And Beth, no matter how much she comes to care for Joe, is not about to do anything to harm the members of the Dempsey family who have come to mean so much to her. As wrong as he may feel Beth is for Lucas, and as right as he feels she is for him, he has too much honor to come between them, no matter how much he grows to care for her. He's not about to poach on his territory. Joe loves his brother, even if he doesn't understand him or approve of the way he puts Beth last on his list of priorities. They get off on the wrong foot and the instant attraction that sparks between them doesn't help matters but gradually, as they get to know one another, their feelings begin to shift and then deepen though they both fight it. Joe Dempsey has a mental image of the woman his younger step-brother is bringing home and it sure isn't a sweet, sexy young woman who makes his own pulse race. Then she discovers he's her future brother-in-law. Charmed in spite of herself, by both this man and his dog, she introduces herself as Beth and allows herself to secretly indulge in the instant attraction she feels to this calm, sexy man with the adorable dimple. She's in the midst of a full-blown panic attack when an over-sized dog and his gorgeous owner come to her rescue. Lucas was supposed to be with her but, once again, the law office where they both work has taken priority and left Elizabeth to make the crossing on her own.

Only for Lucas Dempsey would Elizabeth Chandler, a woman deathly afraid of the water, be on a ferry to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to meet her new fiancé's family. She's suppressed every ounce of young Beth Chandler's creativity and zest for life in an effort to be what everyone expects her to be. Her workaholic fiancé has no idea what she likes or dislikes because he makes all the decisions in their relationship right down to the type of wine she drinks and music she listens to and because it makes him happy, she lets him. She's a lawyer because that's the respectable career path the grandparents who raised her wanted for her. What happens when you finally meet the love of your life and he turns out to be your fiancé's older brother?Įlizabeth Chandler has spent her life pleasing other people and living other people's dreams.

Meant to be by terri osburn