âKaley, youâre not cut out for this life,â Tripp told her.
âIt takes a tough heart. Thatâs why I want you to sell out to me. Youâre better off without this.â
âBetter off withââ
The same thing heâd said in his kiss-off letter nine years ago! Youâll be better off without me.
She jerked upright in his arms. âWho the hell are you to tell me that?â
His tender half smile faded to bewilderment. âHey, Iâm just trying toââ
She brought her hands to his chest and shoved, arching her back against his hold. âThatâs right! Youâre doing this all for my own good. Taking my ranch from me. Youâre such a considerate guy!â She shoved him again, but still he held on. For just a moment thereâoh, she was such a fool to feel safe and loved in his arms! Nothing but her old longings betraying herâjust as theyâd betrayed her the first time all those years ago. It isnât me he gives a damn about! Tripp takes what he needs for himself, then tells you heâs done you a favor!
Well, not this time, Kaley vowedâ¦.
Dear Reader,
Have you ever dreamed about living in the perfect little town? Some place small and friendly enough that people know your face. Where the menfolk tip their Stetsons at you when they drive by. Where the women remember if you take after your mamaâs side of the family or your daddyâs.
A town just big enough that a few inquiring strangers wander through every year, then are beguiled by its warmth and charm into staying. A town rich in beauty, with snow-capped mountains looming on the horizon, and cattle ranches spreading out all around, and a white church on a hilltop perfect for storybook weddings.
Trueheart, Colorado, first took shape in my mind with the book Donât Mess With Texans, when my heroine, Susannah Mack, hid out from her vengeful ex-husband there. I couldnât resist revisiting the place in The Baby Bargain, to help widowed ranch owner Dana Kershaw find a new soul mate while she doubled her family.
And now, in True Heart, we return for the third time, when Kaley Cotter comes back to have her baby, save the family ranchâand rediscover the love of her life.
So welcome to my townâor welcome back! Slide into a booth at Moâs Truckstop and order a steakburger and fries to go with your story. Or maybe youâll want to try the new café in Trueheart, where Michelle serves cassoulet to the ladies, and French chili to the menâand itâs all from the same pot.
As always, thanks for reading!
Peggy Nicholson
To Christina Canham, fearless on the foredeck,
fearless in the kitchen, frequently admirable, perpetually amusing. Closest to a little sister Iâll ever have. Chrisso, how Iâll miss our Girlsâ Nights Out. Sail on, kid, but donât be a stranger.
PROLOGUE
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
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KALEY BOSWORTH DANCED straight out of the doctorâs office that afternoon and bought a double armload of sunflowers. And beeswax candlesâevery last tall, creamy-white fragrant candle that the florist had in stock. Fifty-seven, in all.
Now they stood in unlit readiness on the counters to either side of the door that led from her kitchen to the attached garage. From there they spread out over the other counters, the marble-topped central work island, the table in the breakfast nook. Sheâd even set candlesticks at the doorway to the butlerâs pantry.
More candles beckoned the eye into the pass-through pantry, then on to the dining room, to its long, lace-covered mahogany table, where the remaining tapers stood in two silver candelabra. Between the candelabra on the table, sheâd placed a cut-crystal punch bowl, filled to overflowing with the sunflowers, entwined with pink honeysuckle and roses from her own garden. Color and a blaze of light to match her mood.
The table was laid with their best sterling and china. Champagne stood iced in a wine bucket for Richard, along with a bottle of sparkling cider for herself.
All she needed was her husband to help her celebrate. Richard was only ninety minutes later than heâd said heâd be that morningâstill well within his self-imposed margin of two hours, after which heâd usually phone to say that some case had delayed him and she shouldnât wait supper.
But tonight he hadnât called.
âSo, any minute now,â Kaley half sang as she stood by a window in her darkened living room, hugging herself, bouncing on her toes with impatience as she peered down to the distant street corner.
Headlights knifed through the summer dusk with swift assurance. Streetlights rippled over a sleek, sliding shapeâa dark blue convertible swung around the bend and arrowed straight for the house. âYes!â Kaley snatched up a box of matches and ran for the back door.