Juliette Sutton-Ross is haunted by secrets of the past her mother refuses to reveal. Seeing it as her only opportunity to solve the mystery, the Connecticut socialite travels to a rundown farm in a remote area of Kentucky for the reading of her estranged grandmother’s will. Once there, she discovers even more questions without answers. How could a woman, who lived in poverty, bequeath half a million dollars to her granddaughter, and to the roguish country doctor, Prescott MacKenzie? And even stranger are the conditions imposed in the will. Mack and Juliette must enter
a temporary marriage and live on the farm for six months. Juliette doesn’t want or need money. What she does want and need are answers. Will she accept the challenge of the will? Or will she heed her mother’s demand to leave family secrets
behind closed doors where they belong?
Mack has met Juliette’s type before and he has the emotional bruises to show for it. A country
doctor from West Virginia, and a rich and beautiful socialite, belong in two different worlds. If he gives in to the attraction he feels for Juliette, the temporary bridge between their worlds is doomed to collapse when the conditions of the will are fulfilled. He can’t afford to risk his heart again, not even for badly needed money he could use to fix his own mistakes of the past.
Excerpt
A brief patch of morning sun peeked through the willow branches and lit her
features. In that instant, something deep inside filled him with emotion for the melancholy
and loneliness he saw in her expression. Every fiber of his being wanted to rush to her and
fight off whatever demons had put that heartbreaking look on her face, yet he knew how
foolish that would be. She’d come to the swing hoping to find answers to a forgotten
childhood memory, and he had no right to intervene while she struggled to put together the
painful pieces of a puzzle.
He moved to turn away when someone, or something announced his presence for
him. Juliette swivelled her head slowly to peer at him, first with a look of surprise, then
one of gladness that he’d found her. An immediate tingling hit the pit of his stomach when
her soft voice welcomed his presence and her eyes lit up with pleasure.
Professional Reviews
Shadows In Time
"As thoroughly enchanting as the timeless blue-green hills of Kentucky...as rich and poignant as a
beautiful Appalachian patch-work quilt. A story to wrap around you on a winter's night that is
sure to touch the heart. Twila Hanna creates a vivid setting, endearing characters, and a heart-
warming romance that will linger long after you’ve turned the last page.”
S. K. McClafferty, author of AS NIGHT FALLS, Zebra Books
Shirine McVey discovers that twenty years of her life have elapsed since she went to sleep in a hotel room in El Paso, Texas. And worse, she is married to a man she doesn't know.
