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  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  One Thanksgiving in Lusty, Texas

  Pamela knows time’s running out. Too soon, Drs. Adam and James Jessop will be leaving Maryland to return to Lusty, Texas. She’s drawn to both but won’t choose between them. She can’t see a happy ending here.

  Adam and James Jessop nearly let this chance slip through their fingers. Then they learn Pamela’s father needs help—and they use helping him to their advantage.

  Pamela agrees to marry them and return to Texas with them, grateful she no longer has to worry about her father. But the men don’t quite understand how their actions are interpreted by their family.

  Soon, Adam and James are trying to figure out how to correct their blunders, while their grandmothers, Chelsea Benedict Jessop-Kendall and Madeline Kennedy Benedict, have another mission in mind—finding the grifters who swindled Pamela’s father.

  Everyone agrees that Adam and James are clueless. But no one expected the turn the women’s mission takes when love strikes the most unlikely subjects.

  Genres: Contemporary, Historical, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys

  Length: 58,766

  ONE THANKSGIVING IN LUSTY, TEXAS

  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  Cara Covington

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  One Thanksgiving in Lusty, Texas

  Copyright © 2018 by Cara Covington

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-550-4

  First Publication: November 2018

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2018 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I write so that others may read. Without those readers, there would be no reason to write. I am continually humbled by the devotion of my readers. So to all of you who have, over the years supported me, I send to you my deepest and most sincere thank you.

  My more astute readers will recall a scene in an earlier book, about another “previous generation” mother, Abigail Parker Benedict and her suitors, Carson and Michael. The heroine in this story, Pamela Franklin Jessop, appeared in a scene in that earlier book, Labor Day In Lusty Texas, when the women of Lusty were making jam and memories. A portion of that scene appears in this book, from Pamela’s perspective. For the sake of continuity, I quoted Grandmother Chelsea exactly—because I really couldn’t make her words any better than they already were.

  A special shout out goes to all of my friends in the Lusty Ladies reader’s group. Thank you not only for reading and for your friendship, but for mentioning me and my books across the Internet. It means a lot to me that you’d take the time and the energy to support me in this way, and to promote me to your friends and strangers alike. I do count each and every one of you as a friend of mine, and you’re each of you true blessings to me.

  The act of writing a manuscript in and of itself is a solitary occupation. But it takes many people’s hard work to produce the book. I am indebted to all who have contributed to the production of this book. My thanks go to my beta readers, Angie Buchanan Jones and Sandy Ebel. Thank you, ladies for your keen insight and your wonderful sense of plot and characters.

  Last but never least, I am grateful to the professional women and men of Siren-BookStrand Publishing. My editor, Devin, truly is a gem and my copy editors are excellent. The entire team makes my work sparkle.

  Everlasting thanks goes to Amanda Hilton, for saying yes twelve years ago. I always hoped to someday be a published author; but not even in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would be a published author with more than fifty titles to my credit.

  Cara Covington

  November, 2018

  DEDICATION

  Thanksgiving is a time of family, and this series is a celebration of family. This book is dedicated to my husband, David, first and foremost. My partner in life for more than 46 years, he has stood with me far more often than against me. With each passing year, the bond between us only strengthens.

  This book is also dedicated to my children, two of whom are here on earth and my grandchildren, six of whom are here on earth, along with three and counting great-grandchildren.

  And to my son Anthony and my granddaughter, Avery Jessica, father and daughter, awaiting us all in Heaven.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Morgan Ashbury, also writing as Cara Covington, has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning, it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then, as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do, and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons and write.

  Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the Paper Rule: Thou shalt not throw out any paper that has thy mother’s words upon it.

  Believing in tradition, Morgan ensured that her children’s children learned this rule, too.

  Life threw Morgan a curve when, in 2002, she underwent emergency triple bypass surgery. Second chances are to be cherished, and with the encouragement and support of her husband, Morgan decided to use hers to do what she’d always dreamed of doing—writing full-time.

  Morgan has always loved writing romance. It is the one genre that can incorporate every other genre within its pulsating heart. Romance showcases all that humankind can aspire to be. And, she admits, she’s a sucker for a happy ending.

  Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and traveling—though she would rather you didn’t mention that last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.

  Morgan lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a nine-pound Morkie dog who thinks he’s a German shepherd, and her husband of forty-six years, brand new retiree and aspiring author, David.

  For all titles by Cara Covington, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/cara-covington

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ONE THANKSGIVING IN

  LUSTY, TEXAS

  Prologue

  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 E
ighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  ONE THANKSGIVING IN

  LUSTY, TEXAS

  The Lusty, Texas Collection

  CARA COVINGTON

  Copyright © 2018

  Prologue

  Thanksgiving Day, 2018

  Pamela Jessop sat back from the Thanksgiving feast they’d all just done their level best to completely devour. How wonderful that she could wallow in the company of her entire family—her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren, all sitting down at her dining table to a meal she’d prepared!

  Their family had increased slowly, first with her oldest two, Robert and David, who’d become doctors like her beloved husbands, marrying Jillian Gillespie. That daughter-in-law had a son from her first marriage, a wonderful young man named Brandon Gillespie, whom Pam had immediately considered her grandson.

  Brandon, a member of the United States Marine Corps, was home from serving overseas. Now stationed at Fort Bliss, he’d been able to make it to Lusty—to home—for the holiday. Pam still smiled fondly whenever she thought about the party to welcome him back from his latest deployment. At that party, they’d all discovered he’d met and served with Brittany Phillips Kendall. Pam’s niece by marriage, Brit had been wounded in service to their country and was a below-the-knee amputee. But that amazing young woman never let that injury define her or stop her from doing anything—including saving the lives of many of their nieces and nephews last June in the aftermath of a tornado strike. Brittany had pretty much decided to resign her officer’s commission. It was only a matter of time before she moved on to the next phase of her life—being an advocate for women veterans.

  Robbie, Davey, and Jillian had given her a granddaughter, as well. Colleen Cassandra, who’d be four next month, was a little sweetheart—half princess, half imp. Time goes by way too fast!

  Pam’s gaze took in her next eldest sons, Grant and Andrew. They’d become firefighters, which had been no surprise to her at all. She’d been so relieved when they’d come home from that smoke-jumper training—a little the worse for wear—and decided to settle down here in Lusty, where they came to be in charge of the town’s fire department. Of course, their wife, her daughter-in-law Chloe, had something to do with not only their having settled down but the contentment she could see on them both.

  Oh, how Chloe and Grant had fought that attraction in the beginning! But her son was a Jessop, and she’d had no concern about the eventual outcome of that particular battle. They were expecting their first child in February—just three months from now!

  Her daughter Rebecca was so happy with her husbands, Greg and Cody. Their first born, Kyle, was just five months old—and currently asleep on Cody’s shoulder. She knew that when Kyle became older, they’d all travel again. Greg was in charge of the world-renowned charity, Maria’s Quest. Begun by Kate Benedict and her husbands, the charity had been named for the daughter they had lost in a plane crash several years before.

  She thought she might tolerate her youngest traveling, because now she was grounded and happy.

  Pamela’s gaze turned to her youngest son, Marcus—Marc, as he preferred to be called now—and she wasn’t the least surprised that, when she looked at him, it was his gaze she met. Even as a child he’d been particularly tuned in to her, and vice versa. Looking at him now, she knew he was a man at peace.

  This was the first major holiday he’d shared with them in ten years. He’d left Lusty to be a medical researcher, first in Waco and then later, with the CDC in Atlanta. While there, he’d been recruited to serve his country working for another government agency—one that operated in the shadows. His presence today, and the presence at her table and in their family of his husband and wife—Jeremy Bishop and April Bixby—meant that her children had all found their forever mates. They were each of them thriving, and a new generation had begun.

  That reality, new and pending grandchildren, gave Pamela Jessop a great deal to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day.

  Of course, she couldn’t think about this holiday without recalling her very first Thanksgiving in Lusty—and the early months of her marriage, leading up to it. Pamela could still hear her dear mother-in-law, Maria Sanchez Jessop, counsel her to take her time before she forgave her “cabezón, idiota, exasperante” sons, and Grandmother Chelsea—Chelsea Benedict Jessop-Kendall. Grandmother had been the one, and it had been seconded by Maria, who’d suggested Thanksgiving as the day to choose to hold their commitment ceremony. Maria had explained that way, Adam and James would always remember what they had to be thankful for.

  I miss those good women so much. How lucky Pam had been to arrive in Lusty, motherless, and find another loving mother in Maria Jessop, and a grandmother in Chelsea.

  “I know that smile,” Adam said. “You’re savoring having all your chicks together.” He reached over and covered her right hand with his left.

  “I am indeed. And I’m feeling very thankful—and remembering our first Thanksgiving together.”

  “That you forgave us, all those years ago, is something I’m thankful for every day, not just on Thanksgiving.” James covered her left hand with his right. All her men had to do was look at her a certain way or touch her hands, like they were doing now, and she wanted them.

  She’d been so sure in those early days that the passion, the desire would fade. One of the things Pamela was most thankful for was that absolutely had never happened.

  “Well, that certainly sounds interesting,” April said.

  “Mom, it’s been years since you told us the story of how you and the dads got together.” Rebecca looked over at Chloe.

  “I’ve only heard it once,” Chloe said. “I remember thinking at the time that a couple of firemen were quite a lot like their fathers—assuming to know what a woman wants instead of asking.”

  She gave her husbands a sly little glance, her smile at once sweet and mischievous.

  “Please share your story,” April said. “I’d really love to hear it.”

  “And this time, sweetheart, tell them the whole story.” Adam lifted her hand and kissed it. The look he gave her simply warmed her to the very depths of her soul.

  “They’re old enough now to hear the unabridged version,” James said. He leaned over and gave her a brief kiss. Then he looked at their family. “Adam and I weren’t the most polished of suitors. We hemmed and hawed—nearly missing our chance. And then, when the moment really wasn’t right, we coerced your mother into marrying us with a bribe.”

  “You did what?” Rebecca’s jaw dropped, which pretty much was the reaction around the table.

  Pam sighed. “Now, sweetheart, it wasn’t as bad as your dad just made it sound.”

  “Maybe not,” Adam said. “But it sure as hell set us out on the wrong foot. And then of course, not being overly smooth, we tangled things up even more.” He shook his head. “Our beginning together was…awkward.”

  “Yes, it was.” She smiled at the assembled family. “But I didn’t mind at all because what your fathers didn’t know at the time was the offer they made, as ham-handed and opportunistic as it appeared to be, actually ended up granting me my deepest, darkest wish…”

  Chapter One

  March 1975

  Pamela Franklin lowered her driver’s side window once she was out of the heavy city traffic. She inhaled deeply and felt a profound contentment settle within. Spring was in the air today, and she reveled in the fresh, clean scent.

  True, it was nearly the end of March, and the weather here turned warmer sooner than it did in more northern locales. But this particular Friday evening just west of Baltimore, Maryland, the air smelled like spring.

  Her drive home from work in the nearby city, once she was in the country, would be surrounded by the sight of what she thought of as a country patchwork—the green of fields already sown and growing and the rich brown of fields plowed, some separated by a line of trees, creating the most b
eautiful tapestry she’d ever seen. Pamela reveled in that, too.

  She shook her head. “You’re just in a good mood because you have a date tonight.” Alone, she indulged in her habit of speaking to herself aloud. “Maybe that’s a habit I should break now, talking to myself, while I’m still young.” She laughed. “Nope. If I get old and dotty, I’ll just talk to myself whenever the urge strikes.” Let her future kids and grandkids frown and worry about that. Her personal opinion was when a body reached a certain age, they should be able to do whatever the hell they wanted to do.

  “Just too bad that isn’t the way it is for twenty-four-year-old smitten lab techs.” Pam sighed.

  That was a damn shame. If she could have her deepest darkest wish, it would be that she could marry two men, instead of one. Her heart thudded just thinking about it—about them. She knew she should feel ashamed of herself, having such a…well, such a naughty wish. But she just couldn’t help it, and shame was the last thing she felt.

  “Those two doctors named Jessop have my heart racing and my head spinning.” And that really was the problem. On the one hand, she wanted one of them, Adam or James Jessop, to make a move on her. On the other hand, she didn’t because…well, because she just didn’t know how the hell she’d ever choose between them.

  In the advanced year of 1975, society had changed enormously from the way it had been for previous generations. But not, sadly, quite that much.

  Simply thinking their names brought their images front and center. They’d met in one of the cafeterias at Johns Hopkins. She would never forget that day, because that was the day her life had changed. She’d been drawn to them on first sight. As the days passed, they’d met for lunch or coffee. They’d gone to movies and taken in art shows. They’d shared thoughts and moments, silly and poignant. They’d listened as she’d told them of her recent loss, for her mother hadn’t been long gone when they’d met. Thinking about them now, she felt her smile go dreamy.