Always Emily. Mary Sullivan

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      This time, it has to be forever

      Emily Jordan has been in and out of Salem Pearce’s life for years. As an archaeologist, her work often took her far away—even when he asked her to stay. She called it bad timing. He called it running away. Now she’s back and asking for one last chance.

      But Salem is a single father with more than himself to think about. If he gives Emily another shot and she takes off again, it’ll hurt his daughters, too. He can’t take that risk. But deep down, he needs Emily. He always has. Maybe this time she’ll stay….

      “What’s wrong, Emily?”

      Salem laid her on the sofa in his office. When he tried to let her go, she grasped his shirt.

      Even through her clothing, her skin burned. Just like Emily to come here like this, to bring mayhem into his well-ordered existence. She liked drama. He liked peace. She liked chaos. He needed order.

      “Emily,” he said, keeping his voice low to soothe her as he would a skittish animal. “I need to get water.”

      She nodded. “Yes. Water.”

      Even so, she didn’t ease her grip.

      “Let go.” He became stern. “I’ll come back.”

      “Promise?” Her insecurity tore at him. Trouble roiled in her witchy blue-hazel eyes.

      Where was his confident, brash Emily? What happened to you?

      “I’m always here for you, Emily. You know that.”

      She smiled so sweetly it broke his heart. Yes, Salem was always here for her, but she wasn’t always there for him.

      Dear Reader,

      Always Emily is my tenth Mills & Boon Superromance book. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy writing them and living my dream job!

      In this story, I deal with two large issues—the first of finding trust again once it’s been broken, and the second of rebuilding ourselves after the choices we’ve made backfire.

      In every life, there will be issues and hardships. I called up difficult circumstances in my past, when I learned I was strong enough to not only survive, but also thrive. At the time, it required a lot of flexibility and adaptability. To give my characters depth in this novel, I delved into the emotions I felt back then.

      When I write, I look for tidbits of insight or wisdom to pass along through my characters’ journeys and often look at what others around me are dealing with. Ultimately, though, I come back to my own journey and the lessons I’ve learned. These inform my stories.

      I hope you enjoy reading Always Emily as much as I did writing it.

      Mary Sullivan

      Always Emily

      Mary Sullivan

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Mary grew up a daydreamer amid the pop and fizz of Toronto’s multicultural community, wondering why those around her didn’t have stories rattling around in their brains, too. This novel involves an archeologist and a museum curator, dovetailing with her enjoyment of all of history’s lively stories. New ideas continue to pop into her head, often at the strangest moments. Snatches of conversations or newspaper articles or song lyrics—everything is fodder for her imagination. Be careful what you say around her. It might end up in a novel! She loves to hear from readers. To learn more about Mary or to contact her, please visit her at www.marysullivanbooks.com

      For eleven years, I was a member of an amazing critique group. It ran its course and is over now, but I will be grateful to these wonderful women for the rest of my days. We learned to write together, laughed a lot and inspired each other to be better writers, to do our best always.

      My utmost respect and admiration go out to Ann Lethbridge, Maureen McGowan, Molly O’Keefe and Sinead Murphy.

      Simply put, I am in awe of your talent.

      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

       Extract

      CHAPTER ONE

      One year ago

      “YOU COULD ALWAYS STAY here with me,” Salem Pearce whispered into the velvety night, his butter-soft voice a contrast to the chirrups of crickets in the tall grasses lining the road.

      G. veletis. Spring crickets. Only the males sing. Like crickets, men had their calling, courtship and rivalry songs. Emily Jordan had heard them all. In her experience, men were full of bluster.

      But not Salem. Not her friend of few words.

      These words shocked her. Even more, they frustrated her because his timing couldn’t be worse.

      “I’ve waited years for you to ask me that,” she said fiercely. “How could you do this to me now? The night before my flight out?”

      “You’re always catching a flight.” The bitterness in his voice might have been justified if not for their history. She wasn’t the only one who had turned away in the past. “You’re always leaving.”

      The pale moon shone on hair as black as a cricket’s back and sent his deep-set eyes, as dark as the night weaving through the woods beside them, into shadow. His Native American skin, honey-gold in sunlight, glowed darker in the moonlight. An intensity she hadn’t seen before hardened his features.

      “Of course I’m always leaving,” she answered. “Because I don’t work here. My livelihood takes me everywhere but here.”

      “You set a record this time.” His voice hardened and cut through her defenses like an acetylene torch, the steel of the armor she’d spent years shaping useless against him when he used that harsh tone. She’d loved him for years, and then she’d learned to turn it off when he’d married someone else. “You didn’t last even a weekend.”

      That set up her dander. “I’m returning to work.”

      “Work? Is that what you call it?”

      “Yes,” Emily shouted. Ooh, the man could make her so mad. “I’m a good archeologist. I do