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One gorgeous rancher, one jilted bride!
Tomas
Mendoza left the city behind when he retreated to a
rustic Argentine ranching guesthouse after losing his
fiance. He has found peace working the land - until
socialite Sophia Hollingsworth plants her stilettos in front of him
and demands to stay the week.
Sophia
is nursing private hurts of her own - after all, she is
on her honeymoon - alone. Her bravado is a coveract to
show everyone she can stand on her own two feet.
Trouble
is, she's in danger of being swept away into the rancher's arms!
Excerpt
A roar and cloud of dust had
Sophia swinging her head back towards the taxi, only to find the
cabbie had dumped her luggage and was now driving back down the
lane, tires churning up the dry earth like a dusty vapour
trail.
"Wait!" She called after the
taxi, running forward as fast as she could in her heels. But he didn't pause or even slow down. In moments he was gone, leaving
her stranded with her bags in the middle of Nowhere, Argentina.
Her heart pounded. No one had
come from the house to greet her. The place looked abandoned.
She took a breath. Told herself to calm down. She would find a
way out of it.
What she knew for sure was that
she would not panic. She would not cry or indulge in
hysterics. She reached for her purse and the cell phone inside,
but paused. No. She most definitely would not make a phone call
home for her mother to bail her out of trouble. She could handle
this on her own. Her mother had barely spoken to her since
Sophia had canceled the wedding. There was no question of
asking Antoine, either. It would be a cold day in hell before
she'd ask him for anything ever again.
She took a step forward, feeling
the heel of her favourite Manolos sink into the soft earth. She
gritted her teeth. Why was it that the first time in her life
she did anything impulsive, it turned out like this? If it had
happened to anyone else, she'd have had a good laugh at the
comedy in the situation. But it wasn't happening to someone
else, it was happening to her. And the truth was, behind the
designer shoes and the skirt and the French manicure, she was
scared to death.
She'd been running on righteous
indignation for weeks now, and if she let it, being alone in a
strange country could be the straw that broke her.
"Hola," a voice called
out, and she turned her head towards the sound, her shoulders
dropping with relief. At least someone was here who could
explain the mix-up. Antoine had told her that they were staying
at an estancia - a guest ranch - with all the amenities. It had
sounded lovely and serene. But she knew Antoine. He never
settled for anything but the best. She'd prepared for the trip
based on that assumption, and now she wasn't prepared at all.
Sometimes it felt like everything she thought she knew had been
turned upside down, and it was hard to find her feet again.
A man stepped out of the shadows
by the barn door and Sophia swallowed.
Whatever she
had expected to find here in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't
this. The man
approaching with long, lazy strides was perhaps the best looking
male creature she'd ever clapped eyes on. He wore faded jeans
and boots and a T-shirt that had seen better days. What was
surprising was his face. He had a crown of thick, slightly wavy
black hair and gorgeous brown eyes fringed with thick black
lashes that most women would die for. The golden tone of his
skin over high cheekbones set his dark looks off to exotic
perfection.
What was a man like that doing
in a place like this?
Reviews
"This is a fast-paced,
heartwarming story about the healing powers of true love."
Romantic Times Book Reviews, 4 stars
"Talented award-winning
author Donna Alward has created a haunting love story that
captures the heart." Cataromance
"Honeymoon with the
Rancher had a spectacular ending, one I will personally
remember for a long time." Marilyn's Romance Reviews
From Honeymoon with the Rancher by Donna Alward
Harlequin Romance, May 2011
Copyright 2011 by Donna Alward
Cover art used with permission
This edition published by arrangement with
Harlequin Books S.A.
For more Romance information, surf to
http://www.eharlequin.com
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Honeymoon With The Rancher