Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella
âFerrarella delivers a fabulous couple. Wonderful storytelling expertly delivers both lighthearted and tragic story details.â
âRT Book Reviews on Her Red-Carpet Romance
âAn easy-read modern romance with a creditable and self-possessed heroine to steal your heart.â
âFresh Fiction on Mendozaâs Secret Fortune
âShe has a genuine knack for keeping the reader interested and involved in the characters and their emotional feelings.â
âFresh Fiction on His Forever Valentine
âExpert storytelling moves the book along at a steady pace. A solidly crafted plot makes it quite entertaining.â
âRT Book Reviews on Cavanaugh Fortune
âMaster storyteller Ferrarella has a magical way of spinning feel-good romances that readers can lose themselves in, and her latest is no exception.â
âRT Book Reviews on The Cowboy and the Lady
Prologue
âYou havenât finally decided to sell that beautiful house of yours and downsize to something a little smaller and more modern, now have you?â
It wasnât really a question. Maizie Connors, sitting opposite the attractive woman in Jackâs Hideaway, Bedfordâs newest trendy restaurant, knew better than to think that Charlotte, a woman she had known for close to forty years, would ever sell the house she loved so much. When sheâd taken the unexpected call from her old friend that morning, Maizie had suspected something was up, but sheâd instinctively known it had nothing to do with Charlotte making use of Maizieâs successful real estate business.
âWhat?â Charlotte asked. Sitting ramrod straight, doing her best to appear cheerful, Charlotte Stewart was caught off guard by the question. She also felt somewhat embarrassed, not just because of the deception sheâd allowed to continue, but because of the real reason for her getting in contact with Maizie in the first place. She cleared her throat and stalled for time. Trying to get her thoughts together in order to find the right words. So far, they had frustratingly managed to elude her. âOh, no, I havenât,â she confessed, then added in a sincere moment of truth, âI donât think Iâll ever sell that house. Itâs where all the good memories are.â
Maizie smiled, nodding her head knowingly. Unlike Charlotte, who had gone stylishly gray, Maizieâs short bob was a light golden blond, the same color it had been when sheâd first met her late husband all those years ago.
âI didnât think so. So, Charlotte,â she asked, getting comfortable, âwhatâs this lunch really about?â
To be honest, Maizie was fairly certain she knew the answer to her question. As a successful Realtor, she had started her agency after her husband passed away years ago. It did a brisk business; but these days, she was just as accustomed to getting calls from people who sought her services for the business that she ran on the side as she was from people who wanted to either buy or sell houses.
Maizie, along with her two lifelong best friends, had an aptitude for making matches.
Lasting matches.
When Charlotte called, asking to see her over lunch, the woman had murmured something about needing advice and alluded to it being about selling her house. Surprisedâsince Maizie knew how attached her friend was to the only place she had ever called home once Charlotteâs late husband had slipped a ring on her finger, Maizie had played along until after appetizers had been ordered.
When Charlotte now made no reply to her question, Maizie leaned forward over the small table and placed her hand over her friendâs.
âWeâve been friends for almost forty years, Charlotte, you can tell me. No matter what it is, at my age, Iâve heard it before.â
Charlotte continued to look uncomfortable. âI donât know where to start.â
Maizieâs smile was warm, encouraging. âJust jump right in and Iâll try to keep up.â
âItâs Mitchell,â Charlotte finally blurted out, referring to her only child.
Again, Maizie was fairly certain she knew what was coming, but she approached the subject slowly, not wanting to make her friend nervous enough to abruptly change her mind and table the subject.
Guessing at the true reason for this impromptu meeting, Maizie was well aware that the subject the other woman was attempting to broach was not an easy one for some mothers. Although genuinely concerned, mothers like Charlotte didnât want to be seen as meddling, which was only a cut above words like controlling, calculating and interfering. No true mother wanted that label.