“I take it that means yes,” Abby said. “You want to come with us?”
“No, I better pass. I’m expecting an early phone call. You go on, tell everyone ‘hi’ for me. I’ll see you when you return.”
Abby wrapped her arms around him, then stood on her tiptoes in order to reach his mouth. She planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. “I’ve got to dress now, Mr. Clay. I told Mother I’d be there in thirty minutes. She probably started a stopwatch the second I hung up the phone.”
“Go on, woman, I’ll be here waiting with bated breath.”
Abby raced upstairs and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. She crammed her feet into her sneakers. In the master bath, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She looked at the mass of curls and balled her hair into a knot, securing it with a couple of bobby pins.
She raced down the stairs and out the back door. Chester was waiting at the gate. If she hurried, her mother’s house was a ten-minute walk. She needed the exercise. Her clothes were starting to feel a bit too tight. It’s all this Southern cooking, she thought.
Chester raced ahead, then stopped, waiting for her to catch up with him. “Smartest dog in the world, aren’t you?”
Ten minutes later, she was at her mother’s house. She tapped on the back door so as not to startle her or whoever was in the kitchen at this hour.
“Abby, Chester, I’m glad you came over. I needed a daughter fix.”
Chester saw Coco and Frankie in their corner and took off. “He’s happy, that’s for sure. He needed a Coco fix, too. Did you find the box?”
“Right there.” Toots pointed to a large plastic carton. “Some of those documents are very old. You should probably take them and have them preserved. The historical society will help you with it.”
Abby dragged the box over to the table. Sitting in the chair, she removed the lid on the box. A musty odor assaulted her, and it was all she could do to keep from throwing up. Damn, she really hated feeling bad. She started removing papers, careful not to tear them. The documents were old and yellowed, stiff with age. Abby dug through the box and stopped when she pulled out a thick volume labeled THE CLAYTON PLANTATION.
“Oh, my God, Mom, now I know what’s been bothering me about the dream I had this morning! Yes, that’s what woke me up. There was this girl—she was young, in her early teens. In my dream, she was a slave, and there was something so familiar about the dream. You know, sort of like déjà vu? It’s really been bothering me ever since. It was like there was something I was supposed to know, and now I think I remember. In the dream, there was a small brick house. It’s where the girl lived before she was moved to the big house. It was one of the buildings at the plantation—I know it was. And in the dream, the girl kept saying something about a Mr. Clayton. She was pregnant, and the baby was his. Oh, my God, Mother, the dream was a nightmare.”
Photo by M2 IFOTO © 2006
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fern Michaels is the USA Today and New York Times best-selling author of the Sisterhood and Godmother series, Tuesday’s Child, Southern Comfort , Betrayal, Return to Sender, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.
Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.
THE BLOSSOM SISTERS
In a richly rewarding novel filled with unforgettable
characters, #1 New York Times best-selling author
Fern Michaels explores the enduring bonds of family
as one man loses ever ything—only to find the
freedom to create a bold new life . . .
Gus Hollister owes all his success to his feisty grandmother, Rose, and he knows it. It was Rose and her sisters, Iris and Violet, who raised Gus, sent him to the best schools, and helped him start his own accounting business. Rose even bought the house Gus lives in with his wife, Elaine.
But now, Gus stands to lose everything—his home, his car, and his business. Worse, he’s alienated his beloved grandma, who tried to warn him about Elaine’s greedy, gold-digging ways. Gus, blinded by infatuation, refused to listen, and now Elaine has locked him out of the house he was foolish enough to put in her name.
Heartsick and remorseful, Gus returns to Rose’s Virginia farmhouse seeking shelter. But it won’t be easy to make amends. Despite their pretty floral names, there’s nothing delicate about the Blossom sisters. Unbeknownst to Gus, they’ve also been running a very lucrative business from home and don’t want interference. Yet family and forgiveness go hand in hand, and Gus isn’t giving up.
With the help of close friends, new associates, and some very sprightly ladies, Gus begins to repair the damage he’s done and help the residents of Blossom Farm begin the next phase of their business. He might even be finding the courage to love again. Because no matter how daunting starting over can be, the results can surpass your wildest expectations—especially when the Blossom sisters are in your corner . . .
BALANCING ACT
One of the most acclaimed storytellers of her time, #1 New York Times best-selling author Fern Michaels weaves unforgettable tales of love, family, friendship, and self-discovery. Together in one volume for the first time, here are two classic stories about following your heart—wherever it leads . . .
ALL SHE CAN BE
Rita Bellamy has had enviable success as an author, but it came at the expense of her marriage. Now she’s starting over in a small lakeside cottage, slowly rebuilding the confidence that was shattered. But is the younger man next door a fun, frivolous diversion or something much more?
FREE SPIRIT
Moving to Washington, D.C., to be with Griff should be the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Dory’s life. Yet there are adjustments too, and sacrifices she never expected. And soon Dory must weigh the price of love against everything she hoped to gain . . .
WHAT YOU WISH FOR
EVERYTHING SHE LOST
If her abusive husband hadn’t tried to kill her and her beloved dog Lucie, Helen Ward might never have left her million-dollar home and run far away. Now Helen’s changed her identity and moved across the country, hopeful that she can be safe, happy, maybe even loved. And when she meets college professor Sam Tolliver, she begins to believe fairy tales do come true.
GAVE HER EVERYTHING SHE
EVER WANTED
But even with love blossoming and her new online business venture taking off, Helen knows that the past is catching up with her . . . and her fear is growing. Wanting to flee, desperate to get away for good, she’ll soon face the biggest decision of her life, a decision that will determine her future and her very identity.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 by MRK Productions
Fern Michaels is a registered trademark of First Draft, Inc.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-2148-3
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3199-4
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3199-0
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