THE INN AT CRANBERRY COVE

THE INN AT CRANBERRY COVE
Friday, January 29, 2021 by JUNE FOSTER

Categories: Friday's Fiction

PLEASE WELCOME

JUNE FOSTER

FICTION FRIDAY

AN EXCERPT FROM THE INN AT CRANBERRY COVE

Coward. Coward. The word shot darts into James's chest, reminding him. He was fumbling around, avoiding the whole truth, and Ashton deserved to know. Maybe he could open up a little more. He stood. "Follow me."

Ashton lifted her brow, never taking her gaze from him.

James sauntered toward the closed door where he'd hidden his precious treasure, a treasure so costly to him that it hurt too much to gaze upon it. There was no sense in rushing. In moments, she'd know about Sammy. Steeling his nerves, he opened his mouth. "I'd like to show you something."

"What is it?" Ashton's frown spoke more of confusion than suspicion.

He took a breath, allowing time to get himself under control. He entered the room and stood over the boxes until he sensed Ashton had joined him. Then he reached down and picked up the blue one-piece his son had worn when he was around seven months—the one James had cried into the first time he'd looked at it since he'd moved here from the estate. Then he reached into the box and pulled out a pair of baby shoes and set them on the unmade bed.

Ashton clasped both sides of her face, her mouth open. She moaned. "James, did these things belong to your child?"

He raked a hand through his hair and nodded. "My son's name was Samuel Atwood. I called him Sammy." His voice hitched. He thought he could get a momentary handle on the grief, but he guessed he couldn't.

"When did you lose him?"

James took another breath then gave himself a stiff mental kick in the rear. You've dealt with the loss. It's time to let it go. "Sammy and his mother died two months ago."

Ashton placed a hand to her throat. "His mother?" She had apparently grasped the implications of his statement. "Two months."

James reached for her hand and led her back to the kitchen table. "Sit down." As he feared, the look of pain on her face mimicked the others around town when they thought they were offering condolences. They felt sorry for him. But he didn't deserve it. "Bethany and I were married for five years. Two months ago, when Sammy was almost a year, he and Bethany were killed in a car accident. A semi plowed over them."

Her features softened. Pity. He couldn't bear pity. He didn't deserve it. If she only knew the entire truth. "I'm so sorry." She covered his hand.

He slowly pulled away. If he told her everything, she'd have no compassion for him.

And he needed Ashton. Especially now.

MORE ABOUT THE INN AT CRANBERRY COVE

After her boss fires her on unfounded grounds, twenty-nine-year-old Ashton Price leaves Denver for Cranberry Cove, Washington. She's inherited her aunt's B&B and is determined to carry on her legacy. Upon preparing for guests, she learns of a century-old tale of treasure within the inn. Many have searched for the elusive gems but to no avail. She discovers a man working on the inn's grounds, but is he the gardener Gina Price hired? Perhaps he's searching for the hidden treasure.

James Atwood, the corporate executive, works in Atwood's thriving cranberry business. Tragedy strikes, and he's numb and riddled with guilt. Befriended by Gina Price, he finds solace working evening and weekends in the fresh earth, fescue grass, and aromatic blossoms of the inn's gardens, helping to divert his mind from his dishonest cousin Robert, bent on destroying the Atwood business. He continues tending the grounds after Gina passes, and the new owner believes he's a gardener. After she calls late one night upon hearing a prowler, James races to her rescue and discovers his feelings are more than protective.

Ashton's first guests, the Claxton's, appear out of nowhere saying they've had reservations for a year though she finds no record of a deposit. She chalks the failure up to faulty accounting before she arrived. When an elusive intruder continues to make frightening midnight visits, Ashton fears for her own safety and that of the Claxtons. But then, their odd comings and goings cause Ashton to wonder. Are they really vacationing visitors from California, or do they have other motives for staying at the inn?

Can two people allow the majestic northwest and fragrant coastal air to heal their wounded hearts? Will they discover the secret of The Inn at Cranberry Cove?

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ABOUT JUNE FOSTER

An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. She is the mother of two and grandmother of ten. June began writing Christian romance in 2010. She penned her first novel on her Toshiba laptop as she and her husband traveled the US in their RV. Her adventures provide a rich source of information for her novels. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next book.

To date, June has written over twenty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels and novellas. She loves to compose stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives. She's published with Winged Publications. Visit June at www.junefoster.com to see a complete list of her books.

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