His Rebel Heart
Can a rebel ever change his ways? Being a single mother and successful florist is tough, especially when your new next-door neighbor is the man who shattered your heart. Eight years ago, bad boy James Bracken walked away from Adrian Carlton…and their unborn child. Now he's back. And Adrian's desire to protect her son from the truth of his biological father isn't enough to hide the wild blue eyes of father and son, or to keep Adrian from surrendering to the raw passion between her and James. But is he truly the changed man he claims to be? Maybe this time his rebel heart really is home to stay.
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Can a rebel ever change his ways?
Being a single mother and successful florist is tough, especially when your new next-door neighbor is the man who shattered your heart. Eight years ago, bad boy James Bracken walked away from Adrian Carlton...and their unborn child. Now heâs back. And Adrianâs desire to protect her son from the truth of his biological father isnât enough to hide the wild blue eyes of father and son, or to keep Adrian from surrendering to the raw passion between her and James. But is he truly the changed man he claims to be? Maybe this time his rebel heart really is home to stay.
âI donât want you to be alone...â
Adrian sighed. âJames, I have been alone, for a really long time.â
âIâm sorry,â he said. âAdrian...I am so, so sorry.â
When he drew her into his arms, she was helpless to stop him. She felt his lips come to rest on the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her back, closing her in, tightening.
He simply held her, for what seemed like ages.
A small eternity passed in the space of moments. Memories stirred, whispering to life, ghosts of what had been.
When his lips touched hers, it felt so natural. The simple press of his lips brought her back to life. Her heart fluttered, lifting and soaring.
She should have pushed him away. After everything, she should shove him back, make him leave. Instead, she let the moment stretch, deepen until she felt him brush up against the soul sheâd buried from everything and everyone...
Revisiting my hometown, Fairhope, through the eyes and hearts of my characters is something I look forward to every time I write a book in this series. But thereâs something about Adrian and James that made me anticipate writing this book more than any other. Penning their story was an emotional experience I wonât soon forget. Mostly because I wrote this story within a year of having my first child, a blue-eyed boy much like Adrianâs.
Writing love stories that involve single parents can be a delicate process. Being a mother opened my eyes to the special bond between mother and child. Even on days when writing had to be put off until bedtime, I wasnât bothered because I knew that the bond he and I have built was the inspiration I needed to do justice to these characters.
And speaking of inspiration...I have to give props to my beloved husband. Not only is he a tall, bearded man in a tool beltâjust like Jamesâbut his knowledge of engines, mechanics and BB guns was invaluable while researching this book, particularly for a certain scene involving a squirrel and a trip to the emergency room for my unfortunate hero.
I hope you enjoy Adrian and Jamesâs story, readers! You can find more about James, Adrian and other characters from previous books in my Fairhope series at amberleighwilliams.com.
Amber Leigh
AMBER LEIGH WILLIAMS lives on the Gulf Coast. A Southern girl at heart, she loves beach days, the smell of real books, relaxing at her familyâs lakehouse and spending time with her husband and their sweet blue-eyed boy. When sheâs not running after her young son and three large dogs, she can be found reading a good romance or cooking up a new dish. Readers can find her at amberleighwilliams.com!
To my firstbornâ¦. Live always in a world
where dragons fly and fairies dance. Chase dreams and dragonflies. Breathe deep and get your hands dirty. Build wisely and love faithfully. Listen to storiesâand tell a few of your own.
And to Sassy, who we missâ¦.
Dear friend and spirit animal. Meet you at the Rainbow Bridge.
Contents
Dear Reader
THENIGHT ADRIAN CARLTON first saw James Bracken naked, he was bloodied and bruised. Heâd gone several rounds with a bottle of Wild Turkey 101, then crawled behind the wheel of his fatherâs old Mustang convertible.
The joyride ended abruptly on a backcountry road when the speeding muscle car skated off the pavement, plowed through the entry sign in front of Carlton Nurseries and skinned the side of a giant oak tree before barreling into the glass front of the office building.
From the farmhouse behind the nursery, Adrian had heard the deafening crash and gone runningâout the front door and through the rows of her parentsâ shrubs and saplings, her bare feet sinking into the damp earth. A light drizzle was falling from the leaden night skies and the humidity had swelled at the onset of rain. By the time she reached the nurseryâs office and saw the cherry-red Shelby that had decimated it, sweat was crawling from her neck to her back.
âOh, my...â She trailed off as she took in the scene. Her hands lifted to her mouth as she shook her head. âWhat in Godâs name...â
