This Beautiful World
Publication Date: July 23, 2014
Genres: Romance, Suspense, Women's Fiction
Synopsis:
After tragedy struck, she came home to be confronted again by the chilling mystery that had haunted her since childhood and rediscovered the one romance she always regretted not having…
As children, RaeAnne and her sidekick King were held captive after they discovered the body of a boy their age in a crate of apples in their small town’s peculiar orchard. Now RaeAnne is grown and the mother of a troubled young daughter. After her mother is killed in an accident, she travels home to her father with her daughter. But RaeAnne finds that she is not welcomed by everyone, and frightening incidents start to happen involving her and her family. As RaeAnne unravels the mysteries of her childhood, including what happened to her older brother, who vanished on the same night RaeAnne and King found terror in the orchard, she reunites with King. The boy she knew has grown up to be very handsome and guarded. But can the two ever be more than old friends who share a terrifying secret?
“You’ll forgive me
that easily?” I asked, looking up.
King’s smile changed the
way I viewed him. His face was
more than handsome to me. His
face was still one of the few
things left besides Maddie’s smile
that comforted me anymore. “I
forgive you, have forgiven you,” he
said. “I’ve known you a long
time, Rae, and I would like to
know you forever. People who care
about one another forgive each
other.”
“Friends forgive each
other?” I asked.
King tapped the side
of his wineglass with his finger.
“Friends and people who love each
other.”
Unable to figure out
which category he’d fit me into
in his life, I just smiled back
at him. Then I picked up my
fork again and took a bite.
“This is delicious. Thank you.”
“Does this mean you’ll
let me cook for you again?”
“Oh, yeah, I could
definitely get used to this.” I
took a drink of wine.
King studied me closely,
smiling. “So could I. I hope
you stay, RaeAnne.”
I coughed from the
wine and set down my glass.
“Spend the night?”
The color in King’s
face deepened as he leaned back
in his chair. “That’s not what
I meant. I meant I hope you’ll
stay in Cider Town.”
“For good?”
King nodded.
“We’ll see,” I said.
“That’s all?”
I sighed, then sipped
some wine. “There’s more than me
I have to think about. I have
to do what’s best for Maddie.”
“Returning to the city
and not seeing her grandfather as
much as she could is best for
her?”
I slammed the wineglass
on top of the table, the liquid
sliding over the top. “Oh, no,
your mama’s tablecloth. King, I’m
so sorry.” I mopped the spill
with the dinner napkin as King
rose to help me. “And now I
probably ruined your napkin, too,” I
said, crumpling it in my hand.
King gently took the
wet dinner napkin from me. “It’s
all right, Rae.”
I felt tears warming
my face. King put down the
napkin on the table and pulled
me close to him. Pressing my
face into his chest through his
soft shirt, I gazed up at him,
and I no longer saw the boy
I knew while we were growing up
together. His jaw had defined and
hardened. Even the beautiful green in
his eyes had a steely edge.
He’d always been endearing, and in
high school he’d gotten handsome.
Yet now just the sound of his
voice saying my name could calm
me. It was then I knew I
loved him, too.
“King?”
He looked down at
me. “What is it?”
“What’s next?”
“How about we watch
a movie?”
“Sounds good.” I
leaned against him once more, then
he took my hand in his and
we went over to the couch in
front of his TV.
About the Author
Elisabeth Jackson loves the outdoors and dogs, rescued dogs in particular. This Beautiful World is her debut novel and blends haunting childhood secrets, romantic themes, second chances, and a mystery in a small town setting. When she is not writing small town Romances and Mysteries, she works as a freelance business writer. Her characters are inspired by the rural towns she has visited and lived in.
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