She thought she knew everything she needed to know about him in New York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer's first book in the brand-new Wild Rose Sisters series!
How
do you make up for four years of lost time?
No last names. No promises to meet again. No way for Payton Dahl to find the
man who’s the father of her twin boys. Until fate reunites them four years
later. Easton Wright now wants to be part of his sons’ lives—with the
woman he fell hard for during those seven days and nights of bliss. Payton
doesn’t want her sons to grow up fatherless like she did, but can she risk
trusting Easton when she’s been burned in the past?
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It all started with a little innocent flirting.
And okay, yes. Payton Dahl had given up flirting. Flirting
too easily led to fooling around. Fooling around often became romance and right
now in her life, she had no time at all for romantic entanglements—not even
brief ones, which were pretty much the only kind she’d ever known. She spent
her nights tending bar and her days either helping at the family farm or
huddled over her laptop.
For more than nine months, from January well into
October, Payton had stuck with her plan to avoid men altogether. Yes, she’d
been tempted more than once by a sexy smile or a smoldering pair of bedroom
eyes. She’d kept her eyes on the prize, though. She’d said no to temptation.
Payton had stories inside her head. She intended to get them written down. That
required discipline and for months, she’d exercised strict self-control.
But then, on a Wednesday night in mid-October, a whole
new level of temptation came calling, one that had irresistible written all over him.
That particular Wednesday night, the Larch Tree Lounge at
the Heartwood Inn was deader than a frozen doorknob. In one of the booths, a
very tired looking middle-aged couple argued in whispers without much
enthusiasm. Cletus Carnigan, a nightly fixture in the lounge, sat slumped at
one end of the bar gazing mournfully into his Logsdon Lager.
As usual, it promised to be a very long night—until a
tall, broad-shouldered stranger with tousled dark blond hair and cheekbones
sharp as knives in his stunning, angular face took the stool at the opposite
end of the bar from Cletus.
No flirting,
Payton sternly reminded herself. Pasting on her most professional smile, she
marched down the bar to greet the smoking-hot newcomer. “Welcome to the Larch
Tree Lounge. What can I get you?”
He ordered Redbreast Irish Whiskey, an admirable
choice—both good quality and excellent value for the money. “And something to
eat,” he added. “What’s good?”
“Right off the bat with the loaded question,” she
muttered under her breath.
He narrowed his gorgeous blue eyes at her. “Is there a
problem?”
“Sort of.” Unfortunately, not much was good at the Larch
Tree Lounge. And while Payton despised lying to her customers, telling a guest
that the food sucked wouldn’t do, either. She settled for evasion. “What are
you in the mood for?”
He studied her face at length. She stared right back at
him for way too long while hummingbirds flitted around in her belly and an
electric current went snapping and popping beneath the surface of her skin.
Finally, he folded his lean hands on the bar, canted toward her and spoke
confidentially. “It’s all bad. Is that what you’re telling me?”
So much for evasion. What now? She didn’t want to lie
about the food, but she didn’t want to get fired, either. Her best option at
this point? Maybe a recommendation. The burgers were passable. “How about a
burger?”
He was hiding a grin. She could see it kind of pulling at
one corner of that fine mouth of his. “An honest woman.”
About the Author
A New York Times bestselling author, Christine Rimmer has
written over ninety contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. Christine has
won the Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewers Choice Award and has been
nominated six times for the RITA Award. She lives in Oregon with her family.
Visit Christine at http://www.christinerimmer.com.
Connect with the
Author
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