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Nate shifted so that his shoulder brushed against hers, and he lowered his mouth closer to her ear.
“Since that kiss we shared under the mistletoe, I haven’t been able to go much longer than that without thinking about you. And when I think about that kiss, I remember how good your body felt against mine, and how surprised—and incredibly turned on—I was by the passion of your response.”
“You’re right,” Allison said. “Our memories are different. But considering that we’re going to be working closely together, I think it would be best if we both just forgot about that kiss.”
“I already know that I can’t.”
“Maybe you just need to try a little harder.”
“Are you saying that you have forgotten?”
“I’m saying that I’m not going to let anything interfere with our working relationship.”
“I know how to separate business from pleasure,” he assured her.
“Let’s keep the focus on business,” she suggested.
“That doesn’t sound like nearly as much fun.”
“I like my job and I want to keep my job. Which means I’m definitely not going to sleep with my boss.”
His lips curved. “I’m not your boss yet.”
Those Engaging Garretts! The Carolina Cousins
The Daddy Wish
Brenda Harlen
BRENDA HARLEN is a former attorney who once had the privilege of appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. The practice of law taught her a lot about the world and reinforced her determination to become a writer—because in fiction, she could promise a happy ending! Now she is an award-winning, national bestselling author of more than thirty titles for Mills & Boon. You can keep up to date with Brenda on Facebook and Twitter or through her website, brendaharlen.com.
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Writing is often a solitary venture … but not this time!
During the writing of much of this book, I was blessed with the company of an incredible group of women, and I would like to dedicate this story to the CBs who were an integral part of the process: CMS, JenB, RSS, GP and Theresa, with an extra special thank you to JenB and “Mr JenB” for their generosity and hospitality.
(xo “35”)
This story is also dedicated to Becky with thanks for the tour, the stories, and answers to my endless questions. All the good stuff is hers—any mistakes made or liberties taken are my own.
Contents
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
The Garrett Furniture Christmas party was held at the Courtland Hotel in downtown Charisma, as it had been for each of the past six years that Allison Caldwell had worked for the company. The main ballroom was decorated for the occasion with miles of pine garland, dozens of potted evergreens twinkling with lights and white poinsettias at the center of every table. The meal was a traditional roast turkey dinner served family style, with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, buttered corn, baby carrots, green beans and cranberry sauce.
The Garretts always treated their staff well—from holiday parties to summer picnics, from comprehensive benefit packages
