Chance for Love (McCarthys of Gansett Island #10.5) Read online

  Elisabeth had given a week’s notice at the shelter and proposed that Aimee be promoted to take her place. The board of directors had agreed, and though they were sad to be losing Elisabeth, they were excited to move forward with Aimee in charge.

  Jared had closed on the Chesterfield Estate yesterday and had been ready with all the things they’d ordered from the mainland—and paid a small fortune to have shipped to the island in time for theirs to be the first wedding at the new venue.

  Because of the short timeframe, they’d skipped invitations and spread the word digitally like the modern couple they were. The thought gave Elisabeth a fit of the giggles. He was modern and hip. She was always trying to catch up and keep up. She had a feeling that wouldn’t change after they were married, thus her worries about whether she’d be enough for him long term.

  As she worked her way through last-minute nerves, she tried to remain oblivious to the photographer who snapped her every expression. This wasn’t just any photographer. Oh no… Her fiancé, being the businessman he was, had given exclusive rights to photograph their wedding to one of the top bridal magazines in the world, knowing the images of them and their fantastic wedding venue would bring The Chesterfield more business than they could handle.

  Elisabeth had agreed to it because she couldn’t deny it was a brilliant marketing strategy, but with the stipulation that the photographers and magazine team remain in the background during the wedding. So far, they’d been terrific about respecting her boundaries.

  A knock on the door preceded her sister and parents into the room. “Oh, wow,” her sister, Melanie, said as she took in the full ensemble. Jared had insisted on bringing hair and makeup people to the island for the big day, so she could have all the pampering she would’ve gotten in the city. Because she wanted to look beautiful for him, she’d chosen not to fight that battle and couldn’t deny his people had done a masterful job.

  Her hair was down around her shoulders the way he liked it, in an array of soft curls that were held back from her face by a single clip in the back. Tiny blooms from the Chesterfield gardens had been artfully woven into the design, and her bridal bouquet was made of white hydrangeas that Alex had cut for her. As her maid of honor, Mel wore a periwinkle gown she’d chosen for herself and carried deep blue and purple hydrangeas.

  “How are things downstairs?” Elisabeth asked her family.

  “Everything looks lovely, honey,” her mom said as she dabbed at tears. “I can’t believe how quickly the two of you pulled this off.”

  “I can’t take much of the credit,” she said. “It was mostly Jared.”

  “He’s a good man,” her dad said gruffly. “He’ll take very good care of my little girl.”

  “Yes, he will.” That much she knew for certain, and with that realization went the rest of her nerves. Everything was going to be fine as long as she and Jared faced the challenges that lay ahead together.

  “It’s time,” Mel said. “Are you ready?”

  Life with Jared would be as far removed from the life she’d imagined for herself as it was possible to get, but she had no doubt it would be a grand adventure. “I’m ready.”

  *

  She quite simply took his breath away. Watching Lizzie come to him on the arm of her father, Jared could only stare in amazement at the woman he got to spend the rest of his life with. It could never have been anyone else, he realized as she approached him, her smile dazzling and confident. And as requested, her dress was sinfully sexy. If she hadn’t come back to him, if they hadn’t put things back together, he never would’ve gotten married. That much he knew for sure now.

  He’d asked David to stand up for him, in large part because of his friend’s role in ensuring that Lizzie didn’t get away. The other reason he’d asked David to be his best man was because the good doctor was the first, genuine friend Jared had made since he struck it rich and saw his entire life change almost overnight.

  His parents and siblings sat in the front row, watching the proceedings, but he didn’t feel as close to them as he did before money changed everything. One of his goals was to bridge that gap at some point, but not today. No, today was all about Lizzie and their new life together.

  When she and her dad reached him, Jared shook her father’s hand, extended his arm to Lizzie and turned to face Judge Frank McCarthy, who’d happily agreed to marry them at the spot they’d chosen overlooking the ocean.

  Their guests included the huge band of friends Jenny had introduced them to at the impromptu shower-slash-bachelor party she and Alex had thrown for them the weekend before. Jared and Lizzie had immediately bonded with Jenny’s crew of island friends, including the McCarthy brothers and their wives/girlfriends/fiancées; Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy; their daughter, Janey, and her husband, Joe; Jared’s decorator friend, Sydney Donovan, and her husband, Luke Harris; the island’s police chief, Blaine Taylor, and his wife, Tiffany; Dan Torrington and his fiancée, Kara Ballard; and Owen Lawry and his fiancée, Laura McCarthy. Jared and Lizzie had enjoyed them all so much, they’d invited them to join in the wedding festivities.

  Lizzie had also insisted on inviting Ned Saunders, the cab driver who’d been so kind to her, and his fiancée, Francine. The posse of new friends was just another reason Jared couldn’t wait to settle into their life on Gansett Island, which would happen after he finally took his wife to Paris.

  She held his hand and smiled at him as they listened to Judge McCarthy talk about marriage and commitment and the importance of love and daily laughter before he led them through traditional vows and the exchange of rings. Then he pronounced them husband and wife, and Jared kissed her, and she kissed him back, and he could honestly say it was, without a doubt, the single best moment of his life.

  The elated glow stayed with him through the party that followed—calling it a reception was far too tame for what transpired on the Chesterfield lawn that afternoon. Jared knew he’d never forget the way she’d smiled all day. He’d never forget the way she’d felt in his arms as they danced for the first time as husband and wife. And he’d never forget the way she’d gazed at him with so much love when he carried her up two flights of stairs to the honeymoon suite Sydney had put together for them in record time.

  After he carried her over the threshold, he made no move to put her down. Rather he studied her gorgeous face, trying to commit every detail of how she looked right then to memory.

  “Happy?” she asked him after a long silence.

  “I’ve never been happier in my entire life.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “I’m going to make you happy every day, Lizzie. I promise.”

  “I promise the same thing.”

  Smiling, he waggled his brows suggestively. “Wanna fuck?”

  She smiled at him but shook her head deliberately.

  He froze.

  Her hand caressed his face soothingly. “No, Jared. Tonight I want to make love.”

  Filled with relief to have all the questions answered and a lifetime to spend with her, he kissed her softly and sweetly. “That I can do, my love. That I can do.”

  ***

  Thanks so much for reading Chance for Love! Join the Chance for Love Reader Group, to discuss Jared and Lizzie’s story with other fans with spoilers allowed and encouraged. If you enjoyed the novella, please consider leaving a review at the retail site of your choice or on Goodreads to help other readers discover the McCarthy Series.

  Next up on Gansett Island will be Gansett After Dark, which will feature Owen and Laura’s wedding as well as more from some of your favorite past characters and introduction to some new McCarthy cousins! Watch for that later this year and make sure you’re on my newsletter list at marieforce.com to be notified when new books are available. This is the best way to ensure you never miss anything! Turn the page for a special look at the first kiss of Will and Cameron in the upcoming All You Need Is Love, Green Mountain Series, Book 1.

  All You Need is Love

  Green
Mountain Series, Book 1

  If you enjoy the McCarthys, you’re going to LOVE the Abbotts in Marie’s new Green Mountain Series, which debuts February 4 with All You Need Is Love.

  “All You Need is Love is the quintessential romance and, boy, does it deliver!” 4 Stars from RT Book Reviews

  The family-run Green Mountain Country Store is cherished by locals as a reminder of simpler times. The Abbott children are determined to keep it that way—but their father has different plans...

  When Cameron Murphy heads to Vermont to build a website for a new client, she imagines a more relaxing trip than she gets. After wrecking her car by colliding with the town moose, she meets the most handsome hero she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, her savior, Will Abbott, is also the son of her client—and he wants nothing to do with the new website or the city girl creating it.

  For all Will cares, Cameron can march her fancy boots right out of town and out of his family’s business. But he can’t seem to get her out of his head. As his family’s dispute heats up, so does the chemistry between the two, leaving them wondering if simple is better after all—especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

  Read the first chapter of All You Need Is Love here. And turn the page to check out Will and Cameron’s memorable first kiss…

  Will & Cameron’s First Kiss

  All You Need Is Love, Green Mountain Series, Book 1

  Available: February 4, 2014

  “Has a member of your family always run the sugaring facility?” Cameron asked Will’s brother, Colton.

  “For the most part,” Colton said. “Two of our uncles did it for a lot of years. I’ve been up here for eleven years now, and I can’t imagine any other kind of life.”

  “I can’t wait to incorporate all of this into the website. I’d love to scan some of your ledgers and use the images as backdrops on the pages about the sugaring facility.”

  “My ledgers are your ledgers, whenever you need them,” Colton said.

  “I’m sure we’ll work closely on the sugaring section,” Cameron said, her face heating when she realized he was flirting with her, ever so subtly, and that she might be encouraging him because it was clearly bugging Will.

  “I’ll look forward to that.”

  “We should go,” Will said abruptly. “We still need to stop at Hannah’s, and I’ve got work to do in the office.”

  Cameron felt bad for keeping Will from work with all her questions about the sugaring facility. “This was great, Colton. Thanks so much for showing me your home and your business.” She extended a hand to him.

  “Definitely a pleasure.” He bent gallantly to place a kiss on the back of her hand. “Hope to see you again soon.”

  “You’ll see her at Mom’s on Sunday.”

  “And Sunday dinner with the Abbotts gets more interesting.”

  “Knock it off, Colton,” Will said in a sinister tone she wouldn’t have thought him capable of. Surprise, surprise.

  Colton only laughed at his brother, which seemed to further infuriate Will.

  Cameron hoped he wasn’t mad at her, too.

  Colton walked them out to the truck, where Will held the door for her and gave it a harder-than-usual slam when she was settled in the cab.

  In the side-view mirror, she saw him exchange a few heated words with Colton that made Colton laugh again. Judging by the slam of the driver’s door and the stormy expression on Will’s face, he hadn’t appreciated his brother laughing at whatever he’d said to him.

  He turned the truck around and sent a tail of snow flying behind them that just missed Colton.

  “What is the matter?” Cameron asked as he took the first turn that curved down the winding hill.

  “Nothing.”

  His gruff demeanor was reminiscent of the night they met. “Clearly something is bugging you. I wish you’d just tell me—”

  The truck fishtailed violently as he slammed on the brakes, threw off his seat belt and reached for her.

  Cameron barely had time to register her surprise before he was kissing her. And Oh. My. God. The man could kiss. She all but melted into him as he cupped her face with one hand and fisted her hair with the other, his lips moving over hers, softly yet insistently.

  When the shock wore off, she realized he was waiting for her to participate before he took it any further. Wanting to encourage him, she put her arms around his neck and dabbed her tongue along his lower lip.

  He took the hint and growled as he gave her his tongue in teasing increments that made her needy for more. As he shifted closer to her, the truck lurched forward, sliding on the ice.

  “Shit,” he said, as he broke free from her to control the truck’s slide toward the guardrail that was the only thing between them and a plunge into the ravine far below.

  Look for All You Need Is Love on February 4, 2014!

  All You Need Is Love. Copyright 2014. HTJB, Inc. All rights reserved.

  Also look for the print copy of All You Need Is Love, with the bonus Will & Cameron short story “To Know Her Is To Love Her,” everywhere books are sold.

  All You Need Is Love is called Your Love Is All I Need in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India.

  Turn the page to check out the first-ever look at the cover of Fatal Jeopardy, Fatal Series Book 7, out on March 24.

  Fatal Jeopardy

  Fatal Series, Book 7

  Available: March 24, 2014

  Washington, D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, have been looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with their son. But any thoughts of a restful holiday are dashed when Sam and Nick return home to a gruesome scene: Sam’s seventeen-year-old niece Brooke, barely conscious and covered in blood on their front stoop.

  With lines between personal and professional blurring in this emotionally charged, deeply personal case, Sam is relying on Nick more than ever for support. But when suspicious images from the night in question appear on social media, Sam begins to wonder if her niece is telling her everything she knows about what really happened. And when Nick questions her tactics—and her ethics—as she races against the clock, Sam will need to decide how far she’s willing to go to prove Brooke is a victim, not a murderer.

  Preorder Fatal Jeopardy!

  Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force

  The Treading Water Series

  Book 1: Treading Water

  Book 2: Marking Time

  Book 3: Starting Over

  Book 4: Coming Home

  The McCarthys of Gansett Island Series

  McCarthys of Gansett Island Boxed Set

  Book 1: Maid for Love

  Book 2: Fool for Love

  Book 3: Ready for Love

  Book 4: Falling for Love

  Book 5: Hoping for Love

  Book 6: Season for Love

  Book 7: Longing for Love

  Book 8: Waiting for Love

  Book 9: Time for Love

  Book 10: Meant for Love

  Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella

  The Green Mountain Series

  Book 1: All You Need Is Love

  Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand (June 2014)

  Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There (November 2014)

  Single Titles

  Georgia on My Mind

  True North

  The Fall

  Everyone Loves a Hero

  Love at First Flight

  Line of Scrimmage

  Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force

  The Fatal Series

  Book 1: Fatal Affair

  Book 2: Fatal Justice

  Book 3: Fatal Consequences

  Book 3.5: Fatal Destiny, the Wedding Novella

  Book 4: Fatal Flaw

  Book 5: Fatal Deception

  Book 6: Fatal Mistake

  Book 7: Fatal Jeopardy (March 24, 2014)

  Single Title

  The Wreck

 
About the Author

  Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her New York Times bestselling self-published McCarthys of Gansett Island Series has sold more than 1 million e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press, as well as the Treading Water Series and numerous stand-alone books.

  All You Need is Love, book 1 in her new Green Mountain Series from Berkley Sensation, is out on Feb. 4, 2014. The second book, I Want to Hold Your Hand, will be out in June, and Marie recently agreed to a significant deal with Berkley for three more books in the series. In 2014, Marie will have eight mass-market print releases—the first five Fatal Series books from Harlequin and the first three Green Mountain Series books from Berkley.

  While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie. Join Marie's mailing list at marieforce.com for news about new books and other possible appearances in your area. Follow her on Twitter @marieforce and on Facebook. Join one of Marie's many reader groups! Contact Marie at [email protected]. Join The Memorial Day 2014 Reader Weekend group for updates!

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Author's Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  The Green Mountain Series

  Will & Cameron's First Kiss