Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone
Lenora Worth

No one knew more about heartbreak than Tara Parnell. Widowed and struggling to make ends meet, she was determined to overcome her obstacles with faith and business savvy. The last hurdle was her attraction to handsome businessman Stone Dempsey, the man who seemed determined to ruin all her plans… .For once, Stone felt something when he met Tara. Her sparkling eyes and shyness warmed him, but her stubbornness intrigued him even more. Finally, he' d found a kindred spirit and a reason to believe again. Stone wanted her in his life, but this would take some convincing. If he searched his heart, would he help Tara see that together they were a dream come true?

Stone was immediately captivated by the blue-eyed blonde.

“Your sister is the bride?” he asked.

“Yes.” She stopped, adjusted her hair. “I’m Tara Parnell.”

Stone was very glad the woman couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses. If she had, she would have seen the shock and recognition he was sure he couldn’t hide. He knew all about Tara Parnell. At least, he knew all about her on paper.

“I’m Stone Dempsey.”

“You’re the one who was apparently late getting here. Your family gave up on you even coming.”

“My family gave up on me a long time ago,” he said.

She studied him then, giving him a direct blue-eyed look that became disconcerting in its intensity. Stone almost wanted to look away from her. And yet, he couldn’t.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. But I don’t listen to everything I hear,” she said. She smiled then, which made Stone’s stomach do a little dance.

He took off his shades. “You should listen. And you should get away from me as fast as you can.”

LENORA WORTH

grew up in a small Georgia town and decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be a writer. But first, she married her high school sweetheart, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Taking care of their baby daughter at home while her husband worked at night, Lenora discovered the world of romance novels and knew that’s what she wanted to write. And so she began.

A few years later, the family settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Lenora continued to write while working as a marketing assistant. After the birth of her second child, a boy, she decided to pursue her dream full-time. In 1993, Lenora’s hard work and determination finally paid off with that first sale.

“I never gave up, and I believe my faith in God helped get me through the rough times when I doubted myself,” Lenora says. “Each time I start a new book, I say a prayer, asking God to give me the strength and direction to put the words to paper. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line, where I can combine my faith in God with my love of romance. It’s the best combination.”

Heart of Stone

Lenora Worth

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

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will

put within you; and I will remove from your body

the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

—Ezekiel 36:26

To the Surf Sisters—Cindy, Elaine, Sue, Kim,

Jackie, Barbara, Julie, Tina, Charlotte, Carla, Pam

and Mary Ann—friends for life, sisters forever.

Dear Reader,

I truly enjoyed writing this story of a man who showed the world his heart of stone, while he longed for a heart of flesh. Sometimes, it takes meeting one special person to change us and make us see that we need to turn back to God for our salvation.

In the moment when Stone met Tara, he saw the man he had become. But after getting to know Tara and her girls, he also saw the man he wanted to be. This is what love and marriage and faith are all about. Love and marriage mean we’re willing to make a lifelong commitment to another human being, so that the two parts can become a whole in the eyes of God. And having faith means that we’re willing to put God first in all of our relationships.

At times we’re all like Stone. We harden our hearts to God’s love and redemption. We harden our hearts to the people who love us, our families and friends. I hope this story will touch your heart and open it to the possibility of God’s immense love and grace. And I hope you’ll join me for the next story in the Sunset Island series, when Rock and Stone’s younger brother, Clay Dempsey, returns to Sunset Island, to find some rest and redemption of his own, in A Tender Touch, available in September 2004. And in May 2004, look for my Steeple Hill single title After the Storm, a love story about new beginnings, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.

Until next time, may the angels watch over you—always.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Sunset Island Sentinel Society News Reported by Greta Epperson

Chapter One

H e refused to feel anything.