Marni (Perfect Match Book 2) Read online

  Marni

  Perfect Match Series

  Aileen Fish

  MARNI ©2018 Aileen Fish

  Cover by Raine English

  Elusive Dreams Designs

  http://www.ElusiveDreamsDesigns.com

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  Introduction

  You’re cordially invited to spend an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to the island of your choice, courtesy of Perfect Match Online Dating and Travel Agency.

  Grab your beach umbrella and prepare for six weeks of romance and fun in the sun with a brand-new series brought to you by USA Today bestselling authors…

  Perfect Match!

  Six exciting, sweet novellas linked by a unifying theme. You’ll want to read each one!

  PERFECT MATCH SERIES

  Six women receive invitations from Dawson Yates, owner of Perfect Match, a brand-new online matchmaking travel agency for a free week-long vacation to the island of her choice. As part of an extensive promotional campaign, Dawson expects to make six perfect matches that he can use to champion his business. The women expect to meet the men of their dreams. What none of them anticipates is the chaos that ensues when six couples who were strangers before agreeing to spend the week together discover that love is a lot more complicated than a match made by computer algorithms.

  Join Bree, Marni, Molly, Jade, Ava, and Maeve as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in the pursuit of love.

  This is Marni’s story…

  The last person Marni Kane expects to spend a week in St. Croix with is the cowboy who was best man at her BFF’s wedding. The free vacation from Perfect Match is supposed to find her the love of her life. Not this imperfect match that proves her theory that matchmaking is a wasted effort. But a free trip is a free trip, and she’s not going to let it go to waste.

  When Matt Frost joins Perfect Match, it’s to find the kind of love his friends share. He never dreams he’d get matched with the city-girl he’d met at their wedding. Marni is the last woman who’ll ever be happy on his ranch. Or is she? Will he get lucky and find his perfect match after all?

  Meet the women of Perfect Match!

  BREE (Raine English)

  MARNI (Aileen Fish)

  MOLLY (Julie Jarnagin)

  JADE (Rachelle Ayala)

  AVA (Denise Devine)

  MAEVE (Josie Riviera)

  Prologue

  Marni’s Perfect Match Dating Profile…

  GypsySoul, 24

  I’m that curious mix of librarian on the outside and gypsy in my soul. While the journeys are fun, all roads lead home, where you’ll find me feeding a small group of close friends. If friends and family are the center of your life, we might just be a perfect match.

  Chapter One

  The quiet of her summer morning ended when Marni Kane’s phone rang. The caller ID showed her best friend Hope Bowman’s phone number, which made Marni smile. Hope could never call too often. “Hey,” she said after picking up the call. “What’s up? You’re up early for a Saturday. I’m still sipping tea and it’s two hours later here in Missouri.”

  “I married a rancher, remember? Cows don’t sleep in.” Hope’s voice was filled with joy as always, just like a newlywed’s should be.

  Marni was surprised the thought didn’t make her heart twinge. Shouldn’t she be envious of her friends’ happiness? Yet, she wasn’t. “What’s on your schedule today? Gathering eggs? Slopping pigs?”

  “Already done.” Hope burst into laughter and Marni joined her. When Marni had been at the ranch for Hope’s wedding, she’d seen that cattle and horses were the only critters to feed.

  Taking the phone with her into the kitchen, Marni topped off her glass of iced tea, then wandered to her favorite chair in the living room. Their calls could go on for hours if neither of them had anything pressing to do.

  “Do you remember my friend Amy?” Hope asked.

  “From the book club? Yes.”

  “She and her fiancé, Dawson, have started a new travel agency and they’re giving away a week’s vacation to the island of your choice.”

  “And you entered? That would be awesome if you win. Where would you go?”

  “No, I didn’t enter. And I couldn’t go if I wanted to. The agency is called Perfect Match—it’s a travel agency and matchmaking service all in one.”

  Warning bells sounded in Marni’s head. “Tell me you didn’t. That’s not why you’re calling…”

  “They need members to match in order to, well, match. They asked the members of our book club to each give an invitation to one friend, so of course I picked you.” Hope paused as if she expected Marni to begin her rant.

  Marni gritted her teeth and did her best not to do just that. “You know I gave up on dating services when I realized I was checking to see what movies were on cable the night the guy wanted to go out, before deciding which I’d rather do. I’m not lonely, not unhappy.”

  “It’s a week on a tropical island, Marni.”

  “With a bunch of single guys who couldn’t get a date that week, either.” Realizing that made her sound like a loser, she rolled her eyes. Why did friends always think they knew what was best for others? Sure, Hope and Chase had an amazing love for each other, but that kind of special connection was rare.

  “How do you know they aren’t just like you—unwilling to settle for less than true love? You’ll have a whole week to get to know him. You get a whole week on an island. I know Dawson and Amy, and you can trust them. The guys and gals will be screened so it’s not a random meetup.”

  “I’m not turning cartwheels over this.” Marni sighed and took a sip of her tea.

  “Maybe one jump for joy? Free trip. F.R.E.E.”

  Sighing again, this time loud enough to be sure Hope heard, Marni asked, “What does Chase think of this?”

  “He’s a guy, what does he know?”

  “Hey, wait a minute,” Chase interrupted from near Hope’s phone. “Don’t drag me into this.”

  Hope began to laugh as if she was wrestling with Chase, avoiding his threats of tickles. “He thinks it’s a great idea. In fact, he even suggested—”

  “I didn’t suggest a thing, Marni. I’m not getting into this discussion—” His voice grew muffled and she heard quick kisses through the phone.

  “See, he’s all for it,” Hope added after a minute.

  Marni had to laugh. “I assume this place is online? I’m not agreeing to do anything but check it out.”

  “Cool! I’m texting you the link right now.”

  Her phone dinged when the text arrived, and Marni put the phone on speaker before clicking the link. The site opened to a beautiful beach of white sand, cool blue waves and a tropical hut off to one side. A young, tan couple sat side-by-side in beach chairs holding colorful drinks with pineapple wedges on the rims of the glasses.

  Perfect Match.

  She scrolled down the page looking for links to explore. The faces she saw were obviously models. “Okay, so where are the real guys? These men are too perfect to be single.
”

  “Do you hear yourself? You’re single, too, remember.” A moment later, Hope added, “I see what you mean. I think I’ve seen that blond guy in a toothpaste ad. Well, you probably have to sign in before you see the real members.”

  “Nice, so I create a log-in ID, give them my email address and who knows what else, and then I get a ton of spam emails whether I join or not.”

  “I told you, Amy and Dawson are friends of mine. They aren’t spammers.”

  “Why is this so important to you, Hope? Why do I have to join?”

  “Have to?” Hope sounded hurt. “You don’t have to if you really don’t want to. I thought you might enjoy a free vacation. Free vacation,” she repeated yet again.

  “Yeah, I think you mentioned that somewhere along the way. Okay, I’ll look into it more, but don’t be hurt if I don’t join, okay? I’m happy being single.”

  “I know. And you can be even happier being single on the tropical island of your choice.”

  “Enough! Let me get on my laptop. Go kiss your husband or whatever it is you do to make him give you your way.”

  “Brownies,” Hope replied. “They’re almost ready to come out of the oven. Let me know what you decide.”

  “I will. Tell Jayden his Auntie Marni loves him and misses him. Bye.”

  ****

  Tuning out the lovebirds on the couch across the room, Matt Frost searched for the website he heard Hope talking about on the phone. Perfect Match. It was too good to be true, but it promised to introduce him to the perfect woman for him. Of course, that assumed his perfect someone signed up at the right time, but sometimes you have to bypass logic and pretend it could work out.

  He didn’t need help finding a date. While White Oak didn’t have a lot of single people, and he’d grown up with most of them, he could head down the mountain on a Saturday night and meet women. A few of those friendships had lasted a while, but they hadn’t had the spark to make either of them want to fight through the rough times a long-term relationship ran into.

  What he wanted was simple—someone he could love the way Chase and Hope loved each other. But their meeting had been totally random, not the result of a dating site. Chase had found Hope’s message in a bottle on a beach halfway across the country and it led to love—with a little help from Matt, who kept pushing until Chase had finally emailed Hope.

  If they could find each other on the whim of the Universe, the chance of finding some random person who matched Matt’s personality points wasn’t totally unreal.

  Chase’s voice interrupted Matt’s thoughts. “What’s got you so engrossed in your phone? Are you planning your fantasy league this soon? You need the extra weeks if you’re gonna beat me.”

  Matt closed the browser app and set down his phone. “You wish. What are you guys plotting for poor Marni? She doesn’t seem the type to need help getting a date.”

  “See?” Chase said to Hope, waving in Matt’s direction. “He agrees. Signing up for a singles’ vacation is kind of desperate.”

  “No, it’s not,” Hope insisted. “These are my friends, you guys. It’s not a scam to steal her money. It won’t cost her a thing.”

  “Except a week of her pride.” Chase chuckled, but no one joined him.

  That comment rubbed Matt the wrong way, even if he wasn’t considering signing up himself. “Hope’s right. She’ll meet people at the same point of life she’s reached, where she wants something more serious, long term. Marni is an intelligent—”

  “And stubborn,” Chase interjected.

  “I was going to say sensible, but you know her better than I do. If she decides to sign up, she’ll have fun.” The thought crossed Matt’s mind that he and Marni could end up on some island at the same time. Maybe not, since Hope had said Marni could choose her island destination. He wouldn’t have to worry about running into her.

  Not that seeing her again would be a bad thing. She was fun, liked to dance, had a good sense of humor—well, she laughed at his jokes, at least. But with as close as they both were to Chase and Hope, things would get awkward when they went their separate ways.

  They were from two different worlds. She was pure city girl with gel nails and high heels. He wasn’t a complete slob by far, but ranching was his life. He’d never own land of his own, but he was happy working for Chase. He didn’t need to be boss. He took as much pride in his work as if the ranch was his. And if he ever needed to have more control over where he worked, he could go back to work running the Frost family ranch with his brothers.

  All he knew was he’d never give up his life in the outdoors, and he’d never be happy with a woman who didn’t love White Oak as much as he did. Marni had made it clear when she’d been there for Chase and Hope’s wedding that she’d never be able to put up with the animal smells, so there was no point in seeing if they enjoyed each other’s company when their friends weren’t around.

  Marni Kane wasn’t his perfect match, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to investigate the website to find out who was. But first there was work to do. “That fence isn’t going to repair itself,” he announced as he rose.

  “I’m coming,” Chase said. After giving Hope a peck on her cheek, he followed Matt out the door.

  Chapter Two

  Matt finished brushing his horse, set the brush on the work table and picked up his saddle blanket. Chase was also saddling his mount so they could ride out to repair the downed barbed-wire fence. More often than not, they’d ride their four-wheeler motorcycles to the distant areas of the ranch, but on a quiet day with little work ahead of them, they enjoyed riding horseback. Sometimes, when he grew lost in his thoughts, Matt felt he could easily step back in time before cars and motorcycles, and not miss them a bit.

  His cell phone buzzed in his shirt pocket, and he checked the screen. There were some parts of this century he wouldn’t want to give up, he realized. Tapping on the screen, he replied to his brother’s text, which reminded him their dad’s birthday dinner was that night.

  When their horses were ready to go, they rode out. Matt led the way, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t let me work past two. It’s Dad’s birthday.”

  “I can understand Hope needing an entire afternoon to get ready for a party, but you? How long does it take to put on a clean pair of socks and run a comb through your hair?”

  Matt scratched the three-day growth of whiskers on his chin. “I thought I’d shave, too. No, seriously, I have to find him a gift.”

  “Sorry dude, but even Amazon doesn’t deliver that quickly. Where are you going to shop?”

  “If I knew that, I’d already have his present. A new pipe and tobacco?”

  “Your dad quit smoking eight years ago.”

  Grimacing, Matt said, “Oh, yeah. I don’t hang around there much. I forgot.”

  Chase urged his horse to a trot beside Matt’s. “I’ll never understand how you can prefer a work cabin here to that big, beautiful home you grew up in.”

  “The cabin is quiet. Nobody playing video games at three in the morning.”

  “Ryan can stay up all night playing games and still be ready to ride at dawn?”

  “Who said anything about Ryan?” Matt laughed loudly. “I’m talking about Dad. Since he hurt his back and quit working, he plays with people from around the world. He’s like a kid.”

  “You need to build yourself a house like your brother Dylan did, then find a good woman to settle down with.”

  Matt hadn’t thought that far down the line. A house? He lost the first one in his divorce.

  That divorce should have kept him from even considering Perfect Match. He’d known Kelly since they were kids. They married fresh out of high school, and two years later she decided she wanted to act, and she ran off to L.A. without warning. She’d been an extra in a couple of movies, so she was considered a success by most in White Oak. All he cared about was that she was happy, and that they hadn’t had kids. He wasn’t sure he wanted children, and before he fat
hered any, he wanted to be sure his marriage would last, if possible.

  Mom had taught him divorce was hell on the kids. She might as well have died for all they saw of her after she left. She wasn’t cut out for marriage or motherhood, he understood that now. Maybe her leaving was what led him to Kelly, another woman not cut out for home life.

  His brother Dylan had been left untrusting of women, but he’d gotten past it when he met the right woman, his wife Tara. Matt was pretty sure he’d finally reached the point where he could trust himself to find the right one for himself. He hadn’t realized that until just that morning, when he heard Hope describing Perfect Match.

  “I think you’re right,” Matt said.

  “I’m always right.” Chase chuckled. “What am I right about this time?”

  “Me getting married.”

  Chase’s head turned so fast, Matt thought he’d lose his balance and fall off the horse. “What brought this on?”

  Offering his friend a cheesy grin, Matt said, “Seeing you and Hope so much in love.”

  “No, seriously. How long have you been thinking about this? Do you have a woman in mind?”

  “Haven’t met her yet.”

  “Haven’t met her…as in you’re just chatting online? Or are you hoping she’ll just appear at your door someday? You do have to go out once in a while to meet people.”

  “Just don’t tell Hope, or she’ll invite all her girlfriends out here to dinner.” Matt adjusted the brim of his hat when they entered an open field and he lost the shade of the oak and cedar trees. “I thought I’d check out that place she was telling Marni about.”