She thought she’d never see him again...
In the past twelve years, Carly Joslin has made a new life for herself. She moved back home to Reston, Oklahoma, and started a successful organic-farming business. So she’s not about to let her ex-husband, Luke Sanderson, take all that away.
Luke’s oil-extraction operation—right next door to Carly—is a real threat to her livelihood...and her peace of mind. Carly had buried the bittersweet memories of their young love, whirlwind marriage and terrible loss. But not deep enough. And now Luke is back in town, unearthing the past and shaking the very foundations of the life she’s built.
“How many other pieces of land has he ruined?”
“None!” Luke said.
“As far as you know,” Carly replied.
He shook his head in frustration. “I can’t answer that, or give you any facts that I don’t have.”
“Luke, from what you’ve said so far, you wouldn’t tell me even if you did know.”
Before he could answer, she threw her hands in the air. “Never mind. This is a pointless...merry-go-round. Nightmare-go-round,” she amended. “It’s time for you to go, Luke, and...and don’t come back.”
“Carly, if you’d listen to me, I can at least tell you—”
“Lies?” She held up her hand. “No. Go.”
As if to emphasize her fury, the windows rattled in their frames.
“Earthquake,” she said accusingly.
“Well, I didn’t cause it.”
“Yet.”
Luke swung toward the door. “I’ll be back in three months, Carly, and then you’ll have to listen to me.”
“Don’t count on it.”
Welcome back to Reston, Oklahoma. I hope you enjoyed your visit to the southeastern part of the state in At Odds with the Midwife. The Husband She Can’t Forget is the story of Carly Joslin and Luke Sanderson, who married much too young and parted painfully years ago. Now Luke is back and will be starting an oil-extraction process near Joslin Gardens, where Carly grows organic fruits and vegetables. His process could threaten her livelihood and her land itself. Worst of all, his presence is bringing back memories and regrets she’s tried to forget. Having him around will make her face the past even as Luke attempts to succeed in his new venture and avoid hurting Carly again.
Happy reading,
Patricia
The Husband She Can’t Forget
Patricia Forsythe
PATRICIA FORSYTHE is the author of many romance novels and is proud to have received her twenty-five-book pin from Harlequin. She hopes there are many more books to come. A native Arizonan, Patricia loves setting books in areas where she has spent time, like the beautiful Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma. She has held a number of jobs, including teaching school, working as a librarian and as a secretary, and operating a care home for developmentally disabled children. Her favorite occupation, though, is writing novels in which the characters get into challenging situations and then work their way out. Each situation and set of characters is different, so sometimes the finished book is as much of a surprise to her as it is to the readers.
This book is dedicated to my beautiful grandchildren, who give me hope and happiness.
Contents
THE CRUNCH OF tires as a pickup turned onto the long, graveled drive of Joslin Gardens caused a bobwhite quail to cease the endless reciting of his name and brought Carly Joslin’s attention from the damp, woven cloth she was spreading over the truck bed of fresh-picked vegetables.