Her name is Cheyenne. But who is she?
After growing up in cheap motels, moving from town to town with her sister and mother, Cheyenne Christensen is grateful to be on her own. Sheâs grateful, too, for the friends she found once her family settled in California. But sheâs troubled by the mystery of her earliest memories, most of which feature a smiling blonde woman. A woman who isnât her mother.
Although Cheyenne has repeatedly asked for explanations, the people who could help arenât talking. Cheyenne is set on finding answers, but without so much as a birth certificate, it wonât be easy.
Things get even more complicated when her closest friend is attracted to the man Cheyenne has secretly loved for years. For Eveâs sake, she decides to step asideâwhich lands her right in the arms of Dylan Amos, oldest and baddest of the hell-raising Amos brothers. Heâs the kind of guy sheâs sworn to avoid. She canât afford to make a mistake, not when she finally has a chance to learn who she really is and change her life for the better. Butâ¦maybe thereâs more to Dylan than she thought. Maybe letting him go would be a bigger mistake.
Praise for Brenda Novak
âWhenever I see a new Brenda Novak book, I buy it and read it, pronto. I can always count on her for a solid, exciting story, full of adventure and romance.â
âLinda Lael Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author
âAny book by Brenda Novak is a must-buy for me.â
âReader to Reader Reviews
âBrenda Novakâs seamless plotting, emotional intensity and true-to-life characters who jump off the page make her books completely satisfying. Novak is simply a great storyteller.â
âAllison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author
âNovakâs smooth plotting makes for a great read.â
âPublishers Weekly on Dead Right
âWell-written, nicely paced, filled with appealing characters and laced with a few surprises.â
âLibrary Journal on Dead Right
âI suggest Brenda Novak be added to your âto buyâ list today. You wonât be disappointed.â
âRomance Readers Connection
âA novel that canât be missedâ¦this is hands-down a must-read.â
âThe Romanceaholic on Inside
âIn Close is intense and sensual and chock-full of emotional torment. The array of transgressions and suspects and small-town secrets makes for a riveting read.â
âUSA TODAY
âStrongly defined characters, sizzling sexual tension and a tautly constructed plotâ¦blend brilliantly together in Novakâs exceptionally intense, powerfully emotional novel.â
âBooklist on Every Waking Moment
âNovakâs fans will easily recognize her unforgettable style and characterization.â
âWordweaving
âBrenda Novak has always been an author I look for on the book shelves⦠Her characters are realistic, charming and have a life of their own. Donât miss out!â
âHuntress Book Reviews
To Stephanie Novembri.
Thank you for all the volunteer hours youâve put in on my annual online auction for diabetes research. You came into my life at a time when I really needed some helpâand youâve been there for me ever since.
Dear Reader,
Who can resist a story about a woman who isnât sure her mother is really her mother? When I started this book, I couldnât stop thinking about that situation, how it would make my heroine feelâand what she might do to find the truth. It kept me eager to write each day.
Cheyenne has always had her doubts about Anita, has always wondered why certain troubling memories surfaced again and again, especially when it snowed. But given her childhood, she has to wonder if maybe she created a pleasant fantasy in order to cope with reality. Because of her sister, and the duty she feels to the woman who raised her, she vacillates between aggressively exploring her past and shying away from it, especially now that sheâs established herself in Whiskey Creek and is happier than sheâs ever been. Part of her doesnât want to rock the boatâbut the questions that have gnawed at her for years just wonât go away. And if sheâs ever to answer them, she has to act soon. Anita is dying of cancer. If she doesnât tell what she knows before the end, it may be too late.
That right there was enough to keep my attentionâbut then Dylan Amos walked onto the scene and added a few complications of his own. I hope youâll enjoy reading all the intrigue as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Iâd like to thank Marcy Mostats-Passuello, whose name appears as a character in this book, for her generous support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Because Dylan is one of my favorite heroes (and he has four sexy brothers who will appear in future books), Iâve had a fabulous Amos Auto Body T-shirt (black with white imprint) designed for those who might like one. You can purchase it and other Whiskey Creek items at www.brendanovak.com. There, you can also find more information about my books and my annual online auction for diabetes research, which happens every May. So far weâve raised more than $1.6 million!