Turning Home (A Small Town Novel)

by Stephanie Nelson

  When the nights are long and I’m alone,

  you keep my mind turning home.

  I first have to thank all of my readers who stuck by me while I detoured away from my usual series to write this brand new book. You guys could have shown up with torches and pitchforks, demanding I abandon Brooke and Dylan’s story so I could publish the next Gwen Sparks/Anna Avery book faster. I hope this story was worth the wait. Your patience and loyalty astound and humble me. And I’ll challenge any author who claims to have better readers than I do.

  To my ever supportive husband, Eric. You amaze me every single day. While I was working away, you stepped up and helped around the house, gave me back and foot rubs and even took the time to read the very thing that distracted me from you so many nights. You truly are the best husband a girl could ask for.

  A huge thank you to my editor, Madison Seidler. I know working on this book was not easy and, at times, you probably wanted to smack me upside my head. I’m thankful you didn’t. Your insight and suggestions helped me figure out this story. Thank you! Thank you to Chelsea Kuhel for proofreading.

  To Tawdra Kandle, Lola James and Olivia Hardin for taking the time to beta read and offer their suggestions. Thank you! It’s amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can do for a book.

  To my cover models: Nina Pyle and Nathan Weller, you guys are awesome and really brought Brooke and Dylan to life. Thank you!

  To the wonderful photographer who captured just the right photos: Kelsey Keeton. You’re always fabulous to work with and I look forward to working with you again.

  You & I by One Direction

  Kiss You Inside Out by Hedley

  You Make Me Wanna by Thomas Rhett

  Dayum Baby by Florida Georgia Line

  Stay by Florida Georgia Line

  So Contagious by Acceptance

  You Don’t Know Her Like I do by Brantley Gilbert

  Don’t Ya by Brett Eldredge

  Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You by Brooks & Dunn

  Comedown by Bush

  Do You Think About Me by Carrie Underwood

  This Time by Carrie Underwood

  Young Love by Carter’s Chord

  Can’t Seem to Let You Go by Carter’s Chord

  I’ll Be by Edwin McCain

  Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw

  Can’t Shake You by Gloriana

  Wanted by Hunter Hayes

  Walking Away by Jason Aldean

  Because of You by Kelly Clarkson

  Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson

  I Don’t Want This Night to End by Luke Bryan

  Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

  Like Nobody Else by My Darkest Days

  Red by Taylor Swift

  Bring Me Home by Tori Kelly

  The Gwen Sparks Series – Adult Paranormal (Soon to be audiobooks!)

  Craved – Amazon

  Deceived – Amazon

  Coveted – Amazon

  Hexed (Coming Soon)

  The Anna Avery Series – Adult Paranormal

  Taming the Wolf – Amazon

  Embracing the Wolf – Amazon

  Becoming the Wolf (An Anna Avery Prequel, Coming Soon)

  Ruling the Wolf (Coming Soon)

  Anthologies

  Cupid Painted Blind (features a Gwen Sparks short story)

  Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

  Eternal Summer (features a Gwen Sparks short story)

  A Christmas Yet to Come (features a Anna Avery short story)

  This may be my least favorite part about writing a book. You guys may be surprised to learn that I am the most boring person you’ll ever meet. The most interesting thing about me is that I write books, most of the time in my pajamas and jacked up on caffeine.

  I began writing six years ago for fun and published my first book in 2012. Since then, my hobby has become my job and I love every second of it.

  I live in Illinois, in the country where I’m surrounded by corn and soybean fields. When I manage to escape my office, I enjoy fishing, spending time with my family and playing Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. Yes, I’m a huge video game nerd.

  Want to contact/follow me?

  Twitter- @Stephnel1

  Website – http://www.stephanie-nelson.com/

  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephanieNelson

  Did you enjoy Turning Home? Don’t forget to leave a review and help other people discover Brooke and Dylan’s story.

  Read ahead for the first chapter of All for Hope by Olivia Hardin

  To protect her heart, he left her behind.

  To protect her life, he’ll leave the life he's made behind.

  Sometimes the safest distance between two hearts is no distance at all…

  Kidnapping a baby wasn’t something Hope ever dreamed she would do. But she’s been burned by the legal system before, so when the court places her friend’s child into the custody of an abuser, she takes matters into her own hands. She steals the baby and fakes her death, hoping to make a clean getaway. She planned every detail, except one.

  Her high school sweetheart and best friend, who left her years before, sees her at a gas station. Hope thinks all is lost, until he offers to help them.

  Brennan had always been the love of Hope’s life, but he never wanted to be. She knows she cannot depend on him for long. However, as each day passes, it becomes painfully obvious that she is in way over her head. She goes with him, intending to keep him always an arm’s length away to protect her heart. But being on the run together sparks the old flames that once burned between Brennan and Hope.

  Families, friends, and lovers must band together to save an innocent baby and a daring woman or both of their lives will be destroyed. Together, they’ll do it All for Hope…

  Available here: Amazon

  “Are you alone?”

  “Good Lord, Hope, it's three o'clock in the morning,” Mark Terrance mumbled at the nervous woman standing in his doorway. Her hair was whipped by a fierce wind as she waited.

  “Are you alone?” she pleaded with urgent eyes.

  “Yes.”

  Hope Sheffield shoved past him and pulled him out of the entryway as she closed the door. With her arms crossed in front of her, she squeezed herself to draw out the chill, then looked up into the man's confused eyes as she stomped the wet off her shoes onto the doormat.

  “Mark, I need your help.”

  “Somehow, I figured that.”

  Hope clenched her eyes closed for a moment and sighed. “This is serious, Mark.”

  His smile was meant to reassure her, but instead she was tempted to bolt out of the house. She shouldn't be involving him in this. It wasn't fair to him or his wife, but she didn't have anywhere else to turn,

  “I need some money.”

  He looked at her as if she was a confused two-year old and shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

  “Mark, listen, I'm in trouble. I can't give you all of the details, but you have to trust me. A friend of mine is in trouble and she needs me to do something very important for her. I–”

  “What is it that’s so important?”

  “I can't tell you. You'll know about it soon enough, but now I have to hurry.”

  “What makes you think I have a lot of money here—”

  She smiled for the first time. “I know everything about you, Mark. You keep at least three thousand in that safe of yours.”

  Mark Terrance studied her face closely. Hope had been a dear friend to him for years, and she did know everything about him. She figured he could tell just by looking in her eyes that whatever she was involved in was serious.

  “Are you sure you know what you're doing?” He grabbed a key ring from the fob just inside the hall closet and moved to the office where his small fireproof safe was hidden.

  “No,” Hope admitted as she reached over and deliberately slid her hands over his desk. “But I have no other choice.”

  “Here you go,” he said and tried to close the
door to the safe. Her hands stopped him. “Now what are you doing?”

  She touched everything in the safe and began to give him instructions. “I want you to call the police tomorrow afternoon and tell them that this money was taken from your safe. Show them this.” She handed him a letter in exchange for the wad of money. “Tell them you found it on your desk. The prints will verify that I was here.”

  “I will not say you stole this!”

  “You have to do it,” she ordered. “By then I'll be long gone so don't worry, but you have to protect yourself and your family. This letter explains my plans.”

  She watched the emotions and questions pass one by one in his expression, until finally he sighed with a nod. “There's over seven thousand dollars in there.”

  “Mark, I can't take this much.” She started to pass the bills back to him.

  “Yes, you can. You wouldn't approve of what I was saving it for anyway.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “A motorcycle.”

  Hope laughed aloud. “Then I will take it. Cindy would probably thank me for it,” she joked, referring to his wife. Her face then turned grim. “Do just what I said. I'll find some way to let you know I'm all right.”

  “You’d better.”

  “No matter what you hear, no matter what the authorities or the news say, believe that I’m all right, okay?” She waited for him to inflect his head in the affirmative. “Bye, now.”

  She hurried to open the front door, being sure to touch the knob to the hall closet on her way through.

  “Hope,” he called, following her. “What would you have done if Cindy had been here?”

  “I knew you'd be the one to open the door. Plus I was pretty sure she had decided to go to see her parents this weekend; she always answers the phone.”

  It took him a moment to realize what she meant. “You were the caller who kept hanging up a couple of minutes ago?”

  “Yes. I had to make sure you would be awake when I got here. It wouldn’t do for someone to catch me banging down your door.”

  She turned to go, and he called out to her again. He didn’t seem to know what to say. “Where's your car?” he asked lamely.

  “Several blocks down.”

  Motioning to her dark clothing, perfect for sneaking in and out of the shadows, he smiled. “You're full of tricks.”

  “Let's hope I'm full of a few more.” Before she could help herself, she approached him and took his hands. “I love you.”

  Mark reached up and pinched a lock of her hair between his fingers. “Red?” he questioned, inspecting the strands that used to be mahogany brown.

  “I used to always want red hair.”

  There was about a minute of silence between them, and she worried he was going to try to talk her into giving up her secrets.

  “I love you, too, Hope. Just remember there will always be a person here who knows who you are.”

  She nodded, drawing strength from that. She reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek.

  “Bye,” she whispered and dissolved into the darkness.

  Read ahead for the first chapter of Best Served Cold by Tawdra Kandle

  Julia worked for weeks planning the perfect surprise birthday party for her boyfriend, Liam, but that night, she was the one who got the biggest shock. He broke up with her in front of all their friends, humiliating her in the process.

  Clearly revenge was in order.

  The plan is simple. Make him jealous, win him back, and then crush his heart. Fair is fair. However, there is one little hiccup, and he has curly brown hair and dimples.

  Jesse is everything she wants. With him, she could almost forget her bruised heart. Almost. Julia has one choice: let Liam walk away after everything he did, or lose a chance at love in pursuit of payback.

  Available here: Amazon

  The dorm room was dark. Someone jostled me, and I caught the shadowy image of my best friend Ava, grinning at me in encouragement. I rolled my eyes. Nothing was going according to my plan.

  Throwing a surprise party for my boyfriend’s birthday had seemed like a good idea a month ago. But standing there, twenty minutes after he was supposed to show up, with way too many people crowded into his room with me, I was beginning to think I’d made a mistake.

  The door flew open and banged against the wall. From the corner of my eye, I saw a few people jump out of the way, and then everything seemed to happen at once, in both slow motion and at top speed.

  Liam was silhouetted in the doorway, the fluorescent lights from the hallway bleeding into the darkness of his room. He stumbled and fell against the door jam, bracing his back there to catch his balance. He couldn’t use his hands, because one arm was wrapped around the waist of the small blonde whose mouth was on his, and the other hand was down her shirt.

  Someone in the room gasped. And then the guy I’d stationed by the light switch flipped it on, and a few people who didn’t have a good view of the door shouted, “Surprise!”

  Next to me, I heard Giff, Liam’s roommate, groan. “Shit, Liam.”

  I thought I was rooted where I stood, but somehow my feet propelled me across the room. I pushed through the wall-to-wall bodies until I was standing near the door.

  Liam raised his eyes and finally seemed to notice everyone else staring at him. The girl he was holding—and groping—giggled and hid her eyes against his chest.

  “What is this?” The slur in his voice was pronounced, and I gritted my teeth.

  “It’s your birthday party, dumbass.” Giff was at my elbow again. “Your surprise birthday party. Julia put the whole thing together. Remember Julia? Your girlfriend?”

  “Julia.” Liam drew out my name as he always did when he was teasing me. “Julia. God, what a girl. Going to all this trouble for your ex.”

  His eyes met mine, and there wasn’t any confusion or guilt in them. No hint of the drunkenness I heard in his voice. There was only cunning and a knowing cruelty.

  I couldn’t breathe. My lungs had stopped working, and now my head began to spin. Giff grabbed me by the arm, and on my other side, suddenly my best friend Ava was there, her hand on my waist.

  “Ex?” I managed to get the word out, despite the lack of oxygen. “Since when am I your ex?”

  Liam grinned, but again, there was no humor there. “Did I forget to tell you I was breaking up with you? Well, hell. I knew I was missing something. Guess I thought you’d get the picture when I stopped answering your calls.”

  My mind scanned the last week. I’d been so preoccupied with putting this party together—a party that encompassed every room on this side of the hall. Giff and I had begged everyone to pitch in, let us use the space. I could see the corridor behind Liam was now filled with people who had ventured out to see what was going on.

  But had he really stopped calling me? Wouldn’t I have noticed? We were both busy with finals. Sometimes we went a few days without seeing each other. I remembered being relieved that I didn’t have to keep the party a secret in person, so maybe it had been longer than usual...

  “No, you didn’t tell me.” I whispered the words, hating the weakness they betrayed. “I think I would have remembered that. You know, the guy I’ve been dating for over ten months—breaking up with me.”

  Liam still had his hand tucked within the girl’s shirt. I could see that she was beginning to realize what was going on. She bit her lip and kept her eyes on the floor.

  “Ten months? Really? Well, that’s gotta be some kind of record for me.” He turned to look at his roommate. “Right, Giff? Have I ever kept a girl around that long?”

  “You’re an asshole, Liam.” Giff swung me around so I didn’t have to look at my boyfriend—correction, ex-boyfriend—and the mortified girl in his arms. “Ava, get her out of here.”

  She took me by the hand and pulled, stopping in front of Liam so abruptly that I ran into her back. I saw dark fury in her eyes just before she slapped his face.

  “You fucking idi
ot. How dare you do this to my best friend?”

  For the first time since he’d thrown open the door, something like regret flashed in Liam’s expression. Or maybe it was simply shock that anyone had stood up to him.

  Ava turned back to me. “Come on, Jules. Let’s go home.”

  She put herself between the couple of the hour and me as we squeezed through the doorway. I heard Giff behind us, shouting.

  “Go home, everyone. Take whatever food and drink you want, but get the hell out of here. Party’s over.”