Willowleaf Lane. RaeAnne Thayne
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Sometimes going back is the best way to start over
Candy shop owner Charlotte Caine knows temptation.To reboot her life, shed weight and gain perspective, she’s passing up sweet enticements left and right. But willpower doesn’t come so easily when hell-raiser Spencer Gregory comes back to Hope’s Crossing, bringing with him memories of broken promises and teen angst. A retired pro baseball player on the mend from injury—and a damaging scandal—he’s interested in his own brand of reinvention.
Now everything about Spencer’s new-and-improved lifestyle, from his mission to build a rehab facility for injured veterans to his clear devotion to his preteen daughter, Peyton, touches Charlotte’s heart. Holding on to past hurt is her only protection against falling for him—again. But if she takes the risk, will she find in Spencer a hometown heartbreaker, or the hero she’s always wanted?
Praise for RaeAnne Thayne’s Hope’s Crossing series
“A heartfelt tale of sorrow, redemption and new beginnings that will touch readers.”
—RT Book Reviews on Sweet Laurel Falls
“Plenty of tenderness and Colorado sunshine flavor this pleasant escape.”
—Publishers Weekly on Woodrose Mountain
“Thayne, once again, delivers a heartfelt story of a caring community and a caring romance between adults who have triumphed over tragedies.”
—Booklist on Woodrose Mountain
“Readers will love this novel for the cast of characters and its endearing plotline… a thoroughly enjoyable read.”
—RT Book Reviews on Woodrose Mountain
“Thayne’s series starter introduces the Colorado town of Hope’s Crossing in what can be described as a cozy romance…[a] gentle, easy read.”
—Publishers Weekly on Blackberry Summer
“Thayne’s depiction of a small Colorado mountain town is subtle but evocative. Readers who love romance but not explicit sexual details will delight in this heartfelt tale of healing and hope.”
—Booklist on Blackberry Summer
Willowleaf Lane
RaeAnne Thayne
To my wonderful sisters-in-law, Karla Freebairn,
Melanie Child, Sherri Robinson and Rose Robinson. I love the four sisters I was born with but I’m so grateful I gained four more from my husband and through my brothers’ wise choices.
Dear Reader,
I adore reunion stories and over the course of forty-three books, I’ve written many of them. I find something so sweetly perfect in the idea of two people rediscovering each other when each is in a much better place to find lasting joy together.
Willowleaf Lane is a little different from the typical course these stories might take. In this book, my heroine, Charlotte Caine, has always been in love with my hero, Spencer Gregory, but he barely knew she was alive. Growing up, she was shy and overweight, awkward and rather lonely. When he was young and immature, he was unthinkingly cruel to her at a very crucial turning point in a young girl’s emotional path and the scars of that haunted her for a long time.
Spence was once on top of the world, on track to become a Hall of Fame major-league baseball star. After a hard, painful fall, he’s come to Hope’s Crossing to heal—and finds himself turning to the one person in town who should least want to help him.
I loved writing about Charlotte’s and Spencer’s journey, especially helping Spencer discover what he should have seen in Charlotte all along. These are two people who truly deserve to find a happy ending.
All my best,
RaeAnne
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHARLOTTE CAINE CONSIDERED herself a pretty good judge of character.
Being morbidly obese most of her life, until the serious changes she had made the past year and a half, had given her an interesting insight into human nature. She wanted to think she had seen the best and the worst in people. Some people pretended she was invisible; others had been visibly disgusted as if afraid being fat might rub off on them, while still others treated her with true kindness.
Given her skills in that particular arena, she liked to play a game with herself, trying to guess the candy preferences of the customers coming into her store. Jawbreakers? Lemon drops? Or some of her heavenly fudge? Which would they pick?
When Sugar Rush was slow, like right now on a lazy July day late in the afternoon, it made a pleasant way to pass the time.
By the looks of the skinny preteen with the too-heavy eye makeup, Charlotte guessed she would pick a couple packs of chewing gum and maybe a handful of the sour balls the kids seemed to love for some reason Charlotte didn’t understand.
But she could be wrong.
“Is there something I can help you with?” she finally asked with a smile when the girl appeared to