Too Hot to Handle: A Loveswept Classic Romance (19 page)

“What’s happened to Tom’s chickens?”

“They caught a virus and died. Tom’s nearly bankrupt.”

“You aren’t leaving me, Caroline. No way. I told you before that we’re going to talk, and we’re going to do just that. You belong here, with me.”

“You mean here in this mausoleum? I could never survive here, Matt. This …” She turned and surveyed her surroundings painfully. “This … would kill me.”

He started toward her, his face set determinedly. Suddenly the housekeeper appeared at the door with a message from a business acquaintance of Matt’s. Callie took the opportunity to leave.

She whirled around, then ran from the room. She was seated in Ruby, putting her in gear, when Matt raced out of the house.

“Caroline! Wait, dammit!” She shook her head and pressed down on the accelerator. Ruby leaped forward, but so did Matt. He flung himself into the back of the convertible as she gunned the engine and roared down his driveway. “I love you, Caroline, I love you!” he yelled. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you with me!”

She floored the gas pedal, and the Fiesta raced along the road into a stretch of undeveloped woodland. Tears streamed down her face, tears she had wanted to cry so many times but hadn’t. Matt started to climb into the front seat with her, but she shook her head violently.

“No!” she yelled. “Stay away!” He sank back, cursing.

“I don’t want to be part of a collection!” she yelled into the wind. “I saw your cars tonight! They’re cold and lifeless! I don’t want to become like them!”

“I’ll pack my bags and live in a tent, if that’s what you want! Callie! I need you! I’m a changed man! I’ll kiss William good night every night and eat alfalfa sprouts religiously and help you make baskets!”

Callie lifted her foot from the gas pedal. He’d live in a tent and eat alfalfa sprouts? He was saying that he’d let her stay free. As she began to slow the car she heard a loud explosion. The Fiesta jerked to one side, and the steering wheel was wrenched from her hands. The car plunged off the road, directly into a thicket of pine trees.

“Matt! The car! Oh, the car!” Callie knew she and Matt were safe, but Ruby might very well be ruined.

“Hold on!” Matt called. He reached over the seat and gripped her by the shoulders, as if he could keep her from all harm that way.

Desperately she turned the wheel, guiding the convertible between two huge pine trees with a skill she hadn’t known she possessed. Callie heard the ugly tearing sound of metal and the crunch of glass as Ruby slid to a stop, her front end buckled against a massive stump.

Silence fell. Dimly she heard her own sobs and Matt’s soft curses. She shook his hands away and leaned forward, her head against the steering wheel.

“Callie, Callie!” Matt climbed over the seat and caught her urgently in his arms. “Are you hurt?” When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, he felt a shiver of relief so violent that he could only hold her against him and continue to tremble.

“Matt,” she said wretchedly, “I’ve ruined the Fiesta.”

“To hell with the Fiesta. Are you all right?”

“No, I’m not.” Callie gulped for air. “I won’t ever be all right without you.”

She burrowed close to him, and Matt sighed happily. So she needed him as much as he needed her. Holding her, he reached over and switched off the Fiesta’s engine, then slid himself and Callie across the front seat to the passenger side.

She felt so good in his arms. Nothing in his life was as important as this woman—not money, not antique-car collections, and certainly not one automobile. She’d forced him to open up when he hadn’t expected to; then she’d slipped into his life and become irreplaceable.

“Callie, I don’t ever intend to let you go. I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too. We’ve got to find a way to work everything out. I’ve been thinking, and trying to alter my life-style. I’ve been trying to decide if I could fit into your life.”

“Hush …”

“No, let me finish. I was too hard on my father, Matt. I see that now. He’s not perfect, but I never gave him much chance to try. I won’t make the
same mistake with you. You don’t have to give up anything—not your collections, not your elegant way of living, not anything. I don’t want to force you to change.”

“Callie, darling, people don’t make other people change. They couldn’t if they wanted to. I’ve changed because I want to make you happy. And you’ve changed because you don’t need to run away from the past.”

“But … I fell in love with Matt the businessman, and you fell in love with Callie the free spirit. If this relationship is going to work, we’ll have to compromise.” She paused dramatically. “I’ll give up alfalfa sprouts.”

“And I’ll give up my giant house. We’ll get a smaller one and decorate it with your great-grandmother’s crocheted pieces and your grandmother’s quilts. We’ll plant apple trees. And kudzu!” He put his thumb under her chin and lifted her face, touching her nose gently with his lips.

“What about Ruby?” she asked. She brushed her lips across the corners of his mouth.

“We’ll definitely keep Ruby. We’ll still drive her … but we’ll fix her up and keep her in immaculate condition.” He kissed her along the edges of the upswept hairdo, which was beginning to come unpinned.

“Will you be upset if I visit my cabin in Sweet Valley often?” Callie’s breath grew erratic as Matt’s hands began to slide beneath her dress.

“I’ll visit it with you.”

“And William, what about him, Matt?”

“Why do you think I want to plant apple trees at
our new home? For William. And we’ll buy him a harem of lady goats. They should keep him too occupied to pester anyone ever again.”

His hand trailed up her leg and encountered her wispy underwear. He drew back with an expression of total disbelief.

“And I’ll start wearing underwear,” she promised solemnly. “All the time.”

“Not on your life.” He began to kiss her, and between kisses he murmured, “There’s such a thing as going too far.”

Surrendering herself freely to him, Callie opened her heart and felt Matt fill it to the bursting point. But she couldn’t accept all the wonderful gifts he was giving her without telling him the truth.

“Matt, you have to know something—”

“I know I’ll love you forever.”

“But will you love the child we’re going to have?”

He pulled back abruptly, his eyes wide and unreadable as he searched her upturned face. “You do want our child, don’t you?” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “I’m sorry to tell you the news this way … but you have to know before you make any more commitments.” When he continued to watch her in silence she clutched his shoulders fearfully. “I can’t give up the baby, Matthew, even if it was unplanned.…”

“A baby,” he said numbly. Then he smiled. “We’re going to have a baby.” His smile grew wider. “Our very own limited-edition collectible.” He threw his head back and whooped. When he looked at her again, tears glistened in his eyes. “If it’s a girl, let’s name her Ruby. If it’s a boy, let’s name him John Henry.”

Callie almost cried with happiness. She grasped his dear face between her hands and smiled up at him. “It was John Henry, after all, who started this trouble,” she told him.

Matt grinned. His voice was soft as he bent to kiss her. “You mean this kind of trouble, Caroline?”

Her own voice sank to a barely audible level as his mouth hovered over hers. “Oh, yes. Just like this.” They kissed deeply, and when they finished she gave him a coy look. “I’ve always wanted to make love in a convertible, beneath a summer sky, Matt.” Callie slid out of his arms and lay back on the seat, then held out her hands.

“A new adventure,” he said with a dramatic sigh as he lowered himself on top of her. “How will I ever survive?”

“Through rigorous training,” she replied. He began to undress her very slowly.

“Caroline Carmichael, I can see now that you’re going to widen my horizons.”

“You’ve widened mine.” She slid a hand between them and patted her stomach. His hand followed.

“I can already feel the baby kicking.”

“I’m only two months pregnant, darling. It’s not possible.”

Matt gave her a smug look, but his eyes gleamed with laughter. “If this baby has inherited any of your independent spirit, it already wants to be free.”

Callie shook her head. Her hands moved languidly over his thighs. “Freedom can be awfully lonely.” They shared a long, tender gaze. “Love me now, Matt, please.”

He smiled. And he did.

And many minutes later, as they lay in each other’s arms, they heard a strange, soft sound nearby in the woods. “I think there’s a little creek around here,” Matt whispered. “The wind is carrying the noise of the water running over the rocks. Sounds like someone is chuckling, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. What a nice thought.” Callie brushed a kiss across Matt’s cheek and suppressed a smile.

She knew they’d just heard the low, approving baa of a shaggy angora goat.

Welcome to Loveswept!

The holidays are approaching and I’ve so many things to do, don’t you? So why is it
all
I want to do is cuddle up on the couch with a good book? I’ll tell you why, there are so many amazing
Loveswept
stories on sale this month that all you’ll want to do is read too!! For starters,
LOVING THE EARL
(11/11) by Sharon Cullen features our hero’s sister from
THE NOTORIOUS LADY ANNE
(2/11), and OMG ladies, this book is for you! Sharon writes with wit and steam a combination that keeps me reading all night long. Double your historical delight with Samantha Kane’s finale in
The Saint’s Devils
,
DEVIL IN MY ARMS
(11/26) – its Hil’s story and what a match he’s made. Then,
Loveswept
debut, Serena Bell releases,
YOURS TO KEEP
(11/11), a captivating story of a woman living on the edge—and the man who’s destined to love her (
sigh
).

And there’s more!

Ruthie Knox releases a series of short stories,
Roman Holiday
. Over the next weeks look for each installment:
CHAINED
(11/12) - book one launches the series; followed by,
HITCHED
(11/19); then,
BLINDSIDED
(11/26), plus books four and five are right around the corner, ten books in all!!

And, you can’t miss these classics:

Fran Baker’s,
THE WIDOW AND THE WILDCATTER
, the captivating story of a woman haunted by the ghosts of the past, and a daredevil who promises a future filled with love; Sandra Chastain’s,
REBEL IN SILK
, about an unconventional beauty who refuses to back down from a challenge—or a handsome loner with a taste for trouble; and Sandra’s classics continue with,
TOO HOT TO HANDLE
, and,
THE SILVER BULLET AFFAIR
. Look for favorite
Loveswept
author Iris Johansen and her re-release of,
STAR-SPANGLED BRIDE
. Readers have continued to adore Ruth Owen’s
Loveswepts
including,
SORCERER
, a sexy tale of an emotionally guarded computer whiz and the princess who makes virtual reality come to vivid life. And, to wrap up the month Jean Stone’s,
BIRTHDAY GIRL
, and Connie Brockway’s,
AS YOU DESIRE
, will keep you toasty on those cold winter nights.

Holiday lovers won’t want to skip these contemporary reissues,
ROOM AT THE INN
by Ruthie Knox, and Molly O’Keefe’s,
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
, guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.

New this winter is,
HEATING UP THE HOLIDAY’S
, a fabulous anthology that takes you through the seasons:
New York Times
bestselling author, Lisa Renee Jones, leads the lineup with,
PLAY WITH ME
, a Thanksgiving romance;
SNOWFALL
, by Mary Ann Rivers, will warm you up for Christmas; and knock off your New Years with,
MIDIGHT AFFAIR
, by Serena Bell – love could not be any more special!

Be swept away with
Love swept
, ’tis the season!

Happy Holidays –

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

Read on for excerpts from more
Loveswept
titles …

Read on for an excerpt from Katie Rose’s

Mistletoe and Magic

“I see someone,” Jennifer Appleton whispered. Her half-shut eyes fell on the elderly woman seated across the table from her. “It is a woman. Has your mother passed over as well as your father?”

“Why, yes!” Beatrice Osborne appeared surprised as she gazed at the lovely young woman before her. “He died in the war, while she …”

“Her heart.” Jennifer nodded as the woman gasped in acknowledgment. “I have a strange feeling right here.” She pressed her hand over her left breast and appeared to shudder. “I feel she really left us due to a broken heart.”

“She was never the same after seeing my father’s name on those papers.” Beatrice’s eyes filled. “And though they said she had a weakness due to the fever, I believe as you do.”