A Place Called Home

700 5-Star Ratings

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An art restorer longing for family. A widower afraid to love again. A painting that uncovers old secrets—and new hope.

After a lonely, unsettled childhood, Lucia wants what other people take for granted—a home, a family, a future she can count on. What she doesn’t want is another man who runs from commitment. But when she meets Guy Martin, she sees tenderness beneath his charming surface, the kind that warns her to keep her heart safe.

Guy has been running ever since his wife’s death, burying his grief beneath work and refusing to let anyone close. The last thing he needs is a relationship, but Lucia draws him in with a quiet strength he can’t resist. Then a family painting ties them together, unearthing secrets from the past that neither expected.

As attraction deepens into something far more dangerous to their wounded hearts, both must decide whether to keep hiding from the past—or take the leap toward the love and home they’ve been yearning for all along.

A heartfelt story of second chances, resilience, and the power of love to heal old wounds.

The Mackenzies series: heartwarming women’s fiction with clean romance, unforgettable characters, and the beauty of New Zealand at its heart.

--The Mackenzies--

A Place Called Home

Secrets at Parata Bay

Escape to Shelter Springs

What you See in the Stars

Second Chance at Whisper Creek

Summer at the Lakehouse Café

--Lantern Bay--

Yours to Give

Yours to Treasure

Yours to Cherish

Yours to Keep

Yours Forever

Yours to Love

Excerpt

All afternoon he’d taken every opportunity he could to breathe in her scent. To begin with, he’d assumed it was her perfume, but it wasn’t artificial enough. Then, as they’d entered the cave and she’d bent her head to adjust her ankle strap, he’d thought it was the shampoo she used. It was only when she stumbled slightly, and he caught her in his arms, and she looked at him, long and slow, that he knew it was simply her. An exquisite mix of everything. And he also knew it was a fragrance he’d never get enough of.

“What—”

“Hush.” He squeezed her hand. “Keep quite still and wait.”

God help him, all he could do was inhale her. He moved his head slightly toward her and her hair lightly brushed his cheek, sending a shiver of need through his body.

And then it happened.

Slowly the faint lights flickered on. One by one to begin with, then small clusters burst into life. But Guy wasn’t looking at them. He knew their ethereal beauty and was more interested in looking at another kind of beauty. His gut tightened as Lucia opened her mouth in a small gasp of wonder. Her head moved from one end of the cave to another, and up, her chin lifting, outlined by the light of the glowworms, as she looked to the roof of the cavern, dotted with pulsating lights.

Who moved first, Guy couldn’t have said. But Lucia melted into his arms, and they stood, his arm around her, the side of her body tight against him. And, as one moment drifted into another, he swallowed and thought he couldn’t ever remember feeling so… complete.

But the moment passed, like all other moments. Ridiculous! He was complete within himself. He didn’t want another wife; he didn’t deserve another wife.

He cleared his throat and moved away from her, and immediately the lights dimmed, as the glowworm larvae reacted to a possible threat and retreated into their nests. She looked at him, surprised.

“We should go,” he said, and the lights lowered their intensity once more.

She looked at the lights which had revealed their magic for such a short time. He gripped her hand and they walked along the path, out toward the bright reality of daylight. He wouldn’t deviate from the path he’d set himself the day he’d buried Hannah. He’d let her down, and she’d paid the consequences. He dared not risk a repeat.

***