Suiteheart Of A Deal: Suiteheart Of A Deal / My Place Or Yours?
Suiteheart of a Deal by Sandra KellyGrab a cup and sit a spellRainey Miller's dream has just turned into a nightmare! Instead of inheriting the Honeymoon Haven, she's co-owner with Beck Mahoney–town masseur and local heartthrob. But even this hotel manager extraordinaire can't say no to Beck when he proposes they marry to cash in on his trust fund that'll save the inn. After which, it'll be strictly business between Beck and Rainey…well, okay, maybe not!My Place or Yours? by Wendy EtheringtonShe's a fixer-upperRebecca Parsons is finally ditching her kooky hometown and heading to New York to find herself, but first she has to sell her eccentric Victorian house. But who'd want to buy that money pit? For some unfathomable reason, gorgeous Alex Carlisle would! Now, if only Rebecca can hide the repair nightmares that begin to plague the house–and resist Alex's devastating charm–she just might be able to close the deal…
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Duets™
Two brand-new stories in every volume…twice a month!
Duets Vol. #75
Isabel Sharpe kicks off the month with a very special Double Duets on the theme of “manhunting.” Enjoy the chase as these heroines track down the men of their dreams! This writer “pens a fresh tale with solid characterization and snappy dialogue…” says Romantic Times Magazine.
Duets Vol. #76
Two talented new writers join the Duets lineup this month! Please welcome Sandra Kelly and Wendy Etherington, who have crafted two funny related tales about heroines fixing up “money pits”—and the romantic chaos that ensues with the heroes in their lives! Enjoy.
Be sure to pick up both Duets volumes today!
Contents
Suiteheart of a Deal
Sandra Kelly
“It’s my parents!” Beck exclaimed.
“They can’t find out we’re not a real couple—it’ll ruin everything!” Rainey added.
His eyes traveled up the stairs. “The bedrooms! The separate bedrooms! Quick, we have to move your things into my room!”
“But why?” Rainey huffed.
“They’ve driven a huge distance. They’ll want to stay overnight.”
In a flash they charged into her room. While she hastily pulled together the unmade bed, he yanked her clothes from the closet.
“Hurry!” Beck ran into his room with a truckload of Rainey’s things and rushed back to her room. She frantically emptied drawers and stuffed his outstretched arms. He shot next door and returned again.
The doorbell sounded.
“Okay, you get ready and I’ll get the door.”
Before leaving, he asked, “Are we still fighting?”
“No!” Rainey wheezed. “We can’t. It’s show time.”
Dear Reader,
Love is funny, don’t you think?
My favorite love stories are always those in which there’s more going on than meets the reader’s eye. So it’s fitting that my first published novel should be about two people who are so taken with one another that they just can’t see what’s happening around them. That’s definitely the case with Rainey and Beck, two fools for love who were easily fooled. We should all be as gullible!
Special thanks to Duets editor Kathryn Lye for seeing the humor in Rainey and Beck’s situation, and to the people of Bragg Creek, Alberta, for lending me their town. The folks who live in my Bragg Creek are nutty and sneaky, but the real residents of that breathtakingly beautiful place are, I assure you, the nicest folks you’ll ever meet.
Enjoy!
Sandra Kelly
For my husband, Bob. Thanks for waiting.
1
“OKAY, SO YOU’RE, ah, married, huh? Ah, let me see now…Oh, man! Would you look at the time? I have an important meeting in, ah, in less than, ah, I’m sure it’s in less than an hour….”
Rainey Miller laughed aloud. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. Never had she seen a man blush so deeply—or backpeddle so swiftly. The guy was too funny. He obviously wasn’t too bright, though.
Why would he assume that just because a woman was seated alone that she must be single? Everybody from around here knew that, aside from a few young chambermaids and reservations clerks, there were no single, available women at the Honeymoon Haven. Only couples in love, celebrating their honeymoon, or a major anniversary. This guy had to be a tourist.
When her spontaneous eruption drew curious stares from the other guests in the Haven’s quaint dining room, Rainey quickly withdrew into the shadow of the huge potted fern beside her table. The last thing she wanted was to attract the attention of the brain-damaged Lothario who had made her laugh in the first place.
For twenty minutes she had eavesdropped—unintentionally, of course—while the guy did his darndest to entice the stunning blonde seated at the next table. The plant enabled Rainey to watch the show, undetected.
And what a show it was! Hovering over the woman’s table, oozing testosterone, he had tried every dumb line in the book, right down to, “You remind me of somebody I used to know.” He had tried flattery, complimenting her on her beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile. He had offered her a “free” massage, whatever that meant. After telling him twice to get lost, the poor woman had finally been reduced to muttering, “Look, buster, I’m married. I’m on my honeymoon, and my husband will be here any minute!”
Romeo’s immediate and lightning-fast retreat was just about the funniest thing Rainey had ever seen. He might not be a Rhodes Scholar, but she would give him points for cheesy charm.
When he backed away from the table, she got a better look at the guy. My, but he was gorgeous. Tall and athletically built, with a mop of shoulder-length dark-blond hair fingered back from a classically handsome face. He had high cheekbones and full, sensuous lips that promised unspeakable pleasures. Rainey found herself staring at those lips and wondering how the blonde could resist them—married or not.
