Fourth Installment ©

Carly Adams is running from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Ian who's never more than just a step or two behind. She's come to a cozy little country town in the hopes of hiding away for a little while until she can save up more money before Ian finds her again...but is she allowing herself to get too comfortable?

Previously....Carly had been walking to church, enjoying the sunshine and bird's singing when trouble-maker Billy Pruit and his brother Randy pulled along-side her, making her nervous. Handsome Joe Baird offers to help her, causing more discomfort, but for an entirely different reason.

She didn’t sleep well that night, her thoughts troubled with Billy Pruit's unwanted attention, not to mention the way her heart had sped up when Joe Baird had sat down beside her at church last evening. She dragged herself down the stairs the next morning to join Sam and Sue in the office.
“Carly! Come in, sweetie, and have an apple turnover,” Sue called cheerily. “You look tired. Didn’t you sleep well?”
“Good morning, mmm! Thank you," she said, taking a crusty turnover. "I slept all right,” she replied, taking a bite. “They’re delicious!” Sue was a very good cook, and Carly appreciated their generosity. The only thing she cooked was macaroni and cheese. It was all she could afford, and she enjoyed it whenever Sue brought in extra little treats for Sam and her. They were excellent people, and she had started to think of them as grandparents. She had never known her real ones. They hadn’t much cared for her mother, and they both passed away before they could mend their fences, so to speak.
“Did you have a good time in church last night?” Sam asked with a wink. Carly tried not to blush.
“Yes, I did. I love to hear the pianist. My mother used to play before she died,” she answered, trying not to notice the amusement in Sam’s face. He knew she was trying to skirt the real issue. Joe Baird.
“Well, it sure was nice to see them young folk take you under their wing like they did. That Kelly Martin is something else, isn’t she? She’s always been so friendly, and that Todd almost worships the ground she walks on. They were made for each other. I tell you, I’m surprised that he hasn’t popped the question yet,” Sue said dreamily. “I just love weddings, and we haven’t had one in the church in so long. I kind of miss them.” She sighed.
“Sue, I do believe that you’re an incurable romantic.” Carly laughed, sipping her coffee.
“Well, it’s not really romance. Marriage is a job you know, but it’s so rewarding to see two young people that really love each other get married and serve the Lord together. I just think they have what it takes to make it last a lifetime like marriages are supposed to. Sam,” Sue turned to him, abruptly changing the subject, “Are you going to give Carly any days off? Or are you just going to work her like an ole mule?”
Sam looked thoughtfully at Carly, rubbing his chin. “You know, we haven’t really discussed the days off, have we, Red?”
“I don’t really need any. I’ve already got Sundays off, and we close so early in the evening, I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry about it,” Carly answered, not wanting any more days off. She needed the money if she had to leave again. She was saving as much as she could now, but her little horde of bills didn’t seem to be growing any bigger.
“Oh, but surely you’d like to see the town and meet new friends,” Sue suggested, putting an arm around her shoulders. “You know, there are some pretty good yard sales I’ve seen this morning already. Do you like yard sales?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes, I do,” Carly answered. She had to like yard sales. That was the only place she could get “new” clothes that she could afford. She didn’t even go into clothing stores anymore. She remembered how Ian would take her shopping anywhere she wanted and he would buy her loads of clothes, shoes, jackets, purses. Anything she wanted, he would buy for her. At first, Carly thought that was wonderful, until she started noticing that if he bought her something, it wasn’t really for her. It was really for him. He would tell her what she could or couldn’t wear, who she could or couldn’t talk to; it was like he owned her.

Book Teaser

Hello! My name is Amanda Stephan, and I'm a new author. I absolutely LOVE to write books, I've been writing since grade school. My favorite part about writing a book is that when I'm inspired, nothing can stop me from grabbing a pen and paper and letting it flow. Dinner? It'll have to wait! Cleaning? No problem...later! Are you talking to me? You might want to start over, because I haven't heard a word you've said, sorry! Sleep? It's overrated! This is just a small part of what it can be like living with me.