Two of a Kind. Сьюзен Мэллери

      New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery welcomes readers back to Fool’s Gold, where a one-time fling could become the real thing.…

      Felicia Swift never dreamed she’d hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool’s Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away…on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool’s Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

      Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm’s length. Felicia wants more than he can give—a home, family, love—but she has a lot to learn about men…and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

      As these two misfits discover that passion isn’t the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart.

      Praise for New York Times bestselling author

      “There’s a little fun, a little sizzle, and a whole lot of homespun charm.”

      —Publishers Weekly on Summer Nights

      “Mallery infuses her story with eccentricity, gentle humor and small-town shenanigans, and readers…will enjoy the connection between Heidi and Rafe.”

      —Publishers Weekly on Summer Days

      “If you want a story that will both tug on your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone, Mallery is the author for you!”

      —RT Book Reviews on Only His

      “An adorable, outspoken heroine and an intense hero…set the sparks flying in Mallery’s latest lively, comic and touching family-centered story.”

      —Library Journal on Only Yours

      “Mallery...excels at creating varied, well-developed characters and an emotion-packed story gently infused with her trademark wit and humor.”

      —Booklist on Only Mine

      One of the Top 10 Romances of 2011!

      “Mallery’s prose is luscious and provocative.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “Susan Mallery’s gift for writing humor and tenderness makes all her books true gems.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      “Romance novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.”

      —Booklist

      Two of a Kind

      Susan Mallery

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To 2012 Fool’s Gold Co-Head Cheerleader Judie Bouldry and her girls’ great Nana Ellen, who shares her love of reading. Judie, you’re clever and enthusiastic, and Fool’s Gold is lucky to have you!

      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

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Excerpt

      CHAPTER ONE

      RATIONAL THOUGHT AND a working knowledge of hand-to-hand combat were useless when faced with the villainous power of the American house spider.

      Felicia Swift stood immobilized in the corner of the warehouse, aware of the web, of the arachnid watching her, no doubt plotting her downfall. Where there was one female American house spider, there were others, and she knew they were all after her.

      The logical part of her brain nearly laughed out loud at her fears. In her head, Felicia understood that spiders did not, in fact, travel in packs or scheme to attack her. But intelligence and logic were no match for a true arachnophobe. She could write papers, prepare flow charts and even do experiments from now until the next appearance of Halley’s Comet. She was terrified of spiders and they knew it.

      “I’m going to back away slowly,” she said in a soft, soothing voice.

      Technically, spiders didn’t have ears. They could sense vibration, but with her speaking quietly, there wouldn’t be much of that. Still, she felt better talking, so she kept up the words as she inched toward the exit, always keeping her gaze locked firmly on the enemy.

      Light spilled from the open door. Light meant freedom and spider-free breathing. Light meant—

      The light suddenly blacked out. Felicia jumped and turned, prepared to do battle with the giant mother-of-all-spiders. Instead she faced a tall man with shaggy hair and a scar by his eyebrow.

      “I heard a scream,” he said. “I came to see if there was a problem.” He frowned. “Felicia?”

      Because the spiders weren’t enough, she thought frantically. How was that possible?

      Fortes fortuna adiuvat.

      She tried to rein in her unwieldy brain. Fortune favors the brave? That was helpful how? She had spiders behind her, the man who took her virginity in front of her, and she was thinking in Latin?

      Felicia sucked in a breath and steadied herself. She was a logistics expert. She’d never met a crisis she couldn’t organize her way out of, and today would be no exception. She would work from big to small and reward herself by doing the Sunday New York Times crossword in less than four minutes.

      “Hello, Gideon,” she said, bracing herself