The Billionaire's Sweet Valentine
(Holiday Contest)
by Laura L. Walker
Published January 18th 2018
When a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's Cutest Couple
throws two romance-challenged people together, can they
survive a fake engagement?
All Penny Merrill wants to do is run her own sweet shop in
All Penny Merrill wants to do is run her own sweet shop in
beautiful and ritzy Scottsdale, Arizona, but her money-hungry
mother and conniving stepfather are making it nearly
impossible to keep her dream alive. When Penny finds an
advertisement for a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's
Cutest Couple, with the winnings being enough to enable
her to hold on to her floundering business, she comes up
with an idea that just might work--if she can find the right
man for the job.
Commercial contractor Preston Ames is starting to develop
feelings for Penny, and even though he's been through
enough heartache to know that he should avoid her at all
costs, he can't keep himself from visiting her sweet shop
everyday. When Penny asks him to participate in a crazy
scheme so that she can overturn her stepfather's
underhanded business ploy, Preston is tempted to run the
other way. But one look into her soulful blue eyes and he's a
goner. Little does he know that just one picture will turn
Penny into his sweet Valentine.
But when the fact that Preston is a billionaire comes to light,
and Penny and Preston compete against another couple
whose heartache transcends all of their misconceptions
about love, will they do the right thing? And in the process,
discover a bond that is greater than they thought was even
possible?
Wow
what a sweet and amazing story. It is extremely well-
written and thought out.
As well as a sweet romance. Laura
has a way with words that bring you in and
hold you there to
the very end. This is my first book by her, but it definitely
will
not be my last.
This
is Penny and Preston's story. It is a sweet clean
romance. But be forewarned
when you find out about the
other couple in the contest you will need tissues.
Penny has
been put through a lot. Her family is a mess, well with the
exception
of her little sister Julianne. I love all the antics they
get up to while they
film their video. Then when someone
tries to sabotage her sweet shop. They are
real idiots. You'll
see what I mean. I
laughed at this persons antics. White
mice for goodness sakes, you will be totally
shocked who is
behind all this. Well one you wont but the rest you will. You
will love this book it is a sweet romance.
Now before I ruin this for
you I will leave off here. I hope you
enjoy this book as much as I did. If you
do like this book,
please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it
when you do; they value your opinions too
Setting:
a phone conversation between Penny and Preston, my main characters, on the
morning of their scheduled interview on a televised news program
On Monday, February twelfth, Penny woke up
before the sun appeared through her window. With all the excitement of a
teenaged driver getting her first car, Penny hopped out of bed and showered,
making her hair extra soft and smelly (in a good way) for her on-air TV
interview. She couldn’t believe this day was finally here!
After
showering, she stood in front of her closet with a towel wrapped around her
body, debating what to wear. She had chosen and re-chosen her outfits dozens of
times already. But this morning, she couldn’t afford to be wishy-washy. This
was a Valentine’s Day-themed contest, so she should wear red. Right?
Or
maybe pink. She owned the softest pink cashmere sweater. It would go perfectly
with her pair of tight jeans and long, sleek boots. And Preston? What was he
planning to wear? Eek! Why hadn’t she called him last night to ask?
She
remedied that problem in no time flat. “Hiya, Penny,” he answered around a yawn
on the second ring. “Everything all right? How are those new security cameras
working out for you?”
This
was the morning they’d been waiting for, and all he could ask her about was the
security cameras? “Great, although they haven’t caught any suspicious activity
since we put them up. But we caught another white mouse. Who knows how many
more are scurrying around the place? And Ms. Forrester is supposed to come back
any day.”
“I’ll
help you do a thorough cleanup,” he offered.
“Thanks.
Listen, I wanted—”
“Well,
I’d better let you go so that I—”
“What
are you wearing?” she blurted.
There
was a pause. “Well, at the moment, since you just woke me up—”
“No,
I mean today. What are you going to wear today?” Great. Now she couldn’t get
the image of Preston, sitting up in bed with no shirt on, his face scruffy with
new whiskers, and his hair standing out in all directions, out of her head. Oh,
my!
“I’m
going to wear a T-shirt and pair of jeans like I always do when I go to work.”
Work!
“Preston,” she said, trying to keep the growing panic out of her voice, “don’t
you realize what day this is?”
Another
pause. “Monday?”
“The
twelfth,” she added for emphasis.
Dead
silence for at least thirty seconds. Then, “Something supposed to happen on
Monday the twelfth?”
“PRESTON!”
A
hearty laugh rang in her ears. Ooh! Was he going to get it—but not until after
their appearance on TV. “You scared me out of my mind,” she confessed with an
aggravated chuckle. “Please tell me you didn’t really forget.”
More
laughter. “Nope. I just wanted to make sure you got your cardiac workout this
morning since it is close to Valentine’s Day and all.”
Argh!
Just
when she started thinking about the best way to get him back, he surprised her
again by asking, “What are you wearing?”
Penny
looked down at her towel-wrapped body. “Uh . . . “
“See?
It’s not so fun to be bombarded with personal questions first thing in the
morning.”
“I’ll
try to remember that in the future,” she grumbled. “Now, can we get serious?”
“I
am. I want to know what you’re wearing so that I can match my T-shirt to
yours.”
“No.
Not a T—”
His
low rumble let her know she’d fallen prey to his teasing again.
“Preston
Ames,” she said in a threatening tone.
“Uh-oh.
In order for that to work, honey, you’ve got to know my middle name. It’s
Preston Lee Ames.”
“I’m
not your mother. I’m your—”
“Fiancée,
I know. And that’s why we’re practicing our flirting, so we’ll be all warmed up
for the show.”
Penny
froze. So that’s what he was doing? What a sweet guy. Her legs turned to
butter, and she practically sank onto the floor. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re
welcome, sweetheart. I’ll pick you up at four-fifteen.” They’d been told they
would need to arrive at a quarter ‘til five so that they would have time to
prepare. They’d also been told to wear minimal makeup; their crew would take
care of that.
It
wasn’t until after Penny hung up that she realized that she never found out
what he’d be wearing that day.
..•.¸¸•´¯`•.¸¸.ஐ Laura L. Walker ஐ..•.¸¸•´¯`•.¸¸.
Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila
Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young,
she spent hours drawing characters on paper and
fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more
serious, however, when Laura met her own hero and they
eventually became the parents of six children. In between
spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts,
transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still
enjoys putting her imagination to good use. She is the author
of two contemporary romances. Visit her
at http://www.lauralwalker.com for updates and more.
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