Judy Duarte
JUDY DUARTE always knew there was a book inside her, but since English was her least favorite subject in school, she never considered herself a writer. An avid reader who enjoys a happy ending, Judy couldn’t shake the dream of creating a book of her own.
Her dream became a reality in March 2002, when Mills & Boon Cherish released her first book, Cowboy Courage. Since then she has published more than twenty novels. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. And in July 2005 Judy won a prestigious Readers’ Choice Award for The Rich Man’s Son.
Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California. When she’s not cooped up in her writing cave, she’s spending time with her somewhat enormous but delightfully close family.
To my daughter, Christy Duarte, who has been an awesome critique partner, brainstorm wizard and editor. You are a creative and talented author who will soon hold your first of many of your published books in your hands. I love you, T.
“Justin! Get down from there!”
At the sound of the baritone voice spiked with irritation, Angie Edwards looked up from the cash register, stopped totaling her mother’s grocery purchases and looked across the Superette to see a little red-haired boy high atop the stock clerk’s ladder.
She was just about to rush over to the child before he fell when she spotted Toby Fortune Jones standing near the bottom rung, waiting for the little imp to climb down.
Toby, who owned a small ranch just outside of town and volunteered his time as a coach at the YMCA in nearby Vicker’s Corners, had become a foster parent to the three Hemings children last fall.
Who would have guessed that the hunky rancher had such a paternal side? Just seeing him with those kids each time they came into the Superette gave Angie pause. And it warmed her heart, too.
What didn’t warm her heart, however, was her mother checking up on her. Again.
“Don’t forget that you’re always welcome to come stay at my house if you need to,” Angie’s mother said, drawing her back to the task and the conversation at hand.
Angie loved her mom—she truly did—but there was no way she’d ever consider living with the woman again. There were times she couldn’t get her mom off the telephone or, in this case, through the Superette checkout line fast enough for comfort.
“That’ll be fourteen dollars and seventeen cents,” Angie said, after she’d finished totaling her mother’s purchases.
Why would Doris Edwards, who now lived and worked in Lubbock as a real-estate agent, drive all the way into Horseback Hollow to buy fifteen dollars’ worth of groceries?
To check up on Angie and give her another lecture, no doubt. Thank goodness no one had gotten into line behind her yet.
“You’re twenty-four and you can’t work at the Superette forever.” Her mother reached into her purse for her wallet. “Not that you’ve worked anywhere longer than a few months, but how are you ever going to make ends meet if you’re only putting in four hours a day? Your rent will be due soon. I hope you have enough money set aside to cover it.”
She did, but just barely. However, she’d learned early in life that it was best not to share her worries or concerns with her mom. The woman stressed about things entirely too much as it was. And nothing Angie did would ever be good enough for a hardworking powerhouse like Doris Edwards.
“I’ll be fine. Really.” Angie glanced around the grocery store, hoping the owners—Julia Tierney or her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tierney—weren’t within earshot. When she saw that they weren’t, she slowly released a sigh of relief. “I knew this was a part-time position when I accepted it.”
“You put in your application at The Hollows Cantina like I told you to, right?” As Doris pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, Angie nodded her confirmation that she had reluctantly applied.
“Well, at least that’s something promising. From what I’ve heard, it’s going to be an upscale place to eat.”
If truth be told, Angie really had no interest in waiting tables. She’d already done that gig and, as much as Angie liked to cook, the restaurant business wasn’t for her. Unfortunately, working part-time at the Superette and filling in as a receptionist at the flight school and charter service barely enabled her to make ends meet. Thank goodness she’d moved recently and had worked out a deal with her new landlord.
“You realize,” Doris added, “that with the Fortune name behind the cantina, and with Jeanne Marie Fortune Jones being related to royalty and all... Well, you know what that means. People with money will be eating there. So it’ll be a good place for you to network and make some connections. Then again, if it’s a husband you want, your prospects will be better there than here. After all, if you want to catch a big fish, you have to go where they’re swimming.”
Angie blew out a sigh. Her mother had been pushing her to get the college degree she’d never gotten for herself. And since Angie usually found jobs through friends or through a temp agency in Vicker’s Corners, her mother had decided she lacked the ambition to succeed in life. So Doris had recently started pushing a white-lace and gold-band solution.
But Angie wasn’t looking for love. Not until she had a good idea of who she really was and where she was going in life.
She just wished her mother’s voice wasn’t so loud, and that she wouldn’t make those kinds of comments in public.
“Why don’t you come over for supper tonight,” her mother said, as she reached for her grocery bag. “If you do, I’ll fix meat loaf.”
Angie would rather have a root canal than spend the evening with her mom, especially if she was making meat loaf. The woman had never been known for her domestic skills. Or her parenting skills, for that matter. In fact, Angie had probably cooked more of the family meals growing up than she had.
But it wasn’t the quality of the food that would keep her away. It was the heartburn and the headache she expected to get from the mealtime conversation. As usual, her mom was