The Accidental Bride. Christina Skye

>

      Dear Reader,

      I hope you will join me on a new adventure.

      Our travel will take us to fog-swept coves. To the magic of a special town and special people. On Summer Island’s quiet streets friendship runs deep, and the love of a good yarn runs even deeper.

      One by one old friends will be pulled back home to the rugged Oregon coast. One by one dreams will be lost—and then found. As the seasons change, each friend will face secrets and betrayals, along with the healing gift of love.

      Please join me on this journey home.

      With warmest wishes,

       Christina

      Also available from Christina Skye

      Summer Island A HOME BY THE SEA THE KNITTING DIARIES

      Code Name CODE NAME: BIKINI CODE NAME: BLONDIE CODE NAME: BABY

      Draycott Abbey TO CATCH A THIEF DRAYCOTT ETERNAL DRAYCOTT EVERLASTING BOUND BY DREAMS

      AUTHOR’S NOTE

      Thank you for joining Jilly and Walker on their journey. Strong and stubborn, these two have surprised me at every turn. Somewhere along the path of writing, they claimed a spot among my very favorite characters. (Even though they made me tear at my hair!)

      And Winslow …

      No words needed there.

      He carries his own kind of magic and courage.

      I hope that Summer Island continues to touch you as it has touched me, beginning with my story in The Knitting Diaries and again in A Home by the Sea. In those fog-swept coves and quiet streets friendship runs deep.

      For readers in search of a detailed look at the inspiration for Jilly’s amazing desserts, try Bittersweet, by Alice Medrich (New York: Artisan, 2003). Decadent and delightful, the book is rich with baking secrets and chocolate lore. For a second helping of dessert, enjoy Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), a master course for all adventurous cooks.

      And if you want up-to-date recipes right from Jilly’s kitchen, visit my website. I’ll be offering new recipes regularly.

      To learn more about service dogs in action, track down US Army Field Manual 3-19.17 Military Working Dogs (2005), a basic resource about training, protection and utilization in combat.

      If you are intrigued by the gentle movements that Jilly used on Walker, I highly recommend the tissue techniques developed by Tom Bowen. Or email me at my website (www.christinaskye.com) for more information. The Bowen system has a truly impressive record of success. While you’re at my website, have a look around. And drop by frequently for new book updates, free knitting patterns and contest news.

      Meanwhile, a new Summer Island book is already heading your way. As summer sunlight fades into winter storms, Olivia will find her world shattered by lies. And when she least expects a gift, she will stumble into a man who holds the healing touch of love.

      For her nothing will ever be the same.

      I’ll be watching for you down at the cove.

      With warmest wishes,

       Christina

       The Accidental Bride

      Christina Skye

      

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      A warm thank-you to all my friends at Tuesday-night knitting for good patterns, good cheer and great inspiration.

      Thank you to Celia and Caroline— world-class knitters and friends. Fiber days rule!

      Another big round of thanks for Peggy and Victoria. You are the best. I couldn’t have typed The End without you!

      A deep and hearty thank-you to Phyllis at Barnes & Noble in Goodyear, Arizona. You rock! As always, you are the queen of booksellers!

      And finally, my heartfelt appreciation to Debbie Macomber, wonderful author, wonderful friend. Thank you for all your kindness and laughter. And thanks for that amazingly clever wedding twist!

       PROLOGUE

      IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL wedding.

      The groom got sick. The bride overslept. The best man was a dog.

      And the day had barely begun.

      The anxious bride peeked out the door at the back of the crowded chapel, watching more and more people cram the pews. Everything had happened so fast over the past week. It was still hard to imagine how much had changed.

      Right now all she wanted was to have the ceremony over. She wasn’t used to wearing makeup, and she never fiddled with her hair, but the wedding consultant had taken her job seriously.

      Jilly O’Hara was stunned to see her image in the mirror, a tall, serene vision of elegance in a long white silk gown. A cream satin sash framed her slim waist, accentuating her height, and a single satin orchid gleamed in her upswept hair.

      She could barely recognize herself. None of her friends would have known her, that was for sure.

      A few stragglers were being seated, to the backdrop of restless coughing. Standing at the back of the chapel, Jilly’s friend Jonathan made a discreet gesture and smiled as the bridegroom came to stand at the front of the crowd. The groom’s big brown dog sat nearby, alert and perfectly behaved, a vision of canine elegance in his red bandanna.

      The organ music swelled. Jilly took a deep breath as the instantly familiar strains of the Wedding March filled the chapel.

      She stared down the long aisle, wondering how everything had happened so fast since she came to Wyoming. Marriage was the last thing she had planned for herself. Down the aisle Jilly saw her groom, lean and a little dangerous in a severely cut black suit that looked very expensive.

      “Are you ready?” Jonathan stood smiling at the door.

      “As ready as I’ll ever be. Explain to me again why I agreed to this,” she murmured.

      Jonathan took her arm. “You’ll be fine. By the way, you look gorgeous. Seriously, I wouldn’t have recognized you under all that makeup and puffy hair.”

      “Gee, thanks. I think.”

      As they walked outside, Jilly focused on not falling in the strappy evening sandals that the bridal expert had insisted she wear.

      Every face turned. The music swelled. The big room seemed to blur as Jilly’s cool, thoughtful groom smiled at her from the altar.

      CHAPTER ONE

       Arizona

       One month earlier

      THE RESTAURANT KITCHEN was a scene right out of World War III. Pots churned, grills smoked and a dozen harried workers danced to avoid each other. It was cramped, hot and noisy—one step away from chaos.

      And Jilly O’Hara couldn’t have been happier.

      She presided over the hot, noisy room like a choreographer, watching for problems and juggling advice along with her orders. Running a restaurant had always been her dream and her passion, and after years of work, Jilly had her own baby.

      Since the first week it had opened, Jilly’s Place had been a stellar success. Sometimes Jilly hated how successful