Page 1 of The CEO

PROLOGUE

July, three years ago, Denver, Colorado

Knock!Knock! Knock!

Bree Taylor looked at the clock on the microwave. Her coffee was almost done. Six o’clock in the morning. Who in the world would be at her door now? She gathered her chenille robe tighter about her and headed to the door. After looking through the peephole, she opened the door. “Yes. Can I help you?”

“Brianna Taylor?” asked the Marine captain in dress blues with his hat under his arm and wearing white gloves.

Behind him stood another marine and a chaplain, both in their regular uniforms.

“I am.” She shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. Her eyes filled with tears. Only one thing would bring these three men to her doorstep…Brad.

“Miss Taylor?—”

“No. No. No.” She continued shaking her head. This wasn’t real. “No!”

The officer continued, “I’m sorry to inform you that your fiancé Bradford Anderson was killed while on active duty inAfghanistan this past Monday. You are listed as his only next of kin.”

Her heart hurt. Bree grabbed the door handle as it was the only thing to latch on to.

The captain stepped forward and took her by the arm. “Perhaps we should go inside.”

She nodded. “Yes, that would be best.” Bree straightened her back. She worried this day could come every time Brad deployed to some war-torn part of the planet, but she didn’t think it would happen so soon. He’d only been gone for two months. She sat on the sofa and looked up at the officer. “What’s your name?”

He stood with his hat under his arm. “Captain Marcus O’Reilly.”

“You must hate this part of your job.”

“Yes, ma’am. It is never easy informing loved ones at a time like this. Can I get you some water or something?”

His voice was muffled. Bree shook her head. “No. Nothing. How did it happen?” She was barely keeping the tears at bay, but she needed answers. “Please sit, so I’m not looking up at you.”

He nodded. His hair was dark above the white sidewalls of the military cut. He sat and angled his body toward her. “It was an IED. That’s how many of our soldiers die. They are insidious. If it’s any consolation, he didn’t suffer.”

She nodded and held back another sob.

“Is there someone I can call for you? You really shouldn’t be alone at a time like this.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Adam. Adam Kincaid. He’s Brad’s best friend.”

“Do you have the number for Mr. Kincaid?”

“Yes, let me…” She picked up the phone on the coffee table, then unlocked the phone before handing it back to the captain. “He’s on my favorites list, the second name.”

The captain took her phone and touched the favorites list and then Adam’s name. He put it on speaker.

She heard Adam curse at being woken up. It was Saturday, the only day of the week he allowed himself to sleep in. Despite the situation, she smiled at the normalcy of his response.

“Bree? What’s wrong?”

The captain glanced at Bree. “Mr. Kincaid, this is Captain Marcus O’Reilly with the Marine Corps. I believe that you should come over to Miss Taylor’s as soon as possible.”

“What happened? It’s Brad, isn’t it? Never mind. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Or less.”

“Thank you, Adam,” said Bree with a sob and her arms clasped over her stomach. Holding it together was getting harder and harder with each passing minute. She would never have the perfect ranch house on acreage with horses and chickens and two dogs for the kids to play with. Never have the four kids she and Brad had planned on. Never have the wedding she’d dreamed of with the perfect dress to go along with the perfect groom. And Brad would have been the perfect groom. He was the perfect everything…to her. How could she go on without him, without their dreams, without holding each other every night and again in the morning?

Nothing would be the same, and she had no future without Brad. How could she go on?