Promise Me Today

The first romance in ``The Sisters of Mercy Flats'' trilogy opens in 1864, as the three McDougal sisters lie and swindle their way across Texas dressed as nuns. A Comanche attack forces them to scatter, and Abigail finds herself saddled with Hershall Digman, a shoe salesman and seemingly unpromising specimen. He promptly demonstrates his uselessness by refusing to escort her to Mercy Flats, her family home. After Abigail swipes Hershall's horse (leaving him stranded on the trail), she examines his papers and realizes that the sappy salesman is really Confederate spy Barrett Drake. Barrett catches up with Abigail in spite of himself (this spy is no tracker), but the saucy swindler refuses to relinquish his documents. Finally, they compromise: first she'll help him complete his mission to Shreveport, then he'll take her to Mercy Flats. Their difficult journey is leavened with frequent doses of Copeland's ( Forever, Ashley ) broad humor--delivered without finesse but with boundless enthusiasm. Romance fans who enjoy this kind of comedy can settle in for a few hours of uncomplicated, lightweight entertainment. (Dec.)