Carmen Green - This Time for Good

“I’m Hunter,” he said softly.

“Alexandria Lord-Wright Foster,” she said, smelling him and the rain and the green grass.

With his chin atop her head, his arms around her back, she felt completely safe. Alex looked up at him, and he smiled a little. Her heart thumped strong, steady beats.

“That’s a big name for such little shoulders,” he said.

“I make it work.” Even when I don’t want to.

With his thumb, he eased water from her cheeks. Alex didn’t know if he distinguished her tears from rain, but she wasn’t going to tell him she’d been crying. Lord-Wrights didn’t cry in public, if at all.

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was born in Buffalo, New York, and had plans to study law before becoming a published author. While raising her three children, she wrote her first book on legal pads and transcribed it onto a computer on weekends before selling her first novel in 1993. Since that time she has sold more than twenty-six novels and novellas, and is proud that one of her books was made into a TV movie in 2001, in which she had a cameo role.

In addition to writing full-time, Carmen is a busy mom, a full-time student completing her master’s degree in creative writing, and teaches writing at a local school one evening a week. She’s a founding member of the Femme Fantastik Tour, a group of writers who tour military bases promoting their literary works throughout the United States and Europe, and a volunteer in her community. In her spare time Carmen likes going to concerts, gardening, vacations in quiet, tropical places and going on long cruises that don’t require her to do anything but read, sleep and eat.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Hello Harlequin Readers!

I’m so excited that This Time for Good is my first book with Harlequin! I’ve been a writer for more than 15 years and have been a big fan of Harlequin authors, so I’m excited to be able to share my work with you too.

This Time for Good is part of a trilogy called the THE THREE MRS. FOSTERS, which I’m writing with fabulous author friends Brenda Jackson and Carla Fredd.

Marc Foster was a bad boy who thought he could get away with marrying three women, but he didn’t count on the determination, fortitude and intelligence of his wives, Alexandria, Danielle and Renee.

It’s true that love will cure what ails you, and it takes the love of three special men for the women to overcome the destruction of Marc’s deception.

I’d love to hear from you, so visit my blog and leave me messages at www.carmengreen.blogspot.com.

Blessings,

Carmen Green

Your love and support sustained me through it all.

Tracy Cardwell, Pam Roach, Cherrita McCray, Giselle Williams, Glendora McCray, Kristen Suto, Martha Carter, Joyce Wilson, Denise Wilson, Janatune Alwakeel, Madeenah Dawson-Alwakeel. Tim Cardwell. Harold Cardwell. Dad. The Sparrow.

Love,

Carmen

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Alexandria knew her father didn’t think she was a genius, but she wasn’t dumb, either.

“Daddy, shouting isn’t going to convince me to give you controlling interest in Wright Enterprises. Now, will you please sit down? Your blood pressure is probably off the charts.”

Feeling as if she didn’t have a friend in the world, Alexandria Lord Wright-Foster forced herself to stop fidgeting.

Her father had chosen to fight for his mother’s money in a court of law instead of visiting her in the final months of her life. Because of that decision, Grandma Letty had left all of her money, and shares of the company stock, to her only frequent visitor, her newlywed, twenty-three-year-old, college dropout, never-been-in-charge-of-anything-but-decorating-the-conference-room granddaughter, Alexandria.

Her father may have lost the fight, but he was still angling to win the war.

“My blood pressure will be just fine when things start to run like they’re supposed to around here. I’ve got some papers for you to sign.” He tried to persuade Alexandria with a tone that said he’d take the deal if it were offered to him. “You’ll get market value for the stock, and then you can go back to spoiling yourself.”

“Daddy, I’ve already told you, those days are over.”

“So, no more trips to New York for purses and shoes?” he challenged. “No more spa weeks in Arizona? No more couture fashion shows in Paris?”

“Ever since Marc and I got married, I’ve taken the family business seriously. I’ve been here every day learning this business and pulling my weight. I don’t shop like I used to, and I don’t party like I used to. I’ve changed. I’m a businesswoman.”

“You can’t play at this. You have no business skills and no business background.”

“Daddy, you don’t have a degree, either, and neither did Grandma Letty, and she was quite successful. So I’ve learned the same way you and she learned—on the job.”

A tiny sound of disbelief left her father’s mouth, but that was all.

“The bottom line is that I won’t sign my stock over to you. Would you like something to drink? I’m having mineral water. Jerry? Mervyn,” she asked her brothers who hadn’t said a word through the entire exchange. “Would you like a glass?”

Jerry shook his head. He was the youngest brother, but older than Alexandria by ten months, had walked in late and sat at the head of the table, and nobody had corrected him.

Symbolically, that seat had been left empty after Big Daddy, their granddaddy, had died two years ago.

Jerry didn’t know about the unspoken rule, having just returned from living in Texas. A concussion had ended his pro football career, but he was trying to get into the swing of things. He was very quiet and only answered questions when spoken to directly.

Marc, her husband, liked Jerry best.

Beneath the table, Alex pushed Send on her BlackBerry, hoping Marc would pick up.

For the past month he’d been in Philadelphia, but he’d been helping her practice assertiveness by webcam. Over a year ago he’d bought the book A Fool’s Guide to Being Assertive.

Initially, she’d been offended. But once Marc had explained the book, then read it to her, then torn off the cover and made love to her to make up for offending her, she’d liked it. That’s why she’d initially fallen in love with him. He’d helped her realize that although she didn’t have degrees, she was smart, and the world needed people like her.

“You’re costing us money, honey.”

“How, Daddy?” she asked.

“All this waffling.” He laughed in that big way corporate men did when nothing was funny. “You’re offering refreshments and we’re trying to discuss business.”