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She held out her hand. Rafe came around and sat beside her on the bed.
He said in a bemused tone, “My sister is happy.” Brooke had been getting counseling and it had really paid off for her.
“Yes, she is.”
“Will wonders never cease?”
“It’s good to see her doing so well.”
“That she wants to be a therapist is a little surprising.” He looked vaguely concerned—for Brooke or her future patients, Genny couldn’t be sure.
Genny shrugged. “She wants to help others now she’s finding out what it’s like to clear out all the old emotional baggage. I think she’ll be a good therapist—and come closer.”
He leaned toward her just a little.
“Closer,” she whispered. He bent near enough that their lips could touch. She kissed him, just a light brush of her mouth across his. Her heart felt so full of love. It filled her up, spilling over, bringing light and goodness and complete happiness. She reached up and stroked his scarred cheek. The scar was no more than a thin red line now. In time, it would almost disappear. Or so the plastic surgeon had promised.
He asked, “What did Rory have to say?”
“She told me all about her adventures up in the Rocky Mountains with Walker.”
“Walker?” Rafe frowned.
“Yes, Walker, the rancher and trail guide and search-and-rescue expert. It all sounded very exciting—but she’s back in Justice Creek now. The wedding’s on Saturday.” Their Bravo cousin, Clara, was marrying Walker’s younger brother, Ryan. “And then she’ll fly straight back to Montedoro for Max and Lani’s wedding.”
He asked, “Are you sad to have to miss your brother’s wedding?” Max was getting married two days before Christmas.
“A little. But I knew all along that, with Tommy coming, I wouldn’t be able to make it. And besides, I’ll have Christmas with you at Hartmore.” She gestured toward the window. “And it looks as though there will even be snow.”
“Beautiful,” he whispered. He wasn’t looking out the window.
“Merry Christmas, my darling.”
Dark eyes held hers. “Merry Christmas, love. For this year, and all of our years to come.”
* * * * *
Watch for Rory and Walker’s story,
A BRAVO CHRISTMAS WEDDING,
coming in December 2014,
only from Harlequin Special Edition.
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE LAST-CHANCE MAVERICK by Christyne Butler.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.
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Prologue
Carrollton Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
Eleven months ago
“Okay, read it to me...” Adele’s voice faded for a moment as she struggled to speak against the plastic mask covering her nose and mouth that supplied her with fresh oxygen. “...again. We need to finish our list.”
Vanessa Brent swallowed hard against the lump in her throat that refused to go away. Every time she walked into this room—as plush and beautiful and unlike a hospital room as a sun-filled space could be—she had the same physical reaction and it stayed with her until she’d left again.
One would think after three months of being here on a daily basis she’d be used to the sight of her best friend fighting a battle they’d recently accepted she wasn’t going to win. That she’d be able to sit here, hold Adele’s hand and do as she asked.
“All of it?” Glad her words managed to find their way around the obstacle in her throat, Vanessa glanced at the aged piece of paper she held in her hand. Titled “Adele and Vanessa’s Bucket List, created July 4, 2001, Secret Clubhouse, Vanessa’s Attic, Chestnut Hill, PA,” the well-creased, lined sheet of notebook paper was covered with two distinct styles of handwriting, one belonging to her twelve-year-old self and the other a more mature scrawl. “Or just the things we’ve added?”
They’d discovered the childhood list one day while going through some forgotten boxes in Vanessa’s loft apartment. Back when they’d thought Adele had once again beaten the childhood cancer that returned at the tender age of twenty-five, but then went into remission after treatment.
