Provoked

My life would make so much more sense if I’d been born into a Regency romance…

And just like any Regency miss faced with a disapproving Duke, my relationship with Justin has always been a bit rocky. I mean, how could it not be when a committed bachelor attorney suddenly has to contend with a seventeen-year-old grieving girl? I might as well have been an alien from outer space. He certainly didn’t go out of his way to make me fall in love with him. Quite the opposite. But I still developed feelings. Because deep down beneath that crusty exterior lies the remnants of a very sweet and thoughtful man.
Except Justin never thought of me as anything more than a responsibility. And now, as the trustee of my inheritance, he continues to treat me like a child that needs careful minding. Even though when I graduated college, I banned him from bossing me around and insisted he only communicate via written letters. That way, I figure, all the pent up tension between us has a chance to dissipate as it meanders through the postal service. Which just meant he sent one of his private investigators to babysit. At least this time Fred’s retired and I’m moving to Montana — which is about as far from New York as you can possibly get. And one of the least likely places for Justin to ever visit.
So how on earth did I go from communicating only via actual old-fashioned letters to getting married to the man? All in the space of about a week!? Who does that? Not to mention that his vengeful ex is actively trying to kill him or, failing that, destroy us both.
And don’t think Justin isn’t just as annoying and bossy as he’s always been. The wedding? That was all his idea — to protect me, of course (cue eye roll). While he’s busy being noble and self-sacrificing, I may have to do something drastic to give us both a chance for the kind of HEA worth cherishing.

Provoked can be read as a stand-alone but additional backstory is available in Busted, which may add to the reading experience. It is a complete story with no cliffhanger and a hard-won HEA.