When We Kiss (27 page)

By Darlene Panzera

If it wasn't for an injury to his leg, Luke Collins would be riding rodeo broncos all day, every day. Until he heals, he's determined to help his family's guest ranch bring in money any way he can. But when a cranky neighbor gets in the way of his goal, Luke turns to the only person he knows can help: the gorgeous, rodeo-barrel-racing spitfire next door.

 

S
ammy Jo froze as he met her gaze, and it seemed as if he could see right through her. But could he see the love she had for him swelling her heart? Sometimes when they stood this near she thought her chest would explode with the emotion she fought so hard to restrain. But if she gushed like a schoolgirl and told him how she really felt, he'd never believe her. Not that he did now. And she'd only shown him a quarter of the affection she'd been hiding.

“Okay,” Luke relented, “you can help. But keep your eyes on the job.”

“Where else would my eyes be?” she teased.

Luke shot her a look of amusement, but didn't reply and she didn't dare push the subject any farther. Determined to show him she could be of value, she shot out her arm to retrieve the bucket of paint he'd placed on an upper rung of the ladder.

Except Luke reached for it at the same time and the double movement made the bucket wobble, tip, and then . . . dump the five gallons of thick, clover green liquid right over both their heads.

Sammy Jo let out a screech, jumped back as the bucket hit the ground to avoid another splash, and brought her hands up to her face to keep the paint from streaming into her eyes. The chalky latex enamel substance smelled as bad as it tasted and she had to spit several times to get the wretched stuff off her lips and out of her mouth.

She glanced down at her white t-shirt and denim cut-offs coated in green, as were her arms, legs, and what used to be her blue, canvas shoes.

Then her hands flew to the top of her head where gobs of the green goo weighted down her long dark curls and left them hanging limp over her shoulders. She tried to separate the icky green strands with her fingers and let out another cry. Returning her hair to its natural color would be no easy task. No easy task at all! Maybe next time she'd think twice before offering to help for the sake of spending time with him.

She glanced at Luke, also covered in green, except she'd been right—his clothes hid the paint better. Holding her breath, she waited for his reaction. Would he be mad? Blame her for wasting the gallon of paint?

No . . . he grinned. As if this was funny. As if . . .

“Did you do that on purpose?” she demanded.

“Of course not,” he said, inspecting the new color of his cane. “If I had, I would have stepped back so the paint didn't get
me
.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“I'm not.” He broke into another grin. “Although you
do
look a lot like the wicked witch from
The Wizard of Oz.
”

Sammy Jo sucked in her breath. “And you look like a cow has spewed all over you with a whole day's worth of green cud!”

This time Luke
did
laugh. He laughed for several long seconds, harder than she'd ever heard him laugh since he'd been back home.

“You know that Emerald Isle shade becomes you,” he teased. “Matches your eyes.”

“Not funny,” she shot back. “How am I going to get all this paint out of my hair?”

“You can't. You'll have to cut it all off.”

The thought of styling a bald head didn't hold much appeal. She'd rather sport her clover green curls until the color grew out, although that image too, was almost enough to bring her to tears.

Then his amused expression made her realize he wasn't serious and she pointed her finger at him. “Now who's playing games?”

Luke shrugged. “It'll wash out with a good shampoo. You'll just have to scrub real good. For now, we can rinse off with the hose in the wash room.”

She patted the front pocket on her denim shorts. “I hope the paint didn't go through to my cell phone. What if I lost all my contact numbers? Or my photos?”

“Would be a shame,” he said with mock concern.

Luke did not appreciate the finer aspects of having multiple apps available at one's fingertips 24–7. A fault she could easily forgive him for if he'd only pick up the phone to call her for a date.

A real date. Not just hanging out at the barn, or attending a rodeo together with the rest of their friends, or even roasting marshmallows by the fire with his sisters. But one-on-one time with just the two of them.

Luke led her toward the open double doors of the stable to the large cement wash room where they usually gave the horses a bath. When she envisioned a date, this setting had never come to mind either.

“Stand over the drain and I'll hose you down,” he said, turning on the water.

She took her phone out of her pocket and set it on a shelf holding the horse shampoo, a sponge and squeegee. Then stood ready to embrace the oncoming shower.

“Tip your head back and close your eyes,” Luke instructed.

“So you can kiss me?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “So I can do
this
.”

A S
PINDLE
C
OVE
N
OVELLA

By Tessa Dare

A snowstorm hath no fury like a spinster scorned

Miss Elinora Browning grew up yearning for the handsome, intelligent lord-next-door . . . but he left England without a word of farewell. One night, inspired by a bit too much sherry, Nora poured out her heartbreak on paper.
Lord Dashwood Missed Out
was a love letter to every young lady who'd been overlooked by gentlemen—and an instant bestseller. Now she's on her way to speak in Spindle Cove when snowy weather delays her coach. She's forced to wait out the storm with the worst possible companion: Lord Dashwood himself.

And he finally seems to have noticed her.

George Travers, Lord Dashwood, has traveled the globe as a cartographer. He returned to England with the goal of marrying and creating an heir—only to find his reputation shredded by an audacious, vexingly attractive bluestocking and her poison pen.
Lord Dashwood Missed Out,
his arse. Since Nora Browning seems to believe he overlooked the passion of a lifetime, Dash challenges her to prove it.

She has one night.

F
OUR
C
H
ANUKAH
L
OVE
S
TORIES

By Megan Hart, Stacey Agdern,
Jennifer Gracen, and KK Hendin

This December, take a break from dreidel spinning, gelt winning, and latke eating to experience the joy of Chanukah. When you fall in love during the Festival of Lights, the world burns a whole lot brighter.

It's definitely not love at first sight for Amanda and her cute but mysterious new neighbor, Ben. Can a Chanukah miracle show them that getting off on the wrong foot doesn't mean they can't walk the same road?

Lawyers in love, Shari Cohen and Evan Sonntag are happy together. But in a moment of doubt, he pushes her away—then soon realizes he made a huge mistake. To win her back, it might take something like a Chanukah miracle.

When impulsive interior designer Molly Baker-Stein barges into Jon Adelman's apartment and his life intent on planning the best Chanukah party their building has ever seen, neither expects that together, they just might discover a Home for Hannukah.

All Tamar Jacobs expected from her Israel vacation was time to hang out with one of her besties and to act like a tourist, cheesy t-shirt and all, in her two favorite cities. She definitely was not expecting to fall for Avi Levinson, a handsome soldier who's more than she ever dreamed.

By Valerie Bowman, Tiffany Clare,
Vivienne Lorret, and Ashlyn Macnamara

The holidays are a time for dining, dancing, and of course—dukes! Celebrate the Christmas season with this enchanting collection of historical romances featuring the most eligible bachelors of the ton . . .

A childish prank may have reunited the Duke of Hollingsworth with his estranged wife, but only the magic of Christmas will show this couple 'tis the season of second chances . . .

Sophie Kinsley planned to remain a wallflower at the Duke of Hollyshire's ball. Yet when a dance with him leads to a stolen kiss, will the duke be willing to let her go? Or will Sophie's Christmas wish be granted at last?

To the Duke of Vale, science solves everything—even marriage. When the impulsive Ivy Sutherland makes him question all of his data, he realizes that he's overlooked a vital component in his search for the perfect match: love.

Patience Markham never forgot the fateful dance she had with the future Duke of Kingsbury. But when a twist of fate brings them together for Christmas Eve, will the stars finally align in their favor?

This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.

Excerpt from
Dirty Deeds
copyright © 2015 by Megan Erickson.

Excerpt from
Montana Hearts: Sweet Talkin' Cowboy
copyright © 2015 by Darlene Panzera.

WHEN WE KISS
. Copyright © 2016 by Darcy Burke. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition JANUARY 2016 ISBN: 9780062443380

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062443403

Avon, Avon Impulse, and the Avon Impulse logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers.

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