Secrets in the Sand by Carolyn Brown

            Angel noticed that her friends were brushing away tears, and she had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could say anything.

            “Clancy, I took one look at you when we were still in kindergarten, and I wanted to stay with you forever. And now I will, through this lifetime and eternity too.”

            The minister spoke again.

            “Angela Conrad and Clancy Morgan have made their vows. These solemn promises are binding in the sight of God and these witnesses, and we come to the giving and receiving of rings,” he said and went on with the traditional ceremony, up to and including a very passionate kiss.

            “And now I’ve got something to do,” Clancy said.

            Dillon handed him a stick.

            Clancy drew two entwining hearts in the sand and wrote FOREVER in the space where they connected. “I love you, Angel.”

            Tears hung on her heavy dark lashes when she said, “I love you, Clancy.”

            “Now, let’s go out to my house and have a little reception. I’ve invited a few friends for cake and champagne,” Meredith said.

            Angel giggled. “That means the whole town.”

            She gathered up the tail of her white satin wedding dress but hadn’t even taken one step when Clancy scooped her up and carried her to her car. “I hope you don’t mind if I drive this thing.”

            “Do you know how to drive a stick shift?” she asked.

            “Honey, I can drive anything that’s got a steering wheel, and with you beside me, I could even drive it over a high bridge,” he said.

            “With you beside me, I could ride with you over those high spots.” She smiled. “Let’s get this reception done with and go home to the farm. We’ve got a three-day weekend to enjoy our honeymoon.”

            ***

            Later that night, in the privacy of their bedroom at the farmhouse, they ate the cheese and fruit left by Hilda and tasted the sweetness of a bottle of champagne that Tom handed them when they drove away from Tishomingo. Then Clancy undressed her slowly in the moonlight and carried her to the bed, where he gently laid her down.

            “I love you, Mrs. Morgan, and I hope we have a dozen children,” he whispered into her ear.

            “I love you, too, Clancy. There’s no time like right now to get started on that big family, now, is there?”





Love sultrexy, small-town romance? You’re in for a real treat! Read on for a look at the first book in the Welcome to Magnolia Bay series from Babette de Jongh.





Chapter 1


            “I hate people.” Abby Curtis wadded up the hem of her yellow bathrobe and dropped to her knees in the ditch. A pair of green eyes stared at her from the middle of the culvert. “Here, kitty, kitty,” she called.

            The eyes blinked, but the kitten stayed put. Another stray dumped in front of Aunt Reva’s house, and it wasn’t going to trust humans again anytime soon. For a nanosecond, Abby thought about running back to the house to get Reva, but something told her the kitten would skedaddle the moment Abby turned her back.

            Reva’s dog, Georgia, a Jack Russell terrier/cattle dog mix, peered through the other side of the culvert and whined. The kitten spun around to face the dog and hissed.

            “Georgia.” Abby snapped her fingers. “Stay.”

            The frightened kitten puffed up and growled at Georgia. Abby didn’t have Reva’s way with animals. But with the little dog’s expert help, she might be able to catch the kitten without bothering her aunt, who was in the house packing for a long-postponed trip.

            Georgia whined again and the kitten backed up farther, her full attention on the dog.

            Thankful the ditch had been mowed and recently treated for fire ants, Abby eased forward onto her belly in the damp grass. She reached into the culvert, ignoring the cool, muddy water that seeped through her robe and soaked her T-shirt and panties. Shutting out images of snakes and spiders, she scooted closer and stretched out farther.

            Just a little bit more…

            Georgia seemed to know exactly what to do. She fake-lunged toward the kitten, who spat and hopped backward into Abby’s outstretched hand. “Gotcha!” Abby grabbed the kitten’s scruff.