by Lin Stepp
7. There are always special memories between longtime close friends who have grown up together. What memories begin to surface in the scene at the covered bridge, at Rocky Knob on the mountain, and as both remember past times swimming to the raft, dancing at the gazebo, and climbing into each other’s windows? How do these and other recurring memories make it harder for Rhea to keep Carter at a safe distance?
8. Old words of good-bye that Carter and Rhea always shared—“See ya later and love you forever”—surface early in the book and play their way throughout the story. How does Rhea respond to these words when she first hears them? When is the only time in the book that you hear Rhea say these words?
9. Judith Morgan Benton was already ill when she began to pursue Carter Layman in California. What disease did Judith have? How did it affect her before she died? As the book progresses, you learn more about Judith and Carter’s marriage. Why did they marry? What did you think about Judith and her father, Morgan Benton? How did they use their wealth and position to influence Carter’s life? What concessions for himself did Carter insist on in their agreement?
10. Past friends play a strong role in this book, like Billy Wade and Jeannie Ledford, longtime friends of Carter’s and Rhea’s. What did you like about these characters? How were they good friends to Carter and Rhea? Do you have longtime friends in your life like these? How have they been a help to you in difficult times?
11. Rhea is seeing Marshall Sutton as the story begins, and Marshall has already expressed a desire to marry Rhea. What is Rhea and Marshall’s relationship like? What do Jeannie and Billy Wade think about Marshall? How does Carter respond when he meets Marshall again?
12. As Carter begins to use his wealth to revitalize Laurel Springs, Rhea has very mixed feelings about the changes. Why isn’t she thrilled to see these changes she’s longed for? Why does seeing Carter’s new house on the old Costner cabin site cause her to cry?
13. Why does Rhea have a difficult time at first accepting Carter’s son, Taylor? How does their relationship change with time? How does the hike to Hen Wallow Falls and the cookout help change Rhea’s feelings toward Taylor? What does Taylor give to Rhea at a later time in the book that changes her feelings toward Carter?
14. Laurel Springs is having trouble with vandalism in the book. As the book progresses, what do you discover is behind the vandalism? Who is perpetrating it? How does Carter get hurt by the vandal at the Costner ruins and what happens to threaten Taylor at the old Sutton cabin? How do Carter and Rhea both find themselves in a dangerous predicament because of the vandal?
15. When he is hurt, Carter admits to his grandfather that he has let his faith slide. What counsel and help does Grampa Layman give him? How does he counsel Rhea in a similar way later in the book? Have you had situations in your life when you’ve found it hard to forgive someone for a wrong, or to forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made? How did you move on and who helped you as you did?
16. Carter creates games for Quest, an interest started as a boy, and he has become very successful with his career. What does Carter learn—with surprise—that Rhea is doing as a side career besides working at Laurel Springs?
17. Rhea fights and fights not to allow herself to love Carter again. As she tells her grandmother, “I don’t want to be a second chance or a second choice.” How does their enforced night together in the tunnel beneath the Sutton cabin help her to understand Carter’s actions better? Yet, Rhea still refuses to marry Carter after this night or to let go of her old hurts. When Carter plans to return to California in disappointment, what events turn Rhea around? What happens when Rhea goes to find Carter at Rocky Knob before he plans to leave? How did you like the closing scene?
18. Of the main and side characters in this book, which ones did you like best? What did you enjoy most about this book? Do you wish you could stay at a place like Laurel Springs?
Photo by Katie Riley
Dr. Lin Stepp is a native Tennessean, a businesswoman, and an educator. She is on faculty at both Tusculum College and King University, where she teaches psychology and research. Her business background includes more than twenty years in marketing, sales, production art, and regional publishing. But closest to her heart is her beloved series of contemporary novels set in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Visit her on the Web at:
linstepp.com
www.facebook.com/pages/LinStep/715932788428635
https://twitter.com/LinStepp
DOWN BY THE RIVER
Set against the backdrop of Tennessee’s breathtaking Smoky Mountains, Lin Stepp’s Down by the River is a warmhearted novel that proves it’s never too late—or too early—for a fresh start….
While on a visit to the Smokies, Grace Conley makes a stunning decision: She’s going to walk away from her busy life in Nashville to move to tiny Townsend and open a bed-and-breakfast. There’s a beautiful old inn for sale along the Little River that will do perfectly. Of course, Grace’s family is scandalized. After all, she’s a middle-aged widow! And as a career homemaker, she’s always been available for babysitting, chauffeuring, and generally being the peacemaker among her grown children. Has Grace lost her mind? She begins to wonder the same thing once she finds herself attracted to the local ladies’ man. But the surprises don’t stop there….
To further complicate her move, Grace’s daughter, Margaret, has grudgingly come to live with her. Having just graduated from college, remote Townsend is not where she envisions her future. Yet the handsome young minister next door is convinced he and Margaret are meant for each other. As life choices abound, soon both women will discover that the biggest decisions require confidence, a sense of humor—and a deep, abiding faith.
WHEN THE SNOW FALLS
Something’s in the air this holiday season, and it could be the beginning of a wonderful Christmas romance….
“Candy Canes and Cupid” by Fern Michaels
All private investigator Hannah Ray wants for Christmas is a quiet day at her Florida beachfront condo. When her biggest client insists she join him on a Colorado ski trip, she has little choice—but what she finds on her arrival could melt the coldest heart….
“White Hot Christmas” by Nancy Bush
Aspiring PI Jane Kelly likes to pretend she’s a bah-humbug kind of girl, but she’s had mistletoe on the brain ever since she shared a kiss with her boss, Dwayne. Before she can hope for a repeat performance, Jane must solve a kidnapping that’s as twisted as a candy cane—and not nearly as sweet.
“Seven Days of Christmas” by Rosanna Chiofalo
Five years ago, Bianca Simone received a wonderful early Christmas gift from her boyfriend, Mark—a week amid the stunning Alpine scenery of Innsbruck, Austria. Now she’s back under very different circumstances, but Mark has one more special gift in mind….
“A Smoky Mountain Gift” by Lin Stepp
Veda Trent is back in Townsend to fill in as temporary manager of the Crafts Co-op, but she’s not planning to stay. Though the mountain town is small, it holds lots of unsettling memories. Yet the wind can change, bringing with it new opportunities—and the chance to create the kind of Christmas Veda has always longed for.
MAKIN’ MIRACLES
Set in Tennessee’s postcard-perfect Smoky Mountains, Lin Stepp’s Makin’ Miracles is an inspiring tale that reveals why love and forgiveness are most important just when they seem most impossible….
Zola Devon has always been a little different. Half Tahitian, with long black hair and dark eyes, she’s especially distinctive in the mountain town of Gatlinburg. She even stocks her gift shop, Nature’s Corner, with items that reflect her island heritage and tantalize tourists. But it’s her spot-on intuition that truly sets Zola apart. When she gets a hunch about a person, she’s almost always right. And when the surly photographer who owns the gallery next door starts meddling in her business, she can only hope that, for once, her instincts are wrong.
The one thing Spencer Jackson loves more than his camera is
the majestic scenery of the Smoky Mountains. Reeling from his painful past, he’s settled in a cabin in the woods to train his lens on the breathtaking landscape. A woman as uniquely beguiling as Zola could only throw his simple, uncomplicated days into chaos—and force him to lay bare his darkest secrets. But as their lives become unavoidably intertwined, they both may discover the beauty of the truth, and the joy of the unexpected.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Lin Stepp
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-6177-3280-5
First Kensington Electronic Edition: October 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-280-5
ISBN-10: 1-61773-280-X
First Kensington Trade Paperback Printing: October 2015