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Bella Thompson has news: she's pregnant. But before she can tell her boyfriend Jeffrey, he shatters her with the news that he's going to marry someone else. Bella is given a choice: Go to Atlanta and give up her child for adoption, or leave town and raise her child on her own. The choice is clear, and she travels to California, where she settles in Santa Monica.
Determined to make her own way in the world and return to Willow Bend on her own terms, Bella puts all her energies into building a successful business with her partner Rafael Vargas. But at what cost?
Follow Bella as she struggles to balance her passion for business with the ultimate prize...love.
Prologue
The
private jet had been descending for several minutes. Bella shuffled
the papers she’d been holding and put them away in her briefcase.
Attempting to study the reports had been a waste of time...a futile
attempt to divert her thoughts. She looked across the low table and
into the eyes of the man who had been her partner for the past
fifteen years. Sometimes it angered her that he could read her so
well whereas she rarely knew what he was thinking. Those dark eyes
studied her now, and she thought she caught a hint of sadness behind
the sweeping black lashes.
The
cabin attendant paused between their chairs. “The captain has asked
me to inform you that we’ll be landing in ten minutes.”
Bella
glanced up at the young woman. “Thank you, Laura. Would you ask the
captain if he could circle Willow Bend before we land? I’d like to
see it from the air.” The flight would land at a nearby airport,
the Willow Bend facility having been closed long since.
“Certainly,
Miss Thompson.” The attendant nodded and went forward.
Bella
looked out the window. “I’ve never seen Willow Bend from the
air,” she murmured. “I wonder if I’ll be able to see any
changes since the last time I was here.”
Rafael
watched her closely but he remained silent; she hadn’t really
expected him to answer.
The
aircraft made a slight change of course, then dropped one wing and
commenced a slow circle around the town. Sun glinted off the river
and an invisible hand tightened around Bella’s heart. There were
times when it seemed like yesterday that she’d confronted Jeffrey
beside that river. She forced herself to continue looking and spotted
the high school with its adjoining football field and bleachers. A
few blocks beyond that was the section of town where she’d grown up
but she couldn’t spot her parents’ home among the jumble of
roofs. On the gentle rise across the river the homes were statelier;
here and there swimming pools flashed brilliant blue in the late
afternoon sun.
And
there it was. The old Lambert textile mill. Silent these past ten
years. She didn’t know what she’d expected to feel when she saw
it. After all, her father had worked there most of his life and had
lost his job along with hundreds of others in the town. She edged
forward on her seat to get a closer look. The heavy wire fence that
had once encircled the mill was gone. In its place, strategically
placed trees and shrubs lifted their leaves to the sunshine. A few
cars and several pickup trucks were parked between the bright yellow
lines in the newly paved lot. For the first time since leaving
California earlier today, Bella experienced a surge of excitement.
Excitement mixed with apprehension.
“You’re
sure we’re doing the right thing?” she asked,
uncharacteristically nervous. “It’s such a big step, opening a
new production facility.”
“Bella.”
She loved the way he said her name. “We’ve been over this many
times.” He looked at her and his gaze softened for a moment. “What
you’re doing is a wonderful thing. You’re giving this town a
chance to get back on its feet.” He didn’t need to look down at
the mill; he’d been here half a dozen times already. “Besides,
it’s too late now.”
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