by Mari Carr
Turning, he faced her. He grinned, so fucking happy to see her again. She was even more beautiful then he remembered.
She returned his smile, but her eyebrows lifted in rebuke. “So Harper was right. You did travel halfway around the world to find her.”
He shook his head. “No. I came for you.”
Her smile faded and he thought she suddenly looked pale. He stepped closer, worried she was going to pass out.
“For me?” she whispered, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Had he misread everything last week? Been so blinded by his own feelings that he’d failed to realize they weren’t returned?
An older woman cleared her throat loudly, distracting him.
“I think,” she said, as everyone turned to face her, “that we should leave Amy and her gentleman alone. I’m Hazel Sullivan, by the way. Nice to meet you, Andrew.”
He nodded by way of introduction, struggling to find his voice. Harper gave him an encouraging smile as she followed Keith and Marc into the house.
“You seriously flew all this way to see me?”
Amy’s bewildered tone had him turning once more. “Of course, I did.”
“What about your job?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I’m actually here under the guise of scoping out a new location. And to hire a personal assistant.”
She frowned. “You want to do a story on Australia? Haven’t you already done that?”
She’d missed the most important part. Even so, he nodded. “My producer is in discussions with a nearby cattle station. One that’s open to tourists. I think it’s sort of the equivalent of a dude ranch back home.”
She seemed to consider that. “Sounds cool.”
“And do you think you might be persuaded to accept my job offer?”
Amy blinked rapidly. “What job offer?”
“I want you to work as my personal assistant, Amy. Part of my contract negotiations said that I could hire someone to help me prepare for my trips, to travel with me, to keep me on schedule.”
Her mouth dropped open. “And you want me?”
“I’ve witnessed your researching abilities firsthand. I grew up in Chicago and you managed to show me things I’d never seen. And your itinerary was superior. I could really use someone with your skills out on the road.”
His astute Amy didn’t waste any time asking the hard question. “And just how personally would I be assisting you?”
He grinned ruefully. “That’s up to you. I’m not going to lie. That one week wasn’t enough for me. Maybe this isn’t an ideal situation, the perfect way to pursue a relationship, but I don’t have a fucking clue how else to do it. You live in Australia and I live in America. This was the only way I could figure out to get us in the same time zone. I want to date you, Amy. I want to see if what I think I’m feeling is real. I need to be with you to do that.”
Amy took his hand and squeezed it. “I’d like to explore my feelings as well.”
“Give me one year. Hit the road with the show for twelve months. If things go south and you decide you hate me, you can come home. And, in the meantime, you’ll have marked some of those dream places off your travel list.”
Amy nodded slowly. “It sounds so tempting, but there are so many things that would have to be worked out.”
“I know I’m asking you to give up a lot. I mean I’d be asking you to leave your home, your job.”
Amy’s face brightened. “My job.” Her smile grew. “Don’t worry about that. I think I know a suitable replacement for Farpoint’s schoolteacher.”
Andrew’s gaze narrowed. “Shit. You’re thinking of Harper, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“What the hell is going on between my sister and those cowboys?”
“They’re not cowboys, Andrew.”
“Damn it, Amy. I’m not playing semantics with you.”
“Let’s just say that you owe my friends a favor. While you were being nice to me in Chicago, they were being very nice to your sister here.”
He swallowed heavily, beating back the sudden rush of anger.
“And before you go into that house with guns blazing, I think you need to talk to Harper about it. And maybe you could try really listening to her. You know, pay attention.”
He chuckled. Saucy little wench. God, he loved her.
His breath caught, then he threw caution and common sense to the wind. “I love you, Amy.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up into his face, her eyes shining with happy tears. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Amy shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked out over the expanse of the valley below. Andrew spoke to the camera. They were in Virginia this week and had just tackled Blackrock. The lush, green valley was more beautiful in real life than the pictures she’d studied online and trillium was blooming all around them.
She glanced at Andrew’s handsome face and smiled. They’d had so many adventures together this year. He filled her days with discovery and her nights with passion.
“Hey, Amy. The rest of the crew is about to head back down before it gets dark. Last chance to change your mind and sleep in the comfort of the hotel. Tom says it gets cold up here in April.”
She knew he was teasing her, trying to get her to give in. They’d sort of dared each other to do some backcountry camping while on this excursion. There was a definite chill in the air that they wouldn’t be able to counteract with a campfire. Fires weren’t allowed.
Even so, she wasn’t worried about the cold.
“I’ll be fine. But if you’re backing out—”
Tom laughed and gestured for the rest of the crew to pick up their equipment. “These two will never cry uncle. Let’s roll. See you guys tomorrow afternoon. Happy anniversary.”
Amy grinned. It had been one year to the day since she’d agreed to join Andrew as his personal assistant. Obviously, Andrew had told his best friend they were celebrating. They’d agreed to talk tonight about her job and the relationship. Amy jokingly referred to it as their contract renewal negotiations.
Andrew didn’t speak as the others left. Instead, he took her hand and the two of them picked their way through the woods, following the path to the camp they’d set up earlier in the day.
When they arrived, Andrew unzipped the tent and gestured for her to crawl inside. The wind was picking up and their chilly night was indeed turning cold. They would have to eat their simple dinner inside, sheltered from the brisk air.
As soon as they were snug in the tight space, Andrew sank down, pulling her with him to cuddle on his sleeping bag. She relished the familiarity of his arms. They’d spent month after month in each other’s arms. Amy had never regretted her decision to leave home, to follow her heart.
“Happy anniversary.” He’d mentioned the one-year milestone a few times today and she sensed he was anxious to see if she would return home or stay.
Foolish man. Was it really a question?
Sitting up, she reached for the tiny flask she’d snuck into her backpack. Uncapping it, she lifted it. “Here’s to many, many more years.”
She took a sip then passed the Bundy to him. She’d made a rum lover of him this past year.
He accepted the flask then added to her toast. “Here’s to a lifetime.” Rather than take a drink, he reached into his pocket.
Amy’s heart began to race the moment he pulled out the small ring box.
Andrew flipped the lid back, revealing the most beautiful engagement ring she’d ever seen. “Marry me, Amy.”
So much for popping the question. Andrew, in typical fashion, made it a demand.
And as always, she responded in kind. “Hurry up and put that ring on my finger.”
They laughed as he slid the diamond in place.
The perfect fit.
The End
About Mari Carr
Writing a book was number one on Mari’s bucket list an
d on her thirty-fourth birthday, she set out to see that goal achieved. Now her computer is jammed full of stories—novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends. A New York Times and USA Today bestseller, as well as winner of the Passionate Plume, Mari finds time for writing by squeezing it into the hours between 3 a.m. and daybreak, when her family is asleep and the house is quiet.
About Lexxie Couper
Lexxie’s not a deviant. She just has a deviant's imagination and a desire to entertain readers with her words. Add the two together and you get darkly erotic romances with a twist of horror, sci-fi and the paranormal!
When she's not submerged in the worlds she creates, Lexxie’s life revolves around her family: a husband who thinks she's insane, a pony-sized mutt who thinks he's a lap dog, and her daughters, who both utterly captured her heart and changed her life forever.
Living in Australia makes it a bit tricky for Lexxie to pop by for coffee, but she still loves to chat! Contact her by email or find her at her website or her blog (http://lexxiecouper.wordpress.com/).
Mari and Lexxie welcome comments from readers. You can find their websites and email addresses on their author bio pages at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email the authors directly or you can email us at [email protected] (when contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Also by Mari Carr & Lexxie Couper
Foreign Affairs 1: Misplaced Princess
Foreign Affairs 2: Misplaced Cowboy
Also by Mari Carr
Black Jack
Cocktales 1: Party Naked
Cocktales 2: Screwdriver
Cocktales 3: Bachelor’s Bait
Cougar Challenge 5: Assume the Positions
Covert Lessons
Everything Nice
Inflamed
Kiss Me, Kate
Rekindled
Retreat
Scoring
Spitfire
Sugar and Spice
Three Reasons Why
White Knight
Wild Irish 1: Come Monday
Wild Irish 2: Ruby Tuesday
Wild Irish 3: Waiting for Wednesday
Wild Irish 4: Sweet Thursday
Wild Irish 5: Friday I’m in Love
Wild Irish 6: Saturday Night Special
Wild Irish 7: Any Given Sunday
Wild Irish 8: Wild Irish Christmas
Print books by Mari Carr
Retreat
Scoundrels
Sugar and Spice, Everything Nice
Tease the Cougar anthology
Wild Irish 1 & 2: Wild Days
Wild Irish 3 & 4: Wild Nights
Wild Irish 5 & 6: Wild Times
Wild Irish 7 & 8: Wild Kisses
Also by Lexxie Couper
Blowing it Off
Cougar Challenge: Copping a Feel
How to Love Your Dragon
Seven Deadly Daemons 1: Timeless Wrath
Seven Deadly Daemons 2: Endless Lust
Stone’s Soul
Ty the Sexy Dragon
Print books by Lexxie Couper
Cougar Hunt anthology
Going Down Under anthology
Passionate Peridot anthology
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Misplaced Lessons
ISBN 9781419940286
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Misplaced Lessons Copyright © 2013 Mari Carr & Lexxie Couper
Edited by Kelli Collins & Whitney Mae
Photography and cover design by Syneca
Additional photo: Conrado/Shutterstock.com
Model: Eli
Electronic book publication January 2013
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
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