âIâll be forever grateful to the school principal who gave me your name,â Will told her.
He stood close, his hands on her arms. At the moment she was no longer thinking of him as Carolineâs uncle, with a problem that needed her help. Instead, she could only see the handsome, sexy man who was inches away. She wanted to wrap her arms around him to kiss him. Her desire shocked her.
âI think youâre bringing me back into the world and Iâm not certain Iâm ready,â she whispered.
âYouâre ready,â he said in a husky voice.
The moment she felt his lips, she closed her eyes. Her heart thudded. She had not been kissed by a man in six long years. His mouth settled possessively on hers, hard, demanding, no longer light and tentative.
âWill,â she said, trying to get some firmness into her breathless voice. âYou need to go.â
Desire blazed in his dark eyes, making her racing heart pound faster. He wrapped his fingers in her hair. He wasnât going anywhere.
Dear Reader,
This story focuses on familiesâa theme that runs through many of my books because families are fascinating to me. Families are wonderful, unique, diverse, sometimes dysfunctional, but always interesting. Relentless Pursuit deals with different facets of loveâthat of an uncle devoted to his preschool niece whose scarred psyche developed after losing her single parent. The story also celebrates the love of a man and woman meeting, their excitement when falling in love and then their coping with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Handsome Texas billionaire Will Delaney is too accustomed to getting his way to give up on what he wants.
Even though sandy-haired Ava Barton finds Will irresistible, she struggles to keep her distance because Will can derail all her dreams and well-laid plans for her future. For the first time in his life, Will has met his match in the beautiful educator. Also, the patriarch of the Delaney family, Argus Delaney, has recently passed away and the reading of his will brings new shocks to the Delaney family and changes lives with the legacies he bequeathed.
The story is set against a favorite backdropâTexas. Larger-than-life in many aspects, the Texas romance plays out in Dallas and Austin settings.
The endless aspects in a relationship, its give-and-take as two people come to the realization they have found true love and struggle to overcome obstacles to a blossoming love, is what this story celebrates.
Thank you for selecting this book.
With best wishes,
Sara Orwig
SARA ORWIG lives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a masterâs degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.
With thanks to Stacy Boyd and Maureen Walters.
With love to my family.
William Delaney gazed into thickly lashed big brown eyes. While he loved his five-year-old niece with all his heart, this was the first time in his life he had had a problem with a female. Ever. From his earliest memories until now they always had given him smiles and laughter. He loved females and they loved him. Carolineâs solemn gaze broke his heart.
He knelt to be level with the girl. Would he ever get accustomed to taking care of her? The responsibility weighed heavily and he was at a total lossâanother first in his life.
âHere is a little present for you, Caroline. Just because youâre a sweet girl.â William watched her tiny hands tug free pink silk ribbon and silver paper to reveal a book.
She hugged the book, focusing on him. âThank you,â she whispered.
His heart skipped a beat with her simple thanks because he didnât always get that much response from her. âIf you like it, Iâll read it to you tonight. For now, after you have lunch, Miss Rosalyn will read your new book to you.â
Caroline opened the book.
âIâve got to go,â William said, lightly embracing his niece, thinking as he always did how frail she seemed. âAs soon as I get home tonight, Iâll come see you,â he added, releasing her. His heart thumped when big brown eyes stared at him. âMiss Rosalyn has your breakfast ready.â
The nanny smiled at the girl and took her hand. âWe have oatmeal plus one of your favoritesâstrawberries,â she said brightly.
As Will left, he hoped Caroline would eat something. Too many times in the year since heâd become her guardian, she would take only a few bites and then sit politely while he finished.
He drove his black sports car through the gated area in Dallas where he lived and headed for his private jet.
At half past eleven, he walked through the doors of an Austin restaurant where he was meeting a teacher. She had been recommended as a superb educator and one who could suggest excellent tutors for Caroline.