Second Chance at Whisper Creek
Over 110 5-Star Ratings
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A woman who treasures her independence. A reformed playboy seeking redemption. A second chance that could heal old wounds—or break her heart all over again.
Susie Henderson has built the life she always wanted: successful career at the winery, financial independence, and a heart safely guarded from the kind of devastation James Mackenzie once caused. The last thing she needs is her ex-lover buying the place where she works—and disrupting her carefully ordered world.
James knows he has no right to ask for forgiveness. Ten years ago, his selfishness and immaturity destroyed the best thing in his life. Now he's ready to prove he's changed, starting with making amends to the woman he never stopped loving. But Susie isn't the trusting young woman he left behind.
When business forces them to work together, old sparks reignite despite Susie's determination to keep him at arm's length. James sees glimpses of the deep love they once shared, but Susie sees only the man who shattered her faith in forever. As the past collides with the present, both must decide whether some mistakes can truly be forgiven—and if love really does deserve a second chance.
A moving story about redemption, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to trust again when your heart has been broken before.
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
"You like my mum, don't you?"
He looked around to see Tom watching him quietly. "Sure do. Not so sure she likes me much."
"Why? What did you do?"
How like a ten-year-old to cut straight to the heart of the matter. "I made a mistake."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"It was a big mistake."
"Say 'sorry' then."
James nodded thoughtfully. It was true, he'd never actually apologized for his behavior. Years ago she'd disappeared off the map. He'd waited, expecting her to return, leaving messages wherever he thought she might be. But she hadn't returned to Glencoe and she hadn't returned his messages. And now? He'd somehow avoided saying the actual words.
"You know? You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'll give it a try."
"It'll work. Mum always forgives me when I mess up, so long as I admit to it and apologize."
"Thanks for the tip, mate." He jumped up. "Come on, let's go and see what she's up to."
They found her just inside the curtain of pohutukawas, drawing water from a pump.
"A pump? I thought this bay was uninhabited."
"It is now. But years ago?" She pushed aside a curtain of creepers. "Fantastic, isn't it?"
James couldn't see what she was looking at and preferred not to shift his own view. "Breathtaking," James murmured as he focused on her long, lean, limbs. With effort, he shifted his gaze from her chest to whatever it was that was holding her attention. He walked up beside her.
She shifted the veil of vegetation further to reveal a grand, two-storied, colonial house whose white paint had peeled, leaving scars of silvered wood, some rotten. Elsewhere, curling green tendrils of creepers probed into its nooks and crannies. "Been that way for over fifty years."
"Wow. Who'd have thought this was hiding behind these trees?" He looked up at the intricately balconied widow's walk along its upper story, set amidst a crescent of flowering pohutukawa trees. "It's like something out of a fairy tale."
Tom came running up behind them. "Perhaps there's a princess inside who needs a kiss to wake her up?"
Susie groped behind a ledge and produced a key. "Trust a person of the male species to believe a kiss could set everything right. When something's dead, it's dead."
James watched her walk up and take Tom's hand before opening the door. In that moment he realized just how much, and how deeply, he'd hurt her. And, for the first time, he wondered if he could ever put it right.
***
