Blurb:
Polly Heatherton's life isn't turning out the way she thought. So, after a really, really bad day that involves losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend, she packs her bags, leaves Australia behind and steps out on the trip of a lifetime to work out what comes next.
In Guatemala she meets incurable white knight, Josh Byrne, an American trying to hold together his fractured family. That isn't turning out so well, so instead he focuses his heroic tendencies on rescuing Polly.
Josh and Polly have a fling that is supposed to be short-lived. Instead it sets them on a journey that takes them through three countries, two emergency room visits, one incredible dance lesson, and a huge amount of vino tinto.
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Chapter 1
"Pretend we're married - please! I need a husband!"
Josh barely had time to look up from his close study of the bar's wine list before he felt the rush of air against his face. It took another moment for him to comprehend the whirlwind that fell into the chair opposite. A female hand appeared on his forearm. He followed it up a crumpled, cotton-shirt-clad arm, until his eyes met a pair of pleading blue ones.
"Excuse me?" he asked, rather politely, he thought, given the situation.
"Can you please help me? I got in trouble somehow, but I don't know what he's saying and I never guaranteed I'd buy his jade and-"
Her breathless explanation was suddenly interrupted by a flurry of vicious Spanish curses flying from the mouth of a short, irate man with the biggest moustache Josh had seen.
"¡Señora tonta, regresa y pagame! ¡Me habia dicho que lo queria, y ahora tiene que comprarlo!"
Josh frowned at the woman as she stared open-mouthed at her accuser, her face an intriguing mix of horror and excitement. She was scared, years of bartending experience had taught him to quickly recognize true fear, but she was also, on some level, really enjoying herself.
Her fingers gripped his arm tighter. "I never said I'd definitely buy it," she declared, voice strong in contrast to the quiver he could feel in her grip. She spoke almost as loudly as the market seller and Josh didn't need to look around to know that the entire bar had stopped to take a look. Dramatically raised voices were nothing extraordinary in this corner of Latin America, but staring at whatever scene accompanied them wasn't either.
"¿Cual es el problema, señor?" Josh asked politely, his perfectly accented Spanish garnering a raised eyebrow from his table companion. If she was pretending to be his wife, she shouldn't look so shocked.
The market seller continued to bluster, accusing the woman of backing out of her initial promise to buy a considerable sum of jade from his stall at the market down the street. Josh answered quickly and tried to be as conciliatory as possible - even offering to buy the man a glass of vino tinto. After several further minutes of tirade, just enough so that he didn't lose too much face, the market seller finally backed down. He stepped away from the table Josh had chosen because it was open to the street so he could still feel a part of the sunny day. He hadn't quite planned on this, though.
"¡Puta!" The market seller spat at his feet in a sign of utter contempt before turning on his heel and striding away.
"What did you say?" the woman asked Josh, breathless.
"I asked him to forgive my wife, because she is ignorant and doesn't understand how commerce works in Antigua."
"I am not ignorant!" She took her hand from his arm and planted both palms on the table in front of her, looking for all the world like she was preparing for battle.
