Be Mine
Valentine Novellas To Warm The Heart
Bestselling Romance Authors
Nicole Flockton
Renee Conoulty
Alli Stewart
Renée Dahlia
Emma Lea
Heidi Wessman Kneale
Maryanne Ross
Ruby Rare
Ebony Jean
Wanika Fazekas
Novalee Swan
Elizabeth Stevens
Susanne Bellamy
Edited by
Ebony McKenna
Copyright
Copyright © 2020
All rights reserved.
All authors within this anthology retain copyright to their individual works.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All stories are works of fiction and except for specific geographic locations mentioned purely as a setting, any resemblance to real events, places, organisations or people, living or dead, is a coincidence.
Contents
Catastrophic bushfires as the backdrop to writing romance
Locations, spelling and heat levels
Monique McDonell
Flight Bound
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Flight Bound
About Monique McDonell
Something of a Spark
Renee Conoulty
Dancing In The Grass
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue
About Renee Conoulty
Maryanne Ross
How (Not) To Make A Grandchild
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About Maryanne Ross
Alli Stewart
Healing Hearts
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
About Alli Stewart
Elizabeth Stevens
The Romeo + Juliet Experiment
1. Jess
2. Ryan
3. Jess
4. Ryan
5. Jess
6. Ryan
7. Jess
8. Ryan
9. Jess
10. Ryan
About Elizabeth Stevens
Wanika Fazekas
Finding Oliver
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
About Wanika Fazekas
Nicole Flockton
Trapped By Cupid
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
About Nicole Flockton
Also By Nicole
Susanne Bellamy
Valentine Promises
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
About Susanne Bellamy
Also By Susanne Bellamy
Acknowledgments
Heidi Wessman Kneale
Be My GRL
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
About Heidi Wessman Kneale
Also by Heidi Wessmnan Kneale
Ruby Rare
Twist of Fate
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
About Ruby Rare
Emma Lea
Unbreak My Heart
1. Almost Easy - Ward Thomas
2. I Don't Remember Me (Before You) - Brothers Osbourne
3. What Happens in a Small Town - Brantley Gilbert & Lindsay Ell
4. Mad at You - Noah Cyrus & Gallant
5. Speechless - Dan + Shay
6. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
7. Love You Goodbye - One Direction
8. Dammit - Jana Kramer
9. Die from a Broken Heart - Maddie & Tae
10. My Heart is Open - Marron 5 (feat. Gwen Stefani)
Other Books by Emma Lea
About the Author
Author’s Note
Ebony Jean
Cupid Games
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
About Ebony Jean
Renée Dahlia
Ode to Banh Mi
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About Renée Dahlia
Author’s Notes
Acknowledgments
Novalee Swan
Sin City Valentine
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About Novalee Swan
A Free Copy of Ride
Catastrophic bushfires as the backdrop to writing romance
Dear Reader,
When the incredible authors in this anthology set about creating our Valentine’s Day anthology, our hearts were filled with love.
During the time we put this together, our hearts broke to see so many devastating bushfires ravaging every state in Australia. Ma
ny of us are from Australia and New Zealand, and have family and friends here.
With such terror all around, many of us have made donations to charities to help those affected. Some have crafted pouches and sleeping bags for rescued wildlife. Some have opened their doors and taken in neighbours. A great many of our romance writing friends and family have had to flee their homes. The rest of us shelter inside, away from the ash and smoke-filled air, because the wind brings the ash-clouds from thousands of kilometres away.
The following services need donations to keep helping people and our injured wildlife. They will put any donated amount you can spare to immediate use. Bonus, if you’re donating from the USA, your dollar is worth approximately 1.47 Australian, so your money will stretch even further.
Click on any of the following links to send your donation to the charity of your choosing.
Australian Red Cross
WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service - who are distributing funds to other services across Australia.)
VINNIES (St Vincent de Paul Society)
More services (ABC news website, with more regular updates.)
These links were correct at time of publication. I apologise in advance for any of them not working.
Thank you so much.
-Ebony McKenna, Editor.
Locations, spelling and heat levels
These novellas are set all over the world, celebrating the global romance that is the annual Feast of St Valentine.
Although some of the stories are set inside the USA, and will therefore have US-English spelling, if a story is set outside the United States the spelling may use UK English spelling, or Australian English spelling, depending on the author. It’s a colourful - or colorful, depending where you live - language!
HEAT LEVELS:
Each story has its own heat rating - out of five chillies. Sweet romances where we ‘close the bedroom door’ have one chilli. Mid-level heat ratings where the characters don’t close the bedroom door and get down to business have three chillies, and the super-hot no-holds-barred goes up to five.
Happy reading.
Ebony McKenna - editor.
Flight Bound
Monique McDonell
Setting:
Australia and USA - uses US English spelling.
Heat rating - one chilli
About Flight Bound
He was her first kiss, she was his first love - a decade later and she's a broken-hearted flight attendant who has sworn off men and he's the guy determined not to be relegated to the friend-zone again.
A chance encounter on a commuter flight brings Mel back into Tucker's life again and while he's excited to see her it's clear she has other things on her mind, like the ex who just dumped her.
Mel needs a break from men and anyway, Tucker is everything Mel doesn't usually go for in a man - he's smart, he's kind and he's fun - but he's Tucker the boy the next door. He's totally not her type. Or is he?
Can Tucker convince Mel to take a chance on him this Valentine's Day or will this relationship be grounded before it even takes flight?
Prologue
The first guy to ever kiss me was Tucker Bowen. He was gangly, wore glasses, and lived next door. He was my brother Henry’s best friend, and he was moving away.
He came to say good-bye and found me in the backyard jumping on the trampoline in my bikini. It was a hot summer day. The cicadas were singing in the trees in our yard. I was waiting for my friend Ashley’s mom to come and collect me and take us to the beach.
“I came to say good-bye.” He climbed on the trampoline and started bouncing. “We’re leaving today.”
“I know, lucky you. You get to move to America.”
“I don’t feel lucky. I wish I could stay.”
“You’re crazy. It’s going to be so cool.” I bounced up, he bounced down, like opposite ends of a seesaw, or as they were known in America, a teeter-totter. He’d be calling them a teeter-totter soon.
“Yeah, well. I like it here.”
He was crazy. All he did here was go to school, play cricket, and come to our house to play Dungeons and Dragons.
We were bouncing in rhythm now, two up, two down. We’d done it a million times before.
“Will you write to me?” he asked.
“I dunno, what would I say in a letter? I have Mrs. Entwhistle for science and she’s still mean?”
“Sure, that would be good.” He gave me a lopsided smile.
“I don’t know, Tuck, I’m not much of a writer. Henry has your email, right? Maybe I’ll email you.”
“Okay.” He looked a bit disappointed, but I wasn’t going to lie and say I’d write. After all, it was Tucker. Tucker and I weren’t exactly friends, but we got along. He was sixteen now, and I was fourteen. Henry was less revolting when Tucker was around, so I never minded when Tuck was about, but he was Henry’s friend.
“Send me a postcard or two.”
“I will.”
I stopped bouncing and so did Tuck. He grabbed my hand. “I’m going to miss you, Mel. I kind of thought I’d live next door to you my whole life, and then you know, you’d fall in love with me and we’d get married.”
I felt my eyes bug out of my head. Was he kidding? I was never, I repeat, never going to marry a guy like Tucker. Tucker was so sensible and so boring. I was in love with Brandon Roberts who surfed and smoked and occasionally skipped school.
Then Tucker leaned in and kissed me. It was a soft kiss full of love and promise, and it made my lips tingle. I didn’t pull away because, well, I don’t know why exactly.
Then Tucker dropped my hand, climbed off the trampoline, and walked away.
“Have a good flight,” I called. My lips were tingling, and I was confused. That had been good, but I had no comparison. Maybe it wasn’t kissing Tucker that was good, maybe it was just the kissing I liked.
1
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Adventure Airlines flight eight ten to Brisbane. My name is Mel, and on behalf of the cabin crew, Miles, Rachel, and Greg, I’d like to welcome you aboard. The seatbelt light is now on, so please remain seated and give the crew your full attention during our brief safety demonstration.”
Mel let the button on the microphone go and sighed. She would not cry at work, on a plane, in front of three hundred people.
She busied herself in the galley checking off the preflight procedure. When tears pricked her eyes, she waved her fingers in front of them to push them away. That morning she’d applied so much makeup hoping no one would notice the puffy eyes she was hiding from crying last night. Mel sent up a silent prayer of thanks for makeup and eye drops.
The captain announced that he was ready for takeoff and that the cabin crew should sit. Thank goodness she was flying with Miles today.
They buckled in at the front of the plane facing the other passengers.
“Are you okay?” Miles asked, clipping his belt shut and crossing his long legs.
“I just can’t believe it. Who does that?” she replied in a whisper. Across from them sat two elderly women who had closed their eyes for takeoff and a guy of about thirty who seemed very focused on his newspaper.
“I know.” He leaned in closer.