Even the Nights are Better
SECOND CHANCE – TEXAS STYLE!Crystal Creek…where power and influence live in the land, and in the hands of one family determined to nourish old Texas fortunes and to forge new Texas futures.LOVE IS BETTER…Vernon Trent has loved Carolyn Townsend ever since they were in the first grade together. But he never told her, and by the time he came back from Vietnam, she was married.Now, twenty years later, the widowed Carolyn can sense there is something Vern wants to share with her. Suddenly she isn't sure she wants to hear what her old friend has to say. It could change things between them forever.
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âWhat are you doing, girl?â
Vernon jumped a little, sending bubbles over the rim of the tub.
âIâm looking for the soap,â Carolyn said innocently.
Vernon chuckled. His spirits began to rise. Maybe everything would be all right after all. Heâd make sure to get hold of Scott early in the morning and caution him not to reveal anything. Then later, when he felt Carolyn was ready to hear it, heâdâ¦
He smiled, closed his eyes, leaned back and allowed the warm water to soothe him.
âYou keep that up much longer, girl,â he muttered huskily, âand youâre going to find much more than the soap down there.â
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Margot Dalton for her contribution to the Crystal Creek series.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Sutton Press Inc. for its contribution to the concept for the Crystal Creek series.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Crystal Creek! In the heart of Texas Hill Country, the McKinneys have been ranching, living and loving for generations, but the future promises changes none of these good folks could ever imagine!
Crystal Creek itself is the product of many imaginations, but the stories began to take shape when some of your favorite authorsâ Barbara Kaye, Margot Dalton, Bethany Campbell, Cara West, Kathy Clark and Sharon Brondosâall got together with me just outside of Austin to explore the Hill Country, and to dream up the kinds of romances such a setting would provide. For several days, we roamed the countryside, where generous Texans opened their historic homes to us, and gave us insights into their lives. We ate barbecue, we visited an ostrich farm and we mapped out our plans to give you the linked stories you love, with a true Texas flavor and all the elements youâve come to expect in your romance reading: compelling, contemporary characters caught in conflicts that reflect todayâs dilemmas.
Margot Dalton takes us next door to the Double C in Even the Nights are Better, where Carolyn Townsend, J. T. McKinneyâs sister-in-law and neighbor, certainly has her hands full. What with an unwelcome business venture opening right under her nose, a health crisis throwing all the McKinneys into a tizzy and a wounded puppy fighting for survival in her barn, romantic advances are the last thing on her mind. Being confronted with a lifelong ardor she hadnât ever known existed is more than she can cope with right now!
And next month, youâll want to attend the opening of the Hole in the Wall Dude Ranch with all of us. Everyone whoâs anyone in Crystal Creek will be there. And owner Scott Harrisâs wandering brother Jeffâwho can give Cal McKinney a run for his money in the charm departmentâis bound to show up sooner or later!
Câmon down to Crystal Creekâhome of sultry Texas drawls, smooth Texas charm and tall, sexy Texans!
Marsha Zinberg
Executive Editor Crystal Creek
A Note from the Author
Even the Nights Are Better begins in the spring, and I soon realized that no matter how hard I tried, I just wasnât going to be able to describe the true miracle of April in Texas Hill Country. Itâs not only the green hills rolling off into the misty distance, the incredible blue of the sky and the miles and miles of wildflowers. Thereâs something even more magical in the air, something that goes far beyond words. I just hope that someday, everyone will have a chance to visit Texas in the spring and see it for themselves.
Margot Dalton
Cast of Characters
AT THE DOUBLE C RANCH
| John Travis (J.T.)McKinney Cynthia Page McKinney Tyler McKinney | Rancher, owner of the Double C, his familyâs ranch. A man who knows his own mind. J.T.âs wife. An ex-Bostonian bank executive learning to do things the Texas way. J.T.âs eldest son, a graduate of Rice University. Now he wants to grow grapes in his daddyâs pasture. | |||
| Cal McKinney | J.T.âs second son, an irresistible and irrepressible rodeo cowboy. | |||
| Serena Davis | The bootmaker who turned Calâs head. | |||
| Lynn McKinney | J.T.âs only daughter. She bucks the trend by raising Thoroughbreds in quarter-horse country. | |||
| Hank Travis | J.T.âs ancient grandfather. Old Hank has seen and done it all. | |||
| Ruth Holden | Californian vintner, daughter of Dan Holden, J.T.âs old army buddy. Ruth is visiting the Double C to help Tyler plan his vineyard. | |||
| Lettie Mae Reese Virginia Parks Ken Slattery | Cook.Housekeeper. Foreman at the Double C. |  | Together they know all the household secrets. |
AT THE CIRCLE T RANCH
| Carolyn Randolph Townsend | J.T.âs sister-in-law and neighbor. |
| Beverly Townsend | Carolynâs daughter and a former Miss Texas. |
| Teresa Martinez | Young daughter of the Circle Tâs cook. |
| Vernon Trent | Real-estate agent, and childhood friend of Carolynâs. |
AT THE LONGHORN
| Dottie Jones | Owner of the Longhorn Motel and Coffee Shop. |
| Nora Jones | Dottieâs sonâs ex-wife. |
| Martin Avery | Mayor of Crystal Creek. |
| Bubba and Mary | Old friends of J.T.âs. |
| Gibson | |
| Nate Purdy | The McKinneysâ family physician. |
| Wayne Jackson | Sheriff. |
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
