The Lottery Winner. Emilie Rose

      

      Her secret or her second chance? It was her choice

      Winning the lottery should have been a dream. Instead, Jessie Martin’s life is transformed into a nightmare. In order to protect herself and her family, she flees to Key West. But in a world where no one can be trusted, even paradise seems like a prison.

      Breaking the rules of her seclusion to waitress at a local restaurant, Jessie suspects the owner’s sexy nephew, Logan Nash, knows she’s hiding something. Caught between the truth and lies, Jessie won’t risk anyone discovering who she really is. Even if she’s falling for this one perfect guy...

      “What do you want, Logan?”

      “I’m just being friendly. Here.”

      Logan offered her the bag. Jessie took it. Their fingers bumped. So did her pulse rate.

      “Why?”

      He laughed—a low rumble of sound. “Are you always suspicious when people are nice to you?”

      “You’ve made it clear you don’t like or trust me. So why are you really here?”

      “Because Miri’s important to me, and she likes you.”

      He tied off the kayak, then climbed onto the dock. His legs were long and tanned and lightly swirled with dark hair. Even his bare feet were sexy.

      So he was attractive. Big deal.

      That didn’t mean she was attracted to him... Definitely not.

      Dear Reader,

      Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery? I think most, if not all, of us have. We believe that a few million dollars will solve all of our problems. When I started reading the real stories of big lottery winners, I learned that isn’t usually the case. Winning the jackpot is, in fact, a curse for most winners. That’s how this story began.

      When elementary-school teacher Jessamine wins, her life is turned upside down. She’s forced into hiding and must reevaluate the things that are most important in her life—and those are not the material things she can buy. Then she finds a man she can love, but how can she ever be sure he loves her and not the fortune she’s won?

      I hope you enjoy Jessamine’s journey.

      Emilie Rose

      USA TODAY Bestselling Author

      The Lottery Winner

      EMILIE

      ROSE

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      USA TODAY bestselling author and two-time RITA® Award finalist EMILIE ROSE lives in North Carolina with her own romance hero. Writing is her third career. She’s managed a medical office and a home day care—neither offered half as much satisfaction as plotting happy endings. Her hobbies include gardening, fishing, cooking and traveling to find her next book setting. Visit her website, emilierose.com, or email her at [email protected].

      I thank the Lord for blessing me with this amazing career and for filling my head with characters and stories that need to be told.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

Dear Reader

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

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

       EPILOGUE

       Extract

       Copyright

       CHAPTER ONE

      JESSAMINE MARTIN TRIED to appreciate the fingers of peach and salmon creeping over the rooftops as she walked along the Key West boardwalk, but she was too busy waiting for the new pay-as-you-go phone in her pocket to vibrate to concentrate on which tints she could blend to attain those specific hues.

      She missed her family and work. As noisy and chaotic as teaching art to elementary school kids might be, the routine was normal, comforting. This unrelenting solitude wasn’t. She couldn’t even keep track of what day it was unless she checked her watch. Monday. She used to love Mondays. They represented the beginning of a week doing what