Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Brenda Jackson
âBrenda Jackson writes romance that sizzles and characters you fall in love with.â
âNew York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lori Foster
âJacksonâs trademark ability to weave multiple characters and side stories together makes shocking truths all the more exciting.â
âPublishers Weekly
âThere is no getting away from the sex appeal and charm of Jacksonâs Westmoreland family.â
âRT Book Reviews on Feeling the Heat
âJacksonâs characters are wonderful, strong, colorful and hot enough to burn the pages.â
âRT Book Reviews on Westmorelandâs Way
âThe kind of sizzling, heart-tugging story Brenda Jackson is famous for.â
âRT Book Reviews on Spencerâs Forbidden Passion
âThis is entertainment at its best.â
âRT Book Reviews on Star of His Heart
Dear Reader,
It is hard to believe that we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Westmorelands. It seemed like it was only yesterday when I introduced you to Delaney and her five brothers. I knew by the time I wrote Thornâs story that I just had to tell you about their cousins. Now twenty-three books later, we are still going strong.
It has been an adventure and I appreciate sharing it with you. Thank you. Iâve gotten your emails and snail mails letting me know how much you adore those Westmoreland men and I appreciate hearing from you. Each Westmorelandâmale or femaleâis unique and the way love takes control of their hearts is both heartwarming and breathtaking.
In this story, Riley Westmoreland is willing to take a chance on love with a woman who has a past sheâd rather not deal with. But this Westmoreland man shows her that true love can conquer all.
I hope you enjoy this story about Riley Westmoreland and Alpha Blake.
Happy reading!
Brenda Jackson
BRENDA JACKSON is a die âheartâ romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the âgoing steadyâ ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she believes in the power of love, Brendaâs stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband of forty years live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons.
A New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five romance titles, Brenda is a recent retiree who now divides her time between family, writing and traveling with Gerald. You may write Brenda at PO Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, USA, by email at [email protected] or visit her website at www.brendajackson.net.
To the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr.
Happy holidays to all my family, friends and dedicated readers.
A very special thank you to event planners extraordinaireâShikara Linsy, Sandra Sutton, Tammy Griffin, and Tracy Hale.
My interview with you regarding the life of an event planner and your patience in answering all of my questions was most appreciated.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
âProverbs, 16:24
A blistering cold day in early November
It had snowed overnight and a thick white blanket seemed to cover the land as far as the eye could see. The Denver weather report said the temperature would drop to ten below by midday and would stay that way through most of the night. It was the kind of cold you could feel deep in your bones, the kind where your breath practically froze upon exhale.
He loved it.
Riley Westmoreland opened the door to his truck and, before getting inside, paused to take in the land he owned. Rileyâs Station was the name heâd given his one-hundred-acre spread seven years ago, on his twenty-fifth birthday. He had designed the ranch house himself and had helped in the building of it, proudly hammering the first nail into the lumber. He was mighty pleased with the massive two-story structure that sat smack in the center of his snow-covered land.
He was probably the only one in his family who welcomed the snowstorms each year. He thought the snow was what made Denver the perfect place to be in the winter and why his home had fireplaces in all five of the bedrooms, as well as in the living room and family room. There was nothing like curling up before a roaring fire or looking out the window to see the snowflakes fall from the sky, something heâd been fascinated with even as a child. He could recall being out in the thick snow with his brothers and cousins building snowmen. These days he enjoyed moving around the mountains on his snowmobile or going skiing in Aspen.
Riley got into the truck and after settling his body on the leather seat he snapped the seat belt in place. There really was no need for him to go into the office since he could work from home. But he had wanted to get out, breathe in the cold, fresh air and feel the chill in his bones. Besides, he did have an important appointment at noon.
Since his oldest brother, Dillon, had slowed down now that his wife, Pam, was close to her delivery date, a lot of the projects on Dillonâs plate at their family-owned business, Blue Ridge Land Management, fell on Rileyâs shoulders since he was the next man in charge of the Fortune 500 company. The next thing on the agenda was the planning of the employeesâ holiday party next month.