THE TEXAN'S WEDDING ESCAPE – Charlene Sands
Heart of Stone, Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2585
ISBN: 978-1-335-97145-6
April 2018
Contemporary Series Romance
Dallas, Texas – Present Day
Cooper Stone is still struggling over the death of his best friend, Tony Abbott, and will do just about anything for Tony's mother and sister. When Tony's mother comes to Cooper and tells him that she's concerned about her daughter Lauren's recent engagement to Tony's partner, he agrees to help. Cooper thinks back and recalls that Tony mentioned to him just before the car crash that killed Tony that he was checking his partner for possible illicit activity in their company. To keep Lauren temporarily away from her fiancé, Cooper offers her his ranch for the proposed wedding and uses the opportunity to invite her and her mother to stay on the ranch to plan the wedding. They agree, and now Cooper must determine if the groom is the right man for Lauren.
Lauren was ripe for a man's attention after the death of her brother. After a romantic courtship, she agrees to marry Roger Kelsey, Tony's partner, and because she's inherited half of the company, has put her entire trust in the man. She is touched by Cooper's offer of holding the wedding on his ranch. When she was a teenager, she had a huge crush on him, but of course, she's now older…and in love with Roger. Or is she? But after she moves to the ranch, time spent alone with Cooper has an attraction between them bubbling to the surface. Will it lead to something neither expects?
As Tony's little sister, Lauren has been off limits to Cooper, but they've forged a friendship that is maintained even after Tony's death. The news that she's getting married jars Cooper and he's not sure why. After she temporarily moves into his house on the ranch to plan the wedding, he begins to see her in a new way and soon realizes he's attracted to her. But there's too much going on between them: her engagement, his investigation of her fiancé and his grief over losing Tony. But as she spends days—and nights—in his house, their growing attraction soon sizzles into a full-fledged passion in THE TEXAN'S WEDDING ESCAPE. Will Lauren change her mind about marrying Roger? Will Cooper find the evidence he's looking for?
Cooper feels like he's between a rock and a wall as he tries to help Lauren and her mother even as he investigates her fiancé. But seeing Lauren in his home makes him realize how beautiful and desirable she is to him. Their passion is hot and insatiable, though it leaves him guilty. If Roger is guilty of a crime, can Cooper convince her to break off the engagement? Cooper is a noble man, but should he try to claim Lauren for himself?
Readers will discover in THE TEXAN'S WEDDING ESCAPE that decisions will have to be made, ones that affect Cooper and Lauren's future together. An engaging tale, don't miss out picking this up.
Patti Fischer
