âI want an interviewâwith you.â
Ah, hell. Owen wanted to walk away, but Piper looked determined. It wouldnât be so bad, he reasoned to himself, quickly weighing the pros and cons. She probably wanted to grill him about one of the projects she and her parents were adamantly opposing. âA half hour.â
âAs long as it takes,â she countered.
He shook his head. âNo open-ended deals. One hour.â
âTwo.â
âWoman, what on earth could you possibly want to talk about for two damn hours?â he said, annoyance getting the better of him. âAn hour and a half. Final offer. Take it or leave it.â
âDeal.â She smiled. âAnd I get to pick the topic. And you have to cooperate.â
She drove a hard bargain. âFine. Now get the hell out of here.â
She frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but the dark look he sent her snapped it shut pretty quickly. One thing was for sureâshe wasnât dumb. Whatever she was after, she was likely to get. He wondered if she approached relationships the same way. Heaven help the man caught in her crosshairs. He wouldnât stand a chance.
Dear Reader,
I confess. Iâm a sucker for a story where opposites attract. I love the push-pull of a relationship that seems doomed from the start because both characters are stubborn, determined and absolutely certain they know whatâs best.
When I envisioned Owen Garrett, the gruff but deliciously sweet logger, I knew right away the woman of his dreams was going to be the last heâd expect. And Piper Sunday didnât disappoint. Immediately I loved her quirky sense of humor and easy acceptance of things that might make others balk. I also loved that she refused to let Owen push her around even when he was blustering. Who wouldnât love a pair like these two?
As the last of Mama Joâs Boys, itâs a bittersweet ending. Iâve loved these âboysâ as much as my ever-lovinâ Mama Jo. I hope youâve enjoyed the journey. I know I certainly have!
Hearing from readers is one of my greatest joys. Feel free to drop me a line at my website, www.kimberlyvanmeter.com, or through snail mailâP.O. Box 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361.
Happy reading,
Kimberly Van Meter
Kimberly Van Meter wrote her first book at age sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin Romantic Suspense. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.
My biggest thanks go to Bob Berlage
of Big Creek in Davenport, California. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed your crash course on logging practices in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Without your help, I surely wouldâve been floundering. Any deviations from true practice is no reflection of your teaching, for you were a great resource! Thank you!
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
OWEN GARRETT TRIED TO KEEP it cool but heâd already crumpled the newspaper in his hand because he couldnât stop imagining it was the neck of one nosy journalist whoâd decided making his life miserable was her single goal in life.
He pushed open the glass door of the Dayton Tribuneâs office and went straight to the receptionist, with a demand to see the editor.
âSheâs not here.â The woman, her name plaque identifying her as Nancy, arched her brow at his tone. âPerhaps I could take a message?â
He ignored her suggestion and barreled forward, too hot to follow the advice circling in his head. âThen, I want to see the general manager. And if that person isnât available, I want to see the publisher. There ought to be rules about what can and canât be printed without verifying the facts. Oh, wait, there are. If I donât see someone right now about thisââ He thrust the mangled front page in front of Nancyâs face and she scowled but took the paper from his hand. He pointed at the lead story. âThen the next call I place is to my lawyer. This is slander and I want a retraction. Now.â
Nancy exhaled softly and she plainly didnât appreciate his tone or his attitude but he didnât care. This was the third article that reporter, Piper Sunday, had written about his logging operation that basically painted him to be the âbig bad loggerâ out to clear cut the forests without any consideration for the environment, which was complete and total crap. Heâd tried to take the high road, but sheâd pushed too far this time.
âThe editor is out for the day and the managing editor is on vacation until next week. However, Ms. Sunday is here in the office. Perhaps youâd like to speak with her?â she asked in a voice so perfectly bland it could be taken only as a rebuke for his own hotheaded blustering.