She shuddered at the first touch of his lips
There was an unbearable sweetness that came from being touched by Jesse. Before he could move, before he could stop, Desiree wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him even more tightly against her.
His lips closed over hers gently, sweetly, and for a moment the earth ceased to spin. Warmth started in her belly, as her body came to life for the very first time. His mouth moved against hers once, twice, and the warmth became a burning she never could have imagined. She moaned softly and opened her lips.
And then it was over. Jesse was thrusting her away from him, his breathing harsh. âDesireeââ
âShh.â She reached up, her fingers once again resting against his mouth. âDonât beat yourself up over this. I was the one who kissed you.â
Then she spun around and ran toward home, knowingâdeep insideâthat her life had irrevocably changed. It might take her a few years, but Jesse Rainwater was going to be hers. He just didnât know it yet.
Dear Reader,
It is with great joy and excitement that I write this, my first letter to you, about A Christmas Wedding. This is a story near to my heart, not just because it is my first (which would be reason enough) but because it takes place very close to my own home.
I got the idea as I was driving through central Texas one summer day with my entire family. We had just passed a Thoroughbred farm and my oldest son, who was eight at the time, was fascinated by the place. His questions prompted me research to help him find the answers, and that research hooked me on the idea of a book set in the Thoroughbred racing world.
And though I had the setting down right away, the characters were a little harder to come by. I wanted a tough-as-nails Thoroughbred rancher, but I wanted her to be a woman. Imagine, I thought, the struggles she would have as she fought for her place in a sport still dominated largely by men. Well, Desiree Hawthorne was born, and because she needed a hero as strong and sexy and smart as she was, so was Jesse Rainwater.
Iâve written a number of books since A Christmas Wedding and have loved all of my characters. But Jesse and Desiree are my favorite, perhaps because they have to fight so hard to findâand hold on toâeach other in a world that is constantly shifting beneath their feet.
Iâve been a Harlequin reader for twenty years now, ever since my mother first stuck a Harlequin Romance novel in my hand after a fruitless trip to the bookstore, where I had read every young adult novel on the shelves. Therefore it is a huge thrill to me to have my first novel be a Harlequin Superromance book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing itâdrop me a line at [email protected] and let me know what you think.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tracy Wolff
A Christmas Wedding
Tracy Wolff
Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks, and has been known to forget whereâand sometimes whoâshe is when immersed in a great novel. Married for twelve years to the alpha hero of her dreams, she is the mother of three young sons and an English professor at her central Texas community college. Tracy loves to hear from her readers, so check out her Web site at www.tracywolff.com and her blog at sizzlingpens.blogspot.com.
For my mom,
who started this whole roller-coaster ride so many years ago, and for Jenn, who swears she always knew I could do it.
Thanks to both of you for sticking by me.
Beverley Sotolov for believing in this story and
for her patience as she helped a brand-new writer get her feet wet so beautifully; and to Wanda Ottewell for helping make this novel the best it could be and answering a million or so questions. Thank you both.
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
âIâVE HAD IT, DESIREE. I canât do this anymore. Not for one more day. Not for one more minute.â
âWhatâs the matter?â Desiree Hawthorne-Rainwater asked with raised eyebrows, glancing up from her jewelry box just in time to see her husband of twenty-seven years hurl a large manila envelope at the center of the bed they hadnât shared in more than a year.
âThis.â Jesseâs eyes darkened to obsidian as he used a sweeping gesture to encompass everything in the room, his voice vibrating with contained fury. âAll of this.â
Understanding moved through her, warming her for the first time in she couldnât say how long. At last, something they could agree on again.
The noise and chaos were gratingâtruck after truck of the supplies needed to make this afternoon and evening a success were arriving nonstop and she certainly couldnât blame Jesse for being annoyed by it when she herself had wanted to run away and bury herself in work more than once since this whole process had begun.
In a moment of weakness, sheâd even contemplated offering Willow money if she would simply run away to Vegasâanything to get life back to normal on their idyllic Thoroughbred ranch in central Texas. But Willow had her heart set on a Christmas weddingâat homeâand as mother of the bride and assistant wedding coordinator, burying her head and encouraging elopement hadnât really been an option.