Chapter 1

“Tell him while you’re naked. He’d agree to anything then.”

“Mom!” Macy gripped the phone tighter to her ear. She knew no one could hear her mother on the other end, but felt paranoid nonetheless. She glanced out across the reception area and turned in her chair before lowering her voice. “I’m not telling him while I’m naked.”

“Don’t act so scandalized,” her mother said. “I’m just trying to be helpful, you know.”

“I know that,” Macy said. “And regardless of how I tell him the situation is still the same. He’s still busy. I’m not sure he can make it this year.”

“How busy can he be? He’s a veterinarian for cripes sake.”

“I know but this practice is his whole life. He can’t just drop it.”

“You’ve said that for the last two years, Macy. I want that young man here for Christmas. No excuses.”

Macy Carter grimaced at her mother’s tone of voice. She glanced across the room at Sean, watching him smile at Mr. Peterson and sighed heavily. Her mother was still talking, her voice a constant echo in her head while she tried to think of a way to dissuade her from forcing this issue. They’d been over it every holiday for the past two years. Every time she went back home, the first question anyone asked was, “Where’s Sean? Why is he always too busy for you?”

She finally cut her mother off. “Okay. I’ll let him know how you feel about this. I’ll do what I can.”

“You do that, honey. Your father is starting to get worried. If you’re boyfriend can’t even manage a weekend to meet us, he isn’t good enough for you. You can tell him we said so.”

Macy hung up the phone and let her head fall to the desk. She thumped it several times; cursing her stupidity before someone cleared their throat and caught her attention. She rolled her head to the side, looking up at them through her hair and felt her stomach coil into a knot. “Hey Sean.”

“As much as I find this self mutilation amusing, you’re scaring the patients,” he said with a smile, turning his head to look out over the reception area.

Macy followed his gaze, noticing everyone staring at her and the patients, all their furred faces, looking anxious and nervous. The clinic was full today. Almost every species of pet you could name was inside the small veterinary clinic waiting for a shot or just a general check-up. She clearly didn’t have time for a breakdown at the moment. It would have to wait.

She sat up when Sean handed her the folder he’d been holding and walked around the desk, picking up the next file. He stopped beside her, leaned down toward her and quietly said, “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”

“That’s what you think,” Macy mumbled when Sean called out to the next patient and walked the short hall to the last exam room. She sighed again, pushing her hair out of her face and let her shoulders slump.

Macy picked up the discarded file and tapped it lightly on the desk while trying to think of a solution to her Mother’s demands. There was no way her family would believe Sean was again too busy for a visit. Just like her mom said, how busy could a veterinarian be? They were allowed time off of work too, right? And why would he not want to visit them?

She moaned out loud, turned in her seat and stood, making her way to the end of the hall and stepping into the tiny room that was used as their makeshift lounge. A brown, rather ratty sofa, sat along one wall. A refrigerator and microwave sat on the other and a round table took up the space in-between.

Walking to the fridge, Macy opened it, taking out her juice carton and gulped a huge amount right out of the jug. It did nothing to calm her nerves. Not that she thought it would. She needed something a lot stronger than orange juice for this.

Hearing the door across the hall open, she shoved the juice back into the fridge and turned just as Sean walked into the lounge.

“Why she brings that dog in here week after week when nothing is wrong with him truly boggles the mind.”

Macy grinned. “It isn’t the dog she wants you to see, Sean.”

He lifted a curious brow and grinned. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Macy said. “Haven’t you ever noticed how she’s dressed for a night out on the town?”

“No. Of course, I don’t make it a habit of checking out sixty year old women either.”

He crossed the room, falling onto the sofa before looking over at her and smiling.

“What?” she said when he continued to stare at her.

“Go ahead and tell me what the problem is so you won’t be bruising your head by thumping it on your desk for the remainder of the day.”

Macy rolled her eyes, pulled a chair from the table out, and sat down. “It’s nothing you should worry about. Just family stuff.”

“Like?”

“Like… family stuff,” she said, grumpily. She glanced at him, regretting the way that had come out. She sometimes forgot Sean didn’t have to deal with family. He had none. She shook her head and smiled to try and soften her earlier tone. “Just my mom and Christmas. She wants me to come home for the week.”

“Most mom’s would,” he said. “What’s the problem, then?”

Macy blushed. She felt heat crawling up her neck and settle on her cheeks. She looked away from him. Lord, how did she get herself in to these messes?

“I’m waiting.”

“It’s nothing,” she said.

“Nothing doesn’t cause you to bang your head on a desk and it certainly doesn’t cause your cheeks to get all rosy.”

When he chuckled, Macy turned her head and rolled her eyes at him. “This isn’t funny.”

“And I’m supposed to know that how? You still haven’t told me what the problem is.”

“Why do you even care?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Does it matter? Come on, Macy. If something’s wrong, maybe I can help.”

She snorted a laugh. “Yeah, you can help all right,” she mumbled.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Fine. You want to help me?” she said, challenging. “Then come home with me for Christmas.”

“Come home with you? To your parents house?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She blushed again and ducked her head to try and hide it. “The truth?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then.” She took a deep, cleansing breath and stared down at the scared tabletop. “My mother said if I didn’t bring you with me this time, not to bother coming at all.”

He didn’t say anything for long minutes, just stared at her with a confused look on his face. He sat up straight and raised one dark brow. “Me? She wants you to bring me with you at Christmas?”

Macy glanced at him and nodded her head. “Yeah. They want to meet you.”

“They want to meet me?”

“Stop repeating everything I say. I feel like you should be sitting on my shoulder asking for a cracker.”

“Huh?”

“Parrot?” she said with a chuckle. He clearly didn’t get it. “Never mind.”

He waved a hand, dismissing her last comment and jumped right back in the conversation. “Your parents want me to tag along for Christmas? Why?”

The knot in her stomach grew until she felt nauseous. There was no way to avoid this. Either he went with her or she spent Christmas alone. Her shoulders slumped seconds before she buried her face in her hands and bravely mumbled out why.

He laughed. “Sorry, darling, but I didn’t catch a word of that.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake,” Macy growled, lifting her head and pushing her hair out of her face. “They actually want to meet the man I’ve been living with for the past two years. The man who will some day marry me and give them a house full of grandbabies. The same man who has always been too busy to meet them.”

“Okay,” Sean said. “So, they want to meet your boyfriend.” He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned his head to one side. “You’ve been living with someone for two years? How did I not know this?” he shook his head, a funny look falling over his face before he leaned back. “It doesn’t matter. What does this have to do with me though?”

Macy felt sick. Her stomach clenched the same instant her throat grew tight. She swallowed and weakly said, “I may have told them it was you.”

Sean stared at her for long minutes, watching the pink tint on her cheeks deepen to a rosy red. When she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, what she’d said finally dawned on him. She told her parents he was her boyfriend? As much as he tried, he couldn’t help it. He laughed. He laughed until his eyes watered and his stomach ached. When she stood and started for the door, he jumped to his feet and grabbed her before she left. “Not so fast,” he said, grinning. “I want to hear this. Every sordid detail.”

Get your FREE copy now at Amazon.Com! http://amzn.to/NObeSA

This week’s 6, again, comes from my upcoming Historical Western Romance, THE GAMBLER, book 3 in my Willow Creek Series, which is due for release in May!

His gaze roamed her breasts before sliding to her waist and when she dropped the silk bloomers to the floor, he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat.

She glanced up at him and made a face. “Don’t look so scandalized. It isn’t as if you haven’t seen it all before.” She bent at the waist, untied the ribbon on her stockings and pulled them both off, crossing the room and grabbing his arm to steady herself before sinking into the tub with a sigh.

Tristan stared down at her, watched the water ripple over her breasts, and his entire body jolted.

The Gambler – Willow Creek, Book 3

Emmaline Hunt only had one thing she could call her own. A piece of land that held a secret not even her drunken stepfather knew about. When he gambles it away in a high stakes poker game, Emmaline does the only thing she can. She tries to steal the land deed back.

Tristan Avery has seen his share of bloodshed while sitting at a gaming table and knows its time to lay low when he wins a wad of cash and a piece of land. Especially after his opponent ends up dead at his feet. High tailing it out of town is his only option but things take a drastic turn when he finds a woman in his hotel room trying to rob him blind.

The botched robbery attempt is only the start of his troubles when Tristan finds his new land occupied by the same girl who tried to rob him. When he realizes he’s left her homeless, and killed her stepfather, his conscience forces him to do the right thing. Taking her to his hometown and setting her up with a new life will make up for all he’s taken from her.

But Emmaline has other plans. She wants her land, and Tristan’s money, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All she has to do is convince him she’s there to stay, outwit him, find a way back home and not let a single soul know she has a gold mine bursting at the seems with untapped wealth.

Releasing May 7th 2012!

To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!

Check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on Twitter.

This week’s 6, comes from my upcoming Historical Western Romance, THE GAMBLER, book 3 in my Willow Creek Series, which is due for release in May 7th!

It took him a few moments to see her and when he did, his eyes widened before he tried to sit up straight in his seat. The floozy in his lap prevented it and Emmaline threw him a sarcastic smile before glancing at the girl. “Slumming it, Tristan? I would have thought a man as wealthy as you would find your pleasure in one of the more upscale whore houses in town.” She smiled when the woman on his lap gasped and tried to look offended. “I know money can’t buy you everything but I thought it would at least buy you a women that didn’t have the spending’s of four other men still on her thighs.”

The Gambler – Willow Creek, Book 3

Emmaline Hunt only had one thing she could call her own. A piece of land that held a secret not even her drunken stepfather knew about. When he gambles it away in a high stakes poker game, Emmaline does the only thing she can. She tries to steal the land deed back.

Tristan Avery has seen his share of bloodshed while sitting at a gaming table and knows its time to lay low when he wins a wad of cash and a piece of land. Especially after his opponent ends up dead at his feet. High tailing it out of town is his only option but things take a drastic turn when he finds a woman in his hotel room trying to rob him blind.

The botched robbery attempt is only the start of his troubles when Tristan finds his new land occupied by the same girl who tried to rob him. When he realizes he’s left her homeless, and killed her stepfather, his conscience forces him to do the right thing. Taking her to his hometown and setting her up with a new life will make up for all he’s taken from her.

But Emmaline has other plans. She wants her land, and Tristan’s money, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All she has to do is convince him she’s there to stay, outwit him, find a way back home and not let a single soul know she has a gold mine bursting at the seems with untapped wealth.

Releasing May 7th 2012!

To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!

Check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on Twitter.

Since I’m gearing up for the release of THE GAMBLER, book 3 in my Willow Creek Series, I’ll be participating in Six Sentence Sunday over the next few weeks. This week’s 6, comes from my upcoming Historical Western Romance, THE GAMBLER which is due for release in May!

His gaze roamed her from head to toe before he reached out and jerked the hat off her head. “Son of a bitch.”

Emmaline kept her chin lifted and hardened her gaze as she reached for her braid and flung it over her shoulder.

“You’re a girl?”

“I’m a woman, thank you very much.” She straightened her shirt and met his gaze. “And I’d be obliged if you’d get that gun out of my face.”

The Gambler – Willow Creek, Book 3

Emmaline Hunt only had one thing she could call her own. A piece of land that held a secret not even her drunken stepfather knew about. When he gambles it away in a high stakes poker game, Emmaline does the only thing she can. She tries to steal the land deed back.

Tristan Avery has seen his share of bloodshed while sitting at a gaming table and knows its time to lay low when he wins a wad of cash and a piece of land. Especially after his opponent ends up dead at his feet. High tailing it out of town is his only option but things take a drastic turn when he finds a woman in his hotel room trying to rob him blind.

The botched robbery attempt is only the start of his troubles when Tristan finds his new land occupied by the same girl who tried to rob him. When he realizes he’s left her homeless, and killed her stepfather, his conscience forces him to do the right thing. Taking her to his hometown and setting her up with a new life will make up for all he’s taken from her.

But Emmaline has other plans. She wants her land, and Tristan’s money, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All she has to do is convince him she’s there to stay, outwit him, find a way back home and not let a single soul know she has a gold mine bursting at the seems with untapped wealth.

Releasing May 2012!

To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!

Check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on Twitter.

This week’s 56 come from Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. (I’ll be doing this a bit different as 1 line just isn’t enough. The 5th line will be in bold, all the rest in regular fonts.)

Alex was convinced of his importance. His chest puffed up with pride.

“How old are you?” Johanna asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. From the puzzled look on his face, she assumed he didn’t know. She turned to her husband to get the answer. He shrugged. He obviously didn’t know either.

She was appalled. “You don’t know your son’s age?”

“He’s young,” MacBain answered.

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