Desperate to better a hopeless situation, Aundy Thorsen leaves behind her life in Chicago to fulfill a farmer’s request for a mail-order bride in Pendleton, Oregon. A tragic accident leaves her a widow soon after becoming a wife. Aundy takes on the challenge of learning how to manage a farm, wrangle demented chickens, and raise sheep, even though her stubborn determination to succeed upsets a few of the neighbors.
Born and raised on the family ranch, Garrett Nash loves life in the bustling community of Pendleton in 1899. When his neighbor passes away and leaves behind a plucky widow, Garrett takes on the role of Aundy’s protector and guardian. His admiration for her tenacious spirit soon turns to something more. He just needs to convince the strong-willed Aundy to give love another try.
Sweet and sprinkled with humor, Aundy illustrates that courage sometimes arrives in a petticoat and love has a mind of its own.
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.
Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, Cowboy Kisses, and Pioneer Hearts.
Sometimes passion takes you and there’s nothing you can do to resist it. That hot feeling overwhelms you until you can think of nothing else but him, want to do nothing else but make love.
Sometimes love sets you on fire until it consumes you.
Let these six novels of crazy hot love take you there, make you feel the heat of that passion, bring you that ecstatic joy.
Playing the Game – by USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Queen – International Digital Award Winning romance about a socialite playing the game of seduction to win against a superstar until winning feels more like losing her heart.
“Reading Queen is an absolutely scrumptious experience…with characters who come alive like Pop Rocks and carbonated beverages” —Romantic Times Book Review
Bittersweets – by bestselling author Suzanne Jenkins – A one-night stand for lawyers Terry and Alex segues into a long weekend of passion, leading to a lifetime of romance.
“…once I began reading I knew there was no turning back. Suzanne Jenkins has an incredible talent.” —Anonymous Reviewer
Red Rock Rises – by USA Today bestselling author Taylor Lee – A fiery former undercover agent, as tough as she is beautiful, no one messes with Red Rock until she meets the handsome Police Chief.
“Taylor Lee does it again! Red Rock Rises introduces another unforgettable heroine and a hero who is more than her match. From the first page to the last, the sparks fly between Jesse O’Donnell aka Red Rock and the sexy Police Chief.” —Kharma Queen
Bedroom Therapy – by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York – Phone sex, fantasies and fetishes are all in a day’s work for sex advice columnist Dr. Amanda O’Neal until she meets sexy detective Zack Grant, and things get personal.
“Bedroom Therapy is a torrid private investigative romance with the heated emphasis on the equatorial hot relationship between the sleuth and the doctor. The story line is fun to follow” —Amazon Review
Tempted by Mr. Wrong – by USA Today bestselling author Jacquie Biggar – How can something so wrong, feel so right?
“Jacquie Biggar had me reading well past my bedtime. The characters are so well written they could walk right off the page!” —Avonna
To Love A Hero – by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Mona Risk – Amidst a clash of cultures, an American scientist finds more chemistry than she bargains for with a national hero from Belarus
“Outstanding Read. Mona Risk’s To Love a Hero is a wonderful love story complete with deception, conceit, stubbornness and the love of a lifetime for two people who couldn’t be more different. Ms. Risk hits a homerun with this.” —Simply Romance
Stephanie Queen is the USA Today bestselling author of the romantic detective series, Beachcomber Investigations. She lives in bucolic New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty and her fun-loving friends. Besides going to the gym sporadically, Stephanie cooks and crochets and loves chocolate covered potato chips (yes, she should go to the gym more often).
She used to be a 9 to fiver working in downtown Boston, but has thrown her stylish suits and fancy heels in a closet and now hangs out in UConn t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. “If I could come back in another life as anything I wanted, I’d be a regency era heroine.” (Not surprisingly) Regency romances are her favorite secret reads.
Suzanne Jenkins writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women’s fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are a reflection of American fantasy with historical reality. Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads. A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins lives in Southern California.
USA Today Best Selling author Taylor Lee has written more than forty Suspenseful Mystery Thrillers – with a heavy dose of Sexy to Sizzling HOT Romance. Taylor says “My characters are dangerous men and women in dangerous times. Love, passion and ridding the world of evil? What’s not to like?
A master of paranormal romantic suspense, Rebecca York is the author of over 150 books. A New York Times and USA Today best-seller, she has written paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue. Her romantic-suspense series, Decorah Security, is set at a detective agency where agents have paranormal powers or work paranormal cases. She also writes an Off-World series where each story is a science fiction romance taking place on a distant planet in the far future.
Ruth and her husband travel frequently to research settings for novels and taste new dishes for cookbooks. Her many unique experiences are apt to end up in her books–like the time she encountered a coral snake in the Guatemalan jungle or took a flight in a glider plane.
Jacquie Biggar is a USA Today bestselling author of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males who know what they want, that is until they’re gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love. She is the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls.
She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.
Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can’t function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. 🙂
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk, received an Outstanding Achiever Award from Affaire de Coeur Magazine. She’s a two time winner of Best Contemporary Romance of the Year from Readers Favorite; a winner of Best Romance Novel of the Year from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; and an EPIC Award finalist.
Mona lives in South Florida and has traveled to more than eighty countries on business or vacation. She writes contemporary romances, medical romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal fantasy. Sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her stories are set in the fascinating places she visited or more simply at home.
The magic of Christmas has been lost to Jacob Winston. At the suggestion of his ill sister, Jacob takes a job as a Secret Santa at the mall, hoping to restore his Christmas spirit. Even that doesn’t seem to work, until a special little boy ambles up to make a very special wish…
Cheyenne Jensen is struggling to raise her two kids without the help of her ex-husband who refuses to acknowledge his daughter’s existence and doesn’t provide for the son he does. This Christmas is shaping up to be as heartbreaking as the last, until her son Ben’s kind actions lead a stranger to them.
Ah, but it’s Christmas time and the magic has begun.
When Jacob and Cheyenne meet, neither can deny their immediate attraction to one another. As situations arise that require they spend more time together, their feelings grow stronger and stronger.
With Christmas fast approaching, the pair learn what matters most in life. Now, if only they could ditch the ghost of Christmases past.
Maybe this holiday will bring some wishes come true- for everyone after all.
“I have a question to ask you.” Jacob let her go to kneel next to her son, his tone serious. “You’re the man of the house, and I need to get your permission about something.”
Ben looked at him, then at his mom, curious and confused.
“I’d like to know if it’s okay with you if I become your mom’s boyfriend. You and Desiree are an important part of her life, so if I’m to be in it, I want to make sure you’re okay with it.”
Cheyenne watched her son’s expression, waiting. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Ben burst into tears. “Ben, honey?”
“Will you be our Daddy, too? I love you, Mr. Jacob.” Ben threw himself at Jacob, crying into his shirt. Jacob wrapped his arms around the little boy, hugging him and comforting him.
“I think being your daddy would be amazing, Ben. But to be honest, your mom and I aren’t that far into our relationship to think that way. But let me tell you this. You can call me and talk to me about anything. I know you have a dad in your life, and I don’t ever want to take his place. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Ben lifted his head, sniffling. “My daddy isn’t very nice. He doesn’t seem to like me, and he doesn’t like Desiree.”
Cheyenne wanted to cry, too. She made her way beside Ben, Jacob and Desi, who didn’t understand what was going on. “Jacob and I are taking it one day at a time, Ben. I care for him very much, but it’s a long way before thinking about forever. You have been a brave boy, and I know it’s hard for you when your dad isn’t there for you. It hurts me here.” She rubbed a hand over her heart. “But we do the best we can, right?”
Ben nodded and came over to her for a hug. “I love you, Mommy. I just want my wish to come true.” She stroked his hair, attempting to soothe him.
“What wish, Ben?” She already had an idea, of course. She just needed to hear what her son wanted.
“That you don’t have to work so hard, and we could have a Daddy that loves us. I thought that would be Jacob.” At those words, Cheyenne thought her insides would explode. This was the first time Ben admitted his wish out loud to her. He wanted so badly for a family and a dad. He wanted Jacob to be his daddy. For a little boy to have such a heartbreaking wish tore her up. She’d been wanting the same thing for so long, but Ben didn’t understand that she and Jacob weren’t there yet. They were a long way from that step.
After being mugged, Robin Sorenson is left shaken and her spirit in humanity is broken. Worse, she’s not sure how to deal with the new anxieties or who to confide in, since she’s always preached to pick oneself up and move on. Yeah, she’s been the go to girl when anyone’s had problems. Christmas is coming, and her belief in magic and miracles has faded.
Then Jonas comes back.
Jonas Aimes made a mistake when he walked away from Robin a year earlier. A big one. He’d loved her, always had and still does, but his desire to please his aging and strict parents took precedence. Back from the overseas internship they’d struggled to get him in, he plans on winning Robin back. What he didn’t count on was discovering the shell of the vivacious woman he’d loved.
Broken.
Remembering her love of Christmas, Jonas pulls the holiday heartstrings. What? All is fair and love and war, right?
Twelve days, Twelve Dates.
Robin is speechless when Jonas not only refuses to leave her alone, but dares her to accept his cheesy holiday-themed challenge. Twelve dates to give him a chance to prove that he loves her and is never leaving her again.
But in the season known for miracles, can Robin find the magic needed to open her heart and faith once more … or will she forever wonder about the ghost of the Christmas past that could have been?
A smile lit up his face. “Give me twelve dates.”
Robin raised an eyebrow. “Twelve dates? What are you talking about?” Now he was just acting strange.
Kind of cute, but definitely strange.
“Twelve dates to show you just how much you mean to me. On the twelfth date, if you don’t feel like we could at least try to work things out, I’ll leave you alone. If I don’t at least give this a shot, then I’m going to have a lot of regrets.”
“Twelve dates, huh? You seriously sound like someone from one of those cheesy films they air this time of the year.” Okay, this man looked and sounded like Jonas, but his twelve dates idea made her wonder what happened to the real Jonas Aimes. Robin shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes.
He feigned hurt. “Cheesy? Ouch. That’s a blow to the heart.”
“Twelve dates isn’t a long time to decide.” He was being serious about this, wasn’t he? Twelve dates? How in the world did he plan to try and show her anything with only twelve dates? The idea sounded cute, charming and sweet, it really did. But how did he plan to pull it off?
“Maybe for people who don’t have our history. But we’ve known each other since high school. Come on, what could it hurt?”
A lot, actually. She kept the words to herself. Despite it all, she couldn’t hide her curiosity.
“Of course, we can talk and spend time together outside of the twelve dates, so it’s not like we’re limited,” Jonas continued. He circled her palm with his thumb. “Oh, and right now doesn’t count as one of the dates.”
Robin laughed. Butterflies danced around in her belly. Good grief, what happened to her promise just a few hours ago? To focus on her own life and not get wrapped up in a man?
Okay, just because I agree to this doesn’t mean I’m changing my mind. They’re just dates. Dates with a man I love, but they’re still just dates.
“What about your family? What will they say?” she blurted.
A storm of anger built up in his eyes. “I don’t care what they say anymore. My family shouldn’t have so much sway on how I feel about you. I should have realized that a long time ago. They don’t get to choose anymore.”
Eric Jensen doesn’t need the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to know he’s made his fair share of mistakes. The reminders haunt him every day of his life, but a terrible loss becomes an eye opener this holiday season. A heartbreaking question from a young boy pushes Eric to do some serious soul searching, and helps him strive to be better.
Forgiving is the key…
Petra Cavannaugh spent the past two years growing as a person. She left her ex-boyfriend and struggled to make it on her own as a single mother. When Eric shows up at her doorstep one night just needing to see her, she wonders if he’s finally becoming the man she always wished he’d be.
The best gift could be a second chance…
As Eric shows a side to Petra she’s never seen, the two grow closer. But is forgiveness enough to take another chance on love? Eric must learn to forgive himself, and Petra has to learn to put her trust in the new Eric and not let his past dictate her future.
There are more than presents waiting to be opened. Will this Christmas finally open the two hearts sealed tightly shut?
“You’re not exhausted?” he blurted.
She let out a yawn as if on cue. “A little bit. You don’t have to sit, I was just letting you know it’s okay if you do.”
He finally sat, glad to have made a decision one way or another. But now what? How did he ever manage to win Petra over at one point? He had no people skills. He had no talking skills. Hell, what kind of skills did he have?
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Petra turned her head and laughed.
“ I’m not good at this stuff.” Eric muttered. A surge of frustration ran through him. He didn’t like her mocking his awkwardness.
Or maybe she isn’t. Chill, man.
Petra sat up. “What stuff?” Her face scrunched up in confusion.
“ Talking. Sitting. This.” He waved his hands around.
“You’re getting better.” Petra replied softly. “Something got to you today. What was it?”
Eric sighed. “When I went to talk to Adrian’s widow, her little boy asked a question that haunts me. He asked something along the lines of ‘doesn’t he love us enough to stay’? Got me thinking about Ben, Desiree and Kinley. Adrian went back to his angry ways one night and it changed his family’s world.”
“Damn.” Petra’s eyes were wide. “I’m sorry, Eric.”
“ I wonder how many nights Ben asked the same thing. He’s the only one old enough to remember and understand the things I did. He looked at me today with such disappointment and even warned me. He’s dealt with way more than a nine year old should.”
“That explains the stricken look on your face when you watched the kids.” Petra’s eyes were full of compassion and warmth.
did he have to start this conversation? Eric wished it would end. He didn’t like this exposing his feelings thing. Weird. Just weird.
Maybe it was time to go and end this strange night.
Life is full of complications, so why not have an uncomplicated arrangement between friends?
Former figure skater Caitlin Aimes doesn’t care to make life complicated. Publicly humiliated by her ex-fiancé years ago, she closes herself off to relationships and love. She never thought she’d be that girl- the one having a friends-with-benefits relationship. No complications, right?
Wrong. This holiday season, the unexpected happens, catching Caitlin and Ron off guard…
Ron Mercer lost his wife four years ago and has no plans to commit himself to another relationship. Life as a widower with two teenagers is already complicated enough. But in a world constantly changing, he finds himself in a predicament he never expected….
The arrangement they made has consequences which neither ever prepared for. Caitlin and Ron are in for a Christmas like they’d never had before.
Too bad she didn’t believe him. Kate craned her neck and scanned the room. “Caitlin’s here with her friends.” She whipped her head around to stare wide eyed at him. “Do you have a thing for her?” She raised her voice, causing several people to look their way.
“Why in the world would you think that?” Ron’s pulse raced. Did his voice crack slightly? Damn. Kate caught on, but at least for now she didn’t know the rest of the story.
“Well, that answers my question. You look so guilty. But seriously ? You and Caitlin? She’s young and so not your type.” Kate rested her hands on the table.
“Are you saying I’m old?” Ron gasped, trying to pull it off as playfully as possible.
“Umm, yeah. I kinda am.” Kate rolled her eyes. “Too old for her, anyway.”
“She’s thirty. I’m forty. Why is that too old?” Why was he even arguing this point with Kate, anyway?
“Because forty is … ancient. Thirty seems it too, but I don’t know. I can’t imagine being thirty and wanting to date a forty year old.” Kate’s lips twisted in some weird expression.
“Gee thanks, Kate,” Ron muttered. “Love your vote of confidence there.”
“Sorry, but come on! Wait, does that mean you actually like her that way? Caitlin’s so out of your league, Dad. She’s fun. You’re … not.”
That hurt. A lot. “Why am I not fun?” Again, he avoided her comments and questions. It bothered him more than he cared to admit that his daughter didn’t think he was fun. Okay, so maybe lately, he’d been a buzzkill. But as the only parent, he had to when it came down to it.
“Sometimes you’re grouchy and mean. But stop avoiding my comments and questions. Do you seriously want to date Caitlin?”
“Would it bother you?” There it was. The ultimate question. He should have asked this ages ago, but there’d never even been a hint of a dating possibility in his life, let alone he never wanted to go that route again.
No matter where she goes, USA Today Bestselling author Nikki Lynn Barrett hears voices in her head. Instead of calling her crazy and locking her up, her family realizes it’s just a product of being an author and allows her to write the stories so that the voices shut up.
But they don’t. And probably never will. There’s no need to lock her up, Nikki knows she’ll never escape the voices, not until each and every last story is written. And for every story she writes, about ten or more ideas pop up.
When she isn’t slaving away at her computer writing books that will probably make you cry and keep you in suspense, Nikki plots to take over the world one book at a time. What? It’s a sickness. One she can’t escape!
Books aren’t her only addiction, though. Nikki can be found making up parodies to drive her son crazy, and bantering back and forth with her husband, who somehow manages to steal her away from the fictional world she lives in all the time.
Nikki lives in Arizona with her husband and son, where she can be found using every creativity outlet she can find through music, photography, handcrafted things, and random interests that she may pick up from time to time.
If you want to learn more about the author who makes people cry for a living, check out her website.
If the dream involved everyone expecting you to be nothing but a jock.
These two rich kids could be the perfect couple.
If he didn’t think she was a spoiled princess, and she didn’t think he was a dumb puck, they might be.
But hating someone doesn’t mean you can’t puck them.
Blurb:
Life is full of expectations.
For Brady Coldwell it’s always been about the game.
Hockey is and always will be, his life.
His family sacrificed everything to get him here and he won’t let them down.
He knows what’s expected of him.
Natalie Banks is no different.
She too knows what it means to have everyone sacrifice for you.
She knows about the debt that’s left owing in the end and the price you pay for making up your own mind.
But when an innocent mistake lands them as roommates, neither of them is prepared for the feelings they have or the consequences of their actions.
How do you negotiate matters of the heart?
How do you say no when it simply feels so right?
Blurb:
Natalie Banks is exactly where she wants to be.
She has a dream job in the city she loves.
Her boyfriend is a sports god who worships the ground she walks on, and makes a mean plate of spaghetti.
And her and her best friend have come up with something no one ever imagined they would.
What more can a girl ask for?
Sami Ford is living the dream.
She’s satisfied her parents as far as school is concerned.
She has reinvented herself from a spoiled princess to a successful saleswoman making her own money for the first time.
And she has a thing with the hottest Ranger in New York.
How much more does a girl need?
But like they always say, when one aspect of your life is perfect, expect something else to fall apart.
When death, a baby, and a proposal hit them all in the same week, fall apart becomes an understatement.
These best friends find themselves leaning on each other more than they ever have.
Bed Buddies!
I believe growing up in a really small town gives a person a little advantage when it comes to the imagination. You need one or you go mad.
Needless to say, mine saved me. After it got me into trouble first, that is. That’s the problem with a vivid imagination, all the lies you tell.
I am happily married with two daughters.
I have two giant dogs, two savage cats, and a penchant for a glass of red.
Also, I drag my bread through the sauce. I can’t help myself, bread is life.
According to my age, I am meant to be a responsible adult, but it isn’t going well at all. I would still head off to Hogwarts tomorrow and I suspect there isn’t a single wardrobe I haven’t crept into, hoping to find the door to Narnia. And don’t even get me started on the King’s Road, I get lost.
Fortunately, I am an international bestseller so I have wormed my way into a quirky or eccentric category.
Thank God for that.
I am represented by Natalie Lakosil from the Bradford Literary Agency and am published traditionally with Montlake Romance.
“Wanna go for dinner?” I test the water after a minute.
She sighs and gives me a look, stopping us both in the middle of the street during the busiest time of day. I drag her to the side of the building we are next to and hold her tight. “No. I want you to come to our place for dinner. I’m tired and I want to put on something grungy and maybe force you to watch something girlie.”
“Okay.” I wrinkle my nose. “Rough week?”
“No. Just tired because it’s new, and I’m still lost and I miss Hartford and all the people and how fun it was. But I’m catching on and a girl named Linna was nice to me today. She sat with me at lunch and we talked. She’s from Providence too. She said you guys were in seventh grade together, but you probably won’t remember her. Dark hair and blue eyes and really pretty.”
My insides clench. “Linna Mackenzie?”
“Yeah!” Her eyes are wide and then they dull. “Really?” She reads my face like a book. “You are why I can’t have nice things.”
I bend down and kiss her cheek. “You are my nice thing.” How the fuck is it possible she works with a girl I fucked when I was fifteen? Fuck! “You are everything.”
She makes duck lips and looks off to the right. Her sour mood is going strong tonight and I suspect I am the cause of it all.
“Do you want to go back to Hartford?” I run my hands along her neck and cheek. She’s cold.
Her bright eyes widen as she lifts her face to mine and shrugs. “I don’t know. I need to give this more of a chance, I think.”
I bend and kiss her softly. “Whatever you want to do, I’m with you on it. I already told you that.”
She melts into me and lets me hold her.
“And I’m sorry about Linna. I was fifteen.”
She laughs against my lips. “You should trade out West.”
I shake my head. “That won’t help.”
She pulls back and rolls her eyes. “Gross.”
When Ryan Ball took in his nephew after his brother and wife died in a tragic car accident, his life was turned upside down. He’d needed help and that help meant going to Cedarville, Ohio, a town that in only a few days had sucked him in and made him never want to leave. So on a whim, he packed up his apartment and became the town’s newest resident.
He swore to himself that moving had nothing to do with the sexy brunette that he’d had an instant attraction to the first time they’d met. Which was a total lie. If ever there was a reason to uproot your whole life, Addison Scott was in the top ten.
She drew him in with her smart mouth, gorgeous looks and big heart. Dating however, wasn’t in his comfort zone and he wasn’t sure how to navigate his new life while raising a child and falling for Addison.
One thing was for sure though, he wasn’t going to give up. Not when everything he wanted was within arms reach.
Join the rest of the gang as they welcome Ryan to Cedarville!
Twelve friends from the online group, Romantic Hearts Book Club, decide to finally meet in person during a destination Caribbean vacation to beautiful Enchanted Island. While of different ages and stages in life, these ladies have two things in common: 1) they are diehard romantics, and 2) they’ve been let down by love. As a wildly silly dare during her last night on the island, each heroine decides to stuff a note in a bottle addressed to her “dream hero” and cast it out to sea!
Lily Holt once believed in dreams until her fiancé and business manager abandoned her art career and marriage proposal for another woman. Public shame drove her to hide in the remote beach town of Cape Bliss, Florida. She believes she’s free of the art world until Josh Raymond appears at her front door with a picture she’d sketched on a dare years ago. Josh needs her to recreate the hope and love in the original image for a contract that will save his advertising firm. But Lily lost her muse and there is no way she can sketch the emotional depth needed for this piece. The only hope is if Josh can convince her that happily-ever-after still exists, but the price might be too high to pay—his heart.
Ciara Knight writes with a ‘Little Edge and a Lot of Heart’ with her contemporary and paranormal romance books. Her most recent #1 Amazon bestselling series, Sweetwater County, has topped the charts and received acclaimed reviews. Her international best-seller, Pendulum scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale Magazine and Night Owl Top Pick. Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars from Paranormal Romance Guild and Night Owl’s Top Pick, among other praises.
The man turned, and Lily caught a glimpse of the most brilliant blue eyes, the kind that leapt out and capture your heart.
She raced to retrieve her colored pencils and sketchbook, then started blending shades of blue on a fresh sheet. It was somewhere between the brightness of electric blue and the depth of cobalt. Unique and mesmerizing. She tried to capture that feeling on paper.
“Lily, we have a guest.”
Lily’s head shot up, only just realizing they had been watching her.
Josh offered his hand. “Ms. Holt. I’m Josh Raymond—”
“Yes, from the advertising agency. I heard you.” Ignoring his hand, she turned her attention back to her sketchbook. She wanted to find that color before it was gone.
“When you were spying on us from behind that column?” Josh asked with a smile. His expression was all business, yet a hint of playfulness slipped through. It distracted her enough that she lost the snapshot in her mind. As she stared at him, trying to recapture it, a shadow darkened his face. She shuffled close and angled her head so she could get a good look at him, and he quirked a brow at her. Then she remembered her sister’s chastisement after things fell apart with Stephon. “You’ll never catch a decent man if you keep acting like a crazy art fool.” Embarrassed, Lily abruptly stepped back. “Sorry. It was your eyes.”
His other brow joined its partner high on his forehead. “My eyes?”
“Yes, um, the color. It’s unique, and I wanted to capture it.”
Connie shook her head. “My sister isn’t as strange as she seems, I promise.”
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
