Sandy & Rafe: Echoes of the Heart, #2

By Jean C. Joachim

Eeny meeny miney moe, which man to choose? Sandy Landeau struggles to pick the right man to marry from the two vying for her hand on Marriage Minded. She chooses Lyle.

Devastated when Sandy turns him down, Rafe waits, hoping she leaves Lyle. Friends and family convince him it's too late. Rafe gives up wishing for the impossible and accepts a job in his homeland, England. While packing for his trip, he flips on the television news only to find Sandy the lead story. He stops in his tracks. Could this be the break he'd been waiting for or was it too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moonlight Books
• Release date: Jun 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781945360992

Jean C. Joachim

¬¬¬ Jean Joachim is a best-selling romance fiction author, with books hitting the Amazon Top 100 list since 2012. She writes mostly contemporary romance, which includes sports romance and romantic suspense. Dangerous Love Lost & Found, First Place winner in the 2015 Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, International Digital Award contest. The Renovated Heart won Best Novel of the Year from Love Romances Café. Lovers & Liars was a RomCon finalist in 2013. And The Marriage List tied for third place as Best Contemporary Romance from the Gulf Coast RWA. To Love or Not to Love tied for second place in the 2014 New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America Reader’s Choice contest. She was chosen Author of the Year in 2012 by the New York City chapter of RWA. Married and the mother of two sons, Jean lives in New York City. Early in the morning, you’ll find her at her computer, writing, with a cup of tea, her rescued pug, Homer, by her side and a secret stash of black licorice. Jean has 30+ books, novellas and short stories published. Find them here: http://www.jeanjoachimbooks.com. Sign up for her newsletter, on her website, and be eligible for her private paperback sales. here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Joachim-Author/221092234568929?sk=app_100265896690345

Book preview

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A Moonlight Books Novella

Sensual Romance

Sandy & Rafe

Second Place Heart

Echoes of the Heart series

Copyright © 2018 Jean C. Joachim

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Sherri Good

Proofread by Renee Waring

All cover art and logo copyright © 2018 by Moonlight Books

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Moonlight Books

Dedication

To any and all who’ve ever come in second.

SANDY & RAFE

SECOND PLACE HEART

(Echoes of the Heart)

Jean C. Joachim

Chapter One

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO. Behind the scenes at the reality TV show, Marriage Minded.

Lyle, Rafe, Lyle, Rafe? Bill, help! Sandy moaned into the phone.

Okay, give me the shit on these guys, her brother Bill said.

Lyle is in real estate. He’s funny, nice, and keeps talking about our future. He wants to renovate old buildings in Detroit and start a renaissance there. He said we make a good team.

Sounds good. And the other guy?

She sighed. He’s so sweet. He’s French Canadian. He’s an architect. I think he really loves me.

Architects don’t make crap. Real estate is where the money is.

But Rafe...

You asked my opinion. So, you like this Rafe guy better?

I did, until Lyle told me Rafe only went on the show to get his green card.

What? Fuck that. Easy choice, Sandy. Dump the Rafe guy. That’s all you need, a guy who sleeps with you for six months, gets his green card, and takes off.

He doesn’t seem the type.

Bill snorted. Yeah. Right. Like an asshole like that is gonna show his hand?

But he’s been so nice.

Who do you love?

Both, I think.

One more than the other? Come on, Sandy. No one loves two guys exactly the same.

Guess I’m leaning toward Rafe.

Mr. Green Card? Forget it. If you think you could do marriage with this Lyle guy, then pick him. The other one looks like a phony.

Thanks, Bill.

Hey, what are brothers for?

At the final ceremony, Sandy said yes to Lyle’s proposal. It broke her heart to see Rafe cry. He turned away from the cameras and shielded his eyes with his hand. Sandy hugged him and walked him to the limo. Guilt washed over her until she reminded herself that he was simply seeking a green card and not a wife.

Doubts about his reasons for being on Marriage Minded nagged at her, but would asking him directly get her the truth? She doubted it. Of course, he’d lie, then act offended she’d questioned his motives, spouting on about his true love and how he only had eyes for her. No man would admit to such low motives on the show—in front of the cameras, anyway.

What a cynic she’d become! She had to do the right thing for her, no matter what.

Lyle would provide a stable future. At least that’s what he said, and her brother had agreed. Their arguments swayed her. Why, now that she’d said yes and Lyle was prancing around like a prize-winning rooster, did she not share his joy?

After the show ended, Sandy informed Pine Grove Elementary School that she’d be taking a year off. She moved into Lyle’s townhouse in Detroit. The four-story building, still under renovation, needed decorating, so Lyle pressed Sandy into service. As an art teacher, she had a knack for picking colors and fabrics. While Lyle worked hard selling real estate, Sandy tackled the house, room-by-room, selecting paint, picking out furniture, and supervising everything.

Lyle set up a ton of personal interviews, telling her they were good for business. Seems as if everyone wanted to talk to the new Detroit power couple who met on TV. He’d come home after a day’s work recounting the phone calls he’d received from people wanting to know more about his vision for Detroit.

Gwen is making a list. We have fifty people interested in buying our buildings, once they are renovated. Seems no one wants to do it themselves, but they’re ready to move into a finished townhouse.

That’s great!

"And it’s all because you chose me on Marriage Minded."

It’s because you’re doing something amazing, Lyle.

That, too, he’d said, wearing a smug smile.

Sandy listened eagerly to his tales of buildings he’d bid on and buyers he’d interviewed. His vision of wealth and power fueled her imaginings of a comfortable lifestyle, a family, and a secure, loving future.

After three months, their relationship developed small cracks. With no more interviews, Lyle dug into the nitty-gritty of the next phase of his plan, arranging bank loans, finding collateral and negotiating with contractors. Blaming business meetings, he started coming home later, missing dinner. Their sex life, never stupendous, though Sandy had assured herself it was only a matter of getting to know each other better, slowed to a crawl. She made excuses. Lyle was tired after a twelve hour day at the office, or preoccupied. She ran out of reasons after three months.

The few times they did manage to heat up the sheets, she found herself envisioning Rafe. Though it filled her with guilt, her recollections