Title: The Trail to
You
Author: Lindsay Detwiler
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Release Date: March 16,
2019
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Cover Designer: Claire
Smith
Available now!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Vyvboj
All other links: books2read.com/trail-to-you
An independent blonde seeking a
fresh start.
Orphaned and unhappy, Ally Hunter makes a
life-changing decision to move across the country to a small town that once
felt like home. As she reinvents herself, she realizes there’s one part of the
equation missing—love. However, a tragedy from the past makes her hesitate when
it comes to giving up her heart.
A betrayed man looking for a sense
of pride.
Abandoned by his first love and family,
Ronan has one friend he can truly count on—his two-hundred-pound mastiff,
Henry. When he returns home from service in the National Guard, though, he
finds his entire life catapulted in a different direction with the
disappearance of his beloved dog.
A loyal four-legged friend who
will unexpectedly bring them together.
When Henry, Ronan’s brindle mastiff, finds
himself far from home, Ronan sets out on a journey to bring him back. However,
as the trail to Henry leads Ronan to Ridgewood, Virginia, and an interior
designer with a big heart, he’ll realize some hardships lead to beautiful
discoveries.
The Trail to
You is a sweet stand-alone romantic novel.
Available now!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Vyvboj
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2SAYe8H
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2CQPjdJ
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2TvsD8C
iTunes: https://apple.co/2AuyjbU
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2LQnGoa
How do you say goodbye to your
best friend when he can’t possibly understand?
Throwing the stick for the fifth time as
the brindle mastiff plodded after it down the trodden path, Ronan Carter tossed
the question around in his head again. The familiar pang of leaving Henry
constricted Ronan’s heart as the floppy, clumsy dog snatched the stick. Henry
ambled back, dropping the craggy piece of wood into Ronan’s hand.
This wasn’t their first time here on the
Deerbrook Trail. On the contrary, they’d spent many weekends over the past few
years on this dusty, rutty path. Wordlessly leading Henry to their bench at the
edge of the forest trail, Ronan thought back to that first day they’d come
here, years ago, the first day he knew the relationship growing between him and
the dog was more than a master/animal relationship. Their friendship, in truth,
was forged right here on this trail all those years ago. The then thirty-pound
pup tripped over his own feet, barking excitedly at every rustle, every scent
of an animal. Back then, Ronan had tried with all his might to entice the
mastiff to pick up the stick and bring it back, but Henry had other ideas. He’d
been too curious exploring things like grass, leaves, and a solitary mud puddle
to care about a spindly twig.
Over the years, though, Ronan had taught
Henry to fetch—even though he was, arguably, the slowest fetching dog ever. He
had taught Henry to sit, to stay, and to give paw. He’d taught him to wait
patiently outside of Chuck’s Quickstop when he ran in for a newspaper on
Sundays. He taught him his routine, a routine that would quickly become both of
theirs.
But what Henry taught Ronan was so much
more. Those soulful eyes and those droopy ears that flapped in the wind
reminded Ronan that friendship could be unconditional and that love didn’t
always disappear when things got tough. Henry had become his confidant, his
pal. The two were inseparable; the dog never left his side, following him in
their humble abode, always leaning on him. He didn’t even need a leash anymore
because Henry was always glued to him.
Now, Henry rested his chin on Ronan’s lap,
as was their custom.
“All right, buddy. I’ve got you,” he said
to the dog as he reached down to rub Henry’s ears.
They’d walked this same trail over and
over. They’d played their sluggish game of fetch—mastiff speed moved on its own
time, Ronan quickly learned. Henry marked his favorite tree. Then they’d sit
here, Ronan looking at the peaceful forest, contemplating where the hell his
life went to shit, and Henry getting the best damn ear massage out
there.
Henry never left his side, but now, Ronan
was leaving his. Again.
It’d been a rocky few years. He’d felt the
gut-wrenching ache every time he left. Still, knowing Henry was safe and sound
with Monica each time he left made it easier. Knowing he was cared for and
loved helped Ronan feel better about leaving.
He was proud of his decision and, although
the past few years had been hard, especially when he was away, he’d made it.
He’d finally found something in his life that made him feel like he was doing
something worthwhile. He had accomplishments beyond just earning a paycheck or helping
a corporation get rich.
He was doing something honorable. He was
doing something that mattered.
Right now, though, with the prospect of a
hard goodbye ahead of them, Ronan didn’t feel brave or honorable. He simply
felt awful, those trusting eyes looking up at him.
How could he say goodbye to the one being
in this world who had never left him, who had never turned his back? Ronan knew
it was his calling, and it was his duty, but it still felt like a betrayal. It
still felt impossible to leave Henry for months, alone in the truest
sense.
“I’ll be back, buddy,” he said, more to
himself than the dog. “I’ll be back. I promise. Then it’ll be you and
me.”
Henry looked up at him with those eyes that
seemed to suggest he understood. Ronan knew, however, there was no way Henry
could possibly understand.
Maybe, in some ways, that was a
blessing.
A high school English teacher, an author,
and a fan of anything pink and/or glittery, Lindsay's the English teacher
cliché; she loves cats, reading, Shakespeare, and Poe.
She currently lives in her hometown with
her husband, Chad (her junior high sweetheart); their cats, Arya, Amelia,
Alice, and Bob; and their Mastiff, Henry.
Lindsay's goal with her writing is to show
the power of love and the beauty of life while also instilling a true sense of
realism in her work. Some reviewers have noted that her books are not the
“typical romance.” With her novels coming from a place of honesty, Lindsay
examines the difficult questions, looks at the tough emotions, and paints the
pictures that are sometimes difficult to look at. She wants her fiction to
resonate with readers as realistic, poetic, and powerful. Lindsay wants women
readers to be able to say, “I see myself in that novel.” She wants to speak to
the modern woman’s experience while also bringing a twist of something new and
exciting. Her aim is for readers to say, “That could happen,” or “I feel like
the characters are real.” That’s how she knows she's done her job.
Lindsay's hope is that by becoming a
published author, she can inspire some of her students and other aspiring
writers to pursue their own passions. She wants them to see that any dream can
be attained and publishing a novel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
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