"That's because he wants you to himself. You'll see. After he has you trusting him, he'll be just like the others. And he's a best-selling author. He'll be leaving here and going back to San Francisco, and he won't give you another thought because he probably has women there waiting for him. I just don't want you to get hurt again. You keep leaving yourself wide open for that."
"I know, Gracie. And I know you mean well. But this time you're wrong."
Grace shrugged. "Well, I don't have anything more to say. You'll keep doing what you've been doing most of your life. But you'll never find a good man that way."
"Maybe I don't deserve one," Justine said. "Maybe I deserve the Sean Elliots of the world. But I refuse to include Brad among them because he's different." She took Brad's book from the counter by the coffee machine and lifted her jacket off the peg.
"Where are you going?" Grace asked.
Justine slipped her arms into her jacket. "To see Brad. I finished his book and I want to talk to him about it."
Grace tossed her arms up in disgust, turned sharply, and went to rejoin the guests gathered around the tree. And Justine tugged on her boots and trudged through the snow to Brad's cabin. When she reached his front door, she hesitated before knocking. If he'd wanted to see her he would have come for her, but he hadn't. He'd been holed up in his cabin since she'd left him in the stables after returning from the spring. But the fact was she wanted to see him, beyond reason, in spite of everything her common sense told her.
Lifting her hand, she rapped sharply.
When Brad came to the door, he stood looking at her for several seconds before saying, "This is probably not a good idea."
"I only came to talk about the book."
"Hell, Justine, you know that's not the reason you're here." He combed his fingers through his hair and turned from her. "Come on in though. You're letting in the cold."
Justine closed the door behind her and stood with her back to it, wondering now why she'd come. Of course it hadn't been to talk about the book. He knew it as well as she did. Setting the book on a table by the couch, she said, when she turned to face him, "You don't look like you've shaved in two days."
"That's because I haven't."
"Have you been writing?"
"No. Things keep getting in the way."
"What kind of things?" When Brad didn't reply, Justine said, "At the spring you told me about what had been bothering you, and you said you felt better afterwards, even though you had a few bad moments, so if you talk more about what happened you'll finally get it out of your system. But you have to talk."
"Okay, if you want to know what's getting in the way of my writing, it's your face."
She stared at him.
"And your body."
She continued staring at him.
"And the fact that I want to do what every other guy wants to do with you. It's like you weave a spell over men. You sprinkle some kind of magic dust and they want you."
Justine walked up to him and put her hands on his chest, and said, "Men don't want me. They don't even bother to get to know me beyond my position in the corporation. Even you took two days to ask me my name. By then, I'd crawled into bed with you and was ready to give you whatever you needed. But that's who I am. The woman men want to take to bed, but never want to take home to Mama. I wish I did have some kind of magic dust. I'd sprinkle it on me and turn myself into someone else."
Brad took her face between his hands, and said, "You got in bed with me and gave me what I needed, not what you needed or wanted. What you did was selfless. There was nothing in it for you. And now I'm going to kiss you because I've been wanting to do it since I first saw you, and I don't want you to knee me in the balls. Just kiss me back."
"Is this a test?" Justine asked, wondering what Brad's motive was.
"No, this is me wanting to kiss you."
"Why? What's your reason?" Justine asked. "Men just don't kiss Justine Page without an ulterior motive."
"I have a motive," Brad said, as he moved toward her.
"What is it?" Justine asked, while feeling the whisper of his breath against her lips.
"To tell you you're a special woman." He kissed her then, a warm tender kiss that was as unexpected as it was welcome. Justine curved her arms around his neck and kissed him back, but when he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, a loud rapping on the door startled them, sending Brad releasing her abruptly and falling back against the table, toppling a chair.
"That's what I mean," he said, returning the chair to the table. "Loud noises shatter my nerves."
Justine was still feeling the effect of Brad's kiss, but when he opened the door, and a blast of cold air hit her in the face, it brought her to her senses. She looked over to see who it was, halfway expecting Grace, and saw instead, a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, with a little girl, about five, clinging to her. "Brad Meecham?" the woman asked.
Brad nodded, and waited to see what the woman wanted.
"I'm Elsa Moroz," the woman said, "Yvette Patel's sister. And this is your daughter, Sophie..."
PANDORA'S BOX to be continued...
If you want to read on, here's the link to Amazon
BOOKS BY PATRICIA WATTERS
DANCING MOON RANCH SERIES
PREQUEL: JUSTIFIED DECEPTION
Ruth Crawford's on a quest to find her daughter, who was kidnapped four years before. Ruth's private investigator is all but certain that ranch owner, Matt Kincaid's, adopted daughter Annie is Ruth's own little Beth. But Matt's the maverick in a powerful family of lawyers and politicians, so even though she manages to land the job as nanny to Matt's willful, six-year-old daughter, Ruth must tread carefully. She can't predict what Matt or his family might do if the adoption is challenged. However, Ruth's carefully laid plans go awry when she finds herself falling in love with the man who might have stolen her child.
BOOK 1: RIGHTEOUS LIES
Grace Templeton thought the child she'd been carrying for seven months was the child of her dead husband, and Jack Hansen thought the sperm he'd donated had gone to the wife of his sterile twin... Until they learn that two vials of sperm at the fertility clinic were accidentally switched. The shock sends Grace into early labor, and the only place she can have complete bed rest is at the Dancing Moon Ranch owned by Jack and his twin, Sam. But soon, Grace finds herself falling in love with a hard-edged cowboy who appears to want to control every aspect of her life, now that she's carrying his son. But Jack has his reasons. He also has no intention of marrying, and Grace is determined to learn why.
BOOK 2: PANDORA'S BOX
Justine Page used her beauty and her body to make her way up the corporate ladder. But when a relationship with a CEO goes sour, and she finds herself without a job or a place to live, she goes to the Dancing Moon Ranch to stay with her sister and reassess her life. Brad Meecham, a war correspondent with post-traumatic stress, who has taken a cabin at the ranch to try and deal with mind demons, is intrigued by Justine, who's determined to put her checkered past behind. About the time he thinks they could make a life together, a daughter Brad never knew existed is delivered to him when her mother dies. Suddenly, he finds himself with a child who wants nothing to do with anyone but Justine, and he knows without question that a woman who slept her way to the top will never be a candidate for step-mother. But then, Brad fails to factor in the power of love to bring together a flawed woman and a troubled child, and his need to have them both in his life.
BOOK 3: FALSE PRETENSES
Jayne Hamilton has a dark secret she's carefully guarded and which she hopes will stay hidden until she lands the job at Dancing Moon Ranch. But as Sam Hansen interviews her, he’s uneasy. Things don't add up. Still, he hires her without running a background check because his mother wants to retire from the guest ranch end of the operation, and neither Sam nor his twin, Jack, want to take over that job. A guest ranch manager would free them of that burden. But soon, Sam finds himself blindly attracted to Jayne, even thoug
h he knows she's hiding something... something that has to do with a child. But Sam also senses that there's much more.
BOOK: 4 UNCERTAIN LOYALTIES
All her life Sophie Meecham was told that modesty was a virtue and sex before marriage was wrong, so when she learns that her step-mother slept her way up the corporate ladder before marrying her father, Sophie’s so angry and disillusioned she shows up unexpectedly at the Dancing Moon Ranch to vent to her lifelong friend, Rick Hansen. Rick too is disillusioned. Sophie’s changed from the woman he’d grown to love over the years, and even envisioned marrying. In fact, she's so mad, she rebels against everything that’s been instilled in her, even tries to have sex with Rick. But he wants no part of it. Although he doesn’t want the woman Sophie is now, he doesn’t want any other man to have her either. But soon after, a life-altering incident has Sophie looking at Rick, her buddy, in a whole new light. It's also clear, the man she’s falling in love with has fallen out of love with her, and it will be an uphill battle to prove to Rick she's still the woman he'd always thought her to be.
BOOK 5: BECOMING JESSE'S FATHER
When Adam Hansen discovers his ex-fiancée, along with a son he never knew he had, hiding in an isolated cabin on his ranch, in the middle of winter, and learns she's being hunted down by her former husband, an ex-green beret, Adam vows to protect them, even though he has no intention of getting involved with Emily again. He's also trying to gain the love and trust of a three-year-old boy who fears and mistrusts men. But while he's safeguarding Emily and Jesse, Adam learns that Emily’s wanted in a non-custodial kidnapping to protect Jesse from a dangerous step-father, who's also Jesse's legal father, since Emily gave birth to Jesse while married to him. Still, Adam intends to protect them at all cost, even if it means going against his family, and the law, and taking Emily and Jesse into the mountains and beyond, if that's the only way to keep them safe.
BOOK 6: BITTERSWEET RETURN
In the jungles of Central America, archaeologists Marc Hansen and Kit Korban are winding up a project. Marc walked away from his family after learning that all his life had been a lie. He hasn't seen them in four years and doesn't plan to return any time soon. Although Kit sees potential in the man, and his presence makes her pulse race, he's carrying far too much personal baggage, so a relationship with him is out. However, when she learns there's an unexcavated Indian mound on his family's ranch, Kit talks Marc into taking her there. But whereas Marc's mother welcomes him with open arms, it's not the same with his father. Marc walked away from a mother who'd loved him unconditionally, and Jack Hansen isn't ready to put that behind. But as Kit begins to peel back the layers of a very complicated man, she also finds in Marc a man worth loving. The problem is convincing Marc that, just because he's no blood kin, he's not the outsider in the family he's always believed himself to be.
BOOK 7: CROSS PURPOSES (coming in April 2013)
Annie Kincaid's a wild horse advocate. Ryan Hansen's a bronco buster. The fact that Annie's father hired Ryan to oversee the trail horses and take guest ranch visitors on trail rides definitely doesn't sit well with Annie. She's had her fill of hot-shot cowboys who think life's all about busting, breaking or bulldogging, and of all the Hansen boys from the Dancing Moon Ranch, Ryan's the cockiest of the bunch. Ryan also has a lot to learn about managing Annie Kincaid. In the past he had no problem attracting women, but now he wants the one woman who'll take special handling. But in the process, Annie also learns something about Ryan she never could have imagined, something that has her taking a second look. Still, she's not about to fall prey to the "new-and-improved" Ryan Hansen, who has a long way to go to prove he's the man for her.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES
ADVERSARIES AND LOVERS
When Kate O’Connor learns that Ben Stassen's new corporate office will replace a block of charming old buildings that include the Corner Cafe, where Grandma and her friends have been lunching for half a century, she vows to stop it, taking her case directly to the man. But that's not the way Ben Stassen sees it. He built Stassen Sports from the ground up and he refuses to let a woman on a mission stand in his way. But, Kate has advertising skills he can use, so ignoring her crusade, he invites her to submit ideas for his ad campaign. And Kate accepts—a strategic move to use against the man. But working with Ben stirs feelings Kate hadn't anticipated, and when she at last finds the chink in Ben's armor, the key to stopping his business venture, she also finds a troubled man who refuses to be touched by love, and she’s determined to know why.
BROKEN PROMISES
Tess O'Reilly can't forget the words engraved inside the ring Zak de Neuville gave her when he promised to love her forever, then disappeared from her life without a word. Eskauldun fededun--the Basque is faithful. More appropriately, the Basque is faithless! And now Zak's back in Baker's Creek. He's also the father of a boy who had to have been conceived shortly after he left. Tess too has returned to Baker's Creek to help her ailing father. After a lengthy estrangement from him because of Zak, she's come home to rebuild the relationship they once had, before it's too late, and she has no intention of getting involved with Zak again. The problem is, time has done nothing to temper the white-hot flame that's once again building.
IN HOT PURSUIT
Inheriting her uncle's yacht and living on it is just what Nellie Reid needs to get out of the financial abyss she's in and put the lives of herself and her ten-year-old son back on track. But what she initially thinks is a dream come true quickly becomes a nightmare. Not only is the owner of the boathouse threatening foreclosure for back rent, he claims he had an agreement with Nellie's uncle for use of the boat for his whale study. But if Will Edenshaw cruises off on her yacht, Nellie will have him arrested for grand theft! And Will hasn't the heart to foreclose on a homeless, jobless widow. But once at sea, life aboard the Isadora becomes perilous. Will's in hot pursuit, and there's no place Nellie can run and hide from her heart. But there are also others in pursuit—a grizzled old sea dog and a bald-headed man with a gun—and Nellie and Will don't know why. But as they venture into rough waters, it's evident that whoever's in pursuit is dead set on seeing Nellie... dead.
NEVER TOO LATE
Marriage counselors have long known that there are two things in life that tear marriages apart: adultery, and the death of a child. Andrea and Jerry Porter have been true to each other for almost twenty-five years, so adultery is not a factor in their failing marriage. But two years before, they lost their son, and the marriage has been spiraling downhill ever since. And then the unexpected happens. Andrea and Jerry find themselves trapped together on a luxury cruise neither want—a twenty-fifth anniversary gift from their three grown daughters. Before long they find themselves drawn into a drug-smuggling scheme by the smooth-talking Italian who singled Andrea out for flattery the first day aboard. That's also when Andrea and Jerry begin to see each other in a whole different light, one that not only allows them to come to terms with their personal tragedy, but ignites a flame that had long since died.
HISTORICAL ROMANCES
HER MASTER'S TOUCH
She's the mystery debutante of the season, who arrived on the London scene as if from out of nowhere. But Lord Damon Ravencroft knows her dark secret. Two years before, when she was roaming with Gypsies and living by her wits in India, he hired her as a housemaid, and she stole from him a rare and valuable opal once belonging to the Empress Josephine. Damon intends to be compensated for its loss, which set him back years in his quest to prove his innocence in a crime he's accused of committing. The sizable dowry that comes with Lady Elizabeth Sheffield's hand in marriage is a start. It's also his price to keep her secret from all of London. But there's more to the marriage of convenience that Damon proposes than Elizabeth anticipated, but by the time she learns what it is, she's trapped into a marriage to a man who both stirs her passions and fuels her resentment for the man she was forced to wed.
COLBY'S CHILD
He's a man with a dark past, a quick hand o
n the draw, and a soft spot for her child. She's a widow who needs protection. A marriage of convenience is the means of keeping her safe in a town populated by gold miners, dance hall girls, and scurrilous men, until her gold mine is producing and she can return east. But soon after Jenny MacDonald marries Jason Colby, she finds herself falling in love with a man whose dark past is quickly catching up with him, the very man who might have killed her husband.
COME BE MY LOVE
When Sarah Ashley arrives in Victoria, British Columbia to open a mercantile for the manufacture and sale of bloomer costumes, she turns Governor Jonathan Cromwell's colony upside down. But while her enterprise is diving the town and disrupting every facet of Jon's life, he can't decide whether to seduce the stunning suffragette into sweet submission, set more obstacles in her path, or send her away to preserve his colony. But Sarah didn't liquidate her entire savings and sail all the way from San Francisco to Victoria just to have her dreams dashed by Vancouver Island's arrogant young governor. Come hell or high water, she will establish her business despite Jon's unfairly imposed obstacles... and a longing heart that tempts her to surrender her principles for one night of passion with the insufferably handsome rogue.
MISS PHIPPS AND THE CATTLE BARON
Having a close resemblance to Queen Elizabeth I, and claiming descendance, served Priscilla Phipps well when as a girl she was teased mercilessly about her carrot-red hair and bleached-white skin. So on arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming, when she implies as much to avoid a humiliating situation, she suddenly finds herself sought after by the matriarchs of Cheyenne's wealthy British cattle barons. But Priscilla didn't come west to be sucked up into British society. She came on a wagon train with homesteaders to start a newspaper addressing the needs of women, and she will not be deterred from her goal, even if it means facing up to the powerful Wyoming Stock Grower's Association and cattle barons like Adam Whittington who want every homesteader run out of the territory. But Adam has his own means of handling the troublesome spinster who's stirring up a cauldron of controversy with her Town Tattler scandal sheet, alienating every cattleman in the area, and even threatening his run for mayor.
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