Praise for award-winning author Helen Brenna
“Brenna combines nonstop action and great sexual
tension for a story readers won’t want to put down.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Moon That Night,
nominated for a Reviewer’s Choice award for
Best Harlequin Superomance of 2010
“I’ve found a new series romance writer to put
on the auto-buy list.”
—All About Romance on Along Came a Husband
“One book you must have on your list…don’t miss it!”
—Romance Reviews Today on Along Came a Husband
“In this touching story about the power love has to
heal all wounds, Brenna’s characters have terrifically
real depth and emotional appeal.”
—RT Book Reviews on Then Comes Baby
“A talented storyteller, Brenna has a gift for writing
category romance. She understands how to create
intimate, heart-touching stories with the kind of
vigorous writing that makes a series romance a
satisfying little peek into the lives and loves of unique
people and families. If you don’t know her work,
Next Comes Love is a nice place to start.”
—Michelle Buonfiglio, BN.com
“Highlighting the eternal tension between safety and
risk and the familiar and the unknown, this poignant,
sweet, gently humorous story focuses on a pair of
deeply conflicted protagonists and nicely sets the
stage for the Mirabelle Island books to come.”
—Library Journal on First Come Twins
Dear Reader,
Growing up a tomboy, I felt almost immune to the pressure placed on young women with regard to beauty. Raising a daughter changed all that. I don’t have enough space here to opine on body image, but our daughters deserve better. Just ask Grace.
So why do I write beautiful heroines and handsome heroes? I’ve always figured it’s part of the fantasy. After all, I do write fiction. Grace has me thinking, though, that maybe I should mix it up. We’ll see.
In September 2011, please watch for the seventh and last Mirabelle Island story, Redemption at Mirabelle. Missy Charms’s sister Marin, who first appeared in book four, Along Came a Husband, comes to the island to do a little soul searching. The last thing she expects is for that search to lead her to a gruff widower and his two kids.
If you’re curious about Mirabelle, check out my website. I hope to add pages of pictures, a character chart and maybe even a map of the island. I love hearing from readers, and you can contact me at [email protected], or P.O. Box 24107, Minneapolis, MN 55424.
My best,
Helen Brenna
Her Sure Thing
Helen Brenna
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Brenna grew up in central Minnesota, the seventh of eight children. Although she never dreamed of writing books, she’s always been a voracious reader. So after taking a break from her accounting career to be an at-home mom, she tried her hand at writing the romances she loves to read. Since she was first published in 2007, her books have won many awards, including a Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award, an RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice, a Holt Medallion, a Book Buyers Best, and a National Readers’ Choice Award. Helen lives happily ever after with her family in Minnesota. She’d love hearing from you. Email her at [email protected] or send mail to P.O. Box 24107, Minneapolis, MN 55424.
Visit her website at www.helenbrenna.com or chat with Helen and other authors at Riding With The Top Down.
For Mark Twomey
Thanks, big bro, for being you and for all you do!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to fellow writer Lois Greiman for letting
me muck out barn stalls and dig fence posts.
With friends like you…
Seriously, thank you, dear, for allowing me to ride
your precious and beautiful Sage,
for advice on this manuscript and for giving
me a glimpse into a life with horses.
If only I had a couple extra acres, a barn and a
pair of those sexy riding boots…
Thanks, also, to my lovely and very talented
niece Angi Twomey for her expert advice
and insight with regard to the Los Angeles
fashion world and for letting me sleep on her
couch while doing research!
What happens in L.A. stays in L.A.
You know that, right?
Love you both,
Helen
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER ONE
A SIMPLE, UNCOMPLICATED LIFE. Was that too much to ask?
Apparently.
A sense of dread churning in his stomach, Sean Griffin glanced out at the choppy waters of Lake Superior and waited impatiently as the ferry approached Mirabelle Island. How ironic that this should happen to him now. Right now. When he’d finally orchestrated for himself the perfect life.
Well, almost the perfect life.
For the first time ever, he had close, trusted friends. This past winter, he’d bought the business of his dreams while managing to keep his part-time medical practice. He now owned a significant chunk of land and horses, lots of horses. And although the old farmhouse that had come with