LITMIR.BIZ

      To Susan Plunkett, whose warm support and infectious sense of humor rescued me from the deep abyss of noncreativity. I miss our weekly lunches at Marie’s!

      ANNETTE BROADRICK

      believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984 Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times Magazine as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series; the Romantic Times W.I.S.H. award; and the Romantic Times Magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Prologue

      Eighteen-year-old Joe Sanchez looked into the cheap mirror over his scarred dresser and blinked. He didn’t recognize the stranger he saw. Tonight was the first time in his life that he had worn formal clothes. They were rented, of course. It had taken him weeks to earn the money to rent the tuxedo he would be wearing tonight to the Santiago High School senior prom in Santiago, Texas, a small town on the Texas-Mexico border.

      He grinned at the thought and was once again startled at the image in the mirror. He couldn’t remember ever seeing himself smile—either in a mirror or a photograph. He had a great deal to smile about tonight, though, because he was taking Elena Maldonado to their senior prom.

      He was still amazed that she had agreed to go with him.

      For the past few months she had been tutoring him in English and history. Thanks to her help, he was fairly certain he’d be graduating, after all. He’d be the first of his family to get a high-school diploma.

      Last year, even last fall, he wouldn’t have thought that any of this would ever happen….

      “Yo, Sanchez,” Coach Torres hollered at the end of football practice in late September. “Meet me in my office after you’ve showered.”

      Joe gave him a brief nod and trotted with the other team members into the locker room. He went over to his locker and pulled off his football uniform. He knew what the coach had to say to him. His teachers had already told him his grades were dropping after the first round of exams.

      So what? At least he’d been able to play on the varsity football team these past two years. That was worth a lot to him. Coach Torres had made him a wide receiver because he was fast and could handle the ball. In fact, he was getting the reputation of having magnets in his hands. He usually managed to snag the ball if the quarterback got it anywhere close to him.

      His teammates chattered around him, but he tuned them out as he showered and dressed once again in his faded jeans and hand-me-down shirt. He walked out of the locker room down the hall to the coach’s office, knowing he was about to be dropped from the squad.

      Coach Torres was on the phone when Joe walked in. Coach waved him to the chair in front of his desk. Joe slid into the chair and watched the coach, who sat with his ankles crossed on the desk. When he hung up, Coach dropped his feet and pulled his chair closer, placing his elbows on the desk.

      “Tell me something, Sanchez,” he said in his gruff voice. “You planning to follow in Alfredo’s footsteps?”

      Joe blinked. What did his older brother have to do with anything? He eyed the coach warily. “What do you mean?”

      “I understand Al was convicted of drug smuggling a couple of years after he dropped out of school. He’s how old now?”

      “Twenty-two.”

      “Uh-huh. And been in and out of jail for most of the past five years, right?”

      “So?”

      “Is that what you want for your life?”

      Joe shrugged.

      Coach Torres didn’t say anything. Just looked at him. And kept looking at him.

      Joe shifted in his chair, placed his foot on his opposite knee and began to pull at the sole where it was coming loose. He kept his attention on the shoe.

      Finally Coach said, “I’m going to offer you an alternative to Al’s life, Joe, if you’re willing to consider it.”

      Joe looked up in surprise. Coach was still studying him. It was as though he’d never taken his eyes off him.

      “You’re intelligent, Joe. You learn the plays quickly. You’re a natural leader. You’ve got every guy on the team following your lead. You’ve got everything it takes to make it big in the world, except the drive to do it.”

      “You calling me lazy?” Joe asked, his

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