Blurb:
Megan Thomas has returned to her Oregon hometown with her baby daughter and all their worldly possessions packed into her small, battered car. She is determined to restore her faith, and more than anything, to heal her broken relationship with her father.
John Johanssen is trying to move on after a devastating time of pain and loss. He's praying for God's direction and can't believe it when his first love returns to their hometown. Something about her circumstances seems off, and John longs to discover why.
Through a series of answered prayers, John and Megan's lives become intertwined. Their relationship develops quickly until Megan discovers something that she fears will tear them apart. She flees with her daughter in a violent storm and once again finds herself with nowhere to turn.
Will John find them in time, and will Megan's secret destroy their chance at happiness?
Extract:
“Good morning. Are you here for an appointment?” The middle-aged receptionist was way too perky for this early in the day.
Megan stifled a yawn. “Yes. Holly Thomas.” She stroked her daughter’s back.
“Date of birth?”
When Megan recited it, the woman’s face lit up. “Today is August first. She’s exactly eighteen months old.” Her fingernails clacked on the keyboard. “What’s Holly being seen for?”
“I think she has an ear infection.” Another ear infection.
“OK, today you’ll see John, one of our Physician Assistants. I’ll need to make a copy of your insurance card.”
Megan winced inwardly. “Um, I’ll be paying cash.”
The receptionist didn’t comment, but Megan saw the wheels turning in the woman’s head. She held out a clipboard. “I’ll need you to fill out this new patient paperwork. Bring it back to me when you’re done, Mrs. Thomas.”
This time, Megan did wince, but she didn’t care. When she shifted Holly in her arms to reach for the clipboard, the diaper bag slipped off her shoulder, lodging in the crook of her arm. Megan shuffled over to a couch and placed her daughter on it. Holly curled into a ball and stuck her thumb in her mouth.
Megan placed a kiss on her head. “We’ll see the doctor soon, baby. Maybe this one will know how to make your ears stop hurting.” First things first. She had to find a way home. Megan dialed a number, cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder and started filling out the paperwork.
“Yeah?” Her dad’s gruff voice blasted into her ear.
“Hi, Dad. It’s me. I, um, came to the pediatric clinic with Holly. She probably has an ear infection.”
He huffed. “Is that why she was crying all night?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. Anyway, they’re doing all this road construction in town, and one of my tires must have picked up a nail. I was able to drive here on it, but I’ll need a ride home. Then I can figure out how to get it fixed.” Although after paying for this visit, Megan would probably be out of money.
“You want me to leave work to come get you? I’m running on fumes since I hardly slept. Call one of your friends.” The call disconnected.
Megan fought tears. What did she expect? Her dad was barely civil when she showed up on his doorstep two weeks ago with his granddaughter and all their belongings stuffed into her small hatchback. Call one of your friends. Right. That equated to Sara, who worked from home, fortunately.
Megan dialed. Her foot tapped nervously. Pick up, please pick up.
“What’s up, Meg?”
Megan breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, I’m at the pediatric clinic with Holly. I got a flat and need a ride home. I hate to bother you, but can you help me?”
“Sure. I have a phone call at eleven that should last less than thirty minutes. I can be there by noon at the latest.”
A weight lifted, and Megan drew in a deep breath. “Thank you so much, Sara. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“How will you get the tire fixed?”
Megan pressed her fingers into her throbbing temple. “I have no idea. I can only handle one crisis at a time.”
“You don’t have medical insurance now, do you?”
“No, but I think I have enough cash to pay Holly’s bill today and get her another antibiotic.”
“I wish I could help, Megan, but I just spent my entire savings at the vet.” Sara had two large dogs. “You’re at the clinic on Park Street?”
“Yes.”
“I know where it is. See you soon.”
Megan disconnected, finished the paperwork, and handed the clipboard to the receptionist. She returned to Holly, lifted the girl onto her lap and rocked her, breathing in her sweet scent. “We just can’t catch a break, can we, baby girl?”
A few moments later, Megan noticed a woman sitting across from her, knitting a yellow blanket. She had beautiful silver hair shaped in a sleek bob with a vivid streak of cobalt blue running down one side. An empty stroller sat next to her.
The lady looked up. “What’s your little girl’s name?”
“Holly.”
“I have a granddaughter named Holly.” The woman smiled, her fingers working the yarn. “She’s seven. What’s your daughter’s middle name?”
“Christine.”
“That’s lovely. My Holly’s middle name is Joy. She lives in Florida. I don’t see her nearly enough.”
“I’m sure that’s hard,” Megan murmured. She cradled Holly, and the woman’s fingers kept moving.
A few moments later, a younger version of the woman approached, holding a small baby. “He weighs over twelve pounds now.” She hooked the baby into his car seat that sat atop the stroller.
The older lady smiled. “He’s a little milk monster.” She gathered her things and followed the stroller out. “Bye, Holly,” she said with a friendly wave.
Megan leaned back and closed her eyes. Her to-do list was growing longer by the second. Get another antibiotic for Holly. Find someone to fix the tire. Change back to her maiden name and change Holly’s last name. Speak with Paul’s attorney again to see if there were any loopholes. Find a job. Arrange daycare for Holly. Could Megan earn enough to cover daycare plus an apartment? Living at Dad’s was growing more difficult by the day. He’d taken them in only because Megan promised it would be temporary. Staying in Sara’s small house with her big dogs wasn’t an option. Despair rolled over Megan in a deep wave, and tears threatened. It would be easier to empty the ocean with a teaspoon.
“Excuse me.” Megan opened her eyes. It was the lady with the silver and cobalt hair. She pressed something into Megan’s hand. “Maybe this will help you with that tire.”
“Oh my.”
“I’ve been where you are, and someone helped me. Someday, you can pass the blessing along.”
Tears filled Megan’s eyes. “Thank you—you have no idea—” she tightened her hold on her daughter. “Her dad died recently, and it’s been—hard.”
“I’m so sorry,” the woman replied. “I hope this will help.”
Megan’s heart swelled with gratitude. “It will. Thank you again. God knew I needed an angel today.”
“You’re very welcome. Goodbye.” She turned and left.
Megan wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She opened her hand and unfolded the bills, stunned to see eighty dollars.
“Holly Thomas?” a nurse called from the door.
Megan picked up Holly, gathered their things, and followed the woman down the hall into a room decorated with bright colors.
“I’m Laura. How are you today?”
Better than I was a few moments ago. “Fine,” Megan murmured.
Laura swiped a thermometer across Holly’s forehead and made a notation on an iPad. “John will be with you in a few minutes.” She slipped out the door.
Holly squirmed, and Megan set her down. The baby toddled to a wall covered with a mural of farm animals and stared at them. She pointed at a cow. “What does the cow say?” Megan prompted. Holly didn’t say anything. Megan was worried the constant ear infections were delaying her daughter’s speech.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and a tall man with sandy hair walked in. He smiled at Megan and extended his hand. “Hello, Mrs. Thomas, I’m John, one of the PAs.” He wore khakis and a navy polo shirt with the clinic’s logo stitched on the pocket. A stethoscope hung around his neck.
Megan placed her hand in his, and her gaze landed on his name tag. John Johanssen. Her stomach lurched, and she extracted her hand.
John cocked his head, and his eyes widened. “You’re not—Megan Landon, are you?”
Buy links:
https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_46&products_id=1710
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