“There are some definite villains in this book. Ohhhh, how I loved to hate them. But I have to give Thompson credit because they never came off as caricatures or one dimensional. They all felt authentic to me and (sadly) I could easily picture them. I loved to love some and loved to hate others.” - The Baking Bookworm
“I stayed up the entire night reading Duet For Three Hands and unbeknownst to myself, I fell asleep in the middle of reading the book. I literally woke up the next morning with Tyler the Kindle beside me (thankfully, still safe and intact) with no ounce of battery left. I shouldn't have worried about deadlines because, guess what? Duet For Three Hands was the epitome of unputdownable.” - The Bookish Owl
Miller’s Secret
“From the very first page, I was captivated by this wonderful tale. The cast of characters amazing - very fleshed out and multi-dimensional. The descriptions were perfect - just enough to make you feel like you were transported back to the 20's and 40's.... This book was the perfect escape, filled with so many twists and turns I was on the edge of my seat for the entire read.” - Hilary Grossman
“The sad story of a freezing-cold orphan looking out the window at his rich benefactors on Christmas Eve started me off with Horatio-Alger expectations for this book. But I quickly got pulled into a completely different world--the complex five-character braid that the plot weaves. The three men and two women characters are so alive I felt I could walk up and start talking to any one of them, and I'd love to have lunch with Henry. Then the plot quickly turned sinister enough to keep me turning the pages.
Class is set against class, poor and rich struggle for happiness and security, yet it is love all but one of them are hungry for. ......Where does love come from? What do you do about it? The story kept me going, and gave me hope. For a little bonus, there are Thompson's delightful observations, like: "You'd never know we could make something this good out of the milk from an animal who eats hats." A really good read!” - Kay in Seattle
“She paints vivid word pictures such that I could smell the ocean and hear the doves. Then there are the stories within a story that twist and turn until they all come together in the end. I really had a hard time putting it down. Five stars aren't enough!” - M.R. Williams
Also by Tess Thompson
CLIFFSIDE BAY
Traded: Brody and Kara
Deleted: Jackson and Maggie
Jaded: Zane and Honor
Marred: Kyle and Violet
Tainted: Lance and Mary
Cliffside Bay Christmas, The Season of Cats and Babies (Cliffside Bay Novella to be read after Tainted)
Missed: Rafael and Lisa
Cliffside Bay Christmas Wedding (Cliffside Bay Novella to be read after Missed)
Healed: Stone and Pepper
Chateau Wedding (Cliffside Bay Novella to be read after Healed)
Scarred: Trey and Autumn
Jilted: Nico and Sophie
Kissed (Cliffside Bay Novella to be read after Jilted)
Departed: David and Sara
Cliffside Bay Bundle , Books 1,2,3
BLUE MOUNTAIN SERIES
Blue Mountain Bundle, Books 1,2,3
Blue Midnight
Blue Moon
Blue Ink
Blue String
EMERSON PASS
The School Mistress of Emerson Pass
The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass
RIVER VALLEY
Riversong
Riverbend
Riverstar
Riversnow
Riverstorm
Tommy's Wish
River Valley Bundle, Books 1-4
LEGLEY BAY
Caramel and Magnolias
Tea and Primroses
STANDALONES
The Santa Trial
Duet for Three Hands
Miller's Secret
Copyright © 2021 by Tess Thompson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Prologue
1. Carlie
2. Cole
3. Carlie
4. Cole
5. Carlie
6. Cole
7. Carlie
8. Cole
9. Carlie
10. Cole
11. Carlie
12. Cole
13. Carlie
14. Cole
15. Carlie
16. Cole
17. Carlie
18. Cole
19. Carlie
20. Cole
21. Carlie
22. Cole
23. Carlie
24. Carlie
More Blue Mountain
Also by Tess Thompson
About the Author
For all the small town girls with big dreams. Keep fighting. Your time will come.
Prologue
In the years afterward, I came to think of that evening of the Logan County Fair as Blue Twilight. The transition from the light of day to the dark of night. Awash in the pink-grapefruit-hued light of the setting sun, I had no idea of what was to come. Life held only promise to me then. I knew nothing of the night. My sister and I thrived in the long days of summer like newly budded roses, dewy with youth and beauty. I believed the world was good and nothing bad could touch the people I loved. How wrong I was.
The highlight of summer for Beth and me had always been the county fair. Since we were small, my father had taken us, leaving my mother at home for what she referred to as her Calgon night. Each holding on to one of our father’s hands, we’d weave through crowds to see the 4-H animals, the winning pies, quilts, and art. Of particular interest for my father was the new car on display, which we found boring but knew that if we were patient, the best part of the evening would come. The rides.
He’d buy us each ten tickets and then sit with his friends while we got our fill. I was too scared to go without Beth, so we always rode together. Our favorite was the Ferris wheel. It was the view that we loved, squealing with glee as the magic wheel lifted us high enough to see the entire fairgrounds, then
