To Walter Zacharius for his wisdom and courage in disregarding the notion, then current, that African-Americans would not write romance novels with African-American heroes and heroines worthy of publication, and that the African-American public would not buy and read them. Thanks to his foresight, sagacity and conviction, we African-American writers now need only produce work of high quality, and publication is assured. To my editor, Evette Porter, who skillfully eases the bumpy road to publication; to my agent, Patty Steel-Perkins, who knows well the ladders and pitfalls of this publishing business; and to my husband, who loves and supports me and is always there for me.
Dear Reader,
After the publication of Beyond Desire, which won a Gold Pen award, well over a hundred of you wrote me letters asking for Luke Hicksonâs story. As the older brother of Marcus Hickson, the hero of Beyond Desire, Luke figured prominently in that story. And because of his personality, it took me a while to settle on a vehicle in which to present him as a romantic hero. Luke loves challenges and handles them with dispatch. Several of you wrote that you wouldnât mind having a guy like Luke, and what woman would?
Donât forget to look for my other Kimani series romances. Private Lives is the story of Allison Sawyer, a woman seeking respite from unhappiness with a man whoâd sworn to love her. She finds joy and love unexpectedly with tough loner Brock Lightner, a private investigator. The heat that sizzles between them will almost burn your fingers as you turn the pages, and Brockâs tenderness with Allisonâs five-year-old son will tug at your heart. Kimani Romance will release Private Lives in March 2009. Be sure to look for it. And donât forget my latest Kimani Arabesque title, What Matters Most, which was published last month and is the second book in a partnership between Harlequin and St. Jude Childrenâs Research Hospital. Itâs a story of love and compassion and, as usual, a torrid romance.
I enjoy hearing from my readers, and in particular visiting book clubs in person and talking to members by phone. Please write me at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 45, New York, New York 10044. If youâd like an answer, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Visit my Web site, www.gwynneforster.com, and join my book club at [email protected].
Fond regards,
Gwynne Forster
âThank you kindly for nothing.â
âYou got more than you deserved.â
âI didnât seek what I deserve. No amount of money can compensate for the ten years of emotional hell I endured with Nathan Middleton.â Kate Middleton waved the check. âThis is for my sonâs future.â
She stared at Joshua Johnsonâs thin pinched lips, hollow cheeks, and cold pigeon eyes, then swung around and headed for the door. With her hand on the knob, she let her gaze sweep the staid office of Johnson and Jackson with its ancient markings of respectability, including the graying old manâattorney for her late husbandâs estate and a friend of the Middleton familyâwho didnât raise his head to look at her. She took it all in, opened the door, walked out and closed it gently. Then she turned around, wiped her feet on the doormat, headed down the hall and didnât look back.
Nathan Middleton hadnât intended to set her free, but that was what her husband of ten years had done when he mocked fate by test driving a new-line sports car. While heâd lived, heâd done his best to rule and control her, pampered her and tried to stash her away in their elegant home. Her rebellion had been a source of increasing friction between them. For ten years, sheâd fluttered around with clipped wings, but now sheâd show them all, including her in-laws, whoâd told their son that heâd married beneath his status. The world would know that she could manage her life and take care of her child.
Two hundred and ninety thousand dollars, a pittance of an inheritance for her and her child from the only son of a rich familyâbut it was more than she needed to get her life in order. She stepped out into the street, tightened her jacket against the sting of the brisk April breeze, inhaled the Grosse Pointe, Michigan, air, and smelled its familiarity. She had to get out of that town, away from that house with its memories of what Nathan had told her about her in-laws and their unfair estimation of her. She walked rapidly, her mind bursting with visions of her future. For many of her thirty-eight years, life had shortchanged her, but she meant to correct thatâbeginning right then.
Four months later, having returned with her son, Randy, to Portsmouth, Virginia, where sheâd had her only teaching job, the only place she knew besides Charleston, South Carolina, and Grosse Pointe, Kate embarked on her new lifeâmanaging the bookstore that sheâd purchased with a portion of the money from Nathanâs estate.