Page 39 of Hot & Bothered

She smiled and blinked through the spray at her fiancé. “The Lovers.”

“Oh wow.”

“And it didn’t cross your mind that I might propose?”

She sighed. “I’ve got a lot going on right now. I just interpreted it that we’re in a good place—which we are.”

“We’re in a great place.”

She sighed again. “I think I’m going to marry you, Jace Shepherd,” she said, her heart so full of love and happiness she thought she might faint.

“Oh, I’mdefinitelygoing to marry you, Peyton Doucet. I’m going to marry your brains out.”

Then he pressed her up against the tile wall and kissed her until she was breathless, overflowing with happiness, and full of nothing but excitement for their future—together.

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Xoxo

Whitley Cox

Unexpected Christmas with the SEAL

Cal and Hannah

https://books2read.com/unexpected-xmas-SEAL

CHAPTER 1

“Everything will be fine,” Hannah said for what felt like the millionth time. “I’ve been here before. I know not to let the animals starve. I know how to muck a stall. And besides, all these critters love me. You see how excited they get when I walk into the barn? I may even open all the stalls and have just a big ol’ 4H cuddle puddle.”

Her Uncle Asher grunted and shook his head in disapproval. He knew she was kidding, but there was a flash of unease in his blue eyes that said he didn’t all together believe she was kidding.

“Well, you can let out everyone but Fumble,” Nate, her other uncle and the far less grumpy and less serious one, said. “That dick of a goat is in solitary confinement for the foreseeable future.”

“He’s just misunderstood,” Hannah said, grinning. “I can relate.”

“We’ll only be gone to the wedding for a few days. And you can always call Cal. He’s on standby,” Asher said.

“I’ll be fine. You managed this place on your own—whilehumping my friend. I have nobody to hump, so I’ll definitely be able to keep myselfbusy.”

“Stop sayinghump,” Asher grumbled.

Hannah snorted and flicked her long, dark curly ponytail over her shoulder before pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and checking the time. “Don’t you two need to get a move on? Isn’t your flight in like five hours? And it’s international to the exotic land ofCa-na-da, so you need to be there early. Have you studied the local dialect? Local traditions? I hear they like it if you sayhelloandbonjourwhen you meet them. And to always apologize, even if you’re not the one at fault.”

Nate snorted and hitched his duffle bag over his shoulder. Asher merely rolled his eyes, then slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, too.

“Go, go! I’ll be fine. No mares are getting ready to foal. No goats are getting ready to kid. And I’ll make sure I keep Fumble locked up like freaking Hannibal Lecter. Only let him out for a dinner of fava beans and a nice chianti.”

“Fucking smart ass,” Asher said with a surly grumble, opening the door to the farmhouse and stepping out into the chilly late December air. Even though Asher and Nate were her uncles, they were only ten years older than her, since their dad had been from her grandfather’s second marriage. So, she grew up with her uncles acting more like brothers or cousins.

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