A Love For A Lifetime

I'm excited to introduce book two in my Nearlake series—A Love For A Lifetime—which is available today!

It is set in a fictional town in Idaho called Nearlake. I love to write about small towns and friendships.

A Love For A Lifetime is the second book in a three-book series centered on three friends: Sadie, Charlie, and Anne.

This book is about Charlie.

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Charlie Benson is happy with her life; she just feels a little lost. The empty nest years haven’t been as easy as she thought they might be, and while planning her daughter’s wedding should be fun, it’s become more about appeasing overbearing relatives than her daughter’s happiness.

Davis Benson wants nothing more than for his wife to be happy, but since their two kids left for college, things just haven’t been the same. Charlie isn’t her usual bubbly self, and the empty nest years aren’t as fun as he expected.

When a potential real estate deal threatens the small town where they live, and Charlie and Davis risk losing their home, their world feels beyond their control, making it increasingly difficult to find hope. Together, they must find a way to carve a new path unlike the one they imagined, holding tight to what matters most.

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I have to admit, this book is the one closest to my own experience than any other book I've written.

The Empty Nest years are among the hardest I have experienced so far. I promised myself I would be prepared, but now that I am on the other side of them, there really isn't much of a way for that to happen. I have always viewed parenting as a relationship, not something I do, and the years my kids left home and found their own way were filled with some of the biggest challenges in our relationship so far.

Not only that, but my relationship with my husband shifted as well. Navigating that became a big part of the story for Davis and Charlie in A Love For A Lifetime. Not only are they adjusting to the years when their kids are grown and gone, but they also face unexpected outside situations that make them question what they want and realize it's okay to make decisions that matter to the two of them.

Charlie and Davis' story is a romance with history, challenges, and a love that stands the test of time. I hope you enjoy.

A Love Worth Waiting For

I'm excited to introduce book one in my Nearlake series—A Love Worth Waiting For—which is available today!

It is set in a fictional town in Idaho called Nearlake. I love to write about small towns and friendships.

A Love Worth Waiting For is the first book in a three-book series centered on three friends: Sadie, Charlie, and Anne.

This book is about Sadie.

Sadie Woods leads a structured life, and she likes it that way. As owner of her family’s antique store in the town where she grew up, she is surrounded by history. The past is full of intrigue and rich memories, while the present has bills piling up, her aunt battling breast cancer, and a future full of unknowns that have her grasping for hope.

Former professional football star James Larsen just wants a quiet life for himself and his teenage daughter, Maddie. Being Deputy Sheriff in the town he calls home is just right. In the wake of his wife’s death, he’s able to heal without too much attention, and life has become a comfortable routine he appreciates.

When Sadie’s shop is supposedly broken into, and James is the police officer called to the scene, the faded memories of attending high school together stir a connection neither of them is prepared for. While Sadie is knee-deep in trying to save her store, James is hesitant to let another woman into his and his daughter’s lives.

Both hesitant to trust, Sadie and James must brave a path that includes believing there is a love worth waiting for.

A Love Worth Waiting For

Excerpt

As Sadie made her way down the bleachers and along the field level, she scanned the crowd. Not seeing James, she realized he may have joined the team in the locker room. Taking one last look around, she spotted him walking around behind the grandstands, his hands in his pockets and his head down.

She followed, finding him all alone, leaning his back against a wall behind the bleachers.

“Hey, you.” She walked up beside him and copied his stance, the two of them looking out through a tall chain link fence into the parking lot.

“Hey.”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She nodded but said nothing.

They stood there for a few minutes, not saying anything. If he needed to talk, he would. Sadie just wanted to be near him. Let him know he wasn’t alone. The announcer’s voice echoed in the night as he introduced the first float of the evening done by the freshman class.

James ran a hand through his hair and pushed away from the wall. He turned and faced Sadie. “I know I should be grateful. I’ve always had such strong support from this community. But…” He kicked the dirt with the toe of his boot.

Sadie waited for him to continue.

“But they don’t know the truth.”

“And what is the truth?”

He shook his head. “I’m not the superstar they think I am. I’m not the Golden Boy with the perfect life, the perfect career the way they imagine.”

“None of us has anything perfect,” Sadie offered with a shrug.

He looked down at the ground. “It’s just not the whole story.”

“I don’t know the whole story, James. But I think it’s pretty easy to know you.”

His eyes met hers.

“This town celebrates your accomplishments as a football player, yes,” she continued. “And it’s okay to soak that in. You had a great career.”

He looked away, then back at her again, his frown carrying the weight of whatever was bothering him.

“But I don’t think anyone expects you to be a perfect person with a perfect life.”

He took a deep breath in and let it out. “It sure feels that way sometimes.”

She pushed away from the wall and stepped over to him, taking his hands in hers. “I’m sure there have been people in your life who wanted to be in your life because of your success. But there are plenty of people who want to be in your life because of the person you are. The man you are.”

His lips formed a small smile at that, but it didn’t last. “Like I said, there’s more to the story.”

“I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

“You are. But I gotta be honest, talking isn’t what I want to do right now.” He let go of her hands and cupped her face in his.

The music and noise of the night faded into the background as he placed his lips on hers. The first time in the passageway, there’d been an urgency to his kiss, almost a need for him to be as close to her as possible to know she was okay. This time, it was a slow, searing intensity between them that warmed her all the way to her toes. Her arms wrapped around his waist, her body sinking into his as if she were made to be there.

Sadie lost all track of time or rational thought, her mind only able to focus on being held by James, as if there was no one else in the entire world she was meant to kiss but him.

When he pulled away and placed his forehead on hers, they were both breathless.

“It’s official. I definitely love to do that more than talk,” James said.

Sadie laughed, her breath a cloud in the cold air.

The announcer came over the loudspeaker to announce the presentation of the float for the sophomore class.

James smiled down at Sadie, her face still cradled in his hands. “As much as I hate to say it—and I mean really hate to say it—I need to go.” He kissed her forehead. “Maddie will kill me if I don’t see the float she helped work on all week.”

Sadie nodded. “I understand.”

James stepped back, taking her hands in his. “Thank you for coming to find me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m here any time you ever want to…talk.”

He laughed at that and then kissed her gloved hands and then her cheek. “A very

tempting offer, Sadie. I hope you mean it.”

Oh, she meant it. If she wasn’t falling for James Larsen before, she certainly was now.

“I mean it.”

“Good.” With that, he took her hand and walked her back to the stadium, the two of them parting ways as he headed to the field and she into the stands.

An Angel For Christmas

I love character driven stories.

In An Angel For Christmas, Garrett owns the local saloon. He's been around Silver Bay from almost the beginning of the series, appearing first in Saving Drew.

As I wrote the Endicotts of Silver Bay series, Garrett kept coming to mind. He needed a story. I didn't want him to just be "the guy who owns and runs the saloon" anymore. I wanted him to find love.

The more I wrote the character of Angelica Endicott, the more I knew her spice and energy were just what Garrett needed. I had described him in earlier books as keeping to himself and even a bit grumpy, but nice and mostly misunderstood.

A perfect match for Angelica.

As I write, stories and characters tend to surprise me. At first I thought I would connect more with Angelica, maybe because I had written her into the other Endicott books so she was foremost in my mind. But writing An Angel For Christmas ended up being more about discovering Garrett's story than Angelica's.

Garrett is just my kind of hero. Quiet. Giving. Great dad to his daughter. Selfless, always putting his family first. As fun as it was to write him as a bit of a grump, I loved having Angelica be the one to see the real Garrett. The gentle spirit who wouldn't mind finding love.

This series is one I have greatly enjoyed writing. I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters, but who knows? Maybe there are more things to come for those in Silver Bay...

Happy Reading,

Lara

An Angel For Christmas

Excerpt

Garrett flipped on the lights in his office and tossed his keys on his desk. While mornings were quiet at the saloon, this early in the day was even more so. However, a noise above his head caused him to stop and listen. The sound of footsteps made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Someone was in the saloon.

With as much stealth as possible, he made his way through the door that led to the bar. Silver Bay was a safe town. Everyone knew everyone and doors were left unlocked everywhere. The thought of someone in his bar this early in the morning to rob him wasn’t rational. Yet he couldn’t deny what he heard.

As he stepped around the bar, the footsteps became rhythmic, and the sound of music made its way downstairs from the balcony up above.

Someone was in his bar listening to music and…dancing?

Garrett made his way up the stairs, still on alert because he had zero idea of what he was about to find. As he turned when he reached the balcony, his mind certainly wasn’t prepared for what he saw.

Angelica was dressed in jeans, old tennis shoes, and a black top that hugged her curves and was splattered with paint. Her hair was jumbled up on top of her head in a way that looked messy, as well as super sexy. He’d only seen her with her hair down and brushed perfectly. This somewhat disheveled look fit her well.

A small speaker sat on a table with her phone next to it. The source of the music. Two cups from Jamie’s Java sat beside. Angelica sang along, something about what happened last Christmas. Her back to him, she danced her way toward a ladder that stood near the far wall, a paint brush in hand that she waved above her head. He bit back a laugh at how many paint flecks were coming from it and landing in her hair.

He took a moment to appreciate the woman before him, watching as each step of the ladder she climbed was a dance step. It was clear she’d shown up even earlier than he had to get started on the upstairs. How she’d dragged all the stuff she needed to do so inside and upstairs by herself, he had no clue. But this was Angelica, and from what he’d seen of her so far, she had a strong will and believed there was always a way.

Not only that, but she also moved without any inhibitions, dancing as if no one was watching. Although in all fairness, she didn’t know anyone was watching. Aware that if he waited any longer, he ran the risk of frightening her or reaching creeper status, he cleared his throat to let her know he was there. The volume of the music must have kept her from hearing him because she continued to wiggle to the music as much as was possible while standing on a ladder and painting a wall.

He moved closer, hoping she would hear him and not get startled.

He cleared this throat again and said, “You’re here early.”

“Oh!” She jumped, the paintbrush falling from her hand. As her body twisted to face him, her foot caught on the rung of the ladder, and she lost her balance.

On instinct, Garrett made it next to the ladder just in time for Angelica to fall right into his arms.

This time, there was no apology by her, no pulling back to dust off dirt. This time, he had his arms around her waist, her hands pressed up against his chest. Their eyes met and held.

“We keep bumping into each other,” she said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.

Every witty response Garrett had in his mind vanished. All he could see were those eyes of hers. The greenish-blue ocean depths he wanted to swim in for days. A lock of her hair had fallen over her forehead. He tucked it behind her ear then cupped her face in his hand.

Without another thought, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.