
Snowbound with Her Mountain Cowboy
by Patricia Johns
on-sale Nov.30
Harlequin Heartwarming
Blurb:
A lost memory could mean a second chance!
Mountain resort owner Angelina Cunningham has her hands full with a massive winter storm. Which is exactly when her ex-husband arrives, injured and suffering temporary amnesia. Ben King has always been her weakness. Though he doesnβt remember her, heβs still as charming and sweet as ever, and Angelina is falling for him all over again. But can their rekindled love outlast the storm and the return of their past mistakes?
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/snowbound-with-her-mountain-cowboy-patricia-johns/1139136603?ean=9780369714497
Harlequin.com:Β https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335426505_snowbound-with-her-mountain-cowboy.html
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Excerpt:
βAngelina,β he said. βI sense there are some hard feelings between us. I mean, I donβt remember it, but you seemβ¦uncomfortable with me.β
βItβs fine,β she said with a shake of her head.
βWhat did I do?β he asked. βBecause Iβm looking at you, and I see a beautiful, successful woman Iβd be proud to be with. Soβ¦what happened with us?β
Her green gaze flicked over to meet his. βYour family happened.β
What had his father said? And perhaps expect some jealousy toward our family.
βWhat did they do?β he asked.
βThey hated me.β She said it so matter-of-factly, with no emotion behind it.
βI find that hard to believeβ¦β He smiled, hoping that sheβd soften her stance there. βFor what?β
βFor being beneath the quality standard they set for you,β she said. βThey wanted you to marry someone who came from a family equally well situated. Iβm just a regular woman.β
βNot so regularβ¦β
Sheβd achieved an awful lot to consider herself ordinary. And look at her! She drew every eye in a room.
βYouβd be surprised.β She didnβt return his smile, and her gaze didnβt waver. This wasnβt a joke. He was inclined to believe her.
βSo my family hated you, and we broke up?β he asked hesitantly.
βI got tired of trying to prove myself,β she said. βAnd I think you got tired of fighting for us. A manβs family is a part of him, Ben. Remember them or not, they formed you. They raised you. Their DNA flows through you. And I wasnβt acceptable.β
Ben felt her words spinning through his mind like that blinding snow outside. His family had been the cause of their divorce? Was that why his father had given him that warningβhe saw Angelina as a threat?
βWhy did I come here?β he asked.
Angelina shook her head. βI have no idea.β
βWe didnβt have plans toβ¦talk?β he asked. βBecause I donβt know why else Iβd be driving this way. Do I know anyone else here or have any business to take care of?β
Angelina shrugged. βI wouldnβt know. Iβm not a part of your life.β
βBut you said we talked sometimes,β he said.
βWe did,β she said.
βMaybe I wanted to talk again. You said we broke up? Maybe that was weighing on me.β
βMaybe.β She met his gaze. βI wouldnβt know, would I?β She was silent for a moment. βWe always have held on to some feelings for each other. I wonβt deny that. I think you regretted how things ended with us. But we arenβt friends. You canβt feel the way we did for each other, go through that kind of heartbreak and be friends afterward. It doesnβt work.β
No, he could see that. Knowing next to nothing about her, heβd felt drawn to this woman. And even now, knowing that nothing had worked between them, he still found himself wanting to keep her close.
βBut I came here,β he said. βWith a storm
at my back, no less. That has to mean something. I feel absolutely certain that I was trying to reachβ¦this place.β
As she looked at him, he could see that her resistance was up. She didnβt have his answers, and maybe he was asking too much of her to expect her to know why heβd come out here.
βDo you want me to have your clothes laundered tonight, or do you want to have them dry-cleaned?β she asked.
Right. She was backing away from the personal.
βIββ He shook his head. βI have no idea. Letβs try and wash them, I guess.β
She smiled faintly. βYou were particular about your shirts. I should warn you.β
He thought about it for a moment. βIβm not right now. I wouldnβt mind having my own clothes back. Letβs see how it goes.β
βAll right.β She turned toward the door.
He wanted to stop her, ask her more questions, convince her to stay awhile, but he could sense that wouldnβt be appropriate. Whatever theyβd been, it was well in the past.
βGood night,β he called after her.
βGood night, Ben.β Her voice was soft, cutting off when the door shut behind her.
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Author Info:
Patricia Johns writes from Alberta, Canada where she lives with her husband and son. She has her Honors BA in English Literature and writes for both Harlequin and Kensington books. She loves prairie skies and time with her family.
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