Quintin touched his lips to her fingers.
He laid his mouth gently against the slight rise of an almost-healed blister. It felt so warm, and was ridiculously like some heady perfume. When he kissed it, he heard Riley drag in a deep breath of her own.
âQuintinâ¦â
âI know,â he said in a slow, husky voice. He lifted his head to catch her gaze. Her mouth was parted, and she was frowning. âInsane, isnât it?â
âIââ The word was a trembling sigh, barely more than a whisper. She wet her lips. When she tugged her hand away, he released it immediately. âI think I should get back to the men.â
He watched her walk away from the shadows and back into the soft light where the cowboys stood. Watched her, and thought how much he had liked what happened. How he had enjoyed it more than he had anything in a long, long time.
But what heâd done had made a difficult situation even more so, and he couldnât help but realize how foolish heâd been.
Dear Reader,
By the time I finished writing That Last Night in Texas, I had developed quite a fondness for Ethanâs business partner and best friend, Quintin Avenaco. As the story evolved, I grew more and more interested in exploring his tragic past and what had brought him to this point in his life. So when my editor asked if I might like to write about Quintin, I was ready.
Unfortunately, thatâs where my muse deserted me. I knew what Quintinâs goals for himself were. But for the life of me, I couldnât imagine the kind of woman who could bring him out of his painful past and make him willing to face the world again. Weeks went by, and I began to wonder if Iâd ever find her.
Then I came across a magazine article about a group of people who had lost their jobs as a result of the economy. They had been brought to the lowest point in their lives, but instead of giving up, they reevaluated the talents they had developed, the strengths they could tap into, the dreams they had left behind as too impractical. Instead of trying to find a new position in their chosen fields, they channeled their efforts into creating new careers for themselves. Some of them succeeded on a grand scale. Others had to adjust to earning a bit less money, but they were far happier than theyâd ever been in their old jobs.
I thought a woman with that kind of brave, single-minded purpose might work well as my heroine and make an excellent match for a loner like Quintin. So thatâs how Riley Palmer came to lifeâa divorced mother of twins who is desperately determined to make a good life for her children, even if she has to persuade a lonely, no-nonsense cowboy like Quintin that she will make an excellent ranch manager for him.
I hope you enjoy Quintin and Rileyâs journey. Please donât hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or visit my Facebook page. I love to hear from readers.
All the best,
Ann Evans
Ann Evans has been writing since she was a teenager, but it wasnât until she joined Romance Writers of America that she actually sent anything to a publisher. Eventually, with the help of a very good critique group, she honed her skills and won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America for Best Short Contemporary Romance of 1989. Since then, sheâs happy to have found a home writing for the Harlequin Superromance line. A native Floridian, Ann enjoys traveling, hot-fudge sundaes and collecting antique postcards.
Times are tough right now.
This book is dedicated to anyone who has hit their own rough patch in life and found the courage to climb to their feet and fight again.
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
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE COMPUTER SCREEN glowed in the darkened shadows of the living room. Riley Palmer stared at it, wondering why she couldnât seem to hit the email send button.
âDo it, Riley,â she muttered softly. âNothing ventured, nothing gained. Do it for Wendy and Roxanna and yourself. Do it for the National Organization for Women. Just do it!â
Her fingers hovered over the mouse as she tried to find courage.
Tonight her sisterâs small apartment felt cozy, but foreign somehow. Both the girls were sound asleep in Jillianâs spare bedroomâas they should be this close to two in the morning. Her sister had gone to bed after the late news. The place was so quiet Riley thought she could hear her wristwatch ticking.
It was the perfect time to think about making life-changing decisions, the perfect time to work through her thoughts in peace and quiet, and sheâd spent the past two hours doing just that. So why couldnât she send this email?
She knew that some of her reluctance was because her email wasnât completely honest. She hadnât lied, exactly. Just embroidered a little. Considering the current job market, who didnât do that when they applied for work these days?