His Small-Town Sweetheart

His Small-Town Sweetheart
Amanda Berry

BEST FRIENDS…FOREVER Twenty years ago, Nicole Baxter left the only home she knew – and the boy who shared all her secrets. Now she’s back in Tawnee Valley to figure out her next move and cry on her old friend Sam Ward’s shoulder. When Nikki moved away, Sam lost his best friend. The beautiful, elegant woman who returns is worlds away from the tomboy with pigtails and skinned knees she’d once been. And he’s no longer a kid who believes in happy endings. But seeing Nikki again convinces him that they still share the same dream: a future together…

“Sam? Oh, my God. Sam Ward, is that you?”

“Great,” he muttered, “the crazy woman in my tree knows my name.”

Nicole pushed away from the trunk and started down with the use of the rope.

“I wouldn’t use that rope,” he said and moved closer.

“Why not? It got me up here.” Her skirt blew in the breeze and he caught a glimpse of her long legs.

“Because it might—”

Before he could finish the sentence, the rope snapped in two. He rushed forward and grabbed the woman around the waist to stop her from falling to the ground. Her back pressed into his front. Her hair smelled floral and like expensive perfume with rich undertones. It made him want to lean down and draw in more of the scent.

He set her down in front of him. She spun immediately and pressed the length of her body against him and hugged him around the neck, pulling him down to her height. She was at least a foot shorter than him. Even if she was crazy, his body responded to the soft curves pressed into his hardness.

“I can’t believe it’s you.”

His Small-Town Sweetheart

Amanda Berry

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Between walking her Jack Russell-beagle mix, petting her two cats and driving her two kids all over creation, AMANDA BERRY writes contemporary romance novels (thanks to a supportive husband). A Midwest girl stuck in the wetlands of South Carolina, she finds inspiration in her small-town upbringing. A list of her current releases and backlist can be found at amanda-berry.com (http://amanda-berry.com).

To my Little Man and Lady Jane.

When your path is dark know that at the end of it there is light. You two are my light.

Contents

Cover (#u18e7dd5f-5b0d-55ad-bccf-9971ec941f3c)

Excerpt (#uae3dd245-5857-5770-a4f0-e0f442798213)

Title Page (#uc21c8595-8e2f-5ba0-a322-fc3b6b2d78be)

About the Author (#uf33f97fb-3969-5f3f-aaa9-d58c46f42a8d)

Dedication (#ua37f23f6-23a3-59d1-bc83-311413b8d3b8)

Chapter One (#u61ab0dcf-0e7e-5ba2-a37f-de1dad17fc4b)

Chapter Two (#uf23c37cd-3ee2-59fc-b294-4246931e4148)

Chapter Three (#u2a6437c9-df78-5e5d-b4f8-9664bba59b18)

Chapter Four (#ud83a1a3c-c662-53a3-b888-973f67ae4589)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#ulink_8f12b202-72fd-5c06-a807-a9d4ac54b314)

At least I’m on the right side of the grass. Better on top than below. Nicole Baxter stood in the last place she’d ever thought she’d end up—the front porch of a farm she hadn’t been to in seventeen years. The fields were lush from the months of spring rain they had received. Even the stifling heat of the Illinois summer hadn’t diminished the crops. With fall approaching, it wouldn’t be long before the fields were stripped of their bounty.

“You all settled in your room?” Her father, John Baxter, joined her on the porch.

“Yes.” She smiled up at him and shifted on her high heels. Probably the last time she’d wear them for a while. “Thanks again for letting me stay here. I swear I’ll only be here for a few weeks. A month, tops. Just until I get back on my feet again.”

“This is your home. You stay as long as you like.” His gaze followed the combine out in the western field. Her twin brothers, Ethan and Wes, were out there working.

“Thanks.” She could argue with him, insist that she wasn’t used to taking charity. That this hadn’t been her home in a long time. That this was only a temporary setback. A few weeks in the uncomplicated town of Tawnee Valley would help her heal from her breakup and find a new job that was ten times better than the one that had been eliminated.

“I think I’ll take a walk.” Nicole stretched her arms over her head and let the heat of the sun melt away her worries. It was only her first day back, and she couldn’t imagine spending it inside, searching the internet for a job. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have time on her hands.