Dear Reader,
Of all the books about love and family that Iâve written to date, my stories set in the fictional town of Laramie, Texas, have been the most well-received. First came THE MCCABES OF TEXAS, about John and Lilah McCabeâs four sons. Then, THE LOCKHARTS OF TEXAS. The four Lockhart women who grew up with the McCabe boys are no less spiritedâand thereâs still one sister who hasnât yet marched down the aisle! Now, I am pleased to offer you what youâve been asking forâ¦another story set in Laramie, and one that is longer, more dramatic and even more emotional.
Sam McCabe is the nephew of John and Lilah McCabe. A highly successful businessman, he is overwhelmed at the prospect of bringing up his five boys, ages six to seventeen, alone. Sam has moved back to Laramie to be closer to family. He hopes his boys will be happier if they are living in the small Texas town where he grew up. As is usually the case, itâs just not that simple. His boys are acting up worse than ever, and he finds himself at his witâs end.
Enter Kate Marten, the kid sister of an old friend with problems of her own. She knows what itâs like to lose a loved one, and she knows she can help Sam and his boys. Unlike the rest of his family, however, Kate refuses to cower in the face of Samâs bluster, which makes for plenty of tensionâsexual and otherwise.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as youâve enjoyed the rest of the series. Your letters have warmed my heart and made all the hard work that goes into each and every book worthwhile. Thank you and happy reading!
Sincerely,
P.S. Donât forget to pick up the final installment in the series next monthâThe Virgin Bride Said, âWow!â from Harlequin American Romance.
IT WAS A BAD DAY and it was getting worse, Sam McCabe thought as he called all five of his sons to his study for an immediate accounting of what was just the latest event in a whole string of family catastrophes.
âDonât look at me. I donât know what happened.â Will shrugged his broad shoulders. âI was out running. I wasnât even here.â
No surprise there, Sam thought wearily. At seventeen, the only thing Will cared about was getting in shape for the upcoming football season. He was never around to help out or hold down the fort.
Sam turned to sixteen-year-old Brad, who was busy combing his immaculately tended brown hair and checking out his reflection in the glass-front bookcase in Samâs study. At Samâs glare, Brad pocketed his comb and offered his version. âActually, Dad, I think it was hormonal. You know, one of those âwomen things,â that made Mrs. Grunwald pack up her bags and walk out of here on such short notice.â
âHormonal,â Sam repeated disbelievingly. And âno noticeâ had been more like it. Sam had been called out of an important business meeting to be told sheâd already left and wasnât coming backânot now, not ever. When heâd tried to get an explanation from her, the irate woman had just said he needed to do something about his home situation and hung up.
Sam turned his attention to Riley, who at fourteen was definitely the most mischievous of his brood. And, unless Sam missed his guess, had probably been instrumental in pushing the retired lady-marine-turned-housekeeper to quit.
âI just donât think sheâs cut out to take care of growing boys,â Riley explained with a remarkably sober expression. âYou know. Given the fact that she never had any kids herself.â
âFace it, Dad.â Sensitive as always to what was going on behind the scenes, Lewis stepped forward, suddenly looking much older than his eleven years. âWe were never gonna be happy with her here, anyway. Mrs. Grunwald just wasnât Mom.â
And no one ever would be, Sam McCabe thought solemnly. Ellie had been one of a kind. But that didnât excuse what his boys had done here, chasing away their tenth housekeeper in six months. Not that they would ever come right out and admit that that was what they had done. No, they would continue giving excuses and shifting the blame.