Laura looked down at the perfect tiny nose and rosebud lips of Jamie May Bishop. Her baby had been born two weeks before her due date, and only fourteen hours after Laura Kensington had become Laura Bishop in a ceremony attended by nearly every resident of Evers, Texas.

“She’s incredible,” she said and looked up into Cade’s eyes with tears in her own.

Cade looked down at Laura, and then back to the baby neither of them seemed to be able to keep their eyes off of for long. “Just like her mama. Absolutely incredible.” The awe in his voice was clear.

Cade leaned in and kissed Laura’s lips, but the private moment didn’t last long. May and Josh knocked on the door and entered with an armful of balloons and stuffed dolls.

“Really, you two? Did you buy out the entire gift shop?” Laura chastised.

“You bet we did, Princess,” said Josh as he bent to kiss Laura’s head. Josh hadn’t gone back to his job in Connecticut. He had used up his vacation time and then officially retired. He and May seemed to be growing closer and closer, much to Laura’s delight.

Cade and Shane were a little uneasy about the change in the relationship between a man they’d always thought of as their uncle and their mother, but when pressed, they both admitted they liked the happiness Josh brought to May’s life.

May reached for the baby with a question in her eyes, but Laura didn’t hesitate. “Of course, you can hold her,” she said and passed over the swaddled bundle.

“Don’t get used to this,” May said with a smile as she looked down at the baby, who didn’t bat an eye when the transfer took place. “They sleep like mad for two days, but then the honeymoon’s over and you’re only in for short bursts of sleep in between feedings and diapers.”

May paused to look at the bundle in her arms. Cade and Laura hadn’t planned a honeymoon. They knew since they were getting married so close to Laura’s due date, there likely wouldn’t be time for a honeymoon. They planned to take a long vacation for their first anniversary instead.

“She’s beautiful, Laura. Just like her mother,” May said, and Laura felt her heart swell at the love in May’s voice. She would never have believed she would find the kind of love and family that now surrounded her.

A knock on the door announced new visitors. Shane poked his head in and Laura waved him in. He was followed by Justin Kensington, who had settled in Evers after checking out of the hospital himself a few months back. Laura had been hesitant when he’d come to see her after moving to town, but she valued his friendship now. He was nothing like Patrick. In fact, at times, it was hard to believe they were related. Justin had given up traveling, and was now using some of his wealth to start outreach programs for women and children in abusive homes.

Martha Kensington had been shunning the limelight recently and attempting to repair the damage done to her relationship with Justin. She had even been talking about moving to Evers to be closer to Laura and the baby. Justin was now at least speaking with her, although their relationship remained strained, but Laura wasn’t sure yet that she wanted to have Martha in their lives. It would be hard to let someone who had ignored the abuse Laura had endured for so long be around her and her child now. In some ways, though, Laura thought forgiving Martha would help her heal even more than she already had.

Although Martha hadn’t discussed it with either of them, Justin suspected she might have been the victim of abuse at the hands of his father. If she had, Laura hoped Martha would be strong enough one day to seek help with that and to heal.

A nurse came in and chased the visitors out and urged Laura to get a bit more rest before they checked out the following day. Cade took Jamie from his mother, letting his daughter rest in the crook of his arm as he and Laura said good-bye to everyone.

“I love you, Laura Bishop,” Cade said and kissed her lips when they were finally alone with their baby.

Laura closed her eyes briefly, feeling the light touch of his love. Hope. Laura watched Cade and Jamie and knew it had been worth it. The risk of hoping, of dreaming of a love and a life like this one she’d been given… It was all worth it in the end. To have the gift of love like this, the gift of family and friends who loved her…was a gift and a blessing for which she would always be grateful.

* * *

Dear Reader,

I hope you loved Laura and Cade’s story as much as I did.

The idea for this book came to me when I pictured the scene in the morgue where Laura is identifying her husband.

I wanted to know what would happen if an abused woman thought her nightmare was over, only to discover it wasn’t. The rest of the story sprang from there.

I plan to revisit the town of Evers and its many heroes again and again. Want to come with me?

! He’s going to fall for a woman who has always been a bit of a challenge to him.

It wouldn’t be fun without a challenge, am I right? .

* * *

Thank you to my wonderful husband for his patience and support. It’s truly a wonder that you put up with me. No, really. Truly.

Thank you to Jessie Winter for her endless brainstorming and reading, to Cathy Cobb for brainstorming the plot over and over with me, and to my critique groups for reading bits and pieces and helping to shape the characters and the story.

Thank you to Patricia Thomas, Bev Harrison, Jessie Winter, and Jean Jenkins for their editing. Thank you to Patricia Parent, my final set of eyes, for cleaning up after me. Thank you to all of the friends and friends-of-friends who read the pre-release version for me. I owe you all so much.

Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and sports romance. She lives with an extremely understanding husband, three wonderful children, and two mostly-behaved dogs in Austin, Texas. It’s a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn’t change a thing.

Lori published her first novel in April of 2013 and hasn’t looked back since then. She loves to connect with her readers.

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