She rebuilt her life from the ashes of a broken marriage. Now the fire that destroys her restaurant might be exactly what brings them back together.
Sue Smith has spent six years proving she doesn't need anyone—especially not her ex-husband. As the beloved owner of Sue's Pizza in small-town Laurel Ridge, West Virginia, she's created a thriving business, raised their daughter, and built walls around her heart that no amount of charm can breach. She's survived Steve Johnson once. She won't make that mistake again.
Fire Chief Steve Johnson knows he destroyed the best thing in his life when he chose career ambition over his family. For six years, he's carried the weight of his failures and worked to become the man he should have been all along. But saying you've changed and proving it are two very different things—especially to a woman who has every reason not to believe you.
When a devastating fire guts Sue's restaurant, Steve shows up not as her ex-husband, but as the man who refuses to let her face this crisis alone. What begins as professional courtesy becomes something neither of them expected: a second chance neither asked for but both desperately need.
As Steve organizes a community fundraiser, helps navigate insurance nightmares, and shows up day after day with quiet consistency, Sue's carefully constructed walls begin to crack. But when Steve receives a lucrative job offer that could resurrect all the old patterns that destroyed their marriage, Sue must decide: Is this proof that people never really change, or is faith believing in redemption even when you're terrified of being wrong?
Set against the backdrop of a close-knit Appalachian community where everyone knows your story and Christmas miracles feel possible, this is a story about the courage it takes to forgive, the humility required to earn back trust, and the faith that believes God can make all things new—even broken marriages and wounded hearts.
Themes Of:
Sue Smith has spent six years proving she doesn't need anyone—especially not her ex-husband. As the beloved owner of Sue's Pizza in small-town Laurel Ridge, West Virginia, she's created a thriving business, raised their daughter, and built walls around her heart that no amount of charm can breach. She's survived Steve Johnson once. She won't make that mistake again.
Fire Chief Steve Johnson knows he destroyed the best thing in his life when he chose career ambition over his family. For six years, he's carried the weight of his failures and worked to become the man he should have been all along. But saying you've changed and proving it are two very different things—especially to a woman who has every reason not to believe you.
When a devastating fire guts Sue's restaurant, Steve shows up not as her ex-husband, but as the man who refuses to let her face this crisis alone. What begins as professional courtesy becomes something neither of them expected: a second chance neither asked for but both desperately need.
As Steve organizes a community fundraiser, helps navigate insurance nightmares, and shows up day after day with quiet consistency, Sue's carefully constructed walls begin to crack. But when Steve receives a lucrative job offer that could resurrect all the old patterns that destroyed their marriage, Sue must decide: Is this proof that people never really change, or is faith believing in redemption even when you're terrified of being wrong?
Set against the backdrop of a close-knit Appalachian community where everyone knows your story and Christmas miracles feel possible, this is a story about the courage it takes to forgive, the humility required to earn back trust, and the faith that believes God can make all things new—even broken marriages and wounded hearts.
Themes Of:
- Forgiveness and redemption
independence vs. vulnerability
learning to trust again
faith as foundation for love
the power of community support
choosing people over ambition
A heartwarming, faith-filled contemporary romance that proves love is worth fighting for—even the second time around.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Tara Baisden's Season of Forgiveness