The sign over the building brought Kari up short
Bus Station.
What business would the girl have there? This morning, none of the DâAngelos had mentioned a family member coming or leaving town.
A vague, uneasy feeling stole over Kari. She went through the glass door. The station was a small, functional place, and in no time she saw Tessa standing near the bus bay. With a boy. Luggage around their feet.
They didnât see her approach. Both were absorbed in the contents of the bag Tessa held. They looked like kids exclaiming over Halloween treats. They were kids!
ââ¦should be enough snacks to hold us until we get to Albuquerque,â Tessa was saying as Kari reached them. âI got those chocolate-covered raisins you like.â
âTessa?â
The blond boy looked up, and Tessa swung around. Her features went dead-white, and her eyes moved like a trapped rabbitâs. âOh, K-Kari,â she stammered out. âOh, hi.â
Dear Reader,
A long time ago this born-and-bred Florida girl spent a couple of years living in Colorado. What a shock that was! Snow instead of sand, mountains instead of beaches, and for neighbors, wild animals instead of tourists.
Eventually, circumstances brought me back to my home state, but Iâve never forgotten Coloradoâs beauty. So when I started thinking of new places to set my next book, I couldnât help remembering a terrific little family-run resort Iâd found on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.
The Daughter Dilemma, the first of the HEART OF THE ROCKIES series, is based on those fond memories.
This book introduces you to Nick DâAngelo, the oldest son. Nick has his hands full running Lightning River Lodge, piloting helicopter tours, keeping his teenage daughter out of mischief and fending off his loving familyâs determined efforts to see him remarried. When Kari Churchill literally drops out of the sky and into his life, he canât wait to see the last of her.
As for Kari, she has her own busy career and her determination to learn more about her late fatherâs final trip into the wilderness. Sheâd be only too happy to oblige Nick and catch the next plane out of the mountains.
But neither of them stands a chance once the rest of the DâAngelo family decides theyâre meant for each other.
I hope you enjoy Nick and Kariâs journey as much as Iâve enjoyed writing about them and this fun, energetic family. In books to come, Nickâs siblings will find their own Happily Ever After. These strong men and loving women typify the characteristics I so often found in the people who live in those mountains in Coloradoâcommitment, courage and an endless capacity for love.
Regards,
Ann Evans
Itâs long past time to say a special thank-you to fellow Superromance author Kathleen OâBrien.
You convinced me to take the leap off the cliff, and only your professional insights, unending generosity and dear friendship keep me from crashing on the rocks below.
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
NICK DâANGELO was one hour and fifty-seven minutes into Angel Airâs deluxe two-hour helicopter tour. One hour and fifty-seven minutes into showing the Pattersons the beauty of Coloradoâs Front Range the way birds saw it. One hour and fifty-seven minutes into a pounding headache that made him wonder if, at thirty-four, he was getting too old for this job.
Years ago heâd been a chopper pilot in the war, picking scared army grunts off sand dunes no bigger than a pitcherâs mound, bullets drilling holes into the side of his Black Hawk. No sweat, that.
But the Pattersonsâboth the rich, obnoxious father and the spoiled-rotten daughterâwere making him crazy.
Dwayne Patterson, seated in the copilot seat of Raven One, was the kind of guy whoâd die before heâd admit he was scared to death to fly. Every time Nick put the R-44 into a sharp bank, Pattersonâs white-knuckled grip dug a deeper furrow into the seatâs leather. Nick didnât mind that. Hell, plenty of people got nervous once they climbed into a helicopter. If this guy lost his lunch before the flight was over, Nick would clean it upâthen charge him double through the âunforeseen incidenceâ clause in the release form.
No, the nerves didnât bother him. It was Pattersonâs constant chatter over the cabinâs âhot mikeâ that drove Nick nuts. Nick had smiled and nodded in all the right places, glad that his sunglasses hid his boredom. But the guy wouldnât shut up.
As for the manâs daughter, Hannah, a more unlikable teenager Nick had yet to meet. Whenever he looked back over his shoulder to see how she was doing, she invariably threw him a pouty, petulant, hurt-baby face. As though the past two hours had somehow been Nickâs idea and not Dwayne Pattersonâs pitiful attempt to bond with his kid.