Isabella Trueblood made history reuniting people torn apart by war and an epidemic. Now, generations later, Lily and Dylan Garrett carry on her work with their agency, Finders Keepers. Circumstances may have changed, but the goal remains the same.
Lost
One grandson. Ailing Eve Bishop desperately wants to find her estranged grandson and heir before she dies. Lily Garrett is on the case.
Found
One ornery cowboy. Now all Lily has to do is find a way to hog-tie a lone wolf and get him back to Grandmaâs house. Gossip says that dangerously handsome Cole Bishop is going to pay someone to have his child, which gives this Little Red Riding Hood an idea....
Finders Keepers: bringing families together
âWhat do you want, Lily Garrett? Why are you here?â
âIâm applying for the job.â
âYou think you could handle it? Handle me?â
âThat all depends on whether youâre a gentleman or not.â
He took another step, until his chest brushed her arm. âIâm not.â
The cold air behind her and the heat in front met inside her, brewing up one hell of a storm. It wasnât enough he had that rugged cowboy thing going on, but he also oozed bad-boy sexy, which wasnât the least bit fair.
His hand lifted and he touched her hair. Just her hair. And she nearly dropped her soda. She needed to make her mouth work. For words to form. But that seemed way too difficult as his fingers brushed her cheek. âI donât think this is such a good idea.â
âWhat?â
âYou touching me.â
âIâll stop if you want me to.â
She closed her eyes. His thumb, callused and thick, followed the curve of her jaw all the way to her chin. âStop.â Her voice sounded weak, soft.
âYouâre old enough to know better,â he whispered.
âBetter than what?â
âThat you shouldnât play with fire if you donât want to get burned.â
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Trueblood, Texas!
Hereâs what I want to knowâhow come, when I lived in Texas for five years, I never met a man like Cole Bishop? That doesnât seem fair, does it? I know there are men like Coleârough and stern on the outside, passionate and loving in private. I just havenât met my Cole...yet.
Hereâs the other thing I want to knowâhow come I canât be more like Lily Garrett? Sheâs a pistol, that Lily, and I do admire a woman who isnât afraid to say whatâs on her mind.... Oh, wait. My friend (whoâs reading over my shoulder) tells me I shouldnât lie to my nice readers. I do say whatâs on my mind. In fact, no one can stop me from sharing my two cents. Thatâs true, I guess, but Lily has such class, such flair, and sheâs so darn quick! I usually think of the perfect thing to say about two hours after the conversation is over.
Hereâs what I know for sureâthereâs magic involved in writing a novel. Oh, thereâs plot and character and dialogue and all the usual stuff, but sometimes, if Iâve been very, very good, the book will take wing and soar, and all I have to do is hang on for the ride. The Cowboy Wants a Baby was like that. It will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope, dear readers, that it will be a special book for you, too.
I love to hear from readers! http://www.joleigh.com.
Jo Leigh
THE TRUEBLOOD LEGACY
THE YEAR WAS 1918, and the Great War in Europe still raged, but Esau Porter was heading home to Texas.
The young sergeant arrived at his parentsâ ranch northwest of San Antonio on a Sunday night, only the celebration didnât go off as planned. Most of the townsfolk of Carmelita had come out to welcome Esau home, but when they saw the sorry condition of the boy, they gave their respects quickly and left.
The fever got so bad so fast that Mrs. Porter hardly knew what to do. By Monday night, before the doctor from San Antonio made it into town, Esau was dead.
The Porter family grieved. How could their son have survived the German peril, only to burn up and die in his own bed? It wasnât much of a surprise when Mrs. Porter took to her bed on Wednesday. But it was a hell of a shock when half the residents of Carmelita came down with the horrible illness. House after house was hit by death, and all the townspeople could do was pray for salvation.
None came. By the end of the year, over one hundred souls had perished. The influenza virus took those in the prime of life, leaving behind an unprec-edented number of orphans. And the virus knew no boundaries. By the time the threat had passed, more than thirty-seven million people had succumbed worldwide.
But in one house, there was still hope.
Isabella Trueblood had come to Carmelita in the late 1800s with her father, blacksmith Saul Trueblood, and her mother, Teresa Collier Trueblood. The family had traveled from Indiana, leaving their Quaker roots behind.
Young Isabella grew up to be an intelligent woman who had a gift for healing and storytelling. Her dreams centered on the boy next door, Foster Carter, the son of Chester and Grace.
Just before the bad times came in 1918, Foster asked Isabella to be his wife, and the future of the Carter spread was secured. It was a happy union, and the future looked bright for the young couple.