Jennifer Taylor: Marrying the Runaway Bride

She was sitting on a bench outside the church.

Archie Carew paused as he drew level with her. Even though it was none of his business what she was doing there, he couldn’t just walk away.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked, and saw the start she gave. It was obvious that she hadn’t noticed him.

She gave a broken little laugh. ‘I’m supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Everything is all arranged—my dress, the cake, the service at this church…’

‘But now you’re having second thoughts?’ he suggested.

She took a deep breath. ‘Yes. I just wish I’d listened to what my heart has been telling me before now.’

Archie didn’t say anything to that. If he’d listened to his heart then he wouldn’t be thinking about giving up the career he loved.

She gave him a quick smile, and Archie realised with a sudden jolt just how beautiful she was. With her soft brown hair and huge hazel eyes, she was truly gorgeous.

‘If there’s any advice I can give you, then it’s to follow your heart. If it doesn’t feel right in here—’ he placed his hand on his chest ‘—don’t do it.’

Archie felt his heart ache as he glanced at her. She looked so vulnerable that he was tempted to stay.

‘Good luck,’ he said huskily. ‘I hope everything works out for you.’ He took a deep breath. Even though he might not be able to follow his heart, at least he could make amends for what he had done.

The thought made him feel better than he’d done for a long time, and he realised that it was all thanks to this beautiful runaway bride…

Dear Reader

In November 2006 my husband and I experienced the joy of seeing our daughter, Vicky, marry her fiancé, Jamie. The wedding was held in Thailand, and it was the most wonderful day we could have wished for. I decided to mark the occasion by writing this mini-series—four books which all revolve around a wedding.

When Heather Thompson realises the day before her wedding that she is making a mistake, she doesn’t know what to do. How can she call off the wedding at this stage and let everyone down? However, a chance meeting with a kindly stranger convinces her that it will be even worse if she goes ahead and marries for the wrong reasons.

Cancelling her wedding means that Heather needs to make a lot more changes to her life. She leaves Dalverston and takes a job in London, and is stunned when she finds herself working with the man who helped her make up her mind. It isn’t long before she realises that she and Archie Carew are attracted to each other, but is it wise to start another relationship so soon?

Bringing Archie and Heather together during this book was a real pleasure. They were two characters I really loved and enjoyed writing about. I hope you enjoy reading their story, and all the other stories in this series.

Best wishes

Jennifer

For more details visit my website:

www.jennifer-taylor.com

Marrying the Runaway Bride

Jennifer Taylor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Jennifer Taylor lives in the north west of England, in a small village surrounded by some really beautiful countryside. She has written for several different M&B series in the past, but it wasn’t until she read her first Medical™ Romance that she truly found her niche. She was so captivated by these heartwarming stories that she set out to write them herself!

When not writing, or doing research for her latest book, Jennifer’s hobbies include reading, gardening, travel, and chatting to friends, both on and off-line. She is always delighted to hear from readers, so do visit her website at www.jennifer-taylor.com

Recent titles by the same author:

THE SURGEON’S FATHERHOOD SURPRISE**

THEIR LITTLE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

DR FERRERO’S BABY SECRET*

DR CONSTANTINE’S BRIDE*

For The Wedding Party: Vicky and Jamie, Kathy, Carl, Pauline, John, Nigel, Neil, Mark, Mel. And last but never least, Bill.

Thank you all for an unforgettable day.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dalverston: December

SHE was sitting on a bench outside the church. The wind was bitter as it blew down from the surrounding hills, but she seemed oblivious to the icy conditions as she sat there, lost in thought. Archie Carew paused as he drew level with her. Even though he knew it was none of his business what she was doing there, he couldn’t just walk away.

It had been pure impulse that had made him decide to spend the night in Dalverston, a bustling little market town on the borders of Lancashire and Cumbria. It was a long drive back to London from his family home in Scotland at the best of times, but at this time of the year, when everyone was out doing their Christmas shopping, the journey had been horrendous. The thought of being cooped up in the car any longer had been more than he could bear so he had left the motorway and booked himself into a hotel. Once he had taken his case up to his room, he had decided to go for a walk and that’s when he had seen her.

Archie sighed as he studied the expression on her face. He knew how it felt to sink to that level of despair. The past eighteen months had been a nightmare, several times he’d wondered if he would get through them. He had buried himself in his job in the hope that it would blot out the pain, but it had been inevitable that he would have had to deal with it at some point.

That’s what he’d been doing for the past three weeks, sorting out the mess that had been left behind after his brother’s death. The situation was far worse than he’d imagined, too. It would need drastic measures to put things right. Archie knew that his whole life would have to change and it was hard to accept that fact. However, for the moment he was more concerned about the young woman than about himself.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked and saw the start she gave. It was obvious that she hadn’t noticed him and it merely reinforced his suspicions that something terrible had happened. Although he wasn’t sure if he should get involved, he sat down beside her.

‘Is there anything I can do? Sometimes it helps if you talk about a problem.’

She gave a broken little laugh. ‘I don’t think talking will help in this instance.’

‘Maybe not, but why not give it a shot?’ He shrugged when she looked at him. ‘You’ve nothing to lose, and I promise you that I’m a very good listener.’

‘You’re very kind, but I wouldn’t know where to start.’

‘The beginning is usually the best place,’ he said lightly, and she sighed.

‘That’s the whole point, though. Everything was fine in the beginning. I was so sure I was doing the right thing, and then last week, I started to wonder if I was making a mistake…’

She trailed off but Archie didn’t press her. He could tell that she was on the verge of tears so waited until she felt able to continue. After a few seconds had elapsed she carried on.