“This’ll take care of the worst, and most of it’s locked in my brain anyway.” She managed a smile and brandished the hairdryer. “My mind is a steel trap.”
She plugged in the hair dryer and sat on the bed. He handed her the journal and crouched to mop up the coffee puddle on the floor. Shaye opened the cover…and the first few pages stuck to it. Heart walloping against her ribs at the smeared ink, she flicked the dryer on low.
Del tossed the towel back into the laundry basket and returned to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You know we’ll have an amazing day with or without that book, don’t you?”
She gently peeled the first page away from the cover and aimed warm air onto it. “Yeah.”
“You just want it to be perfect.”
“I’m that transparent, huh?” Hard to deny since her man knew her better than anyone else in the world…and loved her regardless.
“Like one of your Vietnamese rice paper rolls.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll make us breakfast in bed while you resurrect the Holy Grail of wedding planning. Don’t even think about getting un-naked before I get back.”
“Yes, chef,” she said.
He stood, and as it often did, her gaze zipped to the surgical scar on Del’s abs left by donating a kidney to his dad. She’d resurrect her journal, all right, because she wanted Del—her amazing, loving, generous and illegally sexy fiancé—to have the wedding day he deserved.
Kissing The Bride is coming June 2016!
Saying I Do (Due South Book 8)
(Coming later in 2016)
To pull off a wedding of the year, wedding planner MacKenna Jones must spend time under the smoking-hot gaze of Stewart Island’s resident doctor, Joe Whelan…the man she once caused to be jilted at the altar. While love isn’t in the cards between them, passion is only a roll of the dice away. But will a Vegas road trip be enough to get these two gun-shy cynics to the church on time?
In Too Deep (Due South Book 1)
To save her brother from financial ruin, police diver Piper Harland does the one thing she swore she’d never do—return to the tiny island hometown on Stewart Island where Ryan “West” Westlake crushed her heart. West lost Piper once, but now she’s back for an unexpected six week visit. Maybe he wants her a little bit, but can he fall in love with such a flight risk?
Click here to download In Too Deep!
Melting Into You (Due South Book 2)
Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. If you don’t trust people, you don’t get hurt. Ben Harland doesn’t do emotional home and family stuff. So when his surprise eight-year-old daughter suddenly arrives, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting. The attraction flaming between Ben and Kezia will either melt their hearts or raze their lives to the ground...
Click here to buy Melting Into You!
Ready To Burn (Due South Book 3)
Shaye Harland desperately wants the role of Due South’s head chef, but the far too sexy Del Westlake muscles in and steals it. A reality TV show plans to feature Del at his estranged father’s restaurant—jump-starting his ruined reputation and career in the States—but will the sparks flying in the kitchen burn his chances of ever becoming Shaye’s Mr. Perfect?
Click here to buy Ready To Burn!
Ready To Burn (Due South Book 4)
Carly Gatlin’s doesn’t want to spend another Christmas alone since her father died the year before. She’s come to Stewart Island in New Zealand to spend the holiday with her stepfamily, though she feels more of a Christmas Grinch than filled with good cheer. Kip Sullivan’s big, boisterous family have also arrived en-masse—someone just shoot him before his match-making relatives get out of control. Kip agrees to make Carly’s first Kiwi Christmas special, but will he gain more than mistletoe kisses from the woman who threatens to claim his heart?
Click here to buy Christmas With You!
My Forever Valentine (Due South Book 5)
Dive into the Due South world to find out what your favorite characters are doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with these four short and sweet romance stories. Because these four short stories of approximately 3,000 words each contain spoilers, they are intended to be read and enjoyed after:
Book #1: In Too Deep
Book #2: Melting Into You
Book #3: Ready To Burn
Book #4: Christmas With You
Click here to buy My Forever Valentine
Other Series by this Author
Far North Series
Imagine an endless stretch of azure blue water and clean, unspoiled beaches.
Imagine a small town surrounded by ancient native forest.
Imagine neighbors who look after their own, who consider them whānau - family.
Imagine the secret lives, the hidden passions simmering under New Zealand’s sultry, subtropical Far North.
Welcome to Bounty Bay, where the reward of true love is a price only some are willing to pay.
Book 1: Hide Your Heart (Lauren & Nate)
Book 2: Know Your Heart (Savannah & Glen)
Book 3: Teach Your Heart (Gracie & Owen) Coming later in 2016
Book 4: Mend Your Heart (Natalie & Isaac) Coming 2017
Book 5: Break Your Heart (Vanessa & Sam) Coming 2017
Acknowledgements
Thanks as always to my family who fend for themselves when I’m locked in a room with imaginary people. Wait—what? You mean, they’re not real?
Thanks to my insightful beta readers Siobhan, Rose, Rach, and Julie-Ann. As always, you ladies help me create a better book and I massively appreciate you all!
A shout-out to Sherilee who knows why I’d be lost without her and understands when I need to take the afternoon off with the Winchesters.
Thanks to my editor and proof-readers for catching all the things I miss and to my cover designer for yet another gorgeous cover.
Most of all, thanks to you—yeah you, the lovely reader who’s made it to the end of the book. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you spending your valuable time reading my words. I truly hope you’ve gained something in return for that time—even if it’s only pure escapism for a few hours.
About the Author
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
Questions or comments? E-mail Tracey at [email protected] or find her on the following social networks:
Website: www.traceyalvarez.com
Facebook: TraceyAlvarezAuthor
Twitter: @TraceyAlvarezNZ
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com
ONE LAST THING
I do hope you enjoyed reading DRAWING ME IN. Please share your thoughts by leaving a review on the retailer where you purchased this book.
Reviews are so important to authors. Thank you!
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Drawing Me In: A New Zealand Secret Baby Second Chance Romance (Due South Series Book 7) Page 33