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The Girl He Left Behind
She was his trusted childhood friend
And Molly felt Tim Holland would never see her as anything more than that. When he and his young daughter, Moira, arrived on her doorstep, he seemed to be taking Molly for granted again.
Molly had made many plans for her sabbatical year--looking after Moira while Tim sorted out his finances wasn't one of them.
As usual, Molly found herself putting their friendship before her own feelings. But when a winter storm kept her, Tim and Moira--and a handful of relatives--snowbound, something was bound to happen. And the something Molly hoped for was Tim's love!
And Molly felt Tim Holland would never see her as anything more than that. When he and his young daughter, Moira, arrived on her doorstep, he seemed to be taking Molly for granted again.
Molly had made many plans for her sabbatical year--looking after Moira while Tim sorted out his finances wasn't one of them.
As usual, Molly found herself putting their friendship before her own feelings. But when a winter storm kept her, Tim and Moira--and a handful of relatives--snowbound, something was bound to happen. And the something Molly hoped for was Tim's love!
- GenresRomance
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Emma Goldrick
149 books33 followersEmma Goldrick is the penname used by the marriage formed by Emma Elizabeth Jean Sutcliffe, borned 7 February 1923 in Puerto Rico, and Robert N. Goldrick, borned on 22 March 1919 in Massachusetts, USA. They met in Puerto Rico, where married. She was a licensed practical nurse, volunteered with American Red Cross and she taught American Sign Language and he was a career USA military man. Thirty years and 4 children later they retired, and in 1980 they started to write in collaboration, and their first novel was accepted and published in 1983 by Mills & Boon. They continued publishing 40 novels until Robert passed away at 76, in 22 January 1996. After her husband death, she published her last novel and retired. Emma Goldrick passed away at 85, in 20 November 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 2, 2011
If popular country music is to be believed, the revenge fantasy most shared by women is the Prodigal Guy. It goes like this: H/h are in some kind of relationship, H rejects/dumps/leaves her for the flashier, expensive model (aka Other Woman). Fast forward years of living miserably: H now regrets his mistake and returns to h. Then, H/h kill the fattened calf.
This story runs like that.
Best of friends and partners in crime since Molly was 6 and Tim was 8, they last met when Tim at 20 married Molly’s cousin because he had gotten her pregnant. Ten years later, he parks his sorry self and his deaf daughter at Molly’s doorstep to seek refuge while he rebuilds his lost fortune and recreates a new home away from his greedy and irresponsible ex-wife.
Molly is an independent woman, well-respected in the community as a twice-honored Special Ed. teacher and still blessedly single at 28 years old. The hero is pretty much abetted by his aunt to win back Molly but before the uneasy friendship can turn into earnest courtship, his ex drops in to contest the custody settlements. A snowstorm (in)conveniently blankets the whole state so Molly finds her hands and house full of entertaining Tim and a slew of secondary characters over Christmas.
I liked this story because as always Emma Goldrick (a husband and wife team) has a unique, humorous and artless way of turning a trite story into a pleasant read -- despite the angsty theme of being passed up for a less worthy woman. I think however the OW is grossly caricatured; I don’t think a mom could be that mean to her own flesh-and-blood. The heroine’s flaw is that she’s too much of a “giver” and thus enabling the guy to make stupid decisions. The guy is basically a decent guy but he is too much of a “patsy” especially when it concerns his pseudo-daughter. I did like his sense of non-entitlement though -- that the minute he royally messed up his future with her cousin, he had lost all claims to be with Molly.
Good read.
This story runs like that.
Best of friends and partners in crime since Molly was 6 and Tim was 8, they last met when Tim at 20 married Molly’s cousin because he had gotten her pregnant. Ten years later, he parks his sorry self and his deaf daughter at Molly’s doorstep to seek refuge while he rebuilds his lost fortune and recreates a new home away from his greedy and irresponsible ex-wife.
Molly is an independent woman, well-respected in the community as a twice-honored Special Ed. teacher and still blessedly single at 28 years old. The hero is pretty much abetted by his aunt to win back Molly but before the uneasy friendship can turn into earnest courtship, his ex drops in to contest the custody settlements. A snowstorm (in)conveniently blankets the whole state so Molly finds her hands and house full of entertaining Tim and a slew of secondary characters over Christmas.
I liked this story because as always Emma Goldrick (a husband and wife team) has a unique, humorous and artless way of turning a trite story into a pleasant read -- despite the angsty theme of being passed up for a less worthy woman. I think however the OW is grossly caricatured; I don’t think a mom could be that mean to her own flesh-and-blood. The heroine’s flaw is that she’s too much of a “giver” and thus enabling the guy to make stupid decisions. The guy is basically a decent guy but he is too much of a “patsy” especially when it concerns his pseudo-daughter. I did like his sense of non-entitlement though -- that the minute he royally messed up his future with her cousin, he had lost all claims to be with Molly.
Good read.
February 7, 2022
This is a love gone wrong story. It takes 10 years of unrequited love before our two characters are finally given their 2nd chance!
Our heroine is Maddie. She is a 28 year old special needs teacher who has loved the Hero Tim her whole life. They started off as besties when they were just children. They even did a blood oath when she was 6 and he was 8. They were two peas in a pod. If there was a situation at school, they were most likely the culprits. He spent more time at her house than his own, as his mother was often gone for the city life and his father was distant and disinterested in his duties as a dad. They were destined to be married, at least anyone who knew them thought so.
The summer that Maddie turned 18, her 19 year old pocket Venus cousin Susan came to stay. Her 5 foot 11 inch gawky frame couldn’t compete. She was relegated to 5th wheel status. The H was bedazzled by the new shiny penny and momentarily forgot his heart and thought with his d*** instead. His moment of 20 year old male lust cost him his Maddie when he announced he would be marrying her cousin.
The story opens 10 years later. The H is on the h’s doorstep. His daughter asleep in the car. He needs the h’s help. His business is in shambles, and his hearing impaired daughter needs a caretaker so he can get it back on track.(he hasn’t seen his wife in over 7 years) The h has kept in contact with his aunt Gerda over the years, but never wanted to know how he was getting on. He has been very interested in how the h has been getting on and has discussed her with the aunt. By the end of chapter 2, two very big secrets are revealed, along with the plot of the story.
Spoiler➡️
Maddie bonds with sweet, smart Moira right away. This pleases the H. While the H is trying to win over the h, she, despite knowing she is still in love with him, does everything she can to keep him in the friend zone(which totally frustrates the H). Things are chugging along and they really seem like a very happy family. The h is working with Moira to learn sign language as she is destined to lose all her hearing in a few years. She teaches I love you to Moira and then tells the H it means good day. This way she can tell him she loves him over and over without him knowing. He returns the sign, so she secretly likes that he is unknowingly saying I love you right back.
Thanksgiving brings Aunt Gerda for a long visit. This isn’t so unusual as the h and the H’s aunt would do this on a regular basis. Time moves forward and we are getting close to Christmas. The black moment happens when dear cousin Susan rolls into town looking for more money. She threatens fighting for custody of Moira, a child she has no interest in. The h is wondering if the H and Susan will be reconciling. Well, he brings her back to the h’s house where she will be staying for a couple of weeks. Then a snowstorm hits trapping them together. The ex is a nasty piece of work. I will get to her more in a second. Christmas Eve brings two more visitors, the Captain of one of the H’s fleets(and lover to the Aunt) plus the ex’s lawyer. Unfortunately, for the h, the lawyer happens to be a man she was interested in but then fled from because he became rapey. She even quit her teaching job as it was in the same city Alfred worked in.
This all makes for a very interesting household. There is lots of bed hopping going on and none of it is between the h and H(they had 1 moment after the ex arrived and the h was in the H’s bedroom trying to wake him up because Moira had a nightmare. He became very amorous with the h but it ended before it got serious, so our h’s virginity is intact.)
So back to the ex. There is a special kind of hell for people who abuse children and animals. Our ex-wife is guilty of both in this story. No worries there are no dead puppies, but it will still make you angry!! She also has an unexplained hatred for the h. I believe this has something to do with the h’s goodness vs her evilness.
Meanwhile, the H is doing his darndest to get out of the friend zone with the h but he keeps putting his foot in it. He consults his aunt, and she can’t believe how he can mess something up with someone who is already in love with him. Unfortunately, the H is so unsure about the h’s love because of how he left her 10 years earlier. Plus, he has kept his distance all these years because he was on a quest to find a doctor could help his daughter, and he really can’t believe that the h would want him back.
Some things reach a fevered pitch with the om lawyer, the ow ex wife, and the hero. Our h shows that her roots are firmly planted in the Greek Mythology of the Amazons. Her warrior ways puts all of them in their place. After a hospital visit for the daughter and the dismissal of the ex, the h and H finally hash things out. He had asked her to marry him earlier, and she believes it was only to acquire a mother for his daughter. She loves his daughter but is waging whether or not she can live in a marriage loving the H as she does. So the truth comes out about her 18th birthday. ➡️spoilers now
Cute part of the HEA, he is signing his little heart out to her while she is thinking over his proposal.
Suddenly something pierced her cloud of thought Her head snapped around and she stared at the tall thin lovable man sitting next to her.
His hands were signing something, over and over again. 'I love you.'
'Tim,' she said tentatively. 'We were fooling you, Moira and I. That doesn't mean good morning.'
'I know what it means,' he answered gruffly. 'Aunt Gerda gave me a book of American Sign on Thanksgiving morning. I just didn't have the nerve to say it out loud!'
'Oh, Tim!' All her speculations collapsed, all her battle flags surrendered. With a little cry of happiness Molly hurled herself at the man who had once left her behind.
This is a sweet love story. Some angst, my tummy took a tumble a couple of times. There are a couple of kisses and the one bed scene I wrote about earlier, so the story is pretty chaste. I would have liked an epilogue with this one. I think what sets this apart from other stories I have read, is that the goal of the H is set forth before the end of chapter 2. We are never questioning his love for the h, even though she rightfully does. The matchmaking aunt and her captain Ahab were a fun addition. Not to mention we have a senior Saint Bernard and a wee German shepherd puppy to boot!
Our heroine is Maddie. She is a 28 year old special needs teacher who has loved the Hero Tim her whole life. They started off as besties when they were just children. They even did a blood oath when she was 6 and he was 8. They were two peas in a pod. If there was a situation at school, they were most likely the culprits. He spent more time at her house than his own, as his mother was often gone for the city life and his father was distant and disinterested in his duties as a dad. They were destined to be married, at least anyone who knew them thought so.
The summer that Maddie turned 18, her 19 year old pocket Venus cousin Susan came to stay. Her 5 foot 11 inch gawky frame couldn’t compete. She was relegated to 5th wheel status. The H was bedazzled by the new shiny penny and momentarily forgot his heart and thought with his d*** instead. His moment of 20 year old male lust cost him his Maddie when he announced he would be marrying her cousin.
The story opens 10 years later. The H is on the h’s doorstep. His daughter asleep in the car. He needs the h’s help. His business is in shambles, and his hearing impaired daughter needs a caretaker so he can get it back on track.(he hasn’t seen his wife in over 7 years) The h has kept in contact with his aunt Gerda over the years, but never wanted to know how he was getting on. He has been very interested in how the h has been getting on and has discussed her with the aunt. By the end of chapter 2, two very big secrets are revealed, along with the plot of the story.
Spoiler➡️
Maddie bonds with sweet, smart Moira right away. This pleases the H. While the H is trying to win over the h, she, despite knowing she is still in love with him, does everything she can to keep him in the friend zone(which totally frustrates the H). Things are chugging along and they really seem like a very happy family. The h is working with Moira to learn sign language as she is destined to lose all her hearing in a few years. She teaches I love you to Moira and then tells the H it means good day. This way she can tell him she loves him over and over without him knowing. He returns the sign, so she secretly likes that he is unknowingly saying I love you right back.
Thanksgiving brings Aunt Gerda for a long visit. This isn’t so unusual as the h and the H’s aunt would do this on a regular basis. Time moves forward and we are getting close to Christmas. The black moment happens when dear cousin Susan rolls into town looking for more money. She threatens fighting for custody of Moira, a child she has no interest in. The h is wondering if the H and Susan will be reconciling. Well, he brings her back to the h’s house where she will be staying for a couple of weeks. Then a snowstorm hits trapping them together. The ex is a nasty piece of work. I will get to her more in a second. Christmas Eve brings two more visitors, the Captain of one of the H’s fleets(and lover to the Aunt) plus the ex’s lawyer. Unfortunately, for the h, the lawyer happens to be a man she was interested in but then fled from because he became rapey. She even quit her teaching job as it was in the same city Alfred worked in.
This all makes for a very interesting household. There is lots of bed hopping going on and none of it is between the h and H(they had 1 moment after the ex arrived and the h was in the H’s bedroom trying to wake him up because Moira had a nightmare. He became very amorous with the h but it ended before it got serious, so our h’s virginity is intact.)
So back to the ex. There is a special kind of hell for people who abuse children and animals. Our ex-wife is guilty of both in this story. No worries there are no dead puppies, but it will still make you angry!! She also has an unexplained hatred for the h. I believe this has something to do with the h’s goodness vs her evilness.
Meanwhile, the H is doing his darndest to get out of the friend zone with the h but he keeps putting his foot in it. He consults his aunt, and she can’t believe how he can mess something up with someone who is already in love with him. Unfortunately, the H is so unsure about the h’s love because of how he left her 10 years earlier. Plus, he has kept his distance all these years because he was on a quest to find a doctor could help his daughter, and he really can’t believe that the h would want him back.
Some things reach a fevered pitch with the om lawyer, the ow ex wife, and the hero. Our h shows that her roots are firmly planted in the Greek Mythology of the Amazons. Her warrior ways puts all of them in their place. After a hospital visit for the daughter and the dismissal of the ex, the h and H finally hash things out. He had asked her to marry him earlier, and she believes it was only to acquire a mother for his daughter. She loves his daughter but is waging whether or not she can live in a marriage loving the H as she does. So the truth comes out about her 18th birthday. ➡️spoilers now
Cute part of the HEA, he is signing his little heart out to her while she is thinking over his proposal.
Suddenly something pierced her cloud of thought Her head snapped around and she stared at the tall thin lovable man sitting next to her.
His hands were signing something, over and over again. 'I love you.'
'Tim,' she said tentatively. 'We were fooling you, Moira and I. That doesn't mean good morning.'
'I know what it means,' he answered gruffly. 'Aunt Gerda gave me a book of American Sign on Thanksgiving morning. I just didn't have the nerve to say it out loud!'
'Oh, Tim!' All her speculations collapsed, all her battle flags surrendered. With a little cry of happiness Molly hurled herself at the man who had once left her behind.
This is a sweet love story. Some angst, my tummy took a tumble a couple of times. There are a couple of kisses and the one bed scene I wrote about earlier, so the story is pretty chaste. I would have liked an epilogue with this one. I think what sets this apart from other stories I have read, is that the goal of the H is set forth before the end of chapter 2. We are never questioning his love for the h, even though she rightfully does. The matchmaking aunt and her captain Ahab were a fun addition. Not to mention we have a senior Saint Bernard and a wee German shepherd puppy to boot!
June 2, 2024
First off, I didn’t pick up the book because it caught my interest. My aunt forced me to read it because it was one of her favorites when she was a teen. Tim Holland is a d!ck. He's a selfish and cowardly bastard who has nothing but his looks and wealth. He does not deserve Molly. And Molly herself is basically a doormat. She's such a pushover, she can't even bring herself to tell him her feelings for the man. It doesn't hurt for a woman to make an effort to bring yourself closer to the person you love. And the plot is so clichéd. But I still had a few laughs in this book so I gave it a scraping 2 stars.
March 12, 2015
I gave it two stars because it wasn't raunchy or anything. That being said this book was super frustrating. She waited for ten years? Of course remaining virginal. And it's not like he shows up and starts to woo her. He lies to her and acts like a jerk. Molly is a total doormat. There are so many unresolved scenes too. They never talk about what happened when he took a sleeping pill. They never have that conversation about what it was the lawyer said about Molly that was bad. Why did Tim think he could just propose and Molly would accept when she was 18? Were they dating? It doesn't sound like it. The speech of the daughter Moira puts her closer to 4 than 10. Molly gets hurt and upset and Tim...hides. For once I'd love to see a story where a man waits chastely for the girl he loves. Instead even fem-lit glorifies the randy male. The poor boys just can't help their hormones. Do women really believe that?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews