“Well, it’s not the funniest thing ever, whatever the hell it is. Beulah just called me all in a tizzy. Prissy Parnell has done decided that she’s had enough of Buster, and she’s come back to Cadillac. She’s filing for divorce tomorrow morning, and Beulah is terrified that she’s going to go after Jack. Lord, the world would come to a screechin’ halt if Jack married a divorced woman.”
Marty smiled. “Why?”
“Hell if I know. God knows he ain’t goin’ to find a thirty-five-year-old virgin like Beulah wants him to have. And there’s more. Ethan and his teacher friend done got married in Las Vegas. I’m sure that since she’s Violet’s daughter-in-law, she’ll fill the place that Cathy left behind when she was the first ever to quit the club. God, I’m proud of that Cathy. No more blue ribbons for that stupid-ass club. They might have to change their name to the Used-To-Be Club. Guess the Jubilee will always be the Jalapeño Jubilee, though. It’s too late to change it after all these years, and besides, Cathy does grow the best peppers in the whole state. Anyway, Prissy will probably take over your spot.”
“I didn’t quit,” Marty said.
“Hell, yes, you damn sure did. You just didn’t know it. They ain’t keepin’ you without Cathy. Violet can have the club. Hell, she could get down on her knees and beg me, and I wouldn’t be in it. I don’t need that shit in my life. I got my hands full keepin’ all y’all out of mischief.”
Marty gasped. “You wouldn’t join the club if they asked you?”
“Hell no! Never would have. I just wanted to be voted in so I could tear the hell out of her stupid club to pay her back for trying to talk Bert into leaving me high and dry at the altar. Today couldn’t have been any more perfect. Now I’m going home and eatin’ that piece of chocolate cake I talked Jack into letting me bring away from his place,” Agnes said.
“How’d you know about that?” Marty asked.
“Bert told me. We didn’t keep secrets,” Agnes said on her way out.
Marty waited until she heard the back door slam and pulled out her phone. “I’ll call Jack. You call Cathy. This is too damn good to wait until morning.”
Trixie giggled as she dialed the phone.
Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society—who gives a shit?
Friendship—always and forever priceless.
THE END
About the Author
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than sixty books published and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Her books include the cowboy trilogy Lucky in Love, One Lucky Cowboy, and Getting Lucky; the Honky Tonk series I Love This Bar, Hell Yeah, Honky Tonk Christmas, and My Give a Damn’s Busted; and her bestselling Spikes & Spurs series Love Drunk Cowboy, Red’s Hot Cowboy, Darn Good Cowboy Christmas, One Hot Cowboy Wedding, Mistletoe Cowboy, and Just a Cowboy and His Baby. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma, where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, make their home. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.
A Royal Pain
Megan Mulry
A life of royalty seems so attractive…until you’re invited to live it…
Smart, ambitious, and career driven, Bronte Talbot started following British royalty in the gossip mags only to annoy her intellectual father. But her fascination has turned into a not-so-secret guilty pleasure. When she starts dating a charming British doctoral student, she teases him unmercifully about the latest scandals of his royal countrymen, only to find out—to her horror—that she’s been having a fling with the nineteenth Duke of Northrop, and now he wants to make her…a duchess?
In spite of her frivolous passion for all things royal, Bronte isn’t at all sure she wants the reality. Is becoming royalty every American woman’s secret dream, or is it a nightmare of disapproving dowagers, paparazzi, stiff-upper-lip tea parties, and over-the-top hats?
Praise for A Royal Pain:
“Take one sparky, sailor-mouthed American girl and one handsome English aristocrat. Put them together and watch the sparks fly. Sizzling fun!” —Jill Mansell, New York Times bestselling author of Nadia Knows Best
For more Megan Mulry books, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Nadia Knows Best
by Jill Mansell
The bigger the mistake, the more tempting it is…
When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she’s tempted. Of course she is. Stranded together while a snowstorm rages outside… who would ever know?
But Nadia’s already been together with Laurie for years—they’re practically childhood sweethearts. Okay, so maybe she doesn’t get to see much of him these days, but she can’t betray him.
Besides, when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas—glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop-at-nothing sister Clare—well, someone has to exercise a bit of self-control, don’t they? I mean, you wouldn’t want to do something that you might later regret…
Praise for New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Mansell:
“Mansell crafts a lovely story.” —USA Today
“A master storyteller who creates characters with unique personalities that captivate the reader’s imagination and heart.” —Long and Short Reviews
For more Jill Mansell, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
To the Moon and Back
by Jill Mansell
The hardest part of love is moving on…
It’s been a year since Ellie Kendall’s husband, Jamie, was killed in an accident, but she’s still haunted by his memory. In fact, she finds herself talking to him regularly. At the urging of Jamie’s successful actor father Tony, Ellie moves to London’s glamorous Primrose Hill, where nobody knows her past…
But even in her new home—with her new friends and new suitors to distract her—Ellie can’t seem to leave Jamie behind. Will Ellie stay stuck in the past? Or will she realize the man of her dreams is flesh and blood—and right in front of her eyes…
Discover why readers across the globe can’t get enough of Jill Mansell’s poignant, funny love stories. You’ll laugh and cry—often at the same time!
“Each and every facet of this wonderful story comes together to offer readers a tremendous look at friendship, hope, romance, and second chances. An unforgettable, entertaining novel!” —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars
“Absolutely, positively an outstanding story.”—Night Owl Reviews Reviewer Top Pick, 5 stars
For more Jill Mansell, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Just Say Yes
by Phillipa Ashley
There’s one question a girl should always say yes to…
But Lucy Gibson said no. On national TV. Now she’s hated by nearly everyone.
Fleeing the spotlight’s glare, Lucy holes up in a cottage in the country, where she just might find the right reasons to say yes after all…
From beloved novelist Phillipa Ashley, Just Say Yes is a sharp and exuberant tale of the rocky road to love that’ll leave you saying “Yes!”
Praise for Carrie Goes Off the Map:
“Engaging…Ashley’s charming prose makes the journey enjoyable.” —Publishers Weekly
“This tale has its own Bridget Jones–style appeal.” —Booklist
“Quirky and fun!” —RT Book Reviews
“Fulfills all the best fantasies, including a gorgeous humanitarian hero and a camper van!” —Katie Fforde, UK bestselling author of Love Letters
For more Phillipa Ashley books, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Carrie Goes Off the Map
by Phillipa Ashley
Just when she thinks she knows where she’s going…
Carrie lets her best friend talk her into a scenic European road trip as the perfect getaway from a nasty breakup. Unexpectedly along for the ride is the gorgeous Matt Landor, MD, who sorely tests Carrie’s determination to give up men altogether. Careening through the English count
ryside, these two mismatched but perfectly attuned lonely hearts find themselves in hot pursuit of adventure and in entirely uncharted territory.
Praise for Dating Mr. December:
“Fun contemporary romance crafted with humor, a sexy premise, and the intriguing backdrop of the picturesque Lake District.” —Booklist
“British author Ashley infuses her debut with humor… Readers will enjoy the breezy style and repartee.” —Publishers Weekly
“Delightfully witty and sensual… charismatic characters, provocative plot, believable dialogue, deliciously sensual lovemaking scenes, and humor make this a must read.” —Romance Junkies
For more Phillipa Ashley books, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
The Queen of New Beginnings
Erica James
What happens when your best hope for
the future is through the past?
Voice-over artist Alice avoids telling the truth. It’s not lying, exactly, and the freedom of reinvention makes those tough years in the past a little easier to bear. So when she meets writer Clayton Miller, she recognizes the suspicious signs of someone who wants to shrug off his old life. Untangling the web of secrets they’ve constructed creates an unlikely friendship—until Alice discovers that Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way.
The author of fifteen international bestsellers, Erica James deftly explores infidelity, bereavement, and the bonds of family with a sparkling voice that will resonate long after the book is finished.
Praise for Erica James:
“Intense, compelling stuff.” —OK! magazine
“You know you have made it as a storyteller writer when readers simply cannot put your book down… Erica James has this page-turning ability in abundance… I wouldn’t have though this writer could get any better, but she has!” —Welsh Country
For more Erica James books, visit:
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Promises, Promises
Erica James
Promises you make to yourself are the hardest to keep…
Maggie Storm, who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners, promises herself that from now on she’s going to stand up for herself. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as a recliner, she dreams about someone who can sweep her off her feet. Ella Moore, an artistic interior designer, promises herself that after seven wasted years with the man she thought she’d marry, relationships won’t derail her life again. Ethan Edwards, a repeat offender when it comes to turning to women for sexual consolation, promises himself there will be no more women.
But when Ella appears unexpectedly in Ethan’s life, he finds himself turning to her for very different reasons. And when Maggie’s romantic hero appears on her doorstep, she wonders which path she’s really supposed to follow. International bestselling author Erica James weaves a delightful tale of three people daring to challenge their dreams.
What readers are saying…
“Endearing…pure escapism. Loved it!”
“It grips you right from the start.”
For more Erica James books, visit:
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Marrying Up
A Right Royal Romantic Comedy
Wendy Holden
Beautiful but broke student Polly and scheming social climber Alexa may have grown up in the same place, but they couldn’t be more different. Polly’s just fallen for Max, a handsome country vet. But Alexa can’t be bothered with love—any guy with a pedigree will do, mind you, as long as he comes with a title, a mansion, and a family tiara.
Alexa wiggles her way into friendship with Florrie, a clueless aristocrat who could support entire countries with her spare change. Suddenly the grandest doors swing open for Alexa, and a new life is so close she can taste it. Polly could care less about Max’s money, but his mysterious habit of disappearing scares her. What’s he hiding?
Razor sharp in its wit and as fresh as newlywed royals, Marrying Up reveals how sometimes a rags-to-riches story can rip a girl to shreds—and how sometimes the rewards of love aren’t always what you expect.
Praise for Marrying Up:
“A brilliantly juicy Cinderella tale.” —Heat
For more Wendy Holden books, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
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