Three Little Words

by Susan Mallery

THREE LITTLE WORDS takes us back to the town of Fool’s Gold where Isabel Beebe is trying to hide from her teenage crush, Ford Hendrix, who just returned to town.
Isabel has always had a crush on Ford, even when her sister was dating him in high school. When Isabel’s sister cheats on Ford and he then leaves town to join the military, she decides to write him letters. Even though Ford never responds to any of her letters, they are a type of therapy for Isabel. She likes writing about the things going on in her life and sharing that with Ford. Little does she know that Ford is not only receiving her letters, but he is relishing them. He watches Isabel grow up through her letters and he likes feeling connected to something “normal” while he is serving his time. After a failed marriage Isabel returns to her home town for a brief stay. She is shocked to learn that Ford will be returning to town at the same time. Isabel does her best to avoid running into Ford for fear of the situation being awkward, but when they see each other the connection is easy. Now the two of them have to figure out their feelings for one another and what type of relationship they can have when Isabel plans on leaving town in a few months.

This book is fantastic and I really enjoyed Ford and his light-heartedness. Despite leaving town under bad circumstances and having experienced some difficult things while he was in the military, he is able to be fun and loving when he returns to town. The light, teasing nature of Ford and Isabel’s relationship made me laugh out loud a number of times. Of course any member of the Hendrix family has to have a great amount of resiliency to deal with an over-protective, and sometimes meddling, mother and three loving, but intrusive, sisters. Ford’s mother wants Ford to find love and settle down in Fool’s Gold and she makes no efforts to hide her desires. She actually rents a booth during a town festival to advertise this fact. Ford decides to turn to Isabel for help and, while hesitant, she can’t turn him down. Ms. Mallery does a great job writing the reconnection of two characters who both want so badly to guard their hearts against any pain or devastation. The large, close knit family elements also add some hysterical moments to this story. It was nice to see a story unfold for a character who was introduced, if only in name, at the beginning of this series.

As always, I enjoyed this Fool’s Gold tale and all of the characters in it. I look forward to so much more from this idyllic little town.