Sheâs changedâ¦but has he?
Skylar Gibson isnât the rebellious teen she used to be. Aaron Hollister, on the other hand, is still the entitled rich kid who betrayed her. And if he thinks sheâll let his business plans threaten her town, well, heâd better think again. But her first priority is protecting her secretâtheir fourteen-year-old daughter.
When the truth comes out, Skylar is shocked by Aaronâs reaction. Could there be more to this golden boy than sheâd thought? Itâll take more than a trip down memory lane to prove heâs changedâ¦.
âDonât flatter yourself, Hollister.â
Skylar gave him a once-over, then continued speaking. âGossip in Cooperton is like ivy and blackberry briarsâitâs everywhere. You canât get away from it.â
Aaron crossed his arms. âMaybe you should try harder.â
âMaybe you should remember how impressionable teenagers are.â
âOh, right, youâre a fine one to talk, Skylar.â
She stared, wondering how he had the gall to say that. âAs I recall, youâre the one who did the talking.â
He had the grace to look uncomfortable. She had to wonderâ¦how much did he remember about the past? Was she just one of many girls whoâd succumbed to his charm and good looks? If so, she probably was a stranger. Who knew how many of them heâd discarded like yesterdayâs newspaper.
It was reassuring in a way; she didnât actually want him remembering too much.
Dear Reader,
While on a vacation hike along the ocean, I began thinking about how children would be affected by a playboy father infamous for marrying and divorcing on a regular basis. Would they follow in his footsteps? Would they ever want to get married themselves? What sort of people would they be? Thus, Those Hollister Boys were born, sons of Sullivan Spencer âSpenceâ Hollister, known in the tabloids as âS.S. Hollister, the man with an ex-wife in every port.â Spence has children and ex-wives all over the world and is a hedonist who survives on charm and an enormous fortune.
And who better to team with Spenceâs marriage-wary eldest son than a feisty redhead? I love writing strong-willed heroines, and Skylar Gibson is one of my favorites. Aaron and Skylar have a history together, including a teenage daughter he knows nothing about. Or does he?
Classic Movie Alert: If you love old movies the way I do, take a look at Hobsonâs Choice (1954), directed by David Lean and set in Victorian England. Starring Charles Laughton, Brenda De Banzie and John Mills, this romantic comedy is about another strong-willed woman who determinedly makes her own future.
I hope you have fun reading Winning Over Skylar, the first book in my series Those Hollister Boys. I enjoy hearing from readers and can be contacted c/o Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, ON M3B 3K9, Canada.
Wishing you all the best,
Julianna Morris
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JULIANNA MORRIS has an offbeat sense of humor that frequently gets her in trouble. She has also been accused of being interested in everything. Her interests range from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, painting, walking on the beach and reading (mysteries and most other fiction and nonfiction). Julianna loves cats of all shapes and sizes. Her familyâs feline companion is named Merlin, and like his namesake, Merlin is an alchemistâhe can transform the house into a disaster in nothing flat. And since he shares the premises with a writer, itâs interesting to note that he is particularly fond of knocking books onto the floor.
To the memory of my wonderful Uncle Don who put marriage, family and church first in his life. When I think of you, I always see the smile on your face.
Prologue
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Skylar Naples held the blanket-wrapped infant in her arms and stared down at the tiny, scrunched-up face.
Holy cow.
This was her kid.
She winced as she shifted in the hospital bed. Giving birth sucked, but the result was kind of awesome.
âIâll try to be a good mom,â she said. âHonest.â
The baby yawned and closed her eyes. Sheâd have to be fed again soon, and Skylar felt a twinge of worry. There were so many things a baby neededâdoctors, food, clothes...roller skates. Sheâd never had roller skates herself, but her daughter was going to have them. She wanted her kid to have everything sheâd never had. It wouldnât be easy to do it working as a cashier at a hamburger stand, no matter how nice the owners were being to her.
Still, sheâd have to find a way.
Mr. and Mrs. Gibson had thrown her a baby shower, so she had some stuff to start. Sheâd also picked up things at garage sales. She hadnât liked doing it at first, but Mrs. Gibson had said that babies and toddlers grew so fast they didnât have time to wear clothes out, so she may as well get them secondhand for a while.