The Wild Card: A Novel

 






When Lady Luck deals her a roadside diner in small-town Texas, a professional poker player discovers home may be the best win of all in this heartfelt romance by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Professional poker player Carla Wilson’s luck runs dry in Tucson, leaving her with nothing but an SUV running on fumes and a deed to the Tumbleweed Bus Stop and Diner in small-town Texas. Her plan to sell the café and move on seems simple enough—until she meets the motherly cook who rules the kitchen with an iron skillet and the sunny waitress who treats her like a sister.

Then there’s Jackson Armstrong. The ex-military heir of a wealthy oil family has green eyes that make Carla forget her cards and a smile that suggests he’s playing for keeps. With a pair of matchmaking senior citizens and the café’s morning regulars cheering from the sidelines, Carla’s wandering soul begins to feel at home.

Now she’s discovering everything she never knew she needed—true friendship, a place to belong, and a love worth going all in for. Maybe Lady Luck knew exactly what she was doing from the start.



Book Review 


Professional poker player Carla Wilson is thirty and her luck has dried up. She won a diner in a small Texas town. She rolls into the Tumbleweed Bus Stop and Diner with her car on fumes. She has not been this broken in forever. She struck out on her own when Frank remarried and the new wife wanted to control the sixteen-year-old. Carla has been on the road since her mother died when she was eight and Frank took her with him playing poker. The plan is to stay long enough to make some money and sell. The two ladies running the diner live in a trailer behind the diner and there is a room for Carla. She has never spent more than a weekend in the same place. This will be a totally different life from the gambling.
Jack Armstrong stops in on occasion he is ex-military and working for the family oil business. Jack and Carla start spending time together and Carla makes friends with a few of the other locals.
Can Carla settle down and find a home.

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