His Wife

His Wife
Muriel Jensen

The Abbots: A Dynasty in the MakingLove Is The Riskiest Business Of AllIf Sophie Foster counted her blessings, her children would top the list–except when their obsession with finding a father puts her on the spot. Like that day two of them decide to ensnare a member of the wealthy Abbott clan who they agree would be perfect for the part–if he wasn't so addicted to danger.Sophie knows that handsome Sawyer Abbott does stunts to raise money for good causes, but bitter experience has taught her that men who live on the edge end up hurting themselves and the people who love them. The daredevil's sun-kissed hair and chiseled bronze features, however, come with the heart of a hero, and now it's her turn to learn what women in the small town of Losthampton, Long Island, have been saying about Sawyer Abbott all along…. Resistance Is Futile!

“I want to see you again,” Sawyer said

Sophie expelled a little sigh that seemed to be one of relief. “So you’re not finding it hard to be around me?” she asked.

Sawyer had to repeat that to himself. “Hard?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “If I were any other woman, you could kiss me now and not worry about whether I’d scream or tremble or push you away.”

Her candor made him grin. “Actually, I get a lot of that anyway.”

She elbowed him in the arm. He loved the way she did that. “You do not. I hear that women love you. So do children.”

He pushed at the car door, thinking he couldn’t take too much more of this. She was studying him with a sweet look that was still mildly wary, for all her speculation on how she’d react if he kissed her.

“I have to go,” he said quickly. He got out of her car and walked around to his, only to find her standing in front of his door.

Her mind was replaying bright images of Sawyer holding her in the office, memories of how it felt when a man’s muscles were used to comfort rather than hurt.

“Sophie…” he warned.

Dear Reader,

When I began this book I thought I didn’t understand daredevils, but I created one in Sawyer Abbott anyway because I know readers love them. Life is such a gift that it seems criminal to me to risk it for anything less than saving another life.

And then it occurred to me that’s what we do when we love each other. We save each other. Love is the biggest risk a man or woman can take, and there’s no fire suit, no safety net, no 911 responder to protect you from disaster. Love is an openhearted, pull-out-all-the-stops gamble that whatever draws you to someone will grow into the stuff that lasts a lifetime.

As all writers do, I shape a character and send him or her in a certain direction, but what he or she decides to do is really up to that character. When Sawyer decided to love Sophie despite a dark secret, and to love her three creative children, I realized I knew him pretty well. And I fell in love with him myself. I hope you will, too.

Sincerely,

Muriel Jensen

P.O. Box 1168

Astoria, Oregon 97103

Books by Muriel Jensen

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

866—FATHER FOUND

882—DADDY TO BE DETERMINED

953—JACKPOT BABY* (#litres_trial_promo)

965—THAT SUMMER IN MAINE

1020—HIS BABY** (#litres_trial_promo)

His Wife

Muriel Jensen

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

THE ABBOTTS—A GENEALOGY

Thomas and Abigail Abbott: arrived on the Mayflower; raised sheep outside Plymouth

William and Deborah Abbott: built a woolen mill in the early nineteenth century

Jacob and Beatrice Abbott: ran the mill and fell behind the competition when they failed to modernize

James and Eliza Abbott: Jacob’s eldest son and grandfather of Killian, Sawyer and Campbell Abbott; married a cotton heiress from Virginia

Nathan Abbott and Susannah Stewart Abbott: parents of Killian and Sawyer; Nathan diversified to boost the business and married Susannah, the daughter of a Texas oilman who owned Bluebonnet Knoll

Nathan Abbott and Chloe Marceau: parents of Campbell and Abigail; renamed Bluebonnet Knoll and made it Shepherd’s Knoll

Killian Abbott: now the CEO of Abbott Mills; married to Cordelia Magnolia Hyatt

Sawyer Abbott: Killian’s brother by blood; a daredevil

Campbell Abbott: half brother to Killian and Sawyer; brother to Abigail; manages the Abbott estate on Long Island

China Grant: thinks she might be the missing Abigail

Sophie Foster: mother of Gracie, Eddie and Emma Foster; the woman with whom Sawyer Abbott falls in love

Brian Girard: half brother to Killian and Sawyer

Contents

Prologue (#uc7e38a65-300f-55a1-8279-88af1ef6c5ec)

Chapter One (#ue16d29e9-c0dc-514c-ae1f-6df4a6a7476a)

Chapter Two (#u2433e4d6-da79-5cf8-8157-7cb8c8b88696)

Chapter Three (#u73e2fab3-9c31-5bfe-961e-add8872a7c28)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)