 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
I have been telling stories all my life, and they always have happy endings, so I suppose I was destined to write romances. I live in San Diego with my husband Jack--yes, it really is Jack and Jill--and two cats and two dogs. Our children are married with families of their own. My favorite thing to do is gather family and friends for good food, conversation and laughter. I love to cook and entertain, and we do so whenever we can.
Jill
September 2005
THE SHERIFF WINS A WIFE
by Jill Limber
Once, Sheriff Trace McCabe had truly loved Jenn Williams. Then she'd annulled their marriage and disappeared. Now the beautiful heartbreaker was back in town, and Trace craved her, good sense be damned. Resisting temptation wasn't easy ... and that was before he found out they were still legally married!
From The Sheriff Wins a Wife , a September, 2005, Silhouette Romance release by Jill Limber
Jennifer Williams was trying to avoid breathing through her nose. She glanced into the enclosure that held her niece Kelly's 4H entry in the Blossom County fair. Petunia the pig was large, pink and cranky.
It'd been eight years since she'd been to the fair and she'd forgotten how bad the smell of the animal barn could get during the heat of the day.
She'd never been involved in 4H in school. Her mother hadn't allowed her and her sister to participate. Ellen Williams had declared that no daughter of hers was going to lower herself to clean up after an animal. Jennifer had felt left out in school because all her friends had raised 4H animals, but now, standing beside the smelly pen, she thought perhaps her mother had had a point.
As far as Jennifer was concerned, Petunia was a three hundred pound porcine nightmare that was not going to end anytime soon.
This was not how she had anticipated spending her summer, but that was before her older sister Miranda had called three days ago and needed help because of a difficult pregnancy. Jennifer had taken vacation time from her job as a forensic accountant, packed up her seven-year-old son Zack and left Dallas to come back to Blossom.
She never made plans on such short notice, but Miranda and her daughter Kelly were family. Outside of Zack, the only family Jenn had.
She'd left Blossom the summer after high school, and aside from brief visits home to see her sister and bury her mother, she'd stayed away. There were too many bad memories in Blossom.
Petunia gave a squeal of displeasure, pulling Jenn out of her reminiscences. She watched as the very pregnant pig struggled to her feet and knocked over her water bowl.
Jennifer turned to look out the big double doors at the end of the barn, hoping to see Kelly and Zack. The last thing she wanted to do was climb into the pen with a grouchy pig.
Kelly and Zack had left to get sodas twenty minutes before, leaving Jennifer to wait for Kelly's 4H advisor.
Jennifer smiled when she remembered the scowl on Kelly's face when Zack had signed that he'd go with his cousin, and Jennifer had translated for Kelly. No teenager wanted to haul a little boy around with her when she might run into her friends, but Kelly would have to get used to it, at least for a few months. Kelly would need her help looking out for Zack, especially after the baby arrived.
It was important that Zack be able to get around despite his deafness. He was usually shy about straying from her side, and when he showed some independence, Jennifer wanted to encourage it. She just wished her niece had been a little more open to Jenn's offer to teach her sign language to communicate with her cousin.
Petunia nosed at her water bowl, her squeals escalating to the point where she sounded like she was being mistreated in some horrible way.
With no sign of Kelly, Jenn had little choice but to go in the pen and refill the water bowl. She had never raised a pig, but she knew from growing up in Blossom that an overheated animal, especially a sow close to giving birth, could spell trouble.
The problem was, Petunia hated to be penned and had become somewhat of an escape artist. Jenn found the bag of dog biscuits in Kelly's canvas bag, slipped a few into her pocket, then tossed a handful across the pen to lure Petunia away from the door.
While the pig rooted in the hay for the treats, Jennifer let herself into the pen and closed the gate behind her. Just as she was congratulating herself on keeping the pig in, she stepped in a soft pile of droppings hidden under the straw. Petunia chose that moment to sniff at her pocket, smearing her white shorts with a mixture of mushy dog biscuit and pig saliva.
Jennifer heard the low rumble of male laughter right behind her and froze. Without even turning around she knew who that laugh belonged to.
Trace McCabe. The one person she had hope to avoid for her entire stay in Blossom.
Trace McCabe. Recollections of his smile and laugh flashed through her memory like summer lightening. Memories of the hurt and confusion her decisions had caused stung like the sparks coming off a fourth of July sparkler.
Her stomach flipped and her hands began to sweat.
Trace McCabe.
The reason she'd stayed away for eight years.
She hadn't seen him since the night they'd gotten married.
She knew she'd been silly to think she could be here all summer and not see him. The simple fact was she didn't want to face the memories and feelings she'd tried so hard to avoid.
What had happened between them in the past should stay there, quietly buried. She had no inclination to dig them up.
She took a deep breath and reached for her composure, plastering on what she hoped was a neutral expression.
Her hesitation cost her as the annoyed pig gave her a shove that sent her stumbling against the side of the enclosure. Petunia moved in quickly and pinned her in the corner.
A big pair of warm hands grasped her upper arms, lifted her and hauled her backwards, clear over the top of the pen.
He set her down and let go of her. She turned and knew the moment he recognized her. His easy grin turned into a stunned expression.
She looked up at him, forcing a smile. He was bigger, handsomer and so dearly familiar. Dangerous thoughts and emotions shook her.
Time had been very kind to Trace. The trim khaki sheriff's uniform showed off his lean, broad shouldered body.
Darn! Why couldn't he have gotten fat, or bald?
Her stomach jittered just like it used to when she was seventeen. Perhaps her feelings hadn't been buried as deeply as she'd thought.
Expressions of disbelief and shock chased across his face, followed by a flash of anger.
Quickly he seemed to recover his composure. He gave her a forced smile that didn't look like it belonged on his tanned face.
The air between them seemed to shimmer.
"Hey there, Trace," she said, amazed her voice sounded perfectly normal.
She could feel her heart racing. She fought the urge to simply turn and walk away from him, get in her car and head for home.
Not an option, she thought. Not this time. She'd run from him, from her responsibilities once before. She wouldn't run again. Besides, Miranda needed her. And she couldn't go back to Dallas...
Go to www.JillLimber.com to find out more about Jill's super books. Just a reminder--this is the third book in the Blossom County Fair series, which will wrap up next month with my book, HER GYPSY PRINCE, a Romeo-and-Juliet type story of star-crossed lovers. In the meantime, have a great read!
|
||
|
||
| Go to Crystal Green's alter-ego Chris Marie Green Vampire Babylon | ||
|
||
|
||