Stranded with a Hero (Entangled Bliss)

by Karen Erickson

  She was gazing at him as if he were reading a fairy tale. “And after that?”

  He squeezed her hand. “And after that we’ll see. After two weeks, maybe you won’t like the way I chew or my taste in music or the way I hog the TV remote. Maybe you’ll be sick of me.” He couldn’t imagine being tired of her. Ever.

  “No. That won’t happen.” The swift shake of her head gratified him.

  “Well, then, we’ll e-mail and call each other and have long, rambling conversations and lots of hot phone sex.” He winked at her.

  Her cheeks grew pink even as her lips curved into an impish smile. “Phone sex?”

  Blood pumped in his veins, but he tamped down his salacious imaginings. He was getting ahead of himself. “No pressure, of course. And my apartment has a guest room, in case you’re wondering.”

  “I wasn’t, actually.” Her face grew rosier even as she shot him a bold stare.

  Hot damn. Naomi was coming on to him. He liked that a lot. “I can see you’re going to make it very hard for me to say good-bye when your two weeks are up.”

  Threading her fingers through his, she drew him closer. “It’s a terrible conundrum.” Her voice was husky with longing. “I want this to be the best two weeks of my life, but if they are, how can I say good-bye to you at the end?”

  “It’s not the end.” He held her close, fierce with love. “It’s just the beginning.”

  She gazed up at him, naked emotion written over her face, and he knew she felt the same groundswell of love as he did. They weren’t ready to verbalize it yet, but it was there, flourishing, ripening. She nodded, acknowledging the silent message that passed between them, her thoughts attuned to his.

  Lifting her head to the sky, Naomi inhaled deeply. “It’s snowing,” she said in awe. It was, too. Soft, white snow sifted down like icing sugar, turning the concrete landscape into winter enchantment. He grinned as she stuck out her tongue to catch a falling snowflake and then copied her.

  Arms wrapped around each other, they strolled through the fluttering snow, oblivious to everything except themselves and the magic surrounding them.

  …

  CHRISTMAS EVE. MECKLENBURG,

  NY. TWELVE MONTHS LATER

  Aaron’s mother smiled as Naomi entered the living room. “I knew that sweater would look good on you, honey.”

  Naomi tweaked the hem of the sweater Carol had pressed on her not long after she and Aaron had arrived in Mecklenburg a few hours ago. Her sweater was a colorful riot of fat snowmen, splendidly complementing the florid sweaters worn by Aaron and his parents.

  “It’s perfect,” she said.

  Carol grinned even wider. “I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s very sweet of you to humor me, especially this Christmas.” Rubbing her hands together, she peered out the window at the garden. Outside the sun had already set, and a thick blanket of snow glimmered in the dusk. “Where are those men of ours? Still fixing those Christmas lights?”

  As she spoke, crunching footsteps sounded on the porch, and a few seconds later Aaron and his father entered the house, bringing with them a flurry of snowy cold.

  “Look at Naomi,” Carol declared when the two men came into the living room. “Doesn’t she look darling in that sweater?”

  Naomi met Aaron’s gaze and grinned at him.

  “She sure does,” Aaron’s dad said. “She looks like part of the family now.”

  Aaron lifted his eyebrows at her, and the brown depths of his eyes warmed. Part of the family. His parents had no clue how much a part of the family she was about to become. Aaron moved over and put his arm around her, and she hooked her thumb into the waistband of his jeans. As she snuggled into him, the small box shoved into his jeans pocket nudged her hip, reminding her of its precious contents. She’d been reluctant to take off the platinum-and-diamond ring, but Aaron wanted to announce their engagement to his family at the right time on Christmas Day, so until tomorrow they would be “just dating.”

  “Just dating” didn’t adequately describe their relationship over the past twelve months. There had been wonderful times, like the first two weeks in New York, and the trip to Hawaii in July, and the video recording where Aaron had declared how much he loved her. There had been some troubled times, like saying good-bye and missing calls and coping with the frustrating time difference. And then there had been some truly wretched times, like their first real argument, and Aaron’s pain when she’d turned down his marriage proposal two months ago, and her desolation at hurting the man she loved. Thank God he hadn’t given up on her. He’d allowed her time to consider and conclude that, no matter what continent they lived on, their future lay with each other.

  She had proposed to him, thankfully he’d accepted, and now they were planning the details of their life together. As soon as her visa was arranged, she would enroll in a certification program enabling her to teach in New York. Aaron had already cut back on his workload during the year. He wasn’t earning the big bonuses anymore but had become a regular competitor at chess tournaments, where he was gaining a fierce reputation.

  As his parents bustled around the eggnog bowl, Aaron pulled her closer and brushed his lips against her forehead.

  “Everything okay?” he murmured. “You look lost in thought.”

  She touched the dimple in his cheek. “I’m thinking how nice it will be to spend a whole week here. I love Mecklenburg. It reminds me of home.”

  Concern flickered across his face. “You aren’t too homesick, are you? You know we’ll be flying back to Oz as often as you want. Hell, who knows? We might move there in the future.”

  “You’d really do that for me?”

  “If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.”

  She bit her lip. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Her voice shook.

  Laughter lines spread from the corners of his eyes as he grinned at her. “Just making sure I’m on Santa’s nice list this year.”

  She rested her forehead against his. “Naughty or nice, you’ll be getting a very special present from me.”

  “Honey, I can’t wait.”

  Don’t miss the first two books in Coleen Kwan’s Real Men series

  REAL MEN DON’T BREAK HEARTS

  Enemy. Playboy. Landlord. The perfect fling?

  Ally Griffin is horrified to learn her new landlord is none other than the infuriating playboy Nate Hardy—the man she blames for getting her jilted at the altar six years ago. Plus, now her ex-fiancé is back in their hometown of Burronga, Australia, to marry his beautiful new bride…for real this time. Everybody’s treating Ally with kid gloves, as though she’s still heartbroken, but she’s just fine, thank you very much.

  Nate Hardy is tired of his high-flying city career and bachelor lifestyle and is looking for something more real. The last thing he needs is to find himself undeniably attracted to Ally, the woman with whom he never saw eye-to-eye. But is he even capable of what Ally wants and deserves?

  As Ally tries to pull her life out of the rut it’s fallen in, she doesn’t count on Nate stirring up her emotions. A short-term fling with the resident bad boy is practically irresistible, but only if she can guard her heart…

  REAL MEN DON’T QUIT

  Serial bachelor. Celebrity author. Her perfect forever?

  When famous author Luke Maguire decides to write his next novel in the small town of Burronga, Australia, he’s sure he can ignore the fiery redhead next door. Not only has he just been burned from a high-profile breakup, but he’s never been one to set down roots. No, he’ll finish his novel and leave Burronga. And soon.

  Tyler Jones just wants to run her business with her best friend, Ally, and take care of her three-year-old daughter, Chloe. She’s never needed help from anyone, especially not a man, and the brooding, rugged writer next door can’t tempt her. Not in the least.

  Only Tyler and Luke can’t stay away from each other. So they set rules. No staying overnight, no future plans, no sappy good-b
yes when Luke inevitably quits town. But the chemistry between them is too strong to contain in a rulebook. Are Luke and Tyler ready to risk their lives of independence for something more?

  About the Author

  Coleen Kwan has been a bookworm all her life. At school English was her favorite subject, but for some reason she decided on a career in IT. After many years of programming, she wondered what else there was in life—and discovered writing. She loves writing both contemporary romance and steampunk romance.

  Coleen lives in Sydney, Australia, with her partner and two children. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys avoiding housework, eating chocolate, and watching The Office.

  Contact Coleen at her website www.coleenkwan.com.

  An Officer and a Rebel

  An Accidentally in Love novella

  Cindi Madsen

  Chapter One

  Nostalgia was a nice idea and all, but what Kelsey hadn’t thought about when she’d decided to take a detour down memory lane—aka the windy mountain roads to Marion, North Carolina—was that it was going to start dumping snow, something her ancient little car with its needing-to-be-replaced tires wasn’t properly equipped for.

  She could hear the mechanic’s voice in her head, warning that the tires were bald and should be replaced as soon as possible. She’d thought she could do it once she got to Lexington. Or when she got back from Christmas vacation. Time off was so hard to come by, and all she’d wanted was get to Mom’s—it’d been way too long since they’d seen each other, and for months she’d been looking forward to kicking back and enjoying the holidays.

  I should’ve never gotten off the interstate.

  “Come on, little car. We got this,” Kelsey said, though the tires continued to slip. The snow was coming straight at her, making it impossible to see. It was the hypnotizing kind that could make you drive right off the road without realizing it.

  Kelsey gripped the wheel tighter, a bead of sweat forming between her shoulder blades despite the chilly temperatures outside. I remember it getting cold here next to the mountains, but I don’t remember it snowing this much.

  And haven’t they heard of a snowplow?

  Marion’s town slogan was “Where Main Street Meets Mountain.” That was one of the reasons she’d loved the town, with the nearby woods, its colorful shops, and the feeling that time hadn’t touched it the way it had the cities. They occasionally closed down Main Street for festivals where the entire town came out to mingle and eat hot dogs and snow cones. There was even a dress the pig contest at the Livermush Festival. Some of her happiest memories were of those events, going to ballgames, and working at Mom’s jewelry shop downtown. Yes, a lot of the older folks thought she was a troublemaker, with her constantly changing hair color, fashions they’d never seen—and obviously didn’t want to—and tattoos. But that was sorta fun, too, watching their eyes go wide when she walked into a room. Instead of easing back, it only egged her on to be louder. More outlandish.

  When Mom announced she was marrying Chris and moving the shop to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was from, Kelsey had wanted to cry, even though she’d been off at college in Charlotte. She supposed that was why she’d gone an hour out of the way to see the place—a chance to see if anything had changed and to say goodbye. Only between the darkness and the snow, she wouldn’t be able to see much, and at this point, she was wondering if she’d even make it into town. Right now she felt like she was the only person in the world, nothing but her and white as far as the eye could see.

  But at least she could recognize landmarks. She was only about five miles out of town, but going this slow, that distance might take a while.

  A streak of brown ran in front of her and she swerved to miss the large deer. The tires slid. Depressing the brakes didn’t slow her down but sent her spinning into the other lane. The right side of her car hit the guardrail, the impact throwing her forward. Her seat belt caught, digging into her chest, and metal groaned against metal as the car rolled up and over the rail. The rail bent under the car’s weight, and the suitcase from the back bumped into her seat as the front end of the car pointed down, toward the tree-lined slope.

  For a moment, there was only a ringing noise, the radio silenced, the falling snow swirling around her car as her heart pounded so fast she couldn’t tell if it or the belt hurt more.

  “Holy shit,” Kelsey said, taking her shaky hands from the wheel. She ran her gaze over herself, checking to make sure she was okay. The airbags would’ve deployed if she had any, she was sure, but this car was almost as old as she was. She felt okay physically, with the exception of her jangled nerves. As soon as she was sure she wasn’t bleeding or knocked loony, she glanced out the window, where a tree was mere inches from her face, some of the branches pressed against the glass. The right side where her car had hit the rail looked pretty mashed, too.

  Her heart dropped. There was no way she could simply start up her car, back up, and go on her way. She cranked the engine to see if it’d even start—nope, just grinding followed by a clicking noise. The snow fell faster and faster and the wind blew against her car, making the windows shudder. Without the heater pumping full blast, cold was seeping in, biting everywhere her skin was exposed.

  Crap. What am I going to do?

  Headlights approached on the road and Kelsey’s heart lurched. Vehicles were few and far between out here this late, and she needed to get this one to stop. But she couldn’t get either of the front doors open, and she was scared one wrong move would send the car barreling farther into the trees. She undid her seatbelt and immediately fell against the steering wheel.

  “Ouch.”

  She started crawling to the back of the car, freezing when police lights flicked onto the vehicle. Her happiness that the truck was stopping faded. Sheriff Henderson had always treated her like a criminal—okay, so there was that time she’d been busted at a party, but there were several underage kids drinking, and she’d been the only one carted in. So not fair. Not to mention all the speeding tickets he’d given her, even when she’d barely been over the limit.

  If she thought another car would happen by, she might take her chances. But as much as she didn’t like the sheriff, she didn’t want to become a human Popsicle either. The car wobbled and she gripped the headrest to keep from being tossed back to the front.

  The lights of the truck lit up a tall figure. Either the sheriff had lost his gut or…

  Kelsey squinted at the guy as he got closer. The glowing taillights of her car illuminated him in red, but between that and the snow all she could really tell was that it was someone much younger than Sherriff Henderson.

  The backdoor opened with a groan. “Give me your hand,” he instructed, extending his. The car wobbled again, and Kelsey slid toward the open door, sure she was about to fall several feet onto the ground. Strong hands caught her around the waist, but her forward momentum still caused her to bump into his solid chest. She automatically gripped his arms to steady herself. As her feet sank into the snow, cold seeped through her jeans. Her coat was still in the front seat and she shivered as the icy air surrounded her. “You okay?”

  Kelsey glanced up, and for a moment, she thought it was her ex-boyfriend. But then she saw the slight differences—a couple extra inches in height, broader in the shoulders, eyes hazel instead of green, mouth set in a tight line. If he took off his hat, his hair would be dirty blond, not dark brown.

  His eyebrows drew together as recognition lit his eyes. “Kelsey?”

  So it might not be as awkward as it could’ve been, but she wasn’t sure running into her ex’s older brother this way was much better.

  …

  Nate thought the snow must be doing funny things to his vision, because there was no way Kelsey Cooper was actually standing in front of him. Not here in Marion. He’d thought maybe he’d run into her in Charlotte, back when he was going to the Police Academy. He’d even thought about looking her up. He could’ve played it off as just wanting to see someone
from home, though it would’ve been more than that, and he wasn’t sure he could’ve convincingly acted otherwise. There was something about the girl that’d seared her into his brain, regardless of the fact she was his younger brother’s girlfriend. Even though she and Derek had broken up, he knew he should’ve never thought about her that way in the first place.

  But now, watching the snow fall onto her platinum hair, streaked with purple—and he thought he spotted a feather in there—he remembered why it was he’d been so mesmerized every time she stepped into the room.

  “Hey, Nate,” she said, blinking as though she didn’t quite believe her eyes either. “So there was a deer and I swerved and hit the brakes and then the next thing I knew…” She motioned to her car.

  “Are you hurt?” He leaned closer so he could see if her eyes were dilated, but it was no use in this darkness.

  Her gaze locked onto his, and a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time went through his gut. Trying to focus past what seeing her again did to him, he noticed her eyes were clear at least and there was no sign of blood.

  “I’m okay. My car isn’t so much.” She ran a hand through her hair and pressed her lips together, as if she were fighting tears. “How am I going to get to Kentucky now?”

  Nate looked down the road, as if that’d suddenly clear the way. “I hate to break it to you, but the roads are closed. The freeway, too, headed north. There’s a storm coming, and everyone’s been advised to stay indoors.”

  “Coming?” Kelsey tipped her head up to the sky.

  “It’s gonna get worse,” he said and she jerked her head back down.

  “Great. Well…” Kelsey shuddered and he realized she wasn’t wearing a coat. He shrugged out of his and wrapped it around her. She looked like she was about to fight him but then she sighed and slid her arms into the sleeves. “So, uh, how’s the Budget Valley Motel looking these days?”