Blue Ridge Sunrise

Blue Ridge Sunrise

by Denise Hunter
Blue Ridge Sunrise

Blue Ridge Sunrise

by Denise Hunter

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Overview

Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she'd never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when she inherits a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Zoe returns home with her young daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she's the only person in town who doesn't expect her to give up the life she's established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?

Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love, Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their "break," not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now—five years later.

As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe's head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn't sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.

  • Sweet contemporary romance
  • Part of the Blue Ridge Romance series, but can be read in any order
    • Book 1: Blue Ridge Sunrise
    • Book 2: Honeysuckle Dreams
    • Book 3: On Magnolia Lane
  • Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780718090517
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date: 11/07/2017
Series: Blue Ridge Romance Series , #1
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
Format: eBook
Pages: 336
Sales rank: 374,948
File size: 636 KB

About the Author

Denise Hunter is the internationally published, bestselling author of more than forty books, three of which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won the Holt Medallion Award, the Reader’s Choice Award, the Carol Award, the Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking chai lattes, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana, where she and her husband raised three boys and are now enjoying an empty nest and three beautiful grandchildren. DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: @AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: @deniseahunter.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Zoe Collins never expected to step foot in Copper Creek again. But the one thing that could bring her back had happened.

She stepped out of the dark sedan, a little wobbly on her heels. Brady, her brother, quietly took her elbow as they followed their father across the manicured cemetery that would become Granny's new earthly home.

She drew deeply of the early spring air, fixing her eyes on the surrounding mountains and pine forests. Copper Creek was nestled down in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains. Some might say the town was a throwback to simpler days, but for Zoe the memories of home were a conflicting cocktail of bliss and misery. Heavy on the misery.

Her boyfriend, Kyle, had stayed at the hotel with her daughter, Gracie. Zoe's long-buried grief and guilt warred with an intense feeling of relief at finally being alone. She would focus on the latter, she decided, filling her lungs with the familiar sweet smells of home: hyacinths, sunshine, and freedom.

As they neared the tent, Zoe's best friend came toward her.

Hope Daniels hadn't changed a bit — still a natural beauty with that dark, wavy hair and those sparkling green eyes. When she smiled she was the spitting image of Rachel McAdams. But today that wide grin was nowhere to be seen.

Zoe slipped off to intercept her and found herself swallowed in a hug like only Hope could give. One part love, two parts boa constrictor.

"Zoe."

"Hey girl," Zoe squeezed out.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't make the funeral."

"No worries. It's so good to see you."

Though Hope only managed the Rusty Nail on the weekend, a round of spring flu had taken out some of the waitstaff so she'd had to fill in. Radio was her true love. She hosted a daily call-in program called "Living with Hope" on a local station, using that psychology degree she'd worked on so hard.

"How are you holding up?"

"All right, I suppose."

Hope released her, allowing Zoe to draw a full breath.

"Oh, I've missed you," her friend said. "Five years is too long — and hardly a phone call," she scolded. "Never mind. I'll chastise you later at a more appropriate time."

"Good job. Your filter's come a long way."

"Not really. Stick around a minute." Hope's gaze flitted toward the tent. "Now where's that sweet little angel I've been dying to get my hands on? It's a sad state of affairs when I have to make do with Facebook and Instagram."

"I thought the funeral might be a bit confusing for a four-year-old, and I didn't really want her to meet Dad here, so I left her with Kyle."

"I can't believe you're still with him."

Zoe tilted a look at Hope. "And you wonder why I never call. Kyle's been there for us, Hope."

"We'll talk about it later. Appropriate time and all that."

"I can hardly wait." Zoe's eyes swung to the tent. "I hate that I wasn't here to lend a hand with arrangements. We just couldn't get away from Nashville any sooner."

Hope pressed her lips together, obviously suppressing another thought. "Well ... you know your grandmother. She had everything in place, God rest her soul. There wasn't much to do. How's Brady holding up today? He was kind of a mess the day she died." Zoe glanced at her brother, now under the tent. The black suit made the best of his tall, sturdy frame and short dark hair. He was chatting with their dad, and she tried not to be jealous of the easy relationship they shared. Zoe'd had only sporadic contact with Brady — or anyone else for that matter — since she'd left.

Granny. It was too late now. Guilt pinched hard. But she shook off the feeling.

"How's Brady been doing since the divorce?" Zoe asked.

Hope shrugged. "As expected, I guess. I don't know how he ever put up with that woman, but he sure loves baby Sam. He gets him every other weekend, you know."

Audrey had left Brady, no doubt breaking his heart, while Zoe had been AWOL. Yet another person she'd let down.

"He wanted custody, but Audrey fought him and won. I swear she just did it out of spite."

From what Zoe knew of Audrey, that was probably about right. But she didn't want to think about her brother anymore. It was too close to the topic she was avoiding.

"How's the orchard faring in Granny's absence?" she asked.

"Last few years she barely even oversaw it. She dealt with the retailers, but otherwise it's practically run itself, what with all the help." Hope opened her mouth as if she had something else to say, then bit her lip instead.

Zoe closed her eyes and could almost smell the peaches, ripe to harvest. Feel the fuzzy skin and taste the sweet juicy flesh. She'd spent every spare hour at the orchard, growing up. It had been better than home, especially after her mama died. She'd have liked to spend a couple quiet hours there. Too bad Kyle was in such a rush to get back to Nashville.

"I never thought it would be her heart, of all things," Zoe said.

"I know, right? She seemed fit as a fiddle. Just last week I walked in on her perched at the top of a sixteen-foot ladder. I said, 'Granny Nel, what are you doing?' and she said, 'Changing a lightbulb.' I said, 'Get on down from there! You're twelve feet off the ground!' And she said, 'Which is the perfect height to change this bulb.'"

Zoe gave a wistful smile. "Sounds like her."

Regret raged inside like spring floodwaters. Zoe had left because she thought she'd let down Granny and everyone else. She hadn't realized that leaving would be the ultimate disappointment to them. The regret threatened to pull her under, but she fought to the surface. She was doing that a lot lately. One day soon she was going to lose the battle.

Hope squeezed Zoe's forearm. "Hey. Enough with the sad eyes. Granny Nel wouldn't want you crying in your soup."

Zoe blinked back tears, looking past Hope at the cars still pulling up to the curb. She scanned the crowd, hope and dread duking it out for the lead. She quickly turned back to her friend.

"You're right. Tell me about what's going on around here. With you? What'd I miss?"

"Oh, you know Copper Creek. Nothing much changes around here. I'm still doing my radio program and working at the Rusty Nail on weekends."

"You're being too modest. I saw that snippet online about the rising popularity of 'Living with Hope.' You won an award, right?" Hope shrugged. "I love what I do. But it's just a local program."

"Not for long. You're on your way, girl."

"We'll see about that. But how about you?" Hope nudged her. "Opening for cool bands and all that."

Kyle's band, Brevity, had opened for some well-known artists. It was a rush, performing for a large audience.

"Well, I'm only a backup singer."

"Please. Your vocals are amazing. You know, Last Chance is playing at the Rusty Nail tomorrow night. You should sing a couple songs with them."

"Oh, we won't be around that long. We're leaving after the interment."

Hope's face fell. "Are you kidding me? You just got here last night. I waited almost five years for you to come back."

"Sorry. There's a gig we need to get back for." And as nice as it was to catch up with Hope, there were other people she was less keen on seeing.

The stragglers were making their way toward the tent, a small wave of darkly clothed humanity. It was almost time to begin.

She squeezed Hope's hand. "I'd better go. We'll catch up later."

She turned toward the tent, making her way over the bumpy ground, and nearly stumbled as her eyes caught on the person she'd been watching for.

Cruz Huntley had never looked better. His crisp white shirt contrasted with his Puerto Rican skin, and the suit coat accentuated his broad shoulders. He looked up just then, and his dark eyes pierced hers.

Her heart was like a kick drum in her chest as she got caught in his gaze for a long, painful moment. Was he remembering the last funeral they'd attended? And everything that had happened that day?

His lips curved in a thin smile.

She tore her eyes away. Fixed them on the white casket propped under the tent. On the spray of colorful flowers arranged over the top. She shook Cruz from her thoughts. She wasn't going there today. Never mind that she hadn't set eyes on him in forever. Never mind that he'd once stolen her heart — t hen broken it so thoroughly.

You're a stupid girl, Zoe.

Under the tent she took a seat between her brother and dad, trying to ignore the coldness that radiated from Daddy in waves. She'd tried to hug him when she'd seen him at the funeral home, but he'd only stiffened in her arms. She'd drawn away, the sting of rejection burrowing deep.

He'd never been Granny's biggest fan. His mother-in-law had been too spirited for his liking, and she'd only encouraged Zoe's independence. It had been a sticking point among the three of them that only grew worse when Zoe's mom died.

But she wasn't going to dwell on her relationship with her dad. Today was about Granny. About laying her to rest.

Zoe emptied her lungs, letting that thought sink in. Letting the ache swell in her chest until it spread outward. As if sensing the sudden rush of pain, Brady squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.

Granny's gone.

The thought hit her like a sledgehammer as Pastor Jack stepped forward to say a few final words. Her grandma was gone. And with her, all the love that had sustained Zoe even from afar.

Somehow it didn't feel real. Somehow she'd thought Granny would outlast them all. But nothing lasted forever. Not even love.

CHAPTER 2

It had been less than five years since Zoe had walked away from him, but Cruz wasn't sure he would've recognized her on the street. She sat graveside, under the tent between her brother and dad, her shoulders rolled in on themselves. Her hair, auburn then, was now blond, and her natural curls had been tamed into sleek locks that fluttered in the late March breeze.

Cruz skirted the headstones, joining the gathering crowd. He'd slipped in late to the funeral and sat in the very back of the church, work having kept him longer than he planned. He hadn't offered his condolences yet.

A moment later Pastor Jack began the graveside service, speaking loudly enough for his voice to carry to the back of the large crowd. Nellie Russell had been a town favorite. A feisty woman with a keen sense of justice. She'd given him a chance, hadn't she? When others thought he was just another loser from the wrong side of the tracks. He'd loved her as though she were his own grandmother.

The service was short but heartfelt, and when it ended Cruz stood on the outskirts, waiting his turn to approach the family. His best friend, Brady, seemed to be holding up well, accepting condolences with a stoic smile and a firm handshake. This was a big blow on the heels of his divorce from Audrey.

It was Zoe, though, that his eyes kept returning to. Chin tucked, eyes turned down. Meek was the word that came to mind. No, he wouldn't have recognized her on the street. What had happened to his lioness? His leona? He had a bad feeling he knew.

She knuckled a tear from the corner of her eye, and a wave of protectiveness swept over him. Where was Kyle now? He should be here holding her hand. The trio had arrived in town yesterday in a red Mustang. That bit of news was too juicy for the grapevine to miss: return of the hometown boy and girl made good gossip.

He eased to the front of the line as people slipped away, his heart going like a jackhammer. Almost five years since she'd swapped him for a dream. Since she'd left and broken his pathetic schoolboy heart.

She was still a beauty, with her flawless skin and lean build. Still had those long legs, though she'd grown into them now. She was no longer the gangly colt.

Her lashes swept up just then, her green eyes landing on him. A direct hit. Her face softened for the briefest of moments, her lips parting.

His heart seized up as a dozen images flooded into his mind. Zoe hanging out his passenger window, red hair snapping behind her like a proud flag. Leaping from the high bank of Sutter's Bend, her squeal carrying on the sultry breeze. Hopping onto his back as they ran through the orchard, her laughter ringing out like the most beautiful melody.

He blinked away the memories, feeling disoriented as Zoe came back into focus.

Her eyes were shuttered now, and her lashes swept the tops of her cheeks, a tight smile forming on her lips. She received condolences and made small talk. And then it was his turn.

She turned toward him. Her eyes sparked, and her chin tilted up. "Hello, Cruz."

Ah, there was his leona. Though why on earth she was peeved at him, he didn't know. He brushed the past aside as he clasped her hand. "Sorry for your loss, Zoe. She sure was a special woman."

"Yes, she was." Her voice was like velvet, soft and quiet, her drawl all but gone. Her eyes everywhere but on him.

She pulled her hand from his.

"Granny Nel loved you an awful lot, you know. Talked about you all the time. She was very proud of you." He didn't mention how much it hurt to hear Zoe's name spoken so often — or in tandem with Kyle's.

Zoe blinked rapidly and folded her arms over her stomach. "Thank you for saying so."

"Brady didn't tell me you were coming."

"He didn't know for sure."

Cruz felt the sting of guilt. She and her brother had been so close once upon a time. It was Cruz's fault the wedge was there. His fault there'd been a wedge between him and Brady too. It had taken months to restore their friendship after Zoe left.

The moment stretched on, awkward and uncomfortable, the words they'd said before she left a messy pile on the ground between them.

*
Zoe had been dreading seeing Cruz again since the second she'd left him. Which didn't explain why her heart squeezed tight at the sight of him or the way his touch sent a shiver racing up her arm.

"How've you been, Zoe?"

She'd forgotten the low scrape of his voice and the way it made her insides hum.

"Good. Just fine." She wanted to see those amber flecks in his brown eyes again, but she'd gotten good at avoiding eye contact with men. "You? How've you been?"

"Not bad. Not bad."

"Glad to hear it."

If there was an award for most boring conversation of the year, they were a shoo-in.

"Congrats on all your success," he said.

She didn't feel like a success. Whatever she'd achieved had come at a high price. And she was no longer sure it was worth it. "Thank you."

She wondered if he ever Googled her or checked the band's social media pages. God knew she'd had to stop herself from keeping tabs on him. Kyle would've found out, and there would've been hell to pay.

"What have you been doing with yourself?" she asked.

"Excuse me, Zoe," Joe Connelly said as he stepped closer.

She released a pent-up breath at the welcome interruption.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I have a two o'clock appointment." Joe looked every inch the attorney in his pressed suit and sideswept hair. "We need to schedule a meeting to go over the will."

"Oh," Zoe said. "I'm afraid I'm leaving today. I have an event to get back for. I thought Brady could just handle everything?"

Joe made a face, then checked his watch. "You should really be there for this. Listen, I have an opening at four o'clock. Would that rush you too much? I know you must want time with your family." She'd planned to introduce Gracie to her dad — not that he'd asked. "Suits me fine. I'll let Brady know. Thank you, Joe."

He took her hand. "Your grandmother loved you very much, Zoe. She made no bones about that."

Too bad Zoe had all but thrown that love back in her face. A burn started at the back of her eyes, and her throat tightened. "Thank you."

With a final nod he was gone.

And it was only then that she realized Cruz had left too. Had slipped away as quickly and silently as his love.

CHAPTER 3

Connelly Law Offices was about as homey a place as such a business could be. The lobby and halls were painted a warm taupe, the walls sported Georgia landscapes, and the air smelled of freshly printed documents and new carpet.

Joe ushered Zoe and Gracie into a room, Kyle on their heels, and said, "I'll be right in."

An oblong mahogany conference table dominated the space, its surface bearing a few battle scars.

Zoe tugged Gracie along as they joined her brother at the table. Zoe was conscious of Kyle's looming presence and the tension he'd hauled into the room with him.

Brady's gaze lit on Kyle, probably noting his long tousled hair and careless style of dress that actually took longer than one might think to achieve.

Her brother's jaw went rock-hard. "What's he doing here?" Kyle set a hand at the small of her back. "Somebody has to look out for Zoe's best interests."

(Continues…)



Excerpted from "Blue Ridge Sunrise"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Denise Hunter.
Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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