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Chapter 17
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All About Love Chapter 18
Kyle woke to an empty bed, already missing the warmth of Pepper's body and the feel of her nestled into him. He knew she'd probably gotten up while it was still dark to get ready for breakfast. He smiled as he remembered the soft feel of her, the touch of her lips on his, the feel of her luscious breasts in his hands. And, most of all, her wet warmth when he buried himself inside her.He had two more days here and already he hated the thought of leaving. The last thing he'd expected when he took this trip was to find a woman he could fall in love with. Could? He was already more than halfway there. But what good did it do? They lived worlds apart. She would never move to Dallas, and he certainly could not see himself living in Bayview. Maybe spending some weekends here, but Pepper was obsessed with Hibiscus House, so prying her loose was most likely impossible.He tried to study it the way he saw other problems, weighing pros and cons. The trouble was, with other problems, he was not
All About Love Chapter 19
Kyle followed Pepper out the back door, across the rear lawn, and down to the water's edge where she had lawn chairs set up for guests to use. He hoped they could sit down, but the moment they reached the chairs, she turned and faced him and crossed her arms across her chest."Okay, talk."He explained about his parents, about wanting to open a new division, although he was beginning to think the whole thing was nothing more than a ruse to get him down here to meet Pepper. About his promise to keep this under the radar until he evaluated the situation."But my game plan got a big kink it in right away." He rubbed his jaw. "I wasn't prepared for you.""Really?" She glared at him. "You must have been so excited when I introduced you as my fiancé. The perfect cover. Tell me, was being with me all part of the game, too? Because you were very realistic.""Pepper, no." He spread his hands. "My game plan went out the window the moment you jumped on me and kissed me. I never believed in l
All About Love Chapter 20
"Honey, I only had your best interests at heart," Maggie Thornton repeated yet one more time. She sat at the island counter in the kitchen of Hibiscus House, drinking coffee and trying to explain why she'd set everything up the way she had."Mama" Pepper set down her glass of iced tea and stared at her mother. "I am thirty years old. I can handle my own life.""But you weren't settling down," Maggie wailed. "I wanted you to have a home and children before it got too late.""And you didn't trust me to find someone on my own?""Not as long as you were burying yourself in Bayview with Hibiscus House."Pepper chose her next words carefully. "You can't arrange love, Mama. It either happens or it doesn't.""I'm sorry, honey. I just wanted for you what your dad and I have.""Let me also point out," Pepper added, "that Judd Wallace is not the answer, either. I wouldn't give the man house room.""He's president of the local bank," Maggie pointed out."He could be president of the Unite
All About Love Chapter 21
Pepper sat behind the carved desk in the lobby, studying the registration list on her computer."Hey, Cilla?" she called."What's up?" Cilla hurried in from the kitchen, carrying two iced teas.Breakfast was over, the kitchen cleaned, and Mary Tierney was working her way through the bedrooms and bathrooms. The weekend guests had all left, and the next group wasn't due to arrive until the next day."When did all these reservations come in?" She continued to scroll through the program."Oh." Cilla read the screen over Pepper's shoulder. "We had a slew of calls yesterday afternoon while you were out. Did I do it wrong?""No. You did great. I'm...I don't know where they are all coming from all of a sudden. Can you believe it? We're booked up for the next four months.""Isn't it exciting?" Cilla laughed and squeezed Pepper's shoulder. "Word of mouth, I guess. Or maybe those listings you've been placing on travel sites are finally paying off.""Maybe. It just seems so weird, you know
All About Love Chapter 22
Pepper was up early the next morning. She wanted to go through the guest rooms and make lists of what she needed to jazz them up before the television people showed up. Flowers in vases on all the dressers. Special sachet packets in the drawers. Crystal dishes with those special peppermint candies people loved so much. She'd make sure the bathrooms were all stocked with the full complement of special toiletries. She'd have Cilla work on the downstairs. The woman had a great eye and knew exactly what to do to make a room "pop," as she was fond of saying. She was suspicious that she hadn't heard a word from her parents for a while but she decided not to worry about it for the moment.She had just fixed a mug with coffee when she heard the front door open. Tony Rosen, the local UPS delivery man, waited for her in the lobby. He was wearing a big smile when he greeted her."I got an envelope here for you, Pepper. Says I have to get your signature." He looked at it as if it was a foreign o
All About Love Chapter 23
Part Two: A Touch of MagicThe Story ContinuesMaddie Woodward concentrated fiercely on navigating the narrow highway that led out of town out to the ranch. In her small compact she would have felt at ease but the big SUV was still new enough to be challenging.Had she made a mistake buying it? Just as she might have made a mistake in her other recent decisions?No. I won't play that game. I made up my mind and I'm doing this. No matter what.The moment the arched rock entrance of the road leading to the house came into view, with the Flying W in wrought iron swinging slightly in the breeze, her heart stuttered.Home!That was all she could think. She was home. And she didn't plan on ever leaving, no matter what her sisters said or tried to talk her into. She'd burned her bridges to make sure there was no going back.She stopped for a moment to look at the familiar brand, the wings of the W looking like angel's wings, and she thought how appropriate it was for Christmas. But
All About Love Chapter 24
"God, Maddie, you feel so good. So damn good."They were lying on a thick quilt under the big oak tree next to the creek in the north pasture. The day's chores were finished. No one would come by now to disturb them. Maggie lay on her back, her head nestled in the crook of Zach's shoulder. The last year away at college without him had stretched endlessly but she knew he was busy too, riding the rodeo circuit. But now she was home for good and ready to settle down with him. To make a home like they'd talked about."I missed you," she told him, staring up into his eyes. "So much.""I missed this," he said, sliding her t-shirt up and cupping her breast through the thin lace of her bra. With his thumb and forefinger he tweaked her nipple and she felt it harden into a sharp point. "I missed touching you, feeling the softness of your skin. I'd close my eyes at night and see these rosy nipples dancing before my eyes."Expertly he opened the front clasp of her bra and placed his hot mouth
All About Love Chapter 25
Maddie had carried in one suitcase, the one with the things she'd need right away and left everything else until she was in a better mood. Heaving it onto the bed in her old room, she yanked open the zipper with an angry tug and flopped back the cover. She stomped around the room as she unpacked the clothing and toiletries, her anger building with each step, each task.How dare Ty Blackwell even talk to anyone about the sale of the ranch when the will still wasn't probated. So he had a power of attorney that allowed him to see the place was taken care of. So what? So Liza and Jenna wanted to sell the ranch. Again so what? What gave anyone the right to do anything until she'd had her say? And putting Zach Brennan in charge just absolutely frosted her.She dropped to the edge of the bed, hugging a pile of clothes to her chest. The ranch was all she'd thought about since her parents were killed. It was in her blood. She was the only one of the three girls to compete in barrel racing. Th
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