Spotlight & Giveaway: The Empty Nesters by Carolyn Brown

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Carolyn Brown’s new release: The Empty Nesters

The worst of times calls for the best of friends in this sassy novel about starting over, from New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Dear friends and army wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together.
 
Facing an empty nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and tears. She’s been there.
 
With nothing to lose and no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters.
 
Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning point in their lives. And with the open road ahead of them, it’s just the beginning.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from The Empty Nesters 

Luke had looked forward to a walk in the nice brisk breeze all day, but now he wished he could go back to the campsite, crawl into his tent, and read until he fell asleep. Being around Diana brought out his awkward and shy side, and he didn’t like it—not one bit. He’d been more comfortable around her than he’d been with any woman he’d ever met, and then she found out his age. Now he was back to being that computer geek with a bashful streak.

The pungent aroma in the air was rotting leaves, and the cool night wind would turn downright cold before long, but he loved fall. He tried to find something to talk about, but nothing came to mind.

He’d never been really good with small talk or women—that was the curse of being a computer geek. Diana didn’t ask anything else or start a conversation—maybe that night she wanted to be alone with her own thoughts.

But Luke liked the sound of her voice too much to let it go, so he finally asked, “Do you like to read? I’ve noticed that Carmen and Joanie read a lot. You just work all the time. I was a lot like that, too, until I sold my company. I buried myself in my work and forgot to live.”

“Did you like what you did?” She sat down on a park bench beside the path. “Is that a golf course right there?”

“The brochure I got when I checked us in said there was a six-hole course on the grounds, so I guess it is. Do you play?”

“Nope,” she answered. “You?”

“Not me,” he answered. “Like I said, I’ve always been a workaholic.” He sat down on the other end of the bench. “It gave purpose to my life at the time. But about a year ago it became boring, so it was time to sell out and move on. I’m thinking about starting a new company where I’ll produce computer software that can design lighter-weight and better prostheses for our war veterans. There’s lots of that kind of thing out there, but I’ve got some ideas to improve on what’s available now.”

“That sounds amazing.” The wind whipped her shoulder-length red hair into her face.

Luke stopped himself from reaching out to tuck it behind her ear. “It’s just a way to give back to all the veterans. For Uncle Smokey.”

Diana pulled a rubber band from her pocket and twisted her hair up into a ponytail, then zipped up her lightweight jacket. “I hope Tootsie starts to feel better when we get to the house. Do you think it’ll be colder up in northern Texas? I didn’t bring a heavier coat.”

“It can get pretty chilly. I went up there a couple of times for Thanksgiving so Uncle Smokey and Aunt Tootsie would have some company. A couple of times we got an inch of snow. Want my sweater?” Luke asked. He started to unbutton the cardigan.

She shook her head. “I’m fine for now—just wondering if I’d packed the right stuff.”

“There are stores all along the way, and it’s only a half-hour drive to Paris. We usually make weekly trips down there to get supplies,” he said.

“In the RV?”

“Nope, not in the RV. We’ll do that in Uncle Smokey’s old truck. It’s about thirty years old, but it still runs like it’s brand new.”

“Why would they keep a truck and only use it a couple of months out of the year? Until this year, they’d drive up there in their car, right?”

“That many trips into town on those roads would shake the hell out of their Caddy. And believe me, Aunt Tootsie treats that car like family.” Luke chuckled. “Age, on a truck or on a person, makes no difference. It’s how well they’re maintained that matters.”

Why, oh, why, couldn’t he have smooth pickup lines like other men? Luke asked himself. What he’d just said could be taken as an insult. She might think that he thought she looked like an old pickup truck at her age, when in reality she was downright gorgeous. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she still got carded at bars when she ordered a drink.

“I didn’t mean that you’re old,” he stammered.

“I didn’t take it that way.” Diana smiled. “I took it as a compliment. Thank you for saying it, because I’ve sure been feeling old this past week.”

“I wouldn’t know why. You’re a beautiful woman, Diana.” He stopped and stared at the sunset over the golf course.

She turned to face him. “I’m tall and gangly. I have red hair and freckles. I’m old enough to have a daughter in the army . . .”

He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not in a bathroom mirror. I think you are gorgeous.”

“Well, thank you again. It’s been a long time since anyone said something that nice about me.” Diana blushed.

He removed his hand, and they continued on, but the silence wasn’t nearly as awkward as it had been before.

Excerpt. ©Carolyn Brown. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 

Giveaway: eBook: THE EMPTY NESTERS by Carolyn Brown

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Meet the Author:

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . . and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn at …

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