скачать книгу бесплатно
The Life She Wants
Jo McNally
She's fought hard for this life, and won't give it up!Gallant Lake, New York, is the perfect place for former supermodel Melanie Lowery. It's slow-paced and far from the limelight. Her peace is disrupted, though, when hotshot sports agent Shane Brannigan comes to town with his young golf star client. Melanie sees herself in the rebellious teen struggling with fame, and she can’t help stepping in and getting to know Shane in the process. But Shane’s chasing the same jet-set world that she left behind—a world that could reawaken demons Melanie's fought hard to conquer. Yet with Shane leaving Gallant Lake any day, her heart is putting up a fight of its own…
She’s fought hard for this life, and won’t give it up!
Gallant Lake, New York, is the perfect place for former supermodel Melanie Lowery. It’s slow-paced and far from the limelight. Her peace is disrupted, though, when hotshot sports agent Shane Brannigan comes to town with his young golf star client. Melanie sees herself in the rebellious teen struggling with fame, and she can’t help stepping in and getting to know Shane in the process. But Shane’s chasing the same jet-set world that she left behind—a world that could reawaken demons Melanie’s fought hard to conquer. Yet with Shane leaving Gallant Lake any day, her heart is putting up a fight of its own...
JO McNALLY lives in coastal North Carolina with one hundred pounds of dog and two hundred pounds of husband—her slice of the bed is very small. When she’s not writing or reading romance novels (or clinging to the edge of the bed), she can often be found on the back porch sipping wine with friends while listening to great music. If the weather is absolutely perfect, Jo might join her husband on the golf course, where she tends to feel far more competitive than her actual skill level would suggest.
She likes writing stories about strong women and the men who love them. She’s a true believer that love can conquer all if given just half a chance.
You can follow Jo pretty much anywhere on social media (and she’d love it if you did!), but you can start at her website, jomcnallyromance.com (http://www.jomcnallyromance.com).
Also By Jo McNally (#uaabea830-f75d-5745-b7f4-ecfd8cbdee1a)
Nora’s Guy Next Door
She’s Far From Hollywood
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Life She Wants
Jo McNally
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08471-0
THE LIFE SHE WANTS
© 2018 Jo McNally
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
He had no doubt that this woman might rip his life, and his heart, apart if he let her.
And still...he wanted her. He wanted her to be his.
A furrow appeared between her brows.
“Shane...” His name was a whisper on her lips.
“Say that again.”
Melanie’s eyes darkened, and the furrow faded as a smile teased her lips. Her voice was stronger this time.
“Shane. What are we doing?”
“Damned if I know, but I’m not stopping unless you tell me to.”
He waited, and she didn’t say a word. His head dropped until his lips touched hers. He waited again, until she tipped her head up to meet his. Her lips parted for him with a sigh, and still he hesitated. Was he afraid for her? Or for himself? This moment...this moment felt big. She murmured his name against his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck. And he was a goner.
Dear Reader (#uaabea830-f75d-5745-b7f4-ecfd8cbdee1a),
This book is the third and final book in my The Lowery Women series. This book is also one of the last four Superromances to ever be released from Harlequin. There have been so many terrific Superromances through the years, written by wonderful authors (my “Super Sisters”) and edited by some of the best in the business. My emotions are all over the place between pride and sorrow to be in this final group of Supers.
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my two Superromance editors. Victoria Curran is the person who said “yes!” to my debut novel, She’s Far From Hollywood. I will never forget her enthusiasm and wise advice. And speaking of wise advice, my current editor, Karen Reid, got me through books two and three with wonderful guidance and vision.
As they say, when one door closes, another opens. If you enjoy the small-town setting of Gallant Lake, New York (the setting for this book as well as Nora’s Guy Next Door), I’m happy to say I’ll be writing more Gallant Lake stories for Harlequin Special Edition.
So...this is truly bittersweet. I’m thrilled to be part of Special Edition going forward, and very sad to be saying goodbye to Superromance. I hope you enjoy this story, and that you’ll want to read more about the people of Gallant Lake.
Wishing you forever love,
Jo McNally
Writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes a team, and I’ve had the best possible team for The Lowery Women series.
To Victoria and Karen with gratitude.
Contents
Cover (#ufcc78e7d-eb0c-5d90-9b78-68b87c8b03d8)
Back Cover Text (#uefe3d473-eac8-5db0-a01b-7b7fdd3b24e5)
About the Author (#ua9646e6e-91cf-5650-91bb-6abc18b8b838)
Booklist (#u34eff139-e3fe-537f-8459-c23f8d9e230b)
Title Page (#u7bf45a48-e12b-5e68-ad29-1218a5690376)
Copyright (#u2ead8403-25a2-570d-bcab-71a9f40fa274)
Introduction (#ud2cbb4d1-434e-5a27-b1be-a8526394dc69)
Dear Reader (#u3fe3e76c-613d-5bad-80a0-fcf54a4259fe)
Dedication (#ud49786e0-6b06-5d1a-861b-fab72626d65a)
CHAPTER ONE (#u29e66b78-235d-5dcc-89f7-d0068ded9660)
CHAPTER TWO (#u2bab6232-f171-5d6d-acdb-1c0f55d2c467)
CHAPTER THREE (#u10b029cf-0f42-5c84-be79-f6f6703a98a6)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ucc0eefae-40b7-5e27-ae6d-af5063639d16)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u6e0d0e3a-4e9e-5fb2-8670-3aa0fb902f92)
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)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#uaabea830-f75d-5745-b7f4-ecfd8cbdee1a)
“MELANIE, CAN I skip this necklace? It seems like overkill to me.”
“Mel, you don’t really expect me to wear these shoes, do you?”
“Melanie, this dress is way too short for a grandmother.”
“Mel...”
Melanie Lowery closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath.
If this was Paris or New York City, this type of fashion-model rebellion would never be tolerated. But Mel wasn’t in Paris. And while technically in New York state, she was nowhere near the fashion district. The three women in front of her were not professional models. They were her cousins, and they had volunteered to help her market this collection.
They were doing her a favor.
She could not scream at them.
One more deep breath.
“Amanda,” she said—as calmly as possible—to the petite blonde in the blue sheath, “it’s not a necklace, it’s an extension of the dress that happens to fasten around your neck. That jeweled bib is what makes the dress special. So please. Just. Put. It. On.”
The tall redhead standing by the door wore a flowing floral gown. Bright orange stilettos dangled from her fingers. Bree’s face said it all, but Mel stopped the inevitable flow of opinions before it began.
“Bree, I picked those shoes specifically for that dress. They match the clutch you’ll be carrying. It’s almost like I planned it that way.” She tried to keep the sarcastic edge from her voice, but failed.
“Pull in your claws, Mel. It’s not the color I’m worried about, it’s the crazy heels. I can’t walk in these things.”
“Seriously? I’ve seen you walk Hollywood red carpets in higher.”
“That was a lifetime ago. There’s not much call for stilettos on the farm.” Bree patted her protruding belly. “And don’t forget my passengers. Twins, babe. Twins. They’re wreaking havoc with my balance, not to mention my ankles.”
“Okay, Bree, I get it. Twins.”
Her business partner and best friend, Luis Alvarado, was already digging through a tangled pile of accessories in the corner of the room. These were his dresses her cousins were wearing to the charity gala tonight. Well, his with a little influence from her. Actually... Bree’s dress was nearly all Melanie. It had been her idea to go old-school with a beribboned empire waist and the flowing organza to accommodate Bree’s pregnant figure. With her dark red hair falling free and her sun-kissed skin draped in the colorful poppy print on ivory, Bree looked like an exotic goddess.
“Here we go!” Luis stood triumphantly. “Wear these nude flats, honey. Just watch the length of the dress. I don’t want you to trip over it.” Mel bit back a smile when Luis held out the delicate shoes in his meaty hand. His muscular build made him look more like a linebacker than a fashion designer. Of course, with his long, dark hair and that milk chocolate skin, he could also be the cover model on some romance novel. But the man was a genius with fabric. He was already respected in smaller circles, and soon the entire fashion world would know his name.
