Carla Neggers - The River House

In this charming novel about the search for love, home and family, New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers takes readers on a journey to an irresistible town they’ll want to return to over and over again

Felicity MacGregor loves organizing social events for others but her own personal life is a different story. After a brief but failed attempt at a career as a financial analyst, she returned to Knights Bridge where she enjoys running a thriving party-planning business.

Then Felicity’s life gets a shake-up when her childhood friend Gabriel Flanagan returns unexpectedly to their tiny hometown. Now a high-flying businessman, Gabe always vowed to get out of Knights Bridge, but he is back for the local entrepreneurial boot camp Felicity’s been hired to organize. Together again, they’ll finally have to face each other—and their complicated past.

Gabe and Felicity soon realize their reunion is stirring up long-buried emotions. While Gabe has big plans for his future, Felicity is discovering that hers doesn’t depend on fate—she must choose what’s right for her. But if they can find a bridge between their diverging paths, they may just discover that their enduring connection is what matters most.

Also by Carla Neggers

Swift River Valley

RED CLOVER INN

THE SPRING AT MOSS HILL

A KNIGHTS BRIDGE CHRISTMAS

ECHO LAKE

CHRISTMAS AT CARRIAGE HILL (novella)

CIDER BROOK

THAT NIGHT ON THISTLE LANE

SECRETS OF THE LOST SUMMER

Sharpe & Donovan

THIEF’S MARK

LIAR’S KEY

KEEPER’S REACH

HARBOR ISLAND

DECLAN’S CROSS

ROCK POINT (novella)

HERON’S COVE

SAINT’S GATE

The Ireland Series

THE WHISPER

THE MIST

THE ANGEL

THE WIDOW

Black Falls

COLD DAWN

COLD RIVER

COLD PURSUIT

Cold Ridge

ABANDON

BREAKWATER

DARK SKY

THE RAPIDS

NIGHT’S LANDING

COLD RIDGE

Carriage House

THE HARBOR

STONEBROOK COTTAGE

THE CABIN

THE CARRIAGE HOUSE

Stand-Alone Novels

THE WATERFALL

ON FIRE

KISS THE MOON

TEMPTING FATE

CUT AND RUN

BETRAYALS

CLAIM THE CROWN

Look for Carla Neggers’ next novel in the Sharpe & Donovan series IMPOSTOR’S LURE

The River House

Carla Neggers

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Carla Neggers 2018

Carla Neggers asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © March 2018 ISBN: 9781474074759

Version: 2018-02-26

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading The River House. I hope you enjoyed your visit to little Knights Bridge. If it’s your first visit, you can find a list of all the books in the Swift River Valley series and their reading order on my website.

For me, diving into a Swift River Valley novel is like returning home. I grew up on the western edge of the Quabbin Reservoir and its protected wilderness. How to fire a budding writer’s imagination! Our family homestead is still there, and I visit often.

Summer in New England is a special time, and as kids, my six siblings and I had our favorite swimming holes. On my runs at home in Vermont, I often pass a popular swimming hole that reminds me of Felicity and Gabe’s more private swimming hole. I’ve posted a few photos on my blog if you’d like to take a look.

I continue to add Swift River Valley recipes to my website. Unlike Gabe and Shannon, I love eggplant in my ratatouille! And you just can’t go wrong with brownies...or oatmeal bread fresh out of the oven...or anything Maggie Sloan puts together. Blueberry cobbler is one of my favorites. Turn the page for a recipe!

Thanks again, and happy reading,

Carla

CarlaNeggers.com

Praise for Carla Neggers’ New York Times bestselling Swift River Valley novels

“A page-turning mystery and clever, slow-building romance featuring two wounded type-A personalities. [Neggers] seduces readers by expertly marrying characters, story lines and scenes, and keeps them up-to-date with series catch-ups. Her family dynamics keep it real, her costars add insight and her stars make it a keeper!”

—RT Book Reviews on Red Clover Inn

“Masterful attention to detail, conversational dialogue and past-character catch-up expertly draw readers into her potent mix of romance, mystery and small-town drama.”

—RT Book Reviews on The Spring at Moss Hill

“Appealing protagonists, good neighbors, small-town Christmas traditions, and Neggers’ own recipes make for a fine romance.”

—Publishers Weekly on A Knights Bridge Christmas

“A heady mix of romance, mystery and genuine Quabbin history packaged in an enchanting holiday tale.”

—RT Book Reviews on A Knights Bridge Christmas

“Neggers does the near impossible: she brings a small-town, family-loving heroine and a footloose hero together in an engaging romance that has its fair share of surprises.”

—Library Journal on Echo Lake

“Her people, places and things are colorfully and expertly rendered in this compelling work of fiction.”

—RT Book Reviews on Cider Brook

“Neggers captures readers’ attention with her usual flair and brilliance and gives us a romance, a mystery and a lesson in history.”

—RT Book Reviews on Secrets of the Lost Summer, Top Pick

To the memory of my cousin

Mary Ann Harrell Domingos,

always in our hearts

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dear Reader

Praise

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four

A Recipe from Carla Neggers: Blueberry Cobbler

About the Publisher

One

“We have to have badgers at your party.”

Felicity MacGregor knew her comment would raise most people’s eyebrows, but she also knew Kylie Shaw would be fine with it.

“Absolutely,” Kylie said. “Russ and I had a badger couple on our wedding cake.”

That spring, Kylie’s whirlwind romance with Russ Colton, a security consultant, had taken them both by surprise, never mind everyone else in their small town of Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Felicity smiled. “Of course you did.” They were seated across from each other at the table on the balcony of Kylie and Russ’s second-floor apartment in a renovated nineteenth-century hat factory. The balcony overlooked the river, flowing gently on the warm summer afternoon. Russ had spent the past two weeks in Southern California, wrapping up his life and work there now that he and Kylie had decided to settle in Knights Bridge. They’d bought a house a mile or so farther up the river and were having work done on it before moving in later in the summer.