Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1)
Read Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1) Online
Authors: Linda Joyce
Table of Contents
Excerpt from Book Two of the Sunflower
series
Lia Britton and Lucas Dwyer in
HER HEART’S
DESIRE
His eyebrows rose. He scooted back several
feet, his back resting against the brick wall and his legs
stretched out long. He laced his fingers together behind his head,
and she wanted to believe the move was to keep himself from
reaching for her. Clearly, he wrestled with some mental demon.
Then he patted the floor beside him.
“Really?” she groaned. Taking him up on the
offer, she sat next to him, hip to hip, and waited. His kisses
weren’t chaste or brotherly. He had to see her as a woman. Waiting
a minute more wouldn’t hurt, but he wanted to talk
now
? The
ache deep in her core said he better talk fast, otherwise her need
for him would take control. For once, she wouldn’t stop it.
When the silence grew, she folded and
unfolded her hands, forcing herself not to touch. Her fingers
itched to caress him. Another few seconds ticked by. She hummed and
gently rocked. She folded her arms and held her elbows. Dread
dropped like a brick in her gut. Maybe he didn’t feel the same
sizzle when he kissed her. Maybe he wanted a second chance to know
his attraction to her didn’t run deep. Or maybe he couldn’t get
past her being the
little sister
. If he regretted kissing
her for one single second, it would leave a hole in her heart, one
the size of the state of Kansas.
“Lucas?”
Lucas punched his fist into his open hand.
The smack of skin against skin startled Lia. “This isn’t what I had
planned,” he told her.
“You came with a plan?” There was nothing
about any plan she wanted to hear. “Let’s talk plans later.”
“Amelia, let’s take a moment here.”
“How many moments?”
Lucas sighed and raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. We’ll do this your way for now. How
did you find me?” She rushed her words. She refused to hear regret
come from his lips. He could have another thirty seconds. Only that
long. Her lips refused to wait any longer. This could be her final
chance to convince him of her feelings, and she intended to take
it.
This is a
work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
either the product of the authors imagination or are used
factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead,
business establishments, events or locales, is entirely
coincidental.
Her Heart’s Desire
Sunflower series, book one
COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Linda Joyce
Thank you for downloading this eBook. All rights are
reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from the author or
Word Works Press except in the case of a brief quotation embodied
in critical articles or reviews. This book may not be redistributed
to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Kerry Klein
Image: Copyright istockphoto.com/000053217712
Published by:
Word Works Press, LLC
P.O. Box 625
Acworth, GA 30101
Visit Word Works Press at
http://www.wordworkspress.com
Publishing History
Print ISBN-13:978-0-9965811-0-3
Digital ISBN-13:978-0-9965811-1-0
Also by Linda Joyce
Fleur de Lis series
Bayou Born, book one
Bayou Bound, book two
Bayou Beckons, book three
"Readers will root for Linda Joyce's inspiring
characters as they reach for their Heart's Desire." ~ Melissa
Klein, author of
Her Hometown Hero
Her Heart's Desire offers an evocative and
entertaining reminder that sometimes the things we need most have
been right in front of us the whole time.
~ Leigh Jones, co-author of
Infinite
Monster
"Linda Joyce breathes life into her characters, with
an ease that makes reading a joy and pleasure."
~ April Hollingworth author of
Double Magick in
the Falls
“Linda Joyce's characters walk off the pages into
your heart.”
~ Jackie Rod,
Finding Love's Magic
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all my Midwest friends.
I miss you more than you know.
And to my personal hero, Donald, thank you for your
unlimited love,
steadfast friendship, and unwavering support.
Acknowledgements
For a dozen years, I called Kansas home.
Sunflowers. Corn. Cold winters. Blazing hot summers. Tornados.
Endless cracks about the
Wizard of Oz
. And when I moved
south again, I left behind wonderful Midwest friends. All of whom
helped inspire this story. Especially, Karen LaRue, Amy Curtis,
Mailan Le, Madelyn Genglebach, Diane Howard, Bobbie Martin, and
Goldie Edwards. I cherish what you’ve given to me through your
friendship.
Many thanks to Peggy O’Keefe and Amy Curtis
for Beta Reading for me. I value your input and enjoy our
connection through our love of books.
My gratitude goes to Terry Galloway Trahan of
TnT Proofreading/Editing Services and to Cheryl Walz for their
expertise in making this book shine. (Thanks for making me look
good.)
I bow humbly to my critique group, Leah Sims,
Leigh Jones, and Melissa Kline. Without you, this story wouldn’t
“show” the way it does. Thank you for always encouraging me to
always stretch and grow.
I am so thankful to each member of Linda’s
Lovelies for the cheers and support. Thank you for sharing your
love of books with me. A special thanks to Terry Galloway Trahan,
Nancy Wolfe, Jo Ann Reinhold, Teresa Russ, Doreen Keele, Mary
Woodruff, Latasha Clements, Linda Rimer-Como, Kay Gammone, Goldie
Edwards, and Gina Hooten Popp.
A big hug for Tracey Gee and LovExtra for
seeing me through the hair-pulling stress of bringing this book to
completion.
To Maurice Baalman, a very kind man. He
allowed me to pepper him with questions about farming in Kansas.
I’m grateful that he took the time to share with me his vast
knowledge.
The writing groups in my life have provided
me with valuable writing education: Romance Writers of America,
Georgia Romance Writers, and Southeastern Writers Association.
And I am most grateful for readers. I enjoy
meeting you at events, book signings, through emails and our
connections on social media.
Her Heart’s Desire
By
Chapter 1
Lia grimaced.
“
You will fail
.” Her brother’s words
echoed in her mind as she marched to her truck. She needed to
charge her brother rent for occupying space in her brain. But
sometimes, she mused, strangling Craig might be easier. His words
clanged in her head, causing a tug-of-war between remembering them
and shutting them out.
Midstride, she tripped. The toe of her boot
caught a stone at the edge of the driveway. Packages flew from her
arms. She wobbled and managed to right herself, but boxes littered
the concrete. Tormenting frustration scratched its way up to her
throat. She swallowed hard, forcing back the choking sensation.
“Could today get any worse?” she shouted and
looked up, expecting to find a dark cloud hovering over her head.
Instead, September’s clear blue sky stretched far and wide.
Hummingbirds, thick like a herd of cows, flitted from one feeder to
another along the fence line. Breezes carried a
neigh
from
her neighbor’s horse in the next pasture.
Out near the road, a cloud of dust rolled by.
A battered blue pickup kicked up dirt. Once again, Lucas didn’t
bother to stop. She’d already failed with him.
The world continued around her, just another
day in paradise, except for almost a year she’d only been chasing
serenity that paradise promised. It was almost in her grasp, yet
one misstep would ruin everything. She’d go down fighting to prove
her brother wrong. She just refused to fail.
Lia collected the packages and stacked them
neatly on the back seat of her Ford pickup. When she turned the key
in the ignition, the diesel engine rumbled to a start. Putting the
truck in gear, she sailed toward town with a sliver of renewed hope
the day would somehow get better. It took some fight, but she vowed
to remain a
glass is half-full
kind of girl.
Behind her truck, the two-lane farm road
disappeared in a cloud of brown dust. Wearing her best cowboy
boots, she let up on the gas just before the truck hit a pothole
the size of a wagon wheel. She bounced hard as though on the back
of a bull, so hard it rattled her teeth. She’d suffered many bumps
in the last year, and as bad as they were, they hadn’t crushed her
yet. Almost didn’t count.
She glanced behind to the boxes now scattered
as though someone had pitched them like a deck of cards into the
air and let them fall. The stuff in the boxes, on their way to new
homes, was money in the bank. Money that kept her in groceries and
gas, but never prevented life’s next bump from crashing into her
world. With a little serendipity—she didn’t dare wish for the
full-blown luck of the Irish, just a tad to help cover looming
debts—she would manage to keep her farm for another year. One year
at a time.
Pushing away all thoughts of Craig and future
tomorrows, she recited her list of errands. “Drop off the outgoing
mail at the post office. Pick mine up. Drive ten streets to the
opposite side of town for Karl Turner.”
Since she hadn’t had more than a second date
with any man in the last year, she set her sights on the new
manager who’d moved down from Chicago and worked at his uncle’s
farm store. He thought she was coming in for a large order of
tulip, daffodil, and crocus bulbs for fall planting.
“News flash! Lia Britton trolls for a date,”
she said aloud.
The information would shock every last person
in Harvest, Kansas, given her family’s position as upstanding
pillars of the community, a family who dotted i’s and crossed all
t’s. The Brittons were proper people, proper with a capital P.
For once, she wanted to get past the inquiry
of first and second dates. “What’s your favorite food? What’s your
favorite color?” Though several months ago, on a blind date, a man
asked, “What brand of condom do you prefer?” Stunned, her sense of
humor stalled, and she left before dessert.
Even a lowly artist and farm girl enjoyed a
good meal and good conversation in the company of a good man. She
was no exception. Would her dark denim skirt and off-the-shoulder,
soft pink peasant blouse, something she’d discovered in one of the
hundreds of unopened boxes in the barn, along with a bright smile
prove country enough to catch Karl’s eye? She’d worn the outfit
hoping it would bring success to her mission.
She needed a date.
Besides, there was no reason he had to know
why next Saturday night held such special significance. If she
managed to land a rendezvous with him, it would give her something
to look forward to...something to get her past the haunting pain of
tomorrow.