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  PRAISE FOR

  BETTING THE RAINBOW

  “Readers will root for their happily-ever-after and will be satisfied in the end . . . Gratifying emotional moments.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Ms. Thomas charms the reader once again with her sweet, warm touch at contemporary romance . . . in a story full of intriguing, distinctive characters who are vibrant, realistic people. Readers will feel right at home.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  “Thomas knocks it out of the park again . . . [she] is a master at creating damaged yet appealing characters, and their expressions of love—as siblings, as friends, as partners—are intense and beautiful.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Told with a soft, gentle lyricism that parallels the town name, Thomas’ tale takes readers on a lovely trip to a place that they’ll hold in their hearts.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  CAN’T STOP BELIEVING

  “Filled with bittersweet endings and new beginnings, this is a heartwarming and heart-wrenching visit to Harmony. Prepare to laugh and shed some tears.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Harmony, Texas, may be the most unusual series in the ever-growing subgenre of small-town romance.”

  —The Romance Dish

  “[Thomas’s] often beautiful turn of phrase and eloquent writing impart truths we spend lifetimes gleaning for ourselves . . . The best of the series so far.”

  —All About Romance

  CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

  “Tender, realistic, and insightful . . . Will appeal to fans of Debbie Macomber and Sherryl Woods.”

  —Library Journal

  “I’ve never met a Jodi Thomas book that wasn’t absolutely dog-eared from being read many times. They are all like warm, cozy friends that just beg to be taken back from the bookshelves and revisited . . . [A] wonderful contemporary tale infused with humor and mystery.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Beautiful prose and a thought-provoking plot . . . [A] heartwarming romance and intriguing mystery. Like old friends, readers will love the chance to catch up with characters from previous tales.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  JUST DOWN THE ROAD

  “A welcome return packed with cameos from familiar characters.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “This book is like once again visiting old friends while making new ones and will leave readers eager for the next visit. A pure joy to read.”

  —RT Book Review

  THE COMFORTS OF HOME

  “Even for readers new to the series, the intricate relationships between these affable men and eccentric women are easy to follow and even easier to love. Thomas skillfully juggles the many subplots, and the relationship between Ronelle and Marty, which inspires both to trust again, is especially touching.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “There’s always something brewing in Harmony and each story just adds to the richness of depth of the characters and town. If you haven’t had a chance to meet the fine folks of Harmony, Texas, what are you waiting for?”

  —Fallen Angel Reviews

  “If you’re a fan of small-town settings, heartwarming tales, and out-of-the-ordinary characters, you don’t want to miss this book.”

  —Petit Fours and Hot Tamales

  SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY

  “A delightful story with as much love and warmth as there is terror and fear . . . This is terrific reading from page one to the end. Jodi Thomas is a passionate writer who puts real feeling into her characters.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Thomas once again brings to life this fascinating little Texas town and its numerous characters. The reader is expertly drawn into their lives and left eager to know what happens next.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  WELCOME TO HARMONY

  “The characters are delightful, and a subplot about mysterious fires balances the sweet stories about being and becoming family.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A fast-moving, engaging tale that keeps you turning pages . . . Thomas’s characters become as familiar as family or friends.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “A heartwarming tale, with plenty of excitement, Welcome to Harmony is Jodi Thomas all the way—super characters, lots of riveting subplots, and the background of a realistic Texas town. Don’t miss this terrific novel.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF JODI THOMAS

  “Compelling and beautifully written, it is exactly the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.”

  —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when it is time to bid her wonderful characters farewell. You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.”

  —Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author

  “Thomas sketches a slow, sweet surrender.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Titles by Jodi Thomas

  ONE TRUE HEART

  A PLACE CALLED HARMONY

  BETTING THE RAINBOW

  CAN’T STOP BELIEVING

  CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

  JUST DOWN THE ROAD

  THE COMFORTS OF HOME

  SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY

  WELCOME TO HARMONY

  REWRITING MONDAY

  TWISTED CREEK

  ***

  PROMISE ME TEXAS

  WILD TEXAS ROSE

  TEXAS BLUE

  THE LONE TEXAN

  TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN

  TEXAS PRINCESS

  TEXAS RAIN

  THE TEXAN’S REWARD

  A TEXAN’S LUCK

  WHEN A TEXAN GAMBLES

  THE TEXAN’S WAGER

  TO WED IN TEXAS

  TO KISS A TEXAN

  THE TENDER TEXAN

  PRAIRIE SONG

  THE TEXAN AND THE LADY

  TO TAME A TEXAN’S HEART

  FOREVER IN TEXAS

  TEXAS LOVE SONG

  TWO TEXAS HEARTS

  THE TEXAN’S TOUCH

  TWILIGHT IN TEXAS

  THE TEXAN’S DREAM

  Specials

  EASY ON THE HEART

  HEART ON HIS SLEEVE

  IN A HEARTBEAT

  A HUSBAND FOR HOLLY

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

  penguin.com

  A Penguin Random House Company

  ONE TRUE HEART

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2015 by Jodi Koumalats.

  Excerpt from Midnight Bet by Jodi Thomas copyright © 2015 by Jodi Koumalats.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY® is a registered trad
emark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62695-5

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley mass-market edition / April 2015

  Cover art by Jim Griffin. Handlettering by Ron Zinn.

  Cover design by George Long.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  Contents

  Praise for the Novels of Jodi Thomas

  Titles by Jodi Thomas

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  A special excerpt from Midnight Bet

  To Wendy McCurdy

  A great editor.

  Thanks for walking through Harmony with me.

  Chapter 1

  LATE AUGUST

  RICK HUSBAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

  AMARILLO, TEXAS

  Millanie McAllen used the backs of the airline seats to hop her way from the tiny toilet to the exit as the flight attendant pulled out her crutches from the front storage.

  “Sorry, Captain McAllen, I thought everyone was off.” The girl apologized with a quick smile at Millanie.

  “No problem. I needed a few minutes to change.” Millanie’s army jacket rested over her arm. Her name bar and ribbons sparkled in the plane’s lighting. She traded the attendant her uniform for the crutches as she read the girl’s name tag. “Trudi, would you mind folding this into my bag? When I walk off, or rather limp off, this plane and into Texas, I’m no longer in the army.”

  While the attendant did as requested, Millanie tried to straighten the wrinkled long-sleeve blouse and gathered prairie skirt she’d changed into. They weren’t her style, far too lacy, but when she’d bought them at the airport in Dallas all she’d been thinking about was something easy to get on over the cast on her right leg.

  “I could call for a chair.” Trudi looked at her with trained sympathy in her eyes. “This time of night they’re never busy.”

  “No, thanks. I can handle this.” After four plane changes and an all-night layover at LaGuardia with a leg hurting like they’d left shrapnel in it, simply walking out of the last airport seemed a piece of cake.

  “What time of night is it?” Millanie guessed she sounded a bit crazy, but she’d lost all track of time flying from halfway around the world.

  “Almost eleven. The airport will be closing soon. We’re the last flight, I think.”

  Looping her purse over one shoulder so it was out of the way and wrapping the bag strings around the long strap, the newly decommissioned Captain McAllen hobbled off the plane. She refused to look back and take one more glance of sympathy. She’d had enough to last a lifetime.

  The air was different here in West Texas. Unlike anywhere in the world. Thin and pure with the smell of the earth spiced in by the wind. She hadn’t been back to Harmony for six years, but she swore she could smell cattle and oil circulating in the air-conditioned breeze even inside the terminal.

  Part of the crowd who’d come to stand and wave flags and cheer for hometown warriors returning on her flight were now milling around, picking up streamers they’d thrown and rolling up flags. She’d heard soldiers talking when they’d waited at the USO in Dallas. One had been told about the welcoming group that would be waiting for them when they landed in Amarillo. All the men got excited to be going home to a place where they would be welcomed by a crowd of friends, family, and fellow veterans.

  Millanie had limped her way down half a mile of crowded gates at DFW to find a clothing store. It sold the gaudiest Western clothes in Texas. Her choices had been jeans with rhinestone crosses on her butt or a gathered skirt that looked like it had been hanging around since the sixties. Her choice was made simply on which would go over her cast.

  Looking down at her attire, she decided her great-great-grandmother probably wore the same kind of outfit when she climbed off the covered wagon almost a hundred and fifty years ago to homestead. Patrick and Annie McAllen hadn’t been much more than kids when they’d helped start Harmony. Maybe that was why, no matter where she traveled, the little town would always be home. Her roots were here and maybe, somehow, she’d find a life here.

  She took a deep breath and smiled. Two more hours and she’d be able to rest. She’d be in Harmony.

  By the time she made it downstairs to baggage claim, everyone else on her flight was long gone, and she’d sweated so much her brown curly hair lay plastered as if it were a swim cap. Her army-issued duffel bag was circling like a homely drunk after last call.

  I can do this. She set her mind. Grab the bag. Drag it the thirty feet to the rent-a-car booth. Somehow she’d manage to get her right leg in the car and drive with her left.

  The thought crossed her mind that she was an idiot for not calling Major Katherine Cummings or one of her dozen cousins in Harmony to come get her. But Millanie, as always, had to prove she could handle everything on her own. She’d been that way since she was nineteen and lost both her parents within a year.

  Besides, the major had married the local funeral director and had a baby since they’d seen each other, and Millanie had no idea what her married name was. They weren’t really friends, just two soldiers who had a town in common. Millanie had listed Harmony as her hometown and Katherine had been going there when she retired.

  And now I’m returning, Millanie thought. Something she figured she’d do after twenty or thirty years in the army, not after twelve. One stranger in a crowd outside an embassy one night had changed all her plans and ended her career. Nothing personal. She was just in the wrong place when he wanted to kill himself.

  Correction, the wound ended not only her career, but every plan she had ever made. Now she had no direction, no life, and no future in a job she loved. She was simply drifting, and any direction, even Harmony, Texas, seemed a good place to go.

  As she reached down, trying to balance on one leg while she grabbed for the duffel bag, the strap of her purse slid forward, causing her to miss the handle.

  “Damn,” she mumbled.

  A laugh came from just behind her.
>
  She straightened and turned slowly, shifting her weight to regain her balance. No matter the injury, she’d be ready to fight. Twelve years as a soldier didn’t wash away overnight.

  As she’d been trained to do, she sized up the man standing a few feet away. Tall, lean, in his midthirties with hair too long to be stylish and intelligent eyes behind his dark-framed glasses. A teacher or an accountant by the way he dressed, unarmed of course, and single she’d guess. Men who had a woman in their lives gave it away in more ways than wearing a ring.

  She relaxed and faked a smile.

  “Sorry.” He waved his hands in front of him as if erasing his outburst. “I shouldn’t have laughed, but for a moment you looked like you were playing some kind of strange game people waste their money on at the county fair. Reaching for the impossible.”

  “You hang out at a lot of county fairs?” she asked, thinking this guy didn’t look like he ever left the library, or study, or lab, or wherever geeks like him hid out. She could almost picture a tiny hoarder’s apartment with stacks of books serving as tables. He probably drove one of those compact cars that could almost serve as a paperweight when it wasn’t puttering along.

  “I hang around them all the time. Can’t stay away from the great fried food.” He lied, of course. “How about I grab your bag when it comes around again as my apology?”

  She nodded her thank-you, guessing he wouldn’t be able to lift her bag. But she wasn’t a captain in the army anymore; maybe she shouldn’t be so critical. She must simply look like a woman, poorly dressed and stranded in an airport. Maybe she’d play the role all the way to the rent-a-car counter. Then she’d say thank you and he’d leave, thinking he’d done his good deed for the day.

  The bag circled and, to her surprise, he picked it up.

  Without lowering her one piece of luggage to the ground, he said, “Where you headed? I’ll carry it for you.”

  She smiled, thinking this plan was too easy. “I’m going to a bed-and-breakfast in a little town called Harmony, but that’s too far for you to carry my bag. How about just dropping it at the car counter over there?”

  They both started toward the far end of the terminal just as the light above the last car booth blinked twice and went out.