Hometown Wedding. Elizabeth Lane

      Table of Contents

       Cover Page

       Excerpt

       Dear Reader

       Title Page

       Dedication

       About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Epilogue

       Copyright

       “Haven’t you ever wondered what might have happened if you’d come back home years ago?” Travis asked.

      “No. No, absolutely not.” Eden shook her head vigorously. “I know what would have happened here—nothing! My life in Manhattan is no party, but at least it got me away from Edna Rae. She never bothers me there. It’s only when I’m in Utah that she comes back to haunt me.”

      “That’s funny,” Travis said with the quirk of an eyebrow. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

      

      “Then look harder, Travis. Edna Rae is right in front of you. Shy and awkward and scared to death.”

      

      “Scared? Of me?” Travis grabbed Eden’s hand. “Look at me, Eden. The last time we were together, I kissed you. And you kissed me back. I don’t know what was going through your head at the time, but judging from your reaction, it sure as blazes wasn’t fear!”

      Dear Reader,

      

      What better way for Silhouette Romance to celebrate the holiday season than to celebrate the meaning of family….

      

      You’ll love the way a confirmed bachelor becomes a FABULOUS FATHER just in time for the holidays in Susan Meier’s Merry Christmas, Daddy. And in Mistletoe Bride, Linda Varner’s HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS miniseries merrily continues. The ugly duckling who becomes a beautiful swan will touch your heart in Hometown Wedding by Elizabeth Lane. Doreen Roberts’s A Mom for Christmas tells the tale of a little girl’s holiday wish, and in Patti Standard’s Family of the Year, one man, one woman and a bunch of adorable kids form an unexpected family. And finally, Christmas in July by Leanna Wilson is what a sexy cowboy offers the struggling single mom he wants for his own.

      Silhouette Romance novels make the perfect stocking stuffers—or special treats just for yourself. So enjoy all six irresistible books, and most of all, have a very happy holiday season and a very happy New Year! Melissa Senate

      

      Melissa Senate

      

      Senior Editor

      

      Silhouette Romance

      Please address questions and book requests to:

      Silhouette Reader Service

      U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

      Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

      Hometown Wedding

      Elizabeth Lane

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For My Parents

      

      Author’s Note

      This story is set in the town where I grew up, and many of the locations are real. The story and characters, however, are entirely fictional. No resemblance to actual persons or events is intended.

       ELIZABETH LANE

      has traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe and China, and enjoys bringing these exotic locales to life on the printed page, but she also finds her home state of Utah and other areas of the American West to be fascinating sources for romance, historical and contemporary. Elizabeth loves such diverse activities as hiking and playing the piano, not to mention her latest hobby—belly dancing.

       Chapter One

      He was standing next to the water fountain, one bluejeaned hip cocked outward as his dark-eyed gaze swept the bustling Salt Lake City air terminal. One hand dangled a dusty Stetson. The other clutched a dog-eared paperback. His long fingers toyed with the book, crushing it, curling it, ruffling its edges in restless impatience.

      Eden Harper saw him before he saw her. She had come barreling out of the jetway, intent on making a swift dash across the concourse to the ladies’ room, but the sight of him stopped her like a collision with a brick wall.

      Travis Conroy.

      And he was directly in her path.

      Clutching her heavy briefcase, Eden hesitated. She could feel her veneer of Manhattan-bred confidence wilting like a plucked begonia in the midsummer sun. Even after sixteen years, the prospect of bumping into him was enough to make her want to crawl back onto the plane and fly wherever it would take her.

      She might have been tempted to do just that. Except that for the moment, her feet seemed to be stuck in cement.

      She stood gaping like a schoolgirl, her eyes taking in the lanky grace of his six-foot-two-inch height, the crisp, coffee brown curls, the face she had once giddily compared to a sculpted Rodin bronze.

      He was older than she remembered—leaner and sharper, the creases sun-bronzed into permanence at the corners of his eyes. But aside from that he looked the