Rula Sinara - Almost A Bride

Can he love her...

And keep her safe?

No one in Turtleback Beach knows that veterinarian Grayson Zale is in the witness protection program—not even the woman who left him at the altar. When a joint inheritance brings Mandi Rivers back to their small seaside town, Gray can’t deny that their connection is as strong as ever. But his mysterious past remains between them; can he reveal the truth without endangering Mandi—and their future?

Award-winning and USA TODAY bestselling author RULA SINARAlives in rural Virginia with her family and wild but endearing pets. She loves organic gardening, attracting wildlife to her yard, planting trees, raising backyard chickens and drinking more coffee than she’ll ever admit to. Rula’s writing has earned her a National Readers’ Choice Award and a HOLT Medallion of Merit, among other honors. Her door is always open at rulasinara.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, learn about her latest books and find links to her social media hangouts.

Also by Rula Sinara

From Kenya, with Love

The Promise of Rain

After the Silence

Through the Storm

Every Serengeti Sunrise

The Twin Test

The Marine’s Return

A Heartwarming Thanksgiving

“The Sweetheart Tree”

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Almost a Bride

Rula Sinara

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09644-7

ALMOST A BRIDE

© 2019 Rula Sinara

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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“You’re the one who’s in a rush to sell your grandmother’s house.”

Mandi picked up a paint scraper from the bucket and slapped it gently against her palm.

“Gray, all I ever wanted was for you to be honest and open with me. If you can promise me that, then we’ll survive working together on this place.”

Something shifted in Gray’s face. He took the scraper from her and began clearing the cracked paint off the back railing.

“I’m an honest man, doing an honest day’s work. Trust me, Mandi. Nobody knows me better than you do. And nobody ever will.”

Was that an answer or a promise? A lump rose in her throat and she swallowed hard against it. Her heartstrings had tangled like wild, windblown hair the first day she’d met him, and it had taken her the past three years to loosen the knots. Grayson Zale was dangerous to her peace of mind. She wanted to believe him...but did she dare?

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to my eldest son for answering my questions (any errors are my own). Your passion for motorcycles inspired me, and the hero in this book loves them as much as you do.

And to my other kids for providing encouragement, support and inspiration. You never know what will make its way into my books!

And, as always, heartfelt gratitude to my editor, Adrienne Macintosh. I’m looking forward to working on this new and exciting series with you!

Dedication

To those who devote their time to rescuing animals, whether wildlife or pets. And to pets for rescuing us.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Turtleback Beach! I hope you enjoy my new series set in a small, fictional beach town on the real Outer Banks of North Carolina’s Hatteras Island. This series is filled with heartwarming animals, lots and lots of romance and a little mystery. I hope you join me for the ride!

The towns of Hatteras Island, including the famous Rodanthe, are small and quaint (no big hotels or crowds). This breathtaking island boasts quiet beaches and natural surroundings. The Outer Banks is also famous for sea turtle nesting grounds, wild horses, picturesque lighthouses and so much more. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.

This first book of the series includes many themes, but one of the most significant is secrets —the life-changing kind. Often, what we’re hiding is so serious or personal it keeps us from being able to embrace life, live freely, own our truth...or love who we want to love. Keeping that kind of secret is stressful, and might include lying to friends and family, but sometimes doing so can be a matter of life or death.

So, when are secrets worth the sacrifice? I’d love to hear what you think after experiencing what Mandi Rivers, a runaway bride, and Grayson Zale, who is in the witness protection program, must overcome in order to find love in Almost a Bride .

My door is always open at rulasinara.com, where you’ll find my newsletter sign-up, social media links, information on my series and books and more.

Wishing you love, peace and courage in life.

Rula Sinara

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Dear Reader

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

GRAYSON ZALE BIT back a curse as he ducked between the weather-beaten posts that hoisted the pier at Turtleback Beach over the clawing surf. He crouched down, pulse racing, as he pretended to reach for a shell stranded by the low tide, and waited for the guy in the backward cap and sunglasses to finish taking a panoramic shot with his cell phone. The last thing Gray needed was to have his face plastered on social media and recognized by the wrong people. Or worse yet, what if this guy wasn’t some random tourist? Not many tourists ventured this far south along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and those who did usually stayed away from the areas roped off and marked as turtle breeding grounds. Most vacationers settled on staying in towns farther north of Hatteras Island, like Duck or Kill Devil Hills, where they could have their pick of hotels, amenities, shops and attractions, like the memorial where the Wright brothers took their first flight. Granted, Turtleback and neighboring towns, like Rodanthe or Avon, did get some visitors—usually more peace-and nature-loving types. It was just that being cautious and suspicious had become a twisted, unsettling part of who he was...like a leech or parasite, unwilling to let go.