Stacy Connelly - Daddy Says, ''I Do!''

The unexpected reference to candy took her by surprise. “What?”

“Your eyes. They’re the color of the caramel my mom used to make for dipping apples when I was a kid. My brothers liked the crunch of hard candy, but I always wanted rich, swirling caramel.” His gaze roved over her face, but it wasn’t her eyes he finally homed in on.

Kara swallowed hard, biting back the urge to run her tongue over her lower lip. Not in anticipation of a childhood treat, but with a longing for the sweet promise of Sam’s kiss. The shock of her own desire was enough to lock her trembling knees in place. “My eyes are brown. Plain and simple.”

“Oh, something tells me there’s nothing simple about you.” His voice held a hint of teasing, but something told her he wasn’t joking. That he knew she had her secrets and wouldn’t stop until he discovered them all…

Dear Reader,

Sam Pirelli has been a great secondary character to write. In my first Clearville book, Sam provided some lighthearted moments as the easygoing, never serious youngest Pirelli brother.

In Daddy Says, “I Do!” the challenge was taking fun-loving bachelor Sam and turning him into true hero material. And what better way than to have him discover he’s a father?

Kara Starling is Sam’s opposite in almost every way. Serious and goal-oriented, she isn’t sure Sam is ready to raise her nephew on his own…Maybe because deep down, she’s already decided the three of them belong together!

I hope you enjoy Sam and Kara’s book!

Happy reading!

Stacy Connelly

STACY CONNELLYhas dreamed of publishing books since she was a kid, writing stories about a girl and her horse. Eventually, boys made it onto the page as she discovered a love of romance and the promise of happily ever after.

When she is not lost in the land of make-believe, Stacy lives in Arizona with her two spoiled dogs. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at stacyconnelly@cox.net or www.stacyconnelly.com.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my fellow Cherish authors—

Reading your books over the years has been

a true pleasure. I am thrilled to be one of you

and have enjoyed getting to know some of you online

and in person. I wish continued success to you all!

Sam Pirelli grinned as he hit the gas on the classic Corvette he’d finished restoring that morning. The body still needed work—dings and dents on the faded red paint showed a lack of appreciation by the vehicle’s former owners. But under the hood, she was as good as new.

Better than new , he thought, considering the long hours he’d put in to bring her back to her high-speed glory.

On a straightaway, he could push her to the limit and see how fast she’d really fly, but the winding mountain roads leading back to his hometown were a hell of a lot more fun—the difference between riding on a train and riding on a rollercoaster. Of course, he couldn’t go as fast through the twisting turns—he wasn’t a total fool—but he knew these roads. And with the way the car was performing, hugging the asphalt and responding to only the slightest tap on the brake or slide of his hand on the wheel, he would swear she knew the way home, too.

The rush of speed and adrenaline fired his blood like little else could. The towering pines along the side of the road whipped by in a blur of dark green and brown, and the clear blue sky held the promise of a gorgeous summer day. With the wind blowing through the open windows, letting in the warm air and the powerful hum of the engine, Sam felt free.

A feeling he cherished more and more, recently.

Almost against his will, he glanced at the wedding invitation on the passenger seat.

Another freaking wedding.

His little sister, Sophia, had gotten hitched a month ago, but under the circumstances, Sam figured a wedding was for the best. Sophia was pregnant and while her new husband, Jake Cameron, wasn’t the baby’s biological father, everyone in the family knew he was totally committed to being the best husband and father. Jake and Sophia were crazy about each other, and Sam had come to terms with his baby sister getting married and becoming a mom.

He could almost hear her protesting that twenty-four wasn’t that young. And neither is twenty-nine, Sam. So when are you going to think about settling down?

He glanced at the invitation again, already imagining the rented tuxedo’s tight fit, and fought the urge to tug at the invisible noose around his neck.

Settling down? Not for him.

He pressed harder on the gas, leaving that thought in the dust.

Of course, less than two months ago, he would have sworn his oldest brother, Nick, felt the same way. He’d been married before and had his heart broken when his wife walked out on him and their daughter. He’d done a hell of a job as a single father for the past five years, and Sam would have thought he’d be the last guy—okay, second to last guy—to take a walk down the aisle.

But then Nick had met Darcy Dawson, and everything changed. Even Sam could see his brother was more relaxed now, quicker to smile or laugh.

And Sam was happy for his siblings, he really was. He just didn’t get it. Didn’t understand the need to settle down, to take on the responsibility for someone else’s happiness, to give up the freedom of being yourself in exchange for being half of something else….

This time Sam didn’t stop himself from rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

He’d tried talking to his middle brother, Drew, about the crazy rash of weddings striking their family, but when Sam complained about renting a tuxedo again , what had his brother said?

Maybe we should think about buying instead of renting .

It was a logical, cost-efficient suggestion, the kind Drew normally made, but something in his brother’s distant gaze worried Sam. A look that said Drew wasn’t thinking dollars and cents when it came to future weddings but hoping for one of his own.

Sam swore beneath his breath, feeling like the only single guy not to drink the commitment Kool-Aid.

Of course his parents were overjoyed. His mother was in a constant state of motion, helping plan one wedding after another with a baby shower for Sophia already in the works. His father was wise enough to stay out of the way, but he hadn’t stopped smiling—proud and happy with the additions to the family.

Vince and Vanessa were all about family ties and loyalty and responsibility. Yeah, that word had come up more than once recently.

So had love , a voice whispered through his thoughts. A lasting love…A love of a lifetime .

And maybe he had wondered for a lost-his-mind second what it would feel like to have a woman love him the way Sophia loved Jake, the way Darcy loved Nick. But the moment had come and gone faster than the speed limit sign that flew by as he took the next turn.

To have a woman love him that strongly, that completely, well, he’d have to fall for her, too, wouldn’t he? And Sam knew he didn’t have that depth of emotion inside him. Not anymore. Feelings, like women, came and went.

He liked keeping things fast and fun. He never saw any reason to start digging deeper. He certainly didn’t want any woman drilling into him, looking beneath the surface, only to find out what you see is what you get.