The Care and Feeding of Unmarried Men

373 Pages·2006·3.37 MB·English

by  Christie Ridgway

r i s t i e
h
C
RIDGWAY

THE
are eeding
C F
and
OF
UNMARRIED

MEN
For Jennifer Granholm.
You’re right; you’re the one who said,
“Why aren’t you writing romances?”
Thanks for that and all the past, present,
and future (promise!) good times.
Love ya, Jen.
♥
Contents
Chapter One
The rain was pouring down on the Palm
Springs desert… 1
Chapter Two
I thought you’d sworn off rescuing women?” 16
Chapter Three
Outside the doors of the fitness center,
Eve gulped in… 27
Chapter Four
Nash felt like a stalker himself, lurking
beside the driver’s… 36
Chapter Five
In a Denny’s halfway between Palm
Springs and Riverside, Eve… 46
Chapter Six
Late that night, Nash pushed open one of the
French… 51
Chapter Seven
Eve’s mouth was softer and hotter than
Nash had ever… 58
Chapter Eight
Only her younger sister showed up for their
wedding-planners’ breakfast… 67
Chapter Nine
Jemima Cargill threw herself onto the second
cushioned lounger in… 78
Chapter Ten
It was the recipe for a party Eve had
attended… 87
Chapter Eleven
In four-inch sandals, Eve stood taller
than Vince Standish. Though… 99
Chapter Twelve
Eve was spitting mad, Nash could tell,
which was strange,… 106
Chapter Thirteen
Claustrophobic?” Nash repeated, rising.
He kept hold of Eve’s hand. 118
Chapter Fourteen
Middle age sucks, Charlie thought, staring
at the television screen… 128
Chapter Fifteen
Hinged screens were set up in three
corners of the… 138
Chapter Sixteen
A shaman was chanting softly through
speakers, there was the green… 148
Chapter Seventeen
Eve rushed back into Nash’s massage room.
He was standing… 158
Chapter Eighteen
As day turned to darkness, Charlie reached
for the bag… 169
Chapter Nineteen
With Vince Standish out of town for a
few days,… 178
Chapter Twenty
Nash watched Eve disappear into her
bedroom, hips swaying in… 188
Chapter Twenty-one
She’d won. Triumph flooded her as Nash’s
long fingers caressed… 196
Chapter Twenty-two
Eve, you’re in charge of the chat,” Téa said. 206
Chapter Twenty-three
Jemima aimlessly followed the maze of
paths that led around… 214
Chapter Twenty-four
As they passed through the gate leading
to the Kona… 225
Chapter Twenty-five
Charlie shuffled the cards and laid out
yet another hand… 230
Chapter Twenty-six
Charlie called Larry instead of going
after Jemima, like every… 238
Chapter Twenty-seven
Eve took advantage of the near-deserted
state of the Kona… 244
Chapter Twenty-eight
Not until she stood across from the new man
seated… 252
Chapter Twenty-nine
Fifteen minutes after the scene in the bar,
Nash swung… 261
Chapter Thirty
Are you running away from me again?”
Nash asked as… 274
Chapter Thirty-one
Nash had told himself that staying longer
in Palm Springs… 285
Chapter Thirty-two
You invited me to the party. You should have
known… 296
Chapter Thirty-three
That’s it. Now Nash was going to kill
the smug,… 312
Chapter Thirty-four
Nash waited twenty-four hours for Eve
to return to him… 325
Chapter Thirty-five
Eve sat on Diana’s low terrace wall,
staring out at… 335
Chapter Thirty-six
Eve.” Nash touched her shoulder, and
she looked up, grateful… 346
About the Author
Praise
Other Books by Christie Ridgway
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
Cha pte r O ne
“Leader of the Pack”
The Shangri-Las
“A” side, single (1964)
T
he rain was pouring down on the Palm Springs
desert in biblical proportions the night he stalked
into the spa’s small bar. He was a big man, tall, brawny,
the harsh planes of his face unsoftened by his wet,
dark hair. Clint Eastwood minus forty years and plus
forty pounds of pure muscle. Water dripped from the
hem of his ankle-length black slicker to puddle on the
polished marble loor beside his reptilian-skinned
cowboy boots.
She lashed on one of the lessons her father had
drilled into her. A girl as beautiful as you and with a name
like yours should always be on guard for the snake in Para-
dise.
And as the stranger took another step forward, Eve
Caruso heard a distinctive hiss.
The sound had come from her, though, the hiss of a