Acclaim for New York Times bestselling author
âSherryl Woods always delights her readersâincluding me!â âNo.1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
âCompulsively readable ⦠Woodsâs novel easily rises above hot-button topics to tell a universal tale of friendshipâs redemptive power.â
âPublishers Weekly on Mending Fences
âSherryl Woods always delivers a fast, breezy ⦠romance.â
âJayne Ann Krentz
âSherryl Woods gives her characters depth, intensity and the right amount of humour.â
âRT Book Reviews
âSherryl Woods is a uniquely gifted writer whose deep understanding of human nature is woven into every page.â
âNew York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers
Other novels in the Chesapeake Shores series
THE INN AT EAGLE POINT
FLOWERS ON MAIN HARBOUR LIGHTS A CHESAPEAKE SHORES CHRISTMAS
Coming soon
MOONLIGHT COVE
Many of Sherrylâs novels are available in eBook
Please visit: www.mirabooks.co.uk
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Chesapeake Shores!
Connor OâBrien, whoâs been living in Baltimore, is probably the least well-known of the siblings in this large, dysfunctional family. In some ways, though, heâs the son whoâs most embittered by his parentsâ divorce and the least likely to walk willingly into marriage. And yet Connorâs love for Heather Donovan and the son they share runs deep. Heâs devastated when she calls off their relationship, no longer able to pretend that their halfhearted arrangement is enough. Heather wants it allâthe vows, the ring, the piece of paper legally binding them together.
Only when an accident nearly claims her life does Connor realise that a future that doesnât include Heather is no future at all. But ironically, after all the years of declaring his distrust of marriage, Heather doesnât believe his sudden turnaround. Or does she have issues of her own, after all?
I hope youâll enjoy the ride as these two struggle to find their way toward happinessâof course with all those meddling OâBriens around to nudge them determinedly in the right direction.
And next, at last, not only Jess but Uncle Thomas will each find the love of their life. There are hints about that in this book, but, as always, it will take some serious prodding for true love to triumph. Whatâs the fun of a happy ending if there havenât been a few roadblocks along the way? Enjoy!
All best,
Heather Donovan propped open the front door and stood just inside the brightly lit storefront in Chesapeake Shores so she could inhale the scent of sea air from the bay across Shore Road. Turning slowly, she studied the stacks of colorful fabric bolts that had to be sorted and displayed, the unopened boxes of quilting supplies and the quilt racks that still required assembly. Her pride and joy, the carefully crafted shelving units, had been built to her specifications by her sonâs grandfather, famed architect Mick OâBrien, for whom her son, little Mick, was named.
Seeing it all coming together was a little overwhelming. Not just opening a business, but all of itâmoving to this quaint town, deciding to raise her son on her own, giving up on a future with Connor OâBrienâthese were all huge steps. Her mind still reeled when she thought about the recent changes in her life. She might embrace the changes, but that didnât mean she wasnât scared to death.
If anyone had told her a few months ago that she would leave the man she loved more than anything, that she would take their son and move from Baltimore to a small seaside town and embark on a whole new career, Heather would have laughed at the absurdity of the predictions. Even though Connor stubbornly had refused to consider marriage, sheâd thought they had a good life, that they were committed to one another. Sheâd believed that so strongly that sheâd ignored her parentsââactually it had been mostly her motherâsâwarnings about the mistake she was making by having a child with Connor without a ring on her finger.
But, in fact, theyâshe, Connor and their sonâmight have gone on exactly like that for years if she hadnât seen how Connorâs career as a divorce lawyer was chipping away at their relationship, how his anger at his parents was corrupting their day-to-day lives. She didnât like the embittered man sheâd seen him becoming, and he seemed to have no desire to change.
It wasnât as if sheâd made her decision to break up lightly. Sheâd gone away for several weeks, leaving their son with Connorâs family while sheâd pondered what was best for her future and for her childâs. She hadnât been happy about the conclusion sheâd reached, that she needed to start a new life on her own, but sheâd made peace with it. And, in time, she knew sheâd find the fulfillment that had eluded her with Connor.
Not that she could envision a day when sheâd stop loving him, she thought even now, months after making the decision. She sighed at how difficult it sometimes was to reconcile emotions with common sense and facing reality, especially with a precious little boy as a constant reminder of what sheâd given up.