When Adam Came to Town. Kate Kelly

      

      Temptation moves in next door

      Sylvie Carson has no idea what she’s going to do with the rest of her life! Artistically blocked, she hopes a prolonged stay in the seaside village she grew up in will help her get over this hump. But when Adam Hunter moves in next door, things only get more complicated, not less.

      The artist in Sylvie is immediately intrigued by her new neighbor—the haunting lines of his face, the natural athleticism of his body. Maybe Adam is the muse she’s been looking for…but his shadowed eyes suggest he’s just one more person keeping secrets from her. Though Sylvie can’t deny that Adam inspires passion in her, the last thing she needs is a romance…right?

      “I thought you’d given up on me,” Sylvie said.

      “Sorry about that,” Adam said. “I’m selfish sometimes, and all I think about is what I want or need.”

      She leaned back, surprised by Adam’s honesty. After a minute, she laughed. “You and the rest of us.”

      “Yeah.” A crooked smile hooked the corner of his mouth up. “But that doesn’t excuse my behavior. You’re a good friend, and I shouldn’t have let you down.”

      Friend. Why did that have a hollow sound to it? She set her computer on the side table and stood. “Is this another rescue for the underdog?”

      When he looked sheepish, she turned away from the temptation to hug him. Imagine that big, hard-muscled body of Adam’s, holding her, his smell and heat surrounding her. Her body trembled at the sudden, vivid image.

      Dear Reader,

      With every book I write I’m inevitably drawn to one character. I want to say it’s Adam with this book, because in my mind he’s not only the perfect hero, but I like him! If I met Adam in real life, I’d want to be his friend. But for all the heroic qualities he possesses, Sylvie is the character who fascinates me. As is often pointed out to her, unlike Adam, she has it all. How much harder it must be to admit failure when you appear successful to everyone around you.

      I thought a lot about success while writing this book. More specifically, fear of success, which is one of Sylvie’s challenges. It’s not that Sylvie is afraid of succeeding; she’s already a well-known artist. But the foundation or reason she pursues success is faulty, and eventually her world comes tumbling down. Luckily for her, Adam, and her family and friends, are there to help her rebuild her world.

      I’ve always thought of success as a linear process. You set a goal, then work to achieve it. But human beings are rarely simple, and many of us set land mines along the way. Sylvie excels at sabotaging herself. In order for her to succeed, she must change not what she’s doing, but why she’s doing it.

      Writing about Sylvie forced me to view my life from a different angle, and I wonder if when you read this book, you’ll also look more closely at why you want to achieve something rather than concentrating on the end goal. The answers may surprise you!

      I hope you enjoy reading Sylvie and Adam’s story. I had a lovely time creating the village they live in and the characters who populate it. As always, I look forward to hearing from my readers. You can contact me at this address: [email protected], or drop by my website for a visit : www.kate-kelly.ca.

      Warm regards,

      Kate Kelly

      When Adam Came to Town

      Kate Kelly

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Kate Kelly has had a love affair with books her entire life. Writing came in fits and starts, and she didn’t take it seriously until her forties. Now she can’t get along without it. She finaled in the RWA Golden Heart and won the RWA Daphne du Maurier contest. She has the good fortune to live on the east coast of Canada with her husband (the children have flown away). She writes, grows herbs and perennials, and sails when the wind blows her way.

      To Teressa, Molly and Colleen.

      The best sisters, one and all. Thanks for always being there.

      To Romeo

      RIP

      And as always, to my guys, Adrian, Reed and Rei

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Excerpt

      CHAPTER ONE

      SYLVIE CARSON PUSHED the door to the family café open and made a beeline for the washrooms located at the front of the restaurant. She locked herself in a stall and thrust her head down between her knees. Breathe. She counted to seven before letting out her breath, blood rushing to her head.

      Second breath. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And out. The door to the washroom burst open.

      “They’re taking bets out there on how many months along you are, and who the father is. Oliver’s in the lead.” Sylvie heard the scrape of a match as Teressa, head cook and childhood friend, lit a cigarette.

      “No smoking in here,” Sylvie croaked. She sat up and braced her hand against the side of the stall as she waited for her equilibrium to even out.

      “Like you’re going to fire me. You have a better chance of finding an available man who can support himself in this village than a professional cook. Unless you want to do my job. You’d have to learn how to boil water first, though.” Teressa snickered.

      Sylvie pushed the stall door open with her foot. “Very funny.”

      “For someone who has the perfect life, you’re sure acting like you’re at death’s door a lot.” Teressa frowned at her in the mirror. “Please tell me you’re not pregnant. It would ruin my day. You’re the golden girl, and golden girls do not mess up.