Beach House Refuge
A Love Story
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Not sleeping well last night must be catching up with me. What I need is a walk along the shore to clear my mind. Come on Max, come on boy, let’s go for a walk. Max was Tracie’s dog, a mix breed, part boarder collie, part husky. His black and white coat was soft, shiny and short. Tracie didn’t think she could care so much for an animal. But after Nicholas left she rescued Max from an animal shelter figuring he would be good company. It was a great decision. Max had truly become her “man’s best friend”.
Max bounded ahead while Tracie slowed her pace. She was intrigued by all the shells and rocks that had washed up on the shore. She thought how much they represent people. Some are beautiful with no blemishes. Some have a chip here, a crack there maybe a small hole, indicating there may have been a slight challenge making it to the shore. They all took on their own special character because of the variance in shape, size and color, just like people.
“Max, wait up boy”, Tracie yelled when she pulled her sights away from the shells and saw that Max was getting a little too far ahead of her. She was sprinting to catch up to him, when turned and ran back to meet her. “Good boy Max, good boy” Tracie said. Oh how she loved that dog. He really was a good boy. Most of the time, she would only have to say something one time and he was obedient. She couldn’t imagine how he ended up in the shelter. They continued to walk and Tracie’s mind wondered back to the shells and rocks. Some of them had a few more cracks or a few more holes than the ones she had seen earlier. Maybe the waves washed them just close enough to the shoreline that the current pulled them back out to sea again making it a challenge for them to stay on shore. Still others had many more chips, many more cracks and many more holes or larger holes than all the rest. The challenge of getting to shore and staying on shore must have been even more of a trial than any of the others put together. Reminds me of the different trials people go through. Some minor setbacks, some major, some devastating your very existence, Tracie said to herself.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Tracie Lawrence finally has her life back on course after an unwanted divorce. She now has a lucrative interior design business and is working toward a lifelong goal of writing a novel. Healing had come not only by taking refuge at her aunt’s beach house but more from the grace of God.
Matthew Carrington isolated himself in his house on the beach since the loss of his wife to cancer. He met Tracie on the beach and believes he is ready to live life again. They begin spending time together on weekends and Matthew falls hopelessly in love with her.
Nicholas O’Conner, Tracie’s ex-husband, realizes he made a grave mistake when he divorced Tracie and married Jessica. Now he has divorced Jessica, and he wants to reconcile his relationship with Tracie.
Tracie has a choice to make. Will she allow herself to love Nicholas again? Or has Matthew’s charm and his loyalty to his beloved wife, now in heaven, win her heart?
About the Author
Teresa Hartery was born in Bluefield, West Virginia. At age five her family moved to Southwest Florida, where she still lives, with her husband Gary and their dog Moose. She has two adult children and has been blessed with seven grandchildren who call her Nana.
Teresa has been attending the same church for thirty-five years. Her desire to write a Christian romance novel outweighed her qualifications to do so. Beach House Refuge, her debut novel, is the achievement of a lifelong dream. Her goal is to one day write a New York Times best seller.
Teresa loves being with family and friends, watching romantic comedies, reading, drinking coffee, and eating chocolate. She also loves attending her grandchildren’s sports events and recitals and watching Tampa Bay Rays baseball, Tampa Bay Buccaneers football, and HGTV. She has learned to depend more fully on God through heartaches and troubled times, which give her insight as to what is truly important.