An Unexpected Bride
The Bride Series, Book 1
The Bride Series, Book 1
Shadonna Richards
Genre: Contemporary
Romance/ Romantic Comedy
ISBN: 978-1463774820
ASIN: B005GXLALY
Number of pages:
260
Word Count: 54,000
Cover Artist: Ramona Lockwood
Book Description:
AN
UNEXPECTED BRIDE (Book 1 in The Bride Series) - #1 Bestseller in Humor
Emma Wiggins is
about to marry her heart-stopping, gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher, in seven
days--too bad he doesn't know it yet!
Desperate to fulfill her ailing
grandfather's last wish to see her settle down and get married, Emma Wiggins, a
30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a little white lie on his
deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss, deliciously handsome and
emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The situation takes
an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to
her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital
bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting,
commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom
in the most unlikely situation?
The
Bride Series novels and novellas have sold over 260,000 copies in the last year
***The Second Anniversary Edition! Newly published
with an additional 5,000 words, added scenes, a new ending and a bonus steamy
love scene!***
Excerpt
(Chapter 1)
AN
UNEXPECTED BRIDE (Book 1 of the Bride Series) by Shadonna Richards
Emma
Wiggins is about to marry her heart-stopping, gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher,
in seven days—too bad he doesn’t know it yet!
Desperate
to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get
married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a
little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss,
deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The
situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves
slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his
hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince
unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven
days. Can love blossom in the most
unlikely situation?
Chapter 1
“…It
is better to marry, than to burn with passion.” -1 Corinthians 7:9 (NIV)
“You mean to tell me, you can’t find a
decent man? Not one?”
“Grampa!” Emma Wiggins felt the blood
siphon from her face. She could not believe she was having this conversation
again.
She shifted her hips uncomfortably on
the hospital bedside of her ailing grandfather, trying to find the right words
to say. She knew quite well where he was going with his comment. He was
desperate to see her settle down, get married and have kids one day—like normal people. But after her previously
tainted relationships left her with emotional burns to seventy percent of her
heart, no way was she going down that
yellow brick road to happiness again. There was no place like home…alone.
“Oh, Gramps!” she
whispered, tilting her head to the side. “Look, I promise you, I won’t end
up…dying alone and penniless. You have my word on it—okay?”
Her whispered reassurance was virtually
inaudible. Was that a promise she could even keep? She really didn’t want to
fall in love again. It would hurt too much. On the other hand, she wanted to
give her grandfather hope, something to cheer about. Especially now as he
neared the end of his long time battle with what he called "a dreadful
opponent that had a habit of sneaking up at the wrong time—prostate
cancer."
The long-term care unit at Mercy
Springs Memorial Hospital was unusually quiet during the busy lunch hour. The
place was tranquil except for the sound of the air conditioner gently humming
in the background and the odd clanking of knives scraping plates as some
patients ate their meals. The aroma of hospital food filled the air. The scent
of fresh cut flowers she’d bought and placed at the bedside table wafted to her
nostrils. She eyed his untouched lunch tray. The smell of mashed potato with
gravy and sliced beef reminded her she hadn't eaten.
Laced with guilt, Emma glanced down at
her watch. She didn’t want to leave him. Not ever. Not after what the doctor
told her about his prognosis. But she didn’t want to push her luck at work
either. Her boss, Evan Fletcher, president of Fletcher Advertising where she worked
as an account executive had been more than kind to extend her lunch hour to
visit her ailing Gramps. They had the pivotal conference call meeting in half
an hour with one of their biggest potential clients. She didn’t want to blow
this. Not now.
This was a career clincher for her. But
speaking of careers.... Her grandfather, whom she’d always referred to as
Gramps when she was a little girl and had trouble pronouncing Grandpa, just
finished a fresh round of chastising his only granddaughter for putting career
ahead of love and family. If only he knew. She would love to have a family and
a husband. But…
Her grandfather, Mr. Wiggins, reclined
weakly and peered at her with droopy eyelids. His favorite pair of thick brown
spectacles propped on the tip of his nose. He felt comfortable with them on,
even when resting. The head of his bed elevated to a ninety-degree angle.
The green and white hospital bed sheets covered him up to his chest. He hadn’t
eaten much during the past few days and he appeared older than his eighty
years. Emma knew her grandfather loved her and wanted the best for her. She was
also painfully aware that he regretted only having one child, a son, Emma’s
father. Oh, she looked like her dad. Deep, almond shaped brown eyes that
sparkled, dark, curly long ebony hair that shined. And a dimpled smile to melt
even the coldest of hearts. Always willing, always helpful.
“I know that silly guy hurt you when he
left you but—"
“Oh, Gramps. Why are you talking about
that now? I’m so over him.” She emphasized the "so" and bit down on
her lower lip. She wished she could simply delete the bitter memory of her
ex-fiancé’s betrayal from her mind. She longed to erase the baggage of emotional
scars he packed her off with. Yes, her hope was singed during that nasty
breakup period, but she couldn’t dwell on relationships now. Her work was her
love. And so was Gramps.
“Sometimes you need to take your messed
up relationships with a grain of grace so you can appreciate when the right one
comes along. I just don’t want to see you let him ruin your chances of
happiness with someone else. In hindsight, I can say that other guy was a goof,
not worthy of you!” He struggled to lean forward and touched her cascading mane
of dark, spiraling curls.
Emma was amazed at his strength. She
didn’t realize that many palliative patients had energy before their inevitable
demise. In fact, she was always in amazement when she visited the quiet unit.
Patients were up and about, walking, conversing, and partaking of typical
activities. Of course, not all patients were responsive and ambulatory. It was
a mixture of diagnosis, prognosis, and illness processes. The ages of the
patients ranged from eighteen-years-old to those who reached their ninety-ninth
year.
“You realize you’re my only
grandchild.” A muffled cough emitted from his throat. He grabbed a tissue from
the side table and covered his mouth with it, coughed up, and wiped his mouth
clean before tossing the Kleenex in the black garbage bin by his bedside.
“The Wiggins line will be finished if you don’t marry and have kids, pumpkin,”
he emphasized tearfully, water filling his eyes. Emma could barely watch him
cry.
Just then, one of the nurses, a perky
redhead sporting bright pink scrubs, bought in a plate with a slice of cake on
it. Her cheeks glowing red.
“Oh, what’s the occasion?” Emma was
glad to change the subject as she peered at the icing on the cake.
“Oh, this is from Mr. Harry next door.
His granddaughter just got married in the room.”
“Married? Here?”
“Yes.” The nurse placed the cake on the
table before the untouched tray of food. “We sometimes get requests for wedding
ceremonies to take place at the bedside for palliative patients who are too ill
to otherwise attend. He wanted to give his daughter away. We arranged for the
chaplain to do the honors, but sometimes patient's family members bring in
their own minister.” The nurse smiled and fixed Emma's grandfather’s pillow and
repositioned him before darting out of the room.
Emma couldn’t help but notice her
grandfather’s fresh round of tears.
“What’s wrong, Gramps?” Surprise caught
her voice.
“I just wished it were you, pumpkin.
It’s my only wish before I go to be with your dear old grandma to see you get
married, settle down, and have a family. You’re hiding yourself in your work.
There’s so much more to life than work, you know. We all need love, pumpkin. It
won’t be nice to be alone when I’m gone—" His voice cracked and broke off.
“I just hate to think you’ll be alone with no one. Just don’t give up too easy
on finding true love.”
Emma’s heart took a serious plunge into
the deep end of despair. She could bear no more. If only he knew it was just as
unsettling to her as it was to him to see her in this state.
Lord knows she tried hard to make
things work with her ex-fiancé, of whom she could barely bring herself to
recite his name. But, oh, nothing escaped the careful observation of her
grandfather. He knew her all too well.
Truth was, she really did hide behind
her work, bury herself in its corporate arms, and lose herself to the company’s
aims and objectives.
But it was the perfect cover. And why
not? She’d at least be doing some good service while keeping her mind busy at
the same time.
Why not pour her heart into working to
change images through advertising? Fulfill a need. Utilize her communications
skills to write and design advertisements for special clients to inform the
public about products and services that could help them to make their lives
better. Contribute to economic growth. Yes, there were some things much more
critical than love, Emma tried to convince herself.
Still, she really couldn’t live
with herself knowing the doctor told her in the family meeting earlier that
Gramps only had days to live. Days! How could she not want to see him happy?
Her large, tearful brown eyes surveyed
his aging, graceful face as if each blessed, earned wrinkle had a story of its
own to tell. Her eyes penetrated his dark, kind, tired eyes glazed over with
cataracts. At one time, this same pair of eyes was so filled with life. Love.
Hope.
He was all she had now.
She was all he had.
Those time-honored crow's-feet in
the corners of his eyes ever so present. Each wrinkle represented wisdom and
sacrifice made to his country and to his family.
“Gramps, don’t worry. I’m…I’m okay. I-”
His tears fell hard like the Texas
rain. Her grandfather bellowed out in pain. Her grandfather, the stronghold of
the family, loving, determined, but wore his heart on his shirt sleeves, was
never afraid to weep. That took a powerful man to do that. This same man took
her in when everyone else—meaning her parents—could not care for her.
Soon, the nurse would come back in and
wonder what Emma did to upset this poor, dying man.
“Gramps, I didn’t want to tell you
before but…I’m seeing someone. I am getting married.” Liar.
Emma bit down on her full, defined
lips. Anything to make him happy—a dying man’s last wish. But before Emma could
stop herself, she swallowed another hard lump of reality. What did she just do?
Did she just tell a lie to spare his feelings? She could shoot herself. But she
hoped he didn’t hear amongst his own wailing.
As if someone turned off a faucet, his
flow of tears almost dried up immediately.
“What did you just say, darling’?” He
sniffled and grabbed a tissue at the bedside to dab at his tears, his shaky
hand removed his spectacles while the other free one wiped his eyes.
“I’m…you know…” Hesitation. Crackles
shadowed her vocal chords.
“Getting married? Sweetheart, that’s
wonderful news. Why didn’t you tell your dear old Gramps before? Getting me all
worried. Who’s the lucky guy? What’s his name?” He peered over his spectacles.
A light seemed to beam from his face.
Okay, now what do I say?
“Um…”
Think, Emma. Think.
“Evan.” She could kick herself. By the
time she was through she would be beaten and worn.
“Evan who?”
Okay.
“Fletcher.” Good Lord. Okay, now I’ve done it. What’s wrong with me?
She tried to convince herself she
wasn’t entirely dishonest. She was seeing her sexy, heart-stopping, gorgeous
boss Evan for the sole purpose of work—every day. They worked closely at the
agency for the past three years—sometimes late nights to meet tight deadlines,
travelling together. He’d promoted her from new grad receptionist to office
manager to account coordinator and possibly more. He’d always believed in her.
She admired him from afar. Though Evan was as distant as a star in the galaxy
from Earth. Okay, so he was a self-professed bachelor who had made it known to
staff he despises the institution called marriage. He’d never know about this
little secret lie she just spilled out to her grandfather.
Emma’s BlackBerry vibrated with a
gentle hum. It was the office. Evan probably wanted to know where she was—since
they had that important conference call shortly.
“I’d love to see him,” her grandfather
blurted out. “When are you going to bring him by so that we can meet?”
Emma’s entire body stiffened.
BEAUTIFUL LOVE
QUOTES AND ROMANTIC WORDS
Hi, everyone!
I’m Shadonna, author of An Unexpected Bride, a
romantic comedy about Emma Wiggins who is about to marry her heart-stopping,
gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher in seven days. Only he doesn’t know about it
yet! Since An Unexpected Bride centers around the theme of love and companionship,
I thought I’d compile a list some of the most romantic quotes or the most
beautiful words you can say to someone you care about. Check this list out:
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
—From Love Story (1970) - Jennifer
(Ali MacGraw) to Oliver (Ryan O’Neal)
“You had me at hello.”—From Jerry Maguire (1996) - Dorothy (Renée Zellweger) to Jerry (Tom Cruise)
“I love you. You’re my only reason to stay alive… if that’s what I am.”—From The Twilight Saga: New Moon Edward (Robert Pattinson) to Bella (Kristen Stewart)
“You had me at hello.”—From Jerry Maguire (1996) - Dorothy (Renée Zellweger) to Jerry (Tom Cruise)
“I love you. You’re my only reason to stay alive… if that’s what I am.”—From The Twilight Saga: New Moon Edward (Robert Pattinson) to Bella (Kristen Stewart)
“Love is like a sunshine. It brings a golden glow
to its beholder’s face. And a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens
souls and opens eyes. And when its over, it leaves a billions of small memories
called stars. To remind the world, that it still exists.” – Author Unknown
“If you are in love…that’s about the best thing
that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.” – John Steinbeck
“When you love someone, it’s something. When someone loves you, it’s another thing. When you love the person who loves you back, it’s everything.” – Author Unknown
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return. – Author Unknown
“Don’t give up too easy on finding true love…we all
need love.” – Shadonna Richards (An
Unexpected Bride, Sept 2011)
“Life is about moments…we have to make each moment a special occasion.” – Shadonna Richards (An Unexpected Bride, Sept 2011)
“Life is about moments…we have to make each moment a special occasion.” – Shadonna Richards (An Unexpected Bride, Sept 2011)
Hope you enjoyed the list. I thought I’d leave you
with a synopsis of An Unexpected Bride. Enjoy.
Desperate
to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get
married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a
little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss,
deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?
THE TOP 10 WEDDING
BLOOPERS
Hi, everyone!
I’m Shadonna, author of An Unexpected Bride, a
romantic comedy about Emma Wiggins who is about to marry her heart-stopping,
gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher in seven days. Only he doesn’t know about it
yet! Since An Unexpected Bride centers around the theme of weddings, I thought
I’d make a fun list, based on research and funny wedding videos I’ve seen.
Here’s an unofficial list of the Top 10 Wedding Bloopers. Of course, Emma has
the number one spot. Check this list out:
10. The minister forgot to show up
9. The groom forgot the bride’s name
8. The bride forgot the groom’s name
7. The ring bearer disappeared with the ring
6. The bride fainted
5. The groom fainted
4. The minister fainted
3. The bride fell into the pool (the wedding was by
the poolside)
2. The dog stole the show
And the number one spot goes to Emma Wiggins from An
Unexpected Bride
1. The
bride forgot to tell the groom they were getting married
Hope you enjoyed the list. I thought I’d leave you
with a synopsis of An Unexpected Bride. Enjoy.
Desperate
to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get
married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a
little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss,
deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the
most unlikely situation?
THE TOP 20 LOVE
SONGS
Hi, everyone!
I’m Shadonna, author of An Unexpected Bride, a
romantic comedy about Emma Wiggins who is about to marry her heart-stopping,
gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher in seven days. Only he doesn’t know about it
yet! Since An Unexpected Bride centers around the theme of dream weddings, I
thought I’d compile a list some of the most romantic songs for weddings (in no
particular order). Check this list out:
- At Last by
Etta James
- When I Fall in Love by
Nat King Cole
- The Power of Love by
Celine Dion
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight? By
Elton John
- Eternal Flame by
The Bangles
- This I Promise You by
‘NSYNC
- You Are So Beautiful by
Joe Cocker
- Here and Now by
Luther Vandross
- All My Life by K-Ci
& Jojo
- Have I Told You Lately? By
Rod Stewart
- On Bended Knee by
Boys II Men
- A Moment Like This by
Kelly Clarkson
- Thank You (For Loving Me)
Bon Jovi
- Everything I Do (I Do it For You) by
Brian Adams
- We Belong Together by
Mariah Carey
- My Heart Will Go On by
Celine Dion
- I Will Always Love You by
Whitney Houston
- Love Me Tender by
Elvis Presley
- Always by
Atlantic Starr
- Endless
Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
Hope you enjoyed the list. I thought I’d leave you
with a synopsis of An Unexpected Bride. Enjoy.
Desperate
to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get
married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a
little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss,
deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?
About the Author:
Shadonna Richards
enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love.
She has sold over 260,000 copies of her bestselling romance novels, the Bride
Series and Whirlwind Romance Series, in the past eighteen months.
Born in London,
England, she has a B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. She is
also the author of the non-fiction books, A Gift of Hope, Count Your Blessings
and Think & Be Happy: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit (an
Amazon Kindle #1 Bestseller in Meditation).
Winner of
Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is also a
member of Romance Writers of America. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives in
Canada with her husband and son.
Website: www.ShadonnaRichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorShadonnaRichards
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorShadonnaRichards
Twitter: @Shadonna
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