A Moment Like You (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #2) - Claudia Burgoa

Sophia’s Prologue

I am the executive assistant of the man who happens to be the runner up to take over hell.

Where is hell? Surprisingly it’s not in some mystical place down under. Hell is better known as Baker’s Creek, a small town in Oregon just a couple of hours east of Portland.

Why is it hell?

Well, that’s where the Aldridge family settled back in the 1800’s. They’ve always been successful in their careers. However, their personal lives are a mess. They are damned to dwell into a loveless, angry, and disappointing existence.

The story of this family is fascinating. There are only six Aldridges left.

Thirty-some years ago, the philanderer, William Aldridge, spread his seed around the country. The cheating bastard had two kids with his wife and five out of wedlock. Pretty standard for a misogynistic asshole who thought he owned the world. Eventually, his wife dumped him, he neglected his seven children, and he lived alone until the day he died.

That should be the end of the story. Unfortunately for me, it’s the beginning.

So, the old man dies alone since he never cared about his children. He leaves a will and with it, he screws his six children—Carter, son number seven, died twelve years ago. They can receive their inheritance only if they abide by the stipulations. That includes that they have to live in his hometown for eighteen months. If they don’t, William left instructions to destroy most of the town.

Now, his offspring have to stay in hell—Baker’s Creek—for the next eighteen months. Sounds easy enough to do, but living among each other is a sentence of its own. They can’t stand each other.

Why am I involved?

Pure unadulterated bad luck. I’m pretty sure I walked under too many ladders. Maybe I broke one too many mirrors during my lifetime. I wandered across all the black cats in New York City…or simply, I was born unlucky.

What can I say about these men? Not much since I’m getting to know them too. All I know is that they are trouble!

Don’t let their hotness fool you, even when each are special.

Hayes, the doctor, and my best friend’s fiancée.

Pierce, the hot lawyer, and my other best friend’s estranged husband.

Mills, the hockey player, who I’d like to have in my penalty box—two minutes might be enough to melt the ice.

Vance, the broody, smoldering special forces guy—I want him to show me his tricks.

Beacon, the heartthrob musician—too young for me.

And I’ve saved the worst for last, Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge. The owner of Merkel Hotels and Spas. He also happens to be my boss. If Lucifer had a twin, Henry would be him.

All of them are hot. I’m pretty sure they were forged by a deity and given to their mothers as a gift for enduring William and as a punishment to the rest of us humans. They are not easy to handle.

The Aldridge brothers should all come with warnings like: dangerous, explosive, poisonous ...Too hot to handle, radioactive men, or addictive.

Do not approach.

They are so beautiful, you can’t stay away from them. And when you’re close, you’d want to run, but it’s too late. You can’t get away. I’ve been working on figuring out how to get rid of one and suddenly I find myself with five more.

Henry’s Prologue

Cyril Abbot Merkel, the guy who was not only my grandfather but my mentor and like a father to me, once told me, “The only way to make it in this world is by working hard and showing everyone who's the boss.

“You don’t need friends, Henry. You need allies—and watch out for your enemies. Always keep them close. The rest…they are here to serve you. Make sure they fear you. Once you try to be friendly with them, they’ll just take advantage of you.”

He always used my late mother as an example.

“Learn from her mistake,” he never got tired of repeating this same phrase again and again. In fact, those were his last words before he died.

But see, I’m the mistake.

My mother met William Aldridge—my father—when he was being groomed to take over Aldridge Enterprises. She had heard about him, but for most of his life, my father had lived on the west coast with his mother. Here’s a well-known secret among my people: This might be the twenty-first century but, in our world, marriages of convenience still exist.

We treat them like business transactions. A merger. We marry because of money or because of a name—prestige is important. We either become part of a dynasty or increase our net