by Hope Navarre
“Where are you going?” he called as Walt started to get into his truck.
“To pick up Ellie. She’s at the airport. I asked her to come and consult on a personnel problem I’m having.”
* * *
ELLIE WORE HER Christian Louboutins because she needed all the confidence she could get. After ignoring Ryan’s farewell voice mail, he could well tell her to go to hell. If so, she’d turn right around and leave. At least she could tell herself that she’d made a stab at fixing the mistakes she’d made.
Ever since Walt had texted her about second chances she’d been floored by how much she wanted one. How afraid she was that due to her own stubbornness she wasn’t going to get one.
Would Ryan even talk to her after she’d refused to answer his calls or even call him back? Did she deserve to have him talk to her?
She was about to find out, because there, working his way past a small group of people at the entryway, was the man who’d filled her thoughts for the past months. Looking better than she remembered and totally pissed off.
He hadn’t forgiven her. He’d found out and he was there to send her home.
Ellie stopped walking and he instantly spotted her. It took all of three seconds for him to reach her, plant himself in front of her.
“I thought Walt was coming,” Ellie said in a low voice.
Ryan scowled. “Look, I know Walt got you out here on some kind of pretext and I’m sorry about that.”
He looked so distant, so totally put out that Ellie took a step back, nearly tripping in her trusty heels. Ryan automatically put out his hand, but she regained her balance without touching him. So much for second chances.
She lifted her chin, regret ripping through her at being so close to him and not being able to do anything about it. He was so...real. The angles of his face, the scent of his body... Everything was so much better than she’d remembered. And yet she couldn’t touch him because he was so damned withdrawn.
Your fault.
“Walt didn’t ask me out here,” she said. “I came. I merely asked him for a ride from the airport.”
“Why?”
“I was going to ambush you,” she said candidly, holding his gaze even though it cost her. “I thought...” Get a grip. You’ve made people cry in the course of your work. You’re tougher than this. “I thought...given a chance...despite the phone message...” She pulled in a breath that raised her shoulders even as she hunched them protectively. “I never expected this to be easy.”
“What?”
“I miss you so damned much.”
There. She said it.
Ryan cocked his head, narrowing his eyes as if he hadn’t heard right. “Me, too.”
For a moment Ellie stared at him before she realized that he’d given the very best of answers. She moistened her lips. “You missed me?”
“Yeah.”
She broke into a breathless smile. Then before either of them could come to their senses, she launched herself at him and Ryan caught her, holding her so tightly against him that her feet left the floor.
“Don’t want to hurt the kid,” he murmured against her ear, easing her down to the floor.
“He’s tough,” she whispered back, placing a hand over her small rounded belly.
“He?”
“Joshua. I thought it was a good, strong name.”
“Does he have a middle name?”
“Not yet.”
Ryan pulled her back against him, burying his face against her hair. He leaned back a few seconds later to give her a wry smile. “I’m sure there’s someone at the ranch who would think Walter is a decent middle name, since he’s quite certain he’s rescued me from decades of loneliness.”
“Decades?” Ellie asked, not feeling one bit intimidated by the possibility.
He smiled that heart-stopping half smile. “I thought he was crazy...but now I have some hope.” The smile faded. “How long will you be here?”
“I can stay for a week right now...and if everything works out... Well, I’ve started making a plan with my employer to transfer to a department where I can work long-distance.” It didn’t pay as much, but she wouldn’t leave Kate’s dad in a lurch. Thankfully, he understood the situation and was willing to work with her. She owed him—and Kate—in a big way. As to what she owed Walt... Words couldn’t express what she owed Walt.
“I love a good plan,” Ryan said before frowning as he seemed to realize she was close to looking him in the eye. He glanced down at her feet, then met her gaze with a sexy smile. “Those aren’t lime-green...but I like them.”
“They’ll do,” Ellie said, tucking her arm in his as they started for the baggage claim. At least until she could get into some boots.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THAT SUMMER AT THE SHORE by Callie Endicott.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Superromance.
You want romance plus a bigger story! Harlequin Superromance stories are filled with powerful relationships that deliver a strong emotional punch and a guaranteed happily ever after.
Enjoy six Harlequin Superromance stories every month!
Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
PROLOGUE
ZACK DENNING BREATHED in the tangy scent of seaside vegetation as the bulldozer bit deep into the soil. For seventeen years he had worked for this moment.
Mar Vista. My own resort.
He’d saved, invested, made the right contacts, learned along the way, calculated for everything imaginable...and now he was finally breaking ground.
“It’s a big day,” said Phillip Atchison, his architect, during a lull in the noise from the heavy machinery.
“Yes.” Zack nodded, holding his triumph at bay. This was just the beginning, with the greatest risks and challenges still ahead. Nevertheless, he could see it all in his head, the way he’d been seeing it since he was a kid and everyone thought it was a pipe dream.
Phillip understood his ideas and had been excited by the opportunity to design classic architecture that recalled an era of gracious stability. Equally important, they’d incorporated luxury amenities, state-of-the-art electronics and a killer resource center. A guest could run an international company from Mar Vista...or forget the outside world existed.
Leaving the bulldozer, they walked toward the trailer, which would serve as Zack’s home and office while the construction phase progressed. Later he would have an apartment over the administrative offices.
“It’s too bad your family couldn’t be here for the groundbreaking,” Phillip commented.
“My folks were going to come, but something...came up.”
Zack’s mood chilled. He didn’t want to explain his brother’s damaged body and the months of surgeries and therapy yet to come. Brad had gone through hell since being hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Their parents were in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was being treated at National Naval Medical Center. The doctors kept saying they had to be patient, but it wasn’t easy.
“Maybe they can come for the grand opening. And you’ve taken lots of photos that you can send them,” Phillip said, dropping his arms. “They’re on the internet, aren’t they? Or do they resist using computers and email like my folks?”
It took a second for Zack’s brain to refocus. “No, they love email,” he answered, patting his digital camera. He’d already sent dozens of pictures to his parents and bro
ther, hoping it would raise their spirits. His jaw hardened. The resort had to be a success—the family needed something to go well.
They climbed onto the landing in front of the trailer and studied the terrain leading down to the Pacific Ocean. Weather reports indicated relatively dry conditions for the next several months—ideal for contouring the acreage for the golf course and completing the major structures. They were disturbing as few of the natural features as they could, which helped their timeline. Mar Vista would nestle into the land as though it were always meant to be there.
The golf-course design also employed existing features, while still creating eighteen holes that each had its own unique challenge. Zack didn’t care much for playing golf himself, but he’d paid close attention to what the enthusiasts of the game had to say about a good course.
“It would be nice if there wasn’t a public road on the north end,” Phillip said.
Zack kicked a clod of dirt from his shoe. “True, but I’ve examined similar issues at other resorts. It doesn’t seem to be a problem if the atmosphere is right, and the situation here is better than most because the road only leads to the public beach.”
“What about the section north of the road? I noticed the old for-sale-by-owner sign is still there. That strip of land is too narrow for the main resort, but the view is spectacular and your guests would love exclusive access to the water.”
Zack suppressed a laugh. Phillip “noticed” that for-sale sign whenever he came to Warrington. “Actually, my real-estate agent is contacting the owner with an offer.”
“Wonderful.”
Zack saw the wheels turning in his architect’s eyes. “Don’t get busy with blueprints,” he warned. “Even if the seller accepts, I can’t afford to develop for at least two years.” If it wasn’t for a recent investment in his portfolio panning out better than expected, he wouldn’t have been able to consider buying the property in the first place.
“What if the owner decides not to sell and builds something that clashes with Mar Vista?” asked Phillip.
Zack grimaced. “My landscape architect and I have a contingency plan. We’re leaving green space with trees where we can plant one of those tall evergreen hedges as a buffer if necessary. It isn’t a great solution, but it would help.”
Phillip whistled. “That’s expensive, particularly if you put in mature bushes.”
“Less expensive than losing the right atmosphere.”
“Can’t argue with that. Well, best of luck. I’ll be back regularly to meet with the contractor and monitor the progress.”
They shook hands, and Zack watched the architect drive away. The roar of the bulldozer drowned out the roar and crash of the ocean, but it was sweet music. In due time Mar Vista would be open for business. He already had stacks of prospective reservations from people who knew him through his years of management at other resorts.
His cell phone rang and he checked the caller ID. It was his real-estate agent.
“Yes?”
“Hi, Zack, it’s Janet Trent,” she said. “I met with George Jenkins, and he’s willing to sell. I floated the lower figure by him so we’d have leeway for bargaining, but he accepted without countering.”
“That’s terrific,” Zack exclaimed.
“George wants the deal to close fast. As I told you, he’s a nutty old coot. Not stupid, though. I tried to convince him to list the property with me several years ago, only he didn’t want to pay the commissions. Now to speed things up he said he won’t ask for a reduction of the agent’s commission for representing the buyer. So, are you sure you want to go ahead?”
Zack rubbed the back of his neck. Spending the majority of his financial reserve was a huge risk. “Will he sell to someone else if I don’t?”
“There’s no telling. The resort is going to raise property values. George hasn’t been well and obviously wants to sell, so he could decide to cash in with another developer.”
Zack winced. A motel or subdivision might be tolerable, but what if it was worse? Images of a cheap trailer park filled his imagination, complete with neon signs and rusty, single-wide trailers crowded too close together. It wasn’t impossible, and something like that could destroy the five-star rating he hoped to earn. He couldn’t risk it happening, even if buying the land left him with little financial cushion.
“Let’s do it,” he told Janet. “Get the documents to me as soon as possible. It’s interesting that he didn’t quibble over the lower offer.”
“Yes. As we discussed, I started at fifty thousand under your top number. I expected to dicker with him for a while, but he just wrote out the parcel numbers and signed the papers.”
An extra fifty thousand in his pocket wasn’t much when it came to a project as big as Mar Vista, but every bit helped.
Zack ended the conversation and switched off the phone with a satisfied smile.
Nothing stood in his way now.
Copyright © 2014 by Callie Endicott
ISBN-13: 9781460324554
COWGIRL IN HIGH HEELS
Copyright © 2014 by Jeannie Steinman
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
He’s the one worth keeping!
Love at first sight? Cassie Michaels thinks that notion exists only in the movies. Until she meets Peter Chapman and finds herself in deep, that is! He’s gorgeous, charming and very determined to see where this attraction can go. So even though the small-town E.R. where they work has a no-dating policy, it’s not long before she’s seeing him after hours.
But the rush of this affair takes a backseat when Cassie receives a serious diagnosis. How can she focus on a commitment with Peter when she needs to focus on recovering? Still, he proves his worth when he doesn’t walk away so easily….
“Do you think this is a date?”
“It will be if you kiss me,” Peter replied instantly.
Cassie laughed. “Be serious.”
Oh, he was serious. Okay, she’d spoken her mind, he’d followed suit. He couldn’t help himself. “I’d like to kiss that sexy baseball cap right off your head.”
“We just met a short time ago, Peter.”
“Does it matter?”
Her gaze slid from his face to the lighthouse behind him, as if thinking over her next answer. When those beautiful blue eyes darkened with desire, his blood fired. The twin braids falling over her shoulders lay like two lifelines to her mouth. He watched caution replace the want in her eyes as he lifted the baseball cap from her head. She leaned back. “Slow down, surfer dude.”
Those were definitely not the words he wanted to hear.
Dear Reader,
It’s so easy to be in love when all is well in the world. Love is truly tested and the real measure of a man or woman comes to light when adversity strike
s. As a hopeless romantic, I prefer to believe that love conquers all. This fact was proven to me when my beautiful niece, an emergency room nurse, was struck with cancer in her late twenties.
Cassie Michaels, the heroine in A Man to Believe In, was drawn from this vibrant, beautiful and compassionate woman, who attracts the admiration of her coworkers, friends and family because she is so generous with her own love. In the beginning of her career, she met and fell in love with her boyfriend, who is also an emergency room nurse—a man of integrity, honor and love.
When this inspirational woman was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, her prognosis was good, but the chemotherapy was grueling. Hair and weight loss, nausea, lethargy, lack of appetite—all draining and distressing—brought some dark moments, but she never lost her positive attitude. When she was at her absolute lowest point during treatment, her boyfriend asked her to marry him. He wanted her to understand his deep love for her and his absolute confidence that they would spend the rest of their lives together. Today, my niece is free of cancer. When this book is released, these two lovers will have been married for two months. I will be at their wedding, celebrating my socks off!
I cherish a good love story, whether in real life or fiction. A Man to Believe In is complete fiction, but know that it was inspired by a true love story that I watched unfold, through adversity, only to triumph into happily ever after. God, I love my job!
Happy reading, my friend! Please let me know how you liked the story. Contact me at [email protected].
Much love,
Kathleen Pickering
A MAN TO BELIEVE IN
Kathleen Pickering