The Bachelor's Sweetheart

Falling for the Bachelor

Tessa Hamilton never imagined the hardest part of having her best friend help renovate her small-town movie theater would be keeping her heart safe. She can’t fall for a man who has no interest in a serious relationship with any woman…and who doesn’t know the secret she hides. Besides, Josh Donnelly is too eager to leave Paradox Lake—especially when his estranged father returns. Tessa struggles with the turmoil, but as she falls deeper for the bachelor, she knows she must be honest if there’s any chance for them. But will telling Josh put everything at risk—including their friendship?

“What man doesn’t want a beautiful woman?”

Tessa scoffed, tempted to pick up her paper plate and chuck it at him. “I’d rather not join the long list of Josh Donnelly’s former girlfriends. I prefer being on the more exclusive ‘just friends’ list.”

“You’re at the top of that one. But what’s wrong with wanting to be alone with you? After all, it’s Monday.” They spent every Monday reviewing movie clips in her theater.

She readied the video and sat beside him in the dark theater. Each time she found herself leaning into him, she sat up straight. What was wrong with her?

She attributed the uptick in her heart rate to the heartwarming rom-com preview they’d just watched. After all, this was her best friend, love-’em-and-leave-’em Josh. No one she could ever take seriously.

But even in the darkness, she could see the corner of his mouth turn up in what she called his “killer smile.” The smile she’d been immune to.

Till now.

JEAN C. GORDON’s writing is a natural extension of her love of reading. From that day in first grade when she realized t-h-e was the word the, she’s been reading everything she can put her hands on. Jean and her college-sweetheart husband share a 175-year-old farmhouse in upstate New York with their daughter and her family. Their son lives nearby. Contact Jean at Facebook.com/jeancgordon.author or PO Box 113, Selkirk, NY 12158.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance

with the riches of God’s grace.

—Ephesians 1:7

In memory of my “baby” brother Jim, with thanks to Bonnie Jean, my favorite Drug Court Coordinator and former alcohol counselor, and the guys at the Coeymans Volunteer Fire Department open house who patiently answered all of my questions.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The heat was unbearable, worse than anything Josh Donnelly had ever experienced, even during his National Guard tour of Afghanistan. A rivulet of sweat ran down his back. He wanted to pull at his collar so he could breathe, cool off his back. But people would see him.

“The ring,” the guest minister prompted him.

Josh felt like he was aiding and abetting the enemy as he dug in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. All through high school, after their older brother, Jared, had left Paradox Lake, he’d protected their younger brother, Connor, from their father and the fallout of his being the town drunk. He should be protecting him now from making a potentially huge mistake. Josh handed the wedding band to Connor. Not that his baby brother’s soon-to-be wife wasn’t a good person. Nor did he doubt that Connor and Natalie Delacroix loved each other—for now.

But the Donnelly men weren’t cut out for marriage. That was what he and Jared had always said. They’d agreed they had too much of their father in them to let any woman get close enough to love them. They couldn’t risk ultimately hurting someone the way Dad had hurt Mom. That is, they had agreed until last summer when Jared had married Becca Morgan. Now Connor had fallen victim.

Pain squeezed Josh’s chest as he caught the loving look on Connor’s face when he slipped the ring onto Natalie’s finger. Don’t do it. Josh glanced around to make sure he hadn’t said that out loud. He was good. No one was staring at him. No one except his bud Tessa Hamilton, who was sitting halfway back in the church, her bulletin covering her mouth, eyes sparkling. She was laughing at him.

Tessa knew how he felt about marriage and didn’t hold it against him—one of the many reasons they got along so well. But that didn’t mean he was going to let her get away with laughing at his discomfort. Josh smiled to himself. He had the perfect revenge. He’d ask her to dance at the wedding reception. Tessa didn’t dance. She said her dancing wasn’t for public consumption.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister declared. “You can kiss your bride.”

Connor pressed his lips to Natalie’s. Then they turned and faced the guests hand in hand.

“I present Mr. and Mrs. Connor Donnelly,” the minister said.