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Texas Miracle
Mae Nunn
Gwen Faulkenberry Ford
She's everything he didn't want…and exactly what he needsMcCarthy Temple, the last unmarried Temple brother, was happy with his safe, predictable world. He had his family, his accounting business and his numbers. He didn't need love. He already had it all…except an assistant. Jacqueline Aimes was the least likely candidate. She was overqualified, gorgeous and only staying in Kilgore long enough to sell her parents' land.But as Jacqueline starts to permeate every aspect of his life, Mac finds it harder and harder to imagine life without her. Jacqueline's passion is her work for children in international war zones, though, not small-town living. So Mac has to find a Texas-size miracle to get her to stay…
She’s everything he didn’t want…and exactly what he needs
McCarthy Temple, the last unmarried Temple brother, was happy with his safe, predictable world. He had his family, his accounting business and his numbers. He didn’t need love. He already had it all…except an assistant. Jacqueline Aimes was the least likely candidate. She was overqualified, gorgeous and only staying in Kilgore long enough to sell her parents’ land.
But as Jacqueline starts to permeate every aspect of his life, Mac finds it harder and harder to imagine life without her. Jacqueline’s passion is her work for children in international war zones, though, not small-town living. So Mac has to find a Texas-size miracle to get her to stay…
“What are you afraid of, Mac?”
“I’m afraid of you leaving. I’m afraid of you not leaving. I’m afraid of you being bored with me, with Kilgore, with an ordinary life. I’m afraid of the ways I’m changing because of you. Afraid of being happy. Afraid of life’s possibilities. Afraid of bad things happening. I just don’t want any more pain. Not for me, or anyone I love.”
He bent toward her and kissed her gently. She inhaled the scent of leather. Mac moved to lie on his side, sandwiching his long frame between her and the couch. She turned to face him, and they lay like that for a long moment.
But eventually Mac rose from the couch and found his coat on the stand. He covered her with it and tucked it around her.
“Good night, Jacqueline.”
Dear Reader (#ulink_6627c201-5d68-5346-a759-704bf726741a),
My friend Mae Nunn envisioned the Deep in the Heart series set in her beloved home state of Texas. It has been a privilege to collaborate with her on the third and fourth books in the series, and to tell the stories of the two oldest Temple brothers, Joiner and Mac.
Texas Miracle is the story of the eldest brother, Mac. He’s a guy I can relate to, as I’m the eldest in my family. He loves his brothers and would do anything to protect them. As a numbers person, Mac wants everything to make sense. He’s afraid of loss, afraid of being hurt, afraid to take much risk. Mac is a rock—strong and sturdy. He loves Texas as much as Mae does. But he’s also a little stuck.
Enter Jacqueline Aimes, who is more of a rolling stone. She has no deep connections in Texas. No reason to stay in one place. She goes where her work in social justice takes her. So it’s something of a miracle when she walks through Mac’s door in Kilgore, Texas. But that’s only the first miracle between these two.
One of the most special things about this book for me was drawing on the memory of my nephew Hunter’s birth and what a miraculous time that was for my own family. We learned, as Mac does, that sometimes the most beautiful things in life come out of the scariest, most difficult moments. I hope your heart is warmed as you watch Mac’s family witness their miracle. And I hope you are inspired as the miracle of true love unfolds under the Texas sky.
Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to know your thoughts by email, gfaulkenberry@hotmail.com, or on Facebook at Gwendolann Adell Ford Faulkenberry.
A Texas-sized hug,
Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
Texas Miracle
Mae Nunn and Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
MAE NUNN grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in communications. When she fell for a transplanted Englishman living in Atlanta, she moved to Georgia and made an effort to behave like a Southern belle. But when she found that her husband was quite agreeable to life as a born-again Texan, Mae happily returned to her cowgirl roots and cowboy boots! In 2008 Mae retired from thirty years of corporate life to focus on her career as a full-time author.
GWEN FORD FAULKENBERRY lives and writes in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. She and her husband, Stone, have four children: Grace, Harper, Adelaide and Stella. Gwen is the author of three Christian romances, a book of prayers for couples and three devotional books. A professor of English at her local college, she holds a master’s degree in liberal arts.
For Hunter James Ford, miracle baby
Contents
Cover (#u80c3a8b4-7d5d-54ac-a3f5-f3fe70c83ceb)
Back Cover Text (#u5b8c1065-c664-5255-b7a3-57cbddb759ab)
Introduction (#uef2eaa21-78b9-5c61-a192-7ad35ac09508)
Dear Reader (#ulink_e8794eed-7a55-5c55-b1c9-1787abe25aa1)
Title Page (#u6d928e3f-b2bc-5f77-afaa-b4973570598f)
About the Author (#ud41b7915-20b2-5b7f-b37b-6c1f81182891)
Dedication (#ue2f1d79b-9cf5-59c7-a2f5-8ee21a774dba)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_c4ac67a9-0353-5b09-a64c-ae78bd603fe2)
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_bc3caa0b-07d0-5aba-979e-13e21ed43135)
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_42a89a8c-2493-51b5-80ac-9952c0be1ac5)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_dd32b1b9-ae23-5b73-9140-6cea774ed30f)
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_4bfcbb13-58d2-5a4c-a938-1399e7e33b16)
CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_dfa27654-d108-5264-97aa-f9622c5cdcfd)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#ulink_4b27f729-22af-5706-b03f-edae8191def1)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#ulink_ebc24a2a-b210-5b27-a624-611efdd891f2)
CHAPTER NINE (#ulink_0d1f869e-da87-545a-a26d-375fe5a19dbc)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_78505bf4-ba56-5565-8e8d-0fd273956532)
MCCARTHY TEMPLE SAT behind his mahogany desk and frowned over his glasses at the three stacks of unfinished paperwork. He straightened each one to make his desk tidier. It was fortunate his brothers got their tax documents to him early, as he requested, because their taxes were becoming more and more complicated to complete.
This was a good thing, of course. Joiner, who was the next oldest after Mac, was carving out a successful business with his wife, Stella. They owned Star Stables, which provided hippotherapy to special needs clients. There they also bred Joiner’s polo stallion, Pistol, a horse that seemed to be made of money. The business owned by McCarthy’s baby brother, Hunt, and his wife was also booming. As the famous Cowboy Chef, Hunt attracted more visitors every year to Temple Territory, their five-star resort. Hunt’s twin, Cullen, had the easiest taxes of the group. He was a university professor, and didn’t make much money. However, since his marriage to a sweet lady with three girls, his taxes had become more unpredictable, just like his life.
Mac pressed a button on his office phone.
“Yes, sir?”
“Ella, I’m going to work through lunch today. Will you hold all my calls?”
“Of course, sir. Can I bring you some fresh coffee?”
“That would be great.”
A few minutes later, a birdlike woman with short white hair and kind blue eyes appeared at his desk with a steaming cup. She placed it on a coaster shaped like a star and emblazoned with the words Lone Star Accounting, McCarthy Temple, CPA.
“Thank you, Ella.”
She nodded. “You’re welcome, sir.” Ella smiled at Mac, revealing perfect white teeth. Her skin was the color of peaches and cream, and her starched dress was tailored and classy, just like her matching jewelry.
His heart warmed at the sight of his longtime assistant, who had become something of a mother figure in the time they’d worked together. “You’re really leaving me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. I am, in two weeks.” She averted her eyes. “I have to.”
“Ella, really, what are Alaskan cruises and grandchildren compared to working here?”
Her eyes crinkled in the corners. “I will miss you, sir, but I am ready. I am getting too old for this.”
Mac laughed. She was a mere seventy-three and sharper than a tack. “Ella, we both know you could run this place. And besides, you make a mean cup of coffee.”
“It is simple to make coffee with your fancy machine. I’ll be glad to teach your new assistant if you ever hire one.” She tapped on her gold Timex watch. “Time is ticking, sir.”
“I know, I know. I guess I am in denial.” Mac removed his glasses and set them on the desk, then reached for his coffee. “But you have to admit we haven’t had any good applicants.”
“Don’t forget you have an interview at two today.”
“Oh, I’m glad you reminded me. I’d forgotten.” Mac set down his coffee. “That’s only two hours.”
Ella nodded and turned to leave. He heard her short heels clicking on the polished wood floor as she made her way back to the front desk. It was a comforting sound. Truth be told, Mac didn’t want to interview anyone else, didn’t want things to change. He was perfectly happy with Ella.
* * *
THE TIME FLEW by as it often did when Mac immersed himself in numbers. There was nothing more fun than working with them, making them add up, solving problems that were black-and-white and coming to clear solutions. Numbers were his sweet spot. He was deep in the middle of Star Stables’ health insurance billing when Ella appeared at the door with a file.
“Just thought you might want to look over this. She should be here in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Mac reluctantly set aside Joiner’s taxes and leaned back in his leather chair, propping his dark brown Ariats up on his desk. He opened the file Ella had given him to try to quickly familiarize himself with the applicant’s information. He wanted to ask good questions and get the information he needed. Ah, yes. Now he remembered whom he was interviewing and why. She was a hometown girl. And smart. Both of these things were valuable to Mac’s way of thinking.
Jacqueline Aimes had been a scrawny kid who’d gone to school in Kilgore, graduating with Joiner’s high school class. Her résumé said she graduated from college with a degree in communications and a minor in interdisciplinary studies. Probably way overqualified for a front-desk job. But like so many others he knew with those sorts of degrees, she was likely having a hard time finding a job.
If she was really good, he’d be willing to pay her enough to make it worth her while. Mac didn’t like turnover. After all, Ella had been with him since he opened his business. He really hated to see her go, which was maybe why he’d been so reluctant to replace her. But it was coming down to the wire, and tax season was upon them.
The phone on his desk lit up.
“Yes, Ella?”
“Miss Aimes is here to see you, sir.”
