Welcome to the town of Promise, deep in the heart of Texas!
Promise, a ranching community in the Hill Country, has a mysterious past. Yet itâs the kind of place that represents the strength of small-town and rural America. Because Promise is built on family and friendship. Hard work and endurance. Laughter and, above all, love.
NELLâS COWBOY
Nell Bishop, widowed mother of two children, is turning her property into a dude ranch. And one of her first guests is Travis Grant, an Easterner known for his books about the West. Her kids adore himâand she has to admit sheâs drawn to him, too. But Nell isnât ready to fall in love again. Or is she?
LONE STAR BABY
Wade McMillen might be a minister, but heâs also a man. An unmarried and very attractive one. So is it as a man that he responds to Amy Thornton when she shows up in Promise, pregnant and alone? Or as a man of God? Maybe itâs both.â¦
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the final installment of the Heart of Texas series. I hope youâve enjoyed your visits to Promise, Texas, so far. I set this series in the Texas Hill Country, and thereâs love and a bit of mystery in the air. But then it seems that every small town has its share of secrets, donât you think?
In these two books, youâll meet Nell and a tenderfootâan Easterner who has the nerve to write books about the West. And naturally Richard (Remember Richard? The brother of Savannah and Grady?) is up to his usual antics. And then thereâs the pastor, Wade McMillen, and the pregnant woman, Amy Thornton, who find each other at the perfect moment. Life comes full circle not only for them but for everyone in Promise as the mystery of Bitter End is finally solved.
Oh, dear, Iâve done it again, havenât I? Iâm practically giving away what happens in these stories. Thatâs because I really do love this series; writing it was tremendous fun and even now, all these years later, it remains one of my favorites.
Please enjoy.
Praise for the novels of
#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
âDebbie Macomber brings the people of Promise, Texas,
to life as she blends drama, romance and adventure in Carolineâs Child.â âRT Book Reviews
âPopular romance writer Macomber
has a gift for evoking the emotions that are at the heart of the genreâs popularity.â âPublishers Weekly
âDebbie Macomber writes characters who are
as warm and funny as your best friends.â âNew York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs
âDebbie Macomber is one of the most reliable,
versatile romance authors around.â âMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
âAs always, Macomber draws rich, engaging characters.â
âPublishers Weekly
âItâs clear that Debbie Macomber cares deeply
about her fully realized characters and their family, friends and loves, along with their hopes and dreams. She also makes her readers care about them.â âBookreporter.com on Susannahâs Garden
âMacomber is skilled at creating characters
who work their way into readersâ hearts.â âRT Book Reviews on Dakota Home
âMacomberâs assured storytelling and affirming narrative is as welcoming as your favorite easy chair.â
âPublishers Weekly on Twenty Wishes
âItâs easy to see why Macomber is a perennial favorite:
she writes great books.â âRomanceJunkies.com
âProlific Macomber is known for her portrayals
of ordinary women in small-town America.⦠[She is] an icon of the genre.â âPublishers Weekly
To Anita and Allen Greenstein, who love the Florida sunshine and good wine as much as Wayne and I do.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
THE PEOPLE OF PROMISE
Nell Bishop: Thirtysomething widow with a son, Jeremy,
and a daughter, Emma; her husband died in a tractor accident.
Ruth Bishop: Nellâs mother-in-law; lives with Nell and her
two children.
Dovie Boyd: Runs an antiques shop and has dated Sheriff
Frank Hennessey for ten years.
Caroline Daniels: Postmistress of Promise.
Maggie Daniels: Carolineâs five-year-old daughter.
Dr. Jane Dickinson: New doctor in Promise.
Ellie Frasier: Owner of Frasierâs Feed Store.
Frank Hennessey: Local sheriff.
Max Jordan: Owner of Jordanâs Town and Country.
Wade McMillen: Preacher of Promise Christian Church.
Edwina and Lily Moorhouse: Sisters; retired schoolteachers.
Cal and Glen Patterson: Local ranchers; brothers who ranch together.
Phil and Mary Patterson: Parents of Cal and Glen; operate a local B and B.
Louise Powell: Town gossip.
Wiley Rogers: Sixty-year-old ranch foreman at the Weston ranch.
Laredo Smith: Wrangler hired by Savannah Weston.
Barbara and Melvin Weston: Mother and father to Savannah, Grady and Richard; the Westons died six years ago.
Richard Weston: Youngest of the Weston siblings.
Savannah Weston: Grady and Richardâs sister; cultivates old roses.
Grady Weston: Rancher, and oldest of the Weston siblings.