“I can’t promise anything. Just going to see those people in the first place was hard.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“But I want... to get better,” he said lamely.
“You will. Taking the initial step is the most difficult. The rest will be easier.”
Heath dropped his head to her lap again, wrapping his arms around her legs, which were covered by the sheet.
Ann sank her fingers into his hair.
“I love you so much, Princess,” he said, his voice partially muffled by the bedclothes.
“I love you, too, Heath.”
“I’d like to name the baby after Joe, if it’s okay with you, that is.”
“What a nice idea.”
“He’s been more of a father to me than my biological father ever was.”
“Joe and Joan will be thrilled.”
“And Timothy, for your brother.”
“Oh, Heath, he’ll be so pleased. I think it will be just the lift Tim needs to get him through all this.”
“So we’ll both be in recovery programs, just different kinds,” Heath said ruefully. “It looks like you’re the only stable member of this outfit.”
“And Joseph Timothy Bodine. We’ll make sure that he is very stable.”
“That’s a promise,” Heath said, twining his fingers with hers tightly.
Ann smiled at him and then closed her eyes.
“Tired?” he said.
“A little.”
“Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Ann sighed deeply and turned her head on the pillow, relaxing into sleep. Still holding her hand, Heath settled in to wait.
– THE END –
I am Doreen Owens Malek, author of over forty books and lifelong fan of romantic fiction. I live in PA with my husband and college student daughter, a mini dachshund and a sun conyer parrot. I would like to tell you a little about myself.
I came to writing by a circuitous route, starting out as an avid reader of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and Gone With the Wind and Rebecca, and any other similarly themed books I could find. I first worked as a teacher and then graduated from law school when I desired a more lucrative and independent career. I had always been discouraged from pursuing a writing career by the volatile nature of the business and the relatively poor chance for success. But the realization that I needed a focus for the future encouraged me to do what I had always wanted to do. I sold my fledgling novel to the first editor who read it, and I have been writing ever since. I have written all types of books for all types of people, but my favorite literary pursuit is and always has been romance. Nothing is as rewarding as hearing from my readers, so please use my website to communicate your thoughts and criticisms, as I am always eager to learn from you.
A romance novel rarely disappoints me: in an uncertain world filled with tragedy and sadness, reading about an appealing woman finding a strong man to love her and share her life is the perfect escape. I like to read and write stories in which the main characters overcome obstacles to get together, and then stay together because their mutual devotion cannot be denied no matter what else is happening around them. They always HELP each other and reinforce the quaint but enduring notion that love conquers all—at least in the fictional universe of my imagination. So pull up a chair and take down a book—or pick up a Kindle—and join me in a world where the heroes are tough and headstrong but never boorish and the heroines are feminine and sympathetic but never helpless.
Happy reading!
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Doreen Owens Malek’s
Kindle eBooks on Amazon.com
RECENT
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
RELEASES BY
DOREEN OWENS MALEK
www.doreenowensmalek.com
Brand new, never before published
Contemporary Romance
AMANDA’S BLUE MARINE
Available for digital download
at Amazon.com, and in print at
www.doreenowensmalek.com
Amanda’s Blue Marine marks the return of Doreen Owens Malek to publishing after a 12 year absence. It is with great pleasure that Doreen presents her new, never before published contemporary romance Amanda’s Blue Marine.
When Amanda Redfield, an assistant district attorney from a wealthy and prominent Philadelphia family, is being harassed by a mysterious stalker, she meets Brendan Kelly, the police detective assigned to her case. Smart and capable but deeply troubled, Kelly protects Amanda while he works to find her tormentor, but his disturbing presence and rogue behavior disrupt Amanda’s settled life. She is helplessly drawn to the sexy and charming but barely controlled cop, and as their passion grows she must choose between her prosperous and settled past and an uncertain future with a man whose own life is spiraling out of control. How she draws on her wits and resources to eventually rescue Kelly emotionally in the same way that he rescues her physically makes for a powerful and satisfying love story.
Look for the reissue of
the enormously popular
A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE (1989),
available for digital download at Amazon.com
Taylor Braddock. His name brought back memories of a man so handsome that a young girl had fallen in love–and made a fool of herself. A man so unique he’d spoiled Sharon Philips for any other love.
But now her father’s will had joined their lives once again. In a final attempt at matchmaking, Dad left half his California horse ranch to Sharon, the other half to Braddock - provided they were husband and wife.
A quick wedding. A quick divorce. A quick sale of the ranch. It seemed simple. But time had only fueled their passion. Could Taylor erase ten years of pain and show Sharon that loving him was her destiny?
Watch for
ANOTHER MARRIAGE
OF CONVENIENCE
(Coming Nov/Dec 2012)
The sequel to the enormously popular A Marriage of Convenience. Visit the next generation of Braddocks as they find heartbreak and romance on the ranch in present day California. Watch Tay and Sharon survive a rocky patch in their enduring marriage to prove once again that love conquers all.
MARRIAGE IN NAME ONLY
Contemporary Romance Best Seller from 1995
Revenge is Bitter Sweet
when passion intervenes
Years ago Ann Talbot had been forced to leave Heath Bodine without a goodbye. Now she was back, and though Heath still had the power to make her insides quiver with longing, he had changed. Yes, he was proposing marriage. But not out of love—out of revenge. And Ann knew she had no choice but to say yes.
Heath intended to make Ann pay for running out on him. But no matter how much he tried to deny it, living under the same roof and sharing the same bed with her was going to prove his undoing. Because he didn’t just want her body, he wanted her heart as well…