Texas
Ties
Book
Babes Trilogy
Part
One
Texas
Heroes 13
Jean
Brashear
Genre: Romance
Date of Publication: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653080
ASIN: B00U7L2PYQ
Number of pages: 150
Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
A
new 3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday
bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear!
The Book Babes reading group began
as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's
romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of
five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett;
single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken
Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly
and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves
far more often.
But now change is rippling through
the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial
hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's
abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's
decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children
fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to
paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of
them and the men they love--will never be the same.
And then there's the Sweetgrass
Springs surprise…
Note To Readers
This is a true serial and best enjoyed if
read in order
Part One: Texas Ties
Part Two: Texas Troubles
Part Three: Texas Together
Texas
Troubles
Book
Babes Trilogy
Part
Two
Texas
Heroes 14
Jean
Brashear
Genre: romance
Date of Publication: March 26, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653097
ASIN: B00U7HOWE
Number of pages: 150
Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
The second serial installment of a
new 3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday
bestselling Texas romance author Jean Brashear!
The Book Babes reading group began
as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's
romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of
five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett;
single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken
Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly
and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves
far more often.
But now change is rippling through
the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial
hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's
abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's
decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children
fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to
paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of
them and the men they love--will never be the same.
And then there's the Sweetgrass
Springs surprise…
Texas
Together
Book
Babes Trilogy
Part
Three
Texas
Heroes 15
Jean
Brashear
Genre: Romance
Date of Publication: April 9, 2015
ISBN: 9781942653103
ASIN: B00U7l2PUU
Number of pages: 150
Word Count: 33,000
Cover Artist: Covers by Rogenna
Book Description:
The final installment of a new
3-part story in the Texas Heroes series from New York Times and USAToday bestselling
Texas romance author Jean Brashear!
The Book Babes reading group began
as five women wanting to talk books—but now they've become family. There's
romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of
five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett;
single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken
Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they've met monthly
and discussed the current book a little--and dissected their lives and loves
far more often.
But now change is rippling through
the group, begun by Laken's restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial
hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava's suddenly-hot career, while Luisa's
abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother's
decline. But it's when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children
fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who's teaching her to
paint that the group's orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life--for all of
them and the men they love--will never be the same.
And then there's the Sweetgrass
Springs surprise…
CHAPTER ONE
Austin, Texas
August
"You answered
a freaking personals ad?" Ava Sinclair burst out laughing. "Which
one, Laken? Six foot tall hunk of burning love seeks woman into foot massage
and Bob Marley?"
Three other heads
swiveled, waiting for the inevitable flare-up when Ava's exasperation overcame
her love, and Laken Foster’s shark-lawyer ego couldn't stand coming in second.
"Laken, you
didn't," Luisa Martinez protested, her soft voice barely heard above the
sudden din. She squeezed Laken's hand in commiseration.
Laken shot her a
look that forbade pity. Luisa settled back to drink her tea and wait.
"Well, I for
one, darling, think it's about time you made the switch from the singles bar
scene. All those dreadful married men with white bands on their fingers."
Sylvie Everett's elegant nose wrinkled faintly. "Now tell all. Dish the
details. What's he like? Any orgies in the offing?"
Ava watched as
Ellie Preston returned to her cozy living room, fresh wine bottles in hand. Ava
could have predicted the rescue.
She wasn't wrong.
Ellie eased in between them, soothing. "Now, Sylvie. Laken may not want to
talk about it. More wine, anyone?"
"Since when
does Laken withhold a single detail of her sex life?" Ava couldn't resist
prodding Ellie's perpetual air of virginity. The mother of five, her baby about
to start first grade, Ellie could pass for sixteen in all but the harshest
light. There was something of the ingénue about their auburn-haired friend that
life couldn't seem to erase. The room around them reflected her: lush green
plants at every window, the bright spill of knitting yarns in a basket, pillow
tops she’d quilted by hand.
The dusting of
freckles across Ellie's nose dimmed as her cheeks turned pink. Then her grin
turned impish. "Well, far be it from me to discourage her from talking
about it—" Her eyebrows rose with her voice. "—if she wants to?"
The whole group
broke up laughing, Laken's sultry chuckles blending with Luisa's clear soprano.
"Come on,
Laken, spill your guts. Luisa hasn't been laid in two years and Ellie's still
trying to figure out where all those kids come from." Ava poured herself a
second glass of pinot noir.
Laken slugged down
the last of her wine, holding out the glass for Ellie to refill. Her spiky dark
mane shook with the force of her denial. "You do not have my permission to
steal this for your next book, Ava."
Ava clutched one
hand to her breast with a dramatic sigh. "Trust me, Laken, I haven't run
out of imagination yet. This crew has a ways to go to catch up with my
heroines."
"Too
true," Sylvie nodded. "Thanks to your incredible imaginary men."
She lifted her glass. "To Ava's heroes, long may they inspire our
dreams."
They all clicked
glasses, laughing, and drank—Luisa her tea, Ellie her watered wine, Ava and
Laken red, Sylvie her customary chardonnay.
Another meeting of
The Book Babes was well underway.
Laken sprawled
back and sighed, fanning herself against the summer swelter of Austin, Texas.
"If only you could conjure some of them up in the flesh, Ava, I wouldn't
be reduced to scouring the earth for one good man."
"There are
good men all around you," Ellie objected.
"Yeah, but
you and Ava are married to them."
"Wyatt has a
friend—"
"Stop right
there," Laken flashed her palm at Ellie. "No more matchmaking.
Period. There are three men in this town worth a damn; Ava's got Tom, you've
got Wyatt, and Sylvie's going to keep Gabe waiting until he's old and
gray."
"No, Sylvie's
not." A tiny tremor shook the carefully modulated voice that matched
Sylvie's ever-faultless appearance.
Ava shot a glance
across the coffee table, seeing what she should have recognized earlier in
Sylvie's silence. "What happened?"
Sylvie shook her
head, the ash blonde shoulder-length pageboy shimmering. "It's over,
that's all."
Ever the nurturer,
Ellie placed a hand on Sylvie's shoulder. Only Ellie would dare, and only Ellie
would not be shaken off by shoulders tightened into almost military posture.
"You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to."
"I
don't."
Silence stretched
out, an unheard-of occurrence at their monthly meetings. Far more common was
the clamor of all of them talking at once, too much to say, too much to share,
words tumbling in pell-mell fashion from the lips of intelligent women trying
to piece out the ways of the world.
Luisa filled in
with their topic of last resort—the book they were supposed to be discussing.
"So what did anyone think of Smilla's Sense of Snow?"
Ava held back.
She'd hated its dearth of emotion. The plot was intriguing, but the writing was
so spare and sterile. But she knew that Sylvie had loved it, and Sylvie was
already hurting.
Laken had no such
restraint. "It sucked."
"Laken!"
Ellie reached over, patting Sylvie's knee. "It was really interesting.
Very exciting."
"I loved it,
Sylvie," Luisa responded. "I had to wrap up in a blanket, reading it,
the setting was so vivid."
Ava chuckled and
shook her head. A blanket in August in Texas. "What was the a/c setting?
Fifty-five?"
Laken intoned,
"Thank God summer doesn't last forever."
Sylvie's smooth
tones interrupted their laughter. "What about you, Ava? How did you like
it?"
Opening her mouth
to respond, Ava glanced around the room, distracted by the tears brimming on
Ellie's lashes. Ava's comments were forgotten as she took in the startling
sight. "What's wrong, Ellie?"
The auburn pageboy
swung with the shaking of Ellie's head, her fingers pressed tightly to
trembling lips.
Even the Ice Queen
was disturbed by the sight. Ellie always smiled, always ministered to the rest
of them. "Is it one of the children?" Sylvie ventured.
The tears
overflowed ginger lashes, brown eyes filled with hurt. "I swore I wouldn't
do this. It's silly...millions of women deal with this. I know it's dumb,
but—" She shook her head again, dropping her gaze. "Sam's starting
first grade, and Christy is leaving for college, and all of a sudden, all I can
think is: what happens when they're all gone?"
Ava and Luisa
exchanged glances. The empty nest. It hit everyone. Laken and Sylvie had no
children; they could look sympathetic, but they'd never truly understand.
She tried for
reason. "It's a long time until Sam leaves the nest, kiddo."
Ellie sniffed.
"I know that. Intellectually, I understand all of this. But it doesn't
change the fact that being a mother is all I know how to be. Look at you, Ava.
You've created a whole new life, becoming a writer. You're excited and alive
and—"
"—crazed and
despairing and insane to have tried it."
Ellie brushed at
her eyes. "But the fact remains that you know what you're doing with your
life. You're a mother, but you're not only a mother. Luisa has her Ph.D. and
tenure—"
"And a mother
driving me nuts."
Ellie ignored her,
leaning forward. "Laken's a successful lawyer, Sylvie's got her gallery.
What do I do that's interesting? I drive carpools and bake cupcakes and do
laundry and feed the damn chickens." For Ellie to swear was almost
earth-shattering.
"And lead
Scouts and sew and garden—hell, Ellie, you can do anything," Laken's voice
rose above the others.
"Jack of all
trades, master of none."
Ava drew a breath
to respond, but Sylvie beat her to it.
"You need to
be painting, Ellie. It's criminal that you ignore your talent."
Ellie blushed.
"I just fool around. I've never had lessons."
"Anyone can
take lessons. You have a gift."
Ava could see that
Sylvie meant it. Sylvie's life revolved around art; it was the great sorrow of
her life to have an unerring eye for the beautiful, for startling new
talent—and to be unable to draw with more than mediocrity herself. Sylvie did
not suffer fools gladly; even with her great affection for Ellie, an alliance
that surprised them all, she would never say something she didn't mean. Saving
feelings was never a priority with Sylvie.
Ava added her
weight to the proposition. "I only had two children, not your five, but I
know all too well the toll a family takes. You need to be feeding your soul,
Ellie. You've still got a long way to go down this road of life, and you have a
right to reserve some of it for yourself. You give everything to Wyatt and the
kids, but Wyatt is a grown man, and the kids will need you less and less as
they get older. It's time to start thinking about Ellie."
"But I know
how fast it goes. Before I know it, Sam will be leaving for college. I can't
miss these years."
"Come on,
Ellie," Laken's dry tones crackled. "You're not talking about
abandoning them. You can do this while they're all at school."
"But they're
not used to—"
Ava spoke gently.
"Your kids are great and amazingly unspoiled, but they won't die if you
don't lie down in the road to be run over by them."
Ellie blew her
nose, her back stiffening. "I don't do that."
Luisa's hand
touched her gently. "What Ava means is that you give yourself to everyone
you know, including us, and never reserve anything for yourself. We're all very
lucky that you do, chica, but you have to look out for yourself, too."
"The well
runs dry, kiddo," Ava reasoned. "Nothing faster than a family to
drain you. Cut yourself some slack and think of it this way: if you're happier,
they'll be happier."
"I should be
happy now."
Ava waved a
dismissive hand. "We should all be happy. None of us are starving in Africa,
we all have roofs over our heads, we have love in our lives—"
"Speak for
yourself," Laken said dryly.
Ava shot her a
glare. "All right, everyone but Laken has love in her life, but constant
hot sex is a workable substitute—"
The entire group
broke up laughing. Even Ellie grinned.
About
the Author:
New York Times and USAToday
bestselling Texas romance author of over 40 novels, including the popular TEXAS
HEROES series, a five-time RITA finalist and RT BOOKReviews Career Achievement
Award winner, Jean Brashear knows a lot about taking crazy chances. A lifelong
avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she
decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her
whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she’s never been
more terrified, she’s never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She’s an
ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive
‘someday’—take that leap now.
Twitter: @JeanBrashear
