The extraordinary novel that introduces the unforgettable Coleman family—and the brilliant heroine who began a powerful American dynasty   Young Billie Ames naively fell for the exciting pilot Moss Coleman at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. Within a few months she was pregnant, married, and traveling across the country to Austin . . . to the 250,000-acre spread known as Sunbridge and into the tantalizing world of the Texas rich. In a vast land dominated by the industrious Colemans, Billie fights to maintain control of her life and her marriage.   This is the captivating story of four generations. There’s Moss, living in the shadow of a father whose obsession with power overshadows the needs of his only son; Jessica, the doomed mother who gave up everything to become the perfect Coleman wife; Moss and Billie’s children, desperately trying to live up to insurmountable expectations; and the grandchildren, heirs to a tarnished empire who just might fulfill their dreams. Most of all this is the triumphant story of Billie Ames Coleman, a woman of courage and strength who holds them all together—in a tale as magnificent as the land that inspired it. “A big, rich book in every way, rich in characterization, rich in plot, and rich in emotion. I think Fern Michaels has struck oil with this one.” –PATRICIA MATTHEWS “A steaming, sprawling saga . . . As always, Fern Michaels writes a full story with bigger-than-life characters we would look forward to meeting. . . . A rags-to-riches saga that would make a colorful movie.” – Romantic Times “Talk about action! There is more in this epic than in five novels. And it’s fascinating, interesting, and exciting. One of those rare books, the kind the reader doesn’t want to end. A real winner!” – Green Bay Press Gazette “Fine fare for Fern Michaels’s fans!” – The Philadelphia Inquirer The first in Fern Michaels' best-selling Texas series, TEXAS RICH introduces us to passionately compelling Billie Ames. Young Billie was naive but a real knockout when she met Moss Coleman at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. Within a few months she was pregnant and married to him. It was a marriage that brought Billie--and her mother, Agnes--across the country to Austin, to a 250,000-acre spread called Sunbridge, and into the world of the Texas rich. The first in Fern Michaels' best-selling Texas series, TEXAS RICH introduces us to passionately compelling Billie Ames. Young Billie was naive but a real knockout when she met Moss Coleman at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. Within a few months she was pregnant and married to him. It was a marriage that brought Billie--and her mother, Agnes--across the country to Austin, to a 250,000-acre spread called Sunbridge, and into the world of the Texas rich. Fern Michaels was the New York Times bestselling author of the Texas quartet of sizzling contemporary novels Texas Rich, Texas Heat, Texas Fury, and Texas Sunrise , as well as the steamy books in the Captive series: Captive Embraces, Captive Innocence, Captive Passions, Captive Splendors, and Captive Secrets . She also wrote For All Their Lives, Serendipity, Seasons of Her Life, Desperate Measures, and To Have and to Hold . She passed away in 2025. Chapter One The crisscross-patterned lace curtains, which should have been silk organdy but were rayon instead, billowed in the soft May breeze. The chitterings of birds and new green scents drifted into Billie Ames’s room. She drew in her breath, savoring the tantalizing fragrances. Spring was her favorite time of year and this year it had seemed such a long time coming. In thirty-seven days she would graduate from high school. Adulthood. Grown-up. She bent to tie her saddle shoes, brushing impatiently at her ash-blond hair, which fell over her eyes, and frowned. Multistriped shoelaces and white anklets? Some grown-up! She should be wearing nylon stockings and heels, not these remnants of girlhood. But the war had been on in Europe for some time now and since the attack on Pearl Harbor last December, Billie had wondered if sheer stockings would go the way of the passenger pigeon: extinct. Not that it mattered, because they were beyond the limits of her clothing allowance anyway. Lots of women wore leg makeup and drew seams on the backs of their legs. But only pagans and Philistines did such things, declared Billie’s mother. And Agnes Ames rarely, if ever, admitted she was wrong. Billie’s thoughts circled back to graduation. When she flipped the tassel of her mortarboard from one side to the other it would be the beginning of her last free summer and then off to Penn State. She’d already signed up for a major in English, because she had to pick something; but the truth was she hated the whole idea. What Billie wanted, really wanted, was to go to a good design and textile school. Agnes said that wouldn’t be seemly. The best schools were in New York City and young girls just didn’t live there alo