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Julie Garwood triumphed with her phenomenal For the Roses and her #1 New York Times bestselling trio of novels, One Pink Rose, One White Rose and One Red Rose. Now, she brings her irresistible and heartwarming wit to a delightful new love story featuring the unforgettable frontier family, the Claybornes of Blue Belle, Montana.
Cole Clayborne had always walked a dark path and flirted with a life of crime. While his three brothers chose to settle into married life, Cole rebelliously refused to be tied down. Now, an elusive stranger draws him into a shadowy chase that will bring unexpected turns to his uncertain future — and may determine which side of the law the restless Cole favors.
A tragic, heartbreaking loss drives U.S. Marshal Daniel Ryan on a quest for vengeance — and leads him to a beautiful young woman, the sole witness to a terrible crime. But the lawman finds that love is the greatest trial of all as he unwittingly draws her into the line of fire. The power and drama of their blossoming passion, entwined with the surprising destiny of the wayward Cole, make Come the Spring a superbly entertaining adventure inside the heart of "a family whose love and loyalty will truly inspire" (Romantic Times).
USA Today "[A]ttracts readers like beautiful heroines attract dashing heroes"
from Chapter One
But for the grace of God and an untied shoelace, she would have died with the others that day. She walked into the bank at precisely two forty-five in the afternoon to close her account, deliberately leaving the task until the last possible minute because it made everything so final in her mind. There would be no going back. All of her possessions had been packed, and very soon now she would be leaving Rockford Falls, Montana, forever.
Sherman MacCorkle, the bank president, would lock the doors in fifteen minutes. The lobby was filled with other procrastinators like herself, yet for all the customers, there were only two tellers working the windows instead of the usual three. Emmeline MacCorkle, Sherman's daughter, was apparently still at home recovering from the influenza that had swept through the peaceful little town two weeks before.
Malcolm Watterson's line was shorter by three heads. He was a notorious gossip, though, and would surely ask her questions she wasn't prepared to answer.
Fortunately Franklin Carroll was working today, and she immediately took her place in the back of his line. He was quick, methodical, and never intruded into anyone's personal affairs. He was also a friend. She had already told him good-bye after services last Sunday, but she had the sudden inclination to do so again.
She hated waiting. Tapping her foot softly against the warped floorboards, she took her gloves off, then put them back on again. Each time she fidgeted, her purse, secured by a satin ribbon around her wrist, swung back and forth, back and forth, like a pendulum keeping perfect time to the ticktock of the clock hanging on the wall behind the tellers' windows.
The man in front of her took a step forward, but she stayed where she was, hoping to put some distance between them so that she wouldn't have to smell the sour sweat mixed with the pungent odor of fried sausage emanating from his filthy clothes.
The man to her left in Malcolm's line smiled at her, letting her see the two missing teeth in the center of his grin. To discourage conversation, she gave him a quick nod and turned her gaze upward to the water stains on the ceiling.
It was dank, musty, and horribly hot. She could feel the perspiration gathering at the nape of her neck and tugged on the collar of her starched blouse. Giving Franklin a sympathetic glance, she wondered how any of the employees could work all day in such a dark, gloomy, stifling tomb. She turned to the right and stared longingly at the three closed windows. Sunlight streaked through the finger-smudged glass, casting jagged splotches on the worn floorboards, and fragments of dust particles hung suspended in the stagnant air. If she had to wait much longer, she would incite Sherman MacCorkle's anger by marching over to the windows and throwing all of them open. She gave up the idea as soon as it entered her mind because the president would only close them again and give her a stern lecture about bank security. Besides, she would lose her place in line.
It was finally her turn. Hurrying forward, she stumbled and bumped her head against the glass of the teller's window. Her shoe had come off. She shoved her foot back inside and felt the tongue coil under her toes. Behind the tellers, dour-faced Sherman MacCorkle's door was open. He heard the commotion and looked up at her from his desk behind a glass partition. She gave him a weak smile before turning her attention to Franklin.
"My shoelace came untied," she said in an attempt to explain her clumsiness.
He nodded sympathetically. "Are you all ready to leave?"
"Just about," she whispered so that Malcolm, the busybody, wouldn't poke his nose into the conversation. He was already leaning toward Frank, and she knew he was itching to hear the particulars.
"I'll miss you," Franklin blurted out.
The confession brought a blush that stained his neck and cheeks. Franklin's shyness was an endearing quality, and when the tall, deathly thin man swallowed, his oversized Adam's apple bobbed noticeably. He was at least twenty years her senior, yet he acted like a young boy whenever he was near her.
"I'm going to miss you too, Franklin."
"Are you going to close your account now?"
She nodded as she pushed the folded papers through the arched, fist-sized opening. "I hope everything's in order."
He busied himself with the paperwork, checking signatures and numbers, and then opened his cash drawer and began to count out the money.
"Four hundred and two dollars is an awful lot of money to be carrying around."
"Yes, I know it is," she agreed. "I'll keep a close eye on it. Don't worry."
She removed her gloves while he stacked the bills, and when he pushed the money through the opening, she stuffed it into her cloth purse and pulled the strings tight.
Franklin cast his employer a furtive glance before leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the glass. "Church won't be the same without you sitting in the pew in front of Mother and me. I wish you weren't leaving. Mother would eventually warm up to you. I'm sure of it."
She reached through the opening and impulsively squeezed his hand. "In the short while that I have lived here, you have become such a good friend. I won't ever forget your kindness to me."
"Will you write?"
"Yes, of course I will."
"Send your letters to the bank so Mother won't see them."
She smiled. "Yes, I'll do that."
A discreet cough told her she'd lingered too long. She picked up her gloves and purse and turned around, searching for a spot out of the traffic where she could retie her shoelace. There was an empty desk in the alcove beyond the swinging gate that separated the customers from the employees. Lemont Morganstaff usually sat there, but like Emmeline MacCorkle, he too was still recovering from the epidemic.
She dragged her foot so she wouldn't step out of her shoe again as she made her way across the lobby to the decrepit, scarred desk in front of the windows. Franklin had confided that MacCorkle had purchased all the furniture thirdhand from a printer's shop. His thrifty nature had obviously compelled him to overlook the ink stains blotting the wood and the protruding splinters lying in wait for an uncautious finger.
It was sinful the way MacCorkle treated his employees. She knew for a fact that he didn't pay any of his loyal staff a fair wage, because poor Franklin lived a very modest life and could barely afford to keep his mother in the medicinal tonic she seemed to thrive on.
She had a notion to go into MacCorkle's brand-spanking-new office, with its shiny mahogany desk and matching file cabinets, and tell him what a cheapskate he was in hopes of shaming him into doing something about the deplorable conditions he forced his staff to endure, and she surely would have done just that if it hadn't been for the possibility that MacCorkle would think Franklin had put her up to it. The president knew they were friends. No, she didn't dare say a word, and so she settled on giving MacCorkle a look of pure disgust instead.
Copyright© 1997 by Julie Garwood
Julie Garwood: Thanks so much for having me! Let's start!
Julie Garwood: I knew it was going to be different, because they sent me the outline after it was done. Because it was Hallmark, I knew I would like it. They do exceptional work. I would have preferred them to stick with the story line. But the screenwriter, Earl Wallace -- he wrote "Witness" for Harrison Ford -- chose another path.
Julie Garwood: That's a loaded question. I have a lot of friends who are romance authors, and I would worry that I would leave someone out. I read a lot of nonfiction for the research on my historicals, and I read a lot of mysteries. I just went back and read Agatha Christie. I read Patterson, Turow, and Sandford, to name a few.
Julie Garwood: Absolutely not. I love writing romance. That story, more than any other, was plot driven. It was a bit of a departure, but I do not plan to go in that direction.
Julie Garwood: That's nice. I have been involved with Toys for Tots since my kids were little. This is what we did every Christmas. It was real important for the children to be involved. It's exciting to go on tour with the Marines and Toys for Tots. When Pocket asked me to go on tour in December, since it's the holiday season, I wanted the tour to benefit someone besides me. This is the 50th year of Toys for Tots. Anyone who brings a new toy to one of my book signings will receive a gift from Pocket Books. At the last reading, the gift was scented candles. They were really nice.
Julie Garwood: Actually, I'm a history major. So the research is great fun for me. I do think, I do agree with you that there seems to be a depth missing in a lot of contemporary, but I think it's possible to layer a contemporary.
Julie Garwood: I was touring a women's shelter, and being a writer, I noticed there were no books. I asked a director if I could put a library in. Which I did -- two, in fact: one for the adults and one for the children. I stocked it with everything from Erma Bombeck to Shakespeare, and I stock it regularly with new books. The women can take the books with them once they leave the shelter. The response was so pleasing that after I had the first shelter up and running, I finished my second, and I'm now on my third. I 'll just keep going. Before I wrote, I tutored kids who were having difficulty. I wrote a children's book called A GIRL NAMED SUMMER as an avenue to get into classrooms to talk to kids about reading.
Julie Garwood: This sounds arrogant, but to beginners reading, I tell my story about how I didn't learn to read until I was 12. I was sick when I was small, and instead of catching up, I covered up. I teach kids that reading is just a skill. It's just like learning to tie a shoelace. We read together. I love to read the Arthur books to them, and I read Beverly Cleary, the Ramona series. Boys and girls like those. I have more fun than they do. I'm proud to say that last week, I was a show-and-tell at Leawood Elementary School -- my neighbor Regan, six, took me because I was in her Scholastic flyer for books. She made me sit against the wall with all the other show-and-tell stuff. It was so funny!
Julie Garwood: Thank you! Thank you, thank you. I love everything about writing, and I love that I don't think of it as a job. Who would have thought that daydreaming would be so much fun? I used to get in so much trouble....
Julie Garwood: It's what I most value. FOR THE ROSES explored the theme of family more so than any of the others. I think I was making a statement with that book that families come in all shapes and sizes. And loyalty is extremely important to me. I'll write about a character who is disloyal, but he sure as certain isn't the hero.
Julie Garwood: For the first time, I'm writing two books simultaneously. I have no idea why! I'm writing Ramsay's and Broddock's stories. Some of you may remember them from earlier stories. But I'm also writing a contemporary. I've written the prologues for both, and I'm just now writing the first chapters. The contemporary takes place in Holy Oaks, Iowa, a made-up town. It's about five brothers and two sisters, but I'm only focusing on one in this book. And the prologue takes place in a church confessional.
Julie Garwood: By reading lots. Kansas University has a phenomenal library. The greatest compliment I ever received as a history major came from a professor at the University of Edinburgh, who wanted to know what part of Scotland I grew up in.
Julie Garwood: Okay, I am a creature of habit. I start work around 5am. Disgusting, isn't it? I stop the actual writing around 3pm. But keep in mind, I get up a lot to do laundry and to return phone calls. Now the really bizarre part of this confession is that I have to have a lot of noise to concentrate. So I have CNN blaring. When someone calls I hit the mute button. I grew up with five sisters and a brother doing their homework around the dining room table with the radio and the television blaring in the background. So I learned early to block out the noise, and I still do that today. If I had to work with silence I'd never get anything done.
Julie Garwood: Hmm, let me see.... I'd have to go with Jake, who is the hero in the contemporary I'm writing, because he has a really warped sense of humor that I appreciate; and/or Ramsay and Braddock, who are as different as night and day, and who foolishly think they are invincible. I always fall in love with the characters in the work in progress.
Julie Garwood: On a personal level it hasn't. Perhaps it's given me a little more credibility with friends and neighbors when I tell them I work at home. The reward for me is always the reader, the response from the reader. Making the list -- The New York Times -- is great, but the letters are the real validation for me.
Julie Garwood: She's a combination of my mom, of course, and a lot of moms I knew growing up.
Julie Garwood: Jake -- the hero in HOLY OAKS -- carries a compass that was handed down from his great-great-great-grandfather. There's a dent in the back of it from a bullet, and he's definitely a Clayborne. So we'll see....
Julie Garwood: I'm on the West Coast right this minute, in San Diego, and it's beautiful here. I go to New York tomorrow. I have a signing at Crown Books in La Jolla tonight. It's gorgeous out here.
Julie Garwood: Right now there's WALDEN POND -- and ELLEN FOSTER by Kaye Gibbons.
Julie Garwood: It would be nice. But I don't write the book with the idea of it becoming one.
Julie Garwood: They can reach me at www.simonsays.com. It's the Simon & Schuster page. I will have a Web site soon. I just entered the world of computers, but I'm getting bolder every day.
Julie Garwood: That I could switch the way I wrote to more plot driven than character driven. The pace was much faster -- and consequently exhausting -- but fun! I also got to be in a whole lot of viewpoints, and I got a little carried away. I like to know what all my characters are thinking, and, I figure, if I want to know it, the reader wants to know it. My goal is not to become a mystery writer, but each story is just different. In my characters, I liked that there were two heroes and play between the characters. The friendship that developed surprised me. I surprised myself that I was in the male point of view more than the female point of view. I didn't set out to do it -- it just happened. I'm very proud of that book, and I hope that the reader enjoys it.
Julie Garwood: Thank you.
doggis
Posted September 8, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Exciting and well written. finished it in half a day. Very enjoyable
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.sueinclayton
Posted September 12, 2010
I am glad to see that they are converting some of her earlier books to ebooks - all of her books are keepers - I was however disappointed at the numerous print errors. The first word of the chapter in numerous chapters was misspelled. "The" for She or He is just one example. I really love the convenience, storage issue, and larger print size of ebooks but have been disappointed in the numerous errors I have found - the purchased price of ebooks has gone up and is the same or slightly less than the paperback or hardback issues. I feel that the publishers are not paying sufficient attention to the quality of their product. I had planned to convert all my Garwood books to ebooks because I love her stories and they are KEEPERS. I would hate for anyone reading one of her stories for the first time to let the numerous errors keep them from buying any of her other books. Her earlier historical romance novels are some of the best I have ever read. Her characters are original and very well developed. Her female charcters in this book are not typical of the era - strong and independent. Also, I loved Rose Hill - the first book - enjoyed reading Cole's story since he was my favorite in the prior book.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 5, 2008
I was pleasantly surprised with Come the Spring. At first, I wasn't sure that I would like it, but the more I read, the more engrossed I became. I thought perhaps this book would include a little of the rest of the family, but it didn't really, other than when Cole mentioned them in passing. But I think I like the way Julie Garwood wrote this book. The plot was excellent and kept me guessing through most of the book. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense and the budding relationships between Daniel and Cole, and their respective loves. I realized that the book doesn't need to contain a series of love scenes to be captivating.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 13, 2002
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE OF ALL THE CLAYBORNE BOOKS. SINCE FOR THE ROSES IVE WANTED TO BE A PART OF THE CLAYBORNE CLAN. IT JUST GOES TO PROVE THE RIGHT WOMAN OR MAN CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND. AND THE CLAYBORNE MEN THEY'RE ALL SO YUMMY AND INTRIGUING!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 19, 2000
It would be hard to choose a favorite brother but Clay won me in For the Roses when he took the 'monster' out and shot him.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 3, 2000
This book kept me spellbounded. I purchased this book on vaction in az.At the days end i simply could not wait to start reading again.Cole and the rest of the charecters were so charming and intersting.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 14, 2012
Garwood is one of the few authors that I love to reread and this book is no exception. I love getting the extra stories on the brothers since we got so close to the family in the main book. I recommend all of her historicals.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 13, 2012
I read the first book of this series a long time ago. I was well into this book before I realized the two books were connected. Julie Garwood writes a good romance. I had one problem with this book. In every chapter, which started with she, she was spelled the. Not once, or twice but over and over. This book was not quite as syrupy as most romances. The bank robberies gave it a nice touch of zest. This novel consists of 280 pages, ten of which were extreneous information. There were some pretty violent and bloody scenes. Some rough sex and other sexual situations are also present. I would recommend this book to mature readers of romantic fiction.
AD
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 10, 2012
This is the first time I read this author and wouldn't recommend it for serious readers. This is what I call a fluff book with very little story line. Women are always gorgeous, men are always stubborn just change the names and probably could read all the books. Not the best read for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2012
This is the beginning story of four brothers and their finding of a baby girl and their future in the West. Its a great love story and the beginning of a series of books about their lives. This is a must read that only Julie Garwood can wright. It's a five star book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2009
I Also Recommend:
Julie Garwood is a good fast read, I've been reading her novels since I was a teen. They are interesting enough to keep you engrossed on a rainy day, help you survive a plane trip or if you're stuck in bed. Unfortunately, her novels follow the same formula so I don't recommend reading them one after the other unless you vary between present day and historical. She does have detailed sex scenes but they are not vulgar, she's old school so she sticks with "throbbing manhood" and other milder descriptions. This book is good, Come the Spring has more of a mystery to it than many of her historical novels and more than one couple which is interesting. So you bounce between several locations and 2 couples struggling with love, duty, the past and lust. Garwood is an excellent writer in this genre and I cant say that I've read one of her novels that failed to keep me interested. Her books based on present day have more detailed character descriptions. Her novels are about romance and falling in love not sex.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 30, 2000
This book is great! It really holds your attention, I could hardly put it down. Its got a great plot and you never know who it is or whats going to happen next till you read it. Very captivating and a great ending to the series.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 29, 1999
Come the Spring in my opinion is the coolest book!! I love For The Roses though. I think that Come the Spring Great,and For The Roses can never be beat if you understand the value of family like I do because I have not had the best luck with them until I moved in with my new family. Well Chow!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 15, 2012
Not one of Julie Garwood's better books. Got half way and just couldn't keep interested.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 12, 2012
Was bored with it. Very slow read and not much for entertainment. On page 90 I quit reading it. Would love a refund lol
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Posted October 2, 2012
I give books I would read again 4 or 5 stars and just couldn't bring myself to give this more than 3. I managed to read the entire book but I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat...not even once. The characters and the dialogue were both fairly phony.
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Posted March 16, 2012
This is another great novel from Julie Garwood. I bought & read this when it came out in hardback several years ago. I thought it was nice that there is a double love story in novel. Lots of love, action, and laughter. another winner from Miss Julie Garwood.
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Posted July 4, 2009
I enjoyed the writing, plot and characters so much,I bought the other books related to the Claiborne family stories. When I finished those, I bought all the other books written by Julie Garwood. She keeps you enthalled so much you don't want to put the book down to sleep, eat or go to work. You laugh; try to guess what's going to happen next; talk to the characters- like husband talk to the TV.
Ms. Garwood books were better than Tv or the movies. I like that characters from one book would pop up in another book or ancestors would show up later in a more contemporay setting. You feel like you are reading a town or family history. I hope she keeps it up.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 25, 2003
This book was good, however I expected it to be better. I prefer For the Roses, I like the characters better.
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Posted January 11, 2003
I picked up "For the roses" For a simple lighthearted read and what I found was a family that I couldn't get enough of. I read straight through the All the rose books to get here. " Come the spring has enough of a real story to keep and hold a mind that wants more out of a book than sex. I Have read alot of romance but Ms. Garwood has installed herself in my mind as one of the best. I like this book because I am offered more than couples just trying to grasp every little moment to cop a feel the heros were even allowed to have a little weakness;there was a real story line with a romantic back drop. I Loved it. Romance along with mystery and suspense! And it was a perfect ending to a very interesting and touching story about a family that you just love to fall in love with. I can also stop harrassing my librarian to get books to me quickly enough so that I can read them fast enough.
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Overview
Julie Garwood triumphed with her phenomenal For the Roses and her #1 New York Times bestselling trio of novels, One Pink Rose, One White Rose and One Red Rose. Now, she brings her irresistible and heartwarming wit to a delightful new love story featuring the unforgettable frontier family, the Claybornes of Blue Belle, Montana.
Cole Clayborne had always walked a dark path and flirted with a life of crime. While his three brothers chose to settle into married life, Cole ...