Lori Wilde - There Goes The Bride
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Authors: Unknown
There Goes The Bride
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Copyright © 2007 by Laurie Vanzura
Excerpt from the Wedding Veil Wishes series copyright © 2007 by Laurie Vanzura. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by Diane Luger
Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee
Warner Forever
Hachette Book Group
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Warner Forever is an imprint of Warner Books, Inc.
Warner Forever is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. or an affiliated company. Used under license by Hachette Book Group USA, which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc.
First eBook Edition: March 2007
ISBN: 978-0-446-55428-2
The “Warner Books” name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Contents
PRAISE FOR
Lori Wilde’s
NOVELS
You Only Love Twice
“Fast-paced adventure, sexy situations, and lots of suspense will make Wilde’s book appeal to a wide spectrum of readers.”
—Booklist
“[A] funny, fast-paced tale . . . Readers will be . . . laughing at the shenanigans.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Super fun romantic suspense . . . YOU ONLY LOVE TWICE [is] a . . . humorous contemporary thriller worth reading.”
—Midwest Book Review
“YOU ONLY LOVE TWICE is a thrill ride from page one . . . An exciting tale, [this] is a book I highly recommend.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Wilde is a master of snappy prose . . . I was amazed at how much just plain fun this book was.”
—TheRomanceReader.com
“Lori Wilde dishes up a perfect combination of great characterizations, action, zingy dialogue and plenty of humor . . . If you’re up for a fun, fast-paced and thoroughly engaging read, then make sure you pick up a copy of YOU ONLY LOVE TWICE.”
—Bookloons.com
“Pick up this book for a great read!”
—Freshfiction.com
Mission: Irresistible
“Fun, romantic . . . humorous and fast-paced . . . Fans who appreciate a breezy, lighthearted romantic suspense . . . will enjoy reading the adventures of the wilder Cooper twin.”
—Blether.com
“4 stars! This novel has a nice balance of humor, sexy romance, and a large splash of danger.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine
“Sexy . . . An action-packed, fast-paced adventure.”
—Booklist
Charmed and Dangerous
“This zany romantic comedy will steal your heart . . . sexy, fun, and hard to put down . . . It’s pure delight.”
—TheBestReviews.com
“With a deft hand, Wilde blends humor and suspense, passion and mystery into a story both charming and dangerous.”
—BookLoons.com
“Fans will take immense pleasure [in] this FBI art romance.”
—Harriet’s Book Reviews
“An exhilarating romantic suspense.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A plot that is sure to win [Wilde] more readers.”
—Southern Pines Pilot
(NC)
“Quite the exciting romp. Fans will be charmed.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine
“Witty . . . the chemistry between David and Maddie is hot enough to satisfy those looking for light summer reading.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Sexy, fun . . . Had me laughing out loud and sitting on the edge of my seat . . . If you’re looking for the perfect summer read, look no further. Lori Wilde has already written it.”
—TheBestReviews.com
License to Thrill
“Steamy.”
—Cosmopolitan
“With a sassy, in-your-face style reminiscent of Janet Evanovich, Wilde has created an unforgettable heroine.”
—Booklist
“Hilarious as well as romantic.”
—Southern Pines Pilot
(NC)
“Hot and funny and at the same time sweet . . . will have you turning the pages long after the lights should be out.”
—ContemporaryRomanceWriters.com
“Laugh-out-loud funny.”
—ScribesWorld.com
“Really does deliver the thrills it promises . . . Mason and Charlee are one helluva fun couple . . . the chemistry is amazing [and] the repartees sizzle.”
—MrsGiggles.com
“A sexy mystery with characters that sizzle alone and even more together.”
—MyShelf.com
“One of the best romps I’ve read in a long time. It had thrills and chills and there were a number of times I actually laughed out loud. If you like good-spirited, fun romances, then, quick, run to your local bookstore and snap this one up.”
—EscapetoRomance.com
“Delightful . . . Fans will enjoy this jocular caper on the wild side.”
—Blether.com
“Exhilarating . . . captivating . . . impossible to put down.”
—IntheLibraryReviews.com
“Sexy . . . Wilde dishes up a delicacy that really hits the spot.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine
“Great fun . . . A wild ride! Her characters are so alive and the plot is outstanding. I loved every word.”
—Rendezvous
Also by Lori Wilde
You Only Love Twice
Mission: Irresistible
Charmed and Dangerous
License to Thrill
To my wonderful editor, Michele Bidelspach, who gently pushes me to reach my highest potential. Thank you so much for caring!
Many thanks to super agent Jenny Bent. Her support and encouragement were invaluable in the writing of this book.
T
he summer issue of
Society Bride
declared the marriage of Houston’s hottest bachelor, Dr. Evan Van Zandt, to his childhood sweetheart, oil heiress Delaney Cartwright, a classic friends-to-lovers fairy tale.
Texas Monthly,
in its trendy yet folksy way, decreed their union the high-society equivalent of beef barbecue and mustard potato salad. Delaney and Evan simply belonged together.
A sentimental write-up in the
Houston Chronicle
dubbed their romance a heartwarming Lone Star love story.
Delaney’s mother, Honey Montgomery Cartwright, pronounced them the perfect couple. Lavish praise indeed from a Philadelphia blue blood with impossibly high standards.
Her father grumbled, “This thing’s costing us more than her liberal arts degree from Rice,” as he wrote out a very large check to cover the nuptials.
And her long-deceased sister Skylar, who occasionally popped up in Delaney’s dreams to offer unsolicited advice, whispered with unbridled glee that the ceremony was a glorious train wreck just waiting to happen and she insisted on front-row seating.
Skylar, being dead, could of course sit anywhere she chose. Everyone else had to cram into the River Oaks Methodist Church.
The cherrywood pews overflowed with five hundred invited guests, plus a dozen members of the press and a sprinkling of enterprising wedding crashers. The laboring air-conditioning system was no match for the double punch of a too-thick crowd and sweltering one-hundred-degree heat.
“Who gets married in Houston during August?” Delaney heard a woman murmur.
“I’m getting a heat rash in these panty hose,” another woman replied.
Feeling chastised, Delaney ducked her head. She stood just outside the open door of the chapel waiting for the wedding march to commence, her arm looped through her father’s.
“I heard it was originally supposed to be a Christmas ceremony, but the bride postponed it twice,” the first woman said. “Do you suppose we could have a runaway situation?”
“Hmm, now that would make an interesting spread in tomorrow’s society pages.”
At that comment, her father tightened his grip.
No turning back now,
his clench said.
Delaney’s hopes sank. Her mind spun.
A coyote would gnaw her paw off.
The bridesmaids reached their places. Her best friend, Tish, wedding videographer extraordinaire, was filming madly. Every gaze in the place was glued to Delaney.
Everything was perfect. It was a true celebrity-style wedding, just as her mother had planned. The purple orchids, accented with white roses, were on lavish display—in bouquets and boutonnieres, in vases and corsages. Her size-four, ten-thousand-dollar Vera Wang wedding dress fit like a fantasy. The flower girl was cute. The two-year-old ring bearer even cuter. And both children were on exemplary behavior. Delaney’s antique wedding veil fetchingly framed her face, even though her scalp had been tingling weirdly ever since she put it on.