by Jill Shalvis
“He’s got a line of customers from Lucky Harbor to Seattle, and I don’t want to wait. My niece Aubrey needs help renovating the bookstore, and she needs someone good enough to work while the store is open without being intrusive. That’s you. Now I know damn well she can’t afford you, so I’m paying, in my sweet Gwen’s memory.”
Well, shit.
“Oh, and don’t give Aubrey the bill,” Mr. Lyons said. “I don’t want her to see how much you’re going to cost me. I don’t want her worrying about it. She’s going through some stuff and I want to do this for her. For both my girls.”
Ah, hell, Ben thought, feeling himself soften and absorb some of Lyon’s clear worry. He was such a sucker. “You should be asking me for a bid,” he said.
“I trust you.”
Jesus. “You shouldn’t,” Ben said firmly. “You—”
“Just start the damn work, McDaniel. Shelves. Paint. Hang stuff. Move a few walls, whatever she wants. She said something about how the place is too closed in and dark, so figure it out. I’m going on a month-long cruise with my new girl Elsie and I need to know before I leave. You in or not?”
Ben wanted to say no. Hell no. Being closed up in that bookstore with the beautiful, bitchy Aubrey for days and days? The reality of that didn’t escape him. If he did this, surely one of them would kill the other before the work was done.
“Ben?”
“Yeah,” he said, facing the inevitable. “I’ll do it.”
Whether he’d survive it or not was another thing entirely.
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When a cowboy meets an heiress…
Cash Hardeman thought he’d have all the time in the world to find the right woman…until he discovered that his gold-digging step-grandmother will inherit the family ranch if he’s not married by his thirtieth birthday. With the deadline just around the corner and no prospects in sight, Cash knows it’s only a matter of time before he loses everything. But when Boston beauty Annelise blows into his life, Cash can’t help but wonder if she’s what he’s been looking for all along.
Giving her bodyguards and the paparazzi the slip, heiress Annelise Montjoy has come to Maverick Junction on a life-or-death mission. But living incognito in the small Texas town is nothing like she expected, and she’s finding it difficult to keep her identity a secret—especially with a rough and tumble cowboy like Cash tempting her. It’s not long before Annelise starts to wonder if she’s finally found the man who can love her for herself rather than her money. But will Annelise’s secrets catch up with her before she and Cash can ride off into the Texas sunset?
* * *
Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos—the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos’s leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby’s thinking about much more than friendship…
Tabby is everything Shy’s ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can’t have. She’s beautiful, smart, and as his friend’s daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more—much more—he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn…
* * *
When You Go Looking for Trouble…
Avery Price is taking her life back. Fleeing her uber-rich, overbearing family, and an arranged wedding to a wealthy, cheating fiancé, she trades couture for country and makes her way to Trouble, Wyoming. Going incognito gives her the chance to try things the old Avery wouldn’t dare, like having a sizzling, no-strings affair with her sexy new boss, Noah McDermott—and discovering he’s the kind of mistake she can’t resist.
Noah didn’t become a successful business owner by letting people get the best of him. He knows Avery is running from something, and if getting the beautiful blonde into his bed is the only way to find the truth, well, he has no problem with that. Trouble is, Avery is everything he never expected: sassy, smart, and the kind of understanding woman cowboys like him don’t deserve. Can he put his pride aside and convince this city girl to settle down with him once and for all?
* * *
If You Can’t Stand the Heat…
Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time working at her family’s Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she’s tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious (if voluptuous) butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she’s cooked up a recipe for disaster…
Jack Kilroy’s celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili’s oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he’s even more aroused by how this beautiful, funny woman is unimpressed by his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his rabid, bitch-fork-wielding fan base. Now as he’s about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions—and turn up the heat in his kitchen?
Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.
“Heartwarming and sexy…an abundance of chemistry, smoldering romance, and hilarious sisterly antics.”
—Publishers Weekly on Simply Irresistible
* * *
“A Perfect Ten! Tara and Ford have some seriously hot chemistry going on and they make the most of it in The Sweetest Thing. Trust me; you’ll need an ice-cold drink nearby.”
—RomRevToday.com
* * *
“This touching, character-rich, laughter-laced, knockout sizzler is the latest in Shalvis’s award-winning series.”
—Library Journal, starred review
* * *
“Count on Jill Shalvis for a witty, steamy, unputdownable love story.”
—Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author of Redwood Bend
* * *
“Shalvis’s latest Lucky Harbor novel is a winner—full of laughter, snark, and a super-hot attraction between the main characters.”
—RT Book Reviews
* * *
“Top Pick! 4 1/2 Stars! Laughter is served in doses as generous as the chocolate the heroine relies on to get through the day. Readers will treasure each turn of the page and be sorry when this one is over.”
—RT Book Reviews
* * *
“Shalvis makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me sigh with pure pleasure.”
—Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Playing Dirty
* * *
“Fall in love with Jill Shalvis! She’s my go-to read for humor and heart.”
—Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author
Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s hot, sexy firefighters.
Nothing is hotter than desire…
Raised as an army brat, bush pilot Lyndie Anderson has always been independent-and alone. Living only for her plane and the open sky, she eagerly rushes to help save the people of a small Mexican town from a raging wildfire. Yet when her cargo is a drop-dead gorgeous fireman, Lyndie suddenly feels a burning desire—one that may ground her for the first time in her life.
Firefighter Griffin Moore has been haunted by the loss of his crew in an Idaho inferno. Scarred by survivor’s guilt, he became a recluse who hid himself away from working—or being close to anyone. But when his brother convinces him to volunteer for another fire, he encounters a brave, beautiful woman who sparks a simmering passion. Now in the hot, dangerous conflagration of the Mexican jungle, Griffin and Lyndie must discover a way to rescue a town-and a love that may save them…
* * *
If You Can’t Handle the Heat…
Callie Hayes is the hardworking manager of the Blue Flame, Arizona’s
most remote, relaxing guest ranch. She’s given everything to the ranch, body, heart, and soul—three things that go haywire when her sexy employer suddenly shows up. Their intense, stormy past has taught Callie to never mix business with pleasure. But something about Jake is different now…
San Diego firefighter Jake Rawlings knows the ranch he inherited from his father is safe in Callie’s capable hands. After being injured in a high-profile rescue, Jake decides to recover in solitude at the Blue Flame. He may have left the fires behind, but he hasn’t escaped the heat; Callie is just as hot and irresistible as he remembers. Now coming home doesn’t seem like the best idea—as the sparks between Jake and Callie threaten to burn out of control…
* * *
It Only Takes a Spark
Summer Abrams left everything behind—the warehouse fire that took her father’s life, the town where her world fell apart, and her best friend in the world, Joe Walker. All she carried with her was guilt. Now, twelve years later, another fire has devastated the same warehouse, and Summer returns to Ocean Beach to search for answers. But what she finds first is an old flame that never went out…
Joe Walker has become the town fire marshal—sexy, strong, and an expert at keeping people at bay. The only person he ever let into his heart broke it and left town without a word. Now that she’s back, Joe swears he won’t fall for Summer again…but the heat between them is irresistible. As he tries to help her heal the past, can he take a risk on building a future with Summer?
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Welcome
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
About the Author
A Preview of Once in a Lifetime
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2005 by Jill Shalvis
Excerpt from Once in a Lifetime copyright © 2013 by Jill Shalvis
Cover design by Diane Luger
Cover photo by Shutterstock
Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: November 2013
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ISBN 978-1-4555-2963-6
