Finding Glory
Once upon a time, he was just a hopeless cause from the wrong side of Glory, Kansas. And he'll be damned if he'll let anyone drag him back down after finally clawing his way out.Everyone knows that Gina Townsend is a saint, always taking care of everyone around her. And now she's trying to be a mother to her six-year-old niece, Amanda Jane. But the girl's biological father isn't helping matters. The scruffy, gangly boy Gina remembers has returned to Glory a sexy, successful man, but Reed Hollingsworth is the only thing standing between her and losing Amanda Jane to foster care.Betrayed that neither Townsend sister bothered to tell him he was a father until he had money, Reed's still not about to shirk his responsibilities. So when he demands Gina move in with him as part of Amanda Jane's custody agreement, he tries not to notice pretty much everything about her–especially the way his solemn-faced daughter laughs when they play together.Raising a child together, Reed and Gina learn that some dreams come and go, but some are a spark that burns eternal…
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Once upon a time, he was just a hopeless cause from the wrong side of Glory, Kansas. And he’ll be damned if he’ll let anyone drag him back down after finally clawing his way out.
Everyone knows that Gina Townsend is a saint, always taking care of everyone around her. And now she’s trying to be a mother to her six-year-old niece, Amanda Jane. But the girl’s biological father isn’t helping matters. The scruffy, gangly boy Gina remembers has returned to Glory a sexy, successful man, but Reed Hollingsworth is the only thing standing between her and losing Amanda Jane to foster care.
Betrayed that neither Townsend sister bothered to tell him he was a father until he had money, Reed’s still not about to shirk his responsibilities. So when he demands Gina move in with him as part of Amanda Jane’s custody agreement, he tries not to notice pretty much everything about her—especially the way his solemn-faced daughter laughs when they play together.
Raising a child together, Reed and Gina learn that some dreams come and go, but some are a spark that burns eternal...
Here we are again back in the small town of Glory, where things aren’t always what they seem, and neither are the people we grew up with. Even with such a close-knit community, the people on the fringes are often the ones who need that community the most.
Just like Reed and Gina.
This story is a little different than the others on the surface, but deep at its core, it’s about the same things. Love, hope and redemption. Finding the courage inside yourself to be the best person you can be, letting love heal the wounds that are soul-deep, and fighting for the happily-ever-after that we all deserve.
Thanks so much for coming back again and checking in on our favorite small town. You know it’s not the same here without you.
Happy reading!
Sara Arden
This is dedicated to the steadfast, inspiring, beautiful Nicolase Mallat. You’re the best book midwife there is. You held my hand, soothed my brow and helped me bring this into the world.
Contents
“I SAY, DO HUSH, ETHEL.” Helga Gunderson rattled the gavel at the podium with all of the authority afforded her station both as the Grand Dame of the Glory Grandmothers and as the chief judge for the first district in Glory County.
Ethel Weinburg, local busybody, knitting genius and general jill-of-all-trades, squirmed in her seat and made a big show of adjusting the folds of her dress.
Helga warmed. “I want to hear all about your petunias, dear, but we have urgent business on Maudine’s behalf.”
The woman in question, one Maudine Townsend, sat in the proverbial hot seat up on the small stage. Her blue hair didn’t put anyone off—after all, it was perfectly coiffed as it had been every day since she was thirteen. The dye job had been to show school spirit for her old alma mater, but the temporary dye had become more of a fixture.
“As you all know, I haven’t been feeling well.” Maudine took a deep breath, deciding what she wanted to say next. She didn’t want anyone other than Helga to know just what she’d been going through, but she needed them to understand the importance of what she was about to ask.
“Have you tried a cleanse?” Regan Marsh asked, pushing up her glasses. “A good colonic can fix everything. I remember this one time when—”
Heavens save her from people who could only talk about their bodily functions. Maudine held up her hand. “Stop right there. I swore that the day I spoke of such things in public would be my cue to lie down and let them bury me. If that’s all I can converse about, it’s a sad day indeed.” She pursed her lips. “No, what I need is more for my granddaughter, Gina. She has absolutely no life trying to raise Amanda Jane. She’s a good parent, but she’s too young to have given up on falling in love.”
“Maybe her priorities are right where they need to be,” Rose Cresswell offered.
Maudine’s eyes narrowed. “Amanda Jane needs a father.” And I need to know she’ll be loved when I’m gone.
“I raised my daughters without a man just fine, thank you very much.” Ethel crossed her arms.
“No one is saying you didn’t. I didn’t say Bitsie Weinburg needs a father. I said Amanda Jane Townsend does. And Gina needs the help. Not because she’s not capable, but because she deserves to have something in her life she didn’t have to fight for. It would just kill me if she missed out on becoming a doctor because I couldn’t take Amanda Jane full-time,” Maudine confessed.
Gina’s story thus far was like a penny dreadful. She’d lost her mother, her sister, and now was trying to take care of her niece and put herself through medical school. She’d found a way to do that with the army, but when she found out Amanda Jane needed her, she’d declined to reenlist. And in doing so, had declined the GI Bill that would’ve paid for her education. No, Gina wasn’t going to end up like everyone else in Maudine’s family. She would survive and thrive, no matter what Maudine had to do to make it happen. She couldn’t help but feel like she could’ve done more, done better.
