Sweet Southern Hearts
Author: Susan Schild
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre:
Contemporary Women's Fiction
Susan Schild welcomes you back to the offbeat
Southern town of Willow Hill, North Carolina, for a humorous,
heartwarming story of new beginnings, do-overs, and
self-discovery…
When it comes to marriage, third time’s
the charm for Linny Taylor. She’s thrilled to be on her honeymoon
with Jack Avery, Willow Hill’s handsome veterinarian. But just like
the hair-raising white water rafting trip Jack persuades her to take,
newlywed life has plenty of dips and bumps.
Jack’s
twelve-year-old son is resisting all Linny’s efforts to be the
perfect stepmother, while her own mother, Dottie, begs her to tag
along on the first week of a free-wheeling RV adventure. Who knew
women “of a certain age” could drum up so much trouble? No sooner
is Linny sighing with relief at being back home than she’s helping
her frazzled sister with a new baby…and dealing with an unexpected
legacy from her late ex. Life is fuller—and richer—than she ever
imagined, but if there’s one thing Linny’s learned by now, it’s
that there’s always room for another sweet surprise…
Jack
strode toward her in his Levi’s and the dark green T-shirt she’d picked out for
him—the extralong one that that fit his tall, rangy frame and was also the
exact color of his pine green eyes. Her shivering lessening, she grinned at
him.
“Let’s
warm you up, shug.” He wrapped her in one of his large and slightly doggy-smelling
fleece he’d gotten from the truck and began to rub her shoulders.
She
leaned in to him, enjoying the warmth and solid heft of him, and rested her
head against his broad shoulder. “Okay.” Hugging him always made her feel safe,
like finally arriving home after a long, arduous trip.
On
the way back to the cabin Jack cast her a sideways glance from the driver’s
seat of the truck. “Did you have a good time?”
“I
did.” Linny sighed. “This has been the best honeymoon ever.” As soon as the
words left her mouth, she felt her face flame. Why had she said that? She
wasn’t ranking her three honeymoons, holding up cards like the skating judges
with numbers one through ten printed on them. Linny shot him a glance to see
how hurt he looked, but he just patted her knee and whistled between his teeth
as he adjusted the rearview mirror.
Linny
shook her head. She’d drive herself crazy yet.
The
tires of Jack’s red truck crunched on the gravel as they pulled up beside their
hideaway. Linny took Jack’s hand as they walked up the front path, admiring the
square-cut logs and clean lines of the two-room rustic log cabin. She’d rented
it after obsessively comparing reviews on travel websites. Perched on a high
ridge, their cabin was skirted by lush pink rhododendron and gave long-range
views of the green and blue patchwork quilt of the valley laid out before it.
She’d chosen the perfect, cozy honeymoon spot.
Linny
took a quick shower, dried her hair, and slipped on a cool floral sundress.
Jack was on the front porch playing his guitar, and she smiled as she heard him
strumming. Padding barefoot to the tiny kitchen, she opened a beer for Jack and
poured herself a glass of the crisp Pinot Grigio they’d bought at the vineyard
the day before.
Pushing
open the screen door with her hip, she handed Jack his beer. He sat in a
rocker, cradling the guitar. A self-taught musician, Jack was still
self-conscious about his mistakes, but he was coming along fast. He took a draw
of beer, put the bottle on the floor, and eased into the opening chords of
James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind.” Giving her a sorry-if-I-mess-up smile, he
began to sing quietly in his warm tenor.
Leaning
against the railing, arms crossed, she watched him and felt a wave of
contentment. She held out her hand and examined her glittering ring, made from
the emeralds Jack and Neal had dug out of a gem mine especially for her.
Unbeknownst to her, the father-son adventure weekend they’d taken last summer
was for the express purpose of finding stones for her ring. To have Neal
involved in the gem hunt was a majorly smart move on Jack’s part, especially
because her stepson still watched her warily, worried that she’d try to replace
his mother. The stones weren’t particularly high quality, but Linny didn’t
care. She loved the ring.
Jack
missed a chord and winced. Noticing her ring studying, a smile played at his
lips.
Linny
smiled back. Ruthie, the office manager in Jack’s veterinary practice, said
that after Vera divorced Jack, some women clients feigned reasons to bring
their pets in for appointments just to spend time with him. “A woman with a
poodle named Precious claimed the dog had ADHD, and another time a tummy
ache-toothache-itching issue,” she’d said, rolling her eyes and patting Linny’s
arm. “So glad he fell for you.”
Thank
goodness he was the type of man who was oblivious to his own charms, unlike her
late hound-dog of a second husband. But banish the thought. She wasn’t going to
allow regrets to tarnish the present. Linny slid into the rocking chair beside
his and sipped her wine. After a moment she began to softly sing along with
him. No volume from her. She was prone to sudden scale changes and croaks.
A
phone trilled from the kitchen and Jack gave her a smile as he put down the
guitar and went to take the call.
His
son, Neal—her new stepson, she reminded herself—had called to talk with his dad
twice each of the three nights they’d been on their honeymoon. Was that normal
for a twelve-year-old? A lot of the other stepmothers in the Bodacious Bonus
Moms—the online support and advice blog she'd been reading voraciously for the
last few months—complained about their teenage stepchildren not sharing a word
with them or their husbands because they were too busy texting and Snapchatting
friends.
Linny
took a sip of wine and thought about it. How much did Neal’s clinginess have to
do with his mother, Vera, and her new husband bickering? Petite Vera, with her
little-girl voice and perfect white-blond loveliness, reminded Linny of an
airy, sweet pink confection, but with her sense of entitlement and demands, she
was no cream puff. Her husband, Chaz, was a trial lawyer, and no pushover
either. She could see why they butted heads. And with Vera’s moneyed background
and silver-spoon tastes, her wealthy new husband getting into hot water and
losing a lot of his—no, their—money
probably didn’t sit well with her. Linny felt a flash of mean-spirited pleasure
that perfect Vera was having problems, then chided herself. Tension in that
household hurt Neal and she didn’t want that.
Jack
came back to the porch, rubbing a spot between his brows and talking on the
phone in that soothing voice he used with scared animals at his veterinary
clinic. “So they’re fighting nonstop. Can you just go to your room and turn on
the white noise app on your phone?” He paused and scowled. “That loud, huh?”
Jack
looked at her. “Can you hold on, buddy?” He put the phone to his chest, his
expression serious. “He’s crying and he never cries. I’d send him to the
grandparents, but they’re all out of town.”
Linny
inhaled sharply and racked her brain. “My sister loves Neal to pieces, but
she’s so overwhelmed with her new baby. I could call her, though…” she said.
Jack
shook his head slowly, his face tight. “We need to go home, Lin. Neal needs
us.”
Linny
nodded mutely, feeling bereft. There went her week-long honeymoon, right out
the window. She gazed off for one last long look at the rolling land of the
valley and slumped in her chair.
Jack
spoke to Neal calmly. “We’ll be back this evening and you’re going to come stay
with us for a while until things simmer down.” He paused, listening, and his
voice grew firm. “I don’t care if your mama doesn’t like it. I’ll deal with
her. Right now, everybody needs to just settle down.” He ended the call and
sent her an apologetic look. “Lin…” he began.
She held up a hand and tried to smile. “I
understand, Jack. I really do.” Rising, she trudged in to begin packing, trying
to fight the disappointment crashing down on her like a great wave. She and
Jack had the rest of their lives to spend together, she reasoned, but it didn’t
help.
Vera
and Chaz were selfish, Linny thought as she thunked the milk, yogurt, and
luncheon meat into the cooler she was packing with unnecessary vigor.
Gathering
their toiletries and clothes to put in the suitcase, her heart squeezed for
Neal. The last thing a sensitive boy like him needed was a ringside seat to the
fight of the century. Going home was the right thing to do.
Susan has an undergraduate degree from James
Madison University and a master’s degree (MSW) from The University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has used her professional
background as a psychotherapist and corporate trainer to add
authenticity to her characters.
Susan is a wife, a stepmother, and a dog lover. She and her family live near Raleigh, North Carolina where she is busy finishing up the third novel in the Willow Hill Series.
Susan is a wife, a stepmother, and a dog lover. She and her family live near Raleigh, North Carolina where she is busy finishing up the third novel in the Willow Hill Series.
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