Grace Kitchen Series by Marianne Evans, Grace Kitchen

She has a story. Find it. The Spirit prompt launches the instant David Marcum meets Alissa Moretti, but its fulfillment leaves David perplexed, and at a standstill. The exotic woman intrigues him, but every time he reaches out, she backs away. Every time he gets close, she retreats. She refuses to be open...except toward his niece and nephew. Except when she volunteers with him at Grace Kitchen. Except when sharing an overwhelming love with her 3-year-old son, Alex... moreShe has a story. Find it. The Spirit prompt launches the instant David Marcum meets Alissa Moretti, but its fulfillment leaves David perplexed, and at a standstill. The exotic woman intrigues him, but every time he reaches out, she backs away. Every time he gets close, she retreats. She refuses to be open...except toward his niece and nephew. Except when she volunteers with him at Grace Kitchen. Except when sharing an overwhelming love with her 3-year-old son, Alex. Chance meetings lead to a relentless pursuit, and a blooming if disquieted love. Is it fate or God’s hand that continually throws Alissa together with the charismatic yet quiet-minded David Marcum? Alissa can’t fathom why a faultless superstar in the world of commercial real estate would be interested in her. She’s wounded, bearing the cross of a past that ties her emotions into a complex knot. She dreams of being a chef. He dreams of serving his community in business and in his personal life. Layer by layer, David lifts Alissa’s defenses away, following God’s call to be tenderly relentless. Even if loving her well means setting her free and losing her forever… less

Shell Prentiss lives in a world of petals and pretties, marred only by the pain of a long-ago loss. The single sour spot in her little Harvest dreamworld is the newsman, Thorne Knight, who dislikes her for no apparent reason. As a fourth-generation owner/editor of The Harvest Herald, Thorne usually makes a point of welcoming new merchants to the close-knit business community. But he has yet to dole out a smile in Shell’s direction—much less a warm welcome... moreShell Prentiss lives in a world of petals and pretties, marred only by the pain of a long-ago loss. The single sour spot in her little Harvest dreamworld is the newsman, Thorne Knight, who dislikes her for no apparent reason. As a fourth-generation owner/editor of The Harvest Herald, Thorne usually makes a point of welcoming new merchants to the close-knit business community. But he has yet to dole out a smile in Shell’s direction—much less a warm welcome. When Shell says things are disappearing from her shop, Thorne goes on the defensive. Harvest Square hasn’t seen a theft worth speaking of in over a decade. He’d known the fancy little florist was too pretty to be good news. Now she’ll have all the merchants in an uproar of panic and suspicion. Shared volunteer time at a unique soup kitchen forces the two to see good things in each other, especially when they work together to improve the life of a homeless child. He’s scarred from the past. She’s hurting from an old loss. Between God and the twin sisters who own Grace Kitchen, might love await two painfully haunted hearts? less