Return to Valentine Valley, where Christmas lights are twinkling and first love burns brighter the second time around…
When Tony De Luca’s ex, Kate Fenelli, waltzes through the door of his tavern and pulls up a bar stool, she turns his balanced world on end. Once they’d been each other’s first love, first everything. But then life happened, and they walked away with broken hearts. Now Kate is back in Valentine, and they can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way. When Tony begins wondering what would happen if they rekindled the sparks, he knows he’s in big trouble.
Kate can’t believe she’s sitting at Tony’s bar spilling her life-changing problems to him. He’s as gorgeous as ever, and she can’t seem to forget how incredible he always made her feel. Still, the door on that chapter of their lives closed long ago. Yet with Christmas buzzing in the air, Kate can’t help wondering if anything is possible—even a second chance with the only man she’s ever loved.
Kate was just about to start putting the chairs upside down on the tables when someone knocked on the front door. She looked up and saw Tony.
Smiling, she unlocked and let him in. “So how did it go?”
And then she saw the small bandage oozing blood on his right cheek.
She gasped. “Tony!”
He shrugged and dropped his hockey bag near the door. “It looks worse than it is.”
“But it’s bleeding through the bandage! Weren’t you wearing a helmet, a face mask?”
“Of course I was—I don’t want to lose my teeth. But we were warming up, and someone on the other team was hitting too hard, and I’d taken off my helmet to adjust…never mind the details.”
She followed him into his office. “You could have lost an eye!”
“I know, I know.”
“And you need a new bandage.”
“This was a new bandage after the game, and I ripped off the scab that had formed.” He rummaged through his shelves until he found the medicine kit.
“Maybe you need stitches?”
“Naw, I’m fine. I have antiseptic things in here somewhere.”
She pushed his big hands out of the way, found the little packet, and opened it. “Sit down on the desk so I can reach you.”
“Kate—”
“Shh!”
With a sigh he complied, sitting on the edge of the desk. That put his face a little above hers, and she had to stand between his knees. She bit her lip as she tried to be gentle peeling off the bandage.
“Just rip it away,” he said with amusement.
So she did, and she was the only one who winced. The cut wasn’t too long, nor was it an open gash or oozing blood too badly. Using the damp antiseptic wipe, she gently cleansed it, then looked for a bigger, square bandage. After applying it, she stood still, admiring her work.
“There,” she murmured with satisfaction.
Tony wasn’t smiling anymore. Those chocolate brown eyes were staring at her as if out of the past, back when he’d desired her, needed her.
And she realized she was standing between his thighs. The shock of awareness and heat that moved through her body was swift and overwhelming.
He put his hands on her waist, as if he knew she was suddenly weak with longing.
“What are we doing?” she whispered.
But she didn’t move away.
“I think I’m kissing you,” he said, leaning closer.
Their breaths merged, the heat of him seared her.
“Stop me now,” he warned in a hoarse voice.
Their lips almost, almost touched.
And she couldn’t speak, didn’t want to deny him, found herself deep in the past, where Tony had been the only boy, then the only man, who’d drawn her, who’d made her desperate for his touch, who’d made her lose herself.
He kissed her, openmouthed and hungrily, no gentle exploration but inspiring a renewal of a desperation that she’d buried within her for over nine years. He pulled her against him, her hips into the openness of his, her aching breasts flattening against his broad chest, her head turning until it practically rested on his shoulder. She felt greedy with the need of him, desperate for the taste of his tongue. And then his hands slid to cup her backside, pressing her even harder against the erection outlined by his jeans. She let her hands roam him, remembering his biceps and shoulders, the broad planes supporting his collarbones, the lean pillar of his neck. His hair was thick and warm, and so good to touch.
Their mouths explored as if in homecoming, as memories swamped her of laughing kisses, tender kisses, urgent kisses. Tony was still all of that for her, and no one had ever made her feel like this but him.
That made her break off the kiss and stare at him, wide-eyed. His eyes smoldered as they watched her mouth. He didn’t look like he could stop, and for a moment, she wondered if she could, if Tony once again could create a passion that made her forget everything but him.
About the Author:
Emma Cane grew up reading and soon discovered that she liked to write passionate stories of teenagers in space. Her love of “passionate stories” has never gone away, although today she concentrates on the heartwarming characters of Valentine, her fictional small town in the Colorado Rockies.
Now that her three children are grown, Emma loves spending time crocheting and singing (although not necessarily at the same time), and hiking and snowshoeing alongside her husband Jim and two rambunctious dogs Apollo and Uma.
Jennifer’s Review of Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley
Review (4.5 Stars): Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley was such a sweet romance and I love books about couples having a second chance at love, especially around the holidays. Kate Fenelli returns home when she is put on leave from her job as an attorney and isn’t sure what her life holds for her since she will be in the same town as her ex-husband. Tony De Luca has always loved Kate and having her close by during the holidays has rekindled something that he thought was long gone. Can these two give love a second chance or has that moment passed them by forever?
I enjoyed Tony and Kate’s story together. Kate was a career-focused character, who in the beginning wanted to achieve success by becoming the best attorney that she could be, even if it meant putting her personal life on hold. Tony was such a nice guy, who wanted the simple things in life by raising a family and creating a life in Valentine Valley. The two of them were on different pages in their lives when they were younger but as we all know, things change as you grow and mature as a person. Their journey back to one another wasn’t an easy one but sometimes a great love takes time and for these two, it was definitely worth the wait.
Thanks so much for the great review!