I am so excited to be participating in this author book signing at the Sheraton Grand Chicago on Saturday, April 30th from 3 to 5pm. If you’re in town, stop in and say hi! This is the last event of a very fun weekend and is open to the public.
Stories include:
ALL ROADS LEAD TO SHEPHERD GROVE–DANIA VOSS
PAST, PERFECT, POLO–MARIBELLE MCCREA
THE MADAM’S FRIEND–MARLENE F CHENG
THE SUNFLOWER MEADOW–K.M. JENKINS
DESTINED DREAMER–DEBORAH KING
THE SLEEPLESS CAFÉ–ANNIE MCEWEN
HAVEN OF SECRETS–PAMELA CLAYFIELD
GOLD MINE–TIFFANY CARBY
MISROUTED BY LOVE ~ A TALE OF MAYBE–AIMEE O’BRIAN
CLICKING–R.A. CLARKE
PLANTING THE SEEDS OF LOVE–N. N. LIGHT
THE POWER OF LOVE–JUDY FISHER
LOVE, ETERNAL–ROBERT BEECH
SHIFTER: A WERE-CAT’S TALE–E.J. POWELL
ON THE WINGS OF KITES–ALEX GREHY
MOANA ACCOUNTANT–KERRY CARLISLE
TWO WEEKS IN THE TETONS–MARIS PARKER
Jack took a step back letting go of her pinky. He crossed his arms; his eyes glittered angrily.
“You love me?” He snorted. “You don’t even know I exist.”
Sally’s nostrils flared. Taking a step back, she crossed her arms.
“That’s a fine thing to say to me after all we’ve been through.” She turned to leave. “Maybe Trevor’s right…”
“What?” Jack sat down on the cot, not looking at her. “What did Trevor tell you?”
“Trevor has a buyer for the farm. It’s a friend of his father’s and he loves the idea of a brewery out here in the country. He wants to add a restaurant and make it some sort of oasis for city folk.” She ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
“A buyer?” He put his head in his hands and sighed. “It’s too fast.”
“What are you talking about?” She looked down at her watch, wishing she hadn’t come. Her sister was right; men were nothing but trouble.
“Look, I know I’ve messed things up.” He stood and walked towards her. “But you’ve got to give the farm and me a second chance.” He extended his hand through the bars.
Sally’s emotions shook her body. Guilt, love, pain, regret, anger and hope battled for supremacy in her heart. She eyed his outstretched hand warily. Could she trust him? Could he be depended upon?
“Why should I give you another chance, Jack?” She let her arms fall to her sides. A force not her own pulled her body closer to his. She whispered, “You hurt me.” Tears welled up but she didn’t care.
He reached up and wiped her tears away.
“Oh Sally,” he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
Her lower lip quivered.
“I’m so sorry. I’m a first-class jerk.” He cupped her face with his hands. “Please don’t cry.”
Sally closed her eyes. She felt like a tiny dingy in the middle of the ocean, battered and torn in pieces. She leaned her head against the bars.
“Your opinion matters most, it always has. When you say things like you just did, it tears me apart.” She lifted her head. “I need you, Jack. I can’t do this without you.”
Jack exhaled slowly.
“That wasn’t me; it was my jealousy rearing its ugly head.”
“What do you mean? What do you have to be jealous of?” Her brows furrowed, she thought hard.
“I’m jealous of how happy you seem to be with Trevor,” he replied.
At some point in the past decade, Zoey “Always” Wright stopped giving every day her best effort. Starting today, she had to get back to the confident girl who left Harmony, Illinois. With her laptop open on the tray table in the Business Class car, she glanced from the conference call to the passing scenery outside the train.
She hadn’t visited her hometown during the summer since she left for good a decade ago. Would warm nights still smell honeysuckle soaked? Her heart squeezed. Giving up claim to Harmony was the least she could do for her ex-boyfriend. Over a decade ago, he had no prospects at ever leaving. She snorted.
Now, he dictated her return.
“Zoey?” a sharp voice asked.
She rubbed her nose and focused on the screen, pressing her wireless headphones into her ears. “Sorry, allergies,” she murmured.
“Her boss, Eliza, nodded. “You’re sure you can deliver the project by the deadline?”
Zoey pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Oh, without question, she’d meet the goal. Her entire career depended on her delivery.
Without the professional high stakes, she wouldn’t have returned to face him. Would he behave himself on the project? She had a lot of questions and concerns. At least she had the element of surprise on her side. While she was almost 100 percent certain Noah put the strict parameters on the project to get her attention, she doubted he’d ever guess she’d deal with him in person.
“If the project is too much, let us know now, and we can find someone better suited to the position,” Eliza said.
“No need.” Zoey grinned until her cheeks hurt.
After a quick rise through the ranks at Fulham’s superstores, she’d been sidelined into a glorified personal assistant role instead of fulfilling her real work with special projects. She studied Eliza and the woman at her side in the Fulham’s corporate headquarters board room in Chicago.
Joanne Grillo was Eliza’s boss. With a solid career built on promoting and encouraging her employees to rise, Joanne remained Zoey’s best shot at landing an interview for the new job in Boston. After stalling in her current role, underutilized by a micromanager, she was desperate for the promotion. If her cousin, Amy, had taken the job in the historic village only a train ride away, Zoey might have been able to convince her parents to move to the East Coast. She could have had it all. With Amy now permanently settled back home, however, Zoey knew encouraging her parents to move was a long shot.
“We received your budget breakdown and proposal,” Joanne said. “Thank you. Everything looks in order. And you’re sure you’ll be able to keep Mr. Kidwell and his team at Under Covers to the tight parameters?”
Oh, yes. Keeping Noah Kidwell in line had been her job until she’d had enough of his excuses. While she was around to straighten every mess and guide him to toe the line, she slowly realized he was never going to step up. “I have no concerns.”
Excerpt From
Her Unlikely Homecoming
Rachelle Paige Campbell
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Rachelle Paige Campbell 