(Westmoreland_Masters_Jefferies)



Dear Readers,



I proudly present to you the third book from the Madaris Publishing Company, Tis the Season…for Romance.



This book is special in that it contains all new stories. I want to thank you for sending me your emails with your thoughts and ideas on what characters you would like to see in this book.



In my story, Ready for Love, I’m bringing back a woman who I introduced in my novel, Her Little Black Book. Barbara Andrews was the mother of the heroine, Courtney, and I received a lot of emails asking for her story, and I’m happy to present it to you.



In The Second Time Around, you’re reacquainted with more secondary characters from my story, Her Little Black Book. This is Peggy Morrison’s story and she is a woman who has come a long way since she was first introduced as Sonya Morrison’s mother in The Savvy Sistahs.



In Conquering His Heart, we visit with those Jeffries again and you see how the ever efficient secretary Cathy Bristol, gets her man and proves once again that love conquers all. Cathy was first introduced in a Westmoreland novel, Tall, Dark Westmoreland.



And last but not least is Corey’s Mountain. This book is special in that when writing Stone Cold Surrender that took Madison Winters on a quest to find her mother, and right straight in Stone Westmoreland’s arms while doing so, I wondered why and how her mother, Abby Winters, got lost in the first place and how did she end up on Corey’s Mountain. I have a weakness for “first love – forever love” stories, and after reading this book you will see why.



This is my seventieth book and if there are characters from any of those books that you would love to see in their own story, please let me know at [email protected]



To visit my website, please click on www.brendajackson.net or you can visit www.madarispublishing.com for additional information on future books.



All the Best,



Brenda Jackson





ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS




Special thanks to the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr. who is my hero.



To my family whose undying support has always been there through thick and thin.



To my sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon, whom I am very proud of and who challenged me to put into practice what I’ve always told them... “If you can conceive it then you can achieve it.”



And to my Heavenly Father, who loves me and gives me the talent to write and the desire to reach my full potential.





READY FOR LOVE




To my readers, who after reading HER LITTLE BLACK BOOK,

wanted Barbara Andrews’ and Rick Blair’s story.

This one is for you.



Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.



Proverbs 16:24 NASB





Prologue




Barbara Andrews walked into Ron’s hospital room to find the nurses had raised him up in bed. Her husband had begun regaining consciousness a day or so before and had spoken briefly with Detective Rick Blair confirming that Melissa Langley had been the person who’d pulled the trigger. Ron had yet to be told that everyone knew about his Hawaii tryst with Ashira Wilson. The woman had come to the hospital a few times, demanding to see him, but Barbara had requested that hospital security keep her from doing so…for the time being.

She saw how Ron tried to smile when he saw her. Any other time his smile would have been all she’d needed to forgive his womanizing ways, but not this time. Not anymore. Those days were over. “I was wondering when you were coming,” Ron said in a slurred voice. There was a tube that went through his nose that still made talking difficult for him.

“I told you last night that I would be back this morning,” Barbara said. She had stopped staying all night. She refused to sleep uncomfortable any longer in the cot the nurses would bring in. He didn’t deserve that of her. “Ron, we need to talk,” she said, deciding this would be the day she made him aware of what she knew.

“Yes,” he agreed. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, Barbara. Things I want you to know.”

She wondered if it was true confessions time for him. If coming so close to death had made him a “changed” man. If so, he could continue to go through his transformation without her. She would no longer be a part of his life. “There is no need, Ron. If you want to tell me about Ashira Wilson, don’t bother. She’s told me everything. I know you paid for her to go to Hawaii with us.