Dear Readers,

All my life I’ve heard that a person never truly forgets their first love. They may move on and love again, maybe even stronger than they did that first time around, but they never forget that person who truly made their heart do flip-flops for the very first time.

This is the story of Hud Baker and Rose O’Malley, who didn’t quite put out the embers that blazed when they were in middle school. Fate, Destiny, or God—maybe all three combined—have thrown them together again halfway across the state of Texas from where they grew up.

Having these characters in my head the whole time I was writing this story was quite an experience. At times I cried with them. At others, I giggled until tears rolled down my cheeks, and sometimes they even got into my dreams to tell me how to write the next chapter. I truly hope y’all enjoy reading their story as much as I did writing it.

As always, I have so many people to thank for helping me take this from an idea to the finished product you see on the shelves today. Let’s have a big round of applause for my agent, Erin Niumata, who’s been with me for more than twenty years, and for my agency, Folio Literary Management. Let’s hear it for Grand Central/Forever for continuing to believe in me, and for my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, for all her hard work in helping me to grow as a writer. And to my team at Grand Central for all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into copyedits, proofing, publicizing, and making the gorgeous covers for my books.

Now I’d like a standing ovation for my husband, Mr. B, who is always willing to do whatever it takes so I can write one more chapter. And who can be ready in thirty minutes to go on a road trip so I can see the areas that I’m writing about. It takes a special person to live with an author, and he does an amazing job of it. One more thank-you—to all my readers. For your notes, your encouragement, your reviews, your book club selections—I bow to you!

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Carolyn Brown