A Husband in Time

A Husband in Time
Maggie Shayne

The man had come to Jane Fortune from out of nowhere. He couldn't explain who he was, but Jane's young son could.The little boy insisted Zach was his imaginary daddy come to life, the father he'd always wanted. And even Jane couldn't deny that he was oddly familiar–and the husband she'd always dreamed of. Yet the clock was ticking on the family they'd formed, because Jane had discovered exactly who Zach was. And only a twist of time could keep him home….

Kate Fortune’s Journal Entry

That old clapboard New England home holds such special memories for me. I’m so pleased that my granddaughter Jane and her son, Cody, are making good use of it. She and her little boy have had a rough time of it. When Cody’s father abandoned Jane before Cody was even born, I knew the road ahead would be difficult. But her family has always been there to support her. Now I hope some of the “magic” of the house weaves its spell around her. And that she’ll finally be able to discover true love….

A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear Reader,

It isn’t often I get the chance to speak directly to you at the beginning of a book, and I’m so glad my editors at Silhouette gave me that opportunity with A Husband in Time. I’m very excited to be a part of this special series, and was even more thrilled when I learned the type of story I would be asked to write. When you read it, I’m sure you’ll see why.

A Husband in Time is my twelfth novel with Silhouette. From the very first book, I’ve felt the warmth of those of you who read them. Through the letters you send me, and the books you buy, you let me know that the work I put in to these stories is worth the effort, because someone, somewhere, is getting pleasure from reading them. That’s what makes it all worthwhile. And it’s also what keeps me punching away at the keyboard, day after day. As long as you keep enjoying them, I’ll keep writing them.

Happy reading!

A Husband in Time

Maggie Shayne

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

MAGGIE SHAYNE,

a USA TODAY bestselling author whom Romantic Times calls “brilliantly inventive,” has written more than twenty-five novels for Silhouette.

Maggie has won numerous awards, including two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards. A five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA

Award, Maggie also writes mainstream contemporary fantasy and romantic suspense for MIRA Books, and has contributed story lines to network daytime soap operas.

She lives in rural Otselic, New York, with her husband, Rick, with whom she shares five beautiful daughters, two English bulldogs and two grandchildren.

Meet the Fortunes—three generations of a family with a legacy of wealth, influence and power. As they unite to face an unknown enemy, shocking family secrets are revealed…and passionate new romances are ignited.

JANE FORTUNE: The single mother secretly dreams of finding a husband, and a father for her six-year-old son. She has almost given up hope until a mystery man comes to her out of nowhere….

ZACH BOLTON: He can’t explain who he is, or where he’s come from. He feels at home with Jane and her son, but can he stay with them—forever?

MONICA MALONE: She now owns major shares in Fortune Cosmetics. What further havoc will she create to claim the rest of the Fortune wealth?

JAKE FORTUNE: The hardworking family man is hiding a deep, dark secret. Is he in cahoots with Monica? Once his secret is discovered, the Fortune empire might come tumbling down….

NATALIE FORTUNE: Kindhearted schoolteacher. Could a farmhouse and St. Bernard inherited from her grandmother lead to the exciting romance with a dashing man she’s been dreaming of?

LIZ JONES — CELEBRITY GOSSIP

I s anyone but me wondering why Jake Fortune sold Monica Malone sizable shares of stock in Fortune Cosmetics? After all, Monica is just a faded starlet coasting on her former glory and fame. Do you suppose Jake and Monica are having a torrid affair? Or perhaps the shrewd Monica is holding some juicy secret over Jake’s head and blackmailing him? Rumors are running rampant.

The rest of the Fortunes are up in arms. Now Monica owns a big piece of the business, and who knows what type of control she’ll want to wield.

This is going to be a battle to the bitter end. And I’m putting my money on the Fortunes!

Contents

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

Epilogue

One

August 4, 1897

S ix-year-old Benjamin Bolton rested against a stack of pillows in his bedroom—the first room on the left, right at the top of the stairs. He couldn’t get out of bed very often, not at all without his father’s help. But Father had turned his bed around and tied the curtains open so that Ben could see the sky as he lay there. And tonight, as he stared up at the sparkling night sky, he saw a shooting star…and then another, and a third. They zipped across their blue-black home, leaving white-hot trails, and though it wasn’t very scientific at all, Benjamin closed his eyes and wished with everything in him.

“Three shooting stars, that’s three wishes for me. I wish…” He bit his lip, thinking hard to be sure he’d word the wishes right, and not waste them. “I wish to be well again, so I can run and play outdoors, and ride my pony, and not die like they all think I’m going to, even though they don’t say it out loud.”

He drew a breath, heard the wheezy sound it made as it whistled into his weakened lungs. His head hurt. He ached most everywhere, and he was dog-tired. His eyes tried to close, but he forced them open. This was important, and he still had two wishes to go.

“I wish for a mother. A real mother, who will love me and read to me… And who isn’t afraid of bullfrogs, like Mrs. Haversham is.” He smiled after he made the wish, because he was sure he’d worded it just right.

Licking his lips, Benjamin squeezed his eyes tight, and made the third wish, the one he’d been wishing for all his life. “And I wish for a big brother. I promise I won’t ever fight with him or tease. I would like for him to be smart, and brave, and strong, just like my father. I’ll even share my pony with him.”

Ben opened his eyes, gazing out the window. No trace of the stars remained. But they’d been there. He’d seen them. And now an odd, warm feeling settled over him, just like a big woolly blanket. Somehow, he just knew everything was going to be all right.

August 4, 1997

Cody Fortune glanced up from the laptop computer his mom had given him for his tenth birthday, turning his head just in time to see the three shooting stars arching over their car as it rolled over the narrow, deserted roads of Maine, heading for the coast and their new home.

“Wow,” he whispered, craning his neck for a better look. Of all the things he’d seen on this trip from Minnesota, this was the most incredible. Three at once. It had to be an anomaly.

“Did you see that, Mom?”

“What?”

“Three shooting stars, right in a row!”

She smiled at him, only taking her eyes from the road for a second. “So, why don’t you make a wish? Or are you too skeptical for that?”

Cody Fortune was far too intelligent to believe in any such thing as wishing on stars. But he knew his mom didn’t like him taking life too seriously, and some touch of whimsy moved him to close his eyes and whisper the things that had been on his mind the most lately. “I wish I had a dad,” he said softly. “And a little brother, because it gets so darn boring being an only child. We’d have great times together. And I wish…” He licked his lips, opened his eyes and stared up at the sky. His eyes watered just a little bit, but he blinked them dry again. “I wish for my mom to be happy. Really happy. ’Cause I know she isn’t. I can’t remember when she was.”

He lowered his head, and his mother’s soft hand stroked his hair. “Of course I’m happy, Cody. I have you, and a new house in a small town, just like I’ve always wanted. What more could I need?”