Debbie Macomber: The Road To Love: Love by Degree / The Rain Sparrow

Fall for these two beloved stories about life, love and second chances

LOVE BY DEGREE by Debbie Macomber

When Ellen Cunningham decides to go back to school as a mature student, she knows that money is going to be tight. She also knows she’s lucky to find inexpensive lodging in a house near the campus, but she didn’t count on having to live with three college-aged boys—or deal with the bad-tempered landlord, Reed Morgan. Reed has no patience for college-boy antics, but the chemistry between him and Ellen might warm him up to his new tenants...

THE RAIN SPARROW by Linda Goodnight

Renowned yet private, thriller writer Hayden Winters lives a life colored by lies. As he is deeply ashamed of his past, his hunger for an honest relationship and dreams of starting a family remain unsatisfied, and he can trust no one with his secrets—until he meets Carrie Riley. When they discover a vulnerable young boy hiding at the inn where Hayden is staying, the two are compelled to help him, and soon they’re drawn into a centuries-old mystery that will either bring them closer together—or tear them apart.

Praise for #1 New York Times bestselling author

Debbie Macomber

“Beloved author Debbie Macomber reaches new heights in this wise and beautiful novel.... The timeless wisdom in these pages will stay with you long after the book is closed.”

—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on A Girl’s Guide to Moving On

“Macomber fans will leave the Rose Harbor Inn with warm memories of healing, hope, and enduring love.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is Debbie Macomber’s finest novel.... I absolutely loved it!”

—Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times bestselling author

“Debbie dazzles! A wonderful story of friendship, forgiveness and the power of love. I devoured every page!”

—Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Praise for New York Times bestselling author

Linda Goodnight

“The second of Goodnight’s Honey Ridge novels [The Rain Sparrow] is an aching, absorbing, yet uplifting read.”

—Booklist

“The Memory House is a beautiful, rich, unforgettable story filled with tenderness and heart.”

—New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne

“Goodnight’s prose is elegant.”

—Booklist

The Road to Love

Debbie Macomber and Linda Goodnight

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

LOVE BY DEGREEBY DEBBIE MACOMBER LOVE BY DEGREE Debbie Macomber

THE RAIN SPARROWBY LINDA GOODNIGHT Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

LOVE BY DEGREE

Debbie Macomber

To all my friends at the Vero Beach Book Center—

Chad, Cynthia, Sheila, Debbie, Jamie and Rose Marie.

Thank you for all you do to support my books.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Fall for these two beloved stories about life, love and second chances LOVE BY DEGREE by Debbie Macomber When Ellen Cunningham decides to go back to school as a mature student, she knows that money is going to be tight. She also knows she’s lucky to find inexpensive lodging in a house near the campus, but she didn’t count on having to live with three college-aged boys—or deal with the bad-tempered landlord, Reed Morgan. Reed has no patience for college-boy antics, but the chemistry between him and Ellen might warm him up to his new tenants... THE RAIN SPARROW by Linda Goodnight Renowned yet private, thriller writer Hayden Winters lives a life colored by lies. As he is deeply ashamed of his past, his hunger for an honest relationship and dreams of starting a family remain unsatisfied, and he can trust no one with his secrets—until he meets Carrie Riley. When they discover a vulnerable young boy hiding at the inn where Hayden is staying, the two are compelled to help him, and soon they’re drawn into a centuries-old mystery that will either bring them closer together—or tear them apart.

Praise Praise for #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber “Beloved author Debbie Macomber reaches new heights in this wise and beautiful novel.... The timeless wisdom in these pages will stay with you long after the book is closed.” —Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on A Girl’s Guide to Moving On “Macomber fans will leave the Rose Harbor Inn with warm memories of healing, hope, and enduring love.” —Kirkus Reviews “A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is Debbie Macomber’s finest novel.... I absolutely loved it!” —Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times bestselling author “Debbie dazzles! A wonderful story of friendship, forgiveness and the power of love. I devoured every page!” —Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author Praise for New York Times bestselling author Linda Goodnight “The second of Goodnight’s Honey Ridge novels [The Rain Sparrow] is an aching, absorbing, yet uplifting read.” —Booklist “The Memory House is a beautiful, rich, unforgettable story filled with tenderness and heart.” —New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne “Goodnight’s prose is elegant.” —Booklist

Title Page The Road to Love Debbie Macomber and Linda Goodnight www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication To all my friends at the Vero Beach Book Center— Chad, Cynthia, Sheila, Debbie, Jamie and Rose Marie. Thank you for all you do to support my books.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ONE

THE MELODIOUS SOUNDS of a love ballad drifted through the huge three-storey house in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Ellen Cunningham hummed along as she rubbed her wet curls with a thick towel. These late-afternoon hours before her housemates returned were the only time she had the place to herself, so she’d taken advantage of the peaceful interlude to wash her hair. Privacy was at a premium with three men in the house, and she couldn’t always count on the upstairs bathroom being available later in the evening.

Twisting the fire-engine-red towel around her head, turban style, Ellen walked barefoot across the hallway toward her bedroom to retrieve her blouse. Halfway there, she heard the faint ding of the oven timer, signalling that her apple pie was ready to come out.

She altered her course and bounded down the wide stairway. Her classes that day had gone exceptionally well. She couldn’t remember ever being happier, even though she still missed Yakima, the small apple-growing community in central Washington, where she’d been raised. But she was adjusting well to life in the big city. She’d waited impatiently for the right time—and enough money—to complete her education, and she’d been gratified by the way everything had fallen into place during the past summer. Her older sister had married, and her “baby” brother had entered the military. For a while, Ellen was worried that her widowed mother might suffer from empty nest syndrome, so she’d decided to delay her education another year. But her worries had been groundless, as it turned out. James Simonson, a widower friend of her mother’s, had started dropping by the house often enough for Ellen to recognize a romance brewing between them. The time had finally come for Ellen to make the break, and she did it without guilt or self-reproach.