Things she couldn’t miss. Things she wouldn’t miss.
He was just a temptation, that was all. And she’d gotten very good at resisting temptations. Was this any different than standing in front of the beer coolers in a convenience store?
No. She was strong enough to resist.
Once the horse was turned loose, she faced Phillip again. “You finished rehab and have been sober for almost two months?”
“I knew you might not believe me.” But instead of being put out by her doubt, Phillip’s eyes focused on hers as if no one else in the world existed. “That’s why I brought Dale. He can vouch for me.”
She looked at Dale, who nodded. “He’s followed his plan perfectly.”
“You have a plan?” They’d had a plan before and that hadn’t worked out so well. “What happened?”
Phillip took a step toward her. The confident grin was gone and he looked earnest. She wanted to believe him. Oh, how she wanted to believe him.
“I believe the correct phrase is ‘hit bottom.’ Matthew took me to rehab three days after you left. It wasn’t exactly fun, but after my head cleared, I knew I could do it because I’d already done it with you.”
Three days was a long time to bounce around at rock bottom. “And after that? Did you lose the farm?”
He took another step toward her. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to know that he was really here and whole and sober.
“The Beaumont Brewery has been sold. The deal closed. I was able to buy the horses with my share of the sale.”
“Just the horses? But the farm...” The farm was his home.
For such a short time, the farm had felt like her home.
Another step forward. “Chadwick kept it.”
“Oh.”
Another step closer. He reached out and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I no longer work for Beaumont Brewery,” Phillip said, cupping her cheek in his hand. “After that last festival, well, we mutually agreed to part company. I have a new job.”
“Doing what?”
This step brought him close enough that she could wrap her arms around his waist and hold on to him. She almost did, too. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
“I’m the head of Beaumont Farms.”
She blinked up at him. “You’re what?”
“It turns out that the new owners of the Beaumont Brewery have decided that the Percheron draft team is too valuable to the brand to give up. They’re leasing the Percherons from the Beaumont family. Chadwick got them to sign a ten-year non-exclusive contract.”
“It worked? Going on the morning shows? The Facebook poll?”
He nodded. “It did. Plus, it turns out that Chadwick is keeping the Percheron Drafts craft beer brand for himself—he’s going to use the Percherons, too. The Brewery had exclusive use of the Beaumont wagons and harnesses, but I’ve been working with Chadwick and Matthew on a marketing plan that will make the best use of the horses while differentiating between the companies.”
“Wow. But—Percheron Drafts is still a beer company.”
“I don’t work for Percheron Drafts. I work for Beaumont Farms. Chadwick incorporated the land as a separate entity. Right now, I choose not to visit the new brewery. Chadwick and Matthew have been coming out to the farmhouse for our meetings. They’re being extremely supportive.”
“Even Chadwick?”
His smile—God, that was going to be her undoing. “Even Chadwick. It turns out that we get along a lot better when I’m not drunk and he’s not a jerk.”
He leaned down closer—too close. She pulled back, away from his sure hands and intent gaze. “That’s really good. I’m happy for you. But why are you here?”
The space she’d put between them wasn’t enough to stop the corner of his mouth from curving into a smile that wasn’t quite predatory but came damned close. “Because I learned the hard way the blackouts weren’t worth it. They weren’t worth losing the farm and the horses and they most especially weren’t worth losing you. I had a good month where you showed me that my life could be what I wanted it to be. I almost threw it all away. The choice was mine and so was the blame.”
She shook her head. He was saying all the right things, all the things she needed to hear. But...
“I can’t be the reason, Phillip.”
For the first time, she saw doubt in his eyes. “I know. But it turns out, I couldn’t live with myself for letting you go.”
“You couldn’t?”
“No.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry that I broke my promise to you. I know I hurt you.”
“You did. And worse, you made me doubt myself.” He nodded. No lame excuses, no blaming others. He took full responsibility. “But,” she went on, “you also showed me that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for.”
“Got your wagons unhitched now?”
She couldn’t help herself. She smiled at him and was rewarded with a smile of his own. It wasn’t fair for a man to look that good. It just wasn’t. “Yup.”
“Let me make it up to you, Jo. I want to make things right between us.”
She eyed him. “How?”
There was that grin again—sharp and confident, a man who always got what he wanted. Even if he had to go through rehab to get it.
“As the manager of Beaumont Farms, I’m looking for ways to make Beaumont the premiere name in the horse world. I happen to have a well-trained stallion that’s going to command huge stud fees, but I want to branch out.”
Was he calling Sun well-trained? Her face grew hot. “Yeah?”
He nodded, warming to his subject. “I decided having a professional on-site trainer, someone who specializes in rehabilitating broken horses, would add a lot of validity to the brand.”
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “You decided that?”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Come home to the farm, Jo. I want you. I don’t want to lose you again. And I don’t want to stay sober because of you. I want to do it for you. To show you that I’m the man who’s not perfect, but perfect for you. Because with you, I’m the man I always wanted to be.”
“I can’t be with you if you drink. I can’t kiss you and taste whiskey. Not now, not ever.”
He leaned down, his lips brushing over hers. She was powerless to stop him, powerless to do anything but wrap her arms around his waist and pull him in tight.
“I will never drink again, Jo—because more than the horses, more than the land, I can’t lose you. You make me chase you. You never pull your punches with me. I’m not a Beaumont when I’m with you. I’m just Phillip.”
“You’ve always been more than a Beaumont to me,” she told him. Her voice came out shaky, but she didn’t care.
“I don’t want to forget you,” he whispered. “I never want to forget you.”
She crushed her lips against his. His teeth scraped over her lip—rough, but gentle. Just the way she wanted it. Just the way she wanted him.
He rested his forehead against hers. Her hat fell off, but she didn’t care.
“Don’t give up on us. I can’t fix what I did, but what we have is worth saving. Marry me, Jo. Come home.”
Home. With Phillip. A piece of land she could call her own—their own. Everything she’d ever wanted.
“I couldn’t forget you, either. I tried. I kept telling myself I just had to get you out of my system, but...”
He grinned, satisfied and hungry all at the same time. One of his fingers traced the spot where her neck met her shoulder. Her body ached for his touch, his bite. “Marry me. We’ll remember the days—and the nights—together.”
How could she say no to that?
She couldn’t.
So she didn’t.
* * * * *
If you loved T
EMPTED BY A COWBOY, don’t miss the rest of THE BEAUMONT HEIRS trilogy!
NOT THE BOSS’S BABY
Available now
A BEAUMONT CHRISTMAS WEDDING
Available November 2014
From Sarah M. Anderson and Harlequin Desire!
Keep reading for an excerpt from A BEAUMONT CHRISTMAS WEDDING by Sarah M. Anderson.
Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.
Austin Treffen has the plan… Hunter has the money… Alex has the power!
Read each of their stories in the captivating Fifth Avenue trilogy,
only from Harlequin Presents:
Avenge Me by Maisey Yates (June 2014)
Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews (July 2014)
Expose Me by Kate Hewitt (August 2014)
And don’t miss the Fifth Avenue prequel that started it all, Take Me, by Maisey Yates!
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SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM
Here’s a sneak peek at the next scandalous Beaumont Heirs book,
A BEAUMONT CHRISTMAS WEDDING
by Sarah M. Anderson.
Available November 2014 from Harlequin® Desire.
What if Matthew Beaumont could look at her without caring about who she’d been in the past?
What if—what if he wasn’t involved with anyone?
Whitney didn’t hook up. That part of her life was dead and buried. But…a little Christmas romance between the maid of honor and the best man wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it? It could be fun.
She hurried to the bathroom, daring to hope that Matthew was single. He was coming to dinner tonight and it sounded as if he would be involved with a lot of the wedding activities.
Although…it had been a long time since she’d attempted anything involving the opposite sex. Making a pass at the best man might not be the smartest thing she could do.
Even so, Whitney went with the red cashmere sweater—the kind a single, handsome man might accidentally brush with his fingers—and headed out. The house had hallways in all directions, and she was relieved when she heard voices—Jo’s and Phillip’s and another voice, deep and strong. Matthew.
She hurried down the steps, then remembered she was trying to make a good impression. She slowed too quickly and stumbled. Hard. She braced for the impact.
It didn’t come. Instead of hitting the floor, she fell into a pair of strong arms and against a firm, warm chest.
Whitney looked up into a pair of eyes that were deep blue. He smiled down at her and she didn’t feel as if she was going to forget her own name. She felt as if she’d never forget this moment.
“I’ve got you.”
He did have her. His arms were around her waist and he was lifting her up. She felt secure.
The feeling was wonderful.
Then, without warning, everything changed. His warm smile froze as his eyes went hard. The strong arms became iron bars around her and the next thing she knew, she was being pushed not up, but away.
Matthew Beaumont set her back on her feet and stepped clear of her. With a glare that could only be described as ferocious, he turned to Phillip and Jo.
“What,” he said, “is Whitney Wildz doing here?”
Don’t miss
A BEAUMONT CHRISTMAS WEDDING
by Sarah M. Anderson.
Available November 2014 from Harlequin® Desire.
ISBN-13: 9781460340523
Tempted by a Cowboy
Copyright © 2014 by Sarah M. Anderson
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