He nodded. “I think it’s a good policy.”
“It seems odd to me. You’re racing against the others in your shop.”
“It’s not an easy balance,” he admitted. Tempers could fly in his very competitive business, and no one was more driven to win than him, but he couldn’t lead a team if he couldn’t control himself.
“So after a race, when your team loses and—”
“Torie!” A younger African-American boy skidded to a halt beside her. “Mom says come eat. The rest of us are nearly finished.”
The girl named Torie looked exasperated. “Not yet, Andre,” she whispered fiercely.
“You’re gonna be in trouble,” Andre said. “We have to get Bobby home soon, you know.”
“I know, but I just need to—” Her cheeks were fiery red. “Don’t you know who this is?” she muttered.
Gib crouched down to the boy’s level. “It’s my fault,” he said, extending his hand for a shake. “Hi, Andre. I’m Gib Douglas, crew chief of the No. 91 car. Your sister and I were just talking racing.”
The boy took his hand but rolled his eyes. “That’s practically all she ever talks about.” Then his gaze widened. “The 91—wow! You’re the champions!”
“We are,” Gib agreed.
“That’s really cool,” Andre said. Then he frowned. “But I’m supposed to bring her back. It’s a school night, so we have to get home. Our mom’s right over there.” He pointed behind Gib.
“Well, I don’t want to get Torie in trouble.” Gib rose. “You suppose it would help if I explained?”
Torie’s eyes were the wide ones now. “Would you?”
Gib glanced at his aunt and uncle. They nodded and smiled. “You go right ahead, son,” his Uncle Raymond said. “We’ll get a booth but wait to order.”
“I won’t be a second,” he promised. “Andre, how about you lead us?” He glanced at Torie and winked.
“Sure!” Andre took off like a shot.
“Slow down—” Torie ordered, then sighed as the boy did exactly the opposite.
“So you follow racing,” Gib began. “When did you start?”
She ducked her head shyly. “I can’t remember when I didn’t. I watched with my dad when I was little. I’ve seen nearly every one of your races.” She smiled up at him. “I want to be in NASCAR someday.”
“As a driver?” he asked. “There are more women on the track now than ever.”
“Drivers aren’t the most important part of the team,” she insisted. “They come and go. I’d like to own a team.”
Gib’s eyebrows flew upward. “That’s quite a goal you’ve got there.”
She slanted him a decidedly sassy look. “You don’t believe I can?”
Gib laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. “I’d be a fool to bet against you, I’m beginning to think.” They traded smiles. “So do you go to the races much?”
Those eyes that seemed so familiar darkened. “I’ve never been to one.” She shrugged. “My mom can’t afford it.” Her features grew determined. “But I’m saving my money for the spring Texas race. Mom doesn’t like racing, but she won’t let me go alone. If I can save enough for all of us to have tickets, I’m hoping I can change her mind.” She glanced ahead. “Uh-oh.”
“Young lady, you know we have to go soon.”
That voice. Gib went very still.
“But Mom—” Torie protested. “This is—”
Even as Gib was turning to face the woman who’d spoken, something deep in his gut was telling him her identity before he ever took a look.
And when he did, his heart stumbled, even as the ashes of anger and hurt sparked to life again. The curly brown hair was shorter now, but the eyes—her daughter’s eyes—still possessed the power to level him. To strike straight at his soul.
She stood there, holding the hands of a small Asian girl and an undernourished little boy. Her face had lost all color. “Gib.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He wanted to hate her for breaking his heart. Wanted to make her explain why she’d betrayed him.
But “Hello, Dulcie,” was all he could manage.
…Excerpt from BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS by Jean Brashear © 2016.
Start reading BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS TODAY!
THE SWEETGRASS SPRINGS STORIES in order:
TEXAS ROOTS (Ian and Scarlett)
TEXAS WILD (Mackey and Rissa)
TEXAS DREAMS (a reunion of all the Texas Heroes families)
TEXAS REBEL (Jackson and Veronica)
TEXAS BLAZE (Bridger and Penelope)
TEXAS CHRISTMAS BRIDE (a Texas Heroes reunion)
THE BOOK BABES
TEXAS HOPE (Michael and Laken)
TEXAS STRONG (Tank and Chrissy)
TEXAS SWEET (Brenda and Henry)
BE MINE THIS CHRISTMAS (Gib and Dulcie)
TEXAS CHARM (Jeanette and Walker)
TEXAS MAGIC (Dominic and Lexie)
BE MY MIDNIGHT KISS (Steph and Gavin)
Click on the covers below for more on each book
THE TEXAS HEROES series:
THE GALLAGHERS OF MORNING STAR
Secrets will be revealed and the lives of four people will be shattered as they learn that who they are and where they come from is not at all what they always believed.
Texas Secrets: Former SEAL Boone Gallagher returns to the only home he’s ever known only to find that the ranch has been willed to a stranger who doesn’t want it—and he must keep her there for thirty days, or it will be lost to them both.
Texas Lonely: A loner who’s lost faith in love is the only hope for a mother and child on the run
Texas Bad Boy: Disgraced bad boy has his chance for revenge against the beautiful society girl who chose money over his love
The Gallaghers Of Morning Star Boxed Set
THE MARSHALLS
Texas Refuge: Haunted former detective is the only sanctuary for an actress being stalked by a madman
Texas Star: Sexiest Man Alive becomes a white knight for a woman who keeps trying to escape him
Texas Danger: Down on his luck rancher is the only hope for a socialite on the run from the mob
The Marshalls Boxed Set
THE WORLD OF SWEETGRASS SPRINGS
Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, tiny Sweetgrass Springs was founded by four veterans of the Texas Revolution, and for over a century the town and their ranches grew and prospered. Nowadays, however, too many of the town’s children leave for the big city as soon as they can escape, and Sweetgrass is barely hanging on. The heart and soul of Sweetgrass is Ruby Gallagher. Her daughter vanished from Sweetgrass right after high school, but Ruby, owner of community gathering place Ruby’s Café, remains, keeping vigil, hoping for her daughter’s return. She is fighting to save her ancestors’ legacy, but the town is dying, and it’s breaking Ruby’s heart.
Then the granddaughter she never knew existed arrives and sets in motion a new life for this eccentric, lovable spot in the road…where hope never fades and love never dies. Readers call it “a special place for hearts that need healing.”
Texas Roots: A Paris-trained chef on the run finds Texas family she never knew existed and a sexy cowboy she doesn’t dare love
Texas Wild: Sexy SEAL turned Hollywood stuntman returns home to find his buddy’s little sister all grown up
Texas Dreams: Take two reluctant brides and two frustrated grooms, mix with both clans of Gallaghers and season with a SEAL or three, a movie star, a Hollywood Barbie and a country music giant—and get not one but two surprise weddings
Texas Rebel: A former rebellious teen turned billionaire’s reunion with his teenage sweetheart and a secret baby he never knew about
Texas Blaze: What happens when a shark lawyer in stilettos has a fling with a hot firefighter determined to find Suzy Homemaker?
Texas Christmas Bride: All he wants is the girl he thought he’d lost forever.
The Book Babes: Five women began as a reading group and became family�
�but now change is rippling through the group. (A surprise Sweetgrass Springs connection!)
Texas Hope: Can two brothers who never knew each other existed overcome the secrets of a woman who abandoned one son and lied to the other?
Texas Strong: Can a man who’s never trusted anyone and a woman who’s trusted all the wrong men defy the odds and open their hearts to each other?
Texas Sweet: When a stranger who holds the keys to her identity arrives in town, will the girl everyone knows as Brenda come to terms with her past or run again?
Be Mine This Christmas: The man he’s become is not the boy she once knew—and he may never forgive her, once he knows the secret she’s been concealing.
Texas Charm: He’s a country superstar; she’s a small town waitress. When the real world slams into their reverie, whose heart will be the one to break? (Contains an original song written for this book)
Texas Magic: One billionaire…one tomboy…one night of magic. Miracle or mirage?
Be My Midnight Kiss: It’s New Year’s Eve…and now or never for these two hearts
Boxed sets:
The Gallaghers Of Sweetgrass Springs Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-3)
The Gallaghers Of Sweetgrass Springs Boxed Set 2 (Books 4-6)
LONE STAR LOVERS
Heart-tugging, action-packed and passionate stories of the close-knit Sullivan/Sandoval family of four brothers and one sister, plus the three Morgan sisters, orphaned and separated for many years, whose lives reconnect as they become part of the family circle.
Texas Heartthrob: Hollywood’s hottest star is a man in disguise when he encounters a woman who’s lost everything…but her secrets. When the world catches up to them, will the price of their lies cost them everything?
Texas Healer: Special Forces medic holds the power to heal both a doctor’s injured body and her wounded heart…but she can’t stay in his world—and he can’t leave.
Texas Protector: A detective forever haunted by the night when he couldn’t save a young girl from trauma—now she’s a cop herself and he has to send her undercover to lure a murderer.
Texas Deception: A plucky crusader falls for a down-on-his-luck stranger—only to learn too late that he’s the villain determined to destroy her town
Texas Lost: A hard-nosed detective targeted by internal affairs and the woman who’s professional evaluation will make or break his career. A a growing attraction between them risks first his case…and then her life.
Texas Wanderer: When she’s lost all her dreams and is finally finding a place to call home, will she place her trust—and her heart—in the hands of a wanderer with secrets?
Texas Bodyguard: He’s undercover as a bodyguard to a film star because her best friend is his top suspect. When she comes to mean too much to him, confessing his deception means risking his career—but not coming clean with her could risk her life
Texas Rescue: A haunted warrior who lives in the shadows encounters a small, valiant woman who’s a champion of lost causes, and the vibrant light within her lures him from the darkness. When she is rocked by a brush with evil, can he make her feel safe again…and can she convince him that he deserves to live in the light?
Lone Star Lovers Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
SECOND CHANCES series
Love deserves a second chance…
Guarding Gaby: Gabriela Navarro believed she and Eli Wolverton would always be together…until he abandoned her.
Bringing Bella Back: They had the perfect marriage…until he lost his way. Then he lost Bella.
The Price He Paid: The golden boy and the rebel girl who cost him everything
The House That Love Built: Once they had it all: a home with a man who adored her, three children they cherished, a life filled with passion and promise. Until one troubled child cost them everything.
The Road Back Home: Can her family forgive what she can’t forgive herself?
Dream House: Her dream house is the scene of his nightmares.
DANGEROUS TO LOVE stories
Is he her enemy…or will he save her?
Dark, deadly and dangerous, they operate in the shadows, guarding the women they love but cannot have.
The Choice: Only one of them can win—and if they cannot learn to trust each other, both of them could die.
Mercy: He went to prison for twenty years to save her…can he save her again?
The Light Walker: A brand-new detective. A mesmerizing, mysterious billionaire suspect. A powerful attraction that threatens the balance in a battle between the dark and the light
Dangerous To Love Boxed Set
About the Author
A letter to Rod Stewart resulting in a Cinderella 16th birthday for her daughter might have been the first step on Texas romance author Jean Brashear’s path to being a New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of more than 50 novels in romance and women’s fiction.
Jean’s stories are hailed as “feel-good romance at its finest” and her quirky small towns are called “a special place for hearts that need healing.” All are evidence of Jean’s heartfelt belief that love is the most powerful force in the universe, and her stories reflect that bone-deep commitment to spreading her faith in the goodness that exists inside us all.
Connect With Jean
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