His eyes turned smoky. A smile tilted the corners of his mouth.
“Is that a yes?” she asked.
“No,” he said, “but this is.” And pulling her close, he kissed her pretty much nonstop until the nurse threw her out.
Some things were worth fighting for.
THE EDITORS’ CORNER
The heat is on and nowhere is that more evident than right here at Loveswept. This month’s selections include some of our most romantic titles yet-Take one mechanic, one television talk-show host, a masseuse, and a travel agent, then combine them with strong, to-die-for heroes, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a month’s worth of love stories.
Loveswept favorite Mary Kay McComas returns with ONE ON ONE, LOVESWEPT #894. Mechanic Michelin Albee has no idea what she’s getting into when she picks up stranded motorist Noah Tessler on a lonely stretch of desert highway. Noah’s purpose in coming to Gypsum, Nevada, is to meet the woman who captured his late brother’s heart and gave birth to Eric, Noah’s only living relative. Uncharacteristically, Mich takes a liking to Noah. Trusting him more than she’s trusted any man in the past few years, she confides in him about her worries for Eric. As Noah gets closer to both Mich and her son, will he be able to keep his secret? Once again Mary Kay McComas grabs our hearts in a book as deliciously romantic as a bouquet of wildflowers in a teacup!
In Kathy Lynn Emerson’s latest contribution, we learn that love is best when it’s TRIED AND TRUE, LOVESWEPT #895. Because Vanessa Dare has more than a passing interest in history, she agrees to produce a documentary about professor Grant Bradley’s living history center in western New York. Grant knows that having the television talk-show host on the project will bring him the exposure Westbrook Farm needs, but he’s surprised when desire sizzles between them. When Nessa doesn’t balk at sacrificing present-day comforts, Grant realizes he just might have found the perfect woman. She’s content merely to get away from the pressures of work, and as they play the part of an 1890s courting couple, the sweet hunger that transpires could prove to be their destiny. As riveting as the pages of a secret diary, Kathy Lynn Emerson’s delectable story of love’s mysteries and history’s magic is utterly charming.
Donna Kauffman is at her best when she gives us a witty romp, and TEASE ME, LOVESWEPT #896, is nothing less. Tucker Morgan knows that his life needs a change. He’s just not so sure that posing as a masseur is a change for the better. But since he promised his aunt Lillian he’d investigate the shady goings-on at her Florida retirement community, he’d better take a serious look at those instructional videos she gave him. Sent in to evaluate the new masseur’s skills, Lainey Cooper knew she was in trouble from the moment he touched her. If his magical hands turned her knees to mush, Lord knew what he could do to the rest of her body! Aunt Lillian is sure something’s happening at Sunset Shores, and insists Lainey and Tucker team up to uncover its secrets … and if a little romance is thrown in on the side, hey, what more can an elderly aunt ask for her nephew? Donna Kauffrnan delivers a sparkling tale of equal parts mystery and matchmaking.
Welcome Suzanne McMinn, who makes her Loveswept debut with UNDENIABLE, LOVESWEPT #897. After his wife left him stranded with four daughters to raise, Garth Holloway decided he wasn’t going to add any more women to his life. And when his pretty neighbor Kelly Thompson popped out of a Halloween casket, scaring his youngest child nearly to death, he knew his decision was right. Kelly isn’t going to argue with him. She’s through with raising children. With her younger siblings now in college, she’s free to go wherever her heart desires. But when an undeniable passion reigns, Garth and Kelly can’t stay away from each other. His children adore her, not to mention the family dog. Garth doesn’t want to hold her back, but faced with unconditional love, will Kelly grab her passport or surrender her solo ticket for a hunk on the family plan? Suzanne McMinn’s tale of dreams deferred and temptations tasted is as heartwarming as it is irresistible.
Happy reading!
With warmest wishes,
Susann Brailey Joy Abella
Senior Editor Administrative Editor
CATHERINE MULVANY
My life is like a fairy tale. Okay, a fractured fairy tale. At age eleven I fell hopelessly in love with a little town in eastern Oregon. A population of under fifty didn’t even qualify this town as one-horse, but the place had character, not to mention an abundance of arkayesses.
I had never heard of an arkayess before, let alone seen one, but on the first day of my visit, I became intimately acquainted with a particularly gruesome member of this species—also known as the road-killed snake.
Swinging a dead snake like a lariat, the orneriest boy in town raced toward me on his bike. “You’d better run,” he yelled. “I’m gonna wrap this arkayess around your leg!” He chased me half a block, aimed, then let it fly. The snake cartwheeled through the air with deadly accuracy to coil itself around my bare leg.
The boy was almost as shocked as I was; he hadn’t expected to hit his target. To make it up to me, he proposed … and it only took him nine years to do it. I accepted, of course. How else could I stay in eastern Oregon and live happily ever after in my very own castle? Okay, so it’s a three-bedroom ranch house, but it has an irrigation ditch out back, and that’s practically a moat, right?
It also has a computer, where I spend an inordinate amount of time conjuring up slightly off-beat romantic adventures on my enchanted keyboard. I write from the heart, but filter everything through my funny bone, my goal being to entertain Loveswept readers while I earn enough magic beans to put the three baby Mulvanys through college.
AQUAMARINE
A Bantam Book / June 1998
LOVESWEPT is registered trademarks of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by Catherine Mulvany.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-57189-2
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
The Editors’ Corner
About the Author
Copyright
Aquamarine Page 18