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Chapter 18
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2021-10-03 18:35:01Related chapters
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 19
Mark heard shouting, but it was from far away. A searing heat ripped into his shoulder, making him gasp and swear. He couldn't see from the smoke, and his lungs struggled for breath.Abby lay under him, unconscious, and he knew he had to get them out of this damn barn before it was too late.He tried to push away the beam that had fallen on his left shoulder. Groaning with the effort, he didn't want to touch it with his hands and injure them as well. But the combination of smoke inhalation and his own weak left arm rendered him useless."Abby," he muttered, eyes streaming. "Abby, don't leave me. Baby, wake up."She groaned, but otherwise she didn't stir.Mark heaved with all of his might, his body screaming in pain everywhere. The beam finally shifted. Yet it wasn't enough to free them.They were going to die here because he couldn't muster the strength to save the woman he loved."Abby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm an idiot." He didn't know if his eyes were streamin
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Epilogue
Seven months later...Abby sneaked out of the room containing the bride and bridesmaids, hoping to find Mark before the ceremony started. Smoothing her bridesmaid's dress down, she did a little preening when she passed a hallway mirror.Sara had been kind enough to ask her to be in the wedding, and Abby had been more than happy to accept. The extended Thornton clan had embraced Abby, and although Lisa Thornton would always be rather terrifying, she'd accepted Abby in her cool way.The rest of the family had been as lovely as Abby could've imagined, and she'd gotten closer to Sara, Megan, and even Lizzie, who'd remained in Fair Haven after the New Year.Abby knew the groomsmen were hiding away in a room somewhere in the palatial Thornton mansion where the ceremony would be held. After Lisa had agreed to keep her involvement in the wedding to a bare minimum, with Harrison exacting a solemn vow that she wouldn't cause Sara even one second of stress, he and Sara had agreed to hold the
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
Lizzie grimaced when she saw Terry’s number pop up on her phone. She let his call go to voicemail, and she avoided listening to his message the rest of the afternoon. But when he texted her, she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.Lizzie, it’s Terry. The label called me today. They say if you don’t finish at least onesongwithin three months, they’ll drop you from the label. I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, but my hands are tied.Lizzie sank down onto the couch and sighed. She couldn’t blame Terry—he couldn’t force the label to do anything it didn’t want. She hadn’t put out a new album in two years now, although she’d been touring up until last fall. She’d told herself at first that she was just too busy to write, but now she didn’t have that excuse. She couldn’t write. It was like something had literally blocked the words and the notes.She stared at her guitar sitting against the wall of her living room. It looked almost judgmental right then.W
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Also by Iris Morland
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.If I Can’t Have You (The Thorntons Book 2)Published by Blue Violet Press LLCSeattle, WashingtonCopyright © 2017 by Iris MorlandCover design by Resplendent MediaAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 1
Abby shook her head as she watched her mother Fiona depart Fair Haven Memorial, where Abby worked as a nurse. She never lied to her mother, but this one little white lie was totally worth it if Abby could avoid another one of Fiona's horrific blind dates.She winced a little as she thought about the man she'd chosen as her fake boyfriend. Mark Thornton! Of all the men in Fair Haven, Washington, it was his name that had popped into her head.When Fiona had told Abby that she'd set her up on a blind date again, Abby had panicked. She'd lied to her mother and said that she was dating Mark. Fiona had bought the lie, and now Abby had to figure out how to tell her mother that they weren't a couple. They weren't even friends, for Christ's sake.Why Mark? It's because he's my patient right now, she reasoned. He was on her mind for a good reason.Not because he fascinated her despite his surly personality."Abby, I just finished with Mark Thornton," Dr. Perry Smythe told her in his barking
Last Updated : 2021-10-03If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 2
After arriving home, Abby wanted a drink and then to sleep for the rest of her life. She was beyond exhausted: not only because of her run-in with Mark, but the three patients who'd taken all her concentration and training afterward.The worst patient had been the homeless man who had shouted at her when she wouldn't tell Dr. Smythe to get him more painkillers. He'd stumbled out of the hospital before they'd cleared him to leave. Abby knew he'd return before long.She smiled when her two cats, Darcy and Wentworth, were at the door when she came inside. Both black cats, you could only tell them apart because Wentworth had a smudge of white on his chest. They always came to greet her when they heard her car pull up.Wentworth stood on his hind legs, his paws on her knee, begging for an ear scratch. Darcy swished his tail, acting aloof, but when Abby scratched his chin, he started purring."Come on, let's go get something to eat," she said to the cats, who followed her into the kitche
Last Updated : 2021-10-03
Latest chapter
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Also by Iris Morland
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
Lizzie grimaced when she saw Terry’s number pop up on her phone. She let his call go to voicemail, and she avoided listening to his message the rest of the afternoon. But when he texted her, she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.Lizzie, it’s Terry. The label called me today. They say if you don’t finish at least onesongwithin three months, they’ll drop you from the label. I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear, but my hands are tied.Lizzie sank down onto the couch and sighed. She couldn’t blame Terry—he couldn’t force the label to do anything it didn’t want. She hadn’t put out a new album in two years now, although she’d been touring up until last fall. She’d told herself at first that she was just too busy to write, but now she didn’t have that excuse. She couldn’t write. It was like something had literally blocked the words and the notes.She stared at her guitar sitting against the wall of her living room. It looked almost judgmental right then.W
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Epilogue
Seven months later...Abby sneaked out of the room containing the bride and bridesmaids, hoping to find Mark before the ceremony started. Smoothing her bridesmaid's dress down, she did a little preening when she passed a hallway mirror.Sara had been kind enough to ask her to be in the wedding, and Abby had been more than happy to accept. The extended Thornton clan had embraced Abby, and although Lisa Thornton would always be rather terrifying, she'd accepted Abby in her cool way.The rest of the family had been as lovely as Abby could've imagined, and she'd gotten closer to Sara, Megan, and even Lizzie, who'd remained in Fair Haven after the New Year.Abby knew the groomsmen were hiding away in a room somewhere in the palatial Thornton mansion where the ceremony would be held. After Lisa had agreed to keep her involvement in the wedding to a bare minimum, with Harrison exacting a solemn vow that she wouldn't cause Sara even one second of stress, he and Sara had agreed to hold the
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 19
Mark heard shouting, but it was from far away. A searing heat ripped into his shoulder, making him gasp and swear. He couldn't see from the smoke, and his lungs struggled for breath.Abby lay under him, unconscious, and he knew he had to get them out of this damn barn before it was too late.He tried to push away the beam that had fallen on his left shoulder. Groaning with the effort, he didn't want to touch it with his hands and injure them as well. But the combination of smoke inhalation and his own weak left arm rendered him useless."Abby," he muttered, eyes streaming. "Abby, don't leave me. Baby, wake up."She groaned, but otherwise she didn't stir.Mark heaved with all of his might, his body screaming in pain everywhere. The beam finally shifted. Yet it wasn't enough to free them.They were going to die here because he couldn't muster the strength to save the woman he loved."Abby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm an idiot." He didn't know if his eyes were streamin
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 18
After finishing her shift for the day, Abby had stopped by her place to feed Darcy and Wentworth before driving to Mark's. Her heart-to-heart with Fiona had shown her that she couldn't let Mark run from her.If he truly loved her—which she hoped and prayed was true—then why should things end like this?Her phone rang as she drove, and she didn't even look at the caller ID when she answered. "Hello?""Abby?"Her breath caught when she heard the voice—not Mark, like she'd hoped.It was Derek.She was about to disconnect the call when Derek said, "If you hang up, your boyfriend is going to pay for it."She gritted her teeth. "You have a lot of nerve to call me when you know I have a restraining order against you. What the hell do you want?""I don't want anything. I mean, I do, but I wanted you to know that I'm here." He let out a nervous laugh, and Abby heard some kind rustling."What are you doing, Derek?" she said very slowly. "Is this worth getting yourself arrested? Put in j
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 17
"We'll be fine. Seriously." Abby tried not to sound exasperated, but she couldn't stand it when people hovered."You're sure?" Megan pressed.Caleb stood behind Megan. After Abby had arrived at her apartment, she hadn't been home longer than a few hours when Megan had come knocking. "Mark called us," she'd explained. "He wanted you to stay with me and Caleb for now just to be safe."Although the last thing Abby had wanted was to be around other people—and especially Mark's brother—she'd agreed because it was a wise thing to do. Megan had assured her that she'd come by to see to the cats while Abby was at work.Now, though, Caleb and Megan were about to skip out on their date because of her."My mom will be here, and you're just a phone call away," Abby assured them. She started to push them out the door.This made Megan laugh. "Fine! Fine! We'll leave you alone.""I'll have my radio with me," Caleb said. "And you have Gonzalez's number, right?"Officer Gonzalez was Caleb's boss
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 16
After a long day at the local courthouse to obtain a restraining order, Abby left with a temporary order in hand. Her heart felt a little lighter, although both she and Mark knew that a restraining order was just a piece of paper. It helped, but it wasn't going to stop Derek if he wanted to hurt Abby, unfortunately.Caleb had told them he would do everything in his power as a police officer to assist her. Based on the evidence provided and with Caleb's help, the judge had agreed to issue an immediate restraining order. The court would notify Derek, and another hearing would be held at a later date.Abby was quiet as she walked with Mark back to his truck. This hadn't been what she'd imagined doing on her day off. She got spooked by random noises, afraid that it was Derek returning to finish what he'd started.Sometimes she had a hard time believing he would hurt her—at least physically. Hurt her with words? Absolutely. But he'd never threatened her like this when they'd been dating.
If I Can’t Have You: The Thorntons Book 3 Chapter 15
Mark was awake when he heard Abby return from work around seven AM. Yawning and stretching, he rose from the bed, a smile tugging at his lips when he saw the two cats curled up at the end of his bed.He'd tossed and turned for hours after getting home last night. He'd wanted to tell Abby everything about Tina, and yet the last thing he wanted was her pity. His pride had forbidden him from talking about how the woman he'd once loved had betrayed him with another man. So why the sudden need to confess all?What did it say about Mark himself, that his former girlfriend had thrown him over for his best friend? He wondered sometimes if he hadn't caused Tina to stray. If he'd paid more attention to her, if he'd told her how much he'd loved her, if he'd been charming and funny and everything Aaron had been, maybe things would've been different.He wondered if he could expect love from any woman when he felt like he was damaged goods.He heard Abby go to her room. He went to the kitchen to
