No Ordinary Groom Read online

  She met his gaze and gave him a smile that warmed him in too uncomfortable a way at such a public moment.

  “Don’t tell me you’re not giving my wife a chance to host a lavish wedding?” the colonel asked, although there was amused satisfaction in his voice.

  “That would take too long, Papa.” Jane put her hand in Will’s and looked up at him. “We’ll stop at your estate on the way back, won’t we? I’d love to see it.”

  He thought of his parents’ home—his home—and for the first time did not dread the memories. He looked forward to showing her the places where he’d been happy, and maybe settling there after all, if it was what she wanted.

  The dinner bell rang, and a servant came to bring the colonel his crutches. He maneuvered quite well with them, and Will and Jane walked arm in arm behind him.

  Will leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I have so much to tell you. Maybe I’ll even indulge your love of learning languages—as long as you’re naked during the lessons.”

  Her smile was wicked.

  About the Author

  GAYLE CALLEN There have always been people running around in my head, so I started writing when I was thirteen years old and never stopped. I loved creating whole other worlds for my friends to read about—and that’s still what motivates me today.

  I live in central New York with my wonderful husband, Jim; my three children; and our dog, Apollo. I spend a lot of time cheering on my children at soccer and lacrosse games. Besides writing, I love to read, sing, and delve too deeply into historical research. Come visit my website at www.gaylecallen.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  Other AVON ROMANCES

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  BELOVED HIGHLANDER by Sara Bennett

  THE DUCHESS DIARIES by Mia Ryan

  FOR THE FIRST TIME by Kathryn Smith

  SEEN BY MOONLIGHT by Kathleen Eschenburg

  TO TEMPT A BRIDE by Edith Layton

  WICKEDLY YOURS by Brenda Hiatt

  Coming Soon

  AN AFFAIR MOST WICKED by Julianne MacLean

  KISS ME AGAIN by Margaret Moore

  And Don’t Miss These

  ROMANTIC TREASURES

  from Avon Books

  HOW TO TREAT A LADY by Karen Hawkins

  MARRIED TO THE VISCOUNT by Sabrina Jeffries

  THE PLEASURE OF HER KISS by Linda Needham

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  NO ORDINARY GROOM. Copyright © 2004 by Gayle Callen Kloecker. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Microsoft Reader April 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-194533-5

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