Forever and Always Read online

  Critics have fallen under the spell of Jude Deveraux’s New York Times bestseller—her most magical novel

  Forever…

  “Irresistibly eerie, yet decidedly a love story, Deveraux’s offering bursts with high-spirited repartee and bizarre but bewitching characters.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “[A] modern fairy tale…. This is Deveraux at her most pleasurable.”

  —Booklist

  “Exciting…filled with humor, romance, and the paranormal. Settle in for some exhilarating reading!”

  —Romantic Times

  …and her other sparkling bestsellers

  Wild Orchids

  “Incredible, wonderful, fantastic, superb are just a few adjectives I can use to describe Ms. Deveraux’s ingenuity in the penning of Wild Orchids…. It’s an unforgettable read.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “This is a spooky, scary story that will keep you on the edge of your chair. A not-to-be-missed novel.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Forget garden-variety ghosts and poltergeist—the devil himself makes an appearance in bestseller Deveraux’s latest romantic suspense novel…. [Deveraux] does a superb job of building up to her chilling conclusion.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  The Mulberry Tree

  “Deveraux’s touch is gold, and her protagonist combines innocent appeal with wry experience in a way that readers will surely find irresistible.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A twisted, unpredictable story…indicative of Deveraux’s penchant for telling fresh, new stories each time out.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Mystery, romance, and good cooking converge in [The Mulberry Tree] by perennial bestseller Deveraux.”

  —People

  The Summerhouse

  “Deveraux is at the top of her game…. [She] uses the time-travel motif that was so popular in A Knight in Shining Armor, successfully updating it with a female buddy twist that will make fans smile.”

  —Booklist

  “Entertaining summer reading.”

  —The Port St. Lucie News (FL)

  “Jude Deveraux’s writing is enchanting and exquisite in The Summerhouse.”

  —BookPage

  “Once again, Deveraux gives us a book we can’t put down.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Jude Deveraux takes a fascinating theory and runs with it…a very compelling and intriguing story.”

  —Romantic Times

  Temptation

  “An exciting historical romance that centers on the early– twentieth century women’s rights movement…. Filled with excitement, action, and insight…. A nonstop thriller.”

  —Harriet Klausner

  “[A] satisfying story.”

  —Booklist

  “Deveraux[’s] lively pace and happy endings…will keep readers turning pages.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  High Tide

  A Romantic Times Top Pick

  “High Tide is packed full of warmth, humor, sensual tension, and exciting adventure. What more could you ask of a book?”

  —Romantic Times

  “Fast-paced, suspenseful…. [A] sassy love story.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Exciting…. Fans of romantic suspense will gain much pleasure.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “[A] fantastic read.”

  —Rendezvous

  Books by Jude Deveraux

  The Velvet Promise

  Highland Velvet

  Velvet Song

  Velvet Angel

  Sweetbriar

  Counterfeit Lady

  Lost Lady

  River Lady

  Twin of Fire

  Twin of Ice

  The Temptress

  The Raider

  The Princess

  The Awakening

  The Maiden

  The Taming

  The Conquest

  A Knight in Shining Armor

  Wishes

  Mountain Laurel

  The Duchess

  Eternity

  Sweet Liar

  The Invitation

  Remembrance

  The Heiress

  Legend

  An Angel for Emily

  The Blessing

  High Tide

  Temptation

  The Summerhouse

  The Mulberry Tree

  Forever…

  Wild Orchids

  Forever and Always

  An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

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

  Copyright © 2003 by Deveraux, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-9163-1

  ISBN-10: 0-7434-9163-7

  First Pocket Books paperback edition September 2003

  POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Visit us on the World Wide Web:

  http://www.SimonSays.com

  Darci

  Chapter One

  HE WAS LYING. I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH OR ABOUT what, but I was sure he was lying.

  Also, he was acting. More than that, he was playing the character he portrayed on TV, the shy, likable, brilliant detective, Paul Travis. The gorgeous-but-doesn’t-know-it Paul Travis. He was dipping his head down and glancing up at me as though he expected me to swoon over the sheer beauty of him, but I wasn’t even close. When you’re married to a man like Adam Montgomery, other men don’t compare.

  I sat down across from him and began concentrating to try to force him to stop acting and tell me the truth.

  This wasn’t what I wanted to be doing but my mother had sent me a letter. It was the first letter I’d ever received from her so of course it had an impact on me. It said, “You owe me.” Stuck in the letter was a photo of the actor, Lincoln Aimes.

  The letter puzzled me for days. Of course I knew what she meant: You owe me for saving your life, so pay me back. But what did she want me to do with the beautiful black actor?

  Was my mother asking me to do what I could to get the man to be her next lover? That didn’t make sense because my mother certainly didn’t need anyone’s help in getting a man, even a man much younger than she was.

  After I received the letter and photo, I got on the Internet and ordered the DVDs of the first four seasons of Lincoln Aimes’s TV show, Missing. The character Paul Travis didn’t appear until the sixth show of the first season and then only in a small role, but he was such a hit that they asked him to become a leading character. At least that’s what the brochure that came with the DVDs said. When I searched the Internet I read that the actor had had problems finding roles that cast him as anything other than a body and a face.

  Poor guy, I thought. We should all have such problems.

  It seemed that Lincoln Aimes wanted to play meaty parts. You know, something like a society outcast, the guy who was given bad parents and poverty, but manages to rise above that and become the first American president with no scandal attached to him.

  Instead, casting agents took one look at Lincoln Aimes’s perfect face, his perfect body, and cast him…well, as a sort of dumb blond. With honey-colored skin.

  I read that Lincoln A