Always A Bridesmaid PDF
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Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper The Wild Rose Press www.thewildrosepress.com Copyright ©2009 First published in 2010 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons. 2 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper CONTENTS Dedication Praise for Elaine Hopper Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine About the Author * * * * 3 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper "So this is how the worldly Breanna behaves in her off- duty hours?" Troy righted Breanna, his hands lingering on her arms. She stepped back, quelling the desire to rub away his prints. She chafed that Sierra was getting a big head start and she was left alone with Troy. "What are you doing in my house? Daddy's not home." "Is that how you greet your boss? Or your old flame?" Fire smoldered in Troy's eyes as mischief danced in his voice. Knowing Sierra was way ahead, she sighed. "What do you want? More memos copied? Someone to pour you a coffee?" she said with saccharine sweetness, vowing to return to college and upgrade her career. "I stop by periodically to make sure everything's okay. This is my last stop of the day." He didn't move to leave. "Everything okay here?" Was he daring her to make him leave? She scowled. "Only if you call having a crazed sister okay. Or having my boss intrude on my personal space." He didn't blink, just advanced a step. "Is being around me really that bad? You didn't used to think so." Before she realized his intentions, Troy backed her against the wall and crushed close. He captured her lips in a searing kiss that left her weak-kneed and breathless. Soft hands cupped her face, stilling her head. His hips pinned her to the wall so she couldn't do more than squirm against his solid frame. 4 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper How long they kissed in the hall, she didn't know. She was powerless to break the kiss—as if she'd been starved for it for years. Shirt balled in her hands, she molded her body to his. He drew back a short distance. "You can kiss me like that and still say you hate me?" ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID by Elaine Hopper * * * * 5 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID COPYRIGHT (C) 2009 by Elaine Hopper All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Contact Information: [email protected] Cover Art by Kim Mendoza The Wild Rose Press PO Box 708 Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706 Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com Publishing History First Sweetheart Rose Edition, 2010 * * * * Published in the United States of America * * * * 6 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper Dedication To my cousins whom I don't sometimes see for years, but whom I love very much: Debbie, Charlie, Suzie, Jerry, Jan, Marty, and all their kids, especially Daniel and his new bride Jen. I wish I could see them more often. Like the heroine in this story, I need to visit home and family much more. [Back to Table of Contents] 7 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper Praise for Elaine Hopper * * * * This story earned Second Place in the Lories contest, From the Heart (FTH) RWA Chapter [Back to Table of Contents] 8 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper Chapter One "Well, well...Hell finally froze over," Troy Youngwolf drawled as he blocked Breanna's way. An emotion that was almost relief washed over Breanna Parker, chasing away a flutter of panic as her ex-fiance's shadow mingled with hers. Tendrils of unwelcome awareness skimmed down her spine. By sheer force, she willed her body to relax but couldn't stop the smile that painfully stretched her lips. From the moment her older sister Sierra commanded her to return home to Coconut Springs to be her maid of honor, Breanna had dreaded running into this man. Now after eight long years the moment was here, and the dread could finally end. In a perverse way, she rejoiced. Pivoting on her heel, she came face to face with the dream of her youth who had turned into the nightmare of her adulthood. Troy Youngwolf was the only man she had ever truly loved—or truly hated. Early evening sun glinted off his blue-black hair, no longer long and flowing about his shoulders or caught at his nape with a leather thong like his Native American ancestors, but cut in a short, neat military style. A black muscle shirt strained over his strong chest, tapering into tight black jeans that gloved even more powerful thighs. Despite his new hairstyle, danger still radiated from his tensed muscles and flared nostrils. 9 Always A Bridesmaid by Elaine Hopper Had the town bad boy grown up into a career criminal? She was glad she wouldn't be sticking around long enough to find out. She had given up dangerous men when she'd left town and gone to work for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Still, the weeks ahead loomed like an eternity and she cursed her stupidity for returning, even for her sister's wedding. What had Sierra gotten her into? Determined not to reveal the depth of her dismay at seeing him again, she hoped her smile dazzled like the sun. She had a lot of practice presenting a happy front when she was dying inside, mostly because of him. She turned up the wattage of her smile before aiming her dart. "Youngwolf? I didn't think you'd still be here. Daddy and Sierra never mention you." Troy's sharp gaze cut into her as he hooked his thumbs through the empty belt loops of his jeans. A smile tugged at the corner of his chiseled lips. "Why didn't you come home for Meg's funeral?" Meg's name stole the breath from her lungs, paralyzing her, almost as much as his disapproving smile. She had loved Meg. She had hated her...almost as much as she had loved and hated the man who married her. Troy deserved the most blame for breaking her heart, however, much more than Meg. He had been her fiance before marrying her ex-best friend. She gazed down at her toes, anywhere but into his eyes, unable to meet his accusing gaze. "I couldn't," she mumbled around the lump in her throat and squeezed back fresh tears stinging her eyes. 10
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