Max (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 5)
Page 19
“No, no! I’m here to help you.” Dimples, two of them, deep and symmetrical, punctuated her sweet pink lips like a couple of exclamation points.
He glanced at the bellman, rooting for the Italian word for help. But the young man stepped back, smiling as if James, of course, wanted this particular distraction on the way to his suite.
She extended her hand, and he took it, closing his hand around slender fingers with a surprisingly strong grip. “Kyra Summers, sir, and we are so happy you’re here. So, so happy.” Her eyes danced as she shook his hand with the fury of someone trying to explode a soda bottle. “Happy,” she repeated.
He’d have to remind his assistant to book him somewhere a little less, well, happy. “It’s good to be here, Miss…Summers.”
God, the name fit her. She was human sunshine and daisies, with a pink and white cotton dress that revealed tanned shoulders and hugged feminine curves on top and spread to a loose, flowing skirt that fell just above her knees. He forced his gaze back to eyes the color of the skies over his California childhood home.
“We’re very excited about your visit,” she said, a quiver of nerves apparent in her voice. “It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for…a Brannigan. And now you’re here!”
He let out an uncomfortable laugh at her enthusiasm and glanced again at his bellman, wondering if this really was standard at the Eden Roc. “Yes, I’m here,” he said, taking a step toward the hall and elevator.
She came right with him. “Did you have a good trip? Was it long? You’re right on time, though, so it went well?” She bit her lip and looked up at him, a cross between a puppy and a…bubbly, sunny, dimply Kewpie doll. He’d have to give the welcoming committee props, though. The greeter was gorgeous, if you liked the effervescent type. He didn’t.
“It’s all good,” he assured her. “I’ll just, uh, get to my room.”
“Of course!” She clapped her hands like this just occurred to her. “Well, that’s fine, you get settled and I’ll take you when you’re ready.” She pointed to a settee under a display of ceramic platters on the wall. “I’ll be right here. Where I’ve been…” She let out a chuckle that sounded more like bells than laughter. “For a while, right, Aldo?”
Aldo nodded and grinned. “She has been waiting,” he confirmed in accented English. “Very…speciale guest.”
“So special!” she agreed. “I’ll wait until you’re ready. Then we’ll go!”
“Go…where?” He frowned and glanced around for assistance, vaguely aware of the irony that the only other American in the room was speaking words that didn’t make sense. He wasn’t going anywhere; it wasn’t on his quarterly hour schedule.
“To dinner,” she said. “I know it’s early, but there’s so much to see and do, and dinner will take hours, and you’re on a different time now, so this is…” Her words faded as crystal blue eyes searched his. “You don’t want to have dinner?” A little sadness softened her voice and did something stupid to his heart.
Why should he care if he crushed this little imp hired by a hotel to make him feel welcome? “I have to work.” The four words rolled off his tongue with as much familiarity as his own name.
“I thought you might…I mean…you have to eat and…”
“I have a call with Hong Kong and conferences,” he said, but even as the words came out of his mouth, they sounded as wooden as they tasted.
“Oh.” The smile faded. The eyes dimmed. The dimples disappeared.
James felt a physical kick in the gut and no small burn of shame for acting like a dick to this woman who was nothing but nice. “But I could have dinner.” As his words came out, they surprised both of them.
Sunshine burst forth again, warming him whether he liked it or not. “Oh, wonderful. I’ll wait. I’ll take you there.” She reached out, almost making him flinch at the unexpected jolt when she made contact with his arm. “We’re so happy you’re finally here, Mr. Brannigan. We’ve been waiting and waiting for this very day.”
No wonder the hotel ranked so high. “Thank you,” he said, taking a slow step away. “I should make a call, but…”
But Hong Kong would be there tomorrow. And he was suddenly famished.
“Take your time.” She backed away and dropped onto the settee, the pink skirt spreading like flower petals against the silk. “I’ll be right here.” He must have looked a little stunned at his own decision, because she added a reassuring smile and said, “It’ll be fun.”
“Fun.” He repeated the word, as foreign as the language in this country. James Brannigan didn’t do fun. He didn’t do impulsive blondes with captivating smiles and too many exclamation points, either.
Well, apparently, he did in Italy. “I’ll just be a few moments, Miss Summers.”
“Kyra,” she corrected. “My name is Kyra.”
It sounded as musical as she was, and James was only a little surprised that he was still smiling when he stepped into his suite.
7 Brides for 7 Brothers Series
Meet the Brannigan brothers—seven sexy brothers who bring the heart and the heat! From bestselling authors Barbara Freethy, Ruth Cardello, Melody Anne, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Roxanne St. Claire and JoAnn Ross comes a brand new contemporary romance family series: 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. You won’t want to miss a single one!
To be kept up to date about all of Lynn’s new books, sign up for her newsletter by clicking here or text HOTTIES to 66866.
7 Brides for 7 Brothers
(Click on link for more info)
Luke (Book 1)
Gabe (Book 2)
Hunter (Book 3)
Knox (Book 4)
Max (Book 5)
James (Book 6)
Finn (Book 7)
Also by Lynn Raye Harris
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The Hostile Operations Team Books
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HOT PURSUIT - Matt & Evie
HOT MESS - Sam & Georgie
HOT PACKAGE - Billy & Olivia
DANGEROUSLY HOT - Kev & Lucky
HOT SHOT - Jack & Gina
HOT REBEL - Nick & Victoria
HOT ICE - Garrett & Grace
HOT & BOTHERED - Ryan & Emily
HOT PROTECTOR - Chase & Sophie
Reckless Heat
Want to find out what happened on that fateful night ten years before the events of HOT Pursuit? Then click on Reckless Heat and get your copy today!
The HOT SEAL Team Books
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HOT SEAL - Dane & Ivy
HOT SEAL Lover - Remy & Christina
HOT SEAL Rescue - Cody & Miranda
Acknowledgements and Notes
First, I have to thank the other authors in this project. Barbara Freethy, Ruth Cardello, Melody Anne, Christie Ridgway, Roxanne St. Claire, and JoAnn Ross were all so much fun to work with! When I had to decide what my hero was going to inherit as his bequest, it hit me pretty quickly that it was going to be a saddlebred farm. I couldn’t think of anything more amusing than this big Special Ops guy inheriting fancy prancing horses.
I say that lovingly, by the way, because I own one of those fancy prancers. I grew up riding horses, mostly hunt seat and dressage, so when I accidently came back to horses as an adult after many years away, I did not expect to end up riding saddle seat at a saddlebred barn. Here’s how it happened.
My mom, who has never been one to let the grass grow under her feet, decided she wanted to take up riding again. So she found a local barn where they just so happened to have saddlebreds and started going. She asked me for months to go meet everyone and see the horses (she had an ulterior motive, my husband says). Finally I cleared my schedule enough. I get out there and meet the trainer, who says to me, “What size boot do you wear?”
Once we got that out of the way, she found boots, a helmet, handed me a release form
and said, “Now get on that horse.” I did, and the rest is history. I’ve had a lot to learn about riding a saddlebred. A lot. I bought my horse, Reggie, after two months of going out there, and we haven’t looked back.
Reggie’s formal name is Roseridge’s No Regrets. So, yes, Champ’s name is inspired by Reggie. I couldn’t quite call Champ Reggie in the story, because that seemed a little too overboard. Reggie is not a stallion, and though Reggie is five-gaited like Champ, he’s not ever going to win a world’s grand championship. I love him, but he isn’t. ;)
Everything I know about saddlebreds I’ve learned in the past two years at B&W Stables. If I’ve gotten anything wrong in this book, it’s not the fault of Joyce and Ken Webster or any of my wonderful barn family. I tried not to get it wrong, but for the sake of story and space, I’ve had to compress some things and leave out some details that horse people would probably love but others would not.
The horse names in this story are taken from horses in the barn. I even used a couple of them on the cats. I wish I could have included every horse at B&W, but I couldn’t.
Thanks to Joyce and Ken, Liz and Webb, Regina and Joan, Colleen, Emily and Annette, Emily H., Sheila, Lindsey, Kelley, Joye, and my mom BJ for being the best barn family possible. Thanks to my husband Mike and my dad Mike for supporting us and going to horse shows with us even when they get bored and would rather be fishing.
As always, thanks to my team: Mike, Gretchen, Anne, Crystalle, Linda, Kelley, and Julie.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Max! If you want to learn more about saddlebreds, visit the American Saddlebred Horse Association at https://www.asha.net/
About the Author
Lynn Raye Harris is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM SERIES of military romances as well as 20 books for Harlequin Presents. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, two crazy cats, and one spoiled American Saddlebred horse. Lynn's books have been called “exceptional and emotional,” “intense,” and “sizzling.” Lynn's books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
To connect with Lynn online:
@LynnRayeHarris
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www.LynnRayeHarris.com
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Max
7 Brides for 7 Brothers (Book 5)
Copyright © 2016 by Lynn Raye Harris
All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-941002-20-9