Kate Hoffmann – The Mighty Quinns: Eli (страница 1)
An X-rated adventure of a lifetime
Love of the wilderness runs deep in Eli Montgomery. The father he never knew, mountaineer Max Quinn, shared that passion for the untamed—and never staying in one place for long. But surviving in the wild requires experience. So when Eli learns that a TV personality is spending the next year living in his grandmother’s remote cabin for a reality show, Eli is convinced the woman will need his help.
Lucy Parker is determined to adhere to the strict guidelines of this challenge: no assistance. But the second Eli Montgomery shows up in all his rugged hotness, Lucy’s craving for caramel lattes is immediately replaced by a much more primal, sensual hunger. And out here, no one will know if she breaks all the rules.
Praise for Kate Hoffmann’s The Mighty Quinns
“[Kate Hoffmann] continues to do a wonderful job with her beloved Quinn family saga. A perfectly paced page-turner, this setup novel for the New Zealand Quinns is firmly in place and off to a great start.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Mighty Quinns: Malcolm
“A winning combination of exciting adventure and romance... This is a sweet and sexy read that kept me entertained from start to finish.”
—Harlequin Junkie on The Mighty Quinns: Malcolm
“Hoffmann always does a great job creating different stories for the members of the Quinn clan... This is another fun tale that organically connects to the ongoing saga of this clan.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Mighty Quinns: Rogan
“This is a fast read that is hard to tear the eyes from. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.”
—Fresh Fiction on The Mighty Quinns: Dermot
“Keep your fan handy! It was impossible for me to put this steamy, sexy book down until the last page was turned.”
—Fresh Fiction on The Mighty Quinns: Jack
As most of you know, I’ve been writing about the Quinns for quite some time now. My first Quinn book was published in 2001. Since then, I’ve explored many different branches of the family, but in this new trilogy that starts with The Mighty Quinns: Eli, I’ve had to hunt down three Quinn heirs that don’t even know they’re Quinns.
This tangled family tree is now kept on genealogy software, which helps me sort out all the relationships and keeps track of important dates. And though the family keeps getting bigger, I find that there’s always a handsome Quinn hero waiting on the horizon for me to snatch him up and give him a story.
I hope you enjoy my newest tale, featuring Eli Montgomery, the lost brother of my New Zealand Quinns—Malcolm, Rogan, Ryan and Dana. Stay tuned for two more books in this trilogy, coming up in the next year.
Happy Reading,
The Mighty Quinns: Eli
Kate Hoffmann
KATE HOFFMANN celebrated her 20th anniversary as a Mills & Boon author in August 2013. She has published over eighty books, novellas and short stories for Mills & Boon Temptation and Mills & Boon Blaze. She spent time as a music teacher, a retail assistant and an advertising exec before she settled into a career as a full-time writer. Her other interests include genealogy, musical theater and vegan cooking. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her two cats, Winnie and Gracie.
To my ever patient and always brilliant editor, Adrienne Macintosh, who always has great ideas when I seem to be running low.
Contents
Praise for Kate Hoffmann’s The Mighty Quinns
ANNALISE MONTGOMERY KNELT down beside her six-year-old son and combed her fingers through his mussed hair.
“Can we go home, Mama? I don’t like this place.”
“How did you get dirty already?” she said. Annalise glanced around the park, spying the children’s equipment at the far end.
“It’s just dirt,” Eli said. “No big deal.”
Annalise laughed softly. “But this meeting is a big deal for Mommy. I want you to be on your best behavior. No running around like some wild animal. This has to go well, all right? Agreed?”
“Yes, Mama.”
He gazed up and watched as Annalise smoothed her hands over her skirt. He couldn’t ever remember seeing his mom in a dress, especially not one so fluffy and shiny. She looked like a princess, and Eli was proud to stand beside her and hold her hand.
He’d held her hand during the plane ride, which had seemed to go on and on, for more hours than he could count. There was a movie and three different meals. He hadn’t been allowed to get up and run around and he got yelled at six times for kicking the seat in front of him.
He’d thought flying in a plane would be exciting and cool, but it had been really boring. And now, he’d have to do it all over again when they flew home to Colorado. He wanted to go home, though. It was summer there and if he wasn’t with his mom, he’d be sleeping over at his grandma’s cabin on the mountain.
It was his favorite way to spend the summer, and though he enjoyed traveling on an airplane, he was sure that Nanna Trudie missed him. The minute he got home, he’d pack his stuff and hike up the mountain.
“There,” Annalise said. “I want you to look at that man. See him?”
He followed the direction of her hand and noticed a tall man with dark hair and tanned skin. He had a nice smile and very white teeth, and he seemed fun. Eli could tell he liked children because he had two boys with him. The man walked over to the swings and put the boys on them.
“Who is that?” Eli asked.
“He’s a very famous mountain climber. His name is Maxwell Quinn and he’s climbed lots of very high, very dangerous mountains. I want you to remember that man.”
“Does he go mountain climbing with you?” Eli asked.
“Sometimes,” she said with a smile. “Come on, let’s go meet him.”
She took his hand and crossed the distance between them. The man, Maxwell, looked up and saw them coming, but for some reason that Eli couldn’t understand, he sent his two little boys away to play on the slide.
Eli watched the boys and didn’t care to listen to the conversation between Maxwell and his mother. It sounded like they were very angry with each other. Eli wanted to ask if he could leave, but rather than interrupt, he just quietly walked away.