by Aileen Fish
He did, and hesitated before entering the living room. “You’re not in the middle of anything, are you?”
“Laundry. I can fold and talk at the same time.” She hadn’t hugged him, which didn’t bode well.
Smiling, he took off his hat and followed her. When he sat on her couch, all he’d planned to say left his head. “We need to talk.”
Hope nodded, setting a folded towel in a stack of linens. “You said that.”
“Um, right. Okay. We’ve known each other three months, which most people think isn’t long enough. I know how I feel about you, and you seem to feel the same about me. We’ve got something good here.”
“We do, yet…”
He held up his hand. “Hang on, I want this to come out right.” He took his phone from his pocket and swiped it to unlock.
Moments later, he met her gaze before looking at the screen. “You wrote me a letter before we ever met.”
“I wrote to a fictional character.”
“No, you put your heart in your words. ‘I guess what I want is a man who’ll not give up, who’ll stick it out until the end, even when the setbacks seem overwhelming. Life isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it!’” Chase met her gaze again, hoping she saw what he did.
“You wanted me, Hope. I’m here. I’m not giving up because we can’t be certain what lies ahead in the future. Our future—yours, mine and Jayden’s. I’m willing to stick it out, do what I have to for us to be a family. It’s so worth it to me.”
She looked down at the pile of clothes in the laundry basket. He needed her to speak, now, yet he gave her time.
“I did write that. I don’t know what made me do so. Pouring my heart out to a stranger was pretty dumb.”
“You weren’t writing to a stranger, you were writing to me. You just had the name wrong.” He grinned. “I’ll answer to Galahad if that makes it easier, though.”
Finally, she smiled, and looked at him again. “No, that’s okay. I love Chase, not that knight in armor.”
He stood, walking slowly to her. “If I had armor, I’d wrap it around you and Jayden to keep you safe. I’ll put myself between you and anything I can protect you from. I’m not Merlin; I don’t claim to have a magic wand. Give me a chance, Hope. Please.”
Dropping the small t-shirt in her hand, she closed the distance between them, hugged him, and rested her face on his chest. “I guess I focused too hard on the fairy tale aspect of our meeting. Marni won’t let me say I don’t deserve you, so I’ll promise to do whatever will make me believe I am.”
“I knew I liked that girl. We’ll be sure to invite her to the wedding.”
She quickly leaned back with a frown on her face. “Are we there yet? I’m still adjusting to a man in my life fulltime.”
“I didn’t mean to say that.”
Stretching on her toes, she kissed him warmly. “I guess I’m a bit jumpy. When you do ask, the answer is yes. Don’t think I’m letting you off easy, because I expect the whole deal—moonlight, one knee, promises to love me forever.”
“I can promise that now, and I look forward to showing you how much.”
“There’s a lot to figure out, though. Jayden, my job, your ranch…”
“We have time. We’ve rushed so much to get to this point, I can force myself to slow down for the next steps. I won’t like it, but I won’t be a grouch like Jayden.”
“I’d stick it out if you did. I make the same promise to you. I’ll not give up. I’ll stick it out until the end, even when the setbacks seem overwhelming. Life might not always be easy, yet with you beside me it’ll be so worth it!”
Cupping his hands on the sides of her face, he found her lips again, pouring his whole heart into their kiss. Words would never be enough to tell her how much he loved her, so he’d spend every hour of every day proving it. The last bit of armor around his heart had shattered, and he could love her fully.
Forever.
Chapter One Excerpt from
Kim
Beach Brides Series
Magdalena Scott
Copyright ©2017 Magdalena Scott
The patio of Tony’s Macaroni in Serendipity, Indiana was busy tonight. Kim Rose sipped her red wine, letting it slide down her throat as she anticipated a delicious meal. The weather was perfect. A warm breeze teased her with the rich, spicy smell of the neighboring table’s lasagna. She glanced at a couple nearby, who seemed to be in a romantic world of their own.
When a car horn honked, her friend, Emily Standish, sitting across the table from her, raised a hand and waved.
A puff of wind blew some hair into Kim’s eyes. She pulled an elastic out of her handbag and jerked her hair into a ponytail, hoping all of it would stay under control for once.
“Emily, do you know who that was? Or did you just wave in case you knew?”
Emily laughed. “Her name is Lauren. One of her sisters was in my high school graduating class.”
Kim shook her head in amazement. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to living in a small town. You seem to have a connection to everyone in Serendipity.”
Emily leaned back in her chair, smiling. “That’s one result of living in the same place all my life. But, Kim, you know more people every day.” Emily tipped her head, concerned. “I hope you’re not second-guessing your decision to move here.”
Kim put a hand over her friend’s. “Not second-guessing. I’m still in the adjustment period.” For years, Kim had lived and worked in a vibrant community minutes away from the culture, shopping, and dining opportunities of Louisville, Kentucky. Except for the incredible speed of the gossip tree, everything in Serendipity moved at a slower pace than she was accustomed to. “Serendipity has a very different lifestyle. I’m learning how it works.”
Emily nodded. “Remember, when I told you that Serendipity Hospital was looking for nurses, I warned you of what to expect here.”
“Yes, ma’am, I remember, and I told you I was ready for a drastic change. I love Serendipity. I feel happier than I have in a long time.” She sipped more wine, to shut herself up and avoid getting maudlin about the past. “I’ll have to be okay with the possibility that I’ll never know as many people as you do. Sometimes I think you can call every one of the six thousand citizens by name.”
Emily cringed. “In my sordid past, I probably called a few of them some names I shouldn’t have. Good thing you dragged me down the road to recovery after my car wreck, and helped me change my attitude.” She shook her head in dismay. “Sometimes I can’t believe how rotten I was back in the day.”
Kim laughed, glad for the change in subject. Before becoming a nurse, she had worked as an aid in the facility where Emily was sent for physical therapy and rehabilitation. At first, nobody wanted to be around the angry, bitter young woman. “You were certainly one of our most well-known patients.”
Emily covered her eyes with her hands, shaking her head. Her words were muffled when she spoke. “Okay, I’m really wishing for some brain bleach here. Thank goodness I wasn’t a lost cause.”
“Nobody is a lost cause,” Kim said. That belief was important to her sanity at work, and she had to believe it for herself.
Emily removed her hands, and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Do you ever think about all the connections in our lives, things that happen and we don’t realize the importance until later?”
Kim slowly twirled her wineglass on the table, wishing for the food to arrive, or for someone to recognize Emily and interrupt their conversation. Anything. “What kind of connections do you mean?”
Emily’s eyes sparkled. “Well, my wreck for one. It was a terrible thing—for me, for my family. But so much good has come out of it.”
Kim had a flash of Emily’s wedding day. “Your relationship with David sure evolved during your rehab.”
“Absolutely. He and I wouldn’t have gotten together otherwise. But so many things led up to that. And, Kim, getting to know you was a big life changer. You taught me a lot about
gratitude, and about working hard to achieve a worthwhile goal.”
Kim laughed. “I did? Really, I was just trying to keep you from giving up on yourself.”
Her friend shook a finger at her. “Don’t shrug it off, Kim. I’m serious. Your attitude toward life, after losing your mom to breast cancer, and going through that yourself—and the boyfriend who dumped you—”
Kim slid down in her chair, and whispered, “You’re making me feel pretty awesome right now.”
Emily frowned. “I don’t mean to be negative. I’m talking about being grateful every day even when life is hard. That’s what you taught me, Kim.”
I’d love an instant re-play of those lessons. The audio version so I can listen on my phone whenever I need a lift.
Kim cleared her throat. “New topic. The road trip. Are you one hundred percent sure you can’t go?”
An unusual look passed quickly over Emily’s face. “Yes. One hundred percent. I’d love to see that area, and I will someday. But I want to make it a family vacation. Something David and I do together, and take Isabel when she’s old enough to enjoy it. I know you’re eager to go, and you’re just being kind.”
“Well, I am looking forward to it, but I’d step aside and let you go. I wouldn’t know Travis and Suzanne without you introducing me. If you were up for it, we could both go. Surely there’s room in their car for four. Not sure about four plus a car seat.” She chuckled at her own joke.
Emily coughed, seemed to narrowly avoid spitting wine. “Oops. Excuse me—wine went down the wrong way.”
She replaced her glass on the table, just as Tony, the restaurant co-owner, appeared with their hand-made pizza. It was beautiful, and smelled heavenly.
He set it on the table with a flourish. “You ladies need anything else right now?”
Emily looked at Kim and answered for both of them. “We’re good, Tony. Thanks. It’s a perfect night to eat on the patio. I’m so glad you added this.”
He shook his head, chuckling. “Thanks. It hurts to admit that it was the wife’s idea, and I kept telling her nobody’d be interested. I’ll be eating crow about that for the rest of my life, I guess.”
“If you get to do that on the patio, it won’t be so bad,” Emily said.
Tony covered his ears, laughing. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He excused himself and checked in with another table.
Emily served a slice of pizza to Kim, and put one on her own plate. “Back to the road trip. It’s all yours, Kim. Have a great time, take loads of photos, and text them to me. I know you’re ready for a break. You haven’t taken a real vacation since that island trip with your book club friends, right?”
Kim chewed slowly, picturing scenes from Enchanted Island. “Yes. It’s almost two years. We were chatting about it online the other night. Hard to believe.”
And even harder to believe that some of the girls had actually met the men of their dreams through that ridiculous bottle toss. She hadn’t told anybody outside the group about the message in a bottle. Not even Emily. She would probably have a good laugh about it if she heard, and Kim wasn’t ready to provide that comic relief.
Kim was realistic. She didn’t expect a knight in shining armor to sweep her onto his galloping white steed, and carry her off to live in a castle. She had to do the best she could with the life she had, and that meant learning, again, to be grateful each day. And being satisfied with experiencing romance by reading about it in novels. The real-life kind was too painful to risk again.
Gratitude changes lives, she’d heard. Evidently she’d said it a few times, and Emily had paid attention. Maybe it was time Kim re-learned the lessons she had taught her friend.
Nobody is a lost cause. Not even me.
*** End of Excerpt ***
Kim
Beach Brides Series
by
Magdalena Scott
Buy Here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B072J2PXSP
About the Author
Aileen Fish is a multi-published author under several pen names, with stories ranging from historical to paranormal, or both, and heat levels from sweet to scorching. She is also an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their families.
Stay up to date with book releases at her website http://aileenfish.com or on Facebook
Do you like your romance steamier? Check out http://arithatcher.com!
Finally, if you have a bit of time, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review. Your opinions can help readers find books that are the right fit for them, and are always very much appreciated.
Other Books by Aileen Fish
Excerpts and buy links are available at http://aileenfish.com/books.html
Regency Romance Novellas
A Bride for Christmas
The Mistletoe Mishap
The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation
Her Secondhand Duke
Chasing Lord Mystery
His Heart for Christmas
My Sweet Scoundrel Series (Regency)
The Rake Takes a Wife
Kissed by a Scoundrel
The Bridgethorpe Brides Series (Regency)
His Impassioned Proposal
The Incorrigible Mr. Lumley (print and ebook)
Charming the Vicar’s Daughter
Her Impetuous Rakehell
Captivated by the Wallflower
One Last Season
Captain Lumley’s Angel
Love’s Promises series (Victorian America)
The Lieutenant’s Promise
Anthologies
A Christmas Courtship
Regency Christmas novellas: The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation, A Bride for Christmas, and The Mistletoe Mishap.
Beaux, Ballrooms and Battles
A Celebration of Waterloo. 9 Regency romance novellas of love tested by war. Includes Captain Lumley’s Angel.
A Summons from the Duke of Danby
The Duke of Danby summons his unmarried children home for Christmas with an ultimatum. Marry, or he’ll choose a spouse for each one. Include The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation.
The Duke’s Christmas Summons
The Duke of Danby is at it again, only now he’s working on his grandnieces and nephews. Includes A Marquess for Christmas.
Contemporary Romance
Anthologies
Sweet Christmas Kisses
14 Sweet Christmas Kisses, a bundle of G- and PG-rated contemporary romance novels and novellas from USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Includes Christmas in White Oak.
Sweet Christmas Kisses 2
19 heartwarming and wholesome novellas from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Includes The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride.
The Small-Town Sweethearts Series
Cowboy Cupid
The Cowgirl and the Geek
Christmas in White Oak
The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride
Young Adult
Cat’s Rule (In the anthology Wild at Heart Volume II)
Outcast (Apocalyptia Book One)
Paranormal
The Lives of Jon McCracken (print and ebook)
Children’s Picture Book
My Cousin has a Broken Heart (all proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association through Reid's Roundup)
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