The Way Back To Erin

The Way Back To Erin
Cerella Sechrist

He didn't feel at home anywhere…except with herFifteen years ago, Erin crushed Burke Daniels by choosing his brother over him. Now, after being left at the altar by his fiancée, Burke’s back in Findlay Falls trying to put his life back together—and falling for his now-widowed sister-in-law all over again.He skipped town when Erin broke his heart. But after bonding with her son—his nephew—and realizing he still loves her, Burke doesn’t know how he can ever leave Erin again. Even if she tells him he has to…

He didn’t feel at home anywhere...except with her

Fifteen years ago, Erin crushed Burke Daniels by choosing his brother over him. Now, after being left at the altar by his fiancée, Burke’s back in Findlay Roads trying to put his life back together—and falling for his now-widowed sister-in-law all over again.

He skipped town when Erin broke his heart. But after bonding with her son—his nephew—and realizing he still loves her, Burke doesn’t know how he can ever leave Erin again. Even if she tells him he has to...

CERELLA SECHRIST lives in York, Pennsylvania, with two precocious pugs, Darcy and Charlotte, named after Jane Austen literary characters. Inspired by her childhood love of stories, she was ten years old when she decided she wanted to become an author. As a former barista, Cerella is a coffee snob who can spend hours discussing the finer points of a good Italian roast. She’s been known to post too many pug photos on both Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cerellasechrist/) and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.ca/cerellasechrist/). You can see for yourself by finding her online at cerellasechrist.com (http://www.cerellasechrist.com).

Also By Cerella Sechrist (#ud202ade5-d063-59e8-b4a5-985d137fa226)

A Song for Rory

Harper’s Wish

The Paris Connection

Gentle Persuasion

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The Way Back to Erin

Cerella Sechrist

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

ISBN: 978-1-474-08088-0

THE WAY BACK TO ERIN

© 2018 Cerella Delbaugh Sechrist

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“Why did you come back to Findlay Roads at all? You missed Gavin’s funeral. And then six months later you showed up here, as if nothing had changed.”

“That is not fair,” he snapped, rising to his feet. “Everything had changed.”

“Not for you! You’d barely been home in years—”

“I lost my brother!” He cut her off. “My best friend! You think you’re the only one who has grief to manage? You’re not alone in this, Erin. You’re not the only one who misses him.”

“But don’t you see?” she murmured, the words raspy. “You’d already left years ago. You had all this time and distance already. How can you possibly know what it felt like to lose him, without a choice?”

“But I do know.” Burke’s words sounded hard to his own ears. “You forget that I lost both my parents without a choice. And then my brother, too.”

Erin’s jaw clenched, and he could tell she was holding back what she wanted to say. He knew the expression well.

When she finally spoke, she said nothing more about Gavin but rather warned him, “Just don’t get so close to Kitt that you break his heart when you leave.”

With that, she turned on her heel and headed back inside, leaving him to wonder just whose heart she was really worried about him breaking.

Dear Reader (#ud202ade5-d063-59e8-b4a5-985d137fa226),

Grief is a tricky thing. It has no timetable. It will catch you unawares, lulling you into a false sense of security one hour, only to strike you savagely with the reminders of your loss in the next.

Grief is no stranger to the characters in The Way Back to Erin. With the death of her husband, Erin has had to dig her way through the years that have passed, remaining strong for herself and Gavin’s son, Kitt. When she faces the threat of losing the Moontide Inn, which has been her home and safe haven for years, her grief is rekindled. Her struggle to reconcile her shattered dreams with the return of Burke, a love she laid to rest many years ago, is at the heart of this story.

When my editors suggested the title to me, something settled in my spirit. The Way Back to Erin encompasses so much of what this book is about. Not only is Burke finding his way home and back to Erin after his own losses, but Erin is finding her way back to herself, defining who she is without Gavin, who was the foundation of her existence for so long. What she learns is this:

Grief will tie you up, cut you deep and hold you down. But it will not keep you there forever.

For whatever you have personally lost, I am sorry. And I hope that sooner rather than later, you find your way back home.

If you’d like to share your story with me, I would love to hear from you. Contact me through my website at cerellasechrist.com (http://www.cerellasechrist.com), online via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thecerellalife) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/cerellasechrist), or by mail at PO Box 614, Red Lion, PA 17356.

Cerella Sechrist

To Haley Sechrist: sister-in-law, fellow barista, “buffet buddy,” TV fan, cake lover and general partner in crime (remember to hide the evidence, especially when it involves cookie crumbs!)

Thanks for all the coffee, conversations, tears and laughter. But especially for being family.

Acknowledgments

Much gratitude to editor extraordinaire Karen Reid as well as Victoria Curran and the rest of the Harlequin Heartwarming team for all their hard work and support. You all have shaped Findlay Roads into the best little fictional town in Maryland.

Special thanks to my fellow Heartwarming authors, who are some of the most supportive and encouraging people I have ever met, with extra kudos to my blog partner, Loree Lough, for the phone chats, brainstorming sessions and support, and to Kate James for her patience, organization and general superwoman skills.

You all warm my heart.

Additional thanks to fellow author Lisa Lawmaster Hess for our Starbucks writing sessions and helping my characters find their way through this story.

Finally, to my family and friends, who always provide me with the best character fodder.