Repairing More Than Just A House
Grace Saunders returns to Spruce Lake, Colorado, to oversee the renovation of a house sheâs inheritedâand to get away from a bad divorce. Sheâs not planning to run into her high school sweetheart, Jack OâMalley. She has a secret sheâll give anything to keep, even when it turns out that Jackâs her new contractor.
Now Jack and Grace have to work togetherâand work at keeping their hands off each other. Grace is the same girl Jack used to know, the one he never got over. Jackâs grown into a man Grace could fall in love with all over again. And the entire OâMalley clan is rooting for a romantic reunion.
But should Grace keep her twelve-year-old secret? And if she tells, will Jack ever forgive her?
âIf Iâm going to work on this house, youâre going to help meâ¦â
âWhatâs up?â Jack asked. âYour face is flushed again.â
To prevent him from asking any further questions, Grace stuck out her hand and said, âIf I agree to your outrageous terms, do we have a deal?â
What was she saying? She couldnât get out of town fast enough to prevent Jack from somehow discovering the truth sheâd hidden from him for twelve long years. Yet here she was agreeing to stay and help. Still, she really needed to have the house restored before it completely fell to pieces.
And besides, how hard could it be watching Jack working under the hot sun? Seeing him again, she couldnât get rid of the notion they had unfinished business.
Sheâd kept her secret safe this long, she could keep it to herself a bit longerâ¦.
Dear Reader,
One of my favorite romance themes is the reunion story. I wonder what itâs like to be reunited with your high school or college sweetheart?
In Sweet Home Colorado, Jack OâMalley, the last of the OâMalley men to find love, is knocked off his feet when his high school sweetheart, Grace Saunders, returns to Spruce Lake. At first heâs reluctant to have anything to do with Grace, but he soon finds himself under her spell and agreeing to renovate the house sheâs inherited from her great-aunt.
Jack is the one person Grace hopes she wonât run into in Spruce Lake, butâdoing a bit of matchmakingâher lawyer employs Jack as the contractor responsible for renovating the old Victorian that now belongs to her.
Grace has a secret sheâs kept from Jack for more than a dozen years, and now her greatest fear is that heâll discover what it is!
Did I tell you my other favorite theme was secret babies?
Find out how Grace and Jackâs relationship develops into love and how they resolve their differences once Jack discovers Graceâs secret.
This is the fifth and final installment of The OâMalley Men series. I hope youâve enjoyed seeing the OâMalley brothers fall in love as much as I have.
I enjoy hearing from readers. You can write to me at [email protected].
Happy reading and healthy lives!
C.C. Coburn
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.C. Coburn was born in the heart of Australiaâs outback, then moved to its Pacific Coast. Sheâs traveled the world, lived in England, Austria and the USA and still counts traveling as one of her passions.
She learned to ski in Austria, then discovered Coloradoâs majestic Rocky Mountains and bought a home there. She now divides her time between Australia, Colorado and England, where one of her three children lives. Her other children still call Australia home.
C.C. shares her life with a beautiful Labrador and a man who, after thirty-two years of marriage, still looks pretty darned good in his kilt.
Many thanks to
My faithful reader Jan Durkin.
Talented author and nurse Fiona Lowe. Handyman Garth Stroble. My wonderful editor, Paula Eykelhof. And as always, Keith.
Prologue
âJack? Are you still there?â
Jack OâMalley took a seat on the front steps of the house heâd just finished restoring in Spruce Lake, Colorado. He cradled his cell phone against his shoulder and wiped his brow. It was hot. Damned hot for June. Especially June in the Rockies. âIâm still here, Mike, and the answerâs still no.â
âCâmon, itâs only an estimate. Youâve got time for that, havenât you?â
Jack groaned. It was flattering to be in demand for his services as a contractor who specialized in high-quality home-building and renovation, but one day heâd like to be able to take a holiday. With the way work kept piling up, that wasnât going to happen any time in the next decade. And now his friend and lawyer, Mike Cochrane, wanted to heap on more work. Heâd already turned down the same job late last week, when Mike first contacted him about it. Now Mike was sounding desperate.
âLike I told you, Jack, my clientâs a doctor. And you know how much I need new clientsâwealthy ones.â