Always
and Forever Love
By: Lynn Crandall
Released Dec 16th, 2013
Blurb
The
presence of a ghost in her life doesn't alarm Lacy Aegar, in fact it makes her
happy. Two and a half years ago when her dead husband Nicholas reappeared in
her life as a full-bodied spirit, she questioned her sanity. But with Nicholas'
explanation that there are things about life that are not as she's always believed,
she settled into a pleasant routine of working with her sister at their private
investigation business and enjoying home life with her now 10-year-old son –
with Nicholas never very far away.
Lacey's
complacency and sense of stability is sent topsy-turvy when she runs into
Jackson Carter, the son of powerful and influential business tycoon, William
Carter. Typical of the Carter reputation, Jackson's slick new private
investigating business is siphoning off clients from the Aegar sisters'
business, creating financial difficulty. It's a recurring nightmare for Lacey,
who has already seen damage done by the Carter family, and when she encounters
Jackson, she wants nothing to do with him.
But things
are not what they seem when it comes to Jackson Carter, either. Unbeknownst to
Lacey and her sister, Jackson is fighting a battle to preserve his business,
too, and his integrity. For him, it's a fight for his soul, and he enlists
Lacey's help because of her unique investigative skills and open heart. When she
uncovers a mole in his business, she also discovers that one of his clients'
drug trials has been given the green light to go to the next phase based on
falsified data. As they work together to save both their businesses, Jackson
and Lacey not only face death, they must come to grips with their feelings
about love and life.
Buy Links
B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/always-and-forever-love-lynn-crandall/1117506755?ean=9781440574733
Trailer: http://youtu.be/0RvUZESWhX4
Author Info
Lynn
Crandall lives in the Midwest and writes in the company of her two cats. She
has been a reader and a writer all her life. Her background is in journalism,
but whether writing a magazine or newspaper story or creating a romance, she
loves the power stories hold to transport, inspire, and uplift. In her
romances, she focuses on vulnerable, embraceable characters who don't back
down. She hopes that readers discover, over and over, stories of ordinary
people who face ordinary life challenges and are transformed by extraordinary
love.
Author Links
@lynncrandall246
Excerpt
She
couldn’t imagine what he wanted. He seemed completely composed, except for the
indications that he wasn’t. She decided to dive in. “So, Jackson, what’s on
your mind? Is this a meeting? Are you still going to offer me a job?”
He fumbled
with his napkin, his eyes still downcast and his voice soft. “To be honest, asking
you to stay with me came out kind of spur-of-the-moment.” His gaze lifted, and
he
continued,
almost hesitantly. “I want you to know, Lacey, that though I don’t like your
opinion of me, I understand. But unlike you, I have been thinking about you.”
Parts of
her drew down to complete absorption with the moment between them. It was
mesmerizing to listen to his words and feel his sincere need to convey the
right message. She didn’t speak, feeling if she did, something inside him would
break.
Which was
silly. Jackson Carter was anything but fragile. Or so she believed. The idea
that she believed she knew him from his father’s works made her shoulders
tighten. His gaze flicked around the room, but landed back on her face.
“I’m not
going to bore you with details about my past and my family. I think what I want
you to know is that I am not my father. I have things to amend for, if only
because of my blindness. But the truth is, I woke up about four years ago. I
chose another path, and I did it simply because I didn’t belong on the path I
was on. It didn’t fit. My father is a liar and a cruel person. There’s only so
far I could go with him before I had to say enough is enough.”
Lacey felt
like there was no one else in the room. His words carried weight and she knew
the moment was sacred. He bared his soul, with no expectation of anything but
the hope of understanding. She had to ask. “Why are you telling me this?”
He
chuckled. “Good question. Nothing like laying it all out there when we hardly
know each other.”
She let the
moment hang, waiting for a sincere answer, not knowing if he had it in him.
There is a
lot of regret in me. I feel the weight of my legacy. My values have not so much
changed, as I’ve come to grips with reality. That’s a hard truth that not many people
can appreciate.” He sipped his coffee and again shifted his gaze around the
room, but she knew he didn’t see it. “You see things. You see things people
miss. I just want you to know that I know much goes before me. It sounds
clichéd, but I am different. Maybe you can see that and give me a second
chance.”
It was easy
to pick up that he carried deep feelings, some of them tender and painful.
Lacey understood how devastating—as well as completely life changing—awareness
of awful truths could be. Still, she knew firsthand of the shattering that
could occur at the hands of the Carter family. She couldn’t forget that.
“Speechless,
huh?” He tried to shrug off the intensity of his admission, dipping his head
and suddenly busying with the saltshaker. “What do you say to something like
that? I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
Again with
the defenses? “Jackson. Stop. Can I say something now?” She ducked her head to
catch his gaze. “I see that you’re sincere. Thank you for that. And you’re
right. I know all about what your family has done to people in this town and
out in the world. Your father is a very powerful and influential man. He could
have done much good, but he didn’t. He’s put people out of work, destroyed
their reputations, ruined lives of people I care about. How do I get beyond
that? Why would I want to? Your family is dangerous.” She trembled with
memories of the ills caused by William Carter. How could Jackson ask anything
of her?
He squared
her with his eyes again. “I need your help with finding out why my business is
running into so many problems…"
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