In Firefly Valley Read Online Free PDF Page A

you get back from your honeymoon.” She glanced from Kate to Greg and then back to Kate. “Where are you going, or is it a secret?”
    â€œEurope, and it’s no secret,” Kate replied.
    â€œKate told me she dreamt about us walking under the Eiffel Tower and riding in a gondola in Venice.”
    â€œSo Greg decided to make my dreams come true.”
    Marisa grinned. “My mouth is watering, thinking about French pastries and Italian gelato.”
    â€œYou’re definitely your mother’s daughter,” Kate said, rubbing her stomach as if she had just devoured a delicious treat. “She makes the most incredible meals I’ve ever eaten.”
    â€œMom loves to cook. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised she’s not catering your reception.” Mom had mentioned that when she’d volunteered, Kate and Greg had refused her offer, claiming they couldn’t impose on her.
    Kate exchanged what appeared to be a guilty look with her fiancé. “Didn’t Carmen tell you? She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and when she knew you were going to be here, she said you’d help supervise the high school kids she’s enlisted to do most of the work. It’s an extra credit project for them.”
    Marisa sighed inwardly. That sounded like Mom: overextending herself to help someone else. If she had known about the catering, Marisa would have asked for an additional week to complete the software evaluation, but now that she’d committed, she didn’t want to back down. She’d simply have to work extra hours after the wedding. “At least Rainbow’s End won’t have any guests,” she said.
    No doubt about it. Greg’s expression was sheepish. “Actually, there will be one. One of my college buddies needs a place to stay for a couple weeks, so I told him he could use my cabin after Saturday.”
    â€œOh, Greg, you didn’t!” It was clear that Kate wasn’t party to that agreement. “Marisa doesn’t need anything else to do.” And with Kate and Greg gone, she would be in charge of the resort.
    There was only one possible response. “It won’t be a problem.” I hope .

    The people who’d claimed that the Texas Hill Country was one of the prettiest places on earth hadn’t exaggerated, Blake reflected as he followed his GPS’s directions. The rolling green hills, the trees so different from those he was accustomed to in California, and the deep blue sky were all magnificent. It might not be the Garden of Eden, as he’d heard one person call it, but it was definitely beautiful.
    His flight had been uneventful, and since it was Saturday morning, traffic had been light. Once he’d left San Antonio, he’d found himself starting to relax.
    Blake frowned. He didn’t need relaxation. He needed ideas. When he’d called Jack Darlington to say he’d be out of town with only sporadic cell service for a few weeks, he’d carefully sidestepped his agent’s questions about the new book. He didn’t need anyone, including the man who lived quite well on his 15 percent commission, putting more pressure on him.
    â€œTurn left,” the surprisingly realistic mechanical voice directed.
    Blake turned, his eyes registering the sign welcoming him to Dupree, the Heart of the Hills. It was a small, rather nondescript town—definitely not a place he’d send Cliff Pearson. His fictional hero’s adventures took place in world capitals and glamorous resorts, not small towns in Texas, no matter how pretty the surroundings might be.
    As the rental car reached the summit of the hill just west of Dupree, Blake smiled. This might not be a spot for Cliff Pearson, but the valley was spectacular. On the right side of the road, trees in more shades of green than Blake had ever seen provided welcome shade during the late summer heat, while the left side appeared to be a meadow with