The Man She Loves to Hate
“The Man She Loves to Hate is a fun, opposites attract story that readers both new and old to the series will enjoy.”
It’s an upscale wedding planner versus a social media wedding crasher—Jessica Lemmon proves that even the most heated rivals can attract in the final installment of Texas Cattleman's Club: The Wedding.
Formats
📲 EBOOK
📲📲 EBOOK 2-in-1*
📖 PAPERBACK 2-in-1* only
*This book can be purchased by itself in ebook, or as a 2-in-1 with an additional title. (Oh So Wrong with Mr. Right by Nadine Gonzalez)
She’s planned the wedding of the season…
Is she falling for the man determined to crash it?
Wedding planner Rylee Meadows will not let professional wedding crasher Patrick “Trick” MacArthur ruin her latest celebrity nuptials. They strike a bargain—he’ll film the prewedding events and her reputation will remain intact. As they work together, Trick encourages Rylee to let loose, and she soon discovers the infamous social media bad boy is really charming…and oh-so tempting. But that doesn’t change the fact he simply can’t be trusted! Not as a wedding guest…nor with her heart—no matter the promises he’s made…
🌎 International Versions
Check your local retailers for details. Availability varies by title.
What is the Texas Cattleman’s Club?
The Texas Cattleman’s Club is a long-running series at Harlequin Desire! The series is told by multiple authors, and we are each given access to a story “bible” to keep the facts the facts while we write.
In the case of The Man She Loves to Hate, my book is #6, the final book in the lineup. It can be read as a standalone, but there is an ongoing saga throughout the series if you want to read them together.
Excerpt
“Will you change your mind about crashing weddings after this weekend? Or did I ruin your streak since you are technically invited to this one?”
“That award goes to Esther Edmonton.” He picked through the chocolates and came out with a small square-shaped piece.
“Who is Esther Edmonton?”
“She’s a saucy grandmother I met last year at a wedding I crashed. She asked me to dance with her, assuming I was one of the groom’s friends. What could I do?”
“Nothing. Clearly. You were trapped.”
“She knew it, too.” He ate the candy and sucked a bit of melted chocolate off his thumb. She stared for a prolonged beat, parts of her growing warm at the idea of where his mouth had been tonight. “She used to be a nurse. She told me she was married fifty-two years to a ‘wonderful man’ who she couldn’t wait to see again in heaven.”
Rylee put a hand over her heart. “Aww.”
“It gets better. Esther regretted never having her own children, so she said she hoped her grandniece—the bride—chose to ‘make babies’ with her husband. Then she asked me if I’d like to ‘make babies’ and I told her I was flattered, but I was much too young to consider a family with a woman so out of my league.” Rylee giggled on cue. “And then I gave her the real answer. I told her I’d love to have kids, but I’m in no rush.”
Rapt, she leaned in.
“Then I asked Esther if I could interview her on camera and we sat and talked for another forty minutes in a quiet corner of the reception hall. I never put the footage up. It felt private, you know?”
He picked another chocolate out of the box and offered it to her. She took it, but didn’t eat it right away. “I’m afraid you’re about to tell me something sad.”
“I am.” He offered a tight smile. “The bride—Brittany— contacted me after she found footage of me at her wedding. In the email, she said her great-aunt Esther had passed away. Apparently, Esther had mentioned me multiple times since the wedding, and the fact that she’d been interviewed. Brittany sought out my channel hoping that I'd posted the interview. I explained that I’d kept it private, but I was happy to send it to her.” He took a breath before continuing, obviously saddened about Esther’s passing. Rylee could understand why. She felt sad too and had never met the woman. “Anyway. I edited a video together and sent it to Brittany. There were so many great moments, little moments that are normally edited out. Those are the best parts. Esther looking off to the side. Losing her train of thought and laughing. Telling me a dirty joke.”
Tears in her eyes, Rylee smiled.
“I knew the moment I finished that edit and emailed it off that I was in the wrong business. I had taken a left when I should have hung a right. I started out in film school for a reason, and it had nothing to do with followers, sponsorships or blocking comments from trolls. Ironically, had I not crashed that wedding, I never would have met Esther and found my way, you know?”
“So, what now?” The story couldn’t end there.
“I’m in deep, Peaches. Like when someone is in the mob. I have sponsorships I’ve agreed to that I either need to honor or cancel. I have a video schedule to adhere to, although I’m looking into crashing celebrity charity events to spotlight the charity rather than myself. It’s a pivot, for sure. Slower than I’d like, but I’ve never been patient.”
“So, you’re going to be a filmmaker after all? Documenting the small moments in life.”
“The best moments are the moments that are usually edited out of the final.” He picked another chocolate out of the box and tossed it into his mouth. “Like the one we’re having now.”
Teaser Graphics
