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Hometown Healing
Jennifer Slattery
She’s home again, but not for long… Unless this cowboy recaptures her heart Returning home with a baby in tow, Paige Cordell’s determined her stay is only temporary. But to earn enough money to leave, she needs a job—and her only option is working at her first love’s dinner theater. With attraction once again unfurling between her and Jed Gibertson, can the man who once broke her heart convince her to stay for good?
She’s home again, but not for long...
Unless this cowboy recaptures her heart
Returning home with a baby in tow, Paige Cordell’s determined her stay is only temporary. But to earn enough money to leave, she needs a job—and her only option is working at her first love’s dinner theater. With attraction once again unfurling between her and Jed Gilbertson, can the man who once broke her heart convince her to stay for good?
JENNIFER SLATTERY is a writer and speaker who’s addressed women’s and church groups across the nation. As the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries, she and her team help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. When not writing, Jennifer loves spending time with her adult daughter and hilarious husband. Visit her online at jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com (http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com) to learn more or to book her for your next women’s event.
Also By Jennifer Slattery (#ucae7625b-2891-5f1e-81e8-024ec97e62d7)
Restoring Her Faith
Hometown Healing
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Hometown Healing
Jennifer Slattery
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09734-5
HOMETOWN HEALING
© 2019 Jennifer Slattery
Published in Great Bri tain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Note to Readers (#ucae7625b-2891-5f1e-81e8-024ec97e62d7)
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Text to speech
“You hungry?”
Paige hesitated. Her heart still hadn’t recovered from their lunch after their museum trip. Sitting across a table from Jed a second time sounded much too intimate. Especially after their little shopping experience. She hadn’t had that much fun in some time.
Never could she have imagined Jed Gilbertson swapping his jeans and boots for flared polyester.
She worked to suppress a giggle.
“What’s so funny?”
Taking the hand he offered, she climbed into his truck. “Just thinking what a girl could do with thrift-store-shopping photos.” She held up her phone and wiggled it.
His eyes widened. “You didn’t. You wouldn’t.” He reached for it.
She inhaled sharply, her pulse accelerating as his gaze held hers.
He stepped back. “On second thought, I should get back to the theater.”
She straightened and nodded. “I should get home, too.”
She would not let him break her heart again...which was the only possible way things could end.
Dear Reader (#ucae7625b-2891-5f1e-81e8-024ec97e62d7),
I visited my first murder mystery dinner theater around twenty years ago. I was newly married, went with my husband, and laughed and laughed when he was unexpectedly pulled into the performance. Since then, we were hooked and have sought out various dinner theaters while on vacation. They combine two of my loves—story and food!
As I was considering both Jed and Paige’s problems, an idea formed that merged the two aforementioned loves with a third—my affinity for all things Texas. The result: a small-town story centered on Texas-sized dreams and the love that ties them both together. I hope you enjoy Hometown Healing and feel inspired to pursue your own dreams.
Jennifer
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
—Isaiah 49:16
To my husband—you’ll always be my hero.
Contents
Cover (#ue68f1f98-173e-5cc8-b9d9-3ab31738f44e)
Back Cover Text (#u0a28b225-8497-574e-a936-28644c4fb3ac)
About the Author (#u57b9f1e8-c6ed-5615-a24d-607b605d8919)
Booklist (#ue2f0bdbe-a323-551f-bb49-9d4f7a36e27f)
Title Page (#ub7a54611-9154-5b21-9ca1-e1239dcd85be)
Copyright (#uead62530-1574-5340-9471-57a9ac0d09a2)
Note to Readers
Introduction (#u12fa8209-10c7-5a0b-9516-210b9c910fd2)
Dear Reader (#uec3fbc6d-efb8-586e-bb4a-81a0b8e40d79)
Bible Verse (#ub5efc7c7-c4b3-526e-b865-d22b5e0fc8cc)
Dedication (#u09ba724d-91b1-5d6c-8652-f92f88529f71)
Chapter One (#u813a578a-7e3d-54df-bab0-86fe2f08c31d)
Chapter Two (#u5ddced80-69ec-5e7b-ac85-a6f6c06af71b)
Chapter Three (#ua4f4ef20-0849-575b-86af-fba3f291d4b1)
Chapter Four (#ubdce710d-2a4a-5827-9e68-82cde91cd5a3)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ucae7625b-2891-5f1e-81e8-024ec97e62d7)
Paige Cordell felt as if she had regressed back to that awkward, frizzy-haired bookworm who’d left Sage Creek, Texas, fourteen years ago. With no intention of ever returning.
And yet here she was. As a divorced unemployed single mother no less.
Nothing screamed failure like sitting in Mom’s driveway with all of her belongings crammed into a U-Haul hitched to her car.
She glanced back at little Ava, sleeping soundly in her car seat. She looked so peaceful with her rosy cheeks, the halo of red curls and the slight part of her lips. As if she hadn’t just spent nearly an hour fussing, not that Paige could blame her. They’d had quite the drive. Traffic, work zones, an accident just outside of Houston.
Her phone rang. Paige glanced at the screen. It was Mira, her old high school friend.
“Hey.”
“Just checking you made it into town okay. And to see if maybe you’d like to stop by my place for a nice cold milkshake.”
“Just got in.” She explained the reason for her three-hour delay. “And though I appreciate the offer, I’m wiped.”
“I imagine.”
“And discouraged. I know I’ll find another job eventually...”
“Have you prayed about it?” Mira’s statement sliced through Paige like an accusation. “Might help.”
“Please don’t talk religion to me. Not today.” She believed in God. But unlike her friend, she didn’t find comfort in tossing every decision up to Him.
Besides, she and God hadn’t exactly been on the best terms as of late.
