Montana Hearts (24 page)
Authors: Darlene Panzera
“Help!” the woman cried. “He won't slow down!”
“Pull back on the reins!” Delaney shouted from across the yard, but both horse and rider disappeared out of sight.
Sammy Jo squeezed through the open-Âslatted woodwork and stepped onto the dirt path that stretched before the cabins lining the river.
Someone
had to go after the pair before the Collins' guest, who'd somehow managed to spook the horse, fell off and got hurt.
She glanced at Delaney, who still held the reins of two other horses tacked up for the group trail ride. Then she glanced toward Luke. For one intense moment, their gazes locked and then, in the next instant, she knew.
It wouldn't be him.
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DARLENE PANZERA writes sweet, fun-Âloving romance and is a member of the Romance Writers of America's Greater Seattle chapter. Her career launched when her novella “The Bet” was picked by Avon Books and
New York Times
bestselling author Debbie Macomber to be published within Debbie's own novel,
Family Affair
. Darlene says, “I love writing stories that help inspire Âpeople to laugh, value relationships, and pursue their dreams.”
Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her family and her two horses, and loves camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.
Join her on Facebook or at
www.darlenepanzera.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com.
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The Montana Hearts series
Montana Hearts: Her Weekend Wrangler
Montana Hearts: Sweet Talkin' Cowboy
Montana Hearts: True Country Hero
The Cupcake Diaries series
The Cupcake Diaries: Sweet On You
The Cupcake Diaries: Recipe for Love
The Cupcake Diaries: Taste of Romance
The Cupcake Diaries: Spoonful of Christmas
The Cupcake Diaries: Sprinkled with Kisses
Other Novels
(Originally appeared in shorter form as “The Bet” in the back of Debbie Macomber's Family Affair)
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Give in to your Impulses . . .
Continue reading for excerpts from
our newest Avon Impulse books.
Available now wherever ebooks are sold.
R
IBBON
R
IDGE
B
OOK
S
IX
by Darcy Burke
A S
EASON'S
O
RIGINAL
N
OVEL
by Vivienne Lorret
A
N
A
CCIDENTAL
H
EIRS
N
OVEL
by Christy Carlyle
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An Excerpt from
Ribbon Ridge Book Six
By Darcy Burke
College sweethearts Bex and Hayden were once the perfect couple but is five years enough time to heal broken hearts . . . and give them a second chance at first love?
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Ribbon Ridge, July
H
ayden Archer drove into the parking lot at The Alex. The
paved
parking lot. He hadn't been home since Christmas, and things looked vastly different, including the paved lot instead of the dirt he'd been used to. The project to renovate the old monastery into a hotel and restaurant was nearly complete, and his siblings had done an amazing job in his absence.
He stepped out of his car, which he'd rented at the airport when his flight had arrived that afternoon. Someone would've picked him up, of course. If they'd known he was coming.
He smiled to himself in the summer twilight, looking forward to seeing his brothers' surprise when he burst in on Dylan Westcott's bachelor party. Hayden glanced around but didn't see anyone. They'd all be at the underground pub that Dylan had conceived and designed. It was fitting that its inaugural use would be to celebrate his upcoming wedding to their sister Sara.
Hayden could hardly wait to see the place, along with the rest of the property. But he figured that tour would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for celebrating. And shocking the hell out of his family.
He made his way to the pub and immediately fell in love with what they'd done. He'd seen pictures, but being here in person gave everything a scale that was impossible to feel from half a world away.
They'd dug out the earth around the entrance to the pub and installed a round door, making it look distinctly hobbit-like. He wondered how much of that design had come from his brother Evan, and was certain Kyle's fiancée, Maggie, the groundskeeper of the entire place, had tufted the grass just so and ensured the wildflowers surrounding the entry looked as if they'd been there forever. A weathered, wooden sign hung over the door, reading: Archetype.
As he moved closer, he heard the sounds of revelry and smiled again. Then he put his hand on the wrought-iron door handle and pushed.
The noise was even louder inside, and it was nearly as dim as it had been outside. There were recessed lights in the wooden beams across the ceiling and sconces set at intervals around the space, all set to a mellow, cozy mood.
Hayden recognized most of the twenty or so people here. A few tables had been pushed together, and a handful of guys were playing some obnoxiously terrible card game while others were gathered at the bar. Kyle, one of his three brothersâthe chef with the surfer good looksâstood behind it pouring drinks.
Hayden made his way to the bar, amused that no one had noticed him enter. “Beer me.”
Kyle grabbed a pint glass. “Sure. What were you drinking?” He looked up and blinked. “Shit. Hayden. Am I drunk?” He glanced around before settling back on Hayden.
“Probably. Longbow if you've got it.”
Kyle came sprinting around the bar and clasped him in a tight hug. He pulled back, grinning. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he bellowed.
The noise faded then stopped completely. Liam, his eldest brother, or at least the first of the sextuplets born, stood up from the table, his blue-gray gaze intense. “Hayden, what the hell?” Like Kyle, his expression was one of confusion followed by joy.
“Hayden?” Evan, his remaining brotherâthe quiet oneâleaned back on his stool at the other end of the bar. Like the others, he registered surprise, though in a far more subdued way.
“Hayden!” This exclamation came from the table near Liam and was from Hayden's best friend, Cameron Westcott. He was also the groom's half-brother.
The groom himself stood up from where he sat next to Evan. “What an awesome surprise.” Dylan grinned as he hugged Hayden, and for the next several minutes he was overwhelmed with hugs and claps on the back and so much smiling that his cheeks ached.
“Why didn't you tell us you were coming?” Liam asked, once things had settled down.
Kyle had gone back behind the bar and was now pulling Hayden's beer from the tap. “Do Mom and Dad know you're here?”
Hayden looked at Liam. “Because I wanted to surprise everyone.” Then he looked at Kyle. “And no, Mom and Dad don't know.” Hayden took his glass from Kyle and immediately sipped the beer, closing his eyes as the distinct wheat flavor his father had crafted brought him fully and completely home.
Kyle leaned on the bar. “Mom is going to be beside herself.” He slapped the bar top. “Now this is a party!”
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An Excerpt from
A Season's Original Novel
By Vivienne Lorret
USA Today
bestselling author Vivienne Lorret launches a new historical romance series featuring the Season's Originalâa coveted title awarded by the ton's elite to one lucky debutante . . .
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The Season Standardâthe Daily Chronicle of Consequence.
L
ilah read no farther than the heading of the newspaper in her hand before she lost her nerve.
“I cannot look,” she said, thrusting the
Standard
to her cousin. “After last night's ball, I shouldn't be surprised if the first headline read, âMiss Lilah Appleton: Most Unmarriageable Maiden in England.' And beneath it, âLast Bachelor in Known World Weds Septuagenarian Spinster as Better Alternative.'”
Lilah's exhale crystallized in the cold air, forming a cloud of disappointment. It drifted off the park path, dissipating much like the hopes and dreams she'd had for her first two Seasons.
Walking beside her, Juliet, Lady Granworth, laughed, her blue eyes shining with amusement. Even on this dull, gray morning, she emitted a certain brightness and luster from within. Beneath a lavender bonnet, her features and complexion were flawless, her hair a mass of golden silk. And if she weren't so incredibly kind, Lilah might be forced to hate her as a matter of principle, on behalf of plain women throughout London.
“You possess a rather peculiar talent for worry, Cousin,” Juliet said, skimming the five-column page.
The notion pleased Lilah. “Do you think so?”
After twenty-three years of instruction, Mother often told her that she wasn't a very good worrier. Or perhaps it was more that her anxieties were misdirected. This, Lilah supposed, was where her
talent
emerged. She was able to imagine the most absurd disasters, the more unlikely the better. There was something of a relief in the ludicrous. After all, if she could imagine a truly terrible event, then she could deal with anything less dramatic. Or so she hoped.
Yet all the worrying in the world would not alter one irrefutable factâLilah needed to find a husband this Season or else her life would be over.
“Indeed, I do,” Juliet said with a nod, folding the page before tucking it away. “However, there was nothing here worth your worry or even noteworthy at all.”
Unfortunately, Lilah knew what that meant.
“Not a single mention?” At the shake of her cousin's head, Lilah felt a sense of déjà vu and disappointment wash over her. This third and final Season was beginning on the same foot as the first two had. She would almost prefer to have been named most unmarriageable. At least she would have known that someone had noticed her.
Abruptly, Juliet's expression softened, and she placed a gentle hand on Lilah's shoulder. “You needn't worry. Zinnia and I will come up with the perfect plan.”
As of yet, none of their plans had yielded a result.
Over Christmas, they had attended a party at the Duke of Vale's castle. Most of those in attendance had been unmarried young women, which had given nearly everyone the hope of marrying the duke. Even Lilah had hoped as muchâat first. Yet when the duke had been unable to remember her name, she'd abruptly abandoned that foolishness. And a good thing too, because he'd married her dearest friend, Ivy, instead.
The duke had developed a
Marriage Formula
âa mathematical equation that would pair one person with another according to the resulting answer. Then, using his own formula, the duke had found his matchâIvy. As luck would have it, both Ivy and Vale had fallen deeply in love as well. Now, if only Lilah could find her own match.
“I have been considering Vale's
Marriage Formula
. All I would need to do is fill out a card.” At least, that was how Lilah thought it worked. “Yet with Vale and Ivy still on their honeymoon, I do not know if they will return in time.”
Then again, there was always the possibility that the equation would produce no match for her either.
Juliet's steps slowed. “Even though I couldn't be more pleased for Ivy, I'm not certain that I want to put your future happiness in the hands of an equation.”
Lilah didn't need
happiness
. In fact, her requirements for marriage and a husband had greatly diminished in the past two years. She'd gone from wanting a handsome husband in the prime of his life, to settling for a gentleman of any age who wasn't terribly disfigured. She would like him to be kind to her as well, but she would accept any man who didn't bellow and rant about perfection, as her father had done.
“A pleasant conversation with someone who shares my interests would be nice, not necessarily happiness, or even love, for that matter,” Lilah said, thinking of the alternative. “All I truly need is not to be forced into marriage with Cousin Winthrop.”
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An Excerpt from
An Accidental Heirs Novel
By Christy Carlyle
Rex Leighton dominates the boardroom by day and prowls the ballroom at night. Searching for the perfect bride to usher him into the aristocracy, he abandoned the idea of love the last time he saw the delicious May Sedgwick. But when he's roped into a marriage bet, Rex is willing to go all in. There's just one problemâhe's competing against the only woman he's ever loved.
