Travel, Live, Love - A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 5)

  Travel, Live, Love

  The Armstrongs

  Book 5

  Jessica Gray

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, and places in this book exist only within the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or locations is purely coincidental.

  Travel, Live, Love – The Armstrongs Book 5

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2015 Jessica Gray

  This book is copyrighted and protected by copyright laws.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from the author.

  All characters, names, and places in this book exist only within the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or locations is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by http://www.StunningBookCovers.com

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Preview I Love You Twice

  Chapter 1

  Patrick Armstrong walked into the teahouse, or Bhatti as they were referred to in Kathmandu, with a heavy heart.

  He’d spent the last week with two of his brothers, Ryan and Douglas, and his head was still reeling. Both of his brothers had recently found the love of their lives, and while he was super happy for them, the reminder of his own single status was a stab in his heart.

  He’d given up hope of finding a lasting love long ago, and the only women he looked for now were the type who were okay with short flings and no future. It wasn’t that he liked uncommitted relationships, but life had been a harsh taskmaster and at its hands he had learned that true love wasn’t in the cards for him. Any woman he’d met either couldn’t stand the simple outdoors life he often led, like Tricia, or she soon became tired of his vagabond lifestyle and expected him to settle down somewhere with her.

  Thoughts of women and love brought back to mind the week he’d spent with the lovely Tricia. She was a nice enough woman he’d met while visiting his brothers and girlfriends in Kuala Lumpur, and they’d had lots of fun. The sex had been fantastic, just what he had needed after a few months in the middle of nowhere. But he wasn’t even sure he’d ever see her again. Sure, she’d offered to let him crash at her place and bed, the next time he was in town, but he was sick and tired of short-term flings without deep emotions.

  A chill ran down his spine at the concept of being confined to a lonely life, because he loved traveling more than being tied to a woman who expected him to behave like a normal boring guy. Which he wasn’t.

  He nodded at a few of the guests sitting at the small tables scattered here and there. His mind wandered from thought to thought as he glanced around the spacious lounge area, when a woman sitting alone captured his interest. She was dressed in comfortable-looking outdoor wear, her pants the convertible kind with zippers that allowed the wearer to change their length rolling up or unzipping them. She had paired them with a lightweight white cotton shirt with three-quarter sleeves. But it wasn’t her outfit that intrigued him; no, it was the matter-of- factness with which she occupied the space, as if she belonged right there.

  He glanced over at her once more and decided she was more seasoned traveler than hard-core climber. The climbers who arrived in Kathmandu to pit their skills against Mount Everest were easy to pick out. But she fit in the category of neither the hippies nor the esoteric people he so often saw frequenting the teahouses as he moved around Nepal.

  Teahouse trekking was the preferred mode of travel once incountry, and unless one focused on scaling Mount Everest, it was a pleasant and cost-effective way to see the countryside and the people who lived there. It was primitive, but most people traveling to Nepal weren’t expecting five-star accommodations.

  He certainly didn’t mind roughing it, and it had paid off in spades. He’d taken some amazing photographs on his last trip and was hoping to take more this time around. He watched the woman for another moment and then glanced down at his own attire. He silently laughed when he realized they wore matching clothes.

  His convertible cargo pants were the staple of his wardrobe, and he owned several pairs in differing colors. Today’s were a khaki green color, and he had them paired with a lightweight linen white shirt with the sleeves rolled up his tanned forearms.

  He watched her for another moment, taking in her long dark blonde hair that curled in the humid air. She had the most gorgeous smile on her face, while she feverishly tapped out words on the tablet in front of her.

  Patrick noticed she had a keyboard attached to her iPad and was typing quickly, making facial expressions in response to whatever she was writing. She must have a fun story to tell.

  He tucked his hands into his pants pockets and watched her. I wonder to whom she’s writing? Maybe her family? A husband? That conclusion sent a pain into his chest. Why would he even care if she had a husband?

  When she looked up in a moment of reflection and wrinkled her forehead in the cutest way possible, he was unable to take his eyes away from her. Of course, now she caught me staring.

  But instead of giving him an angry, condescending glance, like most women would have done, she smiled at him.

  His body instantly hardened in reaction. Where did that come from?

  Shaking his head at his own unpredictable hormones, he reached for the small table which offered guests water and tea, and poured himself a cup of tea. On impulse, he poured a second cup and approached her table.

  When he was close enough to speak to her, he asked, “Would you like a cup of tea?”

  She raised her head with a confused look on her sweet face, and stared between him and the proffered cup for a moment before a smile spread across her entire face when she realized what he’d asked her. Patrick’s response to her nearness and her terrific smile was instantaneous. His body heated up and he had the urge to do something. Anything. God, I want to kiss her!

  Thankfully his hands were occupied with the teacups and prevented him from making a fool of himself.

  When she answered him, her voice was warm and soft, almost too deep for a woman, but incredibly sexy nonetheless. “Actually, yes. Thank you.”

  She shook her head, moving her long, curly hair out of her face, and then glanced up at him apologetically. “Sorry. Would you like to sit down?”

  She didn’t wait for his response, she simply tucked her head back over her tablet and started typing again. “Let me just finish that paragraph, okay?”

  Patrick hid his grin and watched her, intrigued, as she spen
t a few seconds typing. From close up she was even more beautiful. There was something about her that drew him in like a moth to the flame. When she hit the save button with a flourish, she glanced up at him, made an inviting gesture with her hand, and said, “I’m Angela.”

  “I’m Patrick.” He took the seat across from her and opened his mouth to say something when her eyes opened wide and she held up a finger to silence him. She typed something else into her iPad and then pushed it away from her.

  “Sorry about that. I try to get my ideas down as they occur.”

  Patrick nodded his head, “No problem. You looked like you were having fun with whatever you were writing.”

  She nodded, “I was. I…” The rest of her sentence was cut off as her cell phone started beeping. She gave him a rueful grin. “Sorry.”

  She turned her phone over and glanced at the screen, and then a frown marred her expression. When she returned to look at him her gorgeous smile and her glowing eyes were shadowed with worry and…anger?

  “I’m sorry, but I have to take this,” she said with her incredibly sexy voice, and Patrick could only nod.

  She lifted the phone up and then paused while she waited for him to acknowledge her need for privacy. Patrick knew it was impolite, but he couldn’t move if his life depended on it. After a few seconds she grabbed her phone and headed for the outside.

  Patrick watched her walk away as he drank his tea, a sadness creeping into his body. How could that woman he’d just met trigger such strong emotions in him? He shook his head, not understanding himself anymore.

  Chapter 2

  Angela waited to answer the call until she was outside the small teahouse. “Hi, Jasper. I just arrived and was finishing up a blog post.”

  “You could have called to let me know you arrived safely,” he groused, obviously not happy with her.

  “We agreed to talk in the evening. And I had this great idea I needed to write down.”

  “You always need to write down some idea or another.”

  “Jasper, we’ve been over this before. This is my job! It’s how I make a living.”

  “You don’t have to work, I make enough money for both of us.”

  Angela sighed into the phone, tired of having this same old conversation. “That’s not the point. I love my job.”

  “More than me?” Jasper challenged her.

  She rolled her eyes and held back the words that wanted to spew forth. She was sick and tired of having to defend her love for traveling. Why doesn’t he understand me? It’s okay that he doesn’t like to travel, but why can’t he see that this is my dream life?

  “Well?”

  “Of course not, Jasper,” Angela assured him, even though in moments like this one she doubted if this was the truth or if she was lying to herself.

  “When will you be back?” he pressed her.

  “I don’t know yet. Probably another two weeks. I want to do that trail and then test some of the garments from that new line.”

  “Two weeks?! What on Earth is there in bumfuck Nepal that you need to stay two weeks to see?”

  “I don’t have to justify how long it’ll take me. I have a huge list of things I need to accomplish while I’m here.” Deal with it!

  “Two weeks is unacceptable!”

  “Jasper, two weeks isn’t that long.” She could tell where this phone call was heading. He was royally pissed off at this point, and her happy mood of moments before had vanished. All their conversations ended like this. “I can tell you’re upset…why don’t we talk later…”

  “No! You promised me this would be your last traveling trip. You agreed to stay home, and I agreed you could still work on your little blog.”

  Yeah, some agreement. You all but gave me an ultimatum – either I quit traveling after our wedding in four weeks, or we call it quits. Angela used her free hand to squeeze the bridge of her nose. “I know what I agreed to.”

  “Fine! Get home sooner than two weeks!”

  Angela heard him hang up the call, and she fought the urge to scream and yell at the inanimate object.

  She would marry Jasper in four weeks from now and settle down. This was her good-bye trip. At the time she’d agreed to his demands, she consoled herself that she still had so many unwritten stories to tell. Being in one place would give her plenty of time to get caught up, and she could contract with guest bloggers for the rest. But using guest bloggers just won’t be the same!

  Her blog was anything but little, as Jasper had called it. In fact, it was one of the most popular travel blogs on the Internet, called, “Travel. Live. Laugh.” and regularly pulled in more than a million readers per month.

  She pushed the unpleasant thought to the back of her mind, recalling Jasper’s explanation for why he wanted her to quit traveling. I need a woman that stays at home with me, not one who is constantly on the other side of the world for her own pleasure!

  A sudden sadness crept into her soul, while she tucked her phone into her pocket and stepped back inside the lounge. This was not how she wanted to live. Ever since she was a young girl, she’d dreamt of traveling the world on her own terms. And that was exactly what she had achieved. She lived not only a vagabond lifestyle of her own choosing, but also earned a living with it. She loved her life! And now she would have to give up the life of her dreams for a man.

  The fight with Jasper had flushed all hopes of getting more work done this afternoon down the drain. Everything she’d write in her current mood would be crap and she’d throw it away later on. What’s the sense anyways? In four weeks’ time I’ll be a Desperate Housewife confined to Wisteria Lane.

  A part of her had hoped to see Patrick again and continue their interrupted chat. Even though they’d barely exchanged a few sentences, it had been refreshing to talk to someone who obviously liked to travel and understood her need to pause a conversation to jot down an idea.

  She resumed her seat and thought about Patrick. That man sure had charisma, and his smile had made her heart jump. She’d felt a warmth and sense of safety in his presence that had been missing in her life for far too long. You have a boyfriend and are getting married soon. Remember?

  The other voice in her head chimed in, You’re not dead, nor are you married yet. There’s no harm in daydreaming about a sexy man who made you feel good.

  Angela liked the second voice, the one that told her it was okay to look around for a moment before tying herself down forever to something that would not make her happy. She tried not to mull over her relationship with Jasper, because she always ended up asking herself the same question. Why are you still with him? He doesn’t understand your love of traveling. He doesn’t even make the bells ring for you in the sex department.

  She answered herself and once again reminded her inner voices that none of the men she’d ever met had understood her need to travel. They had all ultimately demanded she stop traveling and put down roots with them. Men wanted to stay in one place, regardless of whether that made her happy or not.

  Angela had stopped believing in fairy tales when she was around eight years old. And with her thirty-two years of life, she’d kissed enough frogs to accept reality. They never turned into princes, and the idea of a truly passionate and intense love was not reality, but a fairytale dreamed up by lonely women.

  Jasper liked her, and she liked him. He was okay to be with. The nagging and fighting would stop once she got settled in New York with him. And being with someone was better than being alone. Or was it?

  But your heart went a little wild when that sexy stranger smiled at you. Angela’s body heated up and she couldn’t stop the smile on her face, when her mind went back to Patrick. At six feet three with his legs planted firmly on the ground, he’d owned the space and made quite an impression on her. He looked scorching hot with his dark hair, and with the steel-blue eyes that beamed even brighter than his kissable mouth when he smiled. His low and rough voice had sent shivers down her spine. And the day’s stubble on his chin. Ahh!
She was a sucker for men with designer beards.

  Her mind recalled his physique; he definitely wasn’t your average office worker. I wonder what he does for a living? His broad chest and muscled arms spoke of his love for physical activity, and the even tan showed an outdoors lifestyle.

  He’d been wearing well-worn cargo pants, with the zippers to shorten or lengthen them and a lightweight cotton shirt. just like her. She could spot a seasoned traveler from a mile away, and Patrick fell into that category.

  She estimated him in his early twenties, and that fact stopped her in the tracks for a moment. He’s far too young, and he wouldn’t be interested in an older woman like you anyways.

  Still, she wondered what other places he’d been to. Discussing travel experiences with others was almost as good as the real thing.

  Maybe you’ll see him again? That thought put a smile upon her face, and as she retreated towards her sleeping quarters, she decided if she saw him again, she’d try to strike up another conversation. Tomorrow was a new day, and she couldn’t wait to see what Nepal had in store for her!

  Chapter 3

  Early the next morning, Patrick got up and left for the local car rental station. He had already rented a jeep for the next leg of his adventure. The drive to the small village, Jarughat, was tedious and the roads in awful condition. Any other car wouldn’t make it out there.

  He’d made that discovery during his last stay in Jarughat, when he’d done the majority of his filming and photography over three months.

  In Kuala Lumpur he’d gone over the material with a professional cutter and found out that while the shots were fine, he still needed material for the documentary film he was making. Yup, that meant another visit to Jarughat. The small village was located over five hours’ drive from Kathmandu, and getting there required dependable transportation.

  While he waited to speak with the rental agent, his mind drifted back to the woman he’d met the day before. She had definitely impressed him, and he compared her to Tricia. They were as different as night and day. Where Tricia was full of stress and always on the move, Angela exuded easy-going nonchalance. In fact, he’d never met a woman so at ease with her surroundings.