Acclaim for Lauren K. Denton
“A poignant and heartfelt tale of sisterhood, motherhood, and marriage, Hurricane Season deftly examines the role that coming to terms with the past plays in creating a hopeful future. Readers will devour this story of the hurricanes—both literal and figurative—that shape our lives.”
—KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY, NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE
“Inspiring and heartwarming fiction that will please many a heart. Lauren Denton has done it again. In Hurricane Season, Denton delivers emotional depth while examining the many types of ‘storms’ that cause havoc in our lives. After making us love her characters and feel every ache of their journey, she brings us full circle through a beautiful story, reminding us all that this too shall pass.”
—JULIE CANTRELL, NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF PERENNIALS
“It’s true what they say. There’s no place like home. And reading a Lauren Denton book feels like coming home. With characters you’ll want as friends, a setting you can step into, and a poignant story of sisters and family ties and all the messiness of a wonderful life, Denton has penned another tale that will settle in deep and stay awhile, long after the last page is turned.”
—CATHERINE WEST, AUTHOR OF WHERE HOPE BEGINS, FOR HURRICANE SEASON
“An engaging, lyrical story of sisterly love. Hurricane Season is sure to add to Denton’s growing fan base.”
—RACHEL HAUCK, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Denton’s Hurricane Season feels like home. Through sisters Jenna and Betsy you will recognize which sister you are, the sister you could be, and the sister you yearn to become—the woman you hope to become. It’s an absolutely lovely story of love, loss, and the hope of new beginnings.”
—KATHERINE REAY, AUTHOR OF DEAR MR. KNIGHTLEY AND THE AUSTEN ESCAPE
“Denton’s delicious debut [The Hideaway] is a treat for the senses and the heart. Her exquisitely lyrical writing and character-driven story is a must-read.”
—LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED REVIEW AND DEBUT OF THE MONTH
“The Hideaway is the heartwarmingly southern story about the families we are given—and the families we choose. Two endearing heroines and their poignant storylines of love lost and found make this the perfect book for an afternoon on the back porch with a glass of sweet tea.”
—KAREN WHITE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“This debut novel is the kind of book you want to curl up with on a rainy day or stick in your beach bag for your next vacation. It is poetic and compelling, emotional and full of life. Its haunting beauty will linger long with readers.”
—RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4½ STARS, TOP PICK! FOR THE HIDEAWAY
“In this fine debut, Denton crafts a beautiful, heartbreaking story of true love that never dies. This book will please inspirational, contemporary, and historical fans alike.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW OF THE HIDEAWAY
“Denton’s first novel charms readers with her idyllic settings and wonderful cast of characters . . . The Hideaway is a deeply satisfying exploration of family, friendship, and the meaning of home.”
—BOOKLIST
“From the opening of The Hideaway, the reader is captured by the voice of a woman who has for too long kept a story that must be told, one the reader wants to hear. Denton has crafted a story both powerful and enchanting: a don’t-miss novel in the greatest southern traditions of storytelling.”
—PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“The Hideaway is a delightful tale of secrets, past regrets, and second chances. You will fall in love with these characters, and their intriguing stories will keep you reading long into the night! A lovely debut novel!”
—CATHERINE WEST, AUTHOR OF WHERE HOPE BEGINS
Hurricane Season
© 2018 by Lauren K. Denton
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Interior Design: Mallory Collins
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Denton, Lauren K., author.
Title: Hurricane season / Lauren K. Denton.
Description: Nashville : Thomas Nelson, [2018] | “A Southern novel of two sisters and the storms they must weather.”
Epub Edition February 2018 9780718084264
Identifiers: LCCN 2017039715 | ISBN 9780718084257 (softcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Self-realization--Fiction. | Motherhood--Fiction. | Sisters--Fiction. | Domestic fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3604.E5956 H87 2018 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017039715
Printed in the United States of America
18 19 20 21 22 LSC 5 4 3 2 1
For Kate and Sela
and for Matt
Contents
One: Betsy
Two: Jenna
Three: Jenna
Four: Ty
Five: Betsy
Six: Betsy
Seven: Ty
Eight: Betsy
Nine: Betsy
Ten: Jenna
Eleven: Betsy
Twelve: Ty
Thirteen: Jenna
Fourteen: Betsy
Fifteen: Betsy
Sixteen: Jenna
Seventeen: Jenna
Eighteen: Ty
Nineteen: Jenna
Twenty: Betsy
Twenty-one: Ty
Twenty-two: Betsy
Twenty-three: Jenna
Twenty-four: Betsy
Twenty-five: Ty
Twenty-six: Betsy
Twenty-seven: Jenna
Twenty-eight: Betsy
Twenty-nine: Ty
Thirty: Jenna
Thirty-one: Betsy
Thirty-two: Betsy
Thirty-three: Betsy
Thirty-four: Jenna
Thirty-five: Betsy
Thirty-six: Jenna
Thirty-seven: Ty
Thirty-eight: Betsy
Thirty-nine: Jenna
Forty: Betsy
Forty-one: Jenna
Forty-two: Betsy
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
About the Author
one
Betsy
She usually stayed in bed until at least six, but this morning she was restless, like animals get when the barometric pressure drops before a storm. It wasn’t the cows, or the approaching hurricane season, or even the milk prices, which had dipped lately. It was something else, something she couldn’t quite name. She felt like she needed to both run a mile and go back to sleep for the next three hours. It was energy and lethargy, anticipation and dread. Anna Beth would likely diagnose it in a heartbeat, but Betsy had always been good at pretending everything was just fine.
She kicked her legs out from under the sheet, her feet searching for a cool spot in the bed Ty had just vacated. Even with the
