Falling Leaves: Book Tour: My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson (Excerpt, Giveaway)

My Father's House

by Rose Chandler Johnson

Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Paperback & ebook, 314 pages

March 13th 2016

“At once a sweet romance and a page-turning thriller." (Christy Award–winning author Ann Tatlock).

Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to one constant – her father’s love. But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and the life she’s lost. . . . Marriage promises fulfillment, but her happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Her husband’s sophisticated façade hides a brooding man with even darker secrets. When all illusions shatter, Lily must make hard choices – abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

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Excerpt

Finding Romance

Something about his presence excited me. Maybe it was the way he lingered beside me and caressed me with his eyes. It was hard for me not to stare at his smooth olive hands as they moved back and forth around our table.

I suppose I got caught up in the moment because without thinking, I asked, “Would you take our picture?” I held the camera out at arm’s length to the dreamy eyed waiter. I smiled before saying “please” as sweet as pie.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said in a voice as rich and smooth as caramel.

Maggie and I leaned close together, our cheeks almost touching side by side.

“Smile, ladies.” Besides the camera’s flash, I was dazzled by his eyes.

After the flash, he caught me by surprise. Instead of handing the camera back to me, he handed it to Maggie and said, “Now, take our picture?”

A thrill ran through every fiber of my body as he squatted beside me and slid his arm around my bare shoulders. His warm hand gently pressed my shoulder. I inhaled slowly, grateful to be seated since my legs had turned to Jello.

When he walked away, my eyes followed. Perhaps too long, because when I turned my gaze to meet Maggie’s, her face bore a look of sheer astonishment.

She leaned toward me with her eyebrows raised. “What just happened here?”

“I don’t have a clue,” I said, while shaking my head and giggling with embarrassment. My mind had gone completely blank. No one had ever made me feel that way.

Maggie relished every morsel of the delicious food, but I barely tasted mine. It took all my energy to focus on the conversation. Each time the waiter appeared, my composure unraveled. And then, the unthinkable happened. When he brought us the check, not only did he wish us a lovely evening, he asked for my phone number.

I mindlessly reached into my purse for something to write on while he handed me a pen. I wrote my number on the back of a dog-eared business card from The Flower Box. Our eyes held on as I handed it to him, but neither of us spoke.

Maggie and I walked through the restaurant in silence. As soon as we stepped outside onto the magical street, we laughed in total abandon amongst the hundreds of strangers under the neon lights.

Almost thirty years have passed since that night. Even now when I remember it, I pause, close my eyes, and smile. A window opens in my soul, and a fresh breeze drifts over me. And for a moment, like that night, nothing exists but now and forever. No fears or sadness, no need to forgive, nothing to hold me back, just possibilities and passion to empower every dream.

About the Author

My Father’s House is Rose’s first novel. Her devotional journal, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments won the Georgia Author of the Year Finalist Award in 2014. It was also awarded the Selah Finalist Award in the same year. Rose enjoys writing for her blog, Write Moments with God and engaging with her readers. A native Georgian, Rose has lived in a suburb of Augusta for the last thirty years. Before retiring from Georgia’s public school system, Rose taught English, French, and ESOL. She is currently an adjunct English instructor at a community college. In addition to reading and writing, Rose enjoys cooking, sewing, gardening, and spending time with her six children and their growing families. And yes, sweet iced tea is her beverage of choice.

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