked like a modern-day Xena Warrior Princess with black hair and the body of an Amazon. He couldn’t see her eye color from that distance, but in his mind they had to be blue.
She unloaded a large stack of white boxes from the back of the Beemer, and he watched her mouth move in what could only be curses as she fought to keep hold of them in the wind.
He could tell by looking the woman was an absolute hellcat. He’d tussled with them before, and he had a knack for attracting them. He’d worked most of his career undercover, but he always seemed to connect with dangerous women who added an extra element of risk to his drug enforcement days.
Grant grinned and shook his head. “Damn, Coop. You shouldn’t have said that. You know I love a good warning.”
“Her name’s Liza Carmichael,” Cooper said. “Her great aunt passed not long ago. She ran that bakery for fifty years. Mrs. Baker never missed a morning’s opening. Though I seem to recall her coming in late once after she buried her husband in the early nineties.”
“The old lady who owned the bakery was named Mrs. Baker?” Grant asked.
“Ironic, huh?”
“So Surrender has a new pastry chef,” Grant said. “Maybe I’ll take up donut eating after all. Once a cop, always a cop.”
Cooper laughed and shook his head. “You always were a glutton for punishment.”
“I miss the adrenaline rush.”
“Hey, I know what you mean. And I’m not saying you should swear off donuts, but honestly, I’d stay away from her. She’s made it crystal clear that her intentions are to lease the space or sell it outright. Whichever brings her the greatest profit. She has no desire to stay in Surrender.”
“Perfect,” he said. “Neither do I.”
Grant ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back off his face, and he noticed Cooper’s scowl as his gaze locked on the disfiguring scar that ran the length of his left jaw to just behind his ear. He knew Cooper still carried the guilt of the injury, but there was nothing he or anyone could’ve done. It was just an undercover drug deal gone bad.
“Coop,” he said, trying to divert attention back to the very sexy Ms. Carmichael. “I can assure you that I will never swear off donuts. I have a powerful sweet tooth.”
“Are we still talking about actual donuts?”
“There’s all kinds of donuts,” he said, smiling. “And I’ve got a hell of an appetite.”
Cooper grabbed the sheriff’s cowboy hat off the stand behind his desk, snugged it on his head, and grabbed his
sheepskin coat.
“What the hell?” Cooper said. “Things have been slow around here lately, and I need a good laugh. She’s going to tear you up, brother.”
Grant slapped Cooper on the shoulder and grabbed his own coat as he followed him out of the office. “It feels just like old times.”
Liza Carmichael fumbled with another case of cake boxes. It was her eighth trip into the old building. Each time she schlepped back out to her car to get another load, and then schlepped back inside again, fighting the wind and the door, she wondered why Aunt Rose had left her the bakery. She had other family, but instead, she’d left it all to Liza.
Liza remembered visits during the summers when her folks would make the short drive down from Canada. It was Aunt Rose who’d taught her to bake, telling her stories of each of the family recipes and saying everything in her shop was made with love and great memories. And she’d nurtured Liza’s natural talent in the kitchen. The summer visits had stopped after her parents had divorced, but she’d always remembered those times with Aunt Rose. Apparently, Aunt Rose had remembered them too.
The memories were distant now, and nostalgia had no place in her life. Surrender, Montana, was only a detour on her way to Los Angeles.
New York had been her home for the last two years, but after the crash, she’d decided a fresh start was in order as far away from her ex-fiancé as possible. Most of that need for a fresh start and putting three thousand miles between them had to do with the fact that she’d driven Richard’s Mercedes C-class coupe right into his condo as he and his other girlfriend were busy breaking in the new comforter set Liza had just bought. Now that she knew that romance and happily-ever-afters were a crock of shit, it was time to focus on two things—herself and her career.
Her pointy-toed, rhinestone-studded boot kicked against the bakery door. The bell, originally hung by her great aunt and uncle, tinkled irritatingly once again. She let the empty boxes spill from her hands and join the other white pastry boxes that covered the hardwood floor.
She blew choppy bangs from her eyes and flopped into one of the wrought-iron chairs that sat around small round tables.
“This is ridiculous. You always had a hell of a sense of humor, Aunt Rose.”