Return to peaceful Crossroads, Texas, where community comes first and love thrives in the unlikeliest places...
Yancy Grey is slowly putting his life back together after serving time for petty theft. As he rebuilds an old house, he finally has a sense of stability, but he cant stop thinking of himself as just an ex-con. Until one night, he finds a mysterious dark-haired beauty hiding in his loft. But who is she, and what secret is she protecting?
The art gallery Parker Lacey manages is her lifeshe has no time for friends, and certainly not lovers. But when her star artist begs Parker for help, she finds herself in a pickup truck, headed for the sleepy town of Crossroads. A truck driven by a strong, silent cowboy...
Gabe Snow has been a drifter since he left Crossroads at seventeen after a violent incident. When he accepts a job in his hometown, hell have to decide whether he can put the worst night of his life behind him and build a future in the community that raised him.
Praise for Jodi Thomas
and her RANSOM CANYON series
Compelling and beautifully written, it is exactly the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.
Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Thomas sketches a slow, sweet surrender.
Publishers Weekly
Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when its time to bid her wonderful characters farewell. You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.
Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author
Thomas is a wonderful storyteller.
RT Book Reviews on Rustlers Moon
Western romance legend Thomass Ransom Canyon will warm readers with its huge heart and gentle souls.
Library Journal
A pure joy to read.
RT Book Reviews
Sunrise Crossing
Jodi Thomas
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Praise
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Extract
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
Flight
January 2012
LAX
VICTORIA VILANIE CURLED into a ball, trying to make herself small, trying to disappear. Her black hair spread around her like a cape but couldnt protect her.
All the sounds in the airport were like drums playing in a jungle full of predators. Carts with clicking wheels rolling on pitted tiles. People shuffling and shouting and complaining. Electronic voices rattling off numbers and destinations. Babies crying. Phones ringing. Winters late storm pounding on walls of glass.
Victoria, Tori to her few friends, might not be making a sound, but she was screaming inside.
Tears dripped off her face, and she didnt bother to wipe them away. The noise closed in around her, making her feel so lonely in the crowd of strangers.
She was twenty-four, and everyone said she was a gifted artist. Money poured in so fast it had become almost meaningless, only a number that brought no joy. But tonight all she wanted was silence, peace, a world where she could hide out.
She scrubbed her eyes on her sleeve and felt a hand touch her shoulder like it were a bird, featherlight, landing there.
Tori turned and recognized a woman shed seen once before. The tall blonde in her midthirties owned one of the best galleries in Dallas. Who could forget Parker Laceys green eyes? She was a woman who had it all and knew how to handle her life. A born general who must manage her life as easily as she managed her business.
Are you all right, Tori? Parker asked.
Tori could say nothing but the truth. Im living the wrong life.
Then the strangest thing happened. The lady with green eyes hugged her and Tori knew, for the first time in years, that someone had heard her, really heard her.
CHAPTER TWO
The stone-blue days of winter
February
Dallas, Texas
PARKER LACEY SAT perfectly straight on the side of her hospital bed. Her short, sunny blond hair combed, her makeup in place and her logical mind in control of all emotions, as always.
Shed ignored the pain in her knee, the throbbing in her leg, for months. She ignored it now.
Shed been poked and examined all day, and now all that remained before the curtain fell on her life was for some doctor she barely knew to tell her just how long she had left to live. A month. Six months. If she was lucky, a year?
Her mother had died when Parker was ten. Breast cancer at thirty-one. Her father died eight years later. Lung cancer at thirty-nine. Neither parent had made it to their fortieth birthday.
Longevity simply didnt run in Parkers family. Shed known it and worried about dying all her adult life, and at thirty-seven, she realized her number would come up soon. Only shed been smarter than all her ancestors. She would leave no offspring. There would be no next generation of Laceys. She was the last in her family.
There were also no lovers, or close friends, she thought. Her funeral would be small.
The beep of her cell phone interrupted her morbid thoughts.
Hello, Parker speaking, she said.
Im in! came a soft voice. I followed the map. It was just a few miles from where the bus stopped. The house is perfect, and your housekeeper delivered more groceries than Ill be able to eat in a year. And, Parker, you were right. This isolated place will be heaven.
Parker forgot her problems. She could worry about dying later. Right now, she had to help one of her artists. Tori, are you sure you werent followed?
Yes. I did it just the way you suggested. Kept my head down. Dressed like a boy. Switched buses twice. One bus driver even told me to Hurry along, kid.
Good. No one will probably connect me with you and no one knows I own a place in Crossroads. Stay there. Youll be safe. Youll have time to relax and think.
Theyll question you when they realize Ive vanished, Tori said. My stepfather wont just let me disappear. Im worth too much money to him.
Parker laughed, trying to sound reassuring. Of course, people will ask how well we know one another. Ill say Im proud to show your work in my gallery and that weve only met a few times at gallery openings. Both facts were true. Besides, its no crime to vanish, Tori. You are an adult.
Victoria Vilanie was silent on the other end. Shed told Parker that shed been on a manic roller coaster for months. The ride had left her fragile, almost shattered. Since shed been thirteen and been discovered by the art community, her stepfather had quit his job and become her handler.
Tori, Parker whispered into the phone, youre not the tiger in a circus. Youll be fine. You can stand on your own. There are professionals who will help you handle your career without trying to run your life.