Last Chance at Love

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Jane Stepanoff is in her thirties and newly single. Disillusioned by her bad luck
with men, she takes a chance on an arranged marriage with an heir to a
Pakistani landowning dynasty.

Mahsood Khan has always known that his parents would select his wife and
has long been engaged to a suitable girl. When the family's business requires
Mahsood to marry an American, he is in no position to refuse.

So starts the union between a man and a woman as different as East and West,
peppered by shared attraction as much as by mutual prejudices. Will Jane and
Mahsood find happiness together or is divorce inevitable for this mismatched
couple?

Romance immigration arranged-marriage strong-female

Chapter 1

Jane Stepanoff had been expecting a marriage proposal. Five years of Chris’ favorite crime shows and slimy Chinese take-out deser... Read Chapter

Chapter 2

Mahsood Khan pressed his thumb on the mobile’s screen, enlarging a picture of Yasmine Basra from Facebook's news feed. In a gradu... Read Chapter

Chapter 3

Jane entered her apartment and threw her gym bag onto the floor next to a rolling camera case. In the living room, which doubled as... Read Chapter

Chapter 4

The doorbell rang like Birmingham’s tornado siren, long and foreboding. Jane opened her eyes and stared at the plaster ceiling of h... Read Chapter

Chapter 5

The polished, dark-brown handrail slithered in Mahsood’s grip. Once again he retreated from the landing and into the second floor... Read Chapter

Chapter 6

"The doors of Heaven will open in four situations—when it rains, when a child looks kindly at his parent's face, when the Ka'bah is unl... Read Chapter

Chapter 7

Jane awakened with flutters in her abdomen. She turned onto her right side and lay still for a few moments. The bright morning ... Read Chapter

Chapter 8

Long after the sun had set, the guests began to disperse. The golden platters on the spread-out tables stood empty, and the music h... Read Chapter

Chapter 9

The next morning, Jane’s alarm chimed at seven like on all Mondays of her life, yet she didn’t have to rush anywhere. She took ... Read Chapter

Chapter 10

Tuesday brought no surprises. As of eight-thirty ante meridiem, the living room showed no sign of Mahsood except for his suitcase i... Read Chapter

Chapter 11

Mahsood’s Audi sped at a hundred and thirty kilometers per hour, its tires rumbling on the smooth asphalt. The headlig... Read Chapter

Chapter 12

Frantic screaming awakened Jane. She jumped out of bed and rushed in the direction of the commotion. Reaching Nessa’s room,... Read Chapter

Chapter 13

Mahsood wheeled the car into a spot in front of the Khans’ house and turned off the engine. Jane blinked and lifted her head ... Read Chapter

Chapter 14

Mahsood stretched his jelly-like muscles and sat up in bed. The sun shone through the bedroom window, and birds chirped in the ... Read Chapter

Chapter 15

That morning, Jane parked near her favorite downtown coffee shop. With an Americano and a bacon’n’egg biscuit in hand, she walked to ... Read Chapter

Chapter 16

Jane rushed down the deserted corridors toward the elevator. On the landing, she tapped the call button and tightened her grip on her lap... Read Chapter

Chapter 17

After breakfast, Jane strolled out of the kitchen and halted at the full-length mirror in the hallway. She straightened her cobalt-colore... Read Chapter

Chapter 18

Saturday morning found Jane in the rear of the Khans’ Land Rover, her hip pressed against Aunt Ilma’s warm thigh. The old lady squint... Read Chapter

Chapter 19

“Angel, wake up,” a familiar baritone caressed Jane’s ear. She wriggled onto her back and peeked through her lashes. ... Read Chapter

Chapter 20

Jane’s alarm chimed at daybreak. She slipped out of her husband’s warm embrace and turned off the sound. Mahsood remain... Read Chapter

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