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Long, Tall Texans #46
Texas Born / Maggie's Dad
Their love was born in Texas…
TEXAS BORN
Gabriel Brandon had been her hero ever since she was a girl and he'd rescued her, an orphan, from sure ruin. And Michelle Godrey had loved him forever, the mysterious rancher with the dark eyes, her protector and guardian angel. Now she'd blossomed into a woman. Could Michelle ever cast aside the shadows between them? Could she show Gabriel that their Lone Star love was true?
Don't miss the classic tale by Diana Palmer, included here:
MAGGIE'S DAD
Hot-tempered rancher Powell Long had once stolen Antonia Hayes's heart. But their young love had been torn asunder, and Antonia fled. But now she's back, finding Powell raising a daughter alone. Fatherhood hasn't diminished the helpless attraction she feels whenever he is near. Is taking a chance at a future family with Powell simply too irresistible?
TEXAS BORN
Gabriel Brandon had been her hero ever since she was a girl and he'd rescued her, an orphan, from sure ruin. And Michelle Godrey had loved him forever, the mysterious rancher with the dark eyes, her protector and guardian angel. Now she'd blossomed into a woman. Could Michelle ever cast aside the shadows between them? Could she show Gabriel that their Lone Star love was true?
Don't miss the classic tale by Diana Palmer, included here:
MAGGIE'S DAD
Hot-tempered rancher Powell Long had once stolen Antonia Hayes's heart. But their young love had been torn asunder, and Antonia fled. But now she's back, finding Powell raising a daughter alone. Fatherhood hasn't diminished the helpless attraction she feels whenever he is near. Is taking a chance at a future family with Powell simply too irresistible?
- GenresRomance
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
55 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,039 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 16, 2018Michelle Godfrey's father had been dead for three weeks and she was shocked at her stepmother's behavior. Roberta had told Michelle that she had tossed out all her father's clothes and personal items when in fact she sold what she could to get money for drugs. She had been seeing a lot of a man named Bert who was her drug dealer. Michelle was uncomfortable due to the sexual remarks he made about having a threesome with 17 yr old Michelle.
Michelle didn't know that Bert had gotten Roberta addicted to cocaine and that he was supplying her drugs. Michelle didn't have a clue that Roberta was using drugs until she had a heart attack and died on Michelle's 18th birthday. The last thing she said to Michelle was to not let Bert get away with what he had done. He had given her pure cocaine and Roberta wasn't used to the strength of the drug.
Roberta tried to sell her father's stamp collection left to Michelle when Michelle showed up and her comments caused the man buying the collection to stop the transaction. Roberta slapped Michelle and went to Bert's. Michelle hid the collection under some floorboards in her room. Michelle was miserable and went outside and sat down in the middle of the street. That was when she met her neighbor, Gabriel Brandon. She told him that she had wanted to be run over and he took her home and they talked. He and Michelle talked and they both told each other about their difficulties and he told her things that he had never told anyone. He told her about his own stepfather being put in prison for molesting his sister and how their mother had stood by him until the day she died. He told her that he thought she was pretty and took her back home. Michelle thought he was the most handsome man she had ever met.
Gabriel came to see her after Roberta died and the town preacher's daughter came to stay with her until his sister, Sara, came to stay with them to protect Michelle's reputation. Gabriel was very attracted to Michelle but knew she was too young for him. She was refreshing and made him laugh. Gabriel and Sara had inherited money but he didn't tell Michelle what he did for a living. He was an independent military contractor, a skilled mercenary.
Michelle told Gabriel that she had taken a job working for the local newspaper and where she wanted to go to school in San Antonio. Gabriel called the governor and got her into the college she wanted while they were still talking.
Gabriel gave Michelle a car and tried teaching her to drive before she went off to college. He ended hiring someone to teach her because she was easily distracted. It became obvious to others in town and they were curious as to his plans regarding her. Gabriel wanted her to grow up a bit and then he would see about having a different kind of relationship with her, more than just friendship.
Michelle had expected Gabriel's sister to be kind of shy but she was shocked to see that she just a few years older than Michelle. Sara was tall and beautiful with long black hair. Gabriel used Sara as a buffer to keep himself from going to far with Michelle. Sara helped Michelle with things like wearing makeup and buying clothes.
Sara kept to her self after what happened with her stepfather. She like to play video games and Michelle interviewed a man for the local newspaper. She found out that the Sara and Wofford (Wolf) Patterson were video friends but didn't know it. Gabriel told Michelle to keep it to herself for awhile. Sara and Wolf seemed to get rub each other the wrong way and Gabriel wanted to see if Sara could learn to get along with a real life person.
Michelle went away to college and Gabriel was afraid that she might meet someone else but Michelle knew there was no one for her but him. He was doing his best to stay away from her to give her space to grow. They almost kissed when she came home for Christmas but Sara interrupted the moment. Gabriel told them both that he was taking them to the ballet in San Antonio. Gabriel told Michelle that Sara was going to chaperone them. It was obvious to her that he wanted her still.
Michelle went back to school and finished. She took a job with a San Antonio paper. One of the assignments she was given was to write about some killings in the Middle East. An American mercenary called the Angel was accused of murdering some people. Most of the evidence seemed to prove that it was the American. Michelle wrote the story and it was relatively unbiased but she was interviewed about her story and she admitted that she felt that the American was guilty. The press crucified him. The press found out who the man was and hounded Sara. Sara called Michelle and told her that the man she crucified was Gabriel. Michelle knew that he wouldn't do what he was accused of so she did more digging and found the proof needed to get him acquitted. She turned what she knew over to the attorney's. Sara had told Michelle that Gabriel was angry and never wanted to see her again after the trouble she had caused. Michelle was sick.
Michelle went back home and to work for the local newspaper again. She didn't see Gabriel and Sara had gone back to Wyoming. She didn't think she'd see either one of them again. She thought that Gabriel had sold the house she had lived in with him and Sara.
Michelle saw Gabriel after church one day and they said a few sentences to each other. She went home to find Gabriel waiting for her in her dining room. She could hardly look at him she was so scared of what he thought of her. He told her that people make mistakes and he was willing to forgive her. They were married three weeks later.
It wasn't long before Michelle was pregnant. They called Sara and they went for a visit.
Sara's story is in the book titled "Wyoming Strong'.
MAGGIE'S DAD:
Antonia Hayes attended the University of Arizona in Tucson get away from her home in WY. Her roommate was Barrie Bell, stepdaughter of George Rutherford, who paid her college tuition. George had a son named Dawson. George moved to France to try and stop the rumors going around about himself and Antonia. She had been engaged to Powell Long and Powell had broke off their engagement the day before their wedding after Sally, Antonia's best friend, lied to him about George being Antonia's sugar daddy. Powell had chosen to believe the lies and it appeared that he had Sally had been having an affair during the engagement because Sally had a daughter just 7 months after the wedding. Powell had gotten drunk one night after he and Antonia had broke up and Sally ended up pregnant. Maggie was born two months premature.
Antonia paid a visit to her parents before her sophomore year of college and Powell approached her while she was waiting for the bus to leave. He made a comment to her about George leaving her and moving to France. She kicked him in the shins for still thinking the worst of her. Sally had gotten Powell but she heard that the marriage wasn't a happy one.
Antonia had graduated from college and was teaching 4th grade in Tucson. It had been 9 years since her broken engagement. Sally had been drunk and died in a car accident 3 years after marrying Powell. Antonia's mother's heart gave out while she was putting a cake in the oven at her home in Bighorn, WY. George had been sick in France and died just a few weeks after her mother. Dawson, George's son, had inherited George's Wyoming ranch.
Antonia had seen Powell at her mother's funeral and he was still angry with her. Powell had stopped by her house but Antonia had refused to see him. Antonia wondered what had happened between Barrie and Dawson because their relationship seemed strained. Antonia had lost 10 lbs in the month before Christmas and she had decided it was time to see a doctor. Barrie asked Antonia if she was going home for Christmas and after her father called and told her he was sick, she decided that she needed to go spend Christmas with him. Barrie had told her that she could stay with her and also mentioned to Antonia that Dawson had stood up to Powell for her after Sally and Powell had married. Dawson had told Powell that everything Sally had said was a lie. Barrie said she didn't know whether or not Powell believed Dawson.
Antonia had returned to Tucson to begin teaching after the Christmas break. She went to the doctor and he told her that she had leukemia. She was frightened and didn't know what to do. She decided to go home to her father. She accepted a temporary teaching position at the elementary school where Powell's daughter, Maggie, attended. She became Maggie's teacher. Maggie hated Antonia and refused to do any work in the class. She told Antonia that she didn't have to and her father would take care to make sure that she passed without any effort. Antonia told Maggie that she wasn't afraid of her father. He came to visit and repeated the lies that Maggie had told him. Maggie knew more about their past than either of them realized due to comments she remembered from her mother and father. She had also overheard phone call conversations made by her housekeeper. Powell accused Antonia of taking her hatred of Sally out on Maggie. She told Powell that Maggie had refused to take tests given to her in class and wasn't turning in her homework. Powell then accused Maggie of lying to him, which she admitted that she hadn't told the whole truth. He then told her to do her work but nothing changed. Maggie then told Powell that Antonia had hit her and Powell approached Antonia and asked her to dinner to talk about what to do with Maggie. Antonia thought it a date and dressed up but Powell showed up in jeans and a work shirt. Antonia quickly changed clothes and realized that she should have known that he wouldn't ask her out. He was still angry about what he thought of her and George all this time.
They went out and it was brought up again. Antonia walked out and fell outside in the snow. He picked her up and carried her to his car and took her home. They argued a bit more and then realized that it was time they talked their problems out. She again told him that she had not been George's lover and this time he seemed to believe her. They ended up kissing and Powell realized that she was just skin and bones. He wondered what was wrong with her and felt like she was kissing him goodbye.
Maggie was a difficult child and they had never really gotten around to talking about her. Maggie didn't have any friends except for one girl, Julie. Julie liked everyone and Maggie spent a log of weekends with her while Powell was out-of-town on business, which was frequent. Maggie and Julie were now at odds because Antonia liked her too. Maggie was doing everything she could to get Antonia fired. She went so far as to accuse Antonia of hitting her and Antonia made the decision to quit her job there because she didn't want to deal with Maggie any more. She felt like she was doing more harm than good to Maggie. All the kids in the class really liked Antonia and she was now even more of an outsider because of Antonia leaving. Julie told everyone that Maggie had gotten Antonia fired.
Maggie's relationship with her father had forever been strained. Her mother hadn't wanted her and blamed her for tying her to Powell who didn't love her. Sally had even hit Maggie on occasion when she didn't behave the way Sally thought she should. Sally had become an alcoholic due to the strained marriage. Powell only slept with her that one time that he was drunk. Powell didn't care much for Maggie and he didn't really believe she was his. She looked like Sally and he didn't see anything of himself in her. He was away from home a lot, on purpose. He didn't know Maggie and brought her home dolls most of the time when he returned. She got things but never his attention. He didn't know Maggie at all. She liked to read and knew a lot about the cattle business and breeding from the books she read. He never listened to Maggie or took the time to hug her. She was a lonely child and wanted his attention. Nothing she ever did seemed to get his attention.
Antonia went back to Tucson and moved in with Barrie. Powell went to see Ben, Antonia's father, after he heard what had happened at the school with Antonia. Powell insisted that Ben call his doctor and find out what was wrong with Antonia. The doctor told Ben because this was a small town and if Antonia was going to fight the cancer, she had to start treatment right away. Ben told Powell and Powell told him that he was going to see Antonia and get her into treatment. He would cover the cost of the treatments. Powell had become a wealthy cattle breeder.
Antonia was surprised to see Powell. He had come to see her after Barrie left for work. He told her that he wanted to help her and that he would pay for any treatment she needed. She basically told him that there was no reason for her to have the treatments. She was going to die and he needed to accept it. He refused and told her that he now believed that she'd not had an affair with George and he wanted to marry her even if it was for a few weeks so long as she agreed to have the treatments. She accepted his proposal because she was too tired and weak to fight. She also still loved him.
She went back to the doctor to get her blood tests done so that she could be married and she mentioned that she had O+ blood. The doctor seemed surprised and ran the blood tests again. He asked her if she had been around anyone with meningitis and she said she'd had a student with it in the fall semester. He asked her to come back in the morning after her checked the results of the new blood tests.
Powell and Antonia were waiting in his office at 10 the next morning when she was told that she had meningitis and not leukemia. She was going to be fine. Powell had not told Antonia that he loved her and she was going to allow him to back out of the proposal. She didn't need him to pay her medical costs any more. She was going to live. Powell told her that her father knew about the leukemia diagnosis and she needed to call him. She did and he was thrilled to hear the news even though she was still sick. She needed plenty of rest.
Powell anticipated that Antonia was going to try and weasel out of the proposal so he took her to his hotel room and proceeded to make love to her. He told her that if he would have done that years ago, he would have known that Sally had lied to him. He told her that with her old-fashioned values, she would have to marry him now. They were married two days later and returned to Bighorn as man and wife.
They arrived in town and went to tell her father. He was surprised but was okay so long as Antonia was happy. They went to tell Maggie and she was upset as they expected. Antonia had seen her all afternoon and found her in the barn. They talked and Antonia found out that Maggie hadn't ever had a dress and she was pretty much out of clothes. The housekeeper had thrown away most of them because Maggie had stained them so badly. She told Maggie that she would take her shopping and Powell came and found them together. He told Antonia that she was too sick to take her shopping so he would. He did and found out that he enjoyed spending time with her as much as she enjoyed having him around. He began to recognize small things about her that made him realize that she was his. Sally had lied to him about Maggie not being his. He even hugged her for the first time.
Maggie changed after that and did better in school. She started making friends now and the boy she liked, Jake, seemed to be taking notice of her. Antonia had found out she was pregnant and Maggie was thrilled to be having a brother, even though they didn't know whether or not it would be a boy or not.
Antonia did have a son they named Nelson Charles Long. Antonia learned a hard lesson that she was going to pass on to Maggie. Sometimes you have to stand up and fight for what you want.
Antonia had talked with Barrie and convinced her that she needed to come back home and work out her relationship with Dawson. Barrie thought she might do that.
Michelle didn't know that Bert had gotten Roberta addicted to cocaine and that he was supplying her drugs. Michelle didn't have a clue that Roberta was using drugs until she had a heart attack and died on Michelle's 18th birthday. The last thing she said to Michelle was to not let Bert get away with what he had done. He had given her pure cocaine and Roberta wasn't used to the strength of the drug.
Roberta tried to sell her father's stamp collection left to Michelle when Michelle showed up and her comments caused the man buying the collection to stop the transaction. Roberta slapped Michelle and went to Bert's. Michelle hid the collection under some floorboards in her room. Michelle was miserable and went outside and sat down in the middle of the street. That was when she met her neighbor, Gabriel Brandon. She told him that she had wanted to be run over and he took her home and they talked. He and Michelle talked and they both told each other about their difficulties and he told her things that he had never told anyone. He told her about his own stepfather being put in prison for molesting his sister and how their mother had stood by him until the day she died. He told her that he thought she was pretty and took her back home. Michelle thought he was the most handsome man she had ever met.
Gabriel came to see her after Roberta died and the town preacher's daughter came to stay with her until his sister, Sara, came to stay with them to protect Michelle's reputation. Gabriel was very attracted to Michelle but knew she was too young for him. She was refreshing and made him laugh. Gabriel and Sara had inherited money but he didn't tell Michelle what he did for a living. He was an independent military contractor, a skilled mercenary.
Michelle told Gabriel that she had taken a job working for the local newspaper and where she wanted to go to school in San Antonio. Gabriel called the governor and got her into the college she wanted while they were still talking.
Gabriel gave Michelle a car and tried teaching her to drive before she went off to college. He ended hiring someone to teach her because she was easily distracted. It became obvious to others in town and they were curious as to his plans regarding her. Gabriel wanted her to grow up a bit and then he would see about having a different kind of relationship with her, more than just friendship.
Michelle had expected Gabriel's sister to be kind of shy but she was shocked to see that she just a few years older than Michelle. Sara was tall and beautiful with long black hair. Gabriel used Sara as a buffer to keep himself from going to far with Michelle. Sara helped Michelle with things like wearing makeup and buying clothes.
Sara kept to her self after what happened with her stepfather. She like to play video games and Michelle interviewed a man for the local newspaper. She found out that the Sara and Wofford (Wolf) Patterson were video friends but didn't know it. Gabriel told Michelle to keep it to herself for awhile. Sara and Wolf seemed to get rub each other the wrong way and Gabriel wanted to see if Sara could learn to get along with a real life person.
Michelle went away to college and Gabriel was afraid that she might meet someone else but Michelle knew there was no one for her but him. He was doing his best to stay away from her to give her space to grow. They almost kissed when she came home for Christmas but Sara interrupted the moment. Gabriel told them both that he was taking them to the ballet in San Antonio. Gabriel told Michelle that Sara was going to chaperone them. It was obvious to her that he wanted her still.
Michelle went back to school and finished. She took a job with a San Antonio paper. One of the assignments she was given was to write about some killings in the Middle East. An American mercenary called the Angel was accused of murdering some people. Most of the evidence seemed to prove that it was the American. Michelle wrote the story and it was relatively unbiased but she was interviewed about her story and she admitted that she felt that the American was guilty. The press crucified him. The press found out who the man was and hounded Sara. Sara called Michelle and told her that the man she crucified was Gabriel. Michelle knew that he wouldn't do what he was accused of so she did more digging and found the proof needed to get him acquitted. She turned what she knew over to the attorney's. Sara had told Michelle that Gabriel was angry and never wanted to see her again after the trouble she had caused. Michelle was sick.
Michelle went back home and to work for the local newspaper again. She didn't see Gabriel and Sara had gone back to Wyoming. She didn't think she'd see either one of them again. She thought that Gabriel had sold the house she had lived in with him and Sara.
Michelle saw Gabriel after church one day and they said a few sentences to each other. She went home to find Gabriel waiting for her in her dining room. She could hardly look at him she was so scared of what he thought of her. He told her that people make mistakes and he was willing to forgive her. They were married three weeks later.
It wasn't long before Michelle was pregnant. They called Sara and they went for a visit.
Sara's story is in the book titled "Wyoming Strong'.
MAGGIE'S DAD:
Antonia Hayes attended the University of Arizona in Tucson get away from her home in WY. Her roommate was Barrie Bell, stepdaughter of George Rutherford, who paid her college tuition. George had a son named Dawson. George moved to France to try and stop the rumors going around about himself and Antonia. She had been engaged to Powell Long and Powell had broke off their engagement the day before their wedding after Sally, Antonia's best friend, lied to him about George being Antonia's sugar daddy. Powell had chosen to believe the lies and it appeared that he had Sally had been having an affair during the engagement because Sally had a daughter just 7 months after the wedding. Powell had gotten drunk one night after he and Antonia had broke up and Sally ended up pregnant. Maggie was born two months premature.
Antonia paid a visit to her parents before her sophomore year of college and Powell approached her while she was waiting for the bus to leave. He made a comment to her about George leaving her and moving to France. She kicked him in the shins for still thinking the worst of her. Sally had gotten Powell but she heard that the marriage wasn't a happy one.
Antonia had graduated from college and was teaching 4th grade in Tucson. It had been 9 years since her broken engagement. Sally had been drunk and died in a car accident 3 years after marrying Powell. Antonia's mother's heart gave out while she was putting a cake in the oven at her home in Bighorn, WY. George had been sick in France and died just a few weeks after her mother. Dawson, George's son, had inherited George's Wyoming ranch.
Antonia had seen Powell at her mother's funeral and he was still angry with her. Powell had stopped by her house but Antonia had refused to see him. Antonia wondered what had happened between Barrie and Dawson because their relationship seemed strained. Antonia had lost 10 lbs in the month before Christmas and she had decided it was time to see a doctor. Barrie asked Antonia if she was going home for Christmas and after her father called and told her he was sick, she decided that she needed to go spend Christmas with him. Barrie had told her that she could stay with her and also mentioned to Antonia that Dawson had stood up to Powell for her after Sally and Powell had married. Dawson had told Powell that everything Sally had said was a lie. Barrie said she didn't know whether or not Powell believed Dawson.
Antonia had returned to Tucson to begin teaching after the Christmas break. She went to the doctor and he told her that she had leukemia. She was frightened and didn't know what to do. She decided to go home to her father. She accepted a temporary teaching position at the elementary school where Powell's daughter, Maggie, attended. She became Maggie's teacher. Maggie hated Antonia and refused to do any work in the class. She told Antonia that she didn't have to and her father would take care to make sure that she passed without any effort. Antonia told Maggie that she wasn't afraid of her father. He came to visit and repeated the lies that Maggie had told him. Maggie knew more about their past than either of them realized due to comments she remembered from her mother and father. She had also overheard phone call conversations made by her housekeeper. Powell accused Antonia of taking her hatred of Sally out on Maggie. She told Powell that Maggie had refused to take tests given to her in class and wasn't turning in her homework. Powell then accused Maggie of lying to him, which she admitted that she hadn't told the whole truth. He then told her to do her work but nothing changed. Maggie then told Powell that Antonia had hit her and Powell approached Antonia and asked her to dinner to talk about what to do with Maggie. Antonia thought it a date and dressed up but Powell showed up in jeans and a work shirt. Antonia quickly changed clothes and realized that she should have known that he wouldn't ask her out. He was still angry about what he thought of her and George all this time.
They went out and it was brought up again. Antonia walked out and fell outside in the snow. He picked her up and carried her to his car and took her home. They argued a bit more and then realized that it was time they talked their problems out. She again told him that she had not been George's lover and this time he seemed to believe her. They ended up kissing and Powell realized that she was just skin and bones. He wondered what was wrong with her and felt like she was kissing him goodbye.
Maggie was a difficult child and they had never really gotten around to talking about her. Maggie didn't have any friends except for one girl, Julie. Julie liked everyone and Maggie spent a log of weekends with her while Powell was out-of-town on business, which was frequent. Maggie and Julie were now at odds because Antonia liked her too. Maggie was doing everything she could to get Antonia fired. She went so far as to accuse Antonia of hitting her and Antonia made the decision to quit her job there because she didn't want to deal with Maggie any more. She felt like she was doing more harm than good to Maggie. All the kids in the class really liked Antonia and she was now even more of an outsider because of Antonia leaving. Julie told everyone that Maggie had gotten Antonia fired.
Maggie's relationship with her father had forever been strained. Her mother hadn't wanted her and blamed her for tying her to Powell who didn't love her. Sally had even hit Maggie on occasion when she didn't behave the way Sally thought she should. Sally had become an alcoholic due to the strained marriage. Powell only slept with her that one time that he was drunk. Powell didn't care much for Maggie and he didn't really believe she was his. She looked like Sally and he didn't see anything of himself in her. He was away from home a lot, on purpose. He didn't know Maggie and brought her home dolls most of the time when he returned. She got things but never his attention. He didn't know Maggie at all. She liked to read and knew a lot about the cattle business and breeding from the books she read. He never listened to Maggie or took the time to hug her. She was a lonely child and wanted his attention. Nothing she ever did seemed to get his attention.
Antonia went back to Tucson and moved in with Barrie. Powell went to see Ben, Antonia's father, after he heard what had happened at the school with Antonia. Powell insisted that Ben call his doctor and find out what was wrong with Antonia. The doctor told Ben because this was a small town and if Antonia was going to fight the cancer, she had to start treatment right away. Ben told Powell and Powell told him that he was going to see Antonia and get her into treatment. He would cover the cost of the treatments. Powell had become a wealthy cattle breeder.
Antonia was surprised to see Powell. He had come to see her after Barrie left for work. He told her that he wanted to help her and that he would pay for any treatment she needed. She basically told him that there was no reason for her to have the treatments. She was going to die and he needed to accept it. He refused and told her that he now believed that she'd not had an affair with George and he wanted to marry her even if it was for a few weeks so long as she agreed to have the treatments. She accepted his proposal because she was too tired and weak to fight. She also still loved him.
She went back to the doctor to get her blood tests done so that she could be married and she mentioned that she had O+ blood. The doctor seemed surprised and ran the blood tests again. He asked her if she had been around anyone with meningitis and she said she'd had a student with it in the fall semester. He asked her to come back in the morning after her checked the results of the new blood tests.
Powell and Antonia were waiting in his office at 10 the next morning when she was told that she had meningitis and not leukemia. She was going to be fine. Powell had not told Antonia that he loved her and she was going to allow him to back out of the proposal. She didn't need him to pay her medical costs any more. She was going to live. Powell told her that her father knew about the leukemia diagnosis and she needed to call him. She did and he was thrilled to hear the news even though she was still sick. She needed plenty of rest.
Powell anticipated that Antonia was going to try and weasel out of the proposal so he took her to his hotel room and proceeded to make love to her. He told her that if he would have done that years ago, he would have known that Sally had lied to him. He told her that with her old-fashioned values, she would have to marry him now. They were married two days later and returned to Bighorn as man and wife.
They arrived in town and went to tell her father. He was surprised but was okay so long as Antonia was happy. They went to tell Maggie and she was upset as they expected. Antonia had seen her all afternoon and found her in the barn. They talked and Antonia found out that Maggie hadn't ever had a dress and she was pretty much out of clothes. The housekeeper had thrown away most of them because Maggie had stained them so badly. She told Maggie that she would take her shopping and Powell came and found them together. He told Antonia that she was too sick to take her shopping so he would. He did and found out that he enjoyed spending time with her as much as she enjoyed having him around. He began to recognize small things about her that made him realize that she was his. Sally had lied to him about Maggie not being his. He even hugged her for the first time.
Maggie changed after that and did better in school. She started making friends now and the boy she liked, Jake, seemed to be taking notice of her. Antonia had found out she was pregnant and Maggie was thrilled to be having a brother, even though they didn't know whether or not it would be a boy or not.
Antonia did have a son they named Nelson Charles Long. Antonia learned a hard lesson that she was going to pass on to Maggie. Sometimes you have to stand up and fight for what you want.
Antonia had talked with Barrie and convinced her that she needed to come back home and work out her relationship with Dawson. Barrie thought she might do that.
October 7, 2025
Love both of them
The MMC in Texas Born was actually one of the sweetest DP MC’s I’ve read
Then we backed it up with a horrible MMC and a down trodden MFC. Maggie’s dad actually made me tear up more than once.
The MMC in Texas Born was actually one of the sweetest DP MC’s I’ve read
Then we backed it up with a horrible MMC and a down trodden MFC. Maggie’s dad actually made me tear up more than once.
July 2, 2018
2 Wonderful older style romance with strong alpha males and strong heroines.
January 30, 2020
Very good book, I liked both stories.
March 5, 2017
I enjoy reading Diana Palmer. Her books are easy reading, bits of history and little bits of information, thrown into the mix
Both books were good cozy evening reads!
Texas Born had a pretty good start, a sudden stop, and began again. I got a little lost in the shuffle but as with any romance, it ended well.
Maggie's Dad made me want to slap all involved parties! But all's well that ends well.
Both books were good cozy evening reads!
Texas Born had a pretty good start, a sudden stop, and began again. I got a little lost in the shuffle but as with any romance, it ended well.
Maggie's Dad made me want to slap all involved parties! But all's well that ends well.
January 15, 2017
Powell Long destroyed the lives of 4 people when he believed the lies of Sally about his fiancee, Antonia, and cancelled their wedding the day before it was to take place. Nine years later, Sally is dead, Maggie his daugher is unloved, because he doubts she is even his and Antonia has never allowed herself to feel for another man. She has stayed away from home for 9 years, but now believes she is dying and wants to be with her father. Now that she is back, Powell hates her out of guilt but also still loves her. It is too late for Sally, but can the lives of the survivors be saved? A very powerful book.
August 5, 2015
I like Diana Plamer books, but this was not one of my favorites. I tend to dislike when there are multiple stories in a book as the stories miss a lot. In the first book, the story jumps 4 years in one paragraph! Though the stories glossed over many details, this book still had my beside lamp burning into the night.
October 16, 2014
This was not one of her better books. Michelle was too naive for her age. I knew from reading the book that Roberta had a problem.
In Maggie's Dad, I was mad with both Antonia and Powell. Antonia went to church at first but held a grudge for so long
In Maggie's Dad, I was mad with both Antonia and Powell. Antonia went to church at first but held a grudge for so long
October 5, 2014
What can I say, it's Diana Palmer! I enjoyed Texas Born which is a new story and also enjoyed rereading Maggie's Dad too which is the 2nd story in this edition.
March 30, 2015
It wasnt a bad book just not one of my favorites of Diana Palmer Stories
May 31, 2015
a great 2 for 1
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