Title: Claiming His Secret Heir
Series: The McNeill Magnates #5
Author: Joanne Rock
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Release Date: January 1, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Release Date: January 1, 2018
Blurb
Can he win back his wife?
When Caroline McNeill shows up outside her
husband’s mansion, she claims to have no memory of the past year…or their
passion-filled honeymoon. But faking amnesia is the only way Caroline can find
out if Damon was behind her abduction. She needs to trust him—a man she craves
but still barely knows—before she can tell him about their infant son. Did the
Silicon Valley mogul merely marry to claim an inheritance then dispose of her?
Or is what they share real and forever?
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Excerpt
He shook
out the waterproof blanket on the snow—plastic on one side, wool plaid on the
other. She watched him line up the sled at one end of the blanket before he
knelt in the snow to open the picnic hamper. All the while, Caroline rocked the
carriage gently, tilting it back and forth. Thankfully, their bodyguard sat
outside the trees, keeping an eye on the hill below to make sure no one
intruded on their space. She didn’t feel “watched,” per se, although she felt
certain the guy kept an eye on them somehow. The team Damon hired seemed very
skilled at maintaining a discreet presence.
“I know
that I’m not alone any longer, and I’m glad for that.” She debated lifting
Lucas out of the baby carrier, but then changed her mind, putting the brakes on
the contraption and facing the carrier toward the blanket so they could keep an
eye on him.
He shoved
his gloves into the pockets of his vest. His dark hair had a few fresh
snowflakes coating the top where he must have brushed against one of the
evergreen boughs.
“Do you
know what’s in there?” She peeled off her own gloves, ready to eat. “I can’t
imagine what a winter picnic entails, so my expectations are fairly low.”
“I packed
this myself. And believe me, my expectations run permanently high.” He tipped
open the lid with a flourish. “I present to you, the Post-Sledding Woodland
Feast.”
Caroline
felt her eyes go wide. Crammed inside the huge basket were two brightly colored
thermoses and insulated mugs, a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth, a wooden
cheeseboard with fresh fruits and cloth-covered cheeses, a tray of shrimp on
ice, a stack of Sternos and a lighter, a bag of huge, homemade-looking
marshmallows, a tin of graham crackers, chocolate-covered strawberries…
“And
champagne!” Her gaze finally reached a bottle of a highly recognizable brand of
bubbly inside a champagne bucket. “Is that even legal?” She glanced around,
half expecting a park ranger to issue a citation.
“Alcohol in
the park is regulated, but not prohibited, so no one will bother us unless we
start causing trouble.” Grinning, he gestured for her to have a seat on the
blanket. “Get comfortable and I’ll serve us.”
She did as
he asked, her eyes still on the stuffed hamper.
“You packed
this?” It was a feat of engineering, the way everything was stacked and
prepped.
“The
technical mind is good for more than designing software, you know.” He pulled
out fondue sticks and set them beside the Sterno cans so they could toast their
own marshmallows. “And under the champagne is a bottle of whiskey if you’d
rather doctor up the hot chocolate.” He produced a smaller basket with
airline-sized bottles of Jameson and Baileys, plus a variety of add-in flavors
from vanilla and almond to butterscotch.
“You have
outdone yourself.” She glanced up into the carriage to check on Lucas.
Surrounded by trees on three sides, their picnic spot felt safe and
surprisingly private considering the view of the mayhem near Cedar Hill and the
row of emerging snowmen lining the biggest walking trail less than fifty yards
away.
“I will
admit, it’s been hell keeping a lid on the surprise all day.” He found two
small hurricane lanterns and placed candles inside them even though the sun
still shone brightly outside. Then, he uncapped one of the containers of cocoa
and poured her a mugful. “Here. You can add what you like while I work on the
seating.”
He
scrambled around to the back of the blanket where he used one arm to scoop a
pile of snow under the edge of the wool plaid. It took her a moment to
understand why he wanted a big lump of snow under the spot where she was
sitting. But then he covered it up again, packing the pile into a U-shaped
curve to create a support for her back.
“Genius,”
she announced, settling into the snow seat with her mug of hot chocolate, the
picnic spread out at her feet. “It really is the picnic to end all picnics.”
“I’ll drink
to that.” Damon poured his own hot chocolate and settled on the blanket beside
her. “Here’s to our first real day as a family.”
She met his
blue gaze, his eyes all the more crystalline in the bright sun. He’d taken
considerable time and trouble to make the day perfect for her, and Lucas, too.
While she’d been sleeping late to catch up on rest, he’d been ordering a
special sled and packing the perfect picnic.
“To
family,” she echoed, softly clanking her pewter cup to his.
Tipping the
drink to her lips, she savored the complex swirl of flavors. She hadn’t added
much alcohol, just enough to give a pleasant jolt of warmth on the way down.
The almond and vanilla notes were especially good, and the melting homemade
marshmallow she’d set on top was a gooey bonus.
She was
about to compliment the first beverage course, but when she turned to him
again, she felt a flash of heat from the simmering look he gave her. His mug
remained untouched, his attention fixed on her mouth.
He was very
still.
“What?”
Self-conscious, she set her cup aside in the snow. “I have marshmallow all over
my face, don’t I?”
Her hand
went to her nose, but Damon caught it. He’d set his own drink aside, too,
freeing his hands.
“Let me.”
He canted closer, his focus shifting to her eyes.
The heat
ratcheted up so much it was a wonder they weren’t melting snow.
She could
feel her heartbeat quicken, the answering spark she’d always experienced with
this man. Time and distance hadn’t broken it. Even forgetting him completely
for weeks on end hadn’t erased the response she had to him.
Author Bio
Four-time RITA
nominee Joanne Rock has never met a romance sub-genre she didn't like. The author
of over eighty books enjoys writing a wide range of stories, most recently
focusing on sexy contemporaries and small town family sagas. An optimist by
nature and perpetual seeker of silver linings, Joanne finds romance fits her
life outlook perfectly--love is worth fighting for. A frequent speaker at
regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the writing
community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters degree
in Literature from the University of Louisville but credits her fiction writing
skills to her intensive study with friend and fellow author Catherine Mann.
When she's not writing, Joanne enjoys travel, especially to see her favorite
sports teams play with her former sports editor husband and three athletic-minded
sons.
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