Jellybean Kisses

By Sarita Leone

Springtime in Polk Corners is anything but sleepy. Blooms, birdsong, and weddings abound…

Tara Jackson owns a small confectionary shop where she makes all the sweets by hand. When she is contracted to provide gourmet jellybeans for the biggest wedding of the season, her quiet life is turned upside down.

Pete Timbers has just returned to his old hometown. He plans to settle down and build a life in the place he loves so much, but memories of the woman he lost make it difficult. He doesn't mind standing up as his brother's Best Man, especially if it means he can find a chink in the armor his former high-school crush has in place.

Their history isn't great, but spring is the time for new beginnings...isn't it?

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Apr 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781509248025

Book preview

Pete grinned down at her. That’s it? Don’t I get some kind of reward for crossing into dangerous territory and relaying a bit of vital information?

He made it sound as if they were on the same side of a battle. The light tone in his voice brought a smile. Even as her lips turned upward, she reminded herself that getting comfortable with the man could prove more dangerous than actually stepping onto a battlefield.

What do you have in mind?

Chickadees chirped in the tree beside her door. On the other side of the alley, another tree held a Blue Jay that screeched his opinion.

Spring days make me think of romance. He paused to flash a sexy grin. It sent her heart beating double time and by the look in his eyes, he realized the effect he had on her. I don’t suppose a kiss would be too much to ask…

Tara placed a hand in the center of his chest right above his heart and gave a hard shove. He took a step backward, the growing smile showing he expected her reaction.

She slammed the door shut.

The nerve of the man, thinking she’d fall into his arms as if she waited for him to invite her back.

Praise for Sarita Leone

This story by Sarita Leone has it all—beguiling romance, tangled hearts, desperate danger, a princess in need of rescue, and even folks who turn up out of the past. It has the feel of an old-time holiday movie.

~Laura Hartland on A Wylder Christmas

This was a lovely book that put a smile on my face as the story was told to perfection. A great read.

~Dru Love, Dru’s Book Musings

on Tip-A-Canoe for Two

Jellybean Kisses

by

Sarita Leone

Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series

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.

Jellybean Kisses

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Sarita Leone

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 Kim Mendoza

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2023

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4802-5

Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

As ever, for the man who holds my heart.

Sempre per sempre.

Chapter 1

Tara Jackson’s heart dropped when she glanced up and saw who walked through the doorway of her candy shop. Against the lavender walls and shelves holding jars of delights, the man’s masculine form looked out of place. So much testosterone in the space, a contrast to the lacy lanterns hanging from the sky-blue ceiling.

Hey, Tara. The megawatt smile he flashed sent something low in her gut into a series of tumbles. Good to see you.

Pete Timbers, looking just as handsome and self-assured as he did when they were in high school. Sexy swagger, broad shoulders, thick black hair, and velvety brown eyes. She could’ve described the man with her own eyes closed. Her teenage crush imprinted the details on her mind, and they hadn’t dimmed.

But their one night of semi-inebriated post-graduation groping had blown that crush to smithereens. And as much