Falling for Sydney Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Books in the Falling Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Click on the covers for more Falling books:

  About Heather B. Moore

  Copyright © 2016 by Mirror Press, LLC

  E-book edition

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles. This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Interior design by Cora Johnson

  Edited by Cassidy Wadsworth Sorenson

  Cover design by Rachael Anderson

  Cover image credit: AdobeStock #41623200, photographer Ekomasova

  Published by Mirror Press, LLC

  Books in the Falling Series

  Falling for Lucy

  Falling for June

  Falling for Maria

  Falling for Sydney

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  Heather

  “There you are, sweetie,” Olivia crooned as Sydney Morley stepped into the Bridal Shoppe.

  Sydney tipped up her cheek as the saleswoman air-kissed her.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” Sydney said, putting on a smile and hoping it would mask the knot that had formed in her stomach. She was never late, and she’d never felt so disorganized. But ever since she had returned from her all-girls vacation in Maui with her two best friends, June and Maria, something had felt off with Rian.

  As in Rian Stevenson, her fiancé, the man she was marrying in two weeks. It was Thursday now, and Sydney had taken today and tomorrow off work to get all the loose ends tied up for the wedding.

  “You are just fine,” Olivia continued in her sing-song voice as if she was speaking to a three-year-old instead of twenty-six-year-old Sydney. “We had a cancellation, so this ended up being perfect!”

  Perfect. Sydney hated the word. She’d heard it throughout her life as people told her she was perfect. Perfect hair. Perfect teeth. Perfect body. What was so wrong with taking care of herself? And then there was Rian, who was model-gorgeous and didn’t seem to mind the constant compliments about his appearance.

  Rian. Perfect couple. The knot in her stomach tightened, making her feel like she’d skipped a couple of meals, when in fact, she’d had her usual homemade protein shake and whole wheat bagel this morning.

  Olivia pulled back the curtain separating the front of the bridal store from the dressing rooms. There, on a mannequin in the center of the room, was Sydney’s wedding gown. It had cost a pretty penny, but Sydney knew as soon as she saw it that this was the dress for her.

  “The alterations you requested make it even more beautiful,” Olivia said as she swept toward the mannequin. She pointed to the capped butterfly sleeves and the beading at the hem that Sydney had requested.

  “I love it,” Sydney said, and it was the truth. It was a dream dress for a dream wedding with a dream man. So how did she justify sitting outside of Rian’s condo that morning for thirty minutes, watching the car that was in his numbered space?

  She knew he was home, at least he had been when she’d left the night before around 11:00 p.m. He’d seemed anxious to send her home, told her he had some real estate bids to put together. The ironic thing was that he’d been incredibly busy since Sydney’s return from her vacation, pretty much reversing their roles. If anyone was begging for more time together, it was usually Rian.

  Sydney had recently been promoted to vice president of operations at a small software firm, which had inundated her with work over the past six months. She was thrilled with the extra pay, but she’d put almost everything she loved except for Rian on the backburner. She’d stopped riding horses at the local arena, and she’d forgone weekend Netflix binges in favor of catching up on more work so she’d have evenings free with Rian. A sad stack of bestsellers sat gathering dust on her night stand, and she’d even cut down her hour-long workouts to thirty minutes. She hoped things would slow down soon, but if they didn’t she might have to consider a job change.

  When Sydney had left Rian’s condo the night before, his car had been parked in his slot. Now there was a red truck. Not Rian’s.

  “Well, let’s see how it looks,” Olivia’s voice cut through Sydney’s thoughts.

  “Yes, of course,” Sydney said.

  Olivia closed the curtain to the massive dressing room and began to take the dress off of the mannequin.

  Sydney tucked her phone into her purse after glancing at it again and checking to see that the sound was turned up. She’d texted Rian twice this morning and no reply yet.

  She slipped out of her thigh-length babydoll dress, and Olivia helped her into the wedding dress, one limb at a time.

  “Wait,” Olivia said, producing a rhinestone hair clip. “Don’t look in the mirrors yet.” Deftly, Olivia swept Sydney’s long blonde hair into twist, clipped it, and then said, “All right. Turn around.”

  Sydney slowly turned and gazed at her full-length reflection in the mirror. The creamy ivory of the silk fabric seemed to glow beneath the lights, and the shape of the dress molded to her body. The sleeves and the extra beading had been the right choice.

  “You’re absolutely gorgeous, sweetie,” Olivia said in a breathless voice.

  “Thank you,” Sydney murmured. But, even now, staring at her future self—a bride—she couldn’t tamp down the knot in her stomach that was turning into all-out panic. Why wasn’t Rian texting her back? Whose car was in his parking space?

  Both she and Rian had discussed their “past relationships” after their first few dates. Although to some it might seem that their relationship had progressed quickly, engaged within three months of their first date, Sydney had been ready to settle down. She was twenty-six and Rian a year older.

  Olivia was snapping photos with her cell phone, which snapped Sydney from her thoughts.

  “Oh wait,” she said, then amended, “never mind. You can take some pictures. Send them to me.”

  “We won’t post anything on our website until after the wedding,” Olivia assured her. “We don’t want the groom to get a sneak peek.” She laughed.

  Sydney gave a fake smile. Her thoughts turned back to Rian as she remembered how he’d stayed in his shirt and tie last night, even though they’d had a casual late dinner at his condo. Rian was a slim man, obsessed with mountain biking, and he usually preferred to stay in his comfortable clothing over slacks and a dress shirt. He was almost as much a health nut as she was, which suited both of them well during their shared meals.

  But Rian’s blue eyes hadn’t been as doting as usual. His smile hadn’t felt as genuine. And several times Sydney had had to repeat herself.

  As Sydney stepped out of her wedding dress, she knew she could no longer wait to hear from Rian. She was going to go back over to his condo, right then, and knock on his door. She’d use her key if she had to.

  Sydney had barely thanked Olivia before she was out the door and calling her best
friends. First, she sent them an SOS text, and seconds later, they were on a conference call. Bluetooth in place, Sydney started to drive while pouring out her entire sob story to June and Maria. June was the more quiet and serious of the three, so Sydney was surprised when June broke in first. “I’m coming down,” she said.

  “Portland isn’t exactly next door to Santa Rosa,” Sydney protested.

  “I’m coming too,” Maria added, her usual positive tone quiet as well. “It’s probably all nothing, but I want to be there for you—whatever happens.”

  “You guys are awesome,” Sydney said, “but really, I think I have cold feet or something.”

  June snorted. “You never get cold feet about anything, Sydney. You’re the most decisive woman I know.”

  “Yeah,” Sydney said as Rian’s condo complex came into view. “I’m going in now.” She took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”

  Moments later, her resolve reinforced by her friends, she knocked on Rian’s door. The red truck was still in the parking spot, and there was no sign of Rian’s car. Heart hammering, Sydney waited at the door, but no one answered. So finally she used her key to unlock it. As she went to turn the knob, the door swung open. A man stood there, a towel wrapped around his waist and his dark hair wet and dripping. He’d obviously just been showering, and by the look in his stormy gray eyes, he was not happy.

  “Who are you?” Sydney asked the man who towered over her and had a sculpted chest and arms. What was he, a weight lifter? And why was he in Rian’s apartment? Sydney knew all of his friends.

  “Who are you?” the man asked, acting equally frustrated. And then, like a light switch had been touched, the storm in his eyes cleared and went calm. “Sydney?”

  She took a step back. “Do I know you? Are you one of Rian’s friends?” She certainly hoped so, while at the same time reasoning with herself that a burglar probably wouldn’t help himself to a shower.

  “Uh,” he mumbled, cinching the towel a bit tighter at his waist.

  Sydney kept her gaze firmly focused on his face. He was a good-looking man, not in the model-way Rian was, but more of rugged way—flaws mixed with charm. Not that he’d been charming or anything.

  “I’m Rian’s brother,” the man said. He stuck out his hand toward her. “Jacob. Or Jake’s fine.”

  “Jake.” Sydney narrowed her eyes. “Rian doesn’t have a brother.” Rian had a younger sister, and that was it. His parents had died years before, and his sister wouldn’t be able to come to the wedding because she was about eight months pregnant and lived on the East Coast.

  “Jake” lowered his hand when Sydney made no move to shake it.

  “Interesting,” he said, leaning against the doorframe, which only brought him a touch closer to Sydney.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she was sure her friends were dying for an update. Or maybe Rian had finally text her back.

  But before she could check, “Jake” said, “So, which story is Rian going with this time? The whole-family-died-in-a-car-crash-leaving-him-an-orphan, or estranged-from-my-millionaire-father-and-his-new-wife, or adopted-by-an-older-couple-who-left-everything-to-me-in-their-will?”

  Another storm was building in those intense gray eyes.

  Sydney took a step back, putting more space between them. “None of those stories. He has a younger sister who lives on the East Coast, and his parents passed away a couple of years ago. I think you have the wrong Rian, sir.”

  Jake gazed at her for a moment, and it looked like he might smile. Instead he said, “Come in. I’ll find some proof. That is, if my being here at his place isn’t enough proof.”

  “I’m fine out here,” Sydney said.

  “All right,” Jake said. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”

  So Sydney waited on the landing while Jake disappeared inside. She sent another text to Rian. Knocked on your door, and some guy named Jake answered. Claims he’s your half-brother. Even as she pressed send, she was coming up with all kinds of scenarios as to why Rian hadn’t mentioned Jake... that is, if Jake really was a brother. Maybe Rian didn’t consider him family. Maybe there had been a falling out between them. And what was going on with Jake claiming that Rian had multiple “stories” he told people?

  “Haven’t been able to get ahold of him, have you?” a voice said.

  Sydney looked up. Yeah, Jake was a great-looking guy. Now dressed in faded jeans and a fitted t-shirt, Jake looked much more presentable. His hair was more dry, although he was still barefoot. He joined Sydney on the landing.

  “Here,” he said, holding out his phone after scrolling through it. “You can read our recent text messages. You should start at the beginning.”

  The first text message was dated about a week before, and the communication looked like several interchanges per day over the week.

  Rian: I’m out of money, can you do a transfer?

  Jake: What about that real estate job you told Mom about?

  Rian: I was fired, but I’m still supposed to get a commission coming. Might be a few weeks though.

  Jake: I’m assuming you already asked Dad and he said no.

  Rian: Correct. It’s pretty important, or I wouldn’t ask.

  Jake: You know I’d never let you starve, but you’re in tons of debt already.

  Rian: Yeah, but that will change soon. I’m getting married.

  Jake: What?!?

  Rian: She’s got a great job, makes good money, and I really like this one.

  Jake: Don’t do this again, Rian.

  Rian: Don’t worry. She’s my age. LOL.

  Jake: Not funny.

  Rian: Well, I need money for our honeymoon. After that, I won’t ask for another dime. We’ll be joint account owners, and I can pay the family back soon.

  Jake: Don’t do this, Rian. Just come home. Work at the ranch, and pay down your debt. Start over with a clean slate.

  Sydney looked up at Jake. She couldn’t read anymore, not yet. “Tell me what’s going on,” she said, feeling sick to her stomach now. “Is our engagement a sham?”

  Jake ran his hand along his jaw. “Rian’s been married five times. He marries wealthy women, then dumps them after he gets ahold of their bank accounts. After the last one, he faced legal charges, and my parents bailed him out. The courts couldn’t prove malicious intent, so Rian got off. Moved here, finally got a regular job, and we were all hoping he’d learned his lesson.” Jake waved a hand toward Sydney. She could only stare at him, dumfounded.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to bring you bad news,” he continued. “But when you read the rest of the texts, you’ll see that you aren’t like the other women. In fact, I think he really does like you and wanted to make things work like a real marriage, except...”

  Sydney waited for him to continue, but he’d shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and was looking down at the ground. “Except?” she prompted. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. Her hammering pulse told her that.

  “Except,” he began, his gray eyes finally meeting hers. “He left a message late last night on my phone. I started driving here as soon as I heard it. But when I got here, he was already gone.”

  “What do you mean, gone?” Sydney whispered.

  He reached out and took his phone, then pulled up the voicemail. “It’s probably better if you listen to what he said.”

  Sydney felt lightheaded as she began to listen to Rian’s message. Hearing his voice sent both a shiver and a shot of heat through her, anger mixing with cold dread.

  “Jake, I’m leaving the country. The real estate firm is trying to charge me with fraud, and to make a really long story short, I’m innocent. But there’s no way I’ll be able to fight against their allegations, because they have everything rigged. If I was already married, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, because Sydney would have to stand by me. But there’s no way she’ll go through with the wedding now. The firm’s digging up my past. I’m leaving my condo unlocked so you can move all of my stuff out
. You’ll also have to sell my lease. Sorry to leave all of this in a message. Tell Mom and Dad sorry too. Someday I’ll make this up to them, promise.”

  Sydney lowered the phone, feeling lightheaded. Jake grasped her arm, as if to steady her. “What time did he send this?”

  “About 11:30 last night,” Jake said. “I had my phone on silent for the night, so I didn’t see the message for a couple of hours.”

  “Where is he now?” Sydney asked.

  “I’ve called him over and over,” Jake said. “No answer yet.”

  Sydney blinked against the burning in her eyes. Rian was gone. Fleeing the country. Without a word to her. Her mind whirled with their defunct wedding plans, all of the people who were coming, what she would tell her best friends, what her parents would say, that Rian had dumped her without even telling her...

  “I’m really sorry,” Jake said, slipping an arm about her shoulders.

  She leaned against him; he was literally keeping her on her feet. After taking a few deep breaths, keeping her eyes closed, she finally drew away from Jake.

  “Do you want to come in and sit down for a minute?” Jake said. “We can call my parents if you want any more information... at least about his past.”

  Tears fell onto her cheeks, and Sydney swiped them away. “I don’t know what I want. I can’t even think.”

  “Come on,” Jake said, steering her into the condo and leading her to a couch that Sydney had sat on hundreds of times. Now it seemed like a foreign piece of furniture. The whole condo seemed different now.

  Sydney pulled her phone out of her pocket and fumbled with it for a moment as she pulled up Maria’s phone number. “I need to call someone,” she said, without looking at Jake. She felt like curling into a ball and crying, or ripping down everything from Rian’s wall and throwing it while screaming.

  Instead she dialed Maria’s number.

  “Sydney!” Maria said. “What’s happening?”