âI think youâre terrified of letting me into your life.â
Jackâs mouth tightened. âIn case you havenât noticed, you are in my life. I didnât have much choice in the matter, you barged right in and took over.â
âAnd you hate that,â Abby replied.
âMaybe I resented it at first.â
âAnd now?â
âThis argument is going nowhere.â He cut her off. âYour mother wanted to know what my intentions are toward you.â
âAnd what did you tell her?â Abbyâs smooth brow furrowed.
âI told her we were just friends.â Jack took a deep breath and released it slowly. âIâm not sure she believed me.â
Jack was no longer sure he believed it himself, either.
Dear Reader,
Your best bet for coping with April showers is to runânot walkâto your favorite retail outlet and check out this monthâs lineup. Weâd like to highlight popular author Laurie Paige and her new miniseries SEVEN DEVILS. Laurie writes, âOn my way to a writersâ conference in Denver, I spotted the Seven Devils Mountains. This had to be checked out! Sure enough, the rugged, fascinating land proved to be ideal for a bunch of orphans whoâd been demanding that their stories be told.â You wonât want to miss Showdown!, the second book in the series, which is about a barmaid and a sheriff destined for love!
Gina Wilkins dazzles us with Conflict of Interest, the second book in THE MCCLOUDS OF MISSISSIPPI series, which deals with the combustible chemistry between a beautiful literary agent and her ruggedly handsome and reclusive author. Can they have some fun without love taking over the relationship? Donât miss Marilyn Pappanoâs The Trouble with Josh, which features a breast cancer survivor who decides to take life by storm and make the most of everythingâbut she never counts on sexy cowboy Josh Rawlins coming into the mix.
In Peggy Webbâs The Mona Lucy, a meddling but well-meaning mother attempts to play Cupid to her son and a beautiful artist who is painting her portrait. Karen Rose Smith brings us Expecting the CEOâs Baby, an adorable tale about a mix-up at the fertility clinic and a marriage of convenience between two strangers. And in Lisette Belisleâs His Pretend Wife, an accident throws an ex-con and an ex-debutante together, making them discover that rather than enemies, they just might be soul mates!
As you can see, we have a variety of stories for our readers, which explore the essentialsâlife, love and family. Stay tuned next month for six more top picks from Special Edition!
Sincerely,
Karen Taylor Richman
Senior Editor
With special thanks to my editor Stephanie Maurer and my friends at SRWA who share the dream.
believes in putting everything into whatever she does, whether itâs a nursing career, motherhood or writing. While balancing a sense of practicality with a streak of adventure, she applies that dedication in creating stories of people overcoming the odds. Her message is clearâbelieve in yourself, and believe in love. She is the founder and past president of the Saratoga chapter of Romance Writers of America. Canadian-born, she grew up in New Hampshire and currently lives in upstate New York with her engineer husband, Frank.
Sheâd love to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1166, Ballston Lake, NY 12019.
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
Epilogue
No one would miss him.
Jack Slade had never felt so alone. He stared up at a small patch of deep-blue sky surrounded by snow-capped pine trees. The sky felt closer. He was climbing to meet it, but something weighed him down.
He wasnât ready to go yet.
How odd to discover he wanted to live, just as he was about to die. He started to laugh, but wound up choking. God, it hurt to breathe. That had him worried. Heâd probably cracked a couple of ribs, but that didnât explain the knife-like pain in his chest. Exposed to the bitter cold, he wondered how long he could survive.
Hours?
Would he see another dawn?
The ache in his left leg was gone; at least that part of his body felt blessedly numb.
Deep in the northern Maine pine woods, Jack was miles from anywhere. Earlier, heâd cut down a section of hardwood. When the rest of the logging crew left, heâd stayed on, hoping to get out one more load before quitting for the day. Heâd almost finished when a doe crossed his path.
Startled, heâd swerved to avoid it. For one long sickening moment, the log skidder had started to tip. Jack tried to right it, but the track was uneven, covered in a thin layer of ice. The huge mechanical beast went into a slow roll, finally landing on its side and pinning him underneath.
Luckily a foot of packed snow had cushioned his fall, but there were rocks buried beneath. Heâd struck his head and had been knocked out for a while. Now he lay trapped.