An impulse wedding...
Strong, sexy Nell Bravo wonât be fooled again. After all, Declan McGrath already shattered her heart into piecesânot once, but twice. When alluring CEO Deck sweeps Nell off her feet in Las Vegas, though, she tumbles headlong into an âonly in Vegasâ fling with her first love. But Nell sure didnât bargain on a Vegas wedding!
...a lifetime of love?
Itâs taken a long time for Deck to finally capture the one who got away. And this time, heâs charmed her straight to the altar. But Nell will stay married to him only until Christmas Dayâunless Deck can prove that this time, itâs for keeps. With the clock ticking, can Deck convince Nell that he truly is her one and only...or has Mr. Love-âEm-and-Leave-âEm broken a Bravoâs heart for the last time?
There was definitely something...
Something sheâd done that she probably shouldnât have.
Something...
Wait a minute.
Images from the night before flashed through her mind.
The Italian place. Sheâd had a little too much Chianti, hadnât she? And then, in the limo, sailing along the strip, making love. Drinking champagne.
But the champagne was no excuse. She hadnât been that drunk. Sheâd been perfectly cognizant of everything that happened.
When theyâd just happened to stop at the place you get a marriage license, what had she done? Followed him in like a lamb to the slaughter.
And when heâd whipped the ring out of his pocket, had she said, âDeclan Keallach McGrath, you hold on just a minute here. What is that ring doing in your pocket?â
No, she had not.
Instead, sheâd let him take her hand and slip that ring onto her finger. And then sheâd clung to him like paint as theyâd rolled on down the strip to that wedding place called Now and Forever.
Now and Forever.
Oh, my God.
The mermaid wedding dress. The flowers. The Gardenia Chapel...
Sweet Lord in heaven.
What had she done?
* * *
The Bravos of Justice Creek: Where bold hearts collide under Western skies
Chapter One
âGod, you are beautiful. That red hair, those big green eyes. That amazing body. And those lips. Baby, those lips were made for a man to bite. Can I tell you a secret?â
Nell Bravo had a one-word answer for that one. âNo.â
But the handsome guy in the expensive suit wasnât listening. He leaned extra close, breathing Bookerâs Ryeâand no, he wasnât really drunk, only buzzed enough to get pushy. âI donât usually go for tattoos on a woman.â He eyed the half sleeve of bright ink that swirled over her left arm from shoulder to elbow. âBut, in your case, Iâm definitely making an exception. Iâd like to jump you right here at the bar.â
Nell considered summoning the energy to be offended, but that would be faking it. Sheâd never minded the brash approach, not as long as she was interested. Too bad she just wasnâtâand hadnât been for a long time now.
Except for one man.
One man who managed to show up every time she turned around lately, a guy she was not letting close to her ever again, thank you very muchâand that did it. That finished it. Sheâd had enough of the handsome fellow in the pricey suit.
Not only did he refuse to take a hint, heâd gone and made her think of the one person she wanted nothing to do with.
Ever again.
Not even in her mind.
Somewhere behind her, bells and whistles went off as a lucky slot player hit a jackpot. Nell grabbed her clutch, whipped out a twenty and slid it under her cocktail napkin for the bartender. âThatâs it for me.â
âWhoa now,â said the guy beside her, whose name was Ron. âPut your money away.â
âGreat to meet you, Ron,â she lied. âIâve got your card and Iâll be in touch.â He owned Ronâs Custom Tile, with five stores in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Her company, Bravo Construction, ordered a lot of tile. Maybe they could have done some business. Probably not now, though. Ron was just way too interested in looking down her dress. âGood night.â She spun on her stool, lowered her Jimmy Choos to the floor and set off for the lobby area and the elevator up to her room.
But Ron was no quitter. âHold on a minute.â He was right behind her. âBaby, donât go...â
Nell stopped in her tracks. When she turned, he almost plowed into her. âLook.â She pinned him with her coldest stare. âI donât know how much clearer I can make this. Iâm not interested in being jumped by youâright there at the bar, or anywhere in else in this hotel. Good night, Ron.â