Colleen is giving away a copy of her new release Lonestar Secrets, so leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. The book giveaway will be open until Saturday evening and the winner will be posted on Sunday. You do NOT need to leave your email address, just be sure to check back on Sunday to see if you've won.
Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the ACFW Book of the Year award, RWA’s RITA award, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best awards. She has over 1 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana and is a proud new grandma. When she’s not spoiling her granddaughter, she is teaching at a writer’s conference or researching a new book. Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com. You'll also find her blogging at Girls Write Out.
Lonestar SecretsShannon Astor returns to southwest Texas to serve as the town’s veterinarian, believing she’s finally found the space to get her life back on track.
Then she catches a glimpse of Jack MacGowan, the man who ruined her life years before. But even more shocking is the sight of Jack’s five-year-old daughter Faith, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Shannon’s own daughter Kylie. Is it possible that their similarities could be more than just coincidence? Could Faith be the daughter that Shannon has believed to be dead for all these years?
As the truth emerges, everyone is forced to take sides–in a story with a heart as big as Texas.
Here's an excerpt from Lonestar Secrets...
Shannon’s gaze took in the melee of dust, horses and men. Her adrenaline surged at the thought of the coming days. Rick had been pointing out the merits of the various horses, and she was so engrossed she’d barely heard Allie say she was taking the girls to look at the butterflies.
She understood horses better than people.
“You’re having to hit the ground running,” Rick said. “You sure you’re up to it?”
“I’m thrilled at the opportunity. It was good of Grady to suggest me for the job.” She smiled up at him. “You sure got a darling in Allie. I love her already.”
His grin widened. “Me too. I never dreamed I’d be so lucky. God dropped her right into my lap, and neither of us had a choice about it.”
She couldn’t spot her daughter or Allie in the throng of blue jeans, boots, and cowboy hats. “Where’d she go with the girls?”
“Over by the bunkhouse. There’s a mass of butterflies on the bush, and Kylie was begging to go see.”
“Kylie is nuts about butterflies. I can’t look at them too closely or they give me the creeps.” She fell into step beside Rick to skirt the line of cowboys heading to check into their bunkhouse.
Kylie’s blond head caught her attention and she smiled at the rapt expression on her daughter’s face. Wait a minute, where had Kylie gotten that pink shirt? She’d worn a blue shirt that matched her eyes when they left the house. Shannon had never seen this one before with its ruffled neck and sleeves.
Shannon and a man called out names at the same time.
“Kylie!”
“Faith!”
The child in pink turned toward the man who’d called her Faith. Shannon stopped and stared. The little girl who looked so much like her daughter ran to the man who lifted her in his arms. Her fists clenched at the familiar embrace from a stranger. She’d taught Kylie better.
She started toward him to yank her daughter away. With his back to her, she didn’t recognize him. Then she saw past him to Betsy hand-in-hand—with Kylie? Shannon blinked hard, and her gaze went back to the other child whom she now realized had hair a shade darker than Kylie’s.
Kylie spotted Shannon. “Mommy, I found my sister!” She tugged her hand out of Betsy’s and ran to her mother.
The man turned around with his daughter in his arms. She recognized him immediately. The green of his eyes had always made her think of the desert in the springtime. Jack MacGowan. Her stomach churned, and her nails bit into her palms. She’d hoped he’d moved on. Last she heard, he was following the rodeo circuit, much to his father’s dismay.
The years had been kind to him. At thirty-four, his hair was still thick and curly. His muscular frame didn’t carry an ounce of extra weight. Only the lines around his eyes betrayed the passing of time since he’d been a star quarterback and she’d been the studious sophomore with the handmade clothes. She struggled past her anger to remember the name of his wife. Blair Stickman, captain of the cheerleading squad. They’d dated all through high school.
He came toward her. “Shannon, I just found out you’d be here. Good to see you after all these years.” He glanced down at Kylie who was clinging to Shannon’s hand. “Our girls look so much alike, it’s bizarre.”
Shannon couldn’t take her eyes off Faith long enough for it to sink in that he was acting as though he hadn’t destroyed her life. “I thought she was Kylie at first.”
He put Faith down, the girls linked hands and began to chatter as if they’d been friends forever. “I don’t get this,” he said in a soft voice.
A thought too horrible to contemplate began to form in Shannon’s mind. She couldn’t put her mind around the astounding similarities. It wasn’t possible. That kind of thing didn’t happen except in the papers.
“When was Faith born?” she asked. The girls couldn’t be more than a few months apart in age.
“She’s five. She’ll be six on April 14th.”
“That’s Kylie’s birthday,” she said. Before her mind could replay that day five years ago, she made herself focus on Jack. “Faith was born in the local birthing clinic? I kind of remember that now that you mention it. Your wife is Blair, a redhead?”
He lifted a brow. “Yeah. Was. She died.”
“I’m sorry,” she said mechanically. She hadn’t heard about Blair’s death. The ramifications of her memories caused Shannon’s gut to plunge. Jack had nearly black hair. Blair’s was red. Where had Faith’s pale blond hair come from? It couldn’t be, could it? And the way he studied her—the concentrated frown, the suspicious glint in his eye—made her mind go too dull to think this out.
“I’ve got to go.” She scooped up Kylie and rushed away. Jack called after her but she hurried on. Her blood pounded in her ears, and her breath came in gasps.
But she couldn’t outrun the implications of the girls’ resemblance. No, no, it couldn’t be. She couldn’t let herself even consider the possibility. Kylie struggled in her arms, crying out for her sister, but Shannon had no energy to respond.
There had to be some other explanation. Something that didn’t require a huge effort to get right. She didn’t have the time, money or energy for the mountain looming ahead.
She understood horses better than people.
“You’re having to hit the ground running,” Rick said. “You sure you’re up to it?”
“I’m thrilled at the opportunity. It was good of Grady to suggest me for the job.” She smiled up at him. “You sure got a darling in Allie. I love her already.”
His grin widened. “Me too. I never dreamed I’d be so lucky. God dropped her right into my lap, and neither of us had a choice about it.”
She couldn’t spot her daughter or Allie in the throng of blue jeans, boots, and cowboy hats. “Where’d she go with the girls?”
“Over by the bunkhouse. There’s a mass of butterflies on the bush, and Kylie was begging to go see.”
“Kylie is nuts about butterflies. I can’t look at them too closely or they give me the creeps.” She fell into step beside Rick to skirt the line of cowboys heading to check into their bunkhouse.
Kylie’s blond head caught her attention and she smiled at the rapt expression on her daughter’s face. Wait a minute, where had Kylie gotten that pink shirt? She’d worn a blue shirt that matched her eyes when they left the house. Shannon had never seen this one before with its ruffled neck and sleeves.
Shannon and a man called out names at the same time.
“Kylie!”
“Faith!”
The child in pink turned toward the man who’d called her Faith. Shannon stopped and stared. The little girl who looked so much like her daughter ran to the man who lifted her in his arms. Her fists clenched at the familiar embrace from a stranger. She’d taught Kylie better.
She started toward him to yank her daughter away. With his back to her, she didn’t recognize him. Then she saw past him to Betsy hand-in-hand—with Kylie? Shannon blinked hard, and her gaze went back to the other child whom she now realized had hair a shade darker than Kylie’s.
Kylie spotted Shannon. “Mommy, I found my sister!” She tugged her hand out of Betsy’s and ran to her mother.
The man turned around with his daughter in his arms. She recognized him immediately. The green of his eyes had always made her think of the desert in the springtime. Jack MacGowan. Her stomach churned, and her nails bit into her palms. She’d hoped he’d moved on. Last she heard, he was following the rodeo circuit, much to his father’s dismay.
The years had been kind to him. At thirty-four, his hair was still thick and curly. His muscular frame didn’t carry an ounce of extra weight. Only the lines around his eyes betrayed the passing of time since he’d been a star quarterback and she’d been the studious sophomore with the handmade clothes. She struggled past her anger to remember the name of his wife. Blair Stickman, captain of the cheerleading squad. They’d dated all through high school.
He came toward her. “Shannon, I just found out you’d be here. Good to see you after all these years.” He glanced down at Kylie who was clinging to Shannon’s hand. “Our girls look so much alike, it’s bizarre.”
Shannon couldn’t take her eyes off Faith long enough for it to sink in that he was acting as though he hadn’t destroyed her life. “I thought she was Kylie at first.”
He put Faith down, the girls linked hands and began to chatter as if they’d been friends forever. “I don’t get this,” he said in a soft voice.
A thought too horrible to contemplate began to form in Shannon’s mind. She couldn’t put her mind around the astounding similarities. It wasn’t possible. That kind of thing didn’t happen except in the papers.
“When was Faith born?” she asked. The girls couldn’t be more than a few months apart in age.
“She’s five. She’ll be six on April 14th.”
“That’s Kylie’s birthday,” she said. Before her mind could replay that day five years ago, she made herself focus on Jack. “Faith was born in the local birthing clinic? I kind of remember that now that you mention it. Your wife is Blair, a redhead?”
He lifted a brow. “Yeah. Was. She died.”
“I’m sorry,” she said mechanically. She hadn’t heard about Blair’s death. The ramifications of her memories caused Shannon’s gut to plunge. Jack had nearly black hair. Blair’s was red. Where had Faith’s pale blond hair come from? It couldn’t be, could it? And the way he studied her—the concentrated frown, the suspicious glint in his eye—made her mind go too dull to think this out.
“I’ve got to go.” She scooped up Kylie and rushed away. Jack called after her but she hurried on. Her blood pounded in her ears, and her breath came in gasps.
But she couldn’t outrun the implications of the girls’ resemblance. No, no, it couldn’t be. She couldn’t let herself even consider the possibility. Kylie struggled in her arms, crying out for her sister, but Shannon had no energy to respond.
There had to be some other explanation. Something that didn’t require a huge effort to get right. She didn’t have the time, money or energy for the mountain looming ahead.
You can purchase Lonestar Secrets from Amazon and CBD.
Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the book giveaway and come back tomorrow for an interview with Colleen.
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