Jul 22, 2012

Sunday Smooch with Cathryn Hein

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from Heart Of The Valley by Cathryn Hein, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is -- cecilia 83!



Congratulations, cecilia!

Can you please contact Louisa George on louisageorge32 (at) gmail (dot) com
and she will send you a copy of Waking Up With His Runaway Bride.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Heart Of The Valley by Cathryn Hein ...


Brooke Kingston is smart, capable and strongwilled ­ some might even say stubborn ­ and lives in the beautiful Hunter Valley on her family property. More at home on horseback than in heels, her life revolves around her beloved ‘boys’ ­ showjumpers Poddy, Oddy and Sod.

Then a tragic accident leaves Brooke a mess. Newcomer Lachie Cambridge is hired to manage the farm, and Brooke finds herself out of a job and out of luck. But she won¹t go without a fight.

What she doesn’t expect is Lachie himself ­ a handsome, gentle giant with a will to match her own. But with every day that Lachie stays, Brooke’s future on the farm is more uncertain. Will she be forced to choose between her home and the man she’s falling for?





One tender touch, one exquisite kiss, and the grief Brooke had been clinging to so tightly subsided. It still throbbed in the background, but the edges were dulled. They no longer cut blades through her heart. Instead, as Lachie took the kiss deeper, her spirit swelled, ballooned by something marvellous, something rapturous and hope-filled.

Multiple times in her love-drunk hazes she’d imagined kissing him, but not once had she imagined it would be this magical. He’d started tentative, careful, just a light brush of her mouth, as though testing her sincerity, and she’d melted against him, wanting more. Sensing her need, he’d responded, cupping her face as he pressed his mouth harder against hers. Now, he kissed with a hunger that turned her inside out and drowned her in feelings of love, lust and desperate, insistent want.

And God, was it right. Perfectly, wonderfully right.

His hands slid down her neck, across her shoulders and down her bare arms, knuckles brushing her sides, each touch electric. He kissed his way across her cheek, warm, excited breath heavy in her ear as he nibbled at her lobe then left it to kiss a trail down her neck. He nuzzled the neck of her T-shirt aside to place fluttery kisses on her collarbone. Eyes closed, she arched her back, panting with pleasure as she let the glory of it swallow her.

He nuzzled his way back up to her mouth before drawing back to look at her intently. ‘Are you really sure about this?’

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against him. ‘You’re kidding, right?’

‘No. I’m serious. I need to know.’

‘I’m positive, Lachie. Absolutely,’ she brushed her mouth against his, ‘positively,’ sucked at his lower lip, ‘positive.’

She meant it. Heart and soul meant it. She loved him, and if the tragedies of the year had taught her one thing, it was to give and show her love, not hide it, because tomorrow could see it snatched away. Every hour, every minute, every second needed to be treasured. And even if this was only one night – a display of kind-heartedness and sympathy on his part – at least she’d have it to cherish and remember.

‘If you change your —’

She pressed her finger against his mouth, shaking her head. ‘No more worry. No more talk. Just do.’



"Heart of the Valley takes place in the very romantic Hunter Valley, where the landscape is so magnificent you can't blame Lachie and Brooke for wanting to kiss! What place inspires the romantic in you? Leave a somment to be in the draw to win a signed copy of win a signed copy of Heart of the Valley." (Australian residents only)


Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Every Boy's Dream Dad by Sue Mackay will be posted!

16 comments:

  1. Cathryn, what a beautiful kiss! Thanks for visiting the LoveCats. :)

    What inspires the romantic in me? Besides the right man, it can be just about anything - warm cozy fires, chocolate, a beach setting, a sky full of stars.

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  2. Thanks, Rachel. I'm delighted to be here.

    Mmm, that warm cozy fire sounds perfect, especially at the moment. Winter is too long!

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  3. That was great. The book sounds good.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  4. Glad you enjoyed the kiss, bn100. Thanks for dropping by.

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  5. Ooh, what a gorgeous kiss, Cathryn! Yum! I'm half in love with Lachie already.

    Now...I do live in the beautiful Hunter Valley, and I have to say the sweeping vistas of the vineyards are definitely romantically inspiring. Hmm, but so too is walking by the Seine in Paris...Hyde Park in London...and Sydney Harbour. Actually, I agree with Rachel -- with the right man even the most mundane place can be magical. :-)

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  6. I still haven't quite shed my Lachie-crush, Michelle. He's just one of those heroes. Sigh.

    Definitely agree with the sentiment that the right man can make the most mundane place magical.

    Jealous of you being in the Hunter. I so adored living there. Hope to be back one day!

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  7. Hi Cathryn - wonderul smooch. I'm so looking forward to reading Heart Of The Valley. And as early morning horse ride along the beach and through the cane fields is romantic to me (with hubby of course, not just my horse) :)

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  8. Ahh, can't beat a horse ride for romance, Helen, but then I'm shockingly biased when it comes to anything equine!

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  9. Hi Cathryn! How lovely to have you here with the LoveCats. And what a breathtaking kiss! Loved it. That and the set up have me eager to read it.

    Love the setting too. Like Michelle, I live in the Hunter and know so many glorious places here. You couldn't have chosen better!

    A little stumped on the most romantic location. Like Rachel I'd say it's all about being with the right man but yes, location doesn't hurt. So I'd say a deserted beach at sunset or sunrise, the edge of the desert on a full moon or the Dordogne in France on a sunny, lazy afternoon.

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  10. i just wish that one exquisite kiss happen in my life :)

    sounds a great story and beautiful cover =D

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  11. HEART OF THE VALLEY looks like such a fabulous read. I love the smooch. "Just do." That right there is delicious - don't talk, just kiss me.

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  12. Ooh, Annie, the Dordogne is definitely romantic. All those castles!

    I suppose it's all sunny and lovely in the Hunter right now? I miss it a lot. LOVED living there. Sigh. One day...

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  13. Thanks, Eli. I loved writing that scene. It occurred at a pivotal point in the book which gave it extra meaning and intensity. There was a lot of sniffing and sighing as I typed!

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  14. They were having a Nike moment, Marybelle. Just Do It!

    It was very romantic to write though...

    Thanks for the lovely comment.

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  15. Fabulous smooch, Cathryn! And what a place to leave us!

    Lachie sounds like a nine-carot darling - no wonder you still have a Lachie-crush! Some heroes are extra hard to let go.

    For me, the little thoughtful things can be so romantic... a shoulder rub, doing the dinner if I'm feeling a little low... but then a lovely log fire, candlelit dinner, gorgeous sunset - those are all romantic too!

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  16. Hi Sharon,

    I think Lachie has been my hardest hero to get over. I have a pretty severe crush on the one I'm writing now but Lachie sure lingered a long time!

    Shoulder rub. Ahh. I could really do with that right now. Currently in deadline land and spending waaaaay too long at the computer.

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