Saying Good-Bye to the Old and Saying Hello To the New by Jo Ann Brown

Life is a woven tapestry of having to say good-bye to one aspect of it and saying hello to another. I always thought that a graduation ceremony,

instead of being called “commencement,” should be more of “Hail and Farewell” as we had in the military when a high-ranking officer cycles out and another takes her or his place. A celebration of both the leaving and the arrival. Throughout our lives, we have periods of time when we are settled and times when we’re packing up and moving on.
Sometimes, this is literal. We find we have to move from our home to another place. It might be a job change or retirement or even going to college or simply buying that RV and seeing the world. Right now, we’re helping my father with that good-bye. He’s getting ready to sell the house, the only one my parents ever owned, that he’s lived in since the early 1970's. It was part of our family even before they bought it, because my mother’s parents rented the downstairs apartment before it was converted to a single family. Nearly fifty years later, he’s realized that taking care of that big house is more than he wants to deal with,

so my sisters and I are helping him sort through years of possessions and deciding what he wants to keep, what he wants to sell and what he wants to give away. For all of us, it’s a farewell moment, a reopening of the past as we look at photos and through items we’d once been familiar with but had forgotten or simply put out of our minds. His “hello” moment will be when he moves into his new apartment at my sister’s house and no longer has the responsibility for a big house...though he still intends to keep busy by doing things like mowing the grass and puttering in the garden.
Life is made up of these moments of change. Change caused by outside circumstances, change caused by others, change caused by ourselves. After all, isn’t that what our romance stories are about...how someone is changed by someone who comes into their life at a pivotal moment? It’s always so comforting to me, as a reader, to see how the hero and heroine (and their families and friends) step up to confront change and make it work in a positive direction for them.
Though there’s always that moment when a reader is hoping that everything doesn’t crash down in disaster!
Right now, I’m facing a few endings and beginnings of my own. In life and in my writing.

My upcoming book The Amish Widower’s Twins will be final book in my Amish Spinster Club series. Releasing in mid-June in print, it’s a book that I felt really sorry to finish because I have enjoyed writing about a new Amish community set near my home town. On the other hand, I’m now working a new Amish series, Green Mountain Blessings, that will begin in December 2019. I’m getting to meet a whole new collection of characters and work with them as they go through their own endings and new beginnings. Just like when we read a book by a favorite author, it’s sad to have one series come to an end, but, oh, how delicious it is to begin something brand new! Who knows what waits us in the days to come?

A Summer Love, Chapter 8, by Jean C. Gordon

Jenny looked up the path to the beach house and her gazed locked with Jake’s. She had enough saved from her time with the Peace Corps and stint working in Alaska to buy his half of the house, nearly enough to buy the whole property outright. But Jake had said yesterday that that wasn’t an option. She strode up the walkway to the beach house determined to get some answers from Jake before she lost her nerve.

“Woof,” Ralph greeted her first.

She patted the dog on the head. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Sit down.” Jake motioned to the matching rocker. “I’d ask you what brings you out here so early, but I think I know.”

Jenny warmed in a way that had noting to do with the bright sunshine. She and Jake had often known each other’s thoughts.

“You want to know why I can’t let you buy my half of the house.”

It looked like they might still have that part of their former connection. She studied his serious expression and swallowed the lump in her throat. And how much more?

“Yes.” She sat on the edge of the rocker.

His eyes narrowed. “Then, you didn’t receive your copy of Mom’s will from her attorney, didn’t know about the codicil she’d added concerning the house?”

“No, my mail-forwarding from Alaska has not been particularly timely.” A knot of irritation formed in her gut from his implication that she’d feigned ignorance about the house, and just when she’d decided this morning that they might be able to at least salvage part of their former friendship. “I told you last night I didn’t know she’d left me half ownership.”

“So that’s not why you came back?”

“No, it was time. Summer Shores is my home. When my commitment in Alaska was done, it called me back. For good.” She looked at him full faced, her heart thumping, trumpeting to him to say the same.” Jenny closed her eyes and leaned back in the rocker, stunned at the revelation. She wanted more than simple friendship.

She opened her eyes and breathed deeply. “But that’s why you’re finally home.” She hated the way the emphasis on finally had crept into her voice.

He flexed his ankle and she wanted to crawl under her chair, or maybe under the veranda. Dear Lord, why can’t I help blurting the wrong things to Jake? The night she broke their engagement flashed in her head.

“I’m sorry. You were hurt, That’s why you’re home. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”

Jenny didn’t know which of her questions he was answering, but she had the wisdom to keep her mouth shut.

“I want to talk about Mom’s stipulation about the house. Before either of us can sell, we have to spend six months in Summer Shores at the same time.”

Unable to speak because of the hope ping ponging through her, Jenny nodded understanding at the opportunity she … they’d been given. “Starting now,” she said, “now that you’re home.”

What looked like pain twisted his face. “No, I’m not home here. I’m only on medical leave.”

He was still in the military. The other questions she’d had for him were unimportant. The only important question was, did she still, now, love him enough to let him go to complete what he needed to do, as she’d completed what she’d needed to do before she’d come back to Summer Shores? To give them another chance?

New for June from Our Love Inspired Contemporary Authors

Jean C. Gordon here with five new must buys from our Love Inspired Contemporary authors. Just click on a cover to purchase it. And to learn more about Lorraine, Jo Ann, Deb, Jill, and Allie, click on their names.

Her Fresh Start Family
by Lorraine Beatty 

A new life. A new love.
But will secrets tear them apart?
Struggling with a tragic loss, widow Nina Johnson seeks a fresh start in a small Southern town. Then she meets handsome veteran Brad Sinclair and his sweet daughters. Bret’s no stranger to loss, and his companionship is the solace Nina’s been searching for. Until a dark secret from Bret’s past is exposed, threatening to break apart these Mississippi Hearts.

The Amish Suiter
by Jo Ann Brown 

A Family Comes Courting…
The Amish Spinster Club series begins!
With his orphaned nephew depending on him, Amish carpenter Eli Troyer moves to Harmony Creek Hollow to start over. And when schoolteacher Miriam Hartz offers to teach Eli, who is hard of hearing, how to read lips, he can’t refuse. Spending time with Miriam forges a bond between them. Can two wounded hearts overcome their pasts to make a family together?

And Cowboy Makes Three
by Deb Kastner 

She fled their wedding years ago
Now she’s back…with a baby!
Coming home with a baby and no wedding ring was just what everyone in Cowboy Country expected from bad girl Angelica Carmichael. But she’ll brave their scorn to fulfill Granny Frances’s dying wishes, even if it means ranching with Rowdy Masterson…her jilted ex-groom. Rowdy’s still bitter but this new, softer Angelica—paired with a precious baby—might be too loveable to resist!

His Surprise Son
by Allie Pleiter 

Mayor with a past
Faced with her son’s father!
Mayor Jean Matrim’s plan to turn Matrimony Valley into a wedding destination is going swimmingly for the town—and disastrously for Jean. Their first bride’s stepbrother is Jean’s ex-fiancé…and the father of her son. Hiding Jonah’s existence from Josh Tyler wasn’t something Jean chose lightly. More stands between them now than ever before. Will the little boy be enough to bring them together at last?

Reunited with the Bull Rider
by Jill Kemerer 

Goodbye rodeo, hello hometown
But is this Wyoming Cowboy ready to face his past?
Amy Deerson wanted to mentor a child. Her plan did not include former bull rider Nash Bolton—the little girl’s brother and guardian. It’s been a decade since Nash left town without a word, breaking Amy’s young heart. Now they must put their painful past aside to help fragile, traumatized Ruby. If only getting over their first love were that simple.

Guilty Pleasures by Jo Ann Brown

Guilty pleasures.
We all have them. We treasure them, and we may talk about them a lot or not at all. Some we feel a little guilty about. Others we feel the full weight of "Well, I shouldn't...", especially if we're doing them instead of knocking off something on our always long to-do list or when a deadline looms. One thing all guilty pleasures have in common: we look forward, like a kid waiting for the first firework to burst, to the times when we can indulge in them...and then we wonder if we should have spent that time with them.
My guilty pleasure? Crossword puzzles. I love everything about them. The clues. The answers. Filling in the first square. Filling in the last one. Okay, I don't love everything about them. When I get the whole puzzle done except one square, and I can't figure it out in either direction, I wonder why I started working on puzzle in the first place.
But overall, crossword puzzles fascinate me. I love how words mesh together, and I enjoy groaning over puns in the clues. There's the fun of learning new words, although I'm not sure I'll ever use the word "eft" (name of a young newt/salamander)in everyday conversation or in a book. Can you imagine the handsome hero of your favorite romance novel, leaning a shoulder nonchalantly against a tree and turning to the heroine who is looking up at him with a soft, come hither gaze, as he says, "Pardon me, darlin', but you've got an eft on your shoulder"?
One thing I've discovered about my guilty pleasure with crossword puzzles: It can become consuming. I don't like giving up on puzzles until I've exhausted all other routes to the solution (every route except googling the answer). Walking away unfinished from something that I've put so much effort into annoys me because I know once I give up on it, I won't go back. So I stubbornly will sit there and stare at the clues even though I've tried every letter in the alphabet and none of them seem to work.
The heroine of my new Harlequin Love Inspired An Amish Proposal (which releases today in print)

has a similar problem with being stubborn and feeling guilty. Being both obstinate and guilty keep her from seeing the truth right before her eyes and reaching out to grasp her heart's desire when it's offered.
Rescued: Mother-to-Be
Pregnant and without options, Katie Kay Lapp is trapped between two worlds—abandoned by her baby's Englisch father, not ready to return to her Amish family. With nowhere to go, she's rescued by the unlikeliest of heroes—the man whose heart she shattered. Months ago, Micah Stoltzfus courted her, envisioned a future with her, until she chose the big city over him. Now bound by duty to protect mother and child, Micah offers a solution—marriage. Though his heart never healed, he still cares for the Amish beauty. He knows he'll be the father Katie Kay's baby needs…but can he show her he's also the love she's always wanted?
Katie Kay's solution has to be - just as mine is when dealing with that last empty crossword square - to stop letting stubbornness and guilt keep her from savoring the joy of the blessings right in front of her. I'm going to try to keep that in mind the next time I try tackling the New York Times crossword puzzle on a Sunday afternoon.
So while crossword puzzles are my guilty pleasure, I'm trying to feel less guilty about it. What is your guilty pleasure and how do you keep it in balance?

The Grand Finale of Valentine Vacation by Lyn Cote

Amelia gripped Colin's hand tightly. Somehow she knew that the commotion had something to do with the rings. But she didn't have the nerve to go forward. She started to turn away--when a familiar voice called out, "That's her! That's the woman who found the ring!" The voice belonged to Darrell.

The crowd parted as a tall, perfectly coifed, and stylishly dressed woman walked toward Amelia who had frozen in place.

Colin tugged Amelia along until she began walking to meet the woman. Her heart bobbed up into her throat. It couldn't be, could it?

And then she was there, standing within arm's reach of one the biggest stars in Hollywood, June Roberts.

"I'm so happy you found my engagement ring," June gushed. Camera flashes nearly blinded Amelia but the actress acted as if she didn't notice them at all, her big smile gleamed from her tanned face. "My fiance and I were walking on the beach late yesterday and I didn't notice I'd lost the engagement ring he'd just given me till later."

"She couldn't take her eyes off me," an extremely tall and handsome man said, standing at June's elbow.

"You shouldn't have gotten a ring a size too big." June chuckled in response and reached for Amelia's hand. "Thank you a thousand times."

Amelia couldn't speak. She's seen Miss Roberts in so many movies. She felt like she was in a movie.

Colin cleared his throat. "Amelia was only doing what was right. She's that kind of lady."

"She certainly is. My thanks also." The handsome man led away the actress who thanked Amelia once more. The paparazzi flocked after the "star" couple, leaving Amelia, Colin and Christy and Darrel in their wake.

"I don't know about you, but after all that star dust, I can use a tall drink of something cold," Colin said.

For some reason this tickled Amelia's funny bone and she began giggling. Shaking his head at her indulgently, he led their foursome toward the patio at the back of the hotel.

"How much do you want to bet that this was just a publicity stunt?" Darrell suggested, drawing Christy with him.

Colin laughed. "Let's not waste any more time on this."

"But what if someone dishonest had found the ring?" Christy asked, sounding uncertain. "How could they know someone would turn it in?"

"How do you know it wasn't a Cubic Zirconia?" Colin countered.

Darrell laughed. But then sobered. "We still haven't found...." He stopped and put his arm around Christy. "Sorry. I said we wouldn't let this spoil the rest of the day."

Christy blinked as if warding off tears.

Amelia so wished she could have found their ruby ring. Suddenly she felt her own engagement ring in her back pocket. Without taking time to think, she pulled it out and handed it to Darrell. "Here I won't be wearing this any more. Either use it as a replacement for the ring you lost or sell it and buy another one. Your grandmother will understand. Things get lost." She looked up at Colin who was pulling out a chair for her at a patio table.

He smiled down at her. "And somethings that have been lost are found."

And Amelia knew with her heart what Colin meant. She had lost the past and maybe found a future...on her Valentine Vacation.