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Long, Tall Texans #1, 2
Long, Tall Texans Vol. I: Calhoun & Justin
CALHOUN
Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
JUSTIN
Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?
Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
JUSTIN
Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 24, 2014
18 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,042 books3,097 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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September 9, 2018Calhoun:
The Ballenger's father had been killed in a car accident two days before he was to be married to the mother of Abigail (Abby) Clark. Justin and Calhoun had taken her in and become her wards. Calhoun took his job seriously and made it difficult for Abby to date anyone. He wouldn't allow her to see any movie's he didn't approve of which meant she led a very sheltered life.
Abby was nearing 21 and wanted to experience life. She was in line to see a male review and Calhoun saw her. He took her home. Abby called her friend Misty to confide in her and complain. It was obvious to anyone who knew Abby that she was in love with Calhoun but he didn't seem to care.
Abby worked for the Ballenger's after finishing school. The boys owned a mammoth feedlot operation where Abby was the secretary.
Abby decided to go out one night with Misty and she ordered a drink. She ran into Tyler there. Tyler was brother to Shelby, Justin's ex. Even he could tell that Abby wanted Calhoun and was used to his close watch over her. He asked where Calhoun was and Abby said she didn't care and Tyler left. Misty went to get Tyler back to help her get Abby into her car to take her home when Calhoun showed up. Abby had been left alone at the table and a drunk man made a pass at Abby. He had grabbed Abby and Calhoun saw it and hit the man, knocking him out. He took Abby home and she got ready for bed and laid down. Calhoun came into her room and saw the top half of her body uncovered and finally recognized the fact that she was now a grown woman.
He became moody and his brother, Justin, recognized that he might be thinking of Abby as more than his ward now. He spoke to Abby about how miserable she was and suggested that she try a little harder to cover her feelings about Calhoun. She decided to try.
It wasn't long before Calhoun came into her room one morning and kissed her. She was frightened by the intensity of the kiss and told him he was hurting her. He let her go and then he realized what he had done. He avoided her for a few days and she recognized the fact that she had gotten his attention and that she had never felt that kind of passion before. She had hurt his pride by telling him he was hurting her.
Tyler asked her to a barn dance and she went. She was getting ready to leave the house when she noticed that Justin and Calhoun would be there too. They went and she danced with Tyler while Calhoun danced with Shelby. She and Justin were both jealous and left after Calhoun took Shelby home. They thought that the two of them were making out when in reality Calhoun took her home and then went back to the dance to check on Abby. That it was took him so long to get home to see that Justin was drunk and had given alcohol to Abby. He had to put her to bed again and this time they kissed and he told her that he knew she was attracted to him and he wanted her. She told him that she loved him. He told her that he wasn't the marrying kind and he didn't believe in love. He left on a trip the next morning to get away from her. He couldn't get her out of his head.
Abby decided to find another place to live and moved into a room in someone else's house. She turned in her notice at work and went to work for an insurance company. Calhoun came into work and found out she was leaving. She told him that she had a date with Tyler the next evening and he told her he wanted to take her out. She was surprised by accepted.
He picked her up and they went to Houston for dinner and dancing. He took her back to his apartment and they were interrupted by a woman he knew who had come to see him. She saw Abby with him and told her that she felt sorry for her because Calhoun didn't have a heart and would never marry her. Abby wondered if it was true and Calhoun realized that she was worried about this being true about him. He dropped Abby off and told her that she wouldn't see him again until her birthday party. It was a few weeks off and was to be held at his and Justin's house.
Calhoun and Justin talked about the situation between Justin and Shelby and his situation with Abby. Calhoun was surprised when Justin told him that he didn't believe in sex until after marriage and that he hadn't had sex with anyone because he wanted Shelby. He was still in love with her. Calhoun said he didn't know what love was because he hadn't seen any examples of it in his life. His father went out with lots of women too. He had stayed with Abby's mother but they died before they could be married. Justin asked Calhoun if he could see his life without Abby in it. That got Calhoun thinking.
The party came and Calhoun wasn't there. Abby was worried that he was out with another woman. Justin told her that he didn't know where Calhoun was but he was angry that he hadn't shown up. Abby cried and Justin told her that he would have a good reason for not coming and to try and have fun without him. She asked Justin why Calhoun didn't like her friend, Misty. Justin told Abby that Misty was supposed to be her friend and had propositioned Calhoun. Calhoun didn't think much of Misty after that because Misty knew how Abby felt about him.
Calhoun showed up and Abby tried to be mad. Tyler told Abby to go talk to him and find out what happened to him. He had been in a hurry to get to the party and had wrecked his car. He took Abby to the library and started to remove her clothes and asked her to marry him. She told him she would and they proceeded to dress and sneak up to his room. They ran into Justin who stopped them and told them to go back downstairs. They told Justin they were going to be married and he told them that they could wait until then to make love.
Abby spoke to Shelby that night and found out that she and Justin had broke up because her father and one of his friends had told Justin that she had sex with someone while she was engaged to Justin. Justin refused to believe her and she returned his ring. They were still in love with each other but they refused to discuss what happened with each other. It had been six years and neither had gotten over the other.
Abby and Calhoun were married the next day and Calhoun asked Abby to live with him on a house he had bought thinking to use it for offices. She told him that she would be happy anywhere with him. She realized that they could live with Justin because it would be awkward.
Justin:
Abby & Calhoun had been married for 6 weeks when Abby saw Justin at an auction. His ex-fiance, Shelby's childhood home was up for auction. Shelby and Tyler's father had made some bad investments and died leaving them in debt. They had tried to hold onto their home but failed. Shelby had been the daughter of a wealthy man when she and Justin were younger. Justin thought that Bass Jacobs approved of him. He believed Bass when Bass told him that Shelby was just using him to make Tom Wheeler jealous. Their engagement had gotten the response she wanted from Tom and they were going to be married. Bass returned the engagement ring to Justin that he had given Shelby. Justin called Shelby and she confirmed what her father had told him. Bass then gave Justin the money he needed to start the feedlot business. Justin didn't know that Bass didn't approve of him and had forced Shelby to lie to him. Shelby had been threatened by her father that Justin would lose everything he had if she didn't go along with him so she did as she was told. She had first refused to go along with his plans to marry Tom and he started proceedings to bankrupt the Ballenger's. She gave in and her father found a way to have the bankruptcy halted. Justin didn't know that Shelby's father had almost cost them their business and Shelby didn't know that her father had given money to the brother's to keep it. She hadn't told anyone what her father had done, not even Tyler.
Justin went to see Shelby when he noticed she wasn't at the auction. Abby told him she was moving into the rooms above the office where she worked. Justin didn't like her living above where she worked for the bachelor and womanizer, Barry Holman. She didn't like the place either.
Justin made a comment to her and she told Justin that she had never slept with Tom Wheeler. Justin had scared her when he they had gone too far for her to be comfortable the night they became engaged. She had backed off and Justin had taken it as a rejection and proof that she didn't really want him. She never told him the reason that she was uncomfortable with is touching her. They hadn't spoken of her reasons still after 6 years. Shelby was 27 now and still a virgin.
Justin offered to give Shelby money to move into Mrs. Simpson's place where Abby had lived before her and Calhoun married. They talked on the way and Justin offered to marry Shelby and let her live in his house. Shelby thought about his offer and decided to accept. He made to offer in such a manner that it sounded like he was making the offer out of pity and because he felt sorry for her. She hoped to convince him that she still loved him and that her father hadn't really liked Justin. Justin made it clear that he still thought that Bass had told him the truth and had approved of him. Shelby hoped that Justin didn't hate her and wasn't determined to punish her as revenge for the broken engagement. He told her that he didn't think they needed a church wedding and she told him she wanted one. He told her not to wear white and she was determined to do just that. She told him she was still a virgin but it was obvious from his comment about her not wearing a white dress that he didn't believe her. He said it would take a doctor to prove it and they were interrupted before the conversation went any further.
Shelby went to her doctor for the necessary blood tests and he told her that sex would be painful if she didn't have a minor surgery. She told him he could perform the necessary surgery but she wanted to make make sure that her husband could still tells he was a virgin. He wanted to do a more extensive procedure but agreed. They were married and she chose a white suit to wear even though Justin told her he would walk out if she wore white.
They came home together and she was to stay in the guest room. Justin couldn't seem to help himself from making hurtful comments to her. She admitted to being frightened by him and he took it that she was frigid. She told him again that she hadn't slept with Tom Wheeler and ended up telling him that maybe Tom got more out of her than he ever would. She didn't realize that Justin hungered for her but was afraid to trust her for fear of the hurt it would cause him.
Shelby became reckless in her ideas for things to do to occupy her time. She was bored and unhappy. She purchased Abby's old sports car when her car broke down. Justin wasn't paying any attention to what she was doing until Calhoun mentioned the car to him. He went home that night and argued about her owning it. She told him she was returning it. They fought again and once again he felt rejected at the fear he saw in her. He thought about a comment Calhoun had made to him in the office about it being strange that she seemed so frightened of intimacy if she was so experienced with other men. They argued and she told Justin that she suffered from their break up too. She told him that she had done it because she was trying to keep her father from hurting him. He left the room and she went for a ride in her car. She wasn't paying attention to her driving and ran a stop sign, nearly colliding with a truck. She ran off into a ditch and Justin had been following her and lifted her out. She kissed him then and he was surprised. It was the first time she had ever made the first move toward him.
They went home and he took her to the emergency room to get checked out. The dr. gave her some pain pills. She took them and went to sleep. She then had another nightmare about a wreck she had in Switzerland after she broke up with Justin. She had wrecked her car, broken a leg and a few ribs. Justine heard her screaming and came in to check on her. They kissed and she pushed him off once again. He got angry and left the room. She knew she needed to tell Justin about her problem but didn't know how to talk to him about such intimate things. She was headed to his room to tell him and they started talking when he started trying to make love to her again. She pushed him off and he got angry and told her to leave. She went downstairs to get a drink and he soon followed. He told her he was sorry and had realized that she was not frightened of him as much as the intimacy itself. She told him he was right and he told her that he would let her set the pace. They got to the point of having sex and he realized how much pain she was in. He knew now that she was a virgin. He asked why she hadn't told him that she had a problem with sex. They finally talked about her problem and the procedure she had before they were married and that the dr. had wanted to do more but she refused to let him. He told her then that they would go back to the dr. to let him do whatever needed to be done so that sex wouldn't cause her so much pain. He then took her to bed with him and they spent the night sleeping together for the first time. He finally believed what she had told him about her father before they went to sleep.
Abby had the procedure she needed and they got along well for awhile. She felt like there was still something missing in their relationship but she didn't worry about it for awhile. She and Abby got together to plan a surprise birthday party for Calhoun at her house and Abby mentioned how much the girl now working at her office looked like Shelby and Shelby agreed. Shelby hadn't mentioned to Justin the girl that her boss hired to take her place while she was given a couple of day off when she got married. The woman and her boss seemed to fight a lot. Justin took Shelby to work one morning and he was outside waiting for her. Justin dropped her off but he was jealous. Justin didn't know that the woman had locked herself inside Barry's office and he had called the fire dept. to get her out. The fire chief showed up and found out what was going on. Lucille came out of the office then and went outside with Shelby while the fire chief yelled at Barry. Shelby and Barry talked later after he fired Lucille. Shelby talked Barry into bringing her back to work. Shelby knew it wouldn't be long before they realized that they were meant for each other.
Justin made a trip to Wyoming to help a friend out. He didn't take Shelby with him because the man hated women. His wife had left him and their son for another man. Shelby told him to come by and pick her up after work that night. She was surprised that he never showed up.
Justin had gone by the office to pick up Shelby and had seen the shadows of Lucille and Barry kissing in his office. He didn't know about Lucille and thought that it was Shelby kissing her boss. He was furious and went home angry at Shelby for misleading him. He knew he was in love with her although he had never told her. He was hurting but the past led him to believe that she was cheating on him.
Shelby had no idea what was going on. She realized that he was angry and he told her that he didn't want her anymore. She could stay with him and he would see that she was taken care of. Shelby wasn't given a chance to tell Justin she was pregnant.
The day of the party came and Justin had invited Tom Wheeler to the party. When Shelby saw him she threw a vase at him and chased him off the property. She couldn't believe that Justin had asked him there. She was furious at Justin and told him that she was tired and had enough. She couldn't take any more from him. She had made up her mind to leave in the morning. Abby took her to her room to lie down when Lucille came to see her. Justin was in the room when Lucille told Abby that she was engaged. She mentioned that others knew because she had been seen kissing her boss that day through the shadows on his window shades. Justin knew then that he had made a mistake because their profiles were similar. Shelby didn't see his expression when he realized that he had made a mistake in treating her like he had.
Justin apologized to Shelby but she was really tired and even though he said he was sorry, she knew the relationship was in trouble if he couldn't get over the past. She had made up her mind to leave and called her cousin and friend in Houston and asked to come stay with her awhile.
Justin went to work in the morning and his housekeeper called Abby and told her that Shelby had packed and left to go to Houston. Abby went to Justin and told him that he needed to go get Shelby at the airport. Justin told her that he was tired of hurting her and he was going to let her go. Abby then told Justin that Shelby was pregnant to try and get him to do something. He was now in shock and just sat there in his office. Abby went and got Calhoun. She told him what was going on and Calhoun drove Justin to the airport. The plane to Houston took off 2 minutes after they got to the gate.
Justin went to the bar to get a drink and Calhoun went to get tickets for Justin on the next flight to Houston. He ran into Shelby when he separated from Justin. Shelby was booked on the next flight out. He told Shelby to come see how miserable Justin was and she went and talked to him. Calhoun took them home and invited them to dinner.
They ended up making love and forgot about the time. They left most of their clothes in the library and Justin wrapped a towel with a frog on it around his waist to go to the kitchen and get some food when Calhoun walked in. Calhoun teased him for finding Justin dressed in the frog towel and reminded him he was supposed to come to dinner. Justin was embarrassed and told Calhoun that he would be over in 30 minutes. It was obvious what had distracted Justin and he was embarrassed to be caught.
Abby re-heated the Irish Stew she had made and waited for Justin and Shelby to come eat dinner with them. Calhoun and Abby were happy to see that Justin and Shelby were once again reunited. They felt it was going to last this time.
The Ballenger's father had been killed in a car accident two days before he was to be married to the mother of Abigail (Abby) Clark. Justin and Calhoun had taken her in and become her wards. Calhoun took his job seriously and made it difficult for Abby to date anyone. He wouldn't allow her to see any movie's he didn't approve of which meant she led a very sheltered life.
Abby was nearing 21 and wanted to experience life. She was in line to see a male review and Calhoun saw her. He took her home. Abby called her friend Misty to confide in her and complain. It was obvious to anyone who knew Abby that she was in love with Calhoun but he didn't seem to care.
Abby worked for the Ballenger's after finishing school. The boys owned a mammoth feedlot operation where Abby was the secretary.
Abby decided to go out one night with Misty and she ordered a drink. She ran into Tyler there. Tyler was brother to Shelby, Justin's ex. Even he could tell that Abby wanted Calhoun and was used to his close watch over her. He asked where Calhoun was and Abby said she didn't care and Tyler left. Misty went to get Tyler back to help her get Abby into her car to take her home when Calhoun showed up. Abby had been left alone at the table and a drunk man made a pass at Abby. He had grabbed Abby and Calhoun saw it and hit the man, knocking him out. He took Abby home and she got ready for bed and laid down. Calhoun came into her room and saw the top half of her body uncovered and finally recognized the fact that she was now a grown woman.
He became moody and his brother, Justin, recognized that he might be thinking of Abby as more than his ward now. He spoke to Abby about how miserable she was and suggested that she try a little harder to cover her feelings about Calhoun. She decided to try.
It wasn't long before Calhoun came into her room one morning and kissed her. She was frightened by the intensity of the kiss and told him he was hurting her. He let her go and then he realized what he had done. He avoided her for a few days and she recognized the fact that she had gotten his attention and that she had never felt that kind of passion before. She had hurt his pride by telling him he was hurting her.
Tyler asked her to a barn dance and she went. She was getting ready to leave the house when she noticed that Justin and Calhoun would be there too. They went and she danced with Tyler while Calhoun danced with Shelby. She and Justin were both jealous and left after Calhoun took Shelby home. They thought that the two of them were making out when in reality Calhoun took her home and then went back to the dance to check on Abby. That it was took him so long to get home to see that Justin was drunk and had given alcohol to Abby. He had to put her to bed again and this time they kissed and he told her that he knew she was attracted to him and he wanted her. She told him that she loved him. He told her that he wasn't the marrying kind and he didn't believe in love. He left on a trip the next morning to get away from her. He couldn't get her out of his head.
Abby decided to find another place to live and moved into a room in someone else's house. She turned in her notice at work and went to work for an insurance company. Calhoun came into work and found out she was leaving. She told him that she had a date with Tyler the next evening and he told her he wanted to take her out. She was surprised by accepted.
He picked her up and they went to Houston for dinner and dancing. He took her back to his apartment and they were interrupted by a woman he knew who had come to see him. She saw Abby with him and told her that she felt sorry for her because Calhoun didn't have a heart and would never marry her. Abby wondered if it was true and Calhoun realized that she was worried about this being true about him. He dropped Abby off and told her that she wouldn't see him again until her birthday party. It was a few weeks off and was to be held at his and Justin's house.
Calhoun and Justin talked about the situation between Justin and Shelby and his situation with Abby. Calhoun was surprised when Justin told him that he didn't believe in sex until after marriage and that he hadn't had sex with anyone because he wanted Shelby. He was still in love with her. Calhoun said he didn't know what love was because he hadn't seen any examples of it in his life. His father went out with lots of women too. He had stayed with Abby's mother but they died before they could be married. Justin asked Calhoun if he could see his life without Abby in it. That got Calhoun thinking.
The party came and Calhoun wasn't there. Abby was worried that he was out with another woman. Justin told her that he didn't know where Calhoun was but he was angry that he hadn't shown up. Abby cried and Justin told her that he would have a good reason for not coming and to try and have fun without him. She asked Justin why Calhoun didn't like her friend, Misty. Justin told Abby that Misty was supposed to be her friend and had propositioned Calhoun. Calhoun didn't think much of Misty after that because Misty knew how Abby felt about him.
Calhoun showed up and Abby tried to be mad. Tyler told Abby to go talk to him and find out what happened to him. He had been in a hurry to get to the party and had wrecked his car. He took Abby to the library and started to remove her clothes and asked her to marry him. She told him she would and they proceeded to dress and sneak up to his room. They ran into Justin who stopped them and told them to go back downstairs. They told Justin they were going to be married and he told them that they could wait until then to make love.
Abby spoke to Shelby that night and found out that she and Justin had broke up because her father and one of his friends had told Justin that she had sex with someone while she was engaged to Justin. Justin refused to believe her and she returned his ring. They were still in love with each other but they refused to discuss what happened with each other. It had been six years and neither had gotten over the other.
Abby and Calhoun were married the next day and Calhoun asked Abby to live with him on a house he had bought thinking to use it for offices. She told him that she would be happy anywhere with him. She realized that they could live with Justin because it would be awkward.
Justin:
Abby & Calhoun had been married for 6 weeks when Abby saw Justin at an auction. His ex-fiance, Shelby's childhood home was up for auction. Shelby and Tyler's father had made some bad investments and died leaving them in debt. They had tried to hold onto their home but failed. Shelby had been the daughter of a wealthy man when she and Justin were younger. Justin thought that Bass Jacobs approved of him. He believed Bass when Bass told him that Shelby was just using him to make Tom Wheeler jealous. Their engagement had gotten the response she wanted from Tom and they were going to be married. Bass returned the engagement ring to Justin that he had given Shelby. Justin called Shelby and she confirmed what her father had told him. Bass then gave Justin the money he needed to start the feedlot business. Justin didn't know that Bass didn't approve of him and had forced Shelby to lie to him. Shelby had been threatened by her father that Justin would lose everything he had if she didn't go along with him so she did as she was told. She had first refused to go along with his plans to marry Tom and he started proceedings to bankrupt the Ballenger's. She gave in and her father found a way to have the bankruptcy halted. Justin didn't know that Shelby's father had almost cost them their business and Shelby didn't know that her father had given money to the brother's to keep it. She hadn't told anyone what her father had done, not even Tyler.
Justin went to see Shelby when he noticed she wasn't at the auction. Abby told him she was moving into the rooms above the office where she worked. Justin didn't like her living above where she worked for the bachelor and womanizer, Barry Holman. She didn't like the place either.
Justin made a comment to her and she told Justin that she had never slept with Tom Wheeler. Justin had scared her when he they had gone too far for her to be comfortable the night they became engaged. She had backed off and Justin had taken it as a rejection and proof that she didn't really want him. She never told him the reason that she was uncomfortable with is touching her. They hadn't spoken of her reasons still after 6 years. Shelby was 27 now and still a virgin.
Justin offered to give Shelby money to move into Mrs. Simpson's place where Abby had lived before her and Calhoun married. They talked on the way and Justin offered to marry Shelby and let her live in his house. Shelby thought about his offer and decided to accept. He made to offer in such a manner that it sounded like he was making the offer out of pity and because he felt sorry for her. She hoped to convince him that she still loved him and that her father hadn't really liked Justin. Justin made it clear that he still thought that Bass had told him the truth and had approved of him. Shelby hoped that Justin didn't hate her and wasn't determined to punish her as revenge for the broken engagement. He told her that he didn't think they needed a church wedding and she told him she wanted one. He told her not to wear white and she was determined to do just that. She told him she was still a virgin but it was obvious from his comment about her not wearing a white dress that he didn't believe her. He said it would take a doctor to prove it and they were interrupted before the conversation went any further.
Shelby went to her doctor for the necessary blood tests and he told her that sex would be painful if she didn't have a minor surgery. She told him he could perform the necessary surgery but she wanted to make make sure that her husband could still tells he was a virgin. He wanted to do a more extensive procedure but agreed. They were married and she chose a white suit to wear even though Justin told her he would walk out if she wore white.
They came home together and she was to stay in the guest room. Justin couldn't seem to help himself from making hurtful comments to her. She admitted to being frightened by him and he took it that she was frigid. She told him again that she hadn't slept with Tom Wheeler and ended up telling him that maybe Tom got more out of her than he ever would. She didn't realize that Justin hungered for her but was afraid to trust her for fear of the hurt it would cause him.
Shelby became reckless in her ideas for things to do to occupy her time. She was bored and unhappy. She purchased Abby's old sports car when her car broke down. Justin wasn't paying any attention to what she was doing until Calhoun mentioned the car to him. He went home that night and argued about her owning it. She told him she was returning it. They fought again and once again he felt rejected at the fear he saw in her. He thought about a comment Calhoun had made to him in the office about it being strange that she seemed so frightened of intimacy if she was so experienced with other men. They argued and she told Justin that she suffered from their break up too. She told him that she had done it because she was trying to keep her father from hurting him. He left the room and she went for a ride in her car. She wasn't paying attention to her driving and ran a stop sign, nearly colliding with a truck. She ran off into a ditch and Justin had been following her and lifted her out. She kissed him then and he was surprised. It was the first time she had ever made the first move toward him.
They went home and he took her to the emergency room to get checked out. The dr. gave her some pain pills. She took them and went to sleep. She then had another nightmare about a wreck she had in Switzerland after she broke up with Justin. She had wrecked her car, broken a leg and a few ribs. Justine heard her screaming and came in to check on her. They kissed and she pushed him off once again. He got angry and left the room. She knew she needed to tell Justin about her problem but didn't know how to talk to him about such intimate things. She was headed to his room to tell him and they started talking when he started trying to make love to her again. She pushed him off and he got angry and told her to leave. She went downstairs to get a drink and he soon followed. He told her he was sorry and had realized that she was not frightened of him as much as the intimacy itself. She told him he was right and he told her that he would let her set the pace. They got to the point of having sex and he realized how much pain she was in. He knew now that she was a virgin. He asked why she hadn't told him that she had a problem with sex. They finally talked about her problem and the procedure she had before they were married and that the dr. had wanted to do more but she refused to let him. He told her then that they would go back to the dr. to let him do whatever needed to be done so that sex wouldn't cause her so much pain. He then took her to bed with him and they spent the night sleeping together for the first time. He finally believed what she had told him about her father before they went to sleep.
Abby had the procedure she needed and they got along well for awhile. She felt like there was still something missing in their relationship but she didn't worry about it for awhile. She and Abby got together to plan a surprise birthday party for Calhoun at her house and Abby mentioned how much the girl now working at her office looked like Shelby and Shelby agreed. Shelby hadn't mentioned to Justin the girl that her boss hired to take her place while she was given a couple of day off when she got married. The woman and her boss seemed to fight a lot. Justin took Shelby to work one morning and he was outside waiting for her. Justin dropped her off but he was jealous. Justin didn't know that the woman had locked herself inside Barry's office and he had called the fire dept. to get her out. The fire chief showed up and found out what was going on. Lucille came out of the office then and went outside with Shelby while the fire chief yelled at Barry. Shelby and Barry talked later after he fired Lucille. Shelby talked Barry into bringing her back to work. Shelby knew it wouldn't be long before they realized that they were meant for each other.
Justin made a trip to Wyoming to help a friend out. He didn't take Shelby with him because the man hated women. His wife had left him and their son for another man. Shelby told him to come by and pick her up after work that night. She was surprised that he never showed up.
Justin had gone by the office to pick up Shelby and had seen the shadows of Lucille and Barry kissing in his office. He didn't know about Lucille and thought that it was Shelby kissing her boss. He was furious and went home angry at Shelby for misleading him. He knew he was in love with her although he had never told her. He was hurting but the past led him to believe that she was cheating on him.
Shelby had no idea what was going on. She realized that he was angry and he told her that he didn't want her anymore. She could stay with him and he would see that she was taken care of. Shelby wasn't given a chance to tell Justin she was pregnant.
The day of the party came and Justin had invited Tom Wheeler to the party. When Shelby saw him she threw a vase at him and chased him off the property. She couldn't believe that Justin had asked him there. She was furious at Justin and told him that she was tired and had enough. She couldn't take any more from him. She had made up her mind to leave in the morning. Abby took her to her room to lie down when Lucille came to see her. Justin was in the room when Lucille told Abby that she was engaged. She mentioned that others knew because she had been seen kissing her boss that day through the shadows on his window shades. Justin knew then that he had made a mistake because their profiles were similar. Shelby didn't see his expression when he realized that he had made a mistake in treating her like he had.
Justin apologized to Shelby but she was really tired and even though he said he was sorry, she knew the relationship was in trouble if he couldn't get over the past. She had made up her mind to leave and called her cousin and friend in Houston and asked to come stay with her awhile.
Justin went to work in the morning and his housekeeper called Abby and told her that Shelby had packed and left to go to Houston. Abby went to Justin and told him that he needed to go get Shelby at the airport. Justin told her that he was tired of hurting her and he was going to let her go. Abby then told Justin that Shelby was pregnant to try and get him to do something. He was now in shock and just sat there in his office. Abby went and got Calhoun. She told him what was going on and Calhoun drove Justin to the airport. The plane to Houston took off 2 minutes after they got to the gate.
Justin went to the bar to get a drink and Calhoun went to get tickets for Justin on the next flight to Houston. He ran into Shelby when he separated from Justin. Shelby was booked on the next flight out. He told Shelby to come see how miserable Justin was and she went and talked to him. Calhoun took them home and invited them to dinner.
They ended up making love and forgot about the time. They left most of their clothes in the library and Justin wrapped a towel with a frog on it around his waist to go to the kitchen and get some food when Calhoun walked in. Calhoun teased him for finding Justin dressed in the frog towel and reminded him he was supposed to come to dinner. Justin was embarrassed and told Calhoun that he would be over in 30 minutes. It was obvious what had distracted Justin and he was embarrassed to be caught.
Abby re-heated the Irish Stew she had made and waited for Justin and Shelby to come eat dinner with them. Calhoun and Abby were happy to see that Justin and Shelby were once again reunited. They felt it was going to last this time.
September 21, 2022
Some good ole airport smut - Diana Palmer is one of the OG’s of this genre change my mind
November 12, 2024
Long Tall Texans Vol 1 (Calhoun & Justin)
Read: April 17-21, 2022
“Calhoun: Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
Justin: Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?”
Calhoun's story was filled with my favorite themes and tropes. However, I was relieved when the characters finally stopped fighting themselves and find their happily-ever-after. Justin's story was equally enjoyable; it was heartwarming yet heartbreaking to witness the pain they caused each other due to miscommunication and lack of trust. I'm so glad they eventually found their happily-ever-after together. One of my biggest pet peeves in stories is the lack of communication between characters. While I understand it's a major conflict, it can be frustratingly annoying at times. Sometimes these misunderstandings make you want to shake the characters silly.
Rated: 4.0/5.0 - Overall, a lovely book by a favorite author. I want to read more of her stories.
Read: April 17-21, 2022
“Calhoun: Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
Justin: Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?”
Calhoun's story was filled with my favorite themes and tropes. However, I was relieved when the characters finally stopped fighting themselves and find their happily-ever-after. Justin's story was equally enjoyable; it was heartwarming yet heartbreaking to witness the pain they caused each other due to miscommunication and lack of trust. I'm so glad they eventually found their happily-ever-after together. One of my biggest pet peeves in stories is the lack of communication between characters. While I understand it's a major conflict, it can be frustratingly annoying at times. Sometimes these misunderstandings make you want to shake the characters silly.
Rated: 4.0/5.0 - Overall, a lovely book by a favorite author. I want to read more of her stories.
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August 9, 2020Diana Palmer always writes stories where the men are hard as rocks with mush inside. This one has the two Ballenger brothers, each with their own stories.
Calhoun has seen Abby Clark as just his and his brother's ward, but Abby has been in love with Calhoun since she came to live with the brothers. When she starts chaffing from the restrictions Calhoun is bent upon making her live with, he begins to see her in a different light....
Justin has been in love with Shelby Jacobs since just after high school, when they started dating, then became engaged. She broke his heart when she broke it off, but she never stopped loving him. she had a secret she couldn't explain to him, because it was too personal. They get married, but neither are willing to admit how they really feel until it's almost too late.
I really enjoy Diana Palmer's books, even though the behavior is sometimes REALLY old fashioned!! I always check when it was written, as that can make a real difference, even though the stories a well written and characters are multi-dimensional.
Calhoun has seen Abby Clark as just his and his brother's ward, but Abby has been in love with Calhoun since she came to live with the brothers. When she starts chaffing from the restrictions Calhoun is bent upon making her live with, he begins to see her in a different light....
Justin has been in love with Shelby Jacobs since just after high school, when they started dating, then became engaged. She broke his heart when she broke it off, but she never stopped loving him. she had a secret she couldn't explain to him, because it was too personal. They get married, but neither are willing to admit how they really feel until it's almost too late.
I really enjoy Diana Palmer's books, even though the behavior is sometimes REALLY old fashioned!! I always check when it was written, as that can make a real difference, even though the stories a well written and characters are multi-dimensional.
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July 16, 2020CALHOUN
Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
JUSTIN
Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?
Abby Clark is sick of being treated like a child. Sure, handsome Calhoun Ballenger and his brother might have taken her in when she was just a girl, but that was a long time ago. She may be far from the worldly girlfriends Calhoun usually spent time with, but Abby is determined to win his heart. Can she make the man of her dreams realize she's everything he's always wanted in a woman?
JUSTIN
Shelby Jacobs never meant to hurt Justin Ballenger when she broke their engagement—and his heart—six years before. Truth is, she loves him more than ever…and she'd had her reasons for pushing him away years ago. But with her family facing hard times, Shelby is all on her own in Jacobsville, and she leans on Justin for support. Can she help the bitter rancher finally let down the walls around his heart—and let love in?
September 17, 2023
it just blows. I kinda hate traditional men tropes where the men are like “don’t talk to other men or I just assume ur cheating on me” and this book is full of that. Like bro. Figure it out.
Also Calhouns story line being like “I saw a Virgin boobie and now I’m not gonna sleep with women my age anymore” is weird and more weird that Abby is his ward. Like wtf. It was fine enough to finish tho I guess. Still weird.
Also Calhouns story line being like “I saw a Virgin boobie and now I’m not gonna sleep with women my age anymore” is weird and more weird that Abby is his ward. Like wtf. It was fine enough to finish tho I guess. Still weird.
November 8, 2021
Do the woman always need to be inexperienced virgins that want to pop out babies and do whatever the man says?
August 19, 2022
Reread a favorite
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December 25, 2022Sexy alpha males and women determined to love them these are two brothers where made for love they were stubborn and there was a misunderstanding but things worked out
September 21, 2015
I enjoyed Calhoun's story. I liked Calhoun & Abby together but Abby's behavoir annoyed me quite a bit. She was incredibly immature in dealing with everything but I guess that's what makes the story in a way.
Justin's story...oh where to start. Justin pissed me off. I understand he was hurting because of Shelby but it takes him a long time to finally listen to the truth of her story. I also think he automatically jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts. SHelby should've tried harder to make him listen instead of just giving up.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of communication between the characters. I understand that's a major conflict in a story but there can be other conflicts that aren't as...annoying? I think that's a good word for it.
Anyway, aside from the stuff I didn't like I enjoyed the stories. This is the second book I have read by Diana Palmer and I do enjoy her work.
Justin's story...oh where to start. Justin pissed me off. I understand he was hurting because of Shelby but it takes him a long time to finally listen to the truth of her story. I also think he automatically jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts. SHelby should've tried harder to make him listen instead of just giving up.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of communication between the characters. I understand that's a major conflict in a story but there can be other conflicts that aren't as...annoying? I think that's a good word for it.
Anyway, aside from the stuff I didn't like I enjoyed the stories. This is the second book I have read by Diana Palmer and I do enjoy her work.
September 7, 2014
I cant tell you how long i was looking for these two books before they were released and im so happy i got em! I adored both books I'm dying to own and read the whole Long Tall Texan Series! Calhoun's was my favorite of the two and all his little endearments for Abby were adorable! Just was wonderful too, I understand him not trusting her and the fact he wasn't the warm caring man in his own book as he was in his brothers was interesting but good, however it was bit repetitive in places but really enjoy a happy ending!
I hope I find a love both of theirs one day however I hope its not as hard as Justin and Shelby's though totally understandable!
I hope I find a love both of theirs one day however I hope its not as hard as Justin and Shelby's though totally understandable!
September 28, 2014
Both brothers, Calhoun & Justin have definitely got some "hard ass" stubborn behaviors but both make for intense characters & romantic situations...I could not decide if I wanted to punch something or shake them silly!!!
YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH A DIANA PALMER western romance for sure....
I think I'm finally all caught up on her titles...so If you like westerns, whether they are current or historical be sure to check out anything by Diana Palmer...hands down she's the BEST!!!
YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH A DIANA PALMER western romance for sure....
I think I'm finally all caught up on her titles...so If you like westerns, whether they are current or historical be sure to check out anything by Diana Palmer...hands down she's the BEST!!!
October 23, 2015
Finished the first half of the book, Calhouns story. Nothing special. Very elementary writing.
February 27, 2016
Really liked these two, can't wait to get the next one in the series.
December 30, 2016
Love it!
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May 1, 2022Categories
Western Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance
Western Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance
June 1, 2015
great 2 for 1
September 3, 2015
one of the better romance books by far.
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February 24, 2018An easy read, two brothers stubborn and in love but won't let the women they love in.
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