Michele Dunaway - Bachelor CEO

“I honestly didn’t mean to mislead you,” she told Chase. “Do you think we can put this behind us?”

“So we start over as if we’d never met?” he asked.

“Fresh start on Tuesday,” she replied, aware that the air above the dock had become charged.

“So today is meaningless,” he said. “I forgive you and you forgive me.”

Realizing that somehow she’d started down a slippery slope, but not sure where it was leading her, Miranda nodded. “Exactly.”

“Seems I need something for which to be forgiven,” Chase replied, reaching forward and toppling her into him.

The man can kiss was the last recognizable thought Miranda managed.

Dear Reader,

When I was growing up, my family spent the Fourth of July week on a lake in northwestern Wisconsin, fourteen miles from the town of Rice Lake. The “summer home” belonged to my grandparents, who stayed there from June to early September before retreating to Florida for the winter. Memories of boating, golf, dinner at the country club, lunch on the porch and attending church in a tiny chapel remain some of my favorites to this day.

While the towns and lakes in this book are fictional, the buildings around the lake are based on those I experienced in my childhood. Bringing Chase and Miranda here when I wrote Bachelor CEO allowed me to relive some of those good times.

I’m delighted to be part of the MEN MADE IN AMERICA series. Chase McDaniel is definitely an all-American boy. He’s determined to claim his birthright as company CEO, although he’s not prepared when his grandfather tosses in one last roadblock, in the form of Miranda Craig.

I hope you enjoy reading Chase and Miranda’s story as much as I did creating it. Remember, you can always contact me through my Web site at www.micheledunaway.com. Enjoy the romance.

Michele Dunaway

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In first grade Michele Dunaway knew she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, and by second grade she knew she wanted to be an author. By third grade she was determined to be both, and before her high school class reunion, she’d succeeded. In addition to writing romance, Michele is a nationally recognized English and journalism educator who also advises both the yearbook and newspaper at her school. Born and raised in a west county suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, Michele has traveled extensively, with the cities and places she’s visited often becoming settings for her stories. Described as a woman who does too much but doesn’t ever want to stop, Michele gardens five acres in her spare time and shares her house with two tween daughters and six extremely lazy house cats that rule the roost.

This book is dedicated in memory of all

my grandparents. You helped shape my life

and your love made me a better person.

And thanks to all the teachers in the Francis Howell

High School English department who bought

charity raffle tickets and stacked the odds to give

Mike Storm his supporting role. Mike, for putting up

with me next door in A115 for six years,

this Iowa book is for you.

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

She shouldn’t be bending over like that.

As he gazed at the woman wearing the short blue pinstripe skirt ahead of him, Chase McDaniel’s throat constricted and his silk tie suddenly felt tight. She leaned over farther, continuing to study the back end of her car.

He had a perfect view of well-shaped legs that led upward toward…

The bead of sweat that formed on Chase’s forehead had nothing to do with the late May heat wave. It might be ninety-two degrees, but the vision in front of him was what was getting him all hot and bothered in the company parking lot this Friday morning.

She straightened, and he noticed how her crisp white shirt clung to her breasts, outlining the white cami she wore beneath. She’d shed the suit coat, and her sunglasses were perched atop her head to keep her short black hair back.

She was hot. Both literally and physically. He’d never seen a woman quite like her, Chase decided. She had a commanding yet sexy presence. His libido heightened, and he worked to control his physical reaction. Her car was in a visitor space, and as he approached he could see what vexed her—a flat tire.

It was 10:00 a.m., and the official start of the Memorial Day weekend was hours away. Here in Chenille, Iowa, the day promised to be a scorcher. But the unseasonably warm weather was ideal for heating lake water and making the weekend perfect for outdoor activities.

Chase’s grandfather was already at the family summer home in Minnesota, and that’s where Chase was heading next, once he stopped and did his good deed for the day. “Hi,” he said, pausing a few feet from her.

She turned, and he inhaled. She had the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.

“Hi,” she replied. Her frustration with the situation was obvious.

“Looks like you have a flat.”

“You think?” She rubbed her forehead, and dirt from the tire streaked her skin. His fingers itched to wipe the smudge off, but he kept his hands to himself. He’d liked her on sight, and being up close hadn’t done anything to change his mind.

“Do you know of a repair shop I can call?” she asked, focusing on the matter at hand.

“Do you have a spare?” Chase countered.

She wrinkled her nose. “I hope so. I’ve never had to use it. Never even looked to see if it’s there.”

He moved to her trunk and noticed her Illinois license plates. Chenille was an hour northwest of Dubuque, which sat on the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin border. “Where are you from?”

“Chicago,” she replied, watching as he lifted the trunk lid. “What are you doing?”

“Changing your tire.” Chase gave her the grin that his sister Chandy declared irresistible. “You’re in Iowa. We do things like that, especially out here in Chenille.”

“I’d never even heard of this town until a few weeks ago,” she admitted. “Couldn’t have found it on a map before then either.”

He laughed. “Not many people can unless you’re looking for us. We’re a company town owing our livelihoods to McDaniel Manufacturing. I assume since you’re here you’ve heard of the products.”

“Oh, I dug around a little. McDaniel Manufacturing makes cheeses, ice cream and other assorted dairy items. The popular product lines give Kraft a solid run for their money.”

He tossed her trunk mat on the ground, wondering about the purpose of her visit. She’d driven a long way. Maybe she was in sales. A lot of vendors and suppliers did come calling. “So you did your research.”