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Community service never looked so good
Monica Accord knows trends, not tractors...fashion, not fertilizer. But she’s stuck working on Noah Cameron’s farm after one mistake lands her with community service. Monica remembers Noah from high school, but she definitely never knew about the crush he had on her. Now it just feels as if she’s some bothersome city slicker.
Yet she soon realizes there’s more growing between her and Noah than just crops—a lot more. As long as the revelation of a family secret doesn’t ruin their chance of a lifetime...
“Here, tell me what you think.”
She held her wrist near his face. He bent to sniff, his lips accidentally touching her warm skin.
He jerked away. Crouching this close to her was hard enough, but his lips touching her? Even a spot as innocent as her wrist, with her blood beating warmly just below the surface.
“What change did I make to my perfume today?”
Wary, because his lust threatened to undo him, but also curious, he leaned close again, damn careful not to make contact.
“Spice. Incredibly subtle.” He sniffed again. “Cinnamon. No, cloves.”
Her smile enhanced the loveliness of the day. “How do you do that? You’re right. It’s cloves. Not much, though, because its scent can overpower everything else.”
She dropped her arm into her lap and he missed her nearness, even though he knelt right beside her. How incredible must it feel to lie beside her?
I have always loved stories about the attraction of opposites, about those people who knock us off our feet no matter how hard we resist! We know we shouldn’t be attracted, but *sigh* we are.
Monica and Noah appeared as secondary characters in In from the Cold. I wanted them to have their own stories, but with each other? Never! They were wily, though. They started sneaking around behind my back, then demanded that I write their romance.
Monica is all about designer clothing; Noah wears Birkenstocks and army surplus. She loves fashion magazines; he reads Kierkegaard. She is refined and elegant; he is an environment-loving farmer.
Despite all of his efforts to the contrary, Noah is in love with Monica. The more Monica gets to know Noah, the more trouble she has resisting him. In the end, they fall in love. The attraction of opposites triumphs again.
I hope you enjoy this story! I loved writing it.
Mary Sullivan
Safe in Noah’s Arms
Mary Sullivan
Despite growing up in a large city, MARY SULLIVAN loves to write about small towns. Maybe because of the countless hours spent as a child listening to her mother’s fascinating stories about life in rural Newfoundland. Since her days working in commercial darkrooms, Mary has gravitated toward careers that require creativity, alone in her own private space. Her interests are simple: cooking, entertaining, reading and long walks on nature trails. And puzzles! She can’t get enough of cryptic crosswords! She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website, www.marysullivanbooks.com, where readers can also sign up for her newsletter.
Contents
Standing amid the hustle and bustle swirling around her like a colorful carousel, Monica Accord thought back to when it all started. She wasn’t a violent person, but she thanked her lucky stars that she broke Noah Cameron’s arm all of those years ago.
* * *
THERE WERE THREE kinds of days in Monica Accord’s life—days when she didn’t care, days when she knew she should care and the odd, rare day when she actually did care.
This morning, driving onto Noah Cameron’s organic farm outside of Accord, Colorado, she cared.
Too bad. Life would be easier if she didn’t have a conscience.
She parked beside Noah’s ancient pickup truck, which was next to a big old farmhouse that appeared to be abandoned. White paint peeled from the railing on the veranda. One eaves trough hung askew—it was a forgotten house, the owner off to parts unknown without a backward glance.
Was she at the wrong place? She had understood it to be a working farm.
Yesterday, the court’s directions to the farm had