The Horse Trainer's Secret

by ALLISON LEIGH,

  “I see you.” She kissed his palm in turn. “That’ll do for a start...”

  * * *

  Don’t miss it as Return to the Double-C continues with A Rancher’s Touch by New York Times bestselling author Allison Leigh.

  Available October 2021

  from Harlequin Special Edition.

  Return to Rendezvous Falls for the next charming and heartfelt book in Jo McNally’s series!

  Read on for a sneak peek of Love Blooms by Jo McNally.

  Love Blooms

  by Jo McNally

  OWEN DIDN’T KNOW how to respond. She was right. He wasn’t the guy Lucy had known before. His time in the military had changed him. There was a bright flash beyond the trees, and a rapid series of explosions followed by more colors lighting up the sky. The finale of the fireworks show. His body tensed at the bombardment of sound and light, no matter how distant. Lucy’s hands gripped his biceps, and her forehead touched his. She was trying to stay connected...trying to keep him connected to her. To the present, not the past. He rested his hands on her waist, completing the circle, but not pulling her closer.

  Neither of them said a word while the finale came to its explosive conclusion. There was a beat of complete silence after the echoes faded, then the sound of car and boat horns rose up from the lakeshore as people expressed appreciation for the event that had sent him running.

  And still they stood without moving in the empty parking lot. He breathed in the soft floral scent of her and wished they could stay connected like this forever. Once silence fell on the Seneca Valley again, Lucy made the first move, slowly backing away. Moving out of reach, but not by much. That had to be a good sign, right? Was this whole night a good sign? Or a goodbye?

  He looked up, unable to see her face in the shadows cast by the parking lot light behind her. But he could see she was looking back at him. Waiting for some kind of answers. He was suddenly exhausted from holding onto everything he was carrying, and his shoulders fell in defeat.

  “You’re right, Luce. I didn’t come back the same. The last tour...it was so many levels worse than the first two for me. Those were no picnics, but the last one...the mountains, the weather and the action... We ended up in the thick of things more than once. Screwed up intel. Lousy luck. I don’t even know.” He stared off into the darkness under the trees. “People died before. Even people I knew...sort of. But this time...” His head dropped. “This time some of them died in my arms. Friends died in my arms....” Lucy made a strangled sound. She was getting the idea. “It made everything else seem so...unimportant.” He rushed to clarify, looking straight at her. “I don’t mean that it made you unimportant. But the wedding plans...the dress...the food...” His hand rose and fell. “I know it was important to you, so I should have made more effort, but I truly didn’t care.” He stopped. “There, I said it.”

  She considered his words for a moment.

  “Yes, you said it. And I...I respect that, after what happened. But what you didn’t hear is that the problem wasn’t in the wedding plans—I never expected you to get excited over choosing the centerpieces. The problem was that I wanted a small, intimate ceremony and I was getting a country club reception with an orchestra. The wedding plans weren’t what I wanted you to care about. My feelings about them are what I wanted you to hear.”

  Silence hung between them again, heavier than before. He’d been such an idiot.

  “I’m sorry, Luce. You’re right. I should have heard that, but I just...I was barely hanging on, you know? I didn’t want any deep dives into feelings. Not mine. Not yours. I get why you left me standing at the church. I deserved it, and it helped jolt me out of my stupor.” He thought of the week he’d spent drinking alone in their apartment. “Eventually, anyway.”

  He turned her toward the car. “We should head back.” He took her hand, not sure if she’d allow it. She didn’t push his hand away as she fell into step at his side. His heart jumped. As they walked, she wound her fingers through his. Progress! There had clearly been a shift in the mood between them tonight.

  His chest felt lighter. Her hand was warm and familiar. She’d come up here with him when he needed her. She still cared. Owen Cooper had never been a quitter, and he wasn’t about to give up on their future together. If he had to win Lucy’s heart all over again, he’d do it. And this time around...this time she could wear whatever damn dress she wanted when she married him.

  Don’t miss what happens next in...

  Love Blooms

  by Jo McNally

  Available August 2021 wherever HQN books and ebooks are sold.

  www.Harlequin.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Chef’s Surprise Baby by Brenda Harlen.

  Copyright © 2021 by Jo McNally

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM

  Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

  Relate to finding comfort and strength in the support of loved ones and enjoy the journey no matter what life throws your way.

  6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!

  The Chef’s Surprise Baby

  by Brenda Harlen

  Chapter One

  “Erin—can you hang around for a minute, please?”

  Though Kyle Landry had made the request in the form of a question—and even added the word “please”—Erin Napper knew a command when she heard one. And when the executive chef of The Home Station restaurant in Haven, Nevada, asked any of his employees for a moment of their time, they gave it to him.

  Especially when the chef and employee in question happened to be good friends.

  As a server, Erin primarily worked the front of the house, but Kyle expected his waitstaff to assist with basic prep tasks. He believed that the increased contact between servers and cooks when they were cutting bar garnishes or chopping salad ingredients led to greater camaraderie.

  It was often a challenge to work with an exacting and demanding chef, but Erin sincerely enjoyed her job at The Home Station. Besides, who wouldn’t love a job that came with free meals every day?

  She only worked part-time at the restaurant, to supplement the income she earned as a website designer, but Kyle insisted that she was always welcome at the “family meal”—the staff dinner shared before service. She also frequently got leftovers delivered to her door by the chef himself—a perk afforded to Erin as a result of the fact that they lived in the same building, and maybe because Kyle knew her culinary abilities were so limited that she often opted to eat cold cereal for dinner rather than cook.

  But she had yet another reason for hanging around in response to his directive: she owed him an explanation for her screw-ups tonight.

  He waited until the rest of the staff had gone before he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against a gleaming stainless steel counter. Erin had never been a big fan of reality TV cooking shows and certainly wasn’t turned on by a temperamental chef in traditional coat and toque. And yet, she couldn’t deny that Kyle looked damn good in his uniform.

  He also looked like a man in complete command of his domain, because he was. Though only thirty-five, he’d earned his lofty position by committing himself, one hundred percent, to his craft. He had the patience to finesse a delicate beurre blanc sauce and the strength to effortlessly butcher thick slabs of meat. And Erin also knew that every dish she carried out of his kitchen contained a little bit of his heart and soul. More than once over the years, she’d found herself wondering if he poured as much passion into everything he did—and certain that, if he did, a woman would be very lucky to be invited to his bedroom.

  “I’d say ‘spill,’ but it’s obvious that happened already,” Kyle said, his gaze on the smear of cabernet reduction on the front of the white tuxedo-style shirt she wore tucked into a black pencil skirt protected by a half bistro apron. “So I’ll just ask, what was going on with you tonight? You
delivered orders to the wrong tables—twice.”

  She dropped her gaze to the dark slate tile floor. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t ask for an apology. I asked what was going on. You’re one of the best on this team. Is everything all right?”

  There wasn’t any point in hiding the truth—especially not when she’d already decided to ask for his help. But she’d hoped to ease into the subject on her own time and her own terms, not because she’d messed up during service.

  “I got a call from my sister before I came in to work,” she finally confided.

  “Is everything okay at home?” he asked.

  Though the chef demanded that his employees demonstrate the same commitment and dedication that he did, he also cared about the people who worked in his restaurant. He willingly juggled schedules to accommodate outside responsibilities and regularly inquired about the well-being of not just his staff but also their families.

  “Everything’s okay at home,” she said. “The problem is here—or will be soon.”

  “And what is that problem?” he asked, sounding curious now.

  “Anna and Nick are coming to Haven next week.”

  “Your sister and your ex-boyfriend,” he noted, proving that he did listen when she talked.

  “Actually, there’s been a change in their status,” Erin told him, still not entirely sure how she felt about that change. “Now they’re husband and wife.”

  His brows lifted. “Excuse me? They got married?”

  She nodded. “This afternoon.”

  “And you weren’t invited to the wedding?”

  “They eloped to Vegas.”

  A revelation that had surprised Erin, because she’d never imagined that her little sister would forgo the opportunity to walk down the aisle in a long white dress and celebrate her nuptials with a big, fancy wedding. Since the day she was born—twenty-eight years earlier, on Erin’s third birthday—Anna had been the center of attention in the Napper family and now considered the spotlight her due.

  Which, of course, made Erin wonder about the reason for their low-key ceremony. Was it possible that the bride had realized an elaborate family celebration would be awkward for the sister who’d lost her virginity to the groom nearly fifteen years earlier?

  “Is she pregnant?” Kyle asked now.

  “What?” That was a possibility that hadn’t occurred to Erin. “No!”

  He held her gaze steadily. “Are you sure?”

  No, but she was fairly certain that Anna would have told her if she was.

  Wouldn’t she?

  She pushed her doubts aside.

  “My sister has her faults,” she noted, “but being careless isn’t one of them.”

  “So why the urgency to exchange vows?” he wondered.

  “She said they didn’t want to wait to start their life together,” Erin said.

  “And how do you feel about that?”

  “I’m trying to be okay with it,” she said. “I mean, they’ve been dating for more than six months, so it’s not like I haven’t had time to get used to the fact that they’re together.”

  But Nick Burnett had been Erin’s first boyfriend. Her first love. Even if she’d been the one who’d decided to end their relationship when she went away to school. At the time, he’d claimed that she’d shattered his heart beyond repair, but she’d always known that he’d find someone else. And maybe she should be happy that he’d done so—she just wished that someone was anyone other than her own sister.

  “Nick and I broke up a long time ago,” she continued. “It’s just weird, you know? To think about my ex-boyfriend and my sister...together. Married.”

  “So that’s what mixed up your service tonight,” he realized.

  “Actually...it was the prime rib au jus with roasted fingerling potatoes and glazed baby carrots that got me thinking about my menu.”

  “Your menu?” he echoed.

  She lifted her shoulders. “When Anna said that they were coming to Haven before heading home to Silver Hook, I invited them for dinner. Of course, I was planning to order pizza from Jo’s, but then she made a snarky remark about me not knowing how to cook, which of course made me want to prove her wrong.”

  “But...you don’t know how to cook,” Kyle reminded her, not unkindly.

  “Lucky for me, you do,” she said.

  He shook his head. “Oh no. You’re not dragging me into the middle of this family drama.”

  “There’s not going to be any drama,” she promised. “I just need you to cook a simple meal that Anna and Nick would believe I made.”

  “No,” he said again.

  Erin wasn’t ready to throw in her cards—not when she had an ace up her sleeve. “Do you remember when you were just a line cook at Diggers’, desperate to prove to Liam Gilmore that you could be the chef he needed for this restaurant?”

  “Of course, I do,” he agreed, his tone wary.

  “You offered to prepare a sample of menu items—to show him what you were capable of. But you couldn’t do all the prepping and cooking and serving on your own, so you asked a friend for help.”

  “I remember that, too,” he acknowledged. “I also remember thanking that friend—and later getting her a job in the same restaurant so that she would earn much better tips than she ever got serving pizzas at Jo’s or lunch specials at Diggers’.”

  It was a valid point, Erin acknowledged to herself, but not one that dissuaded her from pressing her case.

  “You also said that you owed her one, and if she ever needed a favor, all she had to do was ask... So I’m asking, Kyle. Please.”

  “Do you really want to lie to your sister and brother-in-law?”

  “I agree it’s not ideal,” she said. “But after backing myself into a corner, what choice do I have?”

  He hesitated for a moment before saying, “I could teach you how to cook.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help it. The idea was just too outrageous for her to believe it was a sincere offer.

  “You don’t think I’m up to the challenge?” he asked.

  “It’s not your abilities as a teacher that I doubt, but mine as a student,” she told him.

  “You’re a smart, capable woman, Erin. I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do if you put your mind to it.”

  His words filled her with pleasure—and more than a little bit of trepidation. “But...they’re going to be here in three days.”

  He grinned. “Then we don’t have any time to waste.”

  * * *

  As Kyle made his way toward Erin’s apartment the next morning, he acknowledged that she was right—he did owe her. And every day that he walked into the kitchen at The Home Station—his kitchen—he was aware of that fact. He owed Liam Gilmore, too, for being willing to take a chance on him. But he felt confident that he’d repaid that debt by creating an innovative menu and preparing hearty meals that managed to satisfy the hungry rancher as much as they impressed the sophisticated traveler.

  Prior to the opening of The Home Station, Haven residents had to go out of town for upscale dining. Now people from Elko and Battle Mountain—and other locations even further out—came to Haven to eat, and many of them became repeat customers, happy to travel the distance for a delicious meal—often followed by a comfortable bed at the newly remodeled Stagecoach Inn.

  Almost everyone Kyle knew had dined at The Home Station at least once, and reservations were typically booked months in advance. The first customers had been drawn by curiosity, many of them determined to proclaim that the new restaurant wasn’t anything special or different and certainly wouldn’t last. Between the all-day breakfast menu at Sunnyside Diner, the legendary pizza at Jo’s and the more extensive but casual offerings at Diggers’ Bar & Grill, there were already enough options for local dining. Those same cu
stomers inevitably left The Home Station appreciating that they’d enjoyed a culinary experience that was so much more than a plate of food.

  The only local resident he personally knew who’d stubbornly refused to come in for a meal was his own mother. Three years after the restaurant opened, Jolene Landry had yet to forgive Kyle for choosing to work in a stranger’s kitchen rather than hers.

  It had been easier for Kyle to forgive his mom for forcing him to make that choice, because he was happy at The Home Station. And his sister was happy, because Lucy was now the heir apparent to the pizzeria. But Jo continued to believe—or at least pretended to believe—that one day Kyle would suddenly discover that he missed making pizzas, give his notice to Liam Gilmore and return to Jo’s.

  So yeah, when Erin said that family relationships were complicated, he understood. And that was why he was prepared to teach her to cook, though he had no doubt it would be easier for both of them if she let him prepare the meal for her sister and new brother-in-law.

  He balanced one of the paper to-go cups from The Daily Grind on top of the other and knocked on her door. Then again, louder. He was about to knock a third time when it was finally wrenched open from the other side.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Erin demanded, looking obviously unhappy—and recently awakened.

  “Not exactly,” he admitted. “But it’s got to be close to nine, because it was eight thirty when I was at The Daily Grind.”

  “It’s too early, whatever o’clock it is,” she grumbled. “I was up until four working on updates for a client’s website.”

  “How was I supposed to know that?” he asked, offering her one of the cups.

  “You could have texted to see if it was okay for you to stop by at this hour.”

  “I did text,” he pointed out. “You didn’t reply.”

  “Because I was sleeping.”

  Which he’d already guessed on the basis of her attire: a pair of pink plaid boxer shorts with a skimpy pink tank top. There was also a crease on her cheek from her pillowcase and her long blond hair was sexily tousled, making him think that a man who woke up beside her wouldn’t be in any hurry to get out of her bed—