“Then I met you.” He smiled. “You’re amazing. Smart and determined. Strong as...” He stopped as he remembered the Acorns listening intently. “Really strong. I was intrigued and impressed. I thought we would be good together. But I never thought I’d fall in love again. You see, I learned the wrong lesson from loving Marie and Marcus. Instead of learning that love is a gift to be treasured for as long as we have it, I learned that I hadn’t kept them safe. So I could never keep anyone safe.”
He heard a sniffle from behind him. Before he could turn and figure out who was upset, Kenny pushed past him and dropped to his knees.
“Munchkin, what’s wrong?”
“I’m okay,” Chloe said, sniffing again. “Sometimes I miss my dad. But Angel’s right. I loved him and he loved me and that’s like a gift.”
Kenny pulled the little girl to him. His hands were huge on her narrow back, but she clung to him fiercely. Kenny shot Taryn a “for God’s sake, help me” look, but she turned back to Angel.
“You kept me safe,” she told him. “You saved Regan and Chloe and me.”
“I know, and it scared me. That I could have lost you. That I was there. When you said...” He paused, aware of their audience. “You know what you said.”
“Did you tell him you love him?” Olivia asked. “My mom says men have trouble with that sometimes because they’re emotionally immature.”
“Gee, thanks,” Sam told the girl.
Taryn’s mouth twitched. She looked back at Angel. “When I said I loved you, you freaked out.”
“I did,” he admitted. “I felt guilty and confused. I wanted to be with you, but what if I couldn’t keep you safe, either? What if we had kids and something bad happened?”
The girls started whispering.
Taryn’s mouth curved up into a smile. “Stop,” she said. “No one is pregnant. Are we clear?”
Chloe stepped away from Kenny. “I’d like a little brother or sister. I’ve told Mom, but she says that isn’t going to happen.” She turned to Regan. “She would have to get married first.”
Angel swore under his breath. When had he lost control of the situation? This was not how he’d planned on telling Taryn how he felt.
He looked at her and realized control was nothing but an illusion. All any of them had was this moment. He’d been blessed with two amazing women in his life. It was about time he recognized that.
He pulled the wreath off his head and put it on Taryn’s, then reached for her other hand.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he told her, staring into her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize how lucky I was to have you love me. I’m sorry I disappeared without an explanation. It won’t happen again.”
“Okay,” she said slowly.
“I love you, Taryn. I think I have from the first time I saw you.”
Her lower lip began to tremble, but she didn’t speak. Tears filled her eyes.
He pulled her into his arms. She went easily, fitting in as if she’d always belonged with him. Her arms came around his body and pulled him close.
“I love you,” he whispered, so only she could hear. “For always. Later, I want to do it right. On one knee. But just so you know, I mean to marry you and grow old with you.”
“Naked?” she asked softly.
He pulled back a little and stared at her. “You want me naked when I’m old?”
She giggled. “No. During the proposal.”
He gave her a slow smile. “I can make that happen.”
“What are they saying?” Allison asked. “I can’t hear them.”
“Probably for the best,” Jack said. “All right, you two. That’s enough emotion for any afternoon. Break it up. These girls have to be in a parade.”
Angel held out his hand to Taryn. “Come with us.”
Taryn felt the hole in her heart finally heal. She hadn’t been looking for love, but somehow it had found her. Found them. She took Angel’s hand and knew, no matter what, she was never letting go.
They stepped into the street and the girls walked with them.
When they reached the end of the parade, Denise Hendrix was waiting. As each girl walked by, she handed her a small wooden bead.
“The family bead,” Angel said.
Taryn pulled her leather bracelet out of her pocket. “I’m ready for mine.”
Denise saw them and smiled. They each took a bead. Before Taryn could put hers on her bracelet, he drew her close and kissed her.
“You know I agreed to continue with the grove,” he told her.
“I hadn’t heard.”
“I’m going to need an assistant.”
“Yes, you are.”
He touched her cheek. “I’d like it to be you.”
She sighed happily. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”
* * * * *
If you love Fool’s Gold, don’t miss this sneak peek
at Susan Mallery’s next delicious romance,
BEFORE WE KISS.
“There’s a little fun, a little sizzle, and a whole lot of homespun charm.”
—Publishers Weekly on Summer Nights
If you loved When We Met by New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery, be sure to catch
the next 2 titles in the emotional Fool’s Gold series: Before We Kiss (June 2014) and
Until We Touch (July 2014). Order your copies HERE or at www.amazon.com/author/susanmallery.
Available in ebook format!
Don’t miss a single book in the Fool’s Gold series. Experience how small-town charm works its
magic on residents and visitors alike!
Chasing Perfect
Almost Perfect
Sister of the Bride (ebook novella)
Summer Brides (anthology)
Finding Perfect
Only Mine
Only Yours
Only His
Only Us
Almost Summer (ebook novella)
Summer Days
Summer Nights
All Summer Long
A Fool’s Gold Christmas
Halfway There (ebook novella)
Two of a Kind
Three Little Words
Before We Kiss
Available in ebook format. Order your copies today!
Looking for more? With more than eighty ebooks available, you can enjoy dozens of other
memorable titles from New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery!
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“Mallery has again created an engrossing tale of emotional growth and the healing power
of friendship.”
—Library Journal on Three Sisters
If you loved When We Met by New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery, don’t miss her
Blackberry Island novels, featuring Barefoot Season, Three Sisters and Evening Stars.
Available now in ebook format!
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HarlequinBlog.com
“RETURNING TO THE scene of the crime?” Dellina Hopkins asked as she stared at the dark-haired man standing on her porch. She supposed the polite response to his presence was to invite him in. And she would...in a minute. But first she was going to make him work for it.
Sam Ridge, all six feet of dark-eyed, arrogant handsomeness, narrowed his gaze. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” he asked.
Dellina smiled. “No. Would you, if you were
me?”
He surprised her by flashing a grin. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“An honest man.” She bumped the door open wider with her hip and stepped back to let him in. “It’s a miracle.”
He moved into the house. Dellina let the screen door slam into place, but left the thick wooden door open. It was summer in Fool’s Gold, and plenty warm. The breeze would be nice. Plus—and this was the part she would never admit to Sam—having the door open meant they weren’t totally alone.
Okay, they were alone, but it didn’t feel so intimate. And based on what had happened the last time they’d been together in this house, that was a good thing.
Sam paused in the middle of her living room, as if not sure where to go.
His head turned slightly and she had a feeling he was glancing down the hall—toward her bedroom. No doubt remembering what had happened some five months ago.
Dellina wanted to say it hadn’t been her fault—that everyone was allowed to be stupid on Valentine’s Day. Or in her case, on Valentine’s Day night. Only she had known exactly what she was doing and it had been as wonderful and disastrous as anyone could have imagined. Now both she and Sam were going to have to deal with the consequences.
He turned to face her, then motioned to the sofa. “We should probably have a seat.”
“Will that make things easier for you?” she asked.
“If I say yes, will you sit?”
“Probably.”
“Then yes. It makes things easier.”
Dellina settled in one of the club chairs while Sam took the sofa.
He moved with controlled power. It was the former professional athlete thing, she thought, watching him sit down. At the risk of sounding like a groupie, she had firsthand knowledge that the man knew how to use his body. Of course, the last time she’d been in his presence, she hadn’t been interested in sitting. Or talking. But then neither had he. They’d practically tumbled over each other in their race to her bedroom. He’d—
Dellina pushed the very visceral memories away. Yes, Sam had been delicious in bed. But then things had gone downhill. She needed to remember what was important. He was here about a job. Not his unrequited lust for her. Based on how he’d been avoiding her for the past several months, when it came to her, he was plenty requited.
But he was also in a bit of a pickle.
The old-fashioned phrase made her want to smile. Yup, Sam needed her.
Copyright © 2014 by Susan Macias Redmond
ISBN-13: 9781460331187
WHEN WE MET
Copyright © 2014 by Susan Macias Redmond
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.
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When We Met (Hqn) Page 27