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  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  She reached up to smooth the collar of his shirt. “No,” she replied, even though he’d whispered the words as they made love only minutes earlier.

  The necklace slipped from his fingers and dropped between them onto the carpeting. “Whoops.”

  He went down on one knee to retrieve it, and she automatically looked down, following his movements. Her eyes widened when he remained kneeling before her and raised his gaze to hers. A little black velvet box had magically appeared in his hands.

  “I was going to wait to do this later, but now seems appropriate.”

  Tears pricked her eyes and she furiously tried to blink them away as she smiled down at the man she loved.

  “I love you, Gina, and I want to spend the rest of our lives together.” He flipped open the box to reveal an elegant ring with a row of diamonds on each side leading up to a large diamond that had to be at least two carats. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes. Of course, yes,” she whispered. She urged him back to his feet, and kissed him with all the love in her heart. Then he lifted the ring from its velvet bed and took her left hand in his. As he slid the ring on her finger, she breathed, “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Almost as beautiful as you.”

  She smiled through her happy tears and would swear he was a little misty eyed, too.

  On the way down the stairs that led to his study, he asked, “So, can I talk you into moving in now?”

  “Eventually,” she teased with a grin over her shoulder.

  “Eventually, my ass,” he muttered.

  They stepped out into the kitchen to find Vanessa in full party-planner mode, directing the wait staff she’d hired to circulate throughout the great room and kitchen with hors d’oeurves, champagne, and wine. The evening was warm enough that she’d even opened the French doors in both rooms and had a couple screened patio bonfires lit. With the sunset colors reflecting off the surface of the thawed lake, the entire atmosphere was stunning.

  “There you two are,” Vanessa exclaimed when she spotted them. “You’re late.”

  Gina glanced up at her fiancée. As if reading her mind, he gave a slight nod, and she moved in close to show her future mother-in-law her left hand. “With good reason.”

  “Oh!” The blond woman literally squealed before pulling Gina in for a tight hug. “Congratulations!”

  Over the past month, she and Dean had been over to his mother’s house twice for dinner. After the brief meeting at Serena’s art show, she’d suspected the woman would be nice, and once she’d gotten to know her, Gina absolutely adored her, as well as her husband, Wesley. She’d meet the stepsisters in a couple months.

  Vanessa released her and moved on to her son. Tears filled her eyes when she stepped back. “Now can I—”

  “No,” he denied with enough force to raise both women’s eyebrows. “For heaven’s sake, Mom, if you start hounding her for grandchildren before we’re even married, it might not happen.”

  Vanessa’s crestfallen look prompted Gina to move in close and whisper, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll be on the same page before too long.”

  The older woman drew back, happiness radiating from her smile as she nodded and turned back to her role as party planner.

  Dean narrowed his gaze in suspicion. “What did you say to her?”

  She shrugged and reached for two glasses of champagne. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “How about now?” he suggested as she handed him a glass. “The thought of you and my mother conspiring together terrifies me.”

  “Just remember one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  She clinked her glass against his. “We both love you very much.”

  He could definitely drink to that. After a quick kiss, he guided her into the throng of invited guests in the great room and they chatted as he eventually steered her to the stairs leading to the second floor. Urging her up about a third of the way, the vantage point allowed them to see all the faces below. Family, friends, and his employees.

  Once he had their attention, he raised his voice. “I just wanted to say thank you all for coming to celebrate the recent success of Daley Solutions with us tonight. For those of you who earn a paycheck from me, I double my thanks for the hard work and dedication you give to the company.” He found Mike in the crowd. “We wouldn’t be where we are without you.”

  With a nod of acknowledgment, his friend raised his glass. Dean returned the gesture, then toasted the rest of the guests. Once the chatter subsided, he continued.

  “And I have some more good news. As of about forty-five minutes ago, besides being a party for the software release, this has now become my—our—engagement party. Many of you have already met the woman who played a huge part in our most recent success, but now I’d like to officially introduce you to my lovely fiancée, Gina Allen. It seems like chance may have played a part in us meeting, but I’d say it was all by design.”

  As cheers and applause rose from below, Dean saw her discretely flashing her left hand at her group of friends standing near the foot of the stairs. Then she turned that wide grin toward him as he leaned down to kiss her.

  Before his lips met hers, he murmured, “My very own Cinderella.”

  ~ The End ~

  Thank you for reading!

  If you enjoyed TRUST BY DESIGN, don’t forget to leave a REVIEW. Reviews are always greatly appreciated!

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  Don’t miss the rest of the Colorado Trust Series.

  Next up is book 3, TRUST IN THE LAWE.

  “Trust in the Lawe was truly one of the best books I have read this year. I have a great respect for Stacey Joy Netzel and the way she can write a romantic story with sizzle and spice that kept me absolutely addicted. To sum it all up, Outstanding book, not to be missed.” ~ Val Pearson, You Gotta Read Reviews, 5 Stars

  Trust in the Lawe

  Kendra Zelner has three brothers: Eight-year old Noah she’s determined to protect, Joel has no clue she exists, and Robert wants her dead.

  With reason to be distrustful of cops, she takes Noah and flees their Manhattan home for Joel’s ranch in Colorado. Under the pretense of needing a job, she plans to hide out until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she’ll inherit her trust fund and legally gain custody of Noah away from Robert’s greedy hands. Unfortunately, her new-found brother’s sexy, infuriating ranch manager insists on demolishing her defenses and digging into her past.

  Colton Lawe has good reason to suspect Joel’s beautiful, long-lost sister isn’t what she seems—the little liar stole from him! He silently vows to expose her secrets, but long hours together on the ranch fosters a friendship and attraction neither of them expects. Can Kendra trust Colton with the full truth before Robert tracks them down?

  ~ Excerpt ~

  The moment they were alone, Colton braced his hands on the table and leaned forward. Her wide gaze met his, full of apprehension. In a moment of distraction, he thought how very pretty her brown eyes were.

  As she reached for her coffee cup, her tongue appeared and swiped nervously across her lips. A jolt of awareness took him completely by surprise. He shoved back from the table. She jumped, then took a drink as if everything were normal.

  Colton forced any thoughts of pretty or sexy from his mind and managed to sound relatively normal when he asked, “Ready?”

  She took her time setting the cup down before standing. He pushed his hands into his front pockets when she picked up the two dusty leather duffle bags near the entry between the kitchen and the foyer. He’d be damned if he’d offer to carry them, but then found himself holding the back door open.

  “You’ll like it here,” he said, hoping to lull her into a false sense of security. She cast him a quick glance as they walked toward a house set back near the trees, halfway between the main ho
use and three barns.

  “Colorado is very pretty,” she finally replied.

  He flashed a brief smile. “I meant the ranch. Joel and Britt are great, and they’ve got some of the best horses in the state.”

  She nodded, shifting the bags in her arms. A glance at his empty hands told him she was annoyed that he didn’t offer assistance. Hah. As if he owed her any courtesy at all.

  “Where’re you from?”

  After a distinct hesitation, she supplied, “New York.”

  “The city or just the state?”

  “City.”

  “Hmmm. This is a far cry from New York.”

  A small smile curved her lips. “You can say that again.”

  “This is a far cry from—”

  “I didn’t mean it literally.” Her smile widened.

  The situation demanded he laugh with her, but he forced his attention off her smile. Once on the porch, he opened the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Then he waited. For the sound of her footsteps. For the thump of her bags hitting the floor. For the click of the door to assure privacy.

  “I wanted to—”

  When he turned, she halted mid-sentence. Her apologetic expression gave way to an alarmed squeak when he grasped her upper arms and pushed her up against the wall. The bulk of his body gave her no room to move.

  “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

  Stark fear dilated her pupils until her brown eyes were nearly black. Her breathing grew shallow, and she gulped twice before stuttering, “Y-you know wh-who I am.”

  He tightened his grip on her shoulders, then became aware of how delicate they seemed under his large hands and forced himself to ease up. “I don’t believe it. You’re up to something, and you’ve got about five seconds to tell me what it is.”

  “H-honestly, I’m n-not.”

  Colton scoffed. “So, it’s merely coincidence that you robbed me this morning and then show up here claiming to be some long lost relative?”

  “It’s nothing more than cruel coincidence—I swear to God.”

  “Don’t you dare do that. I don’t buy one word of it.” He leaned closer, ignoring her trembling beneath his hands. “Who are you? What do you want with Joel?”

  “He told you, I’m his sister. Please…all I want is a place to stay until my…until we get back on our feet. We have nowhere else to go.”

  He caught her hesitation, saw a brief flash of panic, and wondered what she’d been about to say. He searched her expression for any kernel of truth to her words.

  In the space of a heartbeat, he became aware of the heat of her vibrating body. If he leaned down a few inches, their lips would meet. His pulse thrummed. The urge to do just that was so great it left him shaken as he stared into her eyes. She was an untrustworthy, lying, thieving, scheming con artist.

  And he’d never felt an immediate attraction like this in his life.

  ~*~

  Grab a copy of TRUST IN THE LAWE to find out how Colton handles the thief of his wallet and his heart.

  About Stacey Joy Netzel

  I fell in love with books at a young age, so for me it seemed only natural to graduate to writing them. I credit my parents for encouraging my dreams of becoming a published author, as well as the very talented friends I’ve made in Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Wisconsin Romance Writers (WisRWA).

  An avid reader and fan of movies with a happily ever after, I live in Wisconsin with my husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. In my limited free time I enjoy gardening and canning, and visiting my parents up north at the cabin on the lake with the whole family.

  ~~~

  Follow online:

  Website and Blog: http://www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com

  Facebook: Facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

  Newsletter: http://bit.ly/SJNnewsletter

  Stacey Joy Netzel’s Other Titles

  Italy Intrigue Series

  Lost In Italy

  Run To Rome

  ~

  Colorado Trust Series

  (romantic suspense)

  Evidence of Trust

  Trust by Design

  Trust in the Lawe

  Shattered Trust

  Dare to Trust

  ~

  Romancing Wisconsin Series

  (small town contemporary romance)

  Mistletoe Mischief (book 1)

  Mistletoe Magic (book 2)

  Mistletoe Match-Up (book 3)

  Autumn Wish (book 4)

  ~

  Welcome to Redemption Series

  (small town romance series with Donna Marie Rogers)

  A Fair to Remember (book 2)

  Grounds For Change (book 4)

  The Heart of the Matter (book 6)

  Hold On To Me (book 8)

  ~

  Single Titles

  More Than A Kiss, contemporary romance

  Chasin’ Mason, contemporary western romance

  ~

  Novellas

  Dragonfly Dreams, contemporary Christmas romance

  Ditched Again, contemporary reunion romance

  If Tombstones Could Talk, paranormal romance

  Beneath Still Waters (Part One), paranormal romance

  Rising Above (Still Waters Part Two), paranormal romance

  ~

  Free Short Story

  Holding Out For a Hero

  Recommended Reads

  NY Times bestselling author, Noelle Adams

  Overexposed

  For five years, Leah has been known as the fame whore who screwed Kevin Grayson, son of Hollywood royalty, as a step up the ladder to stardom and then maliciously exposed footage of their most intimate moments to the world. Only Leah knows Kevin is the guilty one, using the public sympathy to advance his career and breaking her heart in the process.

  Leah isn’t naïve anymore. She’s given up on romance, and she’ll do whatever necessary to prove she hasn’t been defeated. So when she needs another shot of notoriety to ensure the success of her new restaurant, at the same time Kevin needs some PR help of his own, she agrees to a crazy plan.

  She can fake a two-week romantic vacation with Kevin, pretending to rekindle their relationship for the eyes of the world. And she can resist Kevin’s breathtaking sexiness, even in such close quarters. And she absolutely won’t fall for any of his lies.

  ~ Excerpt ~

  “Why is there only one bedroom?” Leah demanded, turning to face him as soon as Marie closed the door.

  Kevin blinked at her brittle tone. “What?”

  “There’s only one bedroom in this villa. Would it have been that hard to reserve a villa with more than one bedroom?”

  His confusion hardened into anger. He’d done absolutely nothing to deserve this kind of attitude from her. “This is supposed to be a romantic vacation. How would we explain getting a two-bedroom villa?”

  “Why would you need to explain it?” Her cheeks were flushed now, the color delectable against her otherwise fair skin. “Celebrities do all kinds of stupid, extravagant things, just because they can.”

  “Well, I don’t. If you paid any attention at all, you’d know I don’t do that sort of thing. This ridiculous plan would hardly be convincing if we were staying in a six-bedroom villa for absolutely no reason.”

  She was practically snarling with rage, and a little part of him thought it was strange—that she’d gotten so angry so quickly, when he apparently meant nothing to her. “I wasn’t expecting a six-bedroom villa. But would two bedrooms have been so hard to make work? Where the hell are we supposed to sleep? I’m telling you right now that there’s no chance in hell I’m sharing the bed with you.”

  “And I promise that’s the last thing in the world I want.” Even as he snapped the words out, he knew they weren’t true. His damned, traitorous body was reacting again to her even now—to the tension in her small, curvy body, to the feeling radiating off her, to the pass
ion he felt in her, after so many years of nothing but cool disinterest. “I’m not in this for a quick fuck, so you can relieve your mind of that idea. Whatever you believe, you’re not so irresistible that I’d strategize about getting one bedroom just to get you back in the sack.”

  She almost choked on her outrage, and her hands fisted at her sides. “Fuck you, Kevin.”

  “Been there, done that. Moved on.”

  He should have been pleased at the cold tone of his words. He should have been pleased that her face went white, as if the words had somehow hit home.

  He wasn’t. He felt sick and wrong and weak, and it was infuriating since he hadn’t done anything but love her, and she’d twisted what they’d had into this.

  She recovered quickly from whatever her reaction had been, and she took three steps closer to him, so she was within arms’ length. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she gritted out. “There’s not a chance in hell that I’d ever let you touch me again.”

  She was so angry. Something was strange about it. Wrong about it. It was like she hated him. He couldn’t think it through, though. Any hope he’d had of mastering his emotions had been stupid and futile. In an instant, they were all at the surface again, as if the four and a half years had done nothing to temper them.

  “Oh, I think you would,” he said in a voice that was almost silky.

  “I would n—”

  Before she could finish the sentence, he reached out to haul her against him, compelled by a driving force of emotion he’d never experienced before. He took her head in one hand and leaned down into a hard kiss.