Never Too Late for Love

Never Too Late for Love
Marie Ferrarella

LIKE MOTHERLIKE DAUGHTERARE YOU THE MOTHER OF THE BRIDE…Globe-trotting Margo McCloud had only come home for her daughter's wedding. But after meeting the groom's handsome, widowed father, Margo felt like a jittery bride herself. Bruce Reed's chivalry breathed freshness into her world-weary soul. And for one brief moment this single mom wondered if her daughter didn't know best about love.OR THE BRIDE?CEO Bruce Reed thought his life was full–until he met the flirtatious mother of the bride. Her sultry voice permeated his dreams, and soon he wanted her to be more than just his in-law. But could he convince stubborn Margo that it was never too late for love?LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTERWhere the bridal bouquet goes from daughter to mom!

“You’re just trying to distract me,” Margo teasingly complained. (#u2454bbfd-ff8a-51cd-b0da-349e3a30aef3)Letter to Reader (#u4d627758-f575-5790-a194-05f0f8c15d4d)Title Page (#ub908240b-0003-54f7-9898-2a99055d5d00)Dedication (#u5e7857d0-bc8c-5bc9-aaae-f62dd2c872a2)About the Author (#ua1541d5e-9f0a-5050-8730-7d4f71e837ad)Letter to Reader (#u9901439c-6125-5e24-a244-eb41e429444f)Chapter One (#ufff998ff-1ea5-5457-9f2b-ef238d1ce186)Chapter Two (#uec71bd23-6867-55a0-b62b-0c8c9d42ae9d)Chapter Three (#u770f07fe-6194-516e-a308-f37215e6c5c5)Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

“You’re just trying to distract me,” Margo teasingly complained.

“Why not?” Bruce asked. “Turnaround is fair play and you certainly distract me. Lean forward,” he said, his eyes on hers.

She did as requested but asked, “Why?”

Ever so lightly he traced the outline of her lips with his index finger and succeeded in getting them both excited. He’d forgotten what it felt like, to feel this way around a woman.

His pulse accelerating to double time, he touched his mouth to hers. All it took was a touch, and he felt himself intoxicated. There was no doubt about it, she made his head spin. Not a good way to go if he had work to do.

Bruce drew his head back, fighting off the temptation to kiss her again. “You do make everything taste better.”

Dear Reader,

Happy Valentine’s Day! What better way to celebrate than with a Silhouette Romance novel? We’re sweeter than chocolate—and less damaging to the hips! This month is filled with special treats just for you. LOVING THE BOSS, our six-book series about office romances that lead to happily ever after, continues with The Night Before Baby by Karen Rose Smith. In this sparkling story, an unforgettable one-night stand—during the company Christmas patty!—leads to an unexpected pregnancy and a mustread marriage of convenience.

Teresa Southwick crafts an emotional BUNDLES OF JOY title, in which the forbidden man of her dreams becomes a pregnant woman’s stand-in groom. Don’t miss A Vow, a Ring, a Baby Swing. When a devil-may-care bachelor discovers he’s a daddy, he offers the prim heroine a chance to hold a Baby in Her Arms, as Judy Christenberry’s LUCKY CHARM SISTERS trilogy resumes.

Award-winning author Marie Ferrarella proves it’s Never Too Late for Love as the bride’s mother and the groom’s widower father discover their children’s wedding was just the beginning in this charming continuation of LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. Beloved author Arlene James lends a traditional touch to Silhouette Romance’s ongoing HE’S MY HERO promotion with Mr. Right Next Door. And FAMILY MATTERS spotlights new talent Elyssa Henry with her heartwarming debt, A Family for the Sheriff.

Treat yourself to each and every offering this month. And in future months, look for more of the stories you love...and the authors you cherish.

Enjoy!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance

Please address questions and book requests to:

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Never Too Late for Love

Marie Ferrarella

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Mama,

for teaching me,

by example,

to never give up.

MARIE FERRARELLA

lives in Southern California. She describes herself as the tired mother of two overenergetic children and the contented wife of one wonderful man. The RITA Award-winning author is thrilled to be following her dream of writing full-time.

Dear Reader,

I was very close to my mother, both when I was growing up and when I became an adult. There were times when she was the best friend I had in the world. I’m happy to say that the tradition continues. My daughter, Jessi, and I are very close, and this is something I really treasure. Despite some of the more vocal talk shows, I really believe that more mothers and daughters are close than not. Which is why I loved doing the two books that comprise LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER.

We’ve already done Melanie’s story, now it’s her mother Margo’s turn. A fiercely independent and extremely energetic woman, Margo has forged a path for herself and her daughter, believing that the one perfect love everyone dreams about only exists in the movies her aunt Elaine loved so well. And her new son-in-law’s dad, Bruce, believes he’s had his shot at the one perfect love and it’s now over. But it’s never over, is it? And it’s never too late to fall in love with that one special person who makes you feel as if you’re walking a couple of inches off the ground. This is what happens to Margo and Bruce despite themselves. They find love they never expected. If you haven’t yet, I hope you will, too.

Love,

Chapter One

Like a hot summer wind rolling across the desert in August, Margo McCloud burst through the doors of St. Michael’s Church in Bedford. The sound of the cab pulling away from the entrance faded into the background as she struggled to juggle a suitcase in one hand, a garment bag with her newly purchased gown in the other.

“Damn traffic,” she muttered under her breath, swallowing the more vehement sentiments occurring to her in deference to where she was. She hated arriving anywhere late, even if it wasn’t her fault. A big rig, suffering a blowout, had overturned on the freeway, transforming a forty-mile trip from the LA airport into a three-hour ordeal. On top of that, she was still suffering from jet lag. Her point of departure had been Athens, Greece.

This definitely wasn’t her finest moment, or her steadiest, especially when she collided with the six-foot-four-inch frame of a man who’d chosen that exact moment to stand on the other side of the door. The resulting impact would have sent her sprawling to the floor if, at the last moment, two very large, very capable arms hadn’t closed around Margo, catching her.

Focusing, Margo drew back some of the air that had just been knocked out of her.

The stranger raised his dark brown brows in amused surprise and smiled.

“Margo?”

It didn’t really surprise Margo that the man who had just collided with her knew her name, even though she didn’t have a clue who he was. She’d met a world of people in her time. She was bound to forget a few now and then.

Though, she amended as she straightened, slowly leaving the protective hold of the man’s arms, it wasn’t likely that she would have forgotten him very easily. The man was nothing short of gorgeous, in a warrior-hunter sort of way. If warrior-hunters were given to wearing tuxedos.

Where had he ever found one to accommodate such broad shoulders?

“Yes, I’m Margo.” And then a sliver of concern slipped through. Had she gotten her time confused on top of everything else? Distress crept into her voice. “I didn’t miss it, did I?”

Bruce Reed was immediately struck by the energy that swirled around the woman. Must run in the family. Looks certainly did. He could easily see the resemblance to her daughter. It was there, around the eyes and the mouth. And, of course, there was the hair color. Both women had hair the color of wheat in the bright morning sun. Melanie wore hers long, while this woman’s hair was done up, showing off a very delicate neck that contrasted quite nicely with her very strong chin.

The sign of a fighter, Bruce thought.

Mother and daughter, eh? He wondered if this was what his son was going to be up against in another fifteen years or so. At least the view was nice.

“No, you didn’t miss it,” he assured her.

With a nod of his head, Bruce indicated the double wooden doors leading to the inside of the church. The last time he’d looked, it was crammed full of people, including his very nervous son, all of whom were waiting on Margo’s arrival.