Reluctant Heart: Love Triangles Are Complicated

Lisa Franklin received her degree in journalism from UCLA and plans to pursue a career as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her life was dramatically altered when she’s summoned to Houston after her father's untimely death. She inherits his advertising company and meets two good-looking men – Randall and Steven. Steven is gentle, kind and attentive, whereas Randall is arrogant and a confirmed bachelor. Lisa has childhood hang-ups influenced by an embittered mother. Randall Barryman, the “Golden Boy,” makes a play for Lisa at a fund raiser. Lisa’s excited at first, then embarrassed and confused when he later disappears. Lisa is torn by indecision whether to continue as a reporter or take-over her father's advertising firm.

Pondering the whirl-wind changes of her life, Lisa plans a trip to Padre Island. An intruder is the last thing she expects. Lisa is awakened by a noise downstairs, and she creeps out of bed. As the front door opens, she hears a sound as if someone hit the wall and muttered incomprehensible words. The intruder moves down the hallway and turns the corner, then Lisa swings a rolling pin. The interloper falls to the floor and she rushes into the kitchen, grabs some rope and flips the lights on. The interloper is lying face down on the rug. He’s a big man, she thought as she tied his hands and feet. After considerable effort she manages to turn him over. Lisa almost drops to the floor in shock, it can't be!

"Randall, Randall!” she exclaimed. "Can you hear me?"

No response followed, he was out cold.

Depressed, Lisa buries herself in her work after no word from Randall for a month after the trip to Padre Island. Steven declares his interest in Lisa. The situation is complicated further when Randall hires Franklin Advertising to do promotional work for his firm. Lisa begins a relationship with Steven after a brief, torrid affair with Randall. Their paths cross time and again, igniting sparks. Randall learns of Lisa and Steven’s involvement through a childhood sweetheart.

A month and half after the trip to Padre, Lisa is cornered by Randall in her office. Lisa considered his timing odd, because Steven just happened to be out of town on business. Randall insists Lisa accompany him to a job site in California. The trip to California only works to create a greater wedge between them. Bewildered, she accompanies Steven to his sister’s wedding in Austin and learns what a happy family is all about. In addition, Steven presses Lisa to commit to a relationship.
Randall has issues of his own. He enjoys his life with Lisa and is miserable without her. Could this be what they describe as love? How can he be sure? Randall enters the picture once, again. What was Lisa to do?