Eleanor Jones - A Place Called Home

You can take the woman out of the country...

When Ellie Nelson traded life in rural England for the big city, she left painful memories behind. Coming home to Little Dale means getting back in touch with nature and the animals that inspire her. And a local wildlife vet could even help the fledgling painter realize her dreams. Except he’s the one who broke her heart.

Andy Montgomery has to tread with caution. He can’t put the creatures he’s sworn to protect at risk. And Ellie isn’t ready to trust him again. He doesn’t blame her—he still hasn’t told her his biggest secret. Once he does, will Ellie leave their close-knit community forever?

No, it couldn’t be...

“Andy Montgomery, at your service,” he announced, immediately focusing on the injured fox cub.

His voice still sounded so familiar after all this time; deeper, perhaps, but with that same bright, melodic lilt. Relieved to have a second to pull herself together, Ellie concentrated on breathing steadily as he ran his skilled fingers over the little animal’s unresisting body.

“Right,” he said eventually, jumping up. “We’d better get it to the center as quick as we can.”

Ellie hesitated, steeling herself for the inevitable. It must have been almost six years since she’d last seen Andy...six years since he’d broken her heart. The heavy anger she’d clung to since that day kicked in, and she stood slowly.

“Of all the vets in the world, Andy Montgomery?” She hardened her gaze as she met the eyes of the person she had once loved so much. “What a coincidence. I’m glad you finally qualified—I wondered if you would.”

She had the momentary satisfaction of seeing his tall frame freeze. His face pale with shock.

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Acknowledgments CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Copyright ,

Thank you for picking up my book, I do hope you enjoy it.

If you have previously read The Country Vet (the first book in this series), you will already be familiar with Little Dale, in the Lake District hills, and many of the characters that are also in this story. It is satisfying, I think, to see how people’s lives develop after that first huge rush of falling in love.

I hope you can keep staying in touch with the lives of the characters you have come to know, not only human but animal, too, for as well as being in love with love, anyone who reads my books just has to love animals.

I feel very privileged to be able to write romance, to lose myself in love stories on a regular basis. Without love, our lives are empty. And hopefully you will be able to lose yourself in my love stories, too, to identify with the characters and experience that heady rush of falling in love again and again.

Life doesn’t always stay perfect for long; embrace the best bits and live for today.

I would love to hear from you, either to hear your comments about my stories or to answer questions, and if you need advice about the love in your life, then I’d be very happy to try to help.

You can contact me at info@holmescalesridingcentre.co.uk.

Without readers, I cannot be a writer, so thank you for picking up my books.

Very best wishes to you all,

Eleanor

A Place Called Home

Eleanor Jones

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ELEANOR JONES was brought up on a farm in the north of England and learned to love animals and the countryside from an early age. She has ridden all her life, and after marrying her husband at just eighteen years old and having two wonderful children, they set up a riding centre together. This is still thriving over thirty years later, doing hacks, treks and lessons for all ages and experiences. Her daughter competes at the national level, and she is now a partner in the business and brings her adorable three-year-old son to work with her every day. Eleanor’s son is also married with two children, and they live nearby. Eleanor has been writing for what feels like her whole life. Her early handwritten novels still grace a dusty shelf in the back of a cupboard somewhere, but she was first published over fifteen years ago, when she wrote teenage pony mysteries.

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I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Peter, who has to put up with my head being in the clouds most of the time.

Acknowledgments Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Acknowledgments CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Copyright

It has been over five years since I started writing for Mills & Boon, and I will be eternally grateful to Paula Eykelhof, both for spotting my first manuscript and for believing in me ever since. I must also thank my Heartwarming editor, Claire Caldwell, for all her help and for the wonderful job she, too, does in helping make my stories better.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text You can take the woman out of the country... When Ellie Nelson traded life in rural England for the big city, she left painful memories behind. Coming home to Little Dale means getting back in touch with nature and the animals that inspire her. And a local wildlife vet could even help the fledgling painter realize her dreams. Except he’s the one who broke her heart. Andy Montgomery has to tread with caution. He can’t put the creatures he’s sworn to protect at risk. And Ellie isn’t ready to trust him again. He doesn’t blame her—he still hasn’t told her his biggest secret. Once he does, will Ellie leave their close-knit community forever?

Introduction No, it couldn’t be... “Andy Montgomery, at your service,” he announced, immediately focusing on the injured fox cub. His voice still sounded so familiar after all this time; deeper, perhaps, but with that same bright, melodic lilt. Relieved to have a second to pull herself together, Ellie concentrated on breathing steadily as he ran his skilled fingers over the little animal’s unresisting body. “Right,” he said eventually, jumping up. “We’d better get it to the center as quick as we can.” Ellie hesitated, steeling herself for the inevitable. It must have been almost six years since she’d last seen Andy...six years since he’d broken her heart. The heavy anger she’d clung to since that day kicked in, and she stood slowly. “Of all the vets in the world, Andy Montgomery?” She hardened her gaze as she met the eyes of the person she had once loved so much. “What a coincidence. I’m glad you finally qualified—I wondered if you would.” She had the momentary satisfaction of seeing his tall frame freeze. His face pale with shock.