The Prodigal's Return

The Prodigal's Return
Anna DeStefano

Does going home mean living with the past–or living down the past?The death of teenager Bobby Compton shocked the community of Rivermist, Georgia. It also destroyed the lives of Neal Cain and Jennifer Gardner. Neal was sent to prison, and Jennifer' s life spiraled out of control until the birth of her daughter forced her to grow up.Now, eight years later, Neal has come home to help his ailing father. Jennifer, a single mother, is also back, trying to make a go of things. Neal and Jennifer were in love when they were teenagers, and those feelings haven' t gone away. But they' re different people, shaped by everything that' s happened. They can' t change the past. Can they still have a future?

Now Entering Rivermist, Georgia

The faded sign was the same one that had been there for as long as Neal could remember. He was hands-down the most unwelcome person ever to enter Rivermist. But somewhere between his apartment and the office that morning, he’d accepted the inevitable. He had to make sure his father was all right.

He’d been so certain staying away the past three years was the right thing. He’d finally faced his mistakes and he’d moved on. But second thoughts had hounded him the entire drive over.

Neal shoved the transmission into Reverse. Gripping the steering wheel, he fantasized about turning around and barreling back to Atlanta and the people he could actually help. Then with a curse he yanked the gearshift back to Neutral and set the hand brake.

“Jennifer Gardner.”

There. He’d said her name, and it hadn’t hurt a bit. With the discipline that came from years of practice, he refused to let her face materialize in his mind. But as always, the perfection of her crystal-clear laugh haunted him.

What if she was still in Rivermist?

Dear Reader,

You can never go home again, or so the saying goes. You can look back and yearn for a simpler time, or wish that things might have been different, but rewriting the past is beyond man’s power.

But since yesterday plays a hand in our future, in who we are now, gazing back is about so much more than longing and reminiscing. We see ourselves most clearly sometimes in our mistakes and failures, and in the journey we take as we make our way back home.

In The Prodigal’s Return our hero and heroine face what they’ve fought for years to outrun and learn to find strength in how far they’ve come. To claim the freedom of accepting what is broken and in letting that weakness guide them to their second chance.

The weakest thing inside us often holds the promise of our greatest strength. And the lowest man in our midst can be the key to others soaring to their greatest heights—if only they can see that unconditional love is the source of forgiveness, and that it is in the heart that second chances are born.

Whether your dream is to return to a life left unfinished, or to reclaim a loved one let go too soon, I wish for you the acceptance and understanding and hope you’ll need along your journey. Trust your heart to lead the way, and what you are seeking will come back to you.

Blessings,

Anna DeStefano

PS. I love to hear from readers. Come join me at my Web site and in my daily journal at www.annawrites.com.

The Prodigal’s Return

Anna DeStefano

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For my editor, Johanna Raisanen.

Your touch flourishes in so much that I do,

but The Prodigal’s Return more than others is yours.

This story was years in the making,

but I can’t imagine not having taken the journey,

or not having you there at each turn.

I pray others, as they read, see what I see:

your glorious patience and wisdom shining from every word.

For my agent, Michelle Grajkowski.

You are generosity and strength and grace personified.

You believed in the heart of this story

long before anyone else, even I, did.

It’s your confidence and encouragement

that helped me find my own faith.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN