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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley by Emma Cane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Return
to Valentine Valley, where Christmas lights
are twinkling and first love burns brighter the second time around . . . When
Tony De Luca's ex, Kate Fenelli, waltzes through
the door of his tavern and pulls up a bar stool, she turns his balanced
world on
end. Once they'd been each other's first love, first everything. But
then life
happened, and they walked away with broken hearts. Now Kate is back in
Valentine, and they can't seem to stay out of each other's way. When
Tony
begins wondering what would happen if they rekindled the sparks, he
knows he's
in big trouble. Kate can't believe she's sitting at Tony's bar spilling her life-changing problems to him. He's as gorgeous as ever, and she can't seem to forget how incredible he always made her feel. Still, the door on that chapter of their lives closed long ago. Yet with Christmas buzzing in the air, Kate can't help wondering if anything is possible—even a second chance with the only man she's ever loved. ~~~~~ "Strong families, deep
friendships and sexy heroes abound in Valentine Valley. I'd love to
live
there." "The wonder of first love is
captured beautifully, as is the devotion and courage it takes to keep
that love
alive." "Emma Cane
knows how to draw at the old heartstrings. She is a genius at creating
her emotional and caring characters that are oh, so hard not to love." "A very cute story and
perfect to get in the right mood for Christmas." "A wonderful story full of
possibility and potential and lots of the homespun Christmas spirit
that is so
fun to find and experience." "Sleigh Bells in
Valentine Valley is a
heartwarming story of second chances...If you haven't
yet read the the Valentine Valley
Series, make sure to add it to your Christmas list. " "Ms. Cane is back with a
sweet, engaging second chance romance "Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley was such a
sweet romance...sometimes a great love takes
time and for these two, it was definitely worth the wait." "Emma Cane has written another heartwarming story
to her Valentine Valley series. " "A beautiful holiday story...one for the keeper shelves." "I didn't want this book to end." ~~~~~ Excerpt! (Story
setup: Kate is a lawyer forced into a two-month sabbatical after a
disagreement
with her firm. At loose ends, she comes home to Valentine Valley, where
her
ex-husband Tony still lives, telling herself she’ll be glad
to spend lots more
time with their thirteen-year-old son. But Kate is bored and restless
and upset
by this blow to the career that’s always driven her.) By the Monday after
Thanksgiving, Kate thought she’d go out of her mind.
Everyone went back to work and school, and she was alone but for dog
Barney,
who kept her company at home, since the old guy couldn’t
exactly go for long
runs anymore. She read a book. She baked the simplest cookies for Ethan
after
school like he was six, and he humored her, good son that he was. But
she
caught his worried looks just the same. She
called her lawyer friend Michelle again—no answer. The
partners would never
reveal details about her sabbatical, but she still felt paranoid. She
kept
thinking of that report she wasn’t supposed to have seen, and
she wished she
could talk to someone about it. But obviously her firm didn’t
want to listen. Tuesday,
on her late-morning run, she passed by Tony’s Tavern. Without
planning it, she turned
around and went inside. Compared to Friday night, it was pretty empty,
just a
couple people starting an early lunch. No one sat at the bar, behind
which her
ex-husband Tony stood at the POS computer, his back to her, his head
bent,
unruly brown hair touching the creased collar of his black polo shirt.
She felt
a momentary need to straighten it. The thought was so shocking that she
was
about to leave, when he looked up and saw her. She froze, wondering if
she’d
overstepped her bounds. He
frowned, but he seemed puzzled, not annoyed. It made her feel braver,
so she
sat down at the bar and pulled off her winter hat and gloves. She
casually ran
her hands through her hair to straighten it, and he watched her without
saying
a word. “Is
something wrong?” When his voice emerged with a husky tone,
he cleared his
throat. “May
I have a glass of water?” she asked lamely. Dammit, why had
she come here? He
poured her one from the tap. “Tough workout?” She
nodded. “They always are. I hate running.” “Then
why do you do it?” “Quick
and convenient, keeps me healthy, and holds down the weight.”
She held up a
hand. “I know, I know, there are ways to have fun and
exercise. But this works
for me.” “Do
you have any fun, Kate?”
he asked
softly. For
a moment, she didn’t know how to answer that.
“Every weekend when Ethan is with
me.” “No
grown-up fun?” And
then she blushed, though she assumed he didn’t mean sex.
“I had a pretty good
time in here Friday night. I date occasionally at home, too.
That’s fun.” He
nodded slowly, almost as if he didn’t believe her. So she
added defensiveness
to her feelings of panic and desperation. “I
don’t have anything to do,” she finally said in a
hushed whisper, her throat
tight. “I feel…lost. The thing I’m best
at—they won’t let me do, won’t trust my
judgment. I’m not even the homemaker type, and I’m
cleaning my mother’s house every
day. I’m running out of stuff to do. I think I’m
driving Ethan nuts—and I don’t
mean to! And now here I am driving you nuts. I’m sorry, I
should go.” He
looked at her for a long minute, eyes narrowed in thought, but not
anger. Still
she didn’t go; she only took a long swig of her water. Then
he reached beneath the counter and slid a crumpled apron across to her.
“My
lunch server, Rhonda—her kid had his appendix out.
There’s complications, poor
little guy, but he’ll be okay. She’s going to be
out a while. Wait tables if
you’re so bored.” She
stared at him in shock. There was a faint smirk twisting his lips, as
if he
expected her to turn him down. He knew she hated serving. It was hard,
demanding work, and people were difficult to satisfy. But…she
was alone all day, with not enough to do. She lifted her head and met
his gaze
with a challenging one of her own. “Are you offering me a
job?” “A
temporary one,” he amended, then crossed his arms over his
chest. “I don’t
think you’ll last.” She
straightened her shoulders. “You’ve gotta be
kidding me. I’ve never left a job
unfinished.” And then she felt a spasm of worry as she
remembered her law
career, her marriage—the unfinished things in her life. He
started to pull the
apron back, and she suddenly grabbed it, looking him fiercely in the
eyes.
“You’re on.” She heard the words coming
out of her mouth and couldn’t regret
them, although she wasn’t sure why. ****** After
years in a courtroom, Kate wasn’t nervous talking to people,
so she had no
problem chatting up the young couple who’d just come from a
winter hiking
excursion. She seated them at a two-top (she remembered the lingo!),
brought
them ice water and menus, and felt Tony watching her the whole time.
Well, at
least he wasn’t looking at her like he had on Friday night,
with his eyes all
hot and half-lidded. The memory of those eyes had made sleeping
difficult that
night, and she’d told herself she was going too long between
dates. Obviously
Tony was, too. After
getting Tony’s table another beer and soda refill, she hung
out near the wait
station, wiping down bottles of ketchup and mustard, until her new
customers
seemed ready to order. She thought about Tony
dating—obviously she knew he did.
Ethan even mentioned it occasionally. She hoped their failed marriage
hadn’t
ruined the way he focused on a woman without pressuring her, letting
her know
with his gaze and his manners that he was into her. Back in the day, he
used to
make her feel like the sexiest girl alive, the only one he wanted.
After
victorious football games, he’d take off his helmet, and
their eyes would meet
as he grinned at her like only she understood how fun a victory was.
Because
that’s all sports had been to him—fun—and
she’d had a hard time understanding
that. He liked to win, but he was laid-back enough that he
didn’t take losses
personally. He was so…different from her in every way, and
she recognized that
was once part of his appeal. Unlike her, he’d never talked
about his future
career or what he wanted to do—he’d just assumed it
would occur to him
eventually. That had shocked her, especially since she’d
joined some clubs
simply because she’d known they’d look good on her
college applications. More
and more during their marriage, his lack of ambition had gnawed at her.
And now
he was running his own successful business, making her rethink her old
assumptions. Her
two-top looked ready to order, and she bluffed her way through the
menu,
writing everything down—unlike the expert, Tony. He was there
when she entered
the order, looking over her shoulder, guiding her when she needed help.
She
fumbled a lot, with him standing so near, and let out her breath in a
rush when
he finally stepped away to prepare her drink order. The flare-up of her old physical attraction to him was going to be damned inconvenient.
Kate
was just about to start putting the chairs upside down on the tables
when
someone knocked on the front door. She looked up and saw Tony. Smiling,
she unlocked and let him in. “So how did it go?” And
then she saw the small bandage oozing blood on his right cheek. She
gasped. “Tony!” He
shrugged and dropped his hockey bag near the door. “It looks
worse than it is.” “But
it’s bleeding through the bandage! Weren’t you
wearing a helmet, a face mask?” “Of
course I was—I don’t want to lose my teeth. But we
were warming up, and someone
on the other team was hitting too hard, and I’d taken off my
helmet to
adjust…never mind the details.” She
followed him into his office. “You could have lost an
eye!” “I
know, I know.” “And
you need a new bandage.” “This
was a new bandage after the game, and I ripped off the scab that had
formed.”
He rummaged through his shelves until he found the medicine kit. “Maybe
you need stitches?” “Naw,
I’m fine. I have antiseptic things in here
somewhere.” She
pushed his big hands out of the way, found the little packet, and
opened it.
“Sit down on the desk so I can reach you.” “Kate—” “Shh!” With
a sigh he complied, sitting on the edge of the desk. That put his face
a little
above hers, and she had to stand between his knees. She bit her lip as
she
tried to be gentle peeling off the bandage. “Just
rip it away,” he said with amusement. So
she did, and she was the only one who winced. The cut wasn’t
too long, nor was
it an open gash or oozing blood too badly. Using the damp antiseptic
wipe, she
gently cleansed it, then looked for a bigger, square bandage. After
applying
it, she stood still, admiring her work. “There,”
she murmured with satisfaction. Tony
wasn’t smiling anymore. Those chocolate brown eyes were
staring at her as if
out of the past, back when he’d desired her, needed her. And
she realized she was standing between his thighs. The shock of
awareness and
heat that moved through her body was swift and overwhelming. He put his
hands
on her waist, as if he knew she was suddenly weak with longing. “What
are we doing?” she whispered. But
she didn’t move away. “I
think I’m kissing you,” he said, leaning closer. Their
breaths merged, the heat of him seared her. “Stop
me now,” he warned in a hoarse voice. Their
lips almost, almost touched. And
she couldn’t speak, didn’t want to deny him, found
herself deep in the past,
where Tony had been the only boy, then the only man, who’d
drawn her, who’d
made her desperate for his touch, who’d made her lose herself. He
kissed her, openmouthed and hungrily, no gentle exploration but
inspiring a
renewal of a desperation that she’d buried within her for
over nine years. He pulled
her against him, her hips into the openness of
his, her aching breasts flattening against his broad chest, her head
turning
until it practically rested on his shoulder. She felt greedy with the
need of
him, desperate for the taste of his tongue. And then his hands slid to
cup her
backside, pressing her even harder against the erection outlined by his
jeans.
She let her hands roam him, remembering his biceps and shoulders, the
broad
planes supporting his collarbones, the lean pillar of his neck. His
hair was
thick and warm, and so good to touch. Their
mouths explored as if in homecoming, as memories swamped her of
laughing
kisses, tender kisses, urgent kisses. Tony was still all of that for
her, and
no one had ever made her feel like this but him. That
made her break off the kiss and stare at him, wide-eyed. His eyes
smoldered as
they watched her mouth. He didn’t look like he could stop,
and for a moment,
she wondered if she could, if Tony once again could create a passion
that made
her forget everything but him. |
Copyright © Emma Cane |