Itâs Christmas in Donna Alwardâs Cadence Creekâ¦
Taylor Shepard has come to Cadence Creek to organize her brotherâs Christmas wedding. Organizing such a special event might be a little bit stressfulâbut she canât deny sheâs swept away by the townâs holiday charmâ¦and by brooding rancher Rhys Bullock.
Loner Rhys has been burned far too many times in the past. Heâs sure he has city girl Taylor all figured outâsheâll be hightailing it straight back to the city in a few days! But as the snow starts to fall, Rhys and Taylor embark on a tentative winter romance. Could Taylor be the Christmas present Rhys never even knew he wanted?
âI only noticed because I canât seem to take my eyes off you whenever youâre around.â
And there it was. The acknowledgement of whatever this was. Attraction. Curiosity. Carnality.
âI thought we werenât going to do this,â she said softly. She kept her hands folded tightly in her lap to keep them from going where they wanted to goâon him. âIâm only here for a few days.â
âThen thereâs no danger. We both know whatâs what. Weâre going in with our eyes wide open.â
âAre you seducing me, Rhys?â His thumb toyed with her lower lip and her eyes drifted closed.
âWith any luck.â He moved closer, leaning forward slightly so she began to recline against the cushions. âWeâre adults,â he stated. âWeâre both wondering. It doesnât have to go any deeper than that.â
Tentatively she lifted her hand and touched his face. âUsually Iâm the confident one who goes after what she wants.â
He smiled a little, his gaze dropping to her lips. âYou donât want this? I could have sworn you did.â
âI didnât say thatâ¦â she whispered, sliding deeper into the cushions.
âThatâs what I thought.â
His voice was husky now, shivering along her nerveendings. He leaned closer until he was less than a breath away.
A busy wife and mother of three (two daughters and the family dog), DONNA ALWARD believes hers is the best job in the world: a combination of stay-at-home mum and romance novelist. An avid reader since childhood, Donna always made up her own stories. She completed her arts degree in English literature in 1994, but it wasnât until 2001 that she penned her first full-length novel and found herself hooked on writing romance. In 2006 she sold her first manuscript, and now writes warm, emotional stories for Mills & Boon.
In her new home office in Nova Scotia, Donna loves being back on the east coast of Canada after nearly twelve years in Alberta, where her career began, writing about cowboys and the West. Donnaâs debut romance, Hired by the Cowboy, was awarded the Booksellerâs Best Award in 2008 for Best Traditional Romance.
With the Atlantic Ocean only minutes from her doorstep, Donna has found a fresh take on life and promises even more great romances in the near future!
Donna loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her website www.donnaalward.com, or her page at www.myspace.com/dalward.
To the Mills & Boon>® Romance authorsâmy writing family. You guys are the best.
CHAPTER ONE
TAYLOR SHEPARD FROWNED as she assessed the lineup of men before her. All five of them were big, burly and, with the exception of her brother Jack, looked irritated beyond belief.
âCome on, Taylor, canât we take these monkey suits off?â
Her oldest brother, Callum, pleaded with her. Along with his best man and groomsmen, heâd spent the past half hour trying on various tuxedo styles. Callum, being her brother and, of course, the groom, was the spokesman for the lot.
âIf you want to show up at your wedding in jeans and boots, be my guest. I donât think your bride would appreciate that too much, though.â
A muffled snort came from down the line. Her head snapped toward the sound and she saw one of the groomsmenâRhys, if she remembered correctlyâstruggling to keep a straight face.
âKeep it up,â she warned severely, âand youâll be the one trying on a cravat.â
His face sobered in an instant.
âThis was supposed to be a small and simple wedding,â Callum reminded her. âNot one of your massive events.â
âAnd it will be. But small and simple doesnât mean it canât be classy.â She pinned him with a stare. âYour soon-to-be wife trusts me. Besides, you need to balance your look with the wedding dress and flower girl dress for Nell.â She paused and played her trump card. âTheyâre going to be beautiful.â
Thereâd be little argument out of Callum now. All it took was the mention of Avery and his baby daughter and the tough ex-soldier turned into a marshmallow. She thought it was fantastic. Heâd needed someone like Avery for a long time. Not to mention how fatherhood had changed him. He had the family heâd always wanted.