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The Wedding Adventure
Melissa McClone
For nearly two weeks they were trapped together on a tropical island, forced to endure Surv/vor-like challenges in order to win a grand prize. But for the normally business-minded Cade Armstrong Waters, the toughest part became resisting his pampered-princess-turned-worthy-teammate, Cynthia Sterling.Cynthia's grit and determination, not to mention her golden locks and shining eyes, made Cade ache to hold her as they shared close quarters in a makeshift tent. But although his hardened heart had slowly begun to heal in her presence, Cade had no desire to surrender his bachelor status. Which only proved that walking away could be his biggest challenge of all!
“This bed is big enough for the two of us.”
Cynthia bit her bottom lip. “We’re just friends, right?”
Cade smiled. “Right.” But after kissing her… “You know what, you can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the ground.”
“Take the bed. I don’t mind the floor.”
“This is ridiculous,” Cade said. “We’re both adults.”
“That’s true.” Cynthia didn’t sound so confident. “It’s just a b-bed.”
“Exactly. Besides, I’m tired,” he pointed out.
“Good, we’ll both sleep.” Her cheeks reddened. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean.” If they were both tired, they would simply sleep. But part of him prayed that wasn’t true.
Dear Reader,
We’ve been busy here at Silhouette Romance cooking up the next batch of tender, emotion-filled romances to add extra sizzle to your day.
First on the menu is Laurey Bright’s modern-day Sleeping Beauty story, With His Kiss (#1660). Next, Melissa McClone whips up a sensuous, Survivor-like tale when total opposites must survive two weeks on an island, in The Wedding Adventure (#1661). Then bite into the next juicy SOULMATES series addition, The Knight’s Kiss (#1663) by Nicole Burnham, about a cursed knight and the modern-day princess who has the power to unlock his hardened heart.
We hope you have room for more, because we have three other treats in store for you. First, popular Silhouette Romance author Susan Meier turns on the heat in The Nanny Solution (#1662), the third in her DAYCARE DADS miniseries about single fathers who learn the ABCs of love. Then, in Jill Limber’s Captivating a Cowboy (#1664), are a city girl and a dyed-in-the-wool cowboy a recipe for disaster…or romance? Finally, Lissa Manley dishes out the laughs with The Bachelor Chronicles (#1665), in which a sassy journalist is assigned to get the city’s most eligible—and stubborn—bachelor to go on a blind date!
I guarantee these heartwarming stories will keep you satisfied until next month when we serve up our list of great summer reads.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
The Wedding Adventure
Melissa McClone
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To the Goalies for their friendship, support and love.
Books by Melissa McClone
Silhouette Romance
If the Ring Fits… #1431
The Wedding Lullaby #1485
His Band of Gold #1537
In Deep Waters #1608
The Wedding Adventure #1661
Yours Truly
Fiancé for the Night
MELISSA McCLONE
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, the last thing Melissa McClone ever thought she would be doing is writing romance novels, but analyzing engines for a major U.S. airline just couldn’t compete with her “happily-ever-afters.”
When she isn’t writing, caring for her two young children or doing laundry, Melissa loves to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, her cats and a good book. She is also a big fan of The X-Files and enjoys watching home decorating shows to get ideas for her house—a 1939 cottage that is slowly being renovated.
Melissa lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with her own real-life hero husband, daughter, son, two lovable but oh-so-spoiled indoor cats and a no-longer stray outdoor kitty who decided to call the garage home. Melissa loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 63, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.
Contents
Prologue (#u1a3c293c-139f-590a-9052-43c3883c8680)
Chapter One (#uceb58c63-885c-550d-84aa-7c3529a18643)
Chapter Two (#ub86b821b-d674-5e7b-b855-8f8f8085017d)
Chapter Three (#u8ccdc81d-6790-5b7b-b42e-30c78532c60d)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
The house was too quiet.
Sitting in his library, Henry Davenport tapped his Mont Blanc pen against the top of his mahogany desk, but the floor-to-ceiling bookcases absorbed the sound. He dropped the pen and glanced around the room looking for something to do.
Dickens, Hawking, Clancy, Gardner… He wasn’t in the mood to read any of the books on the shelves. His housekeeper had placed all his magazines in the recycling bin. A fire hazard was what she’d called the stack he kept by the library door.
TV wasn’t an option. He’d surfed through all the cable channels and over 500 more on his three different satellite dishes. He had no shows left on his TiVo to watch. He was all caught up. And he’d already seen all his DVDs and videos.
Music. That would do the trick. He touched the play button on the CD remote. The jazzy strains of a trumpet filled the air.
Nice, but Henry wasn’t in the mood for jazz. He hit another button. Vivaldi. Classical wouldn’t do. Easy listening. Forget about it. Blues. Not today. Hard rock, folk, alternative, country. He made his way through the one hundred CDs stored in his player. Not one would do.
Tomorrow he’d have to buy a hundred different ones. Obviously his musical tastes had changed.
But what about now?
His Portland, Oregon, estate was deserted due to the annual retreat he sponsored for his staff. The silence had never affected Henry before, but tonight…
The quiet was a problem. He needed…something.
One phone call and he could fill the house or a club with more friends than he knew what to do with. But that wasn’t what he wanted, either. It had to be something else.
The plans for his upcoming birthday party were nearly completed. All that remained was the escrow closing on the private island he’d purchased. So why did he feel as if something were missing? Something important.
Henry stared at the neat stacks of files in front of him. The invitations, the party arrangements, even the adventure. He opened the top file and studied the guest list. He’d checked and double-checked who would be joining him for an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii to attend his birthday bash on April Fools’ Day. No one had been left off. He’d made certain.
The next file was about the party itself. From the catering to the live entertainment, no detail had been ignored. This year’s traditional luau/tropical paradise party at one of Hawaii’s most exclusive resorts was several steps up from last year’s tacky wedding theme in Reno, Nevada.
Tacky or not, that party had been his best. It would be difficult if not impossible to top Reno’s success. But Henry had to try.
Each year, he threw himself a birthday party and sent two of his guests on an adventure. Every year got better, more elaborate, more fun. He thought the participants enjoyed it, too.
Maybe that was the problem. He didn’t want to let his guests down. They’d come to expect certain things from him. Though none had expected him to act like Cupid.
Last year, he’d tried something new and played matchmaker with the adventure participants. The result—two of his best friends, Brett Matthews and Laurel Worthington, had fallen in love and married for real. Henry was now godfather to their almost three-month-old beautiful baby daughter, Noelle.
He stared at the half dozen pictures of Noelle on his desk and warmth surrounded his heart. He still couldn’t believe someone so tiny could fill him with so much love. He couldn’t wait to watch her grow, to be a part of all the milestones in her life. He already had a roomful of presents waiting for her. Everything from a life-size rocking horse to a strand of Mikamoto pearls. Bringing Noelle’s parents together had been the right thing. Not only for Brett and Laurel, but Henry, too.
And that’s when it hit him.
Something was wrong with this year’s party and adventure. Something enormous. He couldn’t go back to his old way of allowing fate to pick the participants. He might not be one for marriage, but he’d seen how happy Brett and Laurel were together. Henry wanted all his friends to experience the same happiness. And if he ended up with more godchildren, he wouldn’t complain. Not one bit.
Excitement rushed through him. This was the feeling that had been missing. With a grin, Henry picked up his pen and studied the names on his guest list.
Who would be the next two to live happily ever after?
Chapter One
“Why did you drag me away from Travis?” Cynthia Sterling was not happy with Henry Davenport and could care less if today was his thirty-fourth birthday. “We were having such a good time.”
“A good time?” Henry, wearing a green and white Hawaiian shirt and shorts, led her through the grand ballroom at one of Hawaii’s top resorts. His April Fools’ Day Bacchanalian birthday parties were legendary. This year’s Polynesian paradise theme, complete with tiki torches illuminating the path from the tastefully decorated ballroom to the beach and luau, was no exception. Henry’s customary style and taste were everywhere, not to mention the added touches—such as the beautiful and talented hula dancers—that provided local flavor. But his ever-present smile had all but disappeared. “Travis was about to drool.”
She hadn’t imagined that. Cynthia wet her lips. “So?”
“The man’s obsessed with you, darling.”
“Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer infatuated.”
“How about pathetic?” Henry suggested with a tilt of his beachcomber hat. “No matter, he’ll get over it.”
“Not if I can help it.” Travis had the qualities she wanted in a husband. He hung on her every word, thought she could do no wrong and wanted to give her the world. “He’s perfect.”
“You can do better than Travis Drummond.”
“What if I don’t want to do better?”
“He’s already jilted one bride at the altar.”
“He told me,” Cynthia admitted. “It wasn’t his fault.”
“It never is,” Henry muttered.
She ignored him, glanced back and spotted a frowning Travis among the other guests. She wouldn’t call him classically handsome like Henry and several of the other men in her social circle, but Travis Drummond was cute with a farm boy sort of charm, a sweet grin and a mind-boggling net worth. Like her, he was an only child. He had mentioned feeling lonely, how he wanted to settle down with the right woman and start a family. Cynthia had used every ounce of willpower to keep herself from hauling him off to a judge right then. She felt the same way. Except about finding the right woman. She needed the right man to be her husband and the father of her children.
Travis could be the one. He adored her. She liked him. What more could she want in a marriage?
His gaze met hers. He stared at her as if she were the only woman in the crowded room. In his eyes, she was and a rush of feminine power surged through her. All of her close friends were either married or engaged. She wanted the same comfort and security they had found.
Cynthia mouthed “later.” Travis smiled. Maybe feeling lonely was going to be a thing of the past…for both of them.
She adjusted the hibiscus in her hair and looked up at Henry. “Travis thinks I’m the best thing he’s ever come across.”
“You are.” Henry sounded sincere, but he always said the right words. His reputation as a playboy and heart-breaker was well-earned. He oozed charm, but Cynthia was immune. He was a good friend, the closest thing she had to a big brother. She’d met him when she was a debutante and they had become fast friends despite the difference in their ages. Dating him wasn’t an option. They’d tried once five years ago right after she’d turned twenty-one. It felt weird, uncomfortable, wrong. They were destined to be nothing more than friends. Both were happy with that. “But before you settle on becoming Mrs. Travis Drummond, there’s someone else I want you to meet first.”
“Who?”
“Cade Waters.”
“Waters.” The name didn’t sound familiar. She knew most of the families of the rich and the eligible. “Should I know him?”
“His full name is Cade Armstrong Waters.”
She stopped walking. “Armstrong International?”
Henry nodded. “He’s one of the nephews.”
