Rachel Bailey, RETURN OF THE SECRET HEIR and a Giveaway!

Today we have Harlequin Desire author Rachel Bailey with us and she's also got a book for you! 

But before we give over to her...a reminder! My Blog's sidebars on both sides have links to follow KATE WALKER and CHRISTINA HOLLIS blog tours for MEGA GIVEAWAYS! Follow and Comment for giveaways and to go in the Grand Prize Draw!

So over to Rachel now....

What Did You Want To Be When You Grew Up?

I always find it interesting to know what people wanted to be when they were young and what they ended up doing for a living. And, to me, it’s equally fascinating to find out the same for characters.

For example, the heroine in my October release, Return of the Secret Heir, Pia Baxter, wanted to be a fashion designer when she was a teenager, but she eventually caved into expectations and became a lawyer. In the process, she also repressed the creative, free-spirited part of herself.

At one point in the book, the hero, JT, realises that Pia hasn’t totally eradicated her creativity – she makes hats for herself. She sees it as a ‘practical solution to a problem’ since she has a hard head to fit, but JT sees through that and understands it better than she does herself. He even buys her some supplies:

Her violet eyes glistened. "That was thoughtful. Thank you." She peeped into the second bag. "You came home early just for this?"

"Pretty much." He walked in and slipped his arms from his jacket.

At one end of the dining table Pia had legal documents in piles and at the other end was a pea green creation with a wide brim. Seemingly unable to help herself, she was drawing a roll of snowy white ribbon from the bag he'd brought and was holding it against the hat.

"The woman in the shop said it was a versatile ribbon," he offered. He'd been unsure how versatile ribbon could be, but he'd taken her word for it.

"It's double-faced satin. There are a few things I could do with it." She looped it around a few fingers and it became a flower which she held against the hat again, judging its effect. She'd always been able to do that—transform rudimentary materials into a work of art. Dresses, jewelry, shawls, whatever she tried.

Among her family of hard, dull stones, she'd been a polished ruby, bright and dazzling. And the pull of that luminescence had been stronger than a siren's call for a hard-edged boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

"Why did you give up dreams of fashion design, Pia?" he asked, moving behind her.

She turned, her startled eyes meeting his, and he glimpsed endless depths of sadness. His chest constricted at being confronted by that bleakness in eyes he'd seen shine with passion and joy.

Then she blinked it away and methodically packed the ribbon into the bag it'd come in. "I grew up."

And the hero, JT Hartley thought he’d become a mechanic - when he was a teenager he built his own motorbike from scrap parts, but he ended up making millions in property development. When he was young, his mother had regularly moved him from town to town and he never really felt he had roots. So, even though he didn’t really choose this path on purpose, he’s created a way to make sure he always has lots and lots of properties. Stability and security.

When Pia asks him why he’s challenging the will of Warner Bramson, the man JT believes was his biological father, JT gives some insights into how he ended up on this career path:

"Assuming Warner was your father," she said carefully, and he almost smiled at her attempt to stay in her impartial role, "it's impossible to justify that all the time your mother was struggling, your father was a billionaire."

He'd spent several weeks being consumed by anger over that exact point. His mother had worked a succession of menial jobs to pay the rent, to ensure he had clothes to wear to school, never having new things herself, never feeling safe. All while Warner Bramson's wife and his long-term mistress lived the high life, not needing to work, yet having jewels, the latest fashions, luxuries beyond belief. The injustice of it ate into his gut.

He set his shoulders. "That's why I have to challenge. For her."

"But you're doing well now? Surely she's stable?"

It'd been soon after Pia had abandoned him that he and his mother's boss had bought a rundown house together—because he was in real estate, Old Jack had been the eyes and the money, and JT had been the brawn and the spare time. He'd fixed up the place under Old Jack's directions and they'd given it to his mother.

He'd always suspected Old Jack was sweet on his mother, but being an employee, she'd been off limits.

Then they'd bought another run-down house and sold the finished product, then another. They'd avoided the real estate crash through Old Jack's foresight and continued. He'd ended up in property development more by a random chain of events than design, but it was a good career built on solid, secure investments.

His mother now lived in the most expensive house he could talk her into, and had a regular monthly income that saw her well taken care of.

But that wasn't the point.

"This isn't about the money," he said, wanting Pia to understand this point if nothing else. "The injustice of her life needs to be redressed. She lost so much for me to have life, the least I can do is see her receive what she deserves." She needed to be acknowledged by the family whose patriarch had dismissed her like a dirty rag.

So, tell me, what did you want to be when you grew up? And what did you end up being? Which job do you think suits / would have suited you better?

I’ll give away a copy of the first book about these brothers, At The Billionaire’s Beck & Call? to one commenter.

Bio:

Rachel Bailey developed a serious book addiction at a young age (via Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck) and has never recovered. Just how she likes it. She went on to gain degrees in psychology and social work but is now living her dream—writing romance for a living.

She lives on a piece of paradise on Australia’s east coast with her hero and four dogs, and loves to sit with a dog or two, overlooking the trees and read books from her ever-growing to-be-read pile.

Book Blurb:

Return of the Secret Heir

He's returned for a fortune and is confronted by memories. Though tycoon JT Hartley is a success in his own right, he's set on claiming his share of his late father's legacy. But first he has to get past the estate executor - none other than Pia Baxter, a woman he's never forgotten.

Theirs had been a fast-and-furious union that ended all too suddenly. And though desire still courses between them, JT knows starting anything with Pia again is just asking for trouble. His future is set in stone. But even the best-laid plans are no match for true passion.

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