Taming Molly: Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 2.5 A DuVal Cousins Quickie (9 page)
If you want more of Molly and Josh and want to know what the gift was in the pizza box, look for the next full-length Heroes of Henderson novel.
Top Dog
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 3
Available for
Pre-order Now.
Keep reading for a sneak peek.
The Heroes of Henderson Series continues with
Top Dog
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 3
Available for
Pre-order Now
Crain Carraway, Dallas business tycoon and sports fanatic, is not from Henderson. But his wife is. Although no one knows that because she managed to get cold feet
after
their impromptu Vegas wedding. Hiding out in her hometown, she’s sicked her lawyer on him, doing her best to buy his silence and a quickie divorce.
Like hell.
It’s taken him way too long to find the perfect Mrs. Carraway, and now that he’s had the fortuitous luck to stumble into Henderson and his bride, he’s not about to let her go.
Chapter One
The trouble with trouble is it always starts out as fun.
Four Months Earlier
Crain Carraway slipped inside the luxurious bathroom of his Las Vegas suite and shut the door quietly. Even though he couldn’t sleep, it seemed that his beautiful bride was out cold after a very lengthy, highly energetic, totally off-the-charts, roll-me-over-and-do-that-again consummation of their marriage. God, she was something. Something fine looking and brilliant and just as sweet as the cherry on top of his Absolut Old Fashioned. He couldn’t believe she was his. All his. And he couldn't sleep because he wanted the world to know it.
Starting with his parents.
He dialed their number, checking the time on his watch. Dallas was two hours ahead of Vegas and on a weekday morning his parents should be up and at ’em. No doubt this would get their day started with a bang.
“Honey Bear!” his momma said in greeting, as if he wasn’t thirty-five-years old.
“Momma Bear,” he said back, playing her game. “Put me on speaker and round up Poppa Bear. I have big news.”
“Big news?”
“Texas-sized news.”
His mother laughed. “Bigger than when you started CC Dallas, Inc.? Lucius!” his mother shouted. “Your son has Texas-sized news he wants us to hear together.”
“May as well grab a bottle of champagne while you’re at it, Ma. You’re gonna need it.” Crain said.
“I'll bet that luxury suite at Cowboys Stadium came through,” his father’s voice echoed over the phone.
“Even better than that,” Crain said, grinning at himself in the bathroom mirror. “Dad, do you remember that statuesque blonde I pointed out when you stopped in the office a month ago? The one trying to hide all that beauty under those smart-girl glasses?”
“Do I? That pretty little gal had you drooling like a Bluetick Coonhound.”
Crain chuckled. “Guilty as charged. Well, it took some doing, but I finally got that pretty little gal to agree to a dinner date. I took her to Nick & Sam’s.”
“Best steakhouse in Dallas,” his dad said.
“And she loved it. In fact, the date went so well she agreed to meet me for drinks at the Ice House the next night. One thing led to another very good night and, although I will admit she was a little bit tipsy when I asked her to accompany me to Las Vegas, I assure you she was completely sober when I asked her to marry me.”
“You’re engaged?” his mother exclaimed.
“Better than that. We’re married.”
“Married?” Poppa Bear sounded astonished.
“We eloped. Just last night. It was just…right. Everything about it was perfect. And I’m sorry you weren’t here, but I know you’re gonna forgive me when you meet my bride.”
“Wha…ah…well of course we’ll forgive you,” his mother stuttered. “But darlin’ boy, this is all so quick. So sudden.”
Crain smiled, softening his voice in an effort to soothe his momma. “I know it seems that way, I truly do. But you know I’ve dated a lot of wonderful women over the years. Every time I figured out what I didn’t want, I knew better what I did want. And this one, this one is the complete package. Underneath her bright and engaging business persona, there’s a bewitching temptress just as sweet as praline pie. She’s the one I’ve been looking for all my life, Momma. She’s the one I want.”
“You sound so certain.”
“Because I am. I was certain the first time we met, and after date number two all I could think was how fast can I get this girl to the altar?”
“Any faster and you’d catch up to yesterday,” his father said.
“And now I’m burning daylight, so let me get back to my bride,” Crain countered.
“Wait!” his mother cried. “What’s her name? Who are her people?”
“Well, I don’t exactly know who her people are, Momma, because I’ve been solely focused on sweeping her off her feet. But I’ll tell you what. Anybody who can raise a woman like her can’t be all bad. Now I’ve got to go and talk my bride into a nice long honeymoon in Hawaii, so if you two don’t hear from me for a couple weeks, don’t fret. In the meantime, Momma, you can start planning whatever extravaganza you’ve got in mind to introduce my bride to
our
people.”
“I can tell you one thing,” his momma scolded. “It’s gonna look a whole lot like a church wedding and a big fat reception. You tell my new daughter-in-law the first thing I plan to do is to take her shopping for a wedding dress. I love you, but I am not particularly happy about this.”
“Oh come on,” he goaded. “You know you’re a little happy about this.”
“I’m very happy you’re happy, darlin’ boy. But I sure don’t like missing my own son’s wedding. Now bring that girl home, so I can hug her neck.”
“Will do, Momma. Will do. Poppa Bear, I am signing off.”
“I’ll take care of your momma. You go take care of your bride.”
“Over and out.”
Crain hung up. And then he did what turned out to be about the dumbest thing a man with a Texas A&M degree could do. He took the time to text everybody he knew, telling them he had married the cutest Ol’ Miss Hotty Toddy ever found in Dallas. Yep, he was one happy groom. Right up until he made his bride a cup of coffee just the way she liked it—with a whole lot of sugar—and carried it into the bedroom.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered, until he realized the bed was empty. “Sugar?” he yelled, looking around the room, his eyes coming to rest on the note written with her preferred red Sharpie. “Honey?” he said, moving forward to pick up the note.
Four little words. Four little words Crain Carraway had no idea what to do with. Four little words that left him certain of absolutely nothing.
I’m sorry – cold feet.
Releasing on November 18, 2014
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By
Liz Kelly
Countdown To A Kiss
A New Year's Eve Anthology
Playin’ Cop
Heroes of Henderson ~ Prequel
Previously published as
The Keeper of the Debutantes
in
Countdown to A Kiss
Good Cop
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 1
Bad Cop
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 2
Taming Molly
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 2.5
A DuVal Cousins Quickie
Top Dog
Heroes of Henderson ~ Book 3
Releasing on 11/18/2014
About the Author
Growing up every summer in a place where
dancing and romancing
are literally part of its theme song, Liz Kelly can't help but be a romantic at heart. And since her favorite author, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss wrote some of the world's greatest romances, she's just trying to give the world a little more of that. (Okay, maybe a little sexier
that
, but we are now in a new millennium after all.)
A graduate of Wake Forest University, where she met her handsome golf-addicted husband, (who is now sporting dark glasses everywhere he goes) Liz is a mother of two grown sons (also sporting dark glasses) and a miniature Labradoodle named Isabelle. They live in the
Fountain of Youth,
a.k.a. Naples, FL where dancing and romancing continues on ad infinitum.
Table of Contents