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Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Books by Elizabeth Camden
  3. Title Page
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-One
  25. Twenty-Two
  26. Twenty-Three
  27. Twenty-Four
  28. Twenty-Five
  29. Twenty-Six
  30. Twenty-Seven
  31. Twenty-Eight
  32. Twenty-Nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty-One
  35. Thirty-Two
  36. Thirty-Three
  37. Thirty-Four
  38. Thirty-Five
  39. Thirty-Six
  40. Thirty-Seven
  41. Thirty-Eight
  42. Thirty-Nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty-One
  45. Forty-Two
  46. Historical Note
  47. Questions for Discussion
  48. In 2020, look forCaroline Delacroix’sstory in
  49. About the Author
  50. Back Ads
  51. Back Cover

Her mouth went dry, and the sight of the sickeningly sweet custard tart made her feel ill. She pushed the plate back a few inches and stood. “My job is to analyze durum wheat kernels. Most people think it’s boring work, but my parents live on a struggling farm, so for me it’s vitally important. I don’t mean to be rude, but this conversation is pointless, and I need to return to my job.”

She felt the reporter’s stare boring into her back as she left the cafeteria. She’d bet her bottom dollar he didn’t care a fig about fake applesauce. He was after something, and it had nothing to do with food purity.

Should she tell Gray about it? The reporter’s line of questioning didn’t sit well with her, but Gray might misunderstand. He’d been clear in his desire to keep his distance from her. She decided to let it be. Gray was an intelligent man and far more sophisticated than she was about dealing with the press. If Dickie Shuster came after him, he would know how to handle it.

But a part of her feared there was more trouble coming where Luke was concerned.

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Gray vowed that today would be the first day of his new life. It didn’t matter that he was skeptical down to the marrow of his bones. It didn’t matter that half his heart was still back in Cuba with Luke, and the other half mourned Annabelle’s loss with an ache that might never fully heal. If he was to make a life in America, it was time to settle down and get married.

Caroline swore she had found the perfect woman to help him “move ahead with his life.” Samantha Riley was the thirty-year-old widow of a senator from North Dakota. Her husband had died almost two years ago, but having sampled the comforts of Washington, she had no desire to return to the barren flatlands of her native state. Which meant Samantha was as eager to get married and settle down as he was. She was intelligent, attractive, and a skilled hostess.

“And you’re so painfully bad at that,” Caroline had told him the previous day when she’d nudged him into this dinner invitation. “You need someone who can pull you out of your shell.”

Maybe she was right. He hadn’t looked at another woman since Annabelle and was never comfortable mingling in society. The only reason he’d met Annabelle to begin with was because she had barged into his office in search of him. It still hurt to remember the day she had brought him that charming spice map, but he couldn’t let the catastrophic end of their relationship warp him for the rest of his life.