The Road to Cardinal Valley - Hardcover

Fowler, Earlene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0425252841 ISBN 13: 9780425252840

Publisher: Berkley, 2012

Synopsis

In this heartfelt and poignant follow-up to Earlene Fowler’s national bestseller, The Saddlemaker’s Wife, Ruby McGavin returns to the small town of Cardinal, California, where a year ago she brought her husband’s ashes back to his family’s ranch, and discovered safety, peace, and a love...

Ruby never thought she’d return to Cardinal, but she’s hoping the place and people who gave her so much can give her brother Nash—who’s been drowning in drink in Nashville—the fresh start he so desperately needs.

Saddlemaker Lucas McGavin is thrilled that Ruby has come back. He hasn’t given up on his love for her, despite the awkward fact that she is his brother’s widow, and he’s well aware that this may be his last chance to win Ruby’s heart.

When Nash starts drinking again and ends up in a devastating accident, Ruby decides she must find her estranged mother to help with an intervention. Two states away, Etta Walker harbors a horrible secret that keeps her from reconnecting with the children she deserted so many years ago.

As they struggle with the present and confront the past, Ruby, Lucas, and Etta learn the power of forgiveness...and reach for a new future filled with hope, grace, and love.

About this title

About the Author:

Earlene Fowler was raised in La Puente, California, by a Southern mother and a Western father. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Allen, and a semi-obedient Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Boudin.

From Booklist:

Hoping to remove her troubled, alcoholic brother, Nash, from the temptations of Nashville, widowed Ruby returns with him to friendly, small-town Cardinal, California, hoping for a new start. She soon settles in, with the help of her former husband Cole’s relatives, especially Cole’s aunt and his brother, Lucas, who has developed romantic feelings for Ruby. Nash doesn’t feel comfortable in Cardinal, however, and begins drinking again. Ruby has been bitter since she and Nash were abandoned as children by their mother, Etta, but when Nash gets into deep trouble, Ruby reunites with Etta to help him. Ultimately, Ruby finds acceptance, love, and forgiveness as well as the importance of friends and family. Like The Saddlemaker’s Wife (2006), this sequel, populated by a cast of well-developed, sympathetic characters, is less about mystery and suspense and more about the details of life in a small-town ranching community. --Sue OBrien

About this edition

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0425252841
• ISBN 13: 9780425252840
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304