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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Katie Powner
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

“You make it sound like he got fired, Dad. No. The company folded.”

“So he has no job.”

Silence.

Mitch pushed meatloaf around on his plate and tapped his foot. Jeremy was a good kid, especially considering the sorry excuse for a family he came from, but Mitch had long suspected he would have a hard time providing for his daughter. What exactly did one do with a degree in marketing, anyway? And now Mitch’s only child was in distress, and there was nothing he could do about it from halfway across the country.

“They’re just kicking everyone out?” He pushed back from the table and began to pace. “Is that legal?”

“It’s a month-to-month lease.”

“Huh.”

“Anyway, I thought maybe—”

“You need somewhere to go.” Mitch stopped midstride. Maybe there was something he could do, after all. “You’ll come here, of course.”

“Dad, I don’t know.”

He raised his eyebrows at the phone. What choice did she have? There would be no open arms waiting for them on Jeremy’s side of the family, and they’d never find another apartment in Santa Clara without a job. How any young adult was supposed to afford housing these days was beyond him—even with a job.

Thank goodness they hadn’t started a family yet.

“Temporarily.” He gripped the phone. “You’ve got to live somewhere, B.B.”

And if the temporary turned into something more permanent, all the better for him.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Bea asked.

It had been a tough pill to swallow when Bea told him she and Jeremy were going to live in California. Seriously, California? Montanans made jokes about people who lived there. But Jeremy had big ideas about working in Silicon Valley.

Just look how that turned out.

Mitch began making a mental checklist. Stock the fridge. Wash the sheets. Move the patio furniture out of the carport and into the backyard. He’d make everything perfect. Perfect enough that Bea would think twice before leaving again.

“Dad?”

“Yes.” He looked around his lifeless, empty kitchen and smiled. His baby was coming home. “I’m sure.”

FOUR

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Bea shifted in the passenger seat, trying to get comfortable, but there was only so much she could do after two days in the car. She almost wished they’d powered through and driven the seventeen hours from Santa Clara to Montana all at once, just to get it over with. At the same time, she wished they’d taken a whole week to drive up here. The closer they got to Moose Creek, the less ready she was.

She turned to look at Jeremy’s cat in his carrier in the back seat. Ha. At least Steve had finally fallen asleep after three hours of yowling.

“You doing okay?” Jeremy reached over and squeezed her knee. “Need a break?”

“I’m fine.” She adjusted her ponytail and pushed her back against the seat. “Just tired.”