Follow Your Heart--A Novel Read online

  Praise for the novels of Brenda Jackson

  “Brenda Jackson writes romance that sizzles and characters you fall in love with.”

  —Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author

  “[A] heartwarming romance.”

  —Library Journal on Love in Catalina Cove

  “For true romance lovers, Forget Me Not will make your heart sing.”

  —Frolic

  “The only flaw of this first-rate, satisfyingly sexy tale is that it ends.”

  —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Forged in Desire

  “[Jackson’s] signature is to create full-sensory romances that deliver on the heat, and she duly delivers… Sure to make any reader swoon.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Forged in Desire

  “Brenda Jackson is the queen of newly discovered love… If there’s one thing Jackson knows how to do, it’s how to pluck those heartstrings.”

  —BookPage on Inseparable

  “Jackson is a master at writing.”

  —Publishers Weekly on Sensual Confessions

  Also available from Brenda Jackson

  and HQN

  Catalina Cove

  LOVE IN CATALINA COVE

  FORGET ME NOT

  FINDING HOME AGAIN

  FOLLOW YOUR HEART

  The Protectors

  FORGED IN DESIRE

  SEIZED BY SEDUCTION

  LOCKED IN TEMPTATION

  The Grangers

  A BROTHER’S HONOR

  A MAN’S PROMISE

  A LOVER’S VOW

  Look for Brenda Jackson’s next Catalina Cove novel ONE CHRISTMAS WISH available soon from HQN.

  For additional books by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson, visit her website, www.brendajackson.net.

  Brenda Jackson

  Follow Your Heart

  To the man who will always and forever be the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr. My hero. My everything.

  To my sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon. You guys are the greatest and continue to make me and your dad proud.

  “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

  —Psalms 37:4

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  PART 1

  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

  PART 2

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  PART 3

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  PART 4

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  EPILOGUE

  EXCERPT FROM CARELESS WHISPERS BY SYNITHIA WILLIAMS

  EXCERPT FROM THE ROAD TO ROSE BEND BY NAIMA SIMONE

  EXCERPT FROM THE MARRIAGE HE DEMANDS BY BRENDA JACKSON

  PROLOGUE

  “KAEGAN AND BRYCE, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Kaegan, you may kiss your bride.”

  Victoria Madaris swiped at the tears in her eyes as she watched the couple at the front of the church seal their marriage vows with a kiss.

  Kaegan Chambray and Bryce Witherspoon—now Bryce Witherspoon-Chambray—made a beautiful couple. You could see the love in their eyes when they’d recited the vows they’d written. When Kaegan, a member of the Pointe-au-Chien Tribe, had spoken to Bryce in his Native American tongue and she responded in that tongue in kind, it had been the most touching thing. Although Victoria was certain she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t understood what they’d said, the important thing was that they had understood.

  A handkerchief was suddenly shoved in her hand. “Here. I can’t believe you’re carrying on like this at a wedding, considering your fate.”

  Victoria fought the urge to glare at her brother Corbin. Today was Kaegan and Bryce’s day. It had been such a beautiful ceremony. Everything had been perfect and romantic. Even the weather had cooperated. Although the forecasters had predicted rain, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Today had been a totally awesome February day in Catalina Cove, Louisiana.

  “Honestly, Corbin, do you have to be so negative? There’s nothing wrong with falling in love and getting married,” she said as people began exiting the church. When she’d received a wedding invitation for the same weekend he’d planned to visit, she’d invited him to be her plus-one.

  “So says the woman whose single days are numbered,” her brother grumbled. “Glad it’s you and not me.”

  Victoria decided not to point out that he better be glad it was her, otherwise it would indeed be him. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Nolan. I have no problem with our great-grandmother finding me a husband if she’s inclined to do so. Mama Laverne has an astounding track record as a matchmaker, and whomever she chooses will be well vetted. It will certainly save me the time of trying to figure out if the man is worth my time and attention.”

  “You honestly want a husband?” Corbin asked, as if appalled at the very thought.

  “No, but if Mama Laverne has chosen one for me, I’ll take him. I trust her judgment. She’s the best.”

  It was a well-known fact that at ninetysomething, the matriarch of the Madaris family was determined to marry off her great-grands before she left to go with the Lord. It bothered Victoria whenever Mama Laverne would say such a thing because Victoria couldn’t imagine a world without her great-grandmother in it.

  Over the years, Victoria had seen her work her magic on some of the staunchest bachelors in the family. They had fought her all the way. But then the next thing she knew, they had fallen in love with the women Mama Laverne had chosen for them.

  The last match had been Victoria’s brother Nolan, and everybody knew that Nolan had had no intention of ever getting married. He was singing a different tune these days with Ivy. The two would be celebrating their second wedding anniversary soon, and people suspected a baby was on the way. Victoria hoped so. She was looking forward to the day that she became an auntie.

  “This is a pretty nice town, Victoria.”

  She glanced around when they reached her brother’s car. “Yes, it is. I love it here. It’s so peaceful and the people are friendly. Mom and Dad came to visit last month and said the fishing here was great.”

  “So I heard, but don’t get too attached to the place. You’re a Texan. Remember that.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. Like there was any way she could. The Madaris family had settled in Texas seven generations ago, back in the 1800s, after acquiring a ten-thousand-acre Mexican land grant. At a time when most newly freed Blacks were still waiting for their forty acres and a mule from the United States government, Carlos Antonio Madaris, half Mexican and half African American, alon
g with his wife, Christina Marie, were shaping their legacy on land they used to raise cattle. A parcel of land they named Whispering Pines. Today Whispering Pines was a huge cattle ranch run by her uncle Jake.

  “Now tell me why you’re living here and not in New Orleans when that’s where your job is,” Corbin said as he pulled out of the church’s parking lot.

  Victoria knew he’d heard the reason from their parents, but if he thought there was another version that he hadn’t gotten wind of, she had no problem bursting his bubble. “I came to Catalina Cove to cover a story about the shrimp festival they hold each year. It took me less than an hour to get here. I loved the place immediately and decided although I worked in New Orleans, I didn’t have to live there when I liked this place better.”

  Corbin nodded. “You’ve only been here a couple of months and already you’ve made friends who invited you to their wedding?”

  She smiled. “Bryce was one of the first people I met. She’s the Realtor I contacted to find me a place to lease in the cove. And you have to admit my place is nice.”

  “It’s small.”

  She figured he would say that, since his condo in Houston was bigger than most houses. “It’s big enough for me, Corbin. And I love that apple grove in the back. There’s nothing like waking up to the smell of apples every morning.”

  “How’s your job going?”

  Victoria glanced over at him. She knew that her brothers hadn’t particularly liked the idea of her taking a job as a news reporter in New Orleans when a similar job had been offered to her in Houston. She tried to get them to understand it was time for her to spread her wings. Besides, the Madaris name was well-known not only in Houston, but also in the entire state of Texas. She didn’t want to worry about taking a job and being treated differently because her last name was Madaris.

  “My job is going great, although I miss being out on the beat.” Six months ago, she’d been promoted from a beat reporter to coanchor one of the morning shows.

  “I’m glad the political season is over. I couldn’t take interviewing one more politician,” she said. There was no reason to explain to her brother why she felt such deep animosity toward politicians. Most of the family already knew why. To change the subject, she asked, “So what’s going on with your love life, Corbin?”

  She laughed when he let out an expletive. She knew one sure way to get her brother riled was to ask about his love life. Like most single Madaris men, he intended to stay a bachelor forever.

  “Don’t worry about my love life. You need to be concerned with your own. I’m not the next person on Mama Laverne’s list.”

  “Not for long. I’ve been summoned. I got a call from Mama Laverne. She wants to see me, so I’m going to Whispering Pines next weekend.”

  Stopping at a traffic light, Corbin glanced over at her with an arched eyebrow. “Do you think she’s going to tell you who she’s chosen as your husband?”

  “Probably, since I can’t think of any other reason for her to want to meet with me, especially when I spent time with her over the holidays. It has been almost two years since she told Nolan I was next in line. You know what that means, right?”

  Corbin shook his head. “No, what does that mean?”

  Victoria smiled. “It means since I don’t plan to give Mama Laverne grief about anything, I’ll probably have a June wedding and then she can turn her attention to you, since you’re next on the list.”

  Corbin frowned. “Like hell.”

  Victoria laughed at her brother’s reaction. “I suggest you start enjoying your final days as a bachelor, Corbin.”

  The following weekend

  “UNCLE JAKE AND Aunt Diamond, how are you?” Victoria asked as she entered their home on Whispering Pines and gave both huge hugs. She adored her grand-uncle and grand-aunt. She also loved Whispering Pines, the place everyone in the family considered the Madaris homestead.

  Whispering Pines was an hour drive from Houston and encompassed hundreds and hundreds of acres of land for grazing cattle. The ranch was renowned for raising only the highest quality grass-fed Texas longhorn cattle. Victoria thought the ranch house, a massive hacienda-style villa where Jake and his family lived, was a real piece of art. It had always been beautiful, and since marrying former actress Diamond Swain, who’d put her special touch here and there, it was even more so.

  Jake, a distinguished rancher, had once made the cover of Time magazine when they’d applauded his efforts in aiding the British government with England’s cattle industry’s mad cow epidemic. Not only was her uncle a great rancher, but he was also highly intelligent when it came to investments. Thanks to him, all the members of the Madaris family had a hefty amount of stock in the family business. He managed the portfolios for all his nieces and nephews, and they all had lucrative trust funds. Jake was well-respected in numerous circles and his name carried a lot of weight in Texas. As far as Victoria was concerned, he was the best grand-uncle in the whole wide world.

  “I hope I didn’t arrive during the time Mama Laverne is napping,” she said.

  “No. She’s expecting you and delayed her nap until later,” Diamond said.

  Jake studied his grand-niece. “I guess you have an idea why you’re here.”

  Victoria nodded. “Yes, I have an idea.”

  “You’re not bothered by the fact Mom is about to interfere in your life?” he asked.

  Victoria saw the concern in her grand-uncle’s eyes and decided to tell him the same thing she’d been telling her brothers and cousins. “I’m fine with everything, Uncle Jake. Even you have to admit Mama Laverne’s track record for hooking people up successfully is astounding.”

  “Well, just as long as you’re okay with it.”

  Victoria touched her grand-uncle’s arm to reassure him. “I’m okay with it, and I’m really anxious to know what man she’s chosen for me.”

  A few moments later, Victoria was knocking on the door to her great-grandmother’s suite.

  “Come in.”

  Opening the door, Victoria found her sitting in her favorite chair, knitting. Felicia Laverne Madaris had taught Victoria to knit when she’d been eight, and for her great-grandmother to still be able to use her hands to knit the way she did, and as often as she did, was amazing.

  “Hello, Mama Laverne,” she said, leaning down to place a kiss on the older woman’s cheek.

  “And hello to you, Victoria.”

  Her great-grandmother was wearing a pretty floral button-front dress with her signature pearls around her neck. Perched on her nose was a pair of reading glasses. While growing up, Victoria thought her great-grandmother was one of the most stylish women she knew. She still thought so.

  “You look pretty today, Mama Laverne.”

  “Thank you and so do you. Would you like some of the Madaris tea?” Mama Laverne asked as she placed her knitting aside and removed her reading glasses.

  Victoria loved the Madaris tea. The recipe was known only to certain Madaris family members. “Yes. You want me to pour?” Victoria asked.

  “That will be fine, dear.”

  After pouring them both cups of tea, Victoria noticed Mama Laverne studying her intently. She knew there was a reason for her doing so and figured if she was patient, her great-grandmother would tell her what was on her mind.

  After taking a couple of sips of tea, Mama Laverne said, “I’m sure you know why I wanted to meet with you.”

  Victoria nodded. “Yes, I do have a good idea.”

  Mama Laverne took another sip of tea. “I know some of you merely see me as a meddling old woman, intent on destroying your lives. But as you can see, I haven’t steered anyone wrong yet.”

  Victoria chuckled. “No, you haven’t. Nolan is happy with Ivy, Lee is happy with Carly, Reese is happy with Kenna, Luke is happy with Mac...need I go on?” All the cousins she had mentioned—Lee, Rees
e and Luke—had their marriages prearranged by the woman sitting before her.

  “Heavens no. You don’t have to,” Mama Laverne answered. “I just want you to believe that you will be happy with the person I’ve chosen for you, as well.”

  Goose bumps formed on Victoria’s arms and butterflies began floating around in her stomach. “Who is he, Mama Laverne?” she asked excitedly.

  Felicia Laverne Madaris placed her teacup down to give her great-granddaughter her undivided attention. “Now that I can’t tell you.”

  Victoria lifted an eyebrow. “You can’t?”

  “No. Nor can I tell you when he will make the first approach to you. He’s a very busy man and falling in love is the last thing on his agenda. At least so he thinks.”

  Victoria’s forehead bunched in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why can’t you reveal his identity? It’s not like I’ll have a problem with whoever you’ve chosen because I know you will look out for my best interests.”

  Mama Laverne reached out and took Victoria’s hand firmly in hers. “Yes, I will, and I appreciate your faith and confidence in me. It’s refreshing to have a willing participant instead of an unwilling one like your brother and male cousins have been.”

  She paused a moment and then said, “The reason I am withholding his identity for now is because although you might be ready to accept him as your mate, the man I’ve chosen for you might not feel the same. If he knew what I had planned, he would fight it all the way and become extremely difficult.”

  Victoria shrugged. “But don’t they always fight it, anyway?”

  “Yes, but he needs to feel that he’s fallen in love with you on his own and not because he’s being manipulated. For that reason, keeping his identity from you is the only way. You’re going to have to trust me on this.”

  Victoria did trust her great-grandmother, although she wasn’t sure this was the best approach. “Is it someone I already know?”

  Releasing Victoria’s hand, Mama Laverne picked up her teacup and took a sip, then said, “I can’t tell you that, either.”