Cover Copy
Trust is the biggest deal of all...
Journalist Sophie Shaw is days away from fulfilling her dream of owning a vineyard, and holding on to a beloved piece of her past. Then developer Duncan Jamieson makes a counter offer she can’t possibly beat—until she makes a discovery that could ruin him. Yet the deeper she digs, the more Sophie finds herself torn between her integrity, her own desire for the land—and growing feelings for a man she wants to hate.
Duncan has his own personal reasons for wanting the vineyard. But he also remembers Sophie from boyhood trips to the lake—and his fruitless crush on her. Sophie didn’t notice him back then, but she does now, for better or worse. He’s hoping to keep it for better—until the woman he’s falling for blindsides him with damaging accusations. With more at stake than either expected, surprises are in store—for both of them…
“Share the Moon will make you laugh, but has a lot of tissue moments when Ms. Struth makes you feel the pain so badly that you ache for both Sophie and Duncan.”
—Harlequin Junkie
“Sharon Struth has woven a tale of suspicion, mystery and the complete emotional breakdown of two people searching for love and restoration of their past lives. The plot is refreshing and will definitely keep the reader turning page after page. SHARE THE MOON is a book that restores faith in human nature and the ability to again find love.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Struth has a gift for layering stories within stories while keeping them all connected.”
—Library Journal
Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com
Books by Sharon Struth
Blue Moon Lake Series
Share the Moon
Harvest Moon
Bella Luna
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Share the Moon Moon
A Blue Moon Lake Romance
Sharon Struth
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 by Sharon Struth
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First Electronic Edition: August 204
eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-563-9
eISBN-10: 1-61650-563-X
First Print Edition: August 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-588-2
ISBN-10: 1-61650-588-5
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
Dedicated to my mother, Joyce Shafer, for your support, enthusiasm, and love.
Acknowledgements
I once read a quote that stated, “gratitude is the best attitude,” and my writer’s journey is filled with appreciation to so many people. First, thank you to my agent, Dawn Dowdle of the Blue Ridge Literary Agency, who has made my writing dreams come true. These dreams didn’t even exist until Linda Chiara started me on a writer’s journey with her encouragement and teachings. For that, and Linda’s input to Share the Moon, I offer my eternal thanks. None of this would be possible without the support and love of my sweet husband, Bill, who I thank for everything…including his insights about fly-fishing to aid in research for this book.
Special thanks to Lyrical Press (Kensington) and Renee Rocco for believing in my book, and my fabulous editor, Paige Christian, who put the finishing shine on my work. A special shout of appreciation to my friend Lisa Buccino for test reading early drafts of this story and to Matthew Knickerbocker, Bethel, CT’s First Selectman for helping me understand the public hearing process used in this story.
Last—but definitely not least—I want to thank the members of my local RWA Chapter (CoLoNY) for their support and friendship. Writing is a lonely job, but with them I never feel alone.
Chapter 1
New Moon: When the moon, positioned between the earth and sun,
nearly disappears, leaving only darkness.
November
The sabotaged kayaks beckoned. Sophie Shaw trod a thin layer of ice pellets on the lawn as she headed to the lake’s edge, where eight boats waited to be returned to the storage rack. The fickle New England weather had offered sleet-dropping clouds an hour earlier. Now, a wink from the sun reflected against Blue Moon Lake.
She dragged the first boat up a small incline, annoyed some bored teenagers had considered destruction of property entertainment. Growing up she and her friends had respected the local businesses.
A UPS truck screeched to a stop in front of a row of shops on Main Street. The driver hopped out and ran into Annabelle’s Antiques with a box tucked under his arm. Sophie glanced both ways along the road for signs of Matt, whose new driver’s license and clunker car played to every mother’s fears. Fifteen minutes earlier, she’d texted him for help with the boat mess. He’d replied “k.”
Sophie’s flats glided along the slick lawn. She gripped the cord of a bright orange sea kayak and, using two hands, struggled backward up the slope. Her foot skidded. The heel of her shoe wobbled for security but instead, her toes lifted off the ground and flashed toward the clear sky. The burning skid of the cord ripped across her palms just as her other foot lifted and launched her airborne. Thud!
Air whooshed from her lungs. Pain coursed through her shoulder blades, neck, and spine. The ground’s chilly dampness seeped into her cotton khaki pants, raising goose bumps on her skin. Seconds passed without breath before she managed to swallow a gulp.
Lying flat on her back, she stared at the cornflower blue sky and spotted a chalky slice of the moon. The night Henry died, a similar crescent