J.M. Jeffries - Drawing Hearts

Title Page Drawing Hearts J.M. Jeffries www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author JACKIE AND MIRIAM live in Southern California. When they aren’t writing, Jackie is trying to take a nap and Miriam plays with her grandchildren. Jackie thought she wanted to be a lawyer until she met Miriam and decided to be a writer instead. Miriam always wanted to be a writer from her earliest childhood when she taught herself to read at age four. Both are avid readers and can usually be found with their noses in a book, or, now that it’s the twenty-first century, their eReaders. Check out their blog at jmjeffries.com .

Dedication To Rhonda: thank you so much for the wonderful years of friendship. You’ve been one of the best friends ever and thank you for letting me borrow your wonderful daughter. To Nikki: I watched you grow into an incredible woman. You are an inspiration. All my love forever, Shar-Pei puppy love. —Jackie To Warrick Aurelian Pace: such a huge name for such a small baby. I know you will live up to it and be as amazing as your cousins, Kathryn and Frederik Stein. To Erin Pace: thank you for my new grandbaby and letting me bounce ideas off you. To Jeff Pace: thank you for being you. To Miriam Pace Stein: you are such an amazing mother. I’m so proud of all of you. —Miriam

Acknowledgments Acknowledgments Acknowledgments 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 Copyright Thank you to Shannon Criss and the entire Harlequin staff. They provide us with wisdom, knowledge and care. A special thank-you to the Harlequin Art Department for the best covers ever. All of you rock!

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

Copyright

Chapter 1

Kenzie Russell wanted to pound her laptop with her fists. The software she’d commissioned for the boutiques refused to work and Nina, perched on a stool with one leg crossed over the other, grinned at her frustration. The big flashy diamond on Nina’s left hand winked as the morning sun streamed through the open patio doors. Splashing and laughter drifted up from the pool far below.

“Explain to me how this software works,” Nina said, taking a sip of her iced tea.

Kenzie wasn’t certain how it worked, but she knew how she wanted it to work. “A customer enters the boutique and doesn’t find anything. This software will allow a clerk to take a photo of the customer, input the photo and the body measurements and then allow them to try on clothes in a virtual environment. The clothes would expand or contract depending on the body type. I’ve lined up a dozen designers who are ready to try this and I can’t make it work.” She tried not to give in to the urge to unleash her frustration out on the counter. She scowled at the screen.

“Sounds complicated.”

Her best friend wasn’t helping. “I’m sure the software engineer I dealt with understood my instructions.” She knew she’d been explicit enough; she’d even written down what she’d wanted so he wouldn’t misunderstand.

“I’m sure he did,” Nina replied.

Kenzie glared at her best friend. They’d been friends since college when they’d roomed together. “It has to work.”

“Maybe you need a hammer.”

“You’re not helping.” A hammer sounded good, but she didn’t think the laptop would survive. Kenzie turned back to the screen. “Let’s try again.”

Nina obediently stood and Kenzie activated the laptop’s photo function. She pushed a button and the photo embedded itself into the viewer with the background stripped out. She’d already added Nina’s dimensions. She tapped keys and once again the laptop froze. Kenzie ground her teeth in frustration. She’d thought her idea was brilliant, but the execution wasn’t turning out the way she’d envisioned it.

“I think it’s a great idea, but you have a few bugs to work out.” Nina hopped back on her stool and reached for a muffin.

“Bugs? I have pterodactyls to work out.”

“Why don’t you ask Reed?”

“Number one, we haven’t met. And how’s that going to sound? ‘Hi, I’m Kenzie, can you fix the bugs in my software?’” That sounded so crass. He’d just arrived in Reno after months of dealing with family issues and here she was demanding help.

Nina chuckled. “He’s very nice. I’m sure he’d be willing to help someone as lovely as you.”

Kenzie growled. “You’re responsible for this. You didn’t want to try on wedding dresses.”

“I’d love to try on wedding dresses, but I have no time.” Nina sipped her coffee, unconcerned.

“I thought virtual wedding dresses were the answer.” Kenzie had arranged with Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Claire Pettibone and Carolina Herrera to take photos of wedding dresses so Nina could try them on in the virtual environment Kenzie developed for her. And once the idea took hold, Kenzie thought, it would work for other women. But the reality was turning out far different than she thought.

“It’s a terrific idea,” Nina said, “and I could spin this into a huge campaign, making the Casa de Mariposa a wedding destination.”

“And you’re envisioning...”

“We could have them try on their virtual wedding gowns in their home and have the gown waiting for them when they arrive as part of the whole package. And we could do this with the groom and the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. And if the bride doesn’t want to buy a gown, we’ll rent it to her. There are so many variations on the idea that I can’t stop thinking about it.” Nina picked up her iPad and started typing.

“Give you a bit of rope and you become a cowgirl.”

“I’d rather have glass slippers and be Cinderella. You know how I feel about nature.” Nina licked muffin crumbs off her fingers and took a long sip of her iced tea.

“Your idea of camping is a suite at the Waldorf Astoria.”

Nina simply grinned, pointing at her face. “This is my, ‘Oh, I’m so ashamed’ look. Your brother had the audacity to suggest we honeymoon on the Alaskan tundra.”

“Doing what?” Kenzie asked curiously.

“Nature crap,” Nina replied with a rich laugh.

“I assume you set him straight.”

“I told him there would be no boom boom without a room. I would never be in the ‘mood’ in the outdoors.”

Kenzie burst out laughing. The last person in the world she would have expected her brother, Scott, to hook up with was Nina. Yet she was thrilled. Nina got to be her legit sister, and life didn’t get better than that.

Nina paused to admire the rock on her finger. Scott had terrific taste. The diamond was marquise-cut with emeralds along the sides.

Kenzie went back to her computer. She had Nina’s photo on the screen and the pictures of wedding gowns on the side bar. She chose a gown to drag over to Nina’s photo and then it happened. The screen pixelated and started to go wonky. Lines appeared, scrolling from side to side and Kenzie half screamed. “No. No. No. Stop. Stop. Stop.”

The screen went blank.

“You hurt it,” Nina said.

“I didn’t do anything. Really.” Kenzie frantically pushed keys, but the screen stayed stubbornly blank. She rubbed her forehead. This wasn’t happening. Not now, when she so needed it to work.

“Can we hit it with a hammer now?” Nina asked, curiously. She bit into her muffin and smiled.

Kenzie didn’t reply. If she’d had a hammer she would.

“Call Reed,” Nina suggested. “Tell him to send someone here right away to save us. You can pull the granddaughter card.” She slid off the stool and headed to the door with a wave. “Got to go. Catch you later.”