Tears flooded her eyes. “Yes, yes. A thousand times, yes.”
Reed let out the breath he was holding. He slid the ring on her finger before gathering her in his arms and kissing her. His heart soared. When they broke apart, he swiped the tears from her cheeks.
She laughed. “I’m always crying on you.”
“Well, these are happy tears, and that makes a difference. But you go ahead and cry on me whenever you want. I’ve got you.” He couldn’t prevent every hurt from coming Emma’s way, but he intended to be there to shoulder the burden alongside her. Without a doubt, he knew Emma would do exactly the same for him. “We make a great team, Emma.”
She kissed him again. “Yes, we do.”
From the porch a holler went up. Bonnie, Vivian and Aunt Bessie were jumping for joy and hugging each other. Lily clapped at their exuberance. Reed laughed as the women rushed down the yard to congratulate the couple.
His heart had never been so full. God had blessed him. Blessed all of them.
And he was thankful.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Rocky Mountain Revenge by Rhonda Starnes.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading my first book with Love Inspired Suspense! Reed and Emma’s story was exciting to write, and I hope you enjoyed it, as well. Second-chance romances are a favorite of mine. They’re a reminder that the Lord’s timing is sometimes not our own. Which, if you’re like me, can be frustrating. But it’s also reassuring. With patience and faith, God will provide exactly what we need at precisely the right moment.
I often take ideas for books from real-life heroes. An article about the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation caught my attention. This nonprofit organization rescues dogs from shelters, trains them in search and rescue, and then places them with fire departments and other first responders at no cost. Emma’s desire to start a similar training program was inspired by this organization and its mission.
I adore hearing from readers. You can find me online at www.lynnshannon.com, on Facebook, @lynnshannonbooks, or on Twitter, @lynnswrites.
Blessings,
Lynn Shannon
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Rocky Mountain Revenge
by Rhonda Starnes
ONE
Grace Porter regretted she hadn’t stopped for fuel before leaving Denver two hours ago, when it was still daylight. If she had, she wouldn’t be at a run-down gas station that looked like it belonged in a low-budget horror movie. A dim yellow light flickered overhead and made a strange buzzing sound. The attendant, a tall, gaunt man with oily brown hair, stood behind the counter and stared at her through the window, reminding her of Norman Bates.
At least the two pumps had been updated to the pay-at-the-pump variety, so she wouldn’t have to go inside.
She pulled the nozzle out of the car’s gas tank, settled it back on its cradle and drummed her fingers on the side of her red Honda CRV as she waited for the receipt to print. Though she wasn’t typically scared of shadows in the dark, the overcast night sky obscured the moon and stars, providing little visibility outside the immediate rim of the artificial light from the gas station awning. A light breeze made the already cool late-May night air even colder, sending a shiver up her arms.
Why was she feeling uneasy? She’d filled up her car at this very station numerous times when she was younger, often late at night when heading home from a friend’s house. Had living in Denver the past eight years made her dependent on streetlights on every corner for a sense of security?
Hopefully, she would only be in Blackberry Falls for a couple of months then she could return to her life in Denver. In the meantime, she would provide emotional support to her sister, Chloe, as she finalized her divorce. She would also have to focus on hiring someone to replace James, her soon-to-be ex-brother-in-law, as the veterinarian at the animal clinic she and Chloe had inherited two years ago.
Grace had never wanted to be a small-town veterinarian, but here she was about to temporarily take over the reins of the clinic her father had built. Something he’d always wanted but she’d always tried to avoid.
Chloe couldn’t be expected to continue working with James until a replacement could be found. It had been difficult enough for her sister to continue going to work as the clinic’s office manager the past few months while Grace worked out the details of her leave of absence from the animal hospital in Denver where she worked as a veterinary cardiologist.
Grace didn’t understand her sister’s emotional attachment to their hometown and would have suggested Chloe walk away and start fresh in a new city if she thought her words would have been welcomed.
She startled at the sudden blare of music emanating from her vehicle. Chloe’s ringtone. Grace tore off the receipt, shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans and slid behind the steering wheel. Grabbing her phone off the dashboard, she slid a finger across the screen, silencing Sister Sledge in the middle of “We Are Family.” Her sister’s face filled the screen.
“Chloe. Why are you FaceTiming? What if I were driving?”
Chloe’s blue eyes sparkled. “I checked the app and saw that you had stopped for gas.”
“Then you also saw I’m only ten minutes away.” Grace smiled.
“I know, but I got held up at the clinic and just arrived home.”
Chloe had always hated going into an empty house by herself after dark. When she couldn’t avoid doing that, she would call Grace to video chat as she entered the house, claiming it made her feel less alone. Her theory was that Grace could call 9-1-1 if there was an intruder.
This was getting out of hand. Maybe, while Grace was back in Blackberry Falls, she could finally get Chloe
