Read an excerpt from ‘A Wyoming Family Holiday’
The fifth and final book in my Harlequin Heartwarming Back to Adelaide Creek series is now available. A Wyoming Family Holiday is overflowing with community, holidays, and found family. It’s the perfect book to kick-off your season-themed binge read.
Here’s an excerpt from the book.
Sloan took a couple of seconds before answering her question. “I haven’t discussed any of this with Dad yet, but my plans are open-ended. At this point, I’m not even thinking about a schedule for going back to Denver. I’ve handled arrangements at the firm that allow me to stay flexible and be available to my dad,” Sloan said. “If he’s ready to come home, but still needs more help than I can give him, I’ll hire a caregiver.” Sloan chuckled. “As it is, at the moment my most important job is picking up Flash, Dad’s dog, from Bridget’s house.”
“Here’s some good news. You can bring Flash here on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.” One part of Bethany’s brain was on autopilot, while another part was figuring out what Sloan actually meant by open-ended plans. “We have a full unit of patients in permanent care, so we have regular animal therapy visits. Lots of people in town bring their dogs around on the designated days as part of our program. We don’t need research to prove that patients perk up when they see their own canine buddies, although we have all the data we need to back up our program.” She was proud of the dog visit policy she’d put in place when she took over. It was a common practice in care centers, but new to Winding Creek. It was popular with patients and their families whether they had pets of their own or not. “We have lots of activities here. You’ll see.”
“Really? What kinds of things, other than rehab?”
“As it happens, we’re a source of community service hours for the high school students.” Bethany smiled thinking about the teenagers she’d talked to on her last visit to the school. “They remind me of us back in the day. Anyway, they’re coming in soon to decorate for Halloween and then on the day itself, they’ll bring cookies. We don’t have enough staff as it is, so we can’t spare the time to do things like decorate for holidays. We take all the service hours from the teenagers we can get.”
“I remember those projects in high school.” The thoughtful look in Sloan’s eyes led Bethany to conclude that pleasant memories had come to mind. “We might have grumbled a little about the service requirement, but it was good for us. I’m sure that’s still true for kids today.”
“We’re having a family-style Thanksgiving here, the first one. On Christmas Eve afternoon, we’ll have some Christmas caroling led by Dr. Tom, you know, your cousin Willow’s husband. He’s a pediatrician and his sister sings and plays fiddle with a local band. If you stick around a while, you’ll eventually meet some of our hometown’s newcomers.”
“I think I’ll start by reconnecting with Uncle Quincy and my cousins.”
“That big Lancaster clan of yours is involved in most everything that goes on in Adelaide Creek.” As she’d done her quick rundown of things going on at the center, Sloan’s expression revealed an uptick in his interest.
When her phone buzzed, she immediately picked it up and looked at the screen. She sighed but didn’t answer the call. “I was hoping that was the roofer. As you can imagine, I’m eager to find out how soon he can get started on the repairs. So far, these leaks are confined to the lobby,” she said. “We haven’t been forced to move patients around.” She detected fatigue seeping into her voice. That wouldn’t do. She shifted in her chair. If she needed to perk up her tone, she could start by throwing her shoulders back and sitting up a little straighter. That usually did the trick.
“So this is an ongoing problem?” Sloan asked. “I mean, what’s the story of this place? Decorations and caroling are fine, but a leaky roof and an otherwise run-down look are kind of jarring.”
Bethany’s sigh came out more like a groan.
“I guess that was pretty rude, huh?”
Bethany leaned forward and plunked an elbow on the desk and rested her chin in her palm. “Let’s call it frank. I was getting around to filling in some background info about Winding Creek. But just so you know, your dad had a choice. There was a room for him in a facility on the other side of the county. Admittedly, it’s shiny and new, and it’s also owned by a well-known chain of rehab and care centers.” Bethany maintained a matter-of-fact tone and had nothing to hide. “But given a choice, Lucas decided to come here. For one thing, it’s close to home, and that means it’s easier for Quincy to visit, as well as Willow and Bridget. And now you.”
“Why do I think there’s more to the story? I remember this building from when we were kids.” Sloan’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “It never looked like an upscale kind of place, but wasn’t an eyesore, either. By the way, if I remember correctly, you’re a nurse practitioner. But according to Dad you run this place now. Is he right?”
Valid questions about Winding Creek and her. “It’s a long story, but I’ll give you the shorthand version. The previous owners let the place deteriorate and then go bankrupt. But we came up with a plan to salvage it, and thanks to people like your uncle Quincy, we’ve been able to keep it open. Our goal is to preserve it as a town—and county—resource.”
Sloan tilted his head to one side and then the other as if considering this idea. “No chain of nursing care or rehab centers wanted to buy it?”
Bethany scoffed. “Oh, we could have a buyer by tomorrow morning, if we chose that route. Lots of people would write big checks to take it off our hands, including a couple of developers who want it for the acres we’re sitting on. They’d raze the building and replace it with a mansion and sell it for a few million dollars.”
“Right,” Sloan said, nodding. “A familiar tale.”
“The building may be worn-out and drab, a few walls may have cracks, but it’s a stone’s throw from Addie Creek.” She gestured back at the window. “Walk down to the creek when it’s not raining. You’ll see the gorgeous fields and woods. So, sure, we could always sell it. But I—we—didn’t want to miss a chance to try something new that could be good for the town.”
“I see. This was your idea?”
Why be modest? Or on the other hand to try to deflect what could very well turn into a colossal flop. “Yep, it was my idea initially, but luckily, your uncle Quincy helped me spearhead the project. He’s willing to take a risk on what he envisions as a public ownership model. Lucky for me, your uncle has the know-how to jump-start big ideas, and the personality to coax others to hop on board with us.”
“So, Dad’s right. You’re in charge now.”
