Jennifer Morey - Colton's Convenient Bride

Their wedding is a match made in peril

A Coltons of Roaring Springs romance

Captain Decker Colton is finally ready to settle down. Just one problem—he hasn’t met the right woman. So when his father finds him a bride in Kendall Hadley, Decker’s surprised by the instant attraction between them. But someone else has Kendall in his sights, for all the wrong reasons. Now Kendall’s husband-to-be must protect her...before he loses her forever.

Two-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Quill award winner JENNIFER MOREYwrites single-title contemporary romance and page-turning romantic suspense. She has a geology degree and has managed export programs in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for the aerospace industry. She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado, and loves to hear from readers through her website, jennifermorey.com, or Facebook.

Also by Jennifer Morey

Colton’s Convenient Bride

Colton’s Fugitive Family

A Wanted Man

Justice Hunter

Cold Case Recruit

Taming Deputy Harlow

Runaway Heiress

Hometown Detective

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Colton’s Convenient Bride

Jennifer Morey

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09373-6

COLTON’S CONVENIENT BRIDE

© 2019 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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To Maddie, who always had her inner wolf.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

About the Publisher

In his jeans and nothing else, Decker Colton sprinkled sugar over his grapefruit, trying to think of a way to gently tell Cynthia they weren’t working out as a couple.

He’d dated her for three months now and had begun to get the sense that she felt more for him than he for her. Decker found her online—that’s how he met all the women he dated. He had no time to search the traditional way and never mixed romance with work. She’d also begun to stay the night too often over the last month and demand more of his time. All this closeness was beginning to feel suffocating. He needed to be free again.

She looked up from her butterless toast and smiled seductively.

With his stomach recoiling, he walked over to the brown, black and cream-colored granite-topped kitchen island where she sat and took the seat next to her. Putting down his bowl of a half grapefruit, he started to scoop the fruit out for a bite.

“I’ve been thinking,” Cynthia said.

Oh no, here it came.

She put her hand over his forearm. “We’ve been hitting it off really well these last few weeks.”

“Cynthia...”

“We should move in together. Whether here or the suite you have at The Lodge.”

He swallowed and almost choked on grapefruit juice. After clearing his throat, he saw her wary gaze. Now or never.

He put down his spoon. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“You feel the same, don’t you?” Her insecurity showed.

“No. I’m sorry... I don’t. I don’t want to hurt you, Cynthia, but I haven’t been comfortable with you staying here as much as you have. We’ve only known each other a few months.”

“But...we’ve been sleeping together.”

“Yes, and that part is great,” he said quietly. “However, I’m just not ready for a committed relationship right now.” Not with her, anyway.

“You do work a lot. I understand that. I wouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. In fact, that’s something I love about you, Decker.”

She probably loved his wealth.

“It’s over, Cynthia.” He’d already warned her he wasn’t interested in anything lasting. She must not have believed him.

“Over?” She drew back with an indrawn breath. “But...”

“I’m sorry. Really.” He honestly did not intend on hurting her but he could see she was quite hurt. He couldn’t figure out if losing a man with money hurt more than losing him as a man.

“If you didn’t feel the same, then why did you sleep with me?”

“You came to my suite when I didn’t invite you. You also showed up here at my house and stayed the night when I didn’t ask you to.”

She flattened her hand on the counter. “Well, that’s insensitive of you.”

How was that insensitive? She’d made presumptions and come over uninvited.

“You led me on.”

He shook his head. “No, I was honest with you from the start.”

“You made me believe you wanted to be with me. All those nights...”

“I did want to be with you. I just don’t feel enough for you to keep seeing you.”

Standing, she took her purse which she’d hung on the back of the stool and slung it over her shoulder. Then she stood there looking at him, lips pursed and eyes fiery. Then the anger began to ease and she simply regarded him as though seeing him for the first time.