Lara Van Hulzen
Return to Silver Bay
Maggie wants to bury her past and move on. Josh has other plans, and moving on without her isn’t one of them.
Maggie Mitchell returns to her hometown of Silver Bay expecting to bury her father, her past, and move on. But when Josh Harden, her high school sweetheart, shows up, her world gets turned around.
Drawn to Josh, but afraid of their history, Maggie’s head tells her she can handle things alone, but her heart says otherwise.
Recognizing a second chance when he sees one, Josh is determined to win Maggie’s heart once more and show her that she can trust love and begin again.
“What a wonderful second chance romance this story was, encompassing a heroine whose life takes a turn for the better, and a hero determined to show the woman that he’s always loved that they belong together.”
—HARLEQUIN JUNKIE
“If you are looking for a lovely, sweet, and clean story of a woman's journey in life, with loving and supportive friends, and a man who wants to make her his, this story is perfect for you”
—BOOKS AND SPOONS BLOG
“This is a sweet, clean, and inspirational story ... I look forward to the next book in this series.”
—BOOK SNUGGLE BLOG
“An inspirational story about family secrets and first loves reconnecting.”
—JANINE’S COOL CATS & REVIEWS
“A sweet new series! A sweet heartwarming story, that introduces the reader to the town of Silver Bay! I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!”
—AMAZON REVIEW MICHELLE
“Great Read!”
—AMAZON REVIEWER ROBIN BALLARD
“I absolutely loved this story. I mean, I couldn't put it down kinda loved it!”
—AMAZON REVIEWER LAURA D.
Reviews
Looking out over the fairgrounds, Maggie mentally berated herself for being stuck somewhere with Josh where she couldn’t escape.
She’d managed to visit Silver Bay a few times in the past few years, but was able to avoid being near Josh. Her head told her there was nothing left between them. No feelings. No heat. Her heart said otherwise. The warmth of his arm up against hers and the cozy space wasn’t helping matters either. Not to mention the memory of the last time they were on a Ferris wheel together.
As if reading her mind he said, “Do you remember when we rode this the last time?”
Hoping the night sky hid her rosy cheeks, she said, “Yes. It was my seventeenth birthday.”
“We closed this place down.”
She smiled in spite of herself. “We sure did.”
“I think Paul ate everything in sight.”
“That wasn’t the problem. It was riding the Tornado afterwards that ended… badly.”
They both laughed.
“I had a lot of fun that night,” Josh said.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Maggie was grateful their seat arrived back at the bottom of the ride and it stopped for them to exit. She wasn’t ready to revisit the rest of that night with Josh. The only great birthday she’d ever had. He had bought her pink cotton candy and won an enormous stuffed bear for her that he carried around the whole night. Kissing her at the top of the Ferris wheel, he’d told her he would never let her go.
“How was the ride?” Hannah asked as they stepped off. Paul had a fried Twinkie in one hand and a Dutch funnel cake in the other. Josh and Maggie laughed.
“What? What’s so funny?” Paul said, completely oblivious.
Hannah simply rolled her eyes.
“Sorry, guys, but I need to get going,” Josh said. “I told my sister I would meet her and the kids for a while and hang out, take the kids on some rides.” Something caught his eye behind them. “Hold on. Wait right here.”
The other three looked at one another. Maggie shrugged. She had no idea where he was going.
He returned a minute later holding a paper triangle covered in thick, fluffy neon-pink cotton candy. Handing it to Maggie, he smiled and said, “Happy Birthday, Maggie.” He kissed her on the cheek and was gone.