Race to a Christmas Reunion Read online

  A champion race car driver works to win the heart of the woman he once let go in this sizzling, second chance novella from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson, previously published in A NASCAR Holiday 3 as Winning the Race in 2008.

  Professional race car driver Myles Joseph roars back into town for a Christmas wedding—and must confront the woman he once left behind. It’s been five years since their break-up, and Lisa St. Claire is just as stunning as ever. He knows he should keep his distance, especially since she doesn’t know the real reason he left their small town…

  With wedding responsibilities keeping them close, they are forced to face one other—and the chemistry that still sizzles between them! As the festivities come to a close, will Myles and Lisa race off to their happily ever after or will the secrets of his past keep them apart forever?

  Read more from the entire bingeworthy A NASCAR Holiday anthology series:

  Book 1: A NASCAR Holiday

  Book 2: A NASCAR Holiday 2

  Book 3: A NASCAR Holiday 3

  Book 4: A Very NASCAR Holiday

  Race to a Christmas Reunion

  Brenda Jackson

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  CHAPTER ONE

  LISA ST. CLAIRE TOOK a deep breath as she closed her car door, and glanced toward the lit entrance to the church where the wedding rehearsal was being held.

  She couldn’t help asking herself yet again if she was ready for this. Could she look Myles Joseph in the face and pretend nothing had happened? Ignore the fact that he had broken her heart five years ago when instead of giving her the engagement ring she had expected, he had delivered the news that he was leaving town to pursue his dream of becoming a race-car driver? Now he was fast becoming one of the most popular drivers in all of stock car racing.

  Yes, I can do this, she convinced herself as she began walking, feeling the cool breeze penetrate the light cotton blouse she was wearing. Myles means nothing to me anymore. He’s a part of my past and I don’t begrudge him his success. Like everyone else in the small town of Chiefland, Florida, she was glad he had made it big. She wished him the best.

  But then another part of her wished he hadn’t returned at all.

  That same part of her didn’t care one iota that his best friend, Ronald Harris, was getting married and Myles was here to be Ronald’s best man. As far as she was concerned it didn’t matter. Nor did it matter that the woman Ronald was marrying was none other than her best friend, Sheila Townsend, and she was Sheila’s maid of honor.

  As Lisa got closer and closer to the church’s entrance, she thought the only thing that mattered was that she would have to go through the evening pretending that she had gotten over Myles. And the sad thing about it was that up until she had driven into the church’s parking lot she was convinced that she had.

  Now she was thinking differently because on the other side of that door was the man she had loved since discovering what love was about; the man who had been her first in everything, even heartbreak. Everyone in her family, especially her three older sisters, had tried to warn her that Myles would one day break her heart. But she had ignored all the warnings. She had seen something in Myles they hadn’t seen and she had believed in him when no one else had.

  And she had loved him with all her heart.

  The only thing she could take comfort in was knowing that Myles had proved everyone wrong. He had made something of himself just as she’d known that he would one day.

  She opened the door and walked inside the vestibule, where a huge decorated Christmas tree sat, reminding everyone of the holiday season. Sheila and Ronald wanted a Christmas wedding and would be getting married on Christmas Day after all of the church services had ended. They had promised to have a short rehearsal so everyone could enjoy dinner and be home early. After all, tonight was Christmas Eve. Plus the church was having a night service starting soon.

  She opened the doors and felt a stirring sensation in the pit of her stomach when her gaze crossed the room to the man standing on the sidelines talking to Ronald and a few other men. A few years ago, except for Ronald, the others would not have been caught in Myles’s company even if they had been paid a million dollars. And now it seemed they were hanging on his every word.

  The crowed shifted and she got a better view of Myles. He stood tall, almost six-two, and was dressed totally different than he would have been years ago when a pair of tight jeans, a T-shirt and a black leather bomber jacket would have been his usual attire. Tonight he was wearing a pair of pleated trousers and a dress shirt that emphasized broad shoulders and a tight abdomen. His face was as handsome as she remembered, with dark eyes, sharp cheekbones, full lips and dark hair that was cut short and neatly trimmed around a face that was the color of rich cocoa.

  And he still had that friendly dimpled smile, the one that came to life whenever he spoke. She could vividly recall the times when he’d had very little to smile about and when he did, his smile had been reserved for her.

  She stepped into the sanctuary and, as if her feet were made of lead and had made some sort of loud noise, Myles stopped talking in mid-sentence and glanced over at her. Breath rushed out of her lungs the instant their eyes connected. She felt it all the way to the bones. She knew he recognized it as well, the seductive chemistry that had always flowed between them, even when they had been too young to understand it.

  It was strange how, although they hadn’t seen each other in five years, he could still look at her and his gaze could touch her in a way no other man could. She tensed, noticing that when he had stopped talking all eyes had gone to her. Everyone knew that at one time she had been Myles Joseph’s girl.

  Just like everyone knew how he had dumped her.

  But she had sorted out her life and moved on. Upon graduating from the University of Florida, she had decided to open a gift shop near the campus. The shop was doing well, and she didn’t mind making the forty-five-minute drive each morning from Chiefland to Gainesville. She even had an apartment in both places and on those days when she worked late into the night and was too tired to drive home, she stayed in the small apartment she had above her shop. She had started dating again although she hadn’t gotten serious about any one guy.

  Her attention was pulled back to the present when she noticed that Myles had moved away from the crowd surrounding him and was walking toward her. She braced herself, fought to control the way her pulse was racing. There was no way she could avoid the attention the two of them were getting. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen after all this time.

  She knew these days he was a very wealthy man due to numerous endorsements. And if she could believe what she read in those tabloids, he was a sought-after bachelor, living the life of a playboy when he wasn’t on the race tracks. Just last week his name had been linked to some actress’s.

  Over the years Lisa had never imagined Myles returning to Chiefland; however, as soon as Ronald and Sheila had announced their wedding plans, she had heard he would attend. When it came to those he considered friends, he was as loyal as any man could get. It seemed that becoming a big star hadn’t changed that about him. He still valued true friendships.

  This made her wonder where she would fit. There was a time when she had been more than a friend to him…or so she had thought. The five years that had passed made her uncertain of everything, other than what her true feelings were for him. Even with the way things had ended, she didn’t regret the impact he’d had on her life. Both good and bad. The good because she had enjoy
ed the time they had shared together; the bad, because he had shown her there was no such thing as true love. Not really.

  Before she could ponder that further, she saw that he was there, right in front of her, and more handsome than ever before. “Lisa, it’s good seeing you again.”

  She noticed the huskiness in his voice and couldn’t deny that hearing it brought back memories she would rather not recall. Deciding to be as cordial as possible, she responded in kind. “It’s good seeing you as well, Myles.”

  “Liar.”

  His whispered comeback had been so quick and unexpected—and so like old times—that she could feel her face soften with amusement. He could joke around her, but only with her. She would see his lighter, less serious side when others didn’t. “You think so?” she found herself asking.

  He chuckled. “Yes, but only because you could never lie worth a damn.” After a few seconds he asked. “Do you know what I think?”

  “No. What?”

  “I think that we should give the good people of Chiefland something to talk about.” And then just as unexpectedly, he leaned over and brushed a kiss across her lips.

  Lisa’s breath caught, and there was a struggle within her to do something other than just stand there speechless. Doing something as outlandish as kissing him back popped into her usually levelheaded and rational mind. But at that moment she was saved from acting on it when the wedding planner claimed everyone’s attention.

  “I think she wants us,” Myles said, offering her his arm. Knowing that eyes were still on them, she placed her hand on his arm and they turned together as if he was leading her toward a dance floor instead of the front of the church. They strolled together down the aisle to where the bride and groom to-be, as well as other members of the wedding party, were standing.

  Sheila’s blue eyes immediately darted to hers and Lisa registered the concern she saw there. Lisa smiled, trying to assure Sheila all was well, when deep down she wasn’t completely sure of that, herself. The only thing she knew for certain was that Myles still had the ability to stir emotions inside of her in a way she could definitely do without.

  Another thing she knew for certain was that he smelled good. Whatever cologne he was wearing was definitely an attention getter. She had picked up on the scent the moment he had walked up to her. It was a manly fragrance, definitely one that had the ability to seduce. She quickly reminded herself that she was beyond getting seduced by Myles and hoped he was well aware of that fact.

  * * *

  MYLES FELT LISA’S eyes on him and was tempted to look at her but refrained from doing so. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the instructions the wedding planner was giving them. It wasn’t easy. All he could think about was that the only woman he had ever loved was standing by his side. How many times had he pictured such a scene and wanted to capture such a moment again?

  In his opinion she hadn’t changed much. At twenty-five she was still as beautiful as she had been at seventeen…and the last time he’d seen her, at twenty. She still had shoulder-length black hair that cascaded around her honey-brown-colored face, and incredible dark eyes that seemed the color of dark chocolate. Dimples would form in her cheeks when she smiled. Her full lips had always been a total turn-on for him, always tempting. She was tall and leggy with a body he remembered well. The blouse she was wearing along with the dark slacks emphasized her curves to perfection.

  He had a sinking feeling that she didn’t have a clue as to the real reason he had broken things off with her that night. Why he had left Chiefland and not looked back. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t thought of her, although he’d made it seem that the main reason he’d left was to pursue his dream. She had no idea that she had been his dream and nothing could ever compare to her. True, he’d always wanted to race professionally, but he’d always figured he would do that with her by his side.

  He was certain she had no way of knowing that her parents had paid him a visit that week and pleaded with him to get out of her life after she had told them of her plans to drop out of college and come back home to be with him. It was bad enough that she had refused to go up north to college like they had wanted, and instead had gone to the University of Florida as a way to remain near him. Her parents had been furious about that and he had tried to change Lisa’s mind but she hadn’t budged. The last straw for her parents had been when she contemplated dropping out of college. That had not been acceptable to them. And it hadn’t been acceptable to him, either.

  He had already purchased the engagement ring he intended to give her for Christmas. But when he’d found out she planned to forgo her last year of college, he knew he had to do what her parents had suggested, which was to get out of her life by leaving town. The job offer to be a part of Bronson Scott’s racing team had given him an excuse to leave. It had been a lie, of course, but he had loved her too much to let her mess up her life for him. Lisa was highly intelligent. He’d figured that one day she would grow to regret not finishing college and would have ultimately resented him.

  “Does anyone have any questions?” Agnes Bonner asked.

  The wedding planner’s question invaded his thoughts and brought them back to the present. When no one said anything, the older woman’s regard landed on him. “Mr. Joseph, if I can get you to step over here for a moment,” she said.

  He inhaled deeply, hating the idea of leaving Lisa’s side even for a moment. He would be gone soon enough at the end of the week.

  “Sure,” he said, and stepped away without looking at Lisa. Kissing her had been a huge mistake. He knew that now, but he hadn’t been able to resist the opportunity. Besides, it would be what got him through another five years without her in his life.

  He had asked Ronald about her often and his best friend had grudgingly filled him in. He had never told Ronald the reason he had left, so like everyone else, Ronald thought he had dumped her to chase his dream. More than once he had thought about contacting her after she’d graduated from college to tell her the real reason he’d left. He’d even thought of taking the time while in town to clear things up between them now. But he’d figured it was best to leave well enough alone. He’d done what he felt needed to be done by getting out of her life when he had.

  The next hour consisted of a series of rehearsals and the hardest for him was when Lisa, who was Sheila’s maid of honor, walked down the aisle. He could imagine her a bride instead of a maid of honor, and wearing a long flowing white wedding gown—walking down that aisle to him.

  “That about wraps things up tonight, folks, but please be back here tomorrow, fully dressed no later than noon. And you are all invited to the rehearsal dinner at Victoria’s Steak House,” Mrs. Bonner announced.

  Myles glanced at Lisa, who was standing talking to Sheila’s bridesmaids. Ronald leaned over and asked. “You are going to Victoria’s with us, right?”

  Myles gave his best friend a smile. “Yes, I’m going.”

  “Good,” Ronald said. “I’ll ride with you.”

  Myles lifted a brow. “Aren’t you and Sheila going there together?”

  Ronald rolled his green eyes and pushed a mass of blond hair that was just as long as Sheila’s away from his face. “No. Sheila intends to make our honeymoon special and decided six months ago that I needed to keep my hands to myself until the wedding. I figured with one more day to go, there’s no need to test my willpower. If it was left up to me we would never make it to the rehearsal dinner. We would go someplace where the two of us could be alone.”

  Myles shook his head, grinning. “Then I guess it’s a good thing it’s not left up to you.” His eyes went back to Lisa.

  Ronald said, “You still care for her. I can tell. I still don’t get why you dumped her in the first place.”

  Myles turned toward Ronald. “Is that what you think I did?” he asked.

  He and Ronald had been best friends since grade school and just like his relationship with Lisa, everyone in town had wondered what had drawn him and Ronald
together. The answer was simple enough. Both he and Ronald had had a love for cars. The only difference was that Ronald’s family—one of the wealthiest in Chiefland—owned the only car dealership in town. In their early days, the two of them would hang out at Harris Autos and watch the mechanics at work. It wasn’t long before he and Ronald were under the hood of some car or other. In fact that was how he had met Lisa.

  The Harrises and the St. Claires attended the same church, and Lisa had stopped by the Harris Autos garage, wanting someone to check out a clinking noise she’d been hearing whenever she drove her car. Ronald had introduced them. At the time Lisa had been seventeen and in her last year of high school. He had been twenty-two years old and enrolled in an auto mechanics class at night while working at the garage during the day.

  Sheila had come into the picture after Lisa went off to college in Gainesville and Sheila had been her roommate that first year. Sheila would often come home with Lisa on the weekends and it was during one of those weekend visits that Lisa had introduced her to Ronald. The reason it had taken so long for them to tie the knot was because Sheila had been a medical student but was now a resident intern.

  “What else was I to think when you weren’t talking?” Ronald said, interrupting his thoughts. “It was either thinking that or believing her family had run you off. I of all people know her sisters can be a pain in the rear end, but you always seemed to be able to handle them.”

  Myles shook his head at the mention of Lisa’s sisters—the notorious busybody triplets. George St. Claire had worked at the local television station as the weatherman for years and evidently thought it was cute to name his three daughters Sunnie, Wendy and Noraine. By the time Lisa had come around, evidently Lilly St. Claire had put her foot down and insisted their fourth daughter be named after her mother. The joke was that Lisa had been spared being named Stormy.

  Ronald was right. Sunnie, Wendy and Noraine were a handful. There was a five-year age difference between them and Lisa and they had taken their roles of oldest sisters to the max. They hadn’t liked him because they felt he hadn’t been good enough for their baby sister. The feelings were mutual. He hoped they had lightened up and had found lives of their own instead of constantly being in Lisa’s.