Promise of Paradise — Karen Lawton Barrett

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

From the minute he walked into Eden's shop and asked for author Aurora Prince, she knew he was trouble. The fact that Eden Pendleton penned the steamy historical novels credited to "Aurora" was a well-kept secret, one that this man seemed determined to reveal. Besides, Eden had learned long ago that most men were not to be trusted. Even big, handsome ones with broad shoulders and eyes like green velvet.

Gabriel Phillips was intrigued by the woman who managed the Portland bookstore. Her prim attitude didn't fool him one bit. The sweet smile and the voluptuous body not quite concealed by an oversized blouse indicated a promise of paradise under her frosty veneer. It was just the sort of promise worth waiting for -- if he wasn't engaged in a much more serious matter: the search for the missing granddaughter of his friend, Matt Pendleton.

Then Gabriel discovered that the beauty who'd caught his eye was Eden Pendleton, the woman he'd been tracking down. But the problems that had driven Eden away from her grandfather remained. She had tried to resolve them by writing a book, a heartfelt novel meant to smooth the rough edges of the past. The only problem was that her publisher wouldn't touch the book, which was a departure from Aurora's sexy style. And Gabriel, a publishing entrepreneur, was the key to getting her manuscript into bookstores -- and into her grandfather's hands. Gabriel was her enemy, and her only ally And with a single kiss, she realized that this was a man determined to win every battle.