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More Than a Convenient Bride (Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm, 7, Band 2360) - Softcover

Buch 6 von 7: Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm

Celmer, Michelle

 
9780373733736: More Than a Convenient Bride (Texas Cattleman's Club: After the Storm, 7, Band 2360)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0373733739 ISBN 13: 9780373733736
Verlag: Harlequin Desire, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

A story of friends…with marriage benefits, by USA TODAY bestselling author Michelle Celmer 

After all they've been through following the tornado that hit their Texas town, there's no way Dr. Lucas Wakefield will let his best friend, Julie Kingston, leave because of a green card mix-up. The only solution is to propose marriage. But what starts as a platonic arrangement quickly blooms into red-hot desire—until Luc's ex-fiancée returns to reclaim her man and Julie questions whether happily-ever-after is in the cards. Good thing Luc has no intention of giving up his passionate new bride without a fight!

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

USA Today Bestseller Michelle Celmer is the author of more than 40 books for Harlequin and Silhouette. You can usually find her in her office with her laptop loving the fact that she gets to work in her pajamas.Michelle loves to hear from her readers!  Visit Michelle on Facebook at Michelle Celmer Author,  or email at michelle@michellecelmer.com

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Julie Kingston stood and waited in the crowd, her heart overflowing with pride as her best friend and colleague, Lucas Wakefield, prepared to cut the ribbon marking the opening of the new, state-of-the-art Wakefield Clinic. It seemed as though the entire town of Royal, Texas, had shown up to mark the occasion.

The town's original free clinic once stood directly in the path of the F5 tornado that had ripped through Royal last October. In the blink of an eye, all that had remained of the structure was the concrete foundation. Patients from all over the surrounding counties had lost an important lifeline in the community.

Lucas, who had been a regular volunteer there despite his duties as chief of surgery at Royal Memorial Hospital, hadn't hesitated to donate the money to rebuild, using some of the proceeds from the sales and licensing of surgical equipment he'd invented several years ago.

Humble as he was for a multimillionaire, he'd intended to keep his identity as the donor a secret, but someone leaked the truth, and the news spread through Royal like wildfire. The town council had immediately wanted to rename the clinic in his honor. But of course Luc had protested when he'd heard about plans for the Lucas Wakefield Clinic.

"This clinic doesn't belong to me," he'd told Julie when she'd tried to convince him that he was being ridiculous. "It belongs to the people."

"This is a huge deal," she'd argued time and again. "You donated millions of dollars."

He gave her his usual, what's-your-point shrug, as if he truly didn't understand the scope of his own good will. For a man of his wealth and breeding he lived a fairly simple life. "It was the right thing to do."

And that was Luc in a nutshell. He always did the right thing, constantly putting the well-being of others first. But finally, after much debate, and a whole lot of coercing from his mother, Elizabeth, Julie and his colleagues in the Texas Cattleman's Club, he relented, allowing the use of his last name only.

Julie smiled and shook her head as she thought back on it. Lucas was the most philanthropic, humble man she had ever known. And at times, the most stubborn, as well.

Luc looked out over the crowd, and when his eyes snagged on hers she flashed him a reassuring smile. Despite his dynamic presence, and easy way with his patients and coworkers, he despised being the center of attention.

To his left stood Stella Daniels, the town's acting mayor. To his right, Stella's new husband, Aaron Nichols, whose company R&N Builders rebuilt the clinic. In the six months since the storm, the town's recovery had been slow but steady, and now it seemed as if every week a new business would reopen or a family would move back into their home.

"I'm so proud," Elizabeth Wakefield said, dabbing away a tear with the corner of a handkerchief. Julie knelt beside the wheelchair Elizabeth had been forced to use since a botched surgery a decade ago left her paralyzed from the waist down. In the months since Julie came to Royal last October, Elizabeth had contracted a multitude of infections that led to numerous hospital stays, and she now required permanent, round-the-clock care from a registered nurse. Though she was a beautiful and proud woman, she looked every one of her sixty-eight years, and a recent hospital stay for viral pneumonia had left her weak and vulnerable. Originally Luc forbade her from attending the ribbon cutting, but she insisted she be there. After much debate, he eventually caved, and it was more than clear to Julie where he inherited his stubborn streak.

"You have every reason to be proud," Julie said, patting Elizabeth's frail arm. "You've raised your son to be an amazing man."

"I wish his father could be here. From the day Luc was born he insisted that his son was destined for great things. It still breaks my heart that he didn't live to see how right he was."

Julie took her trembling hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "He knows."

The mayor completed her brief speech and handed Luc a pair of gold-plated scissors. With a quick swish of the blades the ribbon drifted to the freshly laid grass, and a round of applause erupted from the crowd. Luc's club brothers crowded around him to congratulate him and shake his hand, but Julie hung back, still clutching his mother's hand. Elizabeth looked proud but tired. The simplest of activities exhausted her.

"We should get you home," her nurse, Theresa, said. Too sleepy to argue, Elizabeth nodded. "Shall I call Luc over?" Julie asked. "So you can say goodbye?"

"Oh no, don't bother him. I'll see him at home later tonight."

Julie kissed her papery cheek and said goodbye, then joined her friends Beth Andrews and Megan Maguire several feet away.

"She doesn't look so good," Beth said as Theresa wheeled Luc's mother toward the parking lot to the van Luc had custom-built for her. When it came to taking care of his mother, he spared no expense.

A stab of sadness pierced Julie's heart. In the six months since she'd moved to Royal, Julie had come to consider Elizabeth a dear friend. She was the closest thing Julie had had to a mother since her own mother died giving birth to her sister, Jennifer. Her father waited to remarry until after she and her sister had left home, and though he dated, he'd never brought a woman home to meet his daughters. He traveled extensively, so they were raised by nannies and the other house staff. Homeschooled by tutors.

And when he was home? Well, she didn't like to think about that.

"I don't suppose you'll have any free time to volunteer this week," Megan said. "Just an hour or two? Someone left a cardboard box of three-week-old puppies on the doorstep. They need to be bottle-fed every hour or so and I'm ridiculously understaffed this week." Manager of the local animal shelter, she was known for taking in strays. Animals and humans alike. She had certainly gone out of her way to make Julie feel welcome when she arrived in Royal. Her significant other, as well as Beth's, were members of the Cattleman's Club with Luc.

It was shaping up to be a very busy week, but Julie could always make time to help a friend. And sadly, this would probably be the last time. "Of course," Julie said. "Just let me know when you need me."

Megan sighed with relief. "You're a lifesaver!"

They stood chatting for several minutes, before Julie heard a familiar voice say, "Good afternoon, ladies."

She turned as Luc joined them, smiling brightly to hide the deep feeling of sadness that seemed to radiate from the center of her bones. She could tell by the way he tugged at his tie that he was already irritable. No sense in making him feel even worse.

"It's a wonderful thing you've done," Megan told him, and Beth nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, pouring on the Texas charm. Though he was her boss, and they had never been more than friends—best friends, but just friends—that drawl sometimes gave her a warm feeling inside her bones.

"Can I give you a lift home?" he asked Julie. Her apartment was within walking distance from the clinic, and it was a sunny and pleasant day for a stroll, but she suspected he was looking for any excuse to leave.

"If you wouldn't mind," she said, playing along, noticing a look pass between Megan and Beth, as if they knew Luc was eager to escape.

"Good to see you ladies," he said, nodding cordially, that hint of Texas twang boosting his...

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Verlag
Harlequin Desire
Erscheinungsdatum
2015
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0373733739
ISBN 13 
9780373733736
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
192
Kontakt zum Hersteller
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