Spotlight: Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley
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Welcome to Two-Time Texas:
Where tempers burn hot
Love runs deep
And a single marriage can unite a feuding town
…or tear it apart for good
In the wild and untamed West, time is set by the local jeweler…but Two-Time Texas has two: two feuding jewelers and two wildly conflicting time zones. Meg Lockwood’s marriage was supposed to unite the families and finally bring peace. But when she’s left at the altar by her no-good fiancé, Meg’s dreams of dragging her quarrelsome neighbors into a ceasefire are dashed.
No wedding bells? No one-time town.
Hired to defend the groom against a breach of promise lawsuit, Grant Garrison quickly realizes that the only thing worse than small-town trouble is falling for the jilted bride. But there’s something about Meg’s sweet smile and determined grit that draws him in…even as the whole crazy town seems set on keeping them apart.
Who knew being Left at the Altar could be such sweet, clean, madcap fun?
Excerpt
Grant called after her. “Meg, wait.”
Even as he called her name, his mind was in a whirl. What in blazes just happened? What had come over him? And why did she run away? Had he been too forward? Too pushy? Too presumptuous?
It wasn’t like him to lose control. He’d only meant to give her a genial peck on the cheek. A friendly gesture between two lonely souls on a night when everyone else seemed to be having a good time.
Never had he intended to kiss her full on the lips. He could still smell the fragrance of her hair, her skin. Feel the softness of her breath. Recall in stunning detail the way she’d responded to him. The way she’d kissed him back…
He grimaced. What was wrong with him? Where was his head? It wasn’t like he was new at this sort of thing. There’d been women in the past. Several in fact, thanks to his matchmaking mother and sisters. But none had been as intriguing as Meg, or as tempting. And none had made him break his previously rock-solid rule against mixing business with pleasure.
Not good. Not good at all. Kissing her was wrong, all wrong. He was still Tommy Farrell’s lawyer, and that meant he was obliged to act professionally at all times. His client deserved no less. Kissing the plaintiff was inexcusable. What if she went to her father? Her lawyer? What if Barnes went to the judge? One moment of madness could cause Grant to lose his client’s case and ruin his reputation as a lawyer.
The last was the least of his worries. Grant wasn’t even certain he planned to hang around after the trial. Meg could talk up Texas till the cows came home, but settling down here permanently was the furthest thing from his mind. The town was too wild for his liking, the people too ornery.
Even more worrisome was that something about Two-Time made him act unlike himself. Maybe it was the water. Maybe it was the air. He didn’t want to think it was Meg Lockwood.
Mr. Garrison, did you or did you not kiss the plaintiff?
I did, Your Honor.
And did you or did you not enjoy it?
Enjoy it? Yes, I enjoyed it. And if I had it to do over, I would willingly and gladly kiss her again.
About the Author
MARGARET BROWNLEY penned her first novel at age eleven and has been writing ever since. She’s now a New York Times and CBA bestselling author and has written thirty-five novels and one nonfiction book. Margaret and her husband have three grown children and make their home in Southern California.
