Synopsis
Look for Robyn's new book, The Best of Us, a story about family, second chances and choosing to live your best life-order your copy today!
Welcome to Grace Valley, California where blood runs thicker ties are stronger and love is all the more sweet.
Visitors to the town often remark about the valley's peace and beauty both of which are plentiful. Unlocked doors, front porches, pies cooling in the windows this is country life at its finest. But visitors don't always see what lies at the heart of a community. Or just beyond
June Hudson grew up in Grace Valley, the daughter of the town doctor. Leaving only to get her medical training, she returned home and followed in her father's footsteps. Some might say she chose the easy, comfortable route but June knows better.
For June, her emergency room is wherever she's needed or wherever a patient finds her. She is always on call, her work is her life and these people are her extended family. Which is a good thing, since this is a town where you should have picked your husband in the ninth grade. Grace Valley is not exactly the place to meet eligible men until an undercover DEA agent suddenly starts appearing at all sorts of strange hours.
Everybody has secrets down in the valley. Now June has one of her own.
Review
Robyn Carr is a RITA� Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the critically acclaimed Virgin River series. Robyn and her husband live in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit Robyn Carr's website at www.RobynCarr.com.
June stood in the shower a little longer than usual, preoccupied with a conversation she would have later in the day. She was the town doctor in Grace Valley, California, a post she had inherited from her father, Elmer "Doc" Hudson. Elmer was seventy-two and playing at retirement, which was a polite way of saying he didn't keep hours anymore but he stayed in his daughter's business all the time.
The need for another full-time doctor to serve the town was becoming more dire every day. June had already talked to several physicians, and so far there hadn't been a fortuitous match. But today John Stone, M.D., was going to interview. He was forty, had attended Stanford University and UCLA Medical, done his OB-GYN residency at Johns Hopkins, worked for eight years in a prestigious women's clinic, then done a second residency in family medicine. He was made to order for Grace Valley. But was Grace Valley made to order for him?
She tried to picture him, a yuppie from Sausalito. He had probably passed through town while on a wine tasting tour and begun fantasizing about the good life here. The beautiful landscape-mountains, valley and ocean- seduced more and more transplants from the cities every year. Or perhaps he'd been on a family vacation, doing the bed-and-breakfasts up the coast. But no, she thought, maybe a rich friend from San Francisco had a huge summer place nearby, someone who didn't need to eke out a living from the town. John Stone couldn't have been drawn here for golf or sailing; there was nothing so refined as that around. Hiking and camping, maybe, but only for a true woodsman. So what's he doing here? He'd say he was looking for peace and quiet and beauty and safety, all of which were plentiful in Grace Valley. Apple butter, heirloom quilts, unlocked doors, front porches and pies cooling in kitchen windows. Country life. Decency and simplicity.
He probably wanted to get his kids out of the dirty city, away from drugs and crime. How would he react to the news that the Coast Ranges and the Trinity Alps were so full of marijuana growers that army helicopters frequently flew just over the treetops, searching? The regular raids in the deep mountain forests made the simple sport of hiking a dangerous endeavor for the newcomer, since you never knew which camps and trails were controlled by drug farmers. Cannabis remained the largest cash crop in California. It was an uncomfortable reality, and it was just up the road.
As for peace and quiet, June was looking for a little of that herself. Her reason for trying to hire another physician. Obviously.
She turned off the water and began to towel her hair.
June had chosen to practice medicine in the small town she grew up in, knowing the challenge of it, knowing it could be more exciting than a city emergency room. She understood the inconvenience all too well- she lived it-and the sometimes discomfiting intimacy of being close friends with your patients, a thing big-city doctors could afford to avoid. So far all the medical contenders she had spoken to were trying to escape the hard work, long hours, overstimulation and constant demand of their city practices. Each had ultimately decided this wasn't the place for them, for it was a trade-off, one kind of pressure for another, but no less exacting. It took a certain personality to take on the medical needs of a whole town.
The phone rang. She glanced at the clock: 6:15.
That was another thing. There was no such thing as being "on call." There was you. Period.
She reached for the phone, but the damn cordless didn't work. Out of juice. She'd forgotten to plug it in again. With a towel wrapped loosely around her, and hair dripping in stringy tendrils to her shoulders, she made a dash for the kitchen phone.
The presence of strangers in the living room caused her to yelp in shocked surprise and dive behind the kitchen counter. Then she slowly rose and peeked over the counter into her small living room as the phone rang on. Had she really seen what she had seen? Four people...a man, a woman, two teenagers-boy and girl. The woman had a horrible scar running down the left side of her face. It took June a second to realize it was an old wound; the family had not come for help with that. They sat on her sofa, nice as you please, not in any way alarmed by her state of undress.
The phone continued to ring as she peered over the counter.
"You the doctor?" the man finally asked.
"Um, yes. That would be me."
By their out-of-date clothing and questionable manners, June assumed they were from the backwoods-subsistence farmers or mountain people. Since Grace Valley sat at the junction of three counties, it was impossible to tell which one they might be from. She didn't recognize these folks; maybe they'd never before sought medical treatment.
"Got a problem with the boy, here."
June tightened her towel and reached for the phone. "Excuse me," she said to the family. "I'll be with you in just a moment." She slid down behind the counter again. "Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Hi there," her father said. "I thought I'd better call and tell you that some family from back in Shell Mountain stopped George Fuller along the road and asked for directions to your house."
"Well, what the hell was George thinking?" she whispered fiercely.
"I don't imagine George thinks much if he can help it."
"They're here! Let themselves in and took a seat in the living room while I was in the shower!"
"Mercy. Well...would you like-"
"I'm practically naked! I had to run to the kitchen phone, wearing only a towel!"
Elmer cackled, a laugh that had a slight wheeze to it, pipe smoking having taken its toll. "I bet they hadn't counted on that."
"I'm going to kill George!"
Elmer could hardly speak, he was laughing so hard. "Right now...I'll bet...you wish...you'd plugged in that cordless phone for once."
Her father seemed to have some simple psychic ability, a talent that did not amuse June at the moment. "Dad, if you see George before I do, tell him I want him to suffer before he dies!"
"You really need a dog, June. Haven't I been saying so? You want me to come over?"
"What for? I can handle this now."
"Okay then. Is tonight meat loaf night?"
"If I survive the day," she answered, and hung up without saying goodbye. Elmer was going to get a kick out of this a lot longer than she would.
June made sure her towel was secure, then slowly stood and looked at the family. Dad wore a suit jacket that was probably thirty years old, and Mom wore a hat. They'd put on their Sunday best for a trip to the doctor, but it seemed like they'd had a hard journey. If the man hadn't said his boy needed a doctor, June would have thought the woman was in some need; the scar that marred her face ran deep from her forehead to her chin, across a blind eye that drooped sadly. It looked as if she'd taken an ax in the head. It gave June a headache just to look at it, though obviously the wound was years old. A childhood accident, perhaps.
The boy must be in bad shape for them to come to her house. She saw he wore one boot and one clean sock. This did not bode well.
"Let me get dressed, then I'll look at your son. Stay right there, please."
So much for the peace and tranquility of country life.
Elmer used to see patients in their home. The office space wasn't an add-on suite or anything like that, just two rooms right in the middle of the house, built that way by the first town doctor. And when a patient had come to the house wearing only one shoe, it had meant the other foot was too swollen. June's training for spotting such things had begun in her childhood.
Her visitors were the Mulls; a family of very few words. June managed to learn the boy had been stepped on by a jenny-a female donkey. The flesh was torn and rotting, and there were an unknown number of broken phalanges and metatarsals. Country people usually did much better than this with their bone settings and poultices. Maybe the boy had some metabolic problem that affected his healing. She would see that he was checked for diabetes.
"You waited too long on this injury," June told the family, comprised of Clarence Mull, his wife, Jurea, and their children, Clinton, sixteen, and Wanda, thirteen. Clinton was a strapping, handsome youth. In Wanda June could see a beauty that might have been the mother's had she not been so tragically marred. Clarence and Jurea were not young parents; June thought they might be in their fifties. "You have broken bones in the foot, and tissue and muscle damage from walking on it. Not to mention the necrotic flesh around this gash. Didn't it hurt?"
The boy shrugged. "Yeah, it was pretty bad. But Ma-"
"It's my fault," Jurea said. "I was the one set it. And put on a poultice."
"And I bet you gave him some serious herbal remedies for the pain-his pupils are dilated. You should go easy on that stuff."
"Works good on the pain though, don't it?" she answered.
"Too good. It was possible for him to walk on a broken foot and maybe do worse damage. Did you get to my house in a truck or car?"
"Pickup," said Clarence.
"You think it could make it as far as either Ukiah or Eureka?"
He shrugged. "We're slow but steady."
June gently pulled the sock back over the blackened, swollen foot. "How slow?" she asked.
The boy answered. "Can't get her up over thirty these days."
"Well, I have a better idea," June said. "Let me get one of the deputies to give you a lift up to Rockport, to Valley Hospital. You need to see a specialist."
"I'll get him where he needs to go," Clarence said.
"We're in a hurry now," she emphasized, going for the phone. "You already knew that or you wouldn't have brought him here at six in the morning."
"You worried that foot is going dead?" he asked.
June glanced back at him. A backwoods mountain man who could interpret necrotic tissue into a dead, gangrenous foot? Maybe he was only expressing his own fears. Still...
"I'm telling you, if you don't get that boy to the hospital, he could lose his foot. Or worse. You wouldn't want that."
"Specialists. They come at a pretty high dollar?"
"Don't worry about the money, Mr. Mull. Things like that can be worked out. There's all kinds of assistance if you find you're a little short right now." She dialed the phone.
"I'm accustomed to paying my way."
"I'm sure you are." Then, into the phone, she said, "Ricky? This is June. I need a favor. A young patient of mine needs a lift to Valley Hospital to see a specialist. I'll give him the name and send him to the police department. Thanks in advance."
June wrote down the name of the hospital and doctor, and grabbed a full bottle of antibiotic capsules from her bag. She ran a tall glass of tap water, then handed the pills and water to Clinton and the paper to Clarence. When Clarence reached toward her, his coat sleeve rode up briefly revealing part of a tattoo that reached his wrist.
"Mr. Mull, losing the foot would be a tragedy, but an even greater tragedy would be to ignore an injury like this and have your son die of septicemia. You probably learned about blood poisoning in Vietnam. Don't ignore my advice about the specialist and the hospital. Here are some antibiotics," she said to Clinton. "Take four immediately, then one every four hours until they're gone. Be sure to show the bottle to the doctor when you get to the hospital-and tell him how many you took. He may want to give you something else, okay? Do you know where the Grace Valley Police Department is? Would you like to follow me into town?"
"I guess we'll make it all right. It ain't far," Clarence said. And with that he stood and hefted his son, a boy at least six feet tall, into his arms and carried him out the front door. Clarence Mull was a huge, huge man.
The pickup, circa 1940, moved like its joints ached. When it had finally cleared June's long drive, she locked the door and dashed to her bedroom to change clothes. The Mulls were not simple unsophisticated backwoods mountain folk who didn't know better than to come to the doctor's home. Clarence hadn't wanted to take his boy to a place as public as the clinic. He might be a pot farmer. Or maybe a mentally disabled vet, suffering from paranoia. The hills were full of dropouts.
She changed out of her hastily drawn on sweat suit and into a pair of gaberdine slacks with nice creases down the legs, a silky blouse and a tapestry-patterned vest. She was interviewing today, after all.
Then she looked in the mirror and said, "Shit." She'd let her tangled hair dry on its own while she'd examined Clinton Mull, and what she had now was a wild, kinky, out-of-control mane. Sighing, she pulled it back into a knot and put a clip in it. She had never been good at things like hair.
Deep in the Valley
Welcome to Grace Valley, California—where blood runs thicker…ties are stronger…and love is all the more sweet Visitors to the town often remark about the valley's peace and beauty—both of which are plentiful. Unlocked doors, front porches, pies cooling in the windows—this is country life at its finest. But visitors don't always see what lies at the heart of a community. Or just beyond… June Hudson grew up in Grace Valley, the daughter of the town doctor. Leaving only to get her medical training, she returned home and followed in her father's footsteps. Some might say she chose the easy, comfortable route…but June knows better. For June, her emergency room is wherever she's needed—or wherever a patient finds her. She is always on call, her work is her life and these people are her extended family. Which is a good thing, since this is a town where you should have picked your husband in the ninth grade. Grace Valley is not exactly the place to meet eligible men—until an undercover DEA agent suddenly starts appearing at all sorts of strange hours. Everybody has secrets down in the valley. Now June has one of her own.
She is always on call, her work is her life and these people are her extended family. Which is a good thing, since this is a town where you should have picked your husband in the ninth grade."
The Grace Valley Trilogy
MIRA brings you three full length novels in one collection! Welcome to Grace Valley, California— where blood runs thicker…ties are stronger…and love is all the more sweet. This box set includes: DEEP IN THE VALLEY (A Grace Valley Novel) By #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr The daughter of the town doctor, June Hudson left only to get her medical training, then returned home and followed in her father’s footsteps. Some might say she chose the easy, comfortable route…but June knows better. Her emergency room is wherever she’s needed—or wherever a patient finds her. She is always on call, her work is her life, and these people are her extended family. Which is a good thing, since this is a town where you should have picked your husband in the ninth grade. It’s not exactly the place to meet eligible men—until an undercover DEA agent suddenly starts appearing at all sorts of strange hours. Everybody has secrets down in the valley. Now June has one of her own. JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN (A Grace Valley Novel) By #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr In this peaceful community, it’s hard to keep a secret—but Dr. June Hudson has managed to keep one heck of a humdinger. Though visits from undercover DEA agent Jim Post are as clandestine as they are passionate, somehow it fits with her demanding schedule. But how can a secret lover compete with a flesh-and-blood heartthrob from her past? June’s old flame has just returned after twenty years—and he’s divorced. June is seriously rattled. So when the town’s most devoted wife takes buckshot to her husband and some human bones turn up in her aunt Myrna’s backyard, June is almost happy for the distraction. Sooner or later, love will have its way in Grace Valley. It always does. DOWN BY THE RIVER (A Grace Valley Novel) By #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr People in town are beginning to notice the bloom in Dr. June Hudson’s cheeks—and the swell of her belly. Happily, DEA agent Jim Post is back in June’s arms for good, newly retired from undercover work and ready for new beginnings. And the community is overflowing with gossip right now. Who is the secret paramour June’s aunt Myrna is hiding? Does the town’s poker-playing pastor have too many aces up his sleeve? But when dangers, from man and nature, rise up with a vengeance to threaten June and the town, this community pulls together and shows what it’s made of. And Jim discovers the true meaning of happiness here in Grace Valley: there really is no place like home. Read the Grace Valley Trilogy by Robyn Carr: Book One: Deep in the Valley Book Two: Just Over the Mountain Book Three: Down by the River
Read the Grace Valley Trilogy by Robyn Carr: Book One: Deep in the Valley Book Two: Just Over the Mountain Book Three: Down by the River"
Backward Glance
Available on its own for the first time: a second-chance romance from the #1 bestselling author of the Virgin River books—now a Netflix original series. Leigh Brackon is back home to look after her “ailing” mother. But she suspects maternal meddling when she finds her old flame John McElroy knee-deep in landscaping in her mom’s backyard. Leigh and John’s summer affair five years ago ended badly, and they’re both leery of relationships after their own failed marriages. But John has always been drawn to Leigh, even though the handyman doubts he’s good enough for the brilliant scientist and her twin boys. And Leigh has a secret that could change everything. Could they possibly have a real chance this time around? With a little help from the neighborhood matchmakers, they might see that it isn’t too late to find a way forward together. Originally published May 2001 in the Silhouette anthology To Mother with Love and November 2014 in the MIRA anthology ‘Tis the Season. Praise for Robyn Carr and her novels “For great storytelling and beautifully drawn characters, enter the world of Robyn Carr.” —Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times–bestselling author “The Virgin River books are so compelling—I connected instantly with the characters and just wanted more and more and more.” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times–bestselling author “No one can do small-town life like Carr.” —RT Book Reviews
Praise for Robyn Carr and her novels “For great storytelling and beautifully drawn characters, enter the world of Robyn Carr.” —Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times–bestselling author “The Virgin River books are so ..."
The Chance
Come back to a small town on the Oregon coast, in book 4 of the beloved Thunder Point series only from New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr. With its breathtaking vistas and down-to-earth people, Thunder Point is the perfect place for FBI agent Laine Carrington to recuperate from a gunshot wound and contemplate her future. The locals embraced Laine as one of their own after she risked her life to save a young girl from a dangerous cult. Knowing her wounds go beyond the physical, Laine hopes she’ll fit in for a while and find her true self in a town that feels safe. She may even learn to open her heart to others, something an undercover agent has little time to indulge. Eric Gentry is also new to Thunder Point. Although he’s a man with a dark past, he’s determined to put down roots and get to know the daughter he only recently discovered. When Laine and Eric meet, their attraction is obvious to everyone. But while the law enforcement agent and the reformed criminal want to make things work, their differences may run too deep…unless they take a chance on each other and find that deep and mysterious bond that belongs to those who choose love over fear. Originally published in 2014
From the author of the Virgin River series: the books the hit Netflix show is based on!"
A Summer in Sonoma
Look for Robyn’s new book, The Best of Us, a story about family, second chances and choosing to live your best life—order your copy today! They’ve been best friends since seventh grade. But this summer, teetering on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever Cassie has sworn off men after yet another bad date though, deep down, she’s still looking for Mr. Right. A long-haired, tattooed biker is definitely not him, so there’s no harm in a few Harley rides through Sonoma. Right? Julie married her high school sweetheart too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn’t enough to sustain the perfect couple. Marty’s firefighter husband takes her for granted, and with her marriage on the rocks, an old flame begins to look mighty tempting. She’s seriously thinking of crossing that line. Beth is a busy doctor trapped in a body that’s betrayed her yet again and she’s becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend. She’s fighting for her life. Life can change in an instant…or a summer. As these four friends deal with life’s challenges, the strength of their bond will see them through. No one delves into the complexities of female friendship better than #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr.
As these four friends deal with life’s challenges, the strength of their bond will see them through. No one delves into the complexities of female friendship better than #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr."
The Wanderer
From Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the popular Virgin River novels, comes Thunder Point—the highly anticipated new series that will make you laugh, make you sigh, and make you fall in love with a small town filled with people you'll never forget. Nestled on the Oregon coast is a small town of rocky beaches and rugged charm. Locals love the land's unspoiled beauty. Developers see it as a potential gold mine. When newcomer Hank Cooper learns he's been left an old friend's entire beachfront property, he finds himself with a community's destiny in his hands. Cooper has never been a man to settle in one place, and Thunder Point was supposed to be just another quick stop. But Cooper finds himself getting involved with the town. And with Sarah Dupre, a woman as complicated as she is beautiful. With the whole town watching for his next move, Cooper has to choose between his old life and a place full of new possibilities. A place that just might be home. Look for What We Find by Robyn Carr, a powerful story of healing, new beginnings and one woman's journey to finding the happiness she's long been missing. Order your copy today!
Book 1 of Thunder Point series Robyn Carr ... PASS AVIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS WHISPERING ROCK SHELTER MOUNTAIN VIRGIN RIVER The Grace Valley Series DEEP IN THE VALLEY JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN DOWN BY THE RIVER Novels A SUMMER IN SONOMA NEVER ..."
'Tis The Season
Revisit Virgin River with two beloved holiday stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr. Included is the bonus novella Backward Glance—available digitally for the first time. 'Tis the season for family, friendship and the thrill of a holiday romance… Under the Christmas Tree With snow falling over the redwood forests, secluded Virgin River is the ideal place to spend the holidays. Each year, the close-knit community gathers in the town square to decorate and light a massive tree. Carols are sung, hot chocolate is shared—and a surprise left under the Christmas tree is about to bring two special people together! Midnight Confessions Holiday kisses don't end with Christmas—there's still the New Year's Eve party at Jack's Bar to attend. Locals and newcomers alike find themselves eager for that special countdown…and that midnight kiss. So join us in Virgin River this year, where Robyn Carr's trademark humor, warmth and sincerity will have you celebrating the festive season in your favorite mountain town.
Also available from Robyn Carr and Harlequin MIRA The Thunder Point Series THE HOMECOMING THE PROMISE THE CHANCE THE ... MOUNTAIN VIRGIN RIVER The Grace Valley Series DEEP IN THE VALLEY JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN DOWN BY THE RIVER Novels ..."
Selected Poems
I hide myself within my flower, That wearing on your breast, You, unsuspecting, wear me too--- And angels know the rest. I hide myself within my flower, That, fading from your vase, You, unsuspecting, feel for me Almost a loneliness.
I hide myself within my flower, That wearing on your breast, You, unsuspecting, wear me too--- And angels know the rest. I hide myself within my flower, That, fading from your vase, You, unsuspecting, feel for me Almost a loneliness."
Talking Book Topics
Theater - phobic inspector Peter Diamond investigates . Some strong language . 2011 . The Tooth Tattoo : A Peter Diamond Investigation DB76807 10 hours 47 minutes by Peter Lovesey read by Barry Bernson Seven years ago , musician Mel ..."
What Do I Read Next? Volume 2 2003
This volume contains descriptions of 1,245 books in nine fiction genres, including author or editor's name, publication information, story type, major characters, setting, plot summary, and more.
Book 2 ) The Wedding Party , 2001 Deep in the Valley , 2000 ( Grace Valley . Book 1 ) The House on Olive Street , 1999 Other books you might like : Patricia Forsythe , The Runaway Princess , 2001 Marilyn Pappano , Heaven on Earth ..."
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