Introduction

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and head-over-heels in love with her. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Cluny McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

A Hope Undaunted is the engrossing first book in the WINDS OF CHANGE series from popular author Julie Lessman. Readers will thrill at the highly charged romance in this passionate story.

“Lessman writes my favorite kind of book: the kind I can’t put down--a book that has a heroine with unforgettable spunk, a romance with undeniable sparks, and a family that will remain in your heart long after you turn the last page.”--Siri Mitchell, author of She Walks in Beauty

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Boston, Massachusetts, May 1929

Now this is how love should be—nice and neat. Katie

O’Connor sucked the last of her Coca-Cola through

a straw and studied her steady beau Jack Worthington with

a secret smile. No, siree, no dime-novel notions of love for

her. Love requires a focused plan, she thought to herself with

certainty. Cool, calm, rational thinking, not a moment in

time where one lovesick glance seals your fate. With a loud,

hollow noise, she drained her soda and pushed the glass away,

assessing Jack through approving eyes. Her lips slanted. Love

at first sight, my foot.

She noted the dimple that deepened on his chiseled face

as he delivered a punch line with a boyish grin, and a satisfied

smile tilted the corners of her mouth. Falling in love

was for fools—blind fools, she reflected with all the mature

assurance of her eighteen years. Let other girls “fall” in love

with their eyes closed, but not her. No, she preferred to be

in control and walk—not fall, thank you very much—into

true love. And if she had her way—which she fully intended

to have—it would be with a man who was everything on her

carefully crafted list.

Laughter disrupted her thoughts, and she found herself

grinning along with the two couples sharing their booth

as they roared at the finish of Jack’s joke. As usual, Jack’s

buddies made a ruckus, whooping and pounding their fists

on the table in glee, and Katie couldn’t help but sigh with

contentment. Good sense of humor. She mentally checked a

box on her list and quickly scanned Robinson’s Diner with

its black-and-white-checked décor, grateful they had it to

themselves at this late hour. Jack and his friends tended to

get a bit rowdy, but they certainly knew how to have a good

time. She settled back against the red-leather, high-backed

booth and shot a glance at the marble counter where a lone

soda jerk polished chrome mixers to a gleam.

“For crying out loud, Katydid, you inhaled that soda! And

I bet I’ll have to buy you another, won’t I? I’m not made of

money, you know.” Jack draped a sturdy arm across her shoulder

and pulled her close to his handsome face. The glimmer

in his dark eyes matched that of his deep brown hair, stylishly

slicked back with Brilliantine. “Or maybe I am,” he teased.

Wealthy and attractive. Check, check. She drew in a deep

breath and gave him a patient smile. “Nobody likes a braggart,

Jack, but if you’re willing to put your money where your

mouth is, I believe I’d like a hamburger. I’m starved.”

“No, you can’t be!” Genevieve Townsend said with a moan.

“How can you possibly be hungry? We just had dinner before

the picture show.”

Katie shrugged her shoulders. “That was over two hours

ago, Gen.” She wrinkled her nose and teased with a ghost of

a smile. “Besides, Valentino makes me hungry.”

Jack leaned in to plant a kiss at the nape of her neck.

“Mmm . . . not only for food, I hope.” His wayward tone set

off another round of chortles from his friends.

“Save it for the car, Worthington,” Warren Sheffield said

with a smirk. “The woman’s hungry—feed her!”

Katie swatted at Jack and broiled his friends with a

mock glare. “I’ll take a hamburger and another Coke,

please.” She glanced at the large Nehi clock on the wall

and frowned—9:40 p.m. “You better hurry, though—they

close at ten.”

Genevieve groaned. “It’s just not fair. How do you stay

skinny as a rail?”

“I’ll bet she starves herself at home and saves her appetite

for Jack.” Lilly wriggled her pencil-thin brows.

Katie smoothed a tapered hand down the straight lines of

her blue, long-waisted dress and carefully crossed her legs,

resting her palm on a powdered knee beneath her short hem.

“I’ll have you know, Lilly Hansen, that I watch what I eat,

just like you and Gen.”

Genevieve’s round face wrinkled into a frown, forcing her

cupid-bow lips to pucker into a pout. “Yeah, we watch what

you eat too, and sheer logic says you shouldn’t fit in this

booth.” Her sigh was heavy. “I’ll take what she’s having,”

she announced in defeat.

Jack chuckled and massaged Katie’s shoulder. “Hear that,

doll? You’re a bad influence—both on Gen’s figure and my

wallet. Anybody want anything? I’m buying.” His gaze flitted

to the soda jerk bent over the chrome and leather stools

with a rag in his hand. Jack put two fingers to his teeth and

let loose with a deafening whistle. “Hey, kid, shake a leg—

we have an order.”

The “kid’s” body tightened as he rose to his full height,

revealing both a broad, muscled back and the fact that he

was anything but a kid. He turned in slow, deliberate motion,

eyeing the clock before facing them dead-on. A nerve

flickered in his angular jaw while his blue eyes glittered like

sapphire. He forced a smile as tight as the short sleeves of his

white button-down shirt—which, Katie hadn’t noticed before,

strained with biceps as intimidating as the man’s penetrating

gaze. “Sure thing, but we close in ten minutes. Sorry, sodas

and ice cream only.” He strolled to their booth with a casual

gait as steady and slow as the drawl that coated his voice like

hillbilly honey. “What’ll you have?”

Katie felt the tension in Jack’s manner as he cradled an arm

around her shoulders and lounged back against the booth,

eyes locked on the soda jerk with deadly precision. “I know

it’s late, but the lady here says she’s hungry. She wants a

hamburger and another Coke.”

The man’s blue eyes flicked to Katie and held, his cool smile

braising her cheeks with a rare blush. He nodded a head of

white-blond thatch toward a large sign over the jukebox. “I

sure do apologize, miss, but as you can plainly see, we don’t

serve entrees after nine.”

Katie blinked. Excuse me? And the world would end if

he cooked a hamburger after nine? Her stomach rumbled,

and she straightened her shoulders with willful resolve. The

thought of a thick, juicy hamburger taunted her—just like the

annoyingly calm look on the soda jerk’s face. Tilting her chin

in a coy manner, she gave him the shuttered smile that always

worked wonders on Jack. For good measure, she propped her

chin in her hand and resorted to a slow sweep of lashes. Her

tone softened to a husky plea. “Aw, come on now, mister, you

can make one teeny-tiny exception, can’t you? Just for me?

We’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”

His gaze shifted to the clock and back, and then he disarmed

her with a smile that made her forget she was hungry

for food. “I really wish I could, ma’am, but a rule is a rule.

But if I say so myself, my true talent lies in making one of

the best chocolate shakes in all of Boston.”

She stared, open-mouthed, his polite refusal slacking her

jaw. Despite the faint smile on his lips, his eyes seemed to pierce

right through her. A second rush of heat invaded her cheeks.

The nerve! A soda jerk and a mule! Katie’s eyes narrowed. If

there was one thing on God’s green earth she despised more

than not getting her own way, it was pushy, stubborn men

who dictated what she could and could not do.

Out of pure instinct and more than a bit of irritation, she

jutted her chin in the air and matched his gaze with a searing

one of her own. “Yes, well, it’s nice to know you have some

talent, but no thank you. Not even if they’re the best on the

Eastern seaboard. Let’s go, Jack.”

Jack drew her close while his thumb glazed the side of her

arm. “Come on, Katydid, settle down. I know you’re hungry,

but this guy is obviously new and doesn’t realize who we

are.” He cocked his head and flashed a patronizing smile.

“We’re some of Mr. Robinson’s best customers, kid. So, tell

me, what’s your name?”

Drawing in a deep breath, the “kid” shifted his stance and

exhaled. “The name is Luke.” He shot a glance at the clock,

then looked back. His gaze softened. “Look, I’m sorry, I really

am, but Pop Robinson sets the rules, not me. The grills take

forever to cool down, so we do them at nine. Hate to tell ya

this, but they’re already clean as a whistle and shut down for

the night. Now, I have to be somewhere at ten-thirty, but if

you give me your drink or ice cream orders, I’ll get them as

fast as I can.”

Katie started to rise, but Jack yanked her back down.

“That would be great, Luke, just great. Bring six of your

best chocolate shakes and six glasses of water, and we’ll be

on our way.”

“But I don’t want his stupid sha—”

“Hush, Katydid, I do, and if Luke here is nice enough to

make them for us, everything is jake.” He smiled again, all the

while fondling a golden tress of Katie’s smooth Dutch-Boy

bob that curved against her jaw. “Besides, you need something

in your stomach. I don’t want you cranky on the way

home.” As if to underscore his romantic hopes, his hand

absently caressed the long, pearl necklace that draped the

front of her dress. His fingers lingered along her collarbone

with a familiarity that deepened the already uncomfortable

blush on her cheeks.

“Sure thing,” Luke said, his eyes taking in the intimate

gesture with cool disregard. His gaze met and held hers for

several seconds, unnerving her with his apparent disapproval.

He turned away.

Her ire soared. “Extra whipped cream and sprinkles,” she

said in a clipped tone.

He turned and nodded, full lips pressed tight. “You bet.”

He started toward the counter.

“And don’t skimp on the cherries,” she called after him.

He kept walking, but the stiff muscles cording his neck

and back told her he’d more than heard. She forced a smile

to deflect her embarrassment and took a deep breath. “Well,

he’s a sunny individual, isn’t he? Night help must be hard

to come by.”

“At least he’s nice to look at,” Lilly said with a sigh.

“He’s a two-bit soda jerk, Lil, with more attitude than

brains.” Roger Hampton glanced at the soda counter with

disdain. “We oughta complain to Robinson.”

“Humph . . . he’s not that special,” Katie said. Her eyes

narrowed while she watched him scoop ice cream into the

mixer.

“Come on, Katie, you’re just miffed because you didn’t get

your hamburger. The man is a real sheik and you know it.”

Gen shot a look of longing across the room, then gloated

with a grin. “But it is nice to know all men don’t wrap around

your finger as easily as Jack.”

Jack honed in for a kiss. “Mmm . . . that’s not all I’d like

to be wrapped around,” he said in a husky tone.

Katie squirmed and pushed him away. “Behave, Jack, or

I’ll make your life miserable.”

He chuckled. “You already do, doll, but I love every minute.”

Ignoring Jack’s comment, Katie observed the soda jerk laboring

over six chocolate shakes and wrinkled her nose. “Get

your specs out, Gen,” she said, her temper still inflamed, “he’s

more of a hick than a sheik from where I’m sitting. I mean,

who has hair that color anyway? Blond straw, almost bleached

white. Old men and hicks, that’s who. And he doesn’t even

have the good sense or style to comb it back with Brilliantine,

for pity’s sake. I’ll bet under that shirt, he’s even got a

farmer’s tan. Let’s face it—the man’s a hayseed.”

Lilly and Gen sighed as they watched Luke work behind

the counter. “I believe I’d like a glimpse of that farmer’s tan,

wouldn’t you, Gen?” Lilly whispered with a giggle.

The frown stayed on Katie’s face until the soda jerk finally

returned, toting a tray of milkshakes. “Six Robinson’s specials.”

He deposited tall, frosty glasses to each at the table,

along with six glasses of water. He set Katie’s down last with

a considerable thud. One maraschino from the mountain of

cherries obscuring her milkshake rolled off, landing on the

table with a plop. “Enjoy,” he said with a stiff smile. “And

let me know if you need more. I wouldn’t want you to go

hungry.”

She swallowed hard, completely unsettled by his direct

gaze. “I will. Thank you.” He laid the ticket in front of Jack,

then returned to the back to finish cleaning up. She stared

at her shake and sighed, her appetite suddenly gone flat.

With another frown puckering her brow, she pretended to

sip, all the while watching Farm Boy wipe down the counter

out of the corner of her eye. Okay, all right—she’d give him

“good-looking,” but she’d bet he was dumb as a post. Her

eyes thinned as she took a token sip of her shake. And she

would lay money on the table that good looks was the only

box that character would fill on anyone’s checklist.

Her mood darkened. He was probably just the type of man

who was poison to women—strong, handsome, cocky . . .

controlling. How many times had she seen it? A man like that,

sweeping a woman off her feet only to pin her beneath his

thumb for the rest of her life. Katie tore her gaze from the soda

jerk to stare out the window, her jaw suddenly tight. A man

like her father, whose iron rule dictated her every move.

Katie blinked to dispel her sudden onslaught of guilt. Not

that she didn’t love her father. No, Patrick O’Connor was

the one man who Katie truly did respect and love, the one

man whose approval she longed to win with every fiber of

her being. A knot of hurt shifted in her throat. But it seemed

her father’s approval was something she’d never been able to

achieve, no matter how she’d excelled in school. Total submission

seemed to be all Patrick O’Connor wanted and the one

thing Katie couldn’t give, at least willingly. She sighed, his

words haunting her as she stared out the window. “You’re a

handful, Katie Rose, and God knows if I don’t keep you in

line now, some poor man will shoot me later.”

A handful. That’s all she had ever been while her older

sisters had always been “his girls.” A distinction that had

neatly separated her, not only from her father’s approval, but

from sisters almost seven to fourteen years older than she,

sisters she’d never related to. Women who had sought—and

found—a relationship like her parents—deep, loving, passionate.

And controlling. Resolve furrowed her brow. Well,

she loved her family, she did, but she wanted more than blind

submission to a man. She wanted a career and independence.

A chance to pry the thumb of male dominance off the heads

of a generation of women who were finally coming into their

own. Women who had won the right to vote, to have a career

and enjoy equal standing in a world where, up until now,

they’d only been second-class citizens.

“Hey, Katydid, wake up! You haven’t even touched your

shake.”

She jolted back. The others were staring and half done.

She gave him a feeble smile. “Sorry, Jack. Guess I’m not as

hungry as I thought.” view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the Publisher:

1. Katie experienced ridicule and rejection from classmates as a young child, which colored her perception of herself and shaped her goals for her future. Have you ever experienced anything like this, and if so, how did it change you and your goals?

2. Luke and Parker had a deep friendship where they accepted each other for just who they were, just as God accepts us, which in the end manifested itself in giving of themselves to the other. Have you ever had a relationship like this where you laid your needs and desires aside for the needs and desires of the other person?

3. Luke’s friendship with Betty had an element of guilt in it, which affected his decision to marry her when he was actually in love with Katie. Have you ever made decisions based on guilt and if so, did they turn out well or did you regret them?

4. Marcy tells Katie that her grandmother told her to “always marry a man who loves you a little bit more than you love him.” Why do you think Marcy’s grandmother’s said this?

5. As the youngest child in a family with older sisters, Katie feels removed from her family, especially her father whose discipline she sees as controlling. Are there things or situations in your family that make you feel left out or removed and how do you think you can correct them?

6. Katie loved and respected her father and yet butted heads with him most of her life. Have you ever had conflict with a parent and if so, how were you able to remedy it or not?

7. Throughout the course of the book, Katie eventually draws close to her sisters, each of whom are separate and unique characters. Which of the O’Connor daughters do you relate to the most and why?

8. The shock of Patrick O’Connor’s near heart attack jolts the entire family, shifting their perspective as to what’s really important in life. Has this ever happened to you?

9. Katie has a clear-cut list of what she wants in a husband, but in Luke McGee, God obviously had someone else in mind. Did you or do you have a list of what you would like in a mate and why are those things important to you? What were/are the non-negotiables?

10. Luke and Katie are both strong-willed individuals bent on getting their own way. Do you think this kind of marriage can succeed, and if so, how?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Julie Lessman's web site

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