About That Man

About That Man
Sherryl Woods

Daisy Spencer's name is on everybody's lips…How could the sensible daughter of Trinity Harbor's self-proclaimed patriarch have taken in the boy caught hot-wiring her car? Whether the boy is a modern-day Huck Finn or not, Trinity Harbor is in an uproar. But for Daisy, guiding the orphaned ten-year-old is easy, an escape from her own tragic past. She can ignore the town's nay-saying. The only real obstacle is…that man.That man is the boy's uncle, Walker Ames, a tough D.C. cop who sees his unexpected nephew as his last chance at redemption. Soon he's commuting to the charming fishbowl of a town, where everyone assumes he's seduced Daisy–their best Sunday-school teacher! But to Walker, Daisy is a disconcerting mix of charming innocence and smart-mouthed excitement in a town that's not as sleepy as it looks.

Praise for the novels of

New York Times bestselling author

SHERRYL WOODS

“Woods is a master heartstring puller.”

– Publishers Weekly on Seaview Inn

“Compulsively readable…Though the serious issues raised are handled with honesty and integrity, Woods’s novel easily rises above hot-button topics to tell a universal tale of friendship’s redemptive power.”

– Publishers Weekly on Mending Fences

“Redolent with Southern small-town atmosphere, this emotionally rich story deals with some serious issues and delivers on a number of levels.”

– Library Journal on A Slice of Heaven

“Sherryl Woods always delivers a fast, breezy, glamorous mix of romance and suspense.”

– New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz

“Woods’s latest entry in her Sweet Magnolias series (after Stealing Home ) is sure to please fans and entice new readers with…flesh-and-blood characters, terrific dialogue and substantial stakes.”

– Publishers Weekly on A Slice of Heaven

“Sherryl Woods…writes with a very special warmth, wit, charm and intelligence.”

– New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham

“Sherryl Woods gives her characters depth, intensity, and the right amount of humor.”

– Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“Sherryl Woods is a uniquely gifted writer whose deep understanding of human nature is woven into every page.”

– New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers

About That Man

Sherryl Woods

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

Dear Friend,

I’m so excited that the TRINITY HARBOR series is back in print. If you didn’t have a chance to read it when it first came out, I hope you’ll enjoy your first visit to this charming seaside town and the chance to get to know the Spencers. Any time I get an opportunity to write about the part of Virginia where I spent so many happy childhood summers, it feels like going home to those lazy, sultry days again.

As for Daisy, Bobby, Tucker and, of course, King, there is nothing I love more as an author than writing about families and about small towns. I think in this day and age, when so many of us have scattered around the country, far from our own families, books about families and tightly knit towns remind us of the way things used to be. They give us a sense of the kind of connectedness we long for. I hope you will come to think of the Spencers and all the residents of Trinity Harbor as family and that you’ll find that Anna-Louise provides a moral compass in today’s increasingly complex world.

After you’ve read Daisy’s story, I hope you’ll move right on to Bobby’s story in Ask Anyone. The best part of these reissues is that all three titles are available now. And in Ask Anyone, I guarantee that there’s an incredible woman waiting in the wings to spice up Bobby’s life and that there will be yet another test of wills between him and his father over just about everything. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.

All good wishes,

For Relda and Kyle,

with thanks for all the boating background,

and for the friends–old and new–in the “real”

Trinity Harbor (aka Colonial Beach, Virginia).

You all keep me inspired.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14