The murmuring grew loud enough to drown the organ music that she found creepy. When mutters rose to a crescendo behind her, Callie gave up and turned, only to discover that no one was paying her an iota of attention.
Instead, every eye appeared to be focused on a man just entering at the back. Callie shifted to see who he was.
When she did, her heart stuttered.
No. It could not be. She examined the tall, powerful frame for signs of the boy she hadn’t let herself think of in years.
The man’s gaze flickered over her and onward. His stony expression never wavered.
She was seized by an impulse to get closer, to see if she was mistaken. Should she talk to him? But what on earth would she say?
He disappeared into a back pew before she could decide, and Callie turned to face the front again.
Just as well. There was nothing for her here. She couldn’t wait to be gone.
Why was he here? Hadn’t fifteen years in prison taught him hard lessons about caution?
Regardless of how intense those months together had been, he and Callie had parted ways as though strangers. There had been nothing to hold them together, it turned out, after the roller coaster of emotion, the drama and heartache. A boy’s damn-fool notion of honor had exploded in his face, had blasted his future to bits.
What had he expected to feel? He had no idea who she was anymore, except that she was beautiful—man, was she ever. The badly dyed black hair had given way to the natural blond he’d seen only at her roots, the profusion of curls she’d so often derided were now a shiny, straight cap. She’d grown a good three inches, he guessed, no longer that tiny rebel.
No rebel at all, from what he’d heard. A prosecutor—Fate sure had a nasty sense of humor. Their role reversals appeared to be complete.
Didn’t matter. Nothing mattered really, only biding his time, doing what he could for the one person who still held a claim on his shriveled heart. If not for his mother’s need of him, he’d never have set foot in Oak Hollow again. The road pulled at him, the longing to disappear, to start over somewhere, anywhere that no one knew him.
He’d come from good stock; his father had died a hero, rescuing two hikers from a fall. However desperate and defeated his mother was now, she once had raised a boy single-handed, struggled to keep body and soul together for both of them. An excellent student especially good at math and science with ambitions of being a pilot and astronaut, David had grown up under the caring eyes of an impoverished town where hardly anyone ever made it to college.
His mother had taken in sewing at night after long days of waiting tables to be sure he had basketball shoes and football uniforms. She’d grown vegetables and raised chickens to keep food on the table.
He wondered if she thought any of the struggle had been worth it when she’d been writing letters to a prison instead of the university where he was to have received a football scholarship.
He’d served his time, and he was supposed to be free now. Instead he was back in Oak Hollow, despised by everyone but his mother for dealing a mortal blow to the dreams of a town that had expected him to succeed for all of them.
Tough. The townspeople needed to get their own dreams.
The organ music swelled, yanking David from his musings. Just as well—the past was a hostile country to visit. He glanced toward the front and realized that there was nothing to say to the woman Callie had grown into. He should never have come.
Before the ushers began leading the mourners out, David Langley slipped into the shadows and through the side door.
With long strides, he left the past where it belonged.
…Excerpt from THE PRICE HE PAID by Jean Brashear © 2019
The SECOND CHANCES series includes:
Click on the cover below to learn more
BOOKS by Jean Brashear:
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
Visit Jean’s website
Facebook
BookBub
Pinterest
Instagram
To be notified of new releases and special deals, sign up for Jean’s Newsletter
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Jean Brashear publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-EDDB-JVPX
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Bringing Bella Back Page 18