Blueprint for Love (Choc Lit) (15 page)

          ‘The young lady checked out early this morning,’ explained the proprietor. ‘She seemed in a hurry.’

         
‘Do you know where she was heading?’

         
‘The station, I believe. Wanted to catch the– ‘

          Jonathan didn’t hear him out. He jumped back in the Land Rover
and reversed out into the high street,, the vehicle’s tyres squealing as it roared off.

          Because of his stupidity, Hazel was going to disappear out of his life. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to catch her, and if that meant getting a speeding ticket, then so be it. The alternative – never seeing Hazel again – was unthinkable.

Hazel watched the young family as they entered the platform. The father was pushing a pram with a baby inside, the mother carrying a weekend bag and with a tight grip on the hand of a little boy.  The baby dropped her bottle and the father picked it up, sending his wife an affectionate grin. The ordinary, domestic scene made Hazel swallow hard, and she had to look away to prevent the tears she’d refused to shed during the night.

          She didn’t blame Jonathan for believing only what his eyes told him. Most people would. She blamed herself for being a fool, for not seeing it coming. For falling in love and making everything so much worse for herself.

          Yesterday, when visiting Aunt Rose, she’d blurted it all out, and her aunt had comforted her as best she could. However, there was no cure for a broken heart, they both knew that. Aunt Rose had encouraged her to go away for a while, despite Hazel’s protests that she wanted to stay near her. Eventually, she’d come around to the idea.

          She’d called her former flatmate in London, who was very sympathetic and had said Hazel could have the box room in the flat for as long as she wanted it, since her old room had already been let out again.

          It didn’t matter to Hazel that she’d be sleeping on a camp bed; she just needed to put some distance between herself and Jonathan while she considered her future.

          But what future could there be without Jonathan? Or the boys? Her heart contracted at the thought, and she had to swallow again.

         
‘A penny for them.’

Jonathan could have kicked himself when Hazel stepped back in alarm, as if she thought he was going to hit her.

         
‘I know you didn’t do it,’ he said, slightly breathless from his frantic dash through the station building. ‘Tabitha stole your raincoat to make it look like you did. Can you forgive me for not believing you?’

          She stared at him, her expression inscrutable. Realising that the situation required a different tactic, he surprised even himself by going down on one knee in front of her.

          ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘Will you marry me?’

         
‘But ... ’

         
‘And you’re not allowed to say ‘no’. I am, after all, your boss.’

Hazel felt the eyes of other passengers on them, and the colour rose in her cheeks. She wished she didn’t have this awful tendency to blush. ‘Jonathan, you ... this is really embarrassing. Please get up.’

         
‘Not until you agree.’ Grinning broadly, he rose anyway and placed his hands on her shoulders.

          Looking up into his handsome face, Hazel composed herself and a smile stole over her lips as she pointed out something he seemed to have forgotten.
‘You sacked me, remember?’

         
‘I’m revoking it.’

         
‘Really? Just like that?’

          He drew her close for a gentle kiss.
‘Just like that.’

          Sighing against his chest, she wanted to remain realistic.
‘The thing is, Jonathan, you already have everything: great kids, a loving dad, even if he doesn’t show it. A beautiful house. Money. Staff who dote on you. You don’t need me.’

         Holding her away from him, he said,
‘How about this? I love your smile, your sense of humour, your kindness, even the way you get yourself into impossible situations. Your unpredictability brightens up my day, and I don’t think I can live without you. Will that do?’

          He pulled her into a hot embrace, which raised whispers among the onlookers. Hazel’s heart soared, and she felt herself melt into him.

           ‘I don’t know. You’d better kiss me again to make sure.’

About the Author

Henriette grew up in Northern Denmark but moved to England after she graduated from the University of Copenhagen. She wrote her first book when she was ten, a tale of two orphan sisters running away to Egypt fortunately to be adopted by a perfect family they meet on the Orient Express.

Between that first literary exploit and now, she has worked in the Danish civil service, for a travel agent, a consultancy company, in banking, hospital administration, and for a county court before setting herself up as a freelance translator and linguist.

Expecting her first child and feeling bored, she picked up the pen again, and when a writer friend encouraged her to join the Romantic Novelists’ Association, she began to pursue her writing in earnest. Her debut novel,
Up Close
, won the New Talent Award in 2011 from the Festival of Romance and a Commended from the Yeovil Literary Prize.

Henriette is married and lives in London.

Henriette
has two full-length novel published -
Up Close & The Elephant Girl
. Her next novel,
The Highwayman’s Daughter
, in May 2014.

Follow Henriette:

Twitter –
@henrigyland

Facebook
Website

More
Choc Lit from Henriette Gyland

Up Close
(full length novel)

Henriette Gyland

Too close for comfort …

When Dr Lia Thompson’s grandmother dies unexpectedly, Lia is horrified to have to leave her life in America and return to a cold and creaky house in Norfolk. But as events unfold, she can’t help feeling that there is more to her grandmother’s death than meets the eye.

Aidan Morrell is surprised to see Lia, his teenage crush, back in town. But Aidan’s accident when serving in the navy has scarred him in more ways than one, and he has other secrets which must stay hidden at all costs, even from Lia.

As Lia comes closer to uncovering the truth, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew. In a world of increasing danger, is Aidan someone she can trust?

Find out more and purchase in the kindle store
:

UK here

US here

The Elephant Girl
(full length novel)

Henriette Gyland

Peek-a-boo I see you …

When five-year-old Helen Stephens witnesses her mother's murder, her whole world comes crumbling down. Rejected by her extended family, Helen is handed over to child services and learns to trust no-one but herself. Twenty years later, her mother's killer is let out of jail, and Helen swears vengeance.

Jason Moody runs a halfway house, desperate to distance himself from his father's gangster dealings. But when Helen shows up on his doorstep, he decides to dig into her past, and risks upsetting some very dangerous people.

As Helen begins to question what really happened to her mother, Jason is determined to protect her. But Helen is getting too close to someone who'll stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden ...

Find out more and purchase in the kindle store:

UK here

US
here

More from Choc Lit

If you’ve enjoyed Henriette
’s hero, you’ll enjoy the rest of our selection. Here’s a sample of our full length novels:

Highland Storms

Winner of the 2012 Historical Romantic Novel of the Year Award

Who can you trust?

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.

But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being a housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.