Johnâs voice lashed like a whip across the room, halting her in midstep. He was ready for a fight. More than that, he wanted one. But why?
âJohn, please, Iâve come here to helpââ
âI donât want or need your charity,â he muttered. âSo why donât you grab your suitcase and just get the hell out of here,â he said with a quiet emphasis that almost had her scurrying to obey.
âIâll get out of your studyâ¦for now. Youâre obviously in the midst of a self-indulgent wallow of some sort, and I might as well leave you to it. But Iâm not getting out of your house, not tonight or tomorrow or the day after that. I never knew you could be such a jerk, John Bennett,â she finished, unable to keep the hurt from her voice.
âThereâs a lot you donât know about me, Leah,â he warned softly, turning to face her. âA lot you donât want to know. Believe me.â
Dear Reader,
Make way for springâas well as some room on your reading table for six new Special Edition novels! Our selection for this monthâs READERSâ RINGâSpecial Editionâs very own book clubâis Playing by the Rules by Beverly Bird. In this innovative, edgy romance, a single mom who is sick and tired of the singles scene makes a deal with a handsome divorced heroâthat their relationship will not lead to commitment. But both hero and heroine soon find themselves breaking all those pesky rules and falling head over heels for each other!
Gina Wilkins delights her readers with The Family Plan, in which two ambitious lawyers find unexpected loveâand a newfound familyâwith the help of a young orphaned girl. Reader favorite Nikki Benjamin delivers a poignant reunion romance, Loving Leah, about a compassionate nanny who restores hope to an embittered single dad and his fragile young daughter.
In Call of the West, the last in Myrna Temteâs HEARTS OF WYOMING miniseries, a celebrity writer goes to Wyoming and finds the ranchâand the manâwith whom sheâd like to spend her life. Now she has to convince the cowboy to give up his ranchâand his heart! In her new cross-line miniseries, THE MOM SQUAD, Marie Ferrarella debuts with A Billionaire and a Baby. Here, a scoop-hungryâand pregnantâreporter goes after a reclusive corporate raider, only to go into labor just as sheâs about to get the dirt! Ann Roth tickles our fancy with Reforming Cole, a sexy and emotional tale about a willful heroine who starts a âmenâs etiquetteâ school so that the macho opposite sex can learn how best to treat a lady. Against her better judgment, the teacher falls for the gorgeous bad boy of the class!
I hope you enjoy this monthâs lineup and come back for another month of moving stories about life, love and family!
Best,
Karen Taylor Richman
Senior Editor
was born and raised in the Midwest, but after years in the Houston area, she considers herself a true Texan. Nikki says sheâs always been an avid reader. (Her earliest literary heroines were Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and Beany Malone.) Her writing experience was limited, however, until a friend started penning a novel and encouraged Nikki to do the same. One scene led to another, and soon she was hooked.
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
In her modest sedan, Leah Hayes could have covered the distance from her fatherâs spacious home to John Bennettâs house in a matter of minutes. And on almost any other occasion, she would have done so without a second thought. Despite the eight years she had been away, the tree-lined streets of the neighborhood, within easy walking distance of the University of Montana campus in Missoula, were still familiar to her. But with her reception so uncertain, Leah chose to take her time.
âAre you lost, Aunt Leah?â her six-year-old niece asked, her soft, sweet voice edged with anxiety.
âNo, Gracie,â Leah assured her, smiling ruefully as she glanced in the rearview mirror. âI remember the way to your house.â
Gracieâs frown eased, though only just a bit.
The little girl looked like both her motherâLeahâs stepsister, Caroâand her father, her features a perfect blend of the two. From Caro, Gracie had gotten her heart-shaped face and silky blond curls, and from her father, John, she had inherited the grave, pale gray eyes and determined tilt of chin that Leah had tried so hard, and so unsuccessfully, to forget in the years sheâd been away.
âBut youâre driving really slow,â the child pointed out.
âIâm admiring all the pretty flowers.â True, but not the whole truth behind her dawdling. âEveryone seems to have worked really hard on their gardens this year.â
âNot us.â Gracieâs disappointment sounded in her voice. âAll we have in our flower beds are scraggly old weeds.â