Playing the Part
If Lindy Bell had her way, she'd still be in L.A., partying and angling for her next acting job. But a crisis at the family's resort has surfaced, and who can ignore the call of duty? Still, duty would be easier to take if she didn't have a bratty kid making trouble.Too bad the dad, Gabe Weston, can't seem to put down his phone long enough to see his daughter needs his attention.When Lindy points out to Gabe the error of his ways, sparks fly and she has his undivided attention. Unexpectedly, the three of them–Lindy, Gabe and his daughter–bond in a serious way. Such a serious way, in fact, that Lindy may be auditioning for a new role she never considered before….
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Trouble in paradise
If Lindy Bell had her way, sheâd still be in L.A., partying and angling for her next acting job. But a crisis at the familyâs resort has surfaced, and who can ignore the call of duty? Still, duty would be easier to take if she didnât have a bratty kid making trouble. Too bad the dad, Gabe Weston, canât seem to put down his phone long enough to see his daughter needs his attention.
When Lindy points out to Gabe the error of his ways, sparks fly and she has his undivided attention. Unexpectedly, the three of themâLindy, Gabe and his daughterâbond in a serious way. Such a serious way, in fact, that Lindy may be auditioning for a new role she never considered before....
âI donât do casual.â
Gabeâs solemn expression added weight to his warning.
âAnd I donât do relationships...at least not well,â Lindy amended with a subtle frown. âSo what do we do?â
âNothing.â
âNothing? I donât think thatâs going to work. Weâre both dealing with some hefty attraction, right? I mean, I know Iâm not in a one-sided situation in this. So...maybe we should just kiss and get it out of our system and see what happens.â
âI know where kissing leads,â Gabe said, his eyebrow lifting in a sexy yet sardonic arch that Lindy found insanely attractive. âDonât you?â
âI have an idea,â she murmured, biting her lip against the surge of arousal that followed his silky statement. âAnd thatâs bad?â
Dear Reader,
Lindy and Gabe...what can I say about them, other than wow. Simply put, I loved writing their love story because both needed to grow and change before they were ready for the commitment of a relationship. And they did so, beautifully.
Peeling back the layers of complex people is one of the perks of my job as a writer, and I had a ball exposing these charactersâ vulnerable spots for all the world to see. Itâs a deep, soulful journey that I hope you will enjoy as you spend some more time at Larimar with the Bells as they live and learn as a Family in Paradise.
You wonât want to miss Lilah and Justinâs story, Something to Believe In, coming in January 2013.
Hearing from readers is a special joy. Please feel free to drop me a line via email through my website at www.kimberlyvanmeter.com, or by snail mail at Kimberly Van Meter, P.O. Box 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361.
Kimberly Van Meter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kimberly Van Meter wrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for the Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin Romantic Suspense lines. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.
To my firstborn son, Sebastian,
as he finishes one journey to start another.
I hope you find every success out there
in the world. I love you.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
LINDY BELL STARED in growing horror, the plunger dangling from her fingertips ineffectual against the choking, gurgling and overflowing toilet that was burping water all over the tiled floor of Bungalow 2 at her grandparentsâ resofrt, Larimar. She jumped out of the way before disgusting toilet water washed over her flip-flops. Oh, yes, most definitely, without a doubtâthis was hell. And she was going to kill her sister for dragging her here and then putting her on maintenance detail just because she knew the difference between a Phillips head screwdriver and a flat head.
Normally, Heath Cannonâher sisterâs boyfriendâwas in charge of the maintenance but heâd fallen off the roof and banged himself up pretty bad so he wasnât going to be any help for a while. It wasnât that she minded pitching inâhell, she was here, wasnât she?âbut right now, she wanted to murder someone.
She caught movement at the corner of her eye and turned just in time to see a small blond head duck and disappear as light laughter tinkled after her.
âYou monster,â she muttered, dropping the plunger to chase after the girl, not caring at the moment that she was supposed to be the adult because she was about to tie the little nuisance to the nearest tree. âWhat did you stick down there this time?â she shouted, rounding the corner and nearly skidding into a tall man who was sheltering the aforementioned monster in his arms as if Lindy were the villain and the kid was actually a victim.
âWhatâs going on?â he demanded, rubbing the girlâs back with soothing and gentle motions, as if Lindy had traumatized her. If anyone was suffering from an emotional upheaval it was Lindy. Being dragged to Cruz Bay in the Virgin Islands on family business and forced on janitor duty was punishment for crimes she hadnât even committed yet. Unemployment sucked but unemployment in the entertainment industry was downright brutal. Her last gig had lasted only a few months and now she was on the hunt again, or rather, her agent should be hunting. In the meantime she had no choice but to stick it out at the resort with her sisters. At the moment she was looking at troubleshooting a clogged toiletâjoy of all joysâthat seemed to have been filled with sand, by the looks of it.
