Stephanie Bond - Baby, Im Yours

Emory Maxwell has come home to the small town of Sweetness, Georgia, with one goal in mindto get his childhood sweetheart Shelby Moon to marry him. Theyve been in love with the second grade, but Shelbys father is determined to keep his daughter in Sweetness, not moving around the country as a soldiers wife. No matter what she chooses, Shelby knows shell hurt one of the men she loves.

But when a tornado rips through town, will she and Emory lose their chance to be together forever?

Get ready to fall in love with the town of Sweetness, Georgia, in this prequel to Stephanie Bonds Southern Roads trilogy.

Stephanie Bond grew up on a tobacco farm in eastern Kentucky, where books were her main form of entertainment. There were no book stores in my small hometown, and no public library. My school had a small library, which I exhausted fairly quickly. But I was lucky to have an aunt who lived out of state and who shared my love for books. When she visited every year, she would bring me bags full of Harlequin romance novels and gothic romances by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. I was in heaven.

Years later, Stephanie was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie was interested only in writing fictionmore specifically, romantic fiction. Upon completing her masters degree and with no formal training in writing, she wrote a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later, in 1995, she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books. In 1997, with ten sales under her belt, Stephanie left her corporate job to write fiction full-time. In hindsight, reflects Stephanie, those early years of devouring a book a day instilled in me the rhythm of storytelling.

Today, Stephanie has more than fifty published romance and mystery novels to her name, including the Body Movers humorous mystery series, which was recently optioned by Sony Pictures Television for TV series development, and the Southern Roads romance trilogy. Read more about Stephanie Bond and her books at her website, www.stephaniebond.com.

Ten years ago

Emory Maxwell tightened his grip on the steering wheel of his SUV, looked over at his longtime friend and fellow soldier, Porter Armstrong, and took a deep breath. Will you marry me?

Porter considered his words, then scoffed, Man, you cant just blurt it out like that.

Why not?

Because its not romantic, thats why. You have to say I love you and I cant live without you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, crap like that. Try it again.

Emory frowned. Well, you dont have to be such a jackass about it.

Porter sighed and pushed back the U.S. Army cap that matched his fatigues. You want Shelby to say yes, dont you?

Of course I do, you idget. Thats why were going to Sweetness.

Thats why youre going to Sweetness, Porter corrected. Youre the one whos jonesing to get married. Me, Im never settling down. I just want as much home cooking as my mother can make in the few days Im home on leave. Then Porter looked apologetic. Sorry, man, I know you miss your mom. You and Dr. Maxwell can come over and eat with us any time.

Emory felt a pang for his mothers absence, something he knew Porter could understand. And I know you miss your dad. Thanks for the invitation. Will Marcus and Kendall be there?

No. Marcus is in Pakistan, something about a terrorist group the U.S. is worried about. And Kendall is in El Salvador overseeing reconstruction after the earthquake earlier this year. I dont know when Ill see them again. Then he frowned. Hey, dont change the subject. Youre going to have to say something good to convince Shelby to wake up to your ugly mug for the rest of her life.

Emory puffed out his cheeks in an exhale. Im more worried about what her pop is going to say.

Porter made a rueful noise. You should be. I heard Mr. Moon is a pretty good shot.

That man has never liked me.

What do you expect? He wants to keep Shelby in her calico bedroom for the rest of her life, and youve got other bedroom plans for his little girl. Shes all hes gotof course he hates you. I feel sorry for Shelby being in the middle of you two mules.

Emory hardened his jaw. Sooner or later, Shelby was going to have to choose between him and her daddy.

Porter glanced at his watch. What time is she expecting you?

I didnt tell her I was coming.

Porter guffawed. Youve been arguing on the phone for months. Now youre going to just show up with a ring and propose?

Thats the plan, Emory muttered.

Porter pulled down his cap and slumped in the seat in preparation for a nap. Wake me up before the fireworks begin.

Emory frowned in the direction of the man whod been his best friend since Little League, then pulled his hand across his mouth and turned his attention back to the interstate. Porter was right. He was taking a big chance by not telling Shelby he was coming, especially considering the last time theyd talked, shed hung up on him. Her father had been yelling for her in the background, which had angered Emory, which in turn had angered Shelby.

One way or another, things would come to a head today.

Emory leaned down to study the leaden sky. There were driving into a storm, or the makings of one. But it was summer in the north Georgia mountainsthunderstorms were as commonplace as mosquitoes and lemonade. After so much sand in the Gulf desert, he wouldnt mind a little rain, as long as it didnt slow their progress too much.

His heart beat faster at the thought of seeing Shelby soon. He imagined her sweet face lighting up when he walked into her fathers grocery where she worked, her immediate tears, the many kissesthe private reunion as soon as they could get alone. His body tightened involuntarily. He realized the reason they argued on the phone was because they were both frustrated by their separation. But his overseas deployment was due to end in a month, so hed be stationed Stateside soon. And he wanted to be with Shelby. For the rest of their lives.

His fellow soldiers laughed when he told them he and Shelby had been together since grade school, but it was true. Theyd met on the playground in second grade. Bobby Taylor had been teasing Shelby, pulling her blond pigtails. Emory had pushed the bigger boy down, which had earned him a suspension from school and Shelbys adoration.

The suspension had been worth it.

Their relationship had gone through the ups and downs of chicken pox, Shelbys crush on the new boy in sixth grade, and his own preoccupation with a dark-haired cheerleader their freshman year. But when he and Shelby had been ready to relinquish their virginity at seventeen, neither one would have chosen anybody else for the occasion. Their consummated physical chemistry had cemented their childhood love and theyd never looked in another direction.

It was, he realized, one of the reasons her pop was opposed to their relationship. Mr. Moon said they couldnt know they loved each other because theyd never spent time with anyone else. But Emory didnt want someone else. When he lay awake in his bunk on the other side of the world, the only thing, besides his conviction of service, that gave him comfort was the knowledge that Shelby Moon was lying awake in her corner bedroom in Sweetness, Georgia thinking about him, too.

Theyd shared sad times, too. Theyd both lost their mothers to illness while in high school. Going through something so traumatic together created a special bond that outsiders couldnt understand. But as he drove, Emory mostly replayed in his head the sweeter memories theyd made togethergoing to football games, swinging out over the swimming hole at Timber Creek, shooting off fireworks in the parking lot of her fathers storeand before he knew it, he was putting on his turn signal to exit the interstate to the climbing state road that would meander and twist and eventually dead end into Sweetness.