All Roads Lead to Texas
Callie Lambert flees New York with her three young siblings for the small Texas town where she was born, waiting for the day their abusive stepfather is put in jail and it's safe to return to the city. The four of them quickly become attached to Homestead and its people - especially Sheriff Wade Montgomery, a man who knows what it's like to lose everything. But what will happen when he finds out Callie's secret? Will he turn her in, or help her at the risk of losing his badge?No matter what the future brings, she's made a promise to bring the kids back home…but what if they're already there?
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âYouâre my father.â
âI knew who you were the first moment I saw you. You favor Glynis. She was very beautiful.â
âYou knew who I was?â Callie gasped.
âYep. Been waiting a lot of years to see that face, but when I finally got my chance, I guess I acted like a coward. I couldnât tell you who I was. Didnât think you really wanted to know, but I kept coming here just to get a glimpse of you.â
Callieâs hands trembled and tears stung the back of her eyes. âYouâre the reason I came to Homestead with the kids. Glynis said you were probably dead, but I had to know for sure.â
âHow is Glynis?â her father finally asked.
Obviously Wade wanted Callie to be the one to tell her father the truth. Telling another person could jeopardize their safety, but when Callie looked into her fatherâs eyes, she knew she could trust him. So she told him their story.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Homestead, Texas. Never heard of it? Well, youâre in for a treat. This is the third book in a series called HOME TO LOVELESS COUNTY. The books, about a fictional town in the Texas Hill Country, are written by Roxanne Rustand, K.N. Casper, Roz Denny Fox, Lynnette Kent and me. I had a great time brainstorming with these wonderful authors. Please donât miss any of these exciting stories!
To save the dying town of Homestead, the mayor comes up with a land giveaway program. New residents arrive weekly in search of a new beginning, a new life.
Callie Lambert was born in Homestead, and when she needs a safe hiding place, she returns to her roots as an applicant for the Home Free Program. But Callie is a fugitive. Sheâs kidnapped her brother and sisters from an abusive stepfather. Now all she has to do is stay hidden until her case can be heard.
To do that she has to avoid the handsome sheriff, Wade Montgomery. But he keeps checking on Callie and the kids, and against her better judgment sheâs drawn to the tall, lanky Texan. What will Wade do when he discovers her secret? Turn the page and find out!
I hope you enjoy your visit to Homestead, Texas.
Warmly,
Linda Warren
Itâs always a pleasure to hear from readers.
You can e-mail me at [email protected] or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805 or visit my Web site at www.lindawarren.net or www.superauthors.com. Your letters will be answered.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO TEXAS
Linda Warren
To the other authors of the
HOME TO LOVELESS COUNTY series, Roxanne Rustand, K.N. Casper, Roz Denny Fox and Lynnette Kent. It was a privilege and a joy to work with you, even during those times of panic. Thanks for making the newbie feel right at home. And to our editors, Paula Eykelhof, Laura Shin, Kathleen Scheibling and Victoria Curran, for keeping us focused and on track.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Mitch Siegert, executive chef, thanks for answering all my questions so patiently. Wayne Landry, thanks for sharing your colorful friends with me. Ladies in my aqua therapy group, thanks for your encouragement and support on this book.
CONTENTS
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 ONE
SHAFTS OF LIGHT pierced the darkness, illuminating a stretch of foggy grayness. Callie Lambert drove on and on, putting miles behind her. Up ahead loomed the unknown, the unfamiliar. Her hands clasped the steering wheel with a death-like grip and her stomach roiled with the enormity of her actions. She was on the run. A fugitive. Sheâd kidnapped her brother and sisters and could be arrested at any minute.
Those facts kept her focused, cautious and half-crazed with fear. What if she was caught? The kids would be returned to their abusive stepfather. And Callie would go to jail.
She wasnât worried about herself. It was the kids. She was their big sister and sheâd do anything, go through anything, to protect them. But tangible fear throbbed at the back of her mind like a persistent toothache as she waited for the wail of a siren.
Raindrops splattered the windshield and she turned on the wipers. Their hypnotic action calmed her nerves and steadied her resolve. She thought of her mother and anger stirred in her breast. How could Glynis do this to them?
The past swept through her mind with each swish of the wipers. Glynis had left Callieâs father when Callie was barely five and had become a waitress in a hotel restaurant in Houston. Sheâd struggled to make ends meet. Then Glynis met John Lambert, a wealthy stockbroker, and their lives changed for the better. John was twenty years older than Glynis, but Callie liked him. When Callie was twelve, Glynis married John and they moved from Houston to New York City. John adopted Callie and life was better than sheâd ever known.
She was always his oldest child. John never made a distinction between Callie and his own children and she loved him all the more for that. A year ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and it was a sad time for all of them. During the last month of his life, he had nurses around the clock, but Glynis only left his bedside to sleep.
