Showing results by narrator "Whitney Dykhouse" in All Categories

Regan Keller fell in love with a wealthy and powerful man once. He was her boss. When that turbulent relationship ended, she swore she’d never again date someone she worked with. That was before she literally fell into her new boss’s lap.

What more could you need than unrealistic romantic expectations from movies, and best friends to watch them with? There's always the funny, mouthy, less-than-perfect best friend in a rom-com, but the sidekick is never the one to get the love interest. Since Ruby can't even keep a roommate, she's fairly sure that's the life she will continue to live, so she has always assumed her role with pride.

What's it like to be a trail angel and can romance truly blossom from first meeting to marriage on the Pacific Crest Trail? How do trail names get bestowed and what does it mean when you find yourself roaring back at a mountain lion? How have climate change, technology, and the sheer number of hikers affected life on the PCT? Find the answers to all these questions, and so many more, in the diverse writings gathered in Crossing Paths, an anthology of stories and poems written by PCT hikers.

It’s Lew Ferris’s first day as the newly-elected Sheriff of McBride County, and already things are heating up in the Wisconsin Northwoods. The tragic drowning of a teenage girl draws an eerie parallel to the unsolved murder of another teen thirty years earlier, but one of Lew’s new subordinates—Alan Stern, Chief of the Deer Haven Police Department—has ruled it an accidental death by drowning.

Even though Mindy hasn't updated the house she inherited from her grandmother, her house is favorite to hold Rom Com Movie Club, where she and her best friends since college gather to swoon over cheesy, unrealistic rom coms.

Lydia Morgan spent the better part of 15 years avoiding Phillip Smythe out of resentment. Through her therapy, after a brutal attack, she now realizes he’s the only person who can help her move on. Having Lydia's full attention was something Phillip wasn’t used to—and neither were the rest of of their friends—but never having given up on her, he wasn’t about to walk away when she said she needed his help. Could the years of resentment simply be shrugged off, or would the deep secrets that Lydia still carries force Phillip to finally step away?

Once a month, for as long as they’d been friends, Lisa, Mindy, Ruby, and Tina gathered for Rom Com Movie Club night. Facial masks, nail polish, and wine could settle the world around them as they dished on movies that made them want to love—even if the premise of happily ever after seemed far-fetched. Lisa didn’t have much of an idea of what happily ever after was supposed to look like, but life had always thrown obstacles at her. She never considered it might throw a man her way, which would cause a rift with her best friend before her wedding.

Gwen is back with the Twelve, but she must redeem herself to the others and, more importantly, Lucifer himself. In order to prove herself, she must capture Berlin and Moscow, but there is a problem—there are still two Gargoyles left to destroy and they still have Collin, a half-demon, half-human who has the same powers as the demons.

Todd Walker stepped in to help his friend Lydia Morgan run her businesses while she took time to recover from a traumatic event. As a ranch hand taking control of her venue at the Bridal Mecca, he's certainly out of his element. Jessie Hanson is not one for wedding details, and yet her mother and sister think she should accompany them while planning her sister's wedding. Jessie's a photographer, and her family encourages her to open a studio, and isn't it convenient that there is vacant space at the Bridal Mecca.

A second chance wasn't what Ella Mills expected when she'd moved back to Georgia after her divorce. But when Gerald Walker and his family needed help, they turned to her first. Gerald had thought he'd moved on from the sexy blonde lawyer, even trying to stir up a romance with a dear friend to get Ella off his mind. However, when Gerald is accused of kidnapping and murder, Ella is the first person he goes to. Luckily for him, her feelings still run as deep as his. Though their romance might rekindle, he will have to prove his innocence first, and Ella will have to come to his defense.

Nichole Lewis' children are the most important people in her life, and are the reason she's relocated to Georgia to start a life away from the chaos that had surrounded her. Meeting Ben Walker and giving in to the attraction for the man only made her decision to stay more appealing. However, when the past she'd escaped finds her and her children, it might be time to run again, with or without Ben.

Audrey Walker, in true Walker spirit, is embarking on a new adventure as an entrepreneur and isn’t looking any further into the future than opening her own salon. When Gregory Bishop, one of the hottest actors in movies, crosses her path, it’s not hard to fall head over heels for the sexy movie star who is infatuated with her. But when his fame and fortune causes someone to go after them, destroying what Audrey has invested everything in, she will have to decide if it’s worth loving Gregory at the risk losing everything that she’s built.

Have you ever experienced that one moment that made you stop and take notice of a person you see every day, but never truly saw before? That’s what happened to me the day Eli Markham walked away from the school bully, instead of fighting. It wasn’t the first time he’s done this, but it was the first time his eyes found mine in the crowd and held me captive. Now, I can’t get him out of my head and I’m seeing him everywhere. Problem is, I’m not the only one taking notice of him. Someone, something, has got him in its sights and they want him bad.

At the Happily Ever After Bookstore, happiness is always found within the pages of the books on its shelves. Its owner, Leona, revels in finding each reader just the right book to bring them joy. She also enjoys meddling just enough to bring readers together who might not know they are destined for one another. In need of a holiday pick-me-up, Sadie seeks out Leona’s advice for a good holiday romance. While scanning the book selections, she knocks into Charlie McGowan, who is certainly out of his element.

Still reeling from a devastating loss, Paisley and her husband hope a fresh start in a new state will help them heal. Moving from the crowded city of San Francisco to the woods of Washington is supposed to give them room to breathe and a place to rebuild their lives. Instead, it leaves Paisley struggling with loneliness and isolation. The longer they stay, the more troubling this new chapter becomes. Their neighbors are anything but welcoming—harassing Paisley on a near constant basis. She’s at her wit’s end when there’s news of women being brutally murdered in the area.

Arch rivals on the race track, Jake Walker and Missy Sheridan have found themselves tangled in a web of family lies that could get them both killed. In an attempt to form an alliance on the track, they must put aside their differences. However, when heat and attraction take over, keeping their minds on the race becomes harder than ever. As the stakes grow, can they race against each other allowing the best racer to win when they know that the cost to cross the finish line might be one of their lives?

Bill Wright has spent years building a successful career that allows him ample time to work on his favorite hobby, all while blending in with the rest of society. After a tragedy hits home, Bill’s marriage to a woman nearly half his age teeters on the edge, threatening his way of life. Bill invites Ashley to join him in his interests, hoping to reignite some passion in their relationship. Holding on to a secret she isn’t aware of, Ashley struggles against the void that comes with each agonizing headache as she discovers who her husband really is…and who truly lies within her.

Fourteen-year-old June Baker never in a million years thought she’d be dressing like a boy, sneaking into a hobo camp, and jumping onto a moving freight train to travel across the state of Tennessee. But, that’s what she has to do to find work so her family’s farm can survive. It’s 1933, and the Great Depression is spreading misery throughout America. Where once June was sitting on top of the world, now she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"There was one thing she knew. This would not be the end. She would not give up, not ever. Nico might have the victory now, but she would find a way to turn the tables on him. Holding her head high, she vowed that somehow, someday, Rosie would be with her again". Elizabeth Bennett arrives in Haven Valley, seeking healing after her emotionally abusive, unscrupulous ex-husband uses his family’s political influence to gain sole custody of their daughter, solely on the basis that Elizabeth is blind.

Russell Walker’s life was spared when his truck veered off the road and flipped. When he wakes after surgery, he can only assume the medicines are making him see things, because the woman he loved - who broke his heart - is taking his vitals. Chelsea Quinn has spent the past four years keeping clear of Russell Walker after she married another man and had a baby. Now she is thrust back into his life as his caretaker. But sometimes the pull of love is just too strong, especially when the lives of those you love are threatened - and someone is looking for revenge.