Once Again

232 Pages·1970·0.99 MB·English

by  Durham Amy

Once Again

By

Amy Durham
Once Again
Copyright 2012 by Amy Durham Published By Amy Durham Smashwords
Edition
Contact Information: [email protected]
Formatted By Ironhorse Formatting

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locations is
entirely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book
may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
and reviews. This book may not be resold or given away to other people.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
DEDICATION

To Jayne Squires, who first told me I could do this and whose belief in me
translated into my belief in myself.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Teresa Reasor, I can never thank you enough for your support,
encouragement, and expertise. For reading and critiquing for me, I give you my
deepest gratitude. To Kari Lee Townsend, thank you for your insightful editing
and critiquing, for believing in this book, and for helping me make it even better.
To my fellow KY Romance Writer members, thank you for the wonderful
camaraderie that exists only between fellow writers. To Glenda Edwards, thanks
for 25 years of abiding friendship and all the encouragement and brainstorming a
girl could want. To Ray
Hollenbach and the rest of the folks in my local writers group, thank you for
your encouragement and for giving me a place to share this part of myself. To
my parents, every opportunity I’ve ever had has been because of you. No words
are sufficient, but thank you nonetheless. To my husband, Kevin, thank you for
loving the creative side of me (and the rest of me!) unconditionally. Kelly, my
first-born, thank you for believing in my dreams – I hope my ambitions will
inspire your own. To Eli and Reece, thank you for the infinite joy you bring me.
And most importantly, thank you God for imagination, creativity, and
storytelling, and for putting all of the above in me.
Table Of Contents

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
About The Author
Coming Soon - Once and For All
PROLOGUE

Okay, I had to admit that Maine in July was spectacular.
Spotless white clouds dotted a sky of perfect aqua blue. Bright green leaves
hung heavy in the trees. Together with the rich landscaping of the town, nature
had created a lovely and charming little place.
My parents had chosen an extraordinary location for our new home.
But, being sixteen, I didn’t say it out loud. I was still pretty unhappy about
leaving Nashville. Music City, USA had been my one and only home, and the
thought of starting over with only two years of high school left scared me silly.
Not that I’d been at the top of the social ladder in Nashville. Far from it. But
I’d been me, and I’d known where I stood. Now, who knew what or where I’d
end up?
It seemed odd to spend Independence Day house-hunting in Sky Cove, Maine,
but my parents had decided July fourth would be the perfect time to visit before
making the move. After touring several places, we’d settled on a red-brick house
in a middle-class neighborhood. Two-floors, it was a perfect square rising up
from the ground, very much like a cracker box. In addition to some storage
space, the small upstairs had one bedroom and one bathroom, and my parents
had agreed it could be mine.
It was a perk meant to make me happy. To ease the transition.
It sort of did. I liked the idea of having the second floor to myself.
Heading across town to the realtor’s office to settle the business of purchasing
the new home, my parents took the road that ran parallel to the ocean. I lounged
in the backseat, watching the gaps in the trees lining the road as they gave me
glimpses of the shore just beyond. The blue of the water surprised me when I
first saw it. Somehow I’d thought it would be green and brown and ugly.
The bits of shore I could see were rough and rocky, with patches of sand
scattered throughout. I thought how nice it must be to walk barefoot on the
sandy spots on warm summer days.
At once, I felt a huge longing to walk the beach, combined with a strange
sense of foreboding. The air in the car turned damp, and liquid seemed to fill my
lungs with each breath. The temperature dropped, far too cold for July.
Disconcerted, I turned around for one last look at the shore before we headed
into the town. An opening in the trees offered an unobstructed view, and I saw a
woman jogging.
No, that wasn’t right. She was running. And she was wearing a dress. A really
old looking dress. How odd.
A family picnicking on the beach sat directly in her path, yet she didn’t slow.
She just kept running. She didn’t even seem to see them in front of her.
My heart picked up speed. I craned my neck and turned in my seat, the aged
vinyl upholstery creaking as I shifted. Knowing the collision was imminent, I
held my breath. The running woman plowed right into the family eating happily
on their blanket.
I cringed.
Then realized that nothing had happened.
Mystery woman still ran down the beach with frantic speed, but the family
still sat, enjoying their holiday picnic.
I squinted. She kept running toward a rock wall, and the forward momentum
of our car took me further away. Her form grew smaller and... transparent?
No, of course not.
And then she disappeared, like dust blowing away in the breeze.
My skin warmed as the cold air in the car faded.
I rubbed my eyes, shook my head, and turned back to face the front of the car.
It had been a very long day.