Carol Ericson - The McClintock Proposal

And when it was all over, she’d go her way. He’d go his.

Maybe fate dropped a woman in a wedding dress on the side of the road for a reason.

To hell with everything.

Dipping his head, he took possession of those sweet lips. She dropped his hands, but he hitched an arm around her waist and dragged her closer, their bodies meeting along every line. She squirmed for a few seconds, slumped against him and then shimmied out of his grasp.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I’m kissing my bride-to-be.”

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To the girls of SHS.

Long may we rock!

Carol Ericson lives with her husband and two sons in Southern California, home of state-of-the-art cosmetic surgery, wild freeway chases, palm trees bending in the Santa Ana winds and a million amazing stories. These stories, along with hordes of virile men and feisty women clamor for release from Carol’s head. It makes for some interesting headaches until she sets them free to fulfill their destinies and her readers’ fantasies. To find out more about Carol, her books and her strange headaches, please visit her Web site at www.carolericson.com, “where romance flirts with danger.”

Callie Price —A bride on the run from her criminal fiancé, Callie sets her sights on a temperamental cowboy to rescue her and help her get control of an inheritance from her grandfather. But her simple plan becomes complicated…and dangerous.

Rod McClintock —With his ranch in trouble, Rod agrees to Callie’s wild scheme to marry her, but he does so more to protect the free-spirited artist than to benefit himself.

Bobby Jingo —This small-time crook has some big-time plans, and Callie’s inheritance figures prominently in his future.

Jonah Price —Unfortunately, Callie’s father enjoys wine, women and gambling.

Grady Pierce —He belongs to one of Silverhill’s oldest ranching families and isn’t happy when Callie comes to town to claim her inheritance, an inheritance that could’ve fallen into his lap.

Amber Lewis —New in town, Amber seems to want to make Callie her new best friend. Is it just friendship she wants?

Dana McClintock —Rod’s sister-in-law may be related to Callie by more than marriage. Callie wants to believe in family, but all hers ever gave her was grief. Will Dana be any different?

Jesse Price —The boy Callie plans to adopt needs a stable home, but Callie worries that making him her son will expose him to the danger that surrounds her.

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

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

The crystal beads bounced on the hardwood floor and scattered in all directions. Callie Price hung over the windowsill, her legs, tangled in silk organza, dangling toward the ground. She bicycled her legs, the toes of her white satin pumps grappling for purchase on terra firma.

She tumbled into the flowerbed, the train of her dress burying her beneath layers of white froth. Scrambling to her feet, she jumped out of the flowers, leaving one of the pumps in the moist dirt.

For a scumbag, Bobby Jingo sure liked his flowers.

She slipped off the other shoe and tossed it at its mate. She never could run in heels.

The damp grass squished beneath her feet as she backed away from the window. Then she spun around and took the corner of the house at high speed. She collided with a teenage boy, knocking the cigarette from his lips and a can of beer from his hand.

“Whoa!” He held up his empty hands, his eyes widening as his gaze swept from her veil to her bedraggled train. “Aren’t you the bride?”

Callie glanced at the red vest and pert bow tie, incongruous over a pair of black jeans and motorcycle boots. Her eyes flicked to the can on the ground, spewing foam. “Aren’t you one of the valet parking attendants?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, the boy squared his shoulders. “C’mon, I had two sips, and I need to get paid for this gig tonight. I owe my friend some money.”

“There’s a lot of that going around.”

“Huh?”

“Tell you what.” Callie yanked off the veil and dropped it on top of the smoldering cigarette, then kicked it toward the beer. Starting a fire wouldn’t be a great idea right now. “You get me some transportation out of here, and I won’t tell anyone you’ve been drinking on the job.”

The teen gulped, his Adam’s apple prominent in his pencil-thin neck. “Are you kidding?”

She pointed to her feet encased in shimmering hose and the dirt-smudged train. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

He shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. “Are you running out on the wedding?”

Real genius, this one, but he just might be her savior. “Yeah, I’ve got pressing business elsewhere.”

“Sweet.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the back of the house. Pointing to a beat-up motorcycle leaning precariously on its kickstand, he said, “Take it.”

“Is—is it yours?” The boy sure seemed eager to part with his bike, or maybe he wanted in on the adventure.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a key. As it dangled from his finger, it caught the light and winked at her. No time to analyze his motives, she knew.

She snatched the key from his hand, lifted up her skirt and rushed toward the bike. She called over her shoulder, “How do I get it back to you?”

He waved an arm. “Leave it on the side of the highway or something. It has a full tank—almost.”

Reaching beneath her dress, she peeled off the silk pantyhose and hung them on a cactus. She shoved the key into the ignition and turned back toward the teenager, his mouth hanging open as he wrestled another cigarette out of a pack. “One more thing.”

“Do you want me to show you how to start the bike up and keep it going?”

“I know how to ride a motorcycle.” She tugged at the train hanging from her backside. “Could you rip this damn thing off my dress?”

FIVE MINUTES LATER, shoeless, veilless and trainless, Callie roared north on I-25 away from Las Cruces.

Once she got back to L.A. she’d figure out another way to save her father. She just hoped she could come up with something before Bobby hurt Dad.

Who was she kidding? After the stunt she just pulled, Bobby might hurt her, too.

ROD MCCLINTOCK WORRIED THE toothpick at the side of his mouth as his gaze drilled the highway, shrouded in purple dusk. The horses he looked at in Austin would be a good start for the dude ranch, but he hated incurring so much debt.

He needed an infusion of money, land or a fairy godmother. Or maybe all three.

Through a layer of dust, a shimmering white shape appeared on the side of the highway. Either his fairy godmother just appeared or he could use a drink.

Easing off the gas pedal, he swerved to the left and peered out the passenger window. An old Honda bike tilted on its kickstand, and a woman in a long white dress stood beside it, waving her arms over her head.

A couple of cars had already sped past her, and a few cars behind him slowed down to take in the spectacle. He’d let one of those drivers take care of the stranded motorist. He didn’t need any more problems in his life.