âCharlotte, Iâm going to have to kiss you.â
Alarm kicked in at Grayâs words, and she backed up, feeling the rustle of leaves. âWhat?â
His laugh was gone, his eyes intent on her face as one long step brought him close enough to crowd her. âYouâre gutsy about everything but me.â
âMaybe Iâm just not interested.â She was dismayed to hear her voice emerge too high, betraying panic or desperation. âDid you ever think of that?â
âHmm.â His gaze dropped to her mouth. âWhy donât we find out?â
She was dizzy, from the heat, from the thick air, from the frantic pace of her pulse. Would it be so terrible to find out what it felt like to be kissed by Gray?
Yes. She was terribly afraid that the answer was yes. But sheâd never yet backed away from an accusation of cowardice, and she wouldnât do it now.
Be honest. You donât want to back away.
The author of more than sixty books for children and adults, JANICE KAY JOHNSON writes novels about love and familyâabout the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She loves to read and is an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter.
Dear Reader,
Hereâs one of those subjects fun to debate: are we the products of our childhood, or are we biologically driven to become who we are? Hmm. After raising two daughters of my own and countless litters of kittens (Iâm an active volunteer with a no-kill cat shelter), Iâve come firmly down smack dab in the middle on the nature vs. nurture debate. Of course our childhoods influence us profoundly! And yet, thereâs simply no question that childrenâand kittensâare born already predisposed to be timid or adventurous, thoughtful or impetuous, ready to be happy or suspicious of every new face. Twins, now ⦠Especially identical twins ⦠Shouldnât they not only have the next best thing to an identical upraising while also being predisposed to have the same nature? But does it ever work like that?
Charlotte and Faith are not much alike at all. They share a powerful bond, and yet have spent years estranged because Faith desperately needs to be close while Charlotte, equally desperately, needs to know that she is unique. Only Charlotteâs homecoming will save Faithâs life ⦠and free Charlotte to love.
Just like the lives of any twins, their stories are entangled and neither could be told entirely alone. So look for Faithâs book, Through the Sheriffâs Eyes, next month. Having two whole books to explore the characters and the men they love was great fun, too!
Happy reading,
Janice Kay Johnson
To my daughters, Sarah and Katie,
both smart, creative, caring young women who make me proud every day.
FAITH WAS WAITING IN THE gas station parking lot when the Airporter pulled in. Charlotte saw her right away, leaning against her Blazer, almost as battered as Dadâs pickup, and for the same reasonâit was a working vehicle. The fact that Faithâslender, graceful and feminineâwould drive something like that suggested to Charlotte that she no longer knew her sister.
And why would she? It had been ten years since theyâd graduated from high school and went off to college in different parts of the country, and theyâd barely seen each other in all that time.
They both knew it wasnât home Charlotte had been running from for so long. It was her sister.
For reasons she still didnât understand, from the moment she was old enough to recognize that she was not unique, she had hated having an identical twin.
Sheâd rather not be here now, but she hadnât been able to say no when her sister had called the day before. Faith had sounded ⦠ragged. This was a woman whoâd managed to look and sound serene to everyone, including her father and sister, during the two years her husband was emotionally and physically abusing her. It made Charlotte angry to this day that Faith had put up with so much for so long, and that she hadnât told anyone.
When Charlotte had asked what was wrong, her sister gave a funny, choked laugh. âWhat isnât? No, I shouldnât say that. Dad and I are alive and ⦠not well, but not dying, either.â
âYouâre not exactly reassuring me,â sheâd said.
âNo. Char, the tractor overturned on Dad.â
âOh, God,â she whispered.
âHeâs ⦠pretty badly hurt. Just bones and. I mean, heâll be okay, he doesnât have a head injury or major internal damage, but heâs in traction because one leg and his pelvis were just, um, crushedâ¦.â Faithâs breath hitched, and she fell silent. Charlotte could hear her breathing. âYou know he hasnât been himself since Mom died.â
Charlotte closed her eyes. âYes.â
âIâm trying to keep the farm going, but with us in the middle of switching over to the nursery and gift shop and what have you, the only crop weâre raising for sale is corn.â