Only Hers
Authors: Francis Ray
“Francis Ray creates characters and stories that we all love to read about.”
—Eric Jerome Dickey
Praise for Francis Ray’s novels
ONE NIGHT WITH YOU
“Master craftswoman that she is, Francis Ray is gifted at creating heart-warming love scenes that never leave you hanging.”
—
Romance in Color
“Ruth Grayson is a force to be reckoned with as she sets her matchmaking sights on Faith’s brother, since there is no such thing as happily single in Ruth’s world. The steam the lovers create is a pleasure to behold. Ray never disappoints!”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
NOBODY BUT YOU
“A story that tugs at the heartstrings.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Not only does Francis Ray rock in this book but you also see a whole different side of racing that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
—
Night Owl Romance
“A wonderful read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Fast and fun and full of emotional thrills and sexy chills. Everything a racing romance should be!”
—Roxanne St. Claire
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU
“Ms. Ray has given us a great novel again. Did we expect anything less than the best?”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(4 stars)
“Crisp style, realistic dialogue, likable characters and [a] fast pace.”
—Library Journal
THE WAY YOU LOVE ME
“A romance that will have readers speed-reading to the next tension-filled scene, if not the climax.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Fans of Ray’s Grayson and Falcon families will be thrilled with the first installment in the new Grayson Friends series. And this is done very well . . . told with such grace and affection that this novel is a treat to read.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(4 stars)
“Francis Ray is, without a doubt, one of the Queens of Romance.”
—
A Romance Review
ONLY YOU
“Francis Ray’s graceful writing style and realistically complex characters give her latest contemporary romance its extraordinary emotional richness and depth.”
—
Chicago Tribune
“It’s a joy to read this always fresh and exciting saga.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(4 stars)
“The powerful descriptive powers of Francis Ray allow the reader to step into the story and become an active
part of the surrender . . . If you love a great love story,
Only You
should be on your list.”
—
Fallen Angel Reviews
“Riveting emotion and charismatic scenes that made this book captivating . . . a beautiful story of love and romance.”
—
Night Owl Romance
“A beautiful love story as only Francis Ray can tell it.”
“Readers will find a warm and wonderful contemporary romance with plenty of humor and drama. Adding a fun warmth and reality to these characters and a plot that moves quickly add all the needed incentive to read this fun book.”
—
Multicultural Romance Writers
IRRESISTIBLE YOU
“A pleasurable story . . . a well-developed story and continuous plot.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Like the previous titles in this series,
Irresistible You
is another winner . . . Witty and charming . . . Author Francis Ray has a true gift for drawing the readers in and never letting them go.”
—
Multicultural Romance Writers
DREAMING OF YOU
“A great read from beginning to end, it’s even excellent for an immediate re-read.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“An immensely likable heroine, a sexy man with a heart of gold, and touches of glitz and color, [this] is as unapologetically escapist as Cinderella. Lots of fun.”
—
BookPage
YOU AND NO OTHER
“The warmth and sincerity of the Graysons bring another book to life. . . . delightfully realistic.”
—
Romantic Times
“Astonishing sequel . . . the best romance of the new year . . . the Graysons are sure to leave a smile on your face and a longing in your heart for their next story.”
“There are three more [Grayson] children with great love stories in the future.”
—
Booklist
SOMEONE TO LOVE ME
“Another great romance novel.”
—
Booklist
“The plot moves quickly, and the characters are interesting.”
—
Romantic Times
“The characters give as good as they get, and their romance is very believable.”
—
All About Romance
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY FRANCIS RAY
The Graysons of New Mexico Series
Until There Was You
You and No Other
Dreaming of You
Irresistible You
Only You
The Grayson Friends Series
The Way You Love Me
Nobody But You
One Night with You
It Had to Be You
~
Someone to Love Me
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Rockin’ Around That Christmas Tree
(with Donna Hill)
Anthologies
Rosie’s Curl and Weave
Della’s House of Style
Welcome to Leo’s
Going to the Chapel
Gettin’ Merry
FRANCIS RAY
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Table of Contents
NOTE:
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ONLY HERS
Copyright © 1996 by Francis Ray.
Cover photograph © Shirley Green
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-36511-0
Printed in the United States of America
ARABESQUE BOOKS edition / August 2004
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / August 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To booksellers extraordinaire, Emma Rodgers and
Ashira Tosihwe, co-owners of Black Images Book
Bazaar in Dallas, Texas. Ladies, you’re the best.
Thanks for everything.
THE TAGGART FAMILY
“This may be your last chance.”
Shannon Johnson heard the ragged voice and barely recognized it as her own. She was closer to the edge than she wanted to admit. But at least she had a chance to keep from completely going over. She owed that to a man who understood her better than her family or James Harper, the man who wanted to marry her.
“Thanks, Wade,” she whispered, her throat tight with unshed tears. She had cried enough.
Hands gripped at her sides, she looked out over the flower-strewn meadow, heard the rushing water of a stream edged by towering cypress two hundred feet away, then brought her gaze back to the weathered log cabin to her left.
Arthur Ferguson, Wade’s lawyer, had told her the cabin was habitable. The old shack looked as if any strong wind would blow it down. She had heard Texas people were rugged, but she thought this was going a bit far.
Her prominent family in St. Louis would be horrified to think she contemplated, even for a moment, the idea of actually living in such a desolate place. But then, she had horrified her parents a lot.
Only one person in her family had always understood her and now he was gone.
Unclenching her hands with effort, Shannon turned to get a flashlight from the glove compartment of her car. She wanted to inspect the cabin. Gripping the flashlight, she refused to think it was too late to salvage her life and her career.
But she hadn’t wanted to come. That, too, had been forced on her. Two Code Blues and the subsequent loss of both patients in the ICCU unit where she was head nurse had sent her to the nursing lounge in tears. A job she once defied her parents to train for, she now dreaded.
“Go home, Shannon.”
Shannon flinched, her eyes snapping shut as she remembered the gentle but firm words of the nursing supervisor who had found her in the lounge fighting tears and an aching emptiness. The underlying reason for the directive—her increasing inability to function effectively since the death of her maternal grandfather from cancer three months previously—had sent her to Texas.
Shannon had seen death many times in her six years of nursing, but it had never taken someone so close to her. Although the specialists had given her grandfather only six months to live after his diagnosis, she had known doctors to be wrong and had desperately clung to that belief. She wasn’t prepared for the loss or the overwhelming sense that she, as a medical professional, had failed him.
Care of critical patients only intensified her emotional upheaval. Yet, somehow she knew moving to a less stressful unit wouldn’t help. Her grandfather’s death had taken its toll. She had lost her professional objectivity. She took things too personally and was preoccupied with her own loss. She wasn’t helping those entrusted to her by staying. They deserved and needed the full focus of their caregiver and she could no longer give it to them.
Losing Samuel J. Rhodes had left her floundering and unsure of herself. The worst part was not knowing if she was grieving for him or for herself. She had lost her champion, her confidant, her ally.
Shannon looked at the rough exterior of the cabin and shook her head. “You and I both have seen better days,” she muttered.