If You Knew
by Barbara Meyers
Blurb:
In a town filled with lies, is there room for one more?
When widow Devonny Campbell arrives in tiny Red Bud, Iowa, she is determined to make a new life for herself and the child she carries. But when her former career in adult films is uncovered, she becomes the catalyst for a nasty political campaign which creates a tornado of controversy.
High school coach and guidance counselor Luke Bradshaw knows one strong wind will collapse the house of cards he’s built to contain his demons. He’s falling hard for Devonny in spite of her past. And she might be what trips him up and exposes everything he’s kept hidden.
But Devonny and Luke aren’t the only citizens of Red Bud forced to face the judgment of their peers. As the campaign turns vicious, deeply-buried truths are revealed and lifelong relationships are shattered. Can Devonny and Luke stick together? Or will too much truth tear them apart?
Excerpt:
Devonny Campbell pulled into the parking lot of a roadside diner and turned off the car’s engine. She sat for a moment taking deep breaths, willing away the cramps and lightheadedness threatening to overwhelm her. She peered through the windshield at the two-lane blacktop she’d just exited. A few cars and pickup trucks dotted the diner’s gravel lot.
Still not feeling any better she opened the car door and forced herself out. She dreaded stepping into a restroom stall, afraid of what she might find. Was she losing something she hadn’t even realized she wanted?
No. She refused to give up her unborn baby that easily. It was the last piece of Jack she had. His final gift to her. She wasn’t ready to let go.
She pulled open the glass door to the diner and glanced around. Her entrance was barely acknowledged by the scattered patrons. A sign invited diners to seat themselves. A long counter ran along one side with round red stools right out of the fifties offering single diners a place to sit. A line of booths with the same red vinyl on the seats offered a view of the parking lot and the two-lane. Tables and chairs were crowded into the open space between the counter and the booths.
Devonny spotted a sign for the restrooms and darted that way. The dingy ladies’ room and had one of everything: toilet, paper towel holder, soap dispenser, sink.
She wasn’t spotting, as she’d feared. The discomfort she’d felt earlier seemed to have eased somewhat once her bladder was empty. She still didn’t feel like herself, but she felt marginally better than when she’d pulled off the interstate. She stared at her reflection. Maybe she needed to give herself a break.
She’d been driving for two days. She hadn’t slept well at the motel she’d stopped in last night. She was in Iowa, for God’s sake, which was about as foreign to her as LA was familiar.
“You look like hell,” she told the mirror. Tears surged into her eyes, which helped to relieve the dry grittiness. Jack would be so upset with her if he was here. He’d have never let her get this run-down, this exhausted. He’d be fussing over her, making sure she ate right, rubbing her feet at night. She imagined him talking to her tummy even though her baby was barely even formed at this stage.
You’re going to be okay.
There was that unpredictable voice in her head again. Sometimes it seemed to be all around her. At first she thought it was Jack. Encouraging her. Calming her down. But it wasn’t Jack. No matter how much she wished it was. It was only her subconscious.
Wasn’t it?
She got back into her car and backed out with a screech of tires and turned away from the interstate. Moments later, she passed a sign. “Welcome to Red Bud, Iowa.”
“Well, Dorothy,” she muttered. “We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.”
Purchase Link(s):
https://books2read.com/IfYouKnew
About Barbara Meyers:
Barista by day, romance novelist by night: When not writing fiction, Dr. Seuss-like poetry (for adults) or song lyrics, Barbara Meyers disguises herself behind a green apron and works part-time for a world-wide coffee company.
Her novels are a mix of comedy, suspense and spice and often feature a displaced child.
Barbara is still married to her first husband and has two fantastic children. Originally from Southwest Missouri, (she blames her roots in the Show Me state for her somewhat skeptical nature) she currently resides in Central Florida.
Author Links:
Web Site: http://www.barbarameyers.com
Draft2Digital: http://books2read.com/author/barbara-meyers/subscribe/1/33163/
Blog: http://barbarameyers.com/blog/
Facebook Author Pages: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMeyersAuthorPage
https://www.facebook.com/AJTillock
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/barbarameyers
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/barbmeyers1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbmeyers/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/barbmeyers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-meyers-5b581842/
Twitter: @barbmeyers and @ajtillock
Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/barbmeyers
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-meyers
Lakeland Ledger Article: http://www.theledger.com/news/20160313/auburndale-author-finds-success-with-amorous-tales
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Thanks for sharing If You Knew on your blog, Kate. Much appreciated.
My pleasure! Thank you for being a guest, Barbara!