Helen Lacey - Marriage Under the Mistletoe

HE’S SO WRONG FOR HER, HE JUST MIGHT BE THE ONE

Strong. Sensible. Dependable. That was Evie Dunn’s type. Certainly not young, fearless gorgeous firefighter Scott Jones. She knew the wisest course was to keep her distance, but she couldn’t resist the allure of a holiday fling. Now the widowed single mom found herself with an unexpected post-Christmas gift—she was having Scott’s baby!

Scott came to Crystal Point to see his sister tie the knot, not fall for the alluring owner of the town’s oceanfront B and B. He knew he was all wrong for Evie, but he would do anything to win her heart and build the family he’d always wanted. All he had to do was persuade Evie to take the biggest risk of her life...on love.

“Don’t run away.”

Evie’s breath caught in her throat. “I have to,” she whispered.

“You act like I’m some sort of threat to you,” he said, and rubbed the underside of her arm with his fingers. “I’m not. At least, not intentionally.”

“That’s not it. I’m a threat to myself,” she admitted, hypnotized by his gentle caress. “I’m feeling so... I’m not sure what exactly. But I know I shouldn’t be feeling whatever it is. Maybe that doesn’t make sense—I don’t know. I only know that you’ll be gone in three weeks and I’ll still be here. And I have to make sure I’ll be here with myself and my life intact.”

His touch continued to hold her captive. “I have no intention of taking advantage of you, Evie,” he said softly, his voice as seductive as the soft stroke of his fingertips. “And if you feel like you’ve been suddenly hit by a freight train—well, frankly,

so do I.”

Dear Reader,

I’m so happy to welcome you back to Crystal Point and to my second Harlequin Special Edition novel, Marriage Under the Mistletoe.

You might remember Evie Dunn from Made for Marriage. Evie is a sensible, reliable woman who has no time in her life for romance. She’s a widow and mother and the kind of person who makes a good friend. She’s also the second eldest of her siblings and the person everyone goes to for advice.

When Scott Jones arrives in Crystal Point to attend his sister’s wedding he quickly falls for Evie. However, she has no intention of falling in love with the young and sexy fireman. But it’s Christmas and, well, there’s mistletoe....

I loved writing this book because it made me think about family and the dynamic between siblings, sisters in particular, and how we each have a role to play in our own family unit. I hope you enjoy Evie and Scott’s story and I invite you to return to Crystal Point very soon.

I love to hear from readers—I can be reached via my website at www.helenlacey.com.

Warmest wishes,

Helen Lacey

Marriage Under the Mistletoe

Helen Lacey

www.millsandboon.co.uk

HELEN LACEY

grew up reading Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie. These childhood classics inspired her to write her first book when she was seven years old, a story about a girl and her horse. She continued to write, with the dream of one day being a published author, and writing for Harlequin Special Edition is the realization of that dream. She loves creating stories about strong heroes with a soft heart and heroines who get their happily-ever-after. For more about Helen, visit her website, www.helenlacey.com.

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For Jacqueline

Who told me there was no Santa, who always said I was adopted and whose old clothes never really fit me right.

Because sisters really do make the best friends.

Contents

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

Excerpt

Chapter One

Evie Dunn pushed her feet from under the uncomfortable airport seat and let out a long sigh. Two hours of waiting in the arrivals terminal had stretched her patience. And she’d never liked airports all that much. There were too many people leaving, too many sad faces, too many goodbyes.

She looked at the cardboard sign in her hand and traced the outline of letters with her forefinger. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s kid brother was on the twelve o’clock out of Los Angeles via Sydney, and she’d agreed to pick him up. Because that’s what Evie did. She picked up, she dropped off. Rock-solid Evie. Ever-reliable Evie.

Boring-as-oatmeal Evie.

Not true. She made the correction immediately. She wasn’t boring. She was dependable and responsible. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. And today she was acting true to form after agreeing to make the four-hour road trip from Crystal Point to Brisbane and back again. If Evie’s nephew hadn’t fallen from his bike and broke his arm, Callie would have been doing this. I wish Callie was here now.

She liked who she was. Most of the time. When the twinges came—those niggling little voices telling her to break out, to take a risk, to be wild and unpredictable for once in her life—she pushed them back to where they belonged. Which was not in her world. She had a business to run and a teenage son to raise. Taking risks wasn’t on her horizon.

Passengers filed out of the gate, some greeting friends and family, some walked on alone. Evie stood up and held the sign out in front of her. As the parade of people dwindled, a tall, brown-haired man caught her attention. He moved with a confident lope, as though he was in no hurry, like a man with all the time in the world. And he looked a little familiar. Were they the same blue eyes as Callie’s? He wore khaki cargo pants belted low on his hips, a black T-shirt and he had an army-style duffel bag flung over one shoulder. He was broad, toned and gorgeous.

This is no kid brother.

His pace slowed and his eyes scanned the crowd, clearly looking for someone. He met her eyes. He looked at the sign, then Evie, then back to the sign. Seconds later he smiled. A killer smile that radiated through to the soles of her feet. He stopped a couple of meters in front of her and looked her over. A long, leisurely look that made her toes curl. For one ridiculous moment she wished she’d paid more attention to her appearance that morning.

“Hey, I guess you’re my ride?”

The soft, deeply resonant American drawl struck her low in the belly. She stuck out her hand. “Hi,” she said, aware her voice sounded unusually high pitched. “I’m Evie—Noah’s sister.”

His hand was big and easily wrapped around hers. “Scott,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

Scott Jones aka The Most Gorgeous Man She Had Ever Laid Eyes On.

And about a generation too young for a thirty-six-year-old woman.

She cleaved her dry tongue from the roof of her mouth. “Did you have a good flight?”

“Reasonable. I had a three-hour stopover in Sydney after getting through customs.”

Evie ignored the rapid pump of her heart behind her ribs. “You can sleep some on the drive back if you like.”

He shrugged lightly. “I appreciate the lift.”