Photojournalist Gabriel St. James comes to Shelter Bay,
Oregon to take wedding pictures for one of his Marine
buddies. The only reason he even agreed to do such a thing
was that Cole Douchett was such a good buddy. Gabe hates
weddings.
As a Marine, he started taking pictures when he wasn't
fighting. It was a way to convey what the soldiers felt as
they were forced into inhuman situations. His work has won
awards and exposed the realities of war to millions. Since
Gabe has left the Corp, he is traveling the country in an RV
taking photos in every state. After he leaves Oregon, he
just has to visit Washington and Alaska to finish his photo
tour and next book.
At the wedding, he meets Charity Tiernan, an attractive
veterinarian who captures his interest. As Gabe is
leaving Shelter Bay, he sees someone toss a dog onto the
road and then run over it. Gabe
picks up the dog and takes it to Charity for treatment. The
next thing he knows he has been drafted to take
care of the animal while it heals and while Charity searches
for someone to take it in.
Charity Tiernan came to Shelter Bay to get away from the
mess she had made of her life. She had dumped one of the
most eligible bachelors in Chicago just before they were to
marry. Charity grew up watching her mother make marriage
after disastrous marriage all for love. Her plans include a
marriage founded not on emotion but careful planning. Only
just before the wedding does she realize that there is so
much more to marriage. In moving to Shelter Bay, she has
turned her back on all that is familiar and started a new
life. She rescues animals and badgers people into taking
them in. Her life is rewarding and content.
Charity recognizes the wounds that Gabe conceals. She makes
it her mission to get him to open his heart. His work is
thoughtful, insightful, and provoking but it reveals an
emotional disconnect and loneliness that saddens Charity.
Ms. Ross has long been a favorite writer and this book adds
to her collection of great emotional reads. She has created
a world which makes the reader wish to live there. Peopled
with interesting and engaging characters, the reader will
enjoy their glimpse into the lives of others as we watch the
relationship between Gabe and Charity deepen. We will
grieve over Gabe and his inability to accept the love so
freely offered. We will cry with Charity as she finds
herself rejected and then admire her resolution as she moves
forward.
When former U.S. Marine photojournalist Gabriel St. James
arrives in Shelter Bay to help out a fellow Marine, the last
thing he expects is to meet a woman like Charity. A
veterinarian with a past that would have defeated a less
resilient woman, Charity still possesses a heart as generous
Excerpt
Chapter 1
After having spent over a decade in war zones and other hot
spots around the globe, Gabriel St. James was an expert at
zeroing in on a shot.