Excerpt of Romancing His Rival by Jennifer Shirk

After dashing through the snow in a three-hour car ride up the mountains with "Feliz Navidad" playing in what seemed like a continuous loop on the radio, Elena Mason was officially done with Christmas.And it was only December first.

She finally pulled into the condo parking lot, and of course, there were no spots near her unit. The lot was most likely jam-packed with would-be skiers, so she had to park two rows away. Good thing she planned ahead and wore her snow boots.

Her good friend and wedding planner, Arden Roberts, had just organized a wedding for a woman who was on her way to Aruba this week on her honeymoon. In thanks, she had given Arden full access to her condo in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains. Arden had meant well, granting Elena the use of the condo because she knew she needed a getaway. Or at least, she'd insisted Elena needed one. Elena wasn't so sure. Right now, she was ready to just go home.

But then again, she wasn't the type to look a gift condo in the mouth, so she pulled on her mittens and readied herself for a hike through the snow.

At least Elena had brought her sketch pad to help her relax. Arden had suggested she try ice skating (not likely) or do some skiing (even less likely) or just simply relax to get her mind off her canceled wedding, which would have been December twenty-first (still working on that one).

Seven months and fifteen days ago, her fiancé, Scott, had suddenly called off their wedding. It still tore Elena up to think about it. She and Scott were so good together. She'd been so happy. And why wouldn't she have been happy? She was finally going to have the kind of perfect marriage her parents had. Scott was handsome, caring, and a financial planner just like her dad had been. He even proposed in the same way her dad had proposed to her mom: on top of the Empire State Building.

Coincidence? She thought not.

Scott was the perfect man. Actually, everything had been perfect. Right down to her dress, reception, and home they were going to buy together. Until the best man—Lucas Albright III—and his big fat opinionated mouth had to go and ruin her life. The cad. If she never saw him again in her lifetime, it'd be way too soon.

Lucas had planted some kind of crazy notion in Scott's head that she wouldn't make a good "executive wife." He trusted Lucas more than anyone, which was why Lucas had Scott all of a sudden questioning their compatibility and then eventually their engagement. So what if she didn't have a college degree or couldn't talk finance?

The wind stung her cheeks as she lugged her belongings across the parking lot and up to the icy doorstep. Snow was still falling pretty hard, which made the trek all the more precarious with her hands full. Once she reached the door, she set down her bags and pulled the house keys from her pocket, double-checking the address written on the keychain.

This was the place all right.

Hmm…not bad. But based on the "Happy Easter" wreath adorning the door, she assumed the condo hadn't been used in quite a while. She prayed the heater worked. Not quite the vacation getaway she or her friends envisioned, but a lot of her money was still tied up in down payments she'd placed for her wedding, so she didn't have a lot of options as far as vacations went this year. Unfortunately, she still held onto hope that Scott would realize how much he couldn't live without her, which was why she hadn't been fighting too hard yet to get her money back.

She took a deep breath then nudged the door open, bracing herself for what she'd find inside. Whew. At least it didn't smell funky. Tossing her belongings into the foyer, she then shook the snow from her boots before walking into the living room and having a look around. And for the first time in almost eight months, Elena actually wanted to smile.

The place was charming. A large comfy-looking sectional with lots of furry throw pillows filled the sitting area. A wall of windows offered a lovely view of the snow-covered ski slopes and—bonus!—there were two built-in bookshelves overflowing with books. Elena quickly noted a few written by Nora Roberts on the shelf and decided that maybe this little getaway was turning out much better than she'd anticipated.

Before she could check out the other rooms, her cell phone rang and she raced to the foyer to answer it. Maybe Scott has finally changed his mind!

No such luck. But she still smiled when she saw Arden's picture pop up on the screen.

"Oh, I'm so glad you answered," Arden rushed out. "Kinsley and I have been worried sick about you traveling in this weather. We heard there's a winter storm warning in effect."

Elena unwound the scarf from around her neck as she spoke. "Aw, you two are so sweet. I'm perfectly fine, but it sure is nice to be worried about nowadays."

Sad, but true. At this point in her life, she'd never felt so alone. With both her parents gone, being an only child, no fiancé, and now the holidays rolling in, getting through the month that should have been her honeymoon was going to be a complete bear. Thank goodness she had her friends.

"Hush, girl. We're always concerned about you. And not just because of what Scott did. You're a wonderful, beautiful person who will find love again. You just need to be patient."

Mm-hmm. Says the woman who recently married her high school crush.

Elena shook her head, even though she knew her newly married and completely over-the-moon-in-love friend was trying to be supportive and upbeat. "I don't want to find love again. I already found love. And quite frankly, I just want it back."

Oops. She'd said it out loud.

Yes, poor, pathetic Elena was still in love with and wanted the man back who, without warning, had broken her heart along with their engagement. But it was the truth. She desperately wanted Scott back. She wanted that part of her life back. She hadn't been truly happy since.

Arden let out a sigh. "Honey, it's been a while. I don't think you and Scott—"

"Anyway, I don't really want to talk about it right now," she said, carrying the grocery bag of food she'd brought with her into the kitchen. It was depressing to hear the pitying tone in her friend's voice. But the truth was, Arden didn't understand. None of her friends did. They hadn't grown up in a household of love like hers with such wonderful and nurturing parents.

Was it wrong to want that kind of life for herself?

She hadn't realized how happy her life had been—until they'd been in a terrible parasailing accident while they were on vacation. She was left utterly alone at the young age of twenty-two, and her life had begun to head in a downward spiral of depression and emptiness.

Until six months later, when she'd met Scott. A time in her life when she needed him most, so because of that, she'd always think of him as her savior.

Scott Coban had come to town for a coworker's anniversary party. And he just so happened to be staying the weekend at the Harbor Light where she worked. Before that moment, love at first sight was just something she'd read about in her romance books. But it was real. She had experienced it firsthand.

Scott had charmed her and asked for her number right away. That night he'd ended up leaving the party early and immediately called her to meet him for a drink which she'd readily accepted. And the rest was history.

Until she became history.

No thanks to Scott's friend and would-be best man, Lucas Albright.

"I'm sorry," Arden said, breaking into Elena's morose thoughts. "I just don't want you getting your hopes up for no real tangible reason, that's all."

"I'm not getting my hopes up." My hopes are already up.

"I mean, sure, I guess it's possible you two could get back together. But, honey, the reason we wanted you to take this vacation was to get your mind off Scott. You know, like a Scottcation."

Elena pulled out a bottle of red wine, then another for good measure, and nodded. If that failed, she had plenty of chocolate and tequila as a backup. "I will try my best."

"Great! And while you're at it, try not to think of that Lucas Albright either."

The wine almost slipped from Elena's hand. "Now why on earth did you have to go and mention his name?"

"Oops, sorry. It's just that…well, I didn't want to mention this before, but the condo you're staying in kind of belongs to his sister, Michelle."

Elena sat on the nearest chair, fearing her legs would give way. Of all the places she could have gone, it would have to be tied to a man she wanted nothing to do with ever again in her life. "You were smart not to mention that to me before. I would have never come."

"Before you go torching the place in a fit of vengeance," Arden lectured, "please just try to remember that his sister happens to be a very good client of mine and a sweet person."

She snorted. "Yeah, too bad she's related to the Spawn of Voldemort," she grumbled back.

"Honestly, Elena, I've met Lucas, too, at her wedding, and I have to say, I can't imagine him being the kind of person to break up anyone's engagement."

"Well, he did. Scott told me so himself. And whose side are you on anyway?"

"Yours! Always yours. I'm just playing devil's advocate."

"Are you finished playing?"

"I suppose so."

"Good," she said, ripping open the bag of marshmallows she'd brought and popping one in her mouth. "Because let me tell you something about Lucas Albright III. I don't know what kind of snow job he laid on you, but I know for a fact that he is a cold, insensitive man and a liar—not to mention a terrible friend. And you can rest assured that nothing and no one could ever possibly change my opinion about him."

…