The Long Road Home
by Amanda Mason
Sometimes the hardest road we travel is the one that leads us home.
Jake Rawlings knew he had been born for more than life in the sleepy rural town of Bluff Creek. Being naturally athletically gifted and the son of one of the most renowned high school football coaches in the South, Jake knew he was destined for the life of a professional athlete and he wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in his way. However a series of unfortunate events lead to the loss of Jake’s dream. Bitter and angry over the path his life has taken, he distances himself from his family and his hometown. Vowing that when and if he does return to Bluff Creek, he will once again be the envy of the town. In his relentless chase for fame and fortune he finds himself at rock bottom with his sports bar on the brink of bankruptcy. Desperate to keep his business afloat and its financial woes a secret from everyone, including his wealthy- albeit, spoiled- fiancé Whitney Peterson, Jake makes decisions that could cost him more than just money. While his life seems to be unraveling before his very eyes, he is suddenly called home to attend the funeral of his once beloved grandfather. And he’s shocked to find that the answer to his troubles might actually lie in Bluff Creek.
At the tender age of eight, Julie Wooten fell in love with Jake Rawlings, only to have her heart crushed by his singular pursuit of fame and fortune. Julie’s life has changed dramatically in the years since Jake left town. Her hopes and dreams put aside in an effort to keep the secret that altered her path forever. She had thought that she could live a peaceful life in Bluff Creek running her grandmother’s diner. But when Jake is forced to spend more time in their hometown than either of them would like, Julie feels anything but peace. And while she is determined to avoid Jake at all cost, he seems to be everywhere she turns. The more she sees him around town, the more she is torn between remembering why she fell in love with him to begin with and keeping him out of her life completely.
Forced to stay in town longer than he planned, Jake is suprised to find the more time he spends in his hometown, surrounded by family, the more he feels an inner calm. And while he and Julie seem to be at odds at every turn, he also can’t seem to get her out of his mind. But choices from the past surface to disrupt any calm he might have found and threaten to alter not only his life, but his relationships forever. Faced with decisions that will change both of their lives completely, will Jake and Julie rely on God to lead them or will they continue to forge their own way causing pain for not only themselves but everyone around them?
Jake Rawlings knew he had been born for more than life in the sleepy rural town of Bluff Creek. Being naturally athletically gifted and the son of one of the most renowned high school football coaches in the South, Jake knew he was destined for the life of a professional athlete and he wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in his way. However a series of unfortunate events lead to the loss of Jake’s dream. Bitter and angry over the path his life has taken, he distances himself from his family and his hometown. Vowing that when and if he does return to Bluff Creek, he will once again be the envy of the town. In his relentless chase for fame and fortune he finds himself at rock bottom with his sports bar on the brink of bankruptcy. Desperate to keep his business afloat and its financial woes a secret from everyone, including his wealthy- albeit, spoiled- fiancé Whitney Peterson, Jake makes decisions that could cost him more than just money. While his life seems to be unraveling before his very eyes, he is suddenly called home to attend the funeral of his once beloved grandfather. And he’s shocked to find that the answer to his troubles might actually lie in Bluff Creek.
At the tender age of eight, Julie Wooten fell in love with Jake Rawlings, only to have her heart crushed by his singular pursuit of fame and fortune. Julie’s life has changed dramatically in the years since Jake left town. Her hopes and dreams put aside in an effort to keep the secret that altered her path forever. She had thought that she could live a peaceful life in Bluff Creek running her grandmother’s diner. But when Jake is forced to spend more time in their hometown than either of them would like, Julie feels anything but peace. And while she is determined to avoid Jake at all cost, he seems to be everywhere she turns. The more she sees him around town, the more she is torn between remembering why she fell in love with him to begin with and keeping him out of her life completely.
Forced to stay in town longer than he planned, Jake is suprised to find the more time he spends in his hometown, surrounded by family, the more he feels an inner calm. And while he and Julie seem to be at odds at every turn, he also can’t seem to get her out of his mind. But choices from the past surface to disrupt any calm he might have found and threaten to alter not only his life, but his relationships forever. Faced with decisions that will change both of their lives completely, will Jake and Julie rely on God to lead them or will they continue to forge their own way causing pain for not only themselves but everyone around them?
