The highly anticipated sequel to #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carrâs What We Find transports readers back to Sullivanâs Crossing. The rustic campground at the crossroads of the Colorado and Continental Divide trails welcomes everyoneâwhether youâre looking for a relaxing weekend getaway or a whole new lease on life. Itâs a wonderful place where good people face their challenges with humor, strength and love.
For Sierra Jones, Sullivanâs Crossing is meant to be a brief stopover. Sheâs put her troubled past behind her but the path forward isnât yet clear. A visit with her big brother Cal and his new bride, Maggie, seems to be the best option to help her get back on her feet.
Not wanting to burden or depend on anyone, Sierra is surprised to find the Crossing offers so much more than a place to rest her head. Cal and Maggie welcome her into their busy lives and she quickly finds herself bonding with Sully, the quirky campground owner who is the father figure sheâs always wanted. But when her past catches up with her, itâs a special man and an adorable puppy who give her the strength to face the truth and fight for a brighter future. In Sullivanâs Crossing Sierra learns to cherish the family you are given and the family you choose.
Chapter 1
SO, THIS IS what a new life looks like. Sierra Jones opened her eyes on a sunny Colorado morning to that thought.
She had given this a great deal of consideration. Colorado had not been her only option but she decided it might be the best one. Her brother Cal, with whom she shared a deep bond, was making a life here and he wanted her to be part of it. Sierra needed a new place to start over. A place with no bad memories, where she had no history and yet, had a strong emotional connection. Her big brother was a powerful pull.
When she was a child, it was Cal whoâd protected her, loved her unconditionally, cared for her, worried on her behalf. He was eight years older but had been more than just her brother. He had been her best friend. And when heâd left home, or what passed for home when she was ten years old, sheâd been adrift.
When sheâd finally made up her mind to give this place a chance, Cal wanted her to come directly to his house. His house in progress, that is. But that didnât sound like a good idea; there was only one bedroom finished so far. And, more importantâshe wouldnât be a burden to anyone, and absolutely did not want to be in the way of a new couple who were just feeling their way into marriage. Cal and Maggie had been married less than six months and were living in the barn they were converting into a house. Sierra thanked them kindly and said sheâd prefer to find her own lodgings and live on her own. A very important part of creating a new life was independence. She did not want to be accountable to anyone but herself.
Thatâs what sheâd told them. The truth, hidden protectively in her heart, was that she was afraid to depend on Cal again as she had when she was a little girl. He had a new family, after all. She remembered too well the pain from her childhood when heâd abandoned her. It was awful.
Independence was a little frightening. But, she reminded herself, she did have her brother near and willing to lend a hand if she needed anything, just as she was more than eager to be there for Cal and Maggie. She was thirty years old and it was high time she built a life that reflected the new woman she was becoming. This was a joyful, challenging, exciting and terrifying change. If a little lonely at times...
She had a short checklist of things she wanted to settle for herself before seeing Cal. Firstâshe wanted to look around the area. Timberlake was the town closest to where her brother and Maggie lived and she thought it was adorable. It was a little touristy, a little on the Wild West side with its clapboard shop fronts and Victorian-style houses, surrounded by the beauty of snow-topped mountains and long, deep fields. The first day she spent in the small town there was a herd of elk cantering down the main street. One big bull was bugling at the cows and calves, herding them away from the town and back to grazing land. They were at once majestic and klutzy, wandering in a little confusion through the cars. An old guy standing in front of a barbershop explained to her that with spring, they were moving to higher elevations, cows were giving birth, grazing was found in different areas. And in the fall, he said, watch out for rutting season. âThose bulls get real territorial.â