Outskirts Press, INC.

For Cate Wilson, it’s going to be a year of change…

Cate is a beautiful young widow and a mother of two. Struggling emotionally and financially since the death of her husband and with her mother’s recent health problems, she feels she has reached a dead end…until a chance encounter with a handsome stranger seeking shelter from the rain triggers changes Cate cannot begin to fathom. She’s shut herself up in her own world for so long, she can’t imagine ever finding a love to come close to what she lost. Is business mogul Bill Sullivan the answer to her prayers—or just another heartbreak waiting to happen?

It’s December 29th and all Cate can think as she drives to work is, Thank goodness, it’s Friday and I don’t have to come back to work until Tuesday. It’s been a rough week with trying to close out the year, and this morning she’s running late again. As she pulls into the parking lot she glances at the time on the dashboard and says to herself, Great, ten minutes late. I can’t believe I caught the bridge two days in a row--Hector will never believe it. Last thing I need is to have to deal with him this morning. Well, here goes. She takes a deep breath as she walks in the door and hurries past Hector’s office. As she sets her purse down she thinks, Wow. He didn’t even look up from his desk when I passed. Maybe he didn’t notice I was late. But then she hears him coming out of his office and sighs. Uh-oh, I spoke too soon. Here he comes. Hector pokes his head into her office and says, “Cate, I need you to let everyone know we have a staff meeting at 11:00. Mr. Lawden just called and said he wants everyone there, no exceptions.” “Sure. What’s going on?” “I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling about this.” As he walks away he adds, “By the way, you were ten minutes late. What, the bridge up again, or was it the train this time?” Ugh! He’s such a jerk. By 11:00 everyone’s a little on edge and nervous as they all file into the meeting room. All morning, everyone’s been speculating on what this is all about. Cate keeps praying that Mr. Lawden isn’t closing the business. She can’t imagine what she would do if that happened. She’s one of the last to enter the meeting room, because she was on a call with a customer, so she takes a seat at the back of the room. As soon as she sits down she hears Mr. Lawden enter the building talking to someone. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and thinks, Here we go; time for the bombshell. Mr. Lawden enters the meeting room with two other men in suits. Now everyone really starts to get antsy, looking at one another as the men settle at the head of the long table. Cate sits up a little taller trying to get a better look at the two strangers. She thinks, That one guy looks so familiar. Where have I met him before? He’s really good-looking, and wow, those blue eyes look right through you. As recognition sets in, she starts to pale. Oh no, it can’t be, that’s the guy in the rain. She’s sure of it, but why on earth is he here?