All Mine

By Tamrie Foxtail

For nearly a decade Maggie has put the needs of her younger siblings ahead of her own. Now she’s willing to accept a marriage without passion in order to protect her brother, but fate has a wicked sense of humor. On the eve of her wedding, Maggie meets the man of her dreams. When Shamus loses a bet the penalty is a blind date. Shamus is prepared to endure a long, boring night; the last thing he expects is to find the woman who can bring his heart back to life. But Maggie is keeping secrets--and her engagement is only one of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Feb 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781509206681

Book preview

Inc.

And we are thirty seconds from the New Year,

the TV announced.

Shamus stood in front of Maggie, drawing her to her feet.

Twenty seconds!

His dark blue eyes appeared almost indigo in the soft light of the bar.

Ten seconds!

Nine…eight…

He cupped her face in his hands.

Five…four…

I can’t kiss him. I’m engaged.

As the old year closed and the new one began, Shamus touched his lips to hers. The noise surrounding them faded.

The warmth of his callused hands framed her face. His rum and coke flavored kiss began with a tenderness that stole the breath from her lungs. As his kiss grew in intensity, the warm swirls that had danced in her blood all night grew as well, reaching a lava hot stage within seconds.

When Maggie was fifteen, her mother told her about the first time she kissed Maggie’s father. Once in your life, her mother said, there’s a kiss that shatters everything you thought you knew and changes the direction of your life.

She understood now. Maggie pressed her fingers to her lips in a fruitless attempt to hold onto the sweetest kiss of her life. Tears strangled her heart at the realization that it was also the most bitter, since it could only mean farewell.

All Mine

by

Tamrie Foxtail

A Candy Hearts Romance

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

All Mine

COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Tamrie Foxtail

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Kristian Norris

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Sweetheart Rose Edition, 2016

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0668-1

A Candy Hearts Romance

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To my dearest friends

Michele Brandow and Anna Kittrell.

~*~

Michele, many of the happiest memories of my youth involve you. I think we’re all grown up now, and that’s a little bit sad.

Anna, you’re an amazing writer and the best critique partner I could ask for.

~*~

The two of you have been with me through ups and downs, hurricanes, ice storms, and teenagers.

~*~

I love you both,

and I’m so grateful for our years together.

Chapter One

You are no help, Steph muttered, bracing her elbows on the polished bar.

I’m not into paper dolls.

His sister rolled her eyes. Shamus could almost hear their mother saying, Don’t you roll those eyes at me, young lady.

Paper hearts, Steph corrected.

What the hell are you cutting out paper hearts for?

You know those little candy hearts you get around Valentine’s Day?

He nodded.

Jason came up with this idea to use those as the theme for a Valentine’s Day promotion.

This is a bar.

Really? I had no idea.

He ignored the sarcasm. I thought women wanted to go to a nice restaurant for Valentine’s Day, not a bar.

This is for New Year’s Eve; we always have a good crowd then. I’m writing one of those cute candy heart sayings on the front, you know: Hugs, Cutie, All Mine. Some of them will have a prize on the back, but you can only redeem it on Valentine’s Day.

He looked at the stack of pink and red construction paper. How many do you need?

One hundred.

New Year’s Eve was in two days. He held out his hand.

Stephanie handed him a pair of scissors and a stack of paper. Speaking of New Year’s, she said, do you have a date?