Her Gift Is Her Present
When Gabe Rodriguez took the job of deputy sheriff in the small town of Forever, Texas, he thought heâd be bored. So heâs shocked the morning he discovers a car teetering on the edge of a deep ravine with an unconscious woman at the wheel. Gabe makes a daring rescue, but when the woman awakes, her memory is wiped clean.
Gabe may call her his Christmas âAngel,â but in her eyes, heâs the one who is truly heaven-sent. Gabeâs given her a whole new life, and she is haunted by the feeling that this is the happiest sheâs ever been. Though Gabe is trying to help Angel recover her memory, sheâs willing to leave it all behind her and start fresh with him at her side. But when her past finally catches up to her, Angel could lose everything, including Gabe.
As she spoke, Angel drew nearer to Gabe.
She was so close that he could feel each breath she took as her chest rose, brushing against his. When she exhaled, he felt her breath along his skin.
His gut tightened in response as he struggled to hold himself in check.
Gabe wanted to believe her. Wanted so badly just to take her into his arms and not fear the ramifications and consequences that were waiting for them just beyond the night.
But there would be ramifications and there would be consequences.
Gabe gave it one more try. âI need to find the light, Angel.â
âItâs right here,â she whispered to him, rising on her toes, leaving her soft lips mere inches from his mouth.
Gabe could feel himself weakening. âOh, damn, Angel, you could break a saint.â
âI donât want a saint,â Angel told him, her eyes never leaving his. âI want you.â
Dear Reader,
Here we are, back in Forever, Texas. This time weâre visiting Almaâs brother, Gabe. Gabe is trying to deal with the sting of being dumped by a woman who felt she could do âbetter,â and by âbetterâ she meant finding someone wealthier. Alma, in an effort to get Gabe to come around, gets the sheriff to offer him a temporary position as a fill-in deputy. Gabe accepts, but thereâs not much to do in a small town like Foreverâthat is, if you donât count saving a beautiful womanâs life by pulling her out of a car tottering on the brink of a ledge before it goes overâor bursts into flame (which it does, seconds after he rescues her). Thereâs a slight hitch with the rescue. The woman doesnât know how she got thereâor who she is. Impulsively, Gabe names her âAngelâ because she looks like one to him (and because itâs nearly Christmas).
With nothing but time on his hands, Gabe takes Angel on as his private project, trying to help her remember who she is. But as the days go by, both Gabe and Angel grow more and more reluctant to unearth her past, especially since they are growing so close to one another in the present. Still, nothing goes smoothly, and someone from Angelâs past is looking for herâand heâs not looking for a happy reunion.
As always, I thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this latest stroll through Forever. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you someone to love who loves you back.
Happy holidays!
Love,
Marie
About the Author
MARIE FERRARELLA, a USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award-winning author, has written more than two hundred books for Silhouette and Harlequin Books, some under the name of Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website at www.marieferrarella.com.
To Stella Bagwell, My Go-To Person For All Things Western. With Love And Thanks
Prologue
It was the rain that was ultimately responsible.
The rain and fear.
In their own unique way, they were both blinding. The rain came down in sheets, demanding that she pull over, or at the very least drive more slowly.
The sky was close to being as dark as midnight, despite the fact that it was in the middle of the day. But there was nowhere for her to pull over, no town, no gas station. Nothing.
Nothing but exposed space.
And she couldnât risk being exposed. Even in this storm.
She didnât know if she was still even in Texas anymore.
All she knew was that she had to keep going, had to put as many miles between her and Jake as she could. There had been murder in his eyes the very last time sheâd seen him.
Her murder.
He was coming for her. She could feel it.
Sheâd raced to her car, soaked before sheâd ever reached it. Once inside, her hand shaking so badly it was hard to put the key into the ignition, it took her three tries to get it to turn over. Tearing away from the house, she put her foot all the way down on the gas pedal and drove as fast as she could.