PeaceWrites: When Night Falls Around Us

Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young, she spent hours drawing characters on paper and fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more serious, however, when she met her own hero at Northern Arizona University and they later became the parents of six children.

In between spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts, transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still enjoys putting her imagination to good use. She is the author of seven novels and three novellas.

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"Nineteen-year-old Felicity Everstone is living her dream while attending college and serving alongside her parents in the North Atlanta Georgia Mission for the LDS Church--not to mention dating a charming guy who sweeps her off her feet. But when she is unexpectedly sent home to Idaho to care for her nephew through her sister-in-law's difficult pregnancy, and the friend she has been sharing the gospel with no longer wants to pursue that path, everything that once brought light and joy into her life nearly flickers out. Until she meets her good-looking but solemn neighbor, Erik.

Erik Cannon has already lost the love of his life. Now, as a young, successful businessman, making money seems to be his God-given talent, but he can no longer ignore the emptiness he feels inside. He needs to find purpose and meaning in his life once again. When his best friend's sister comes to help her family through a crisis, Erik's heart is reawakened. He senses this is a second chance at love for him, and that he and Felicity might be able to build a beautiful life together--until her old boyfriend comes back into the picture.

When darkness settles over Erik and Felicity's path, will their emerging love be enough to light the way?"

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Snippet:

Erik quickly placed a few split logs into the grate and lit a match. After stoking the fire, he turned to see that Felicity’s face was pale and her lips—well, they weren’t the cinnamon red he’d expected to see. In fact, they were a little on the bluish side. His fists clenched. As soon as he could, he was going to have a talk with Dustin about sending his sister outside to have her nightly recaps with her boyfriend.

Ignoring the strange feeling of having a female in his home again, he went to work fixing a cup of hot chocolate. When the microwave dinged, letting him know the water was ready, he poured a packet of powdered hot chocolate mix into a mug and stirred, then he brought it over to her. “Here,” he said, nodding in satisfaction when she wrapped both hands around it.

“Th-thanks.”

But then his eyes bugged out when he noticed which mug he had given her. It was red and part of a set. On the front were the words: He captured my heart. The other mug that belonged to the set said: She captured my soul. He’d bought those mugs for Brooke on a whim one day when she’d sent him to the store for something else.

“Uh, I’ll be right back.” He’d just remembered his groceries. He skipped down the stairs and grabbed them before turning back the way he’d come. Looking in on Felicity again, he saw her take a sip. Then another. Good.

Silence reigned. That was, until Erik’s phone rang. Glancing at the number, he picked it up and said in a fractious tone, “Yeah, Dustin?”

Dustin didn’t even offer a greeting before he asked, “Have you seen my sister? She said she was going to step outside for a few minutes, but it’s been over a half hour. And now she’s not there!”

They must have just missed each other. If Erik wasn’t so worried about Felicity, he might have smiled about that. “Yeah, she’s up here, having a cup of hot chocolate with me.”

Surprise tinged Dustin’s voice. “Really, man? How did that happen? I thought she was going to talk to her boyfriend like she usually does.”

“Yeah, about that,” Erik drawled, sliding his gaze toward Felicity. Even though she took another sip, longer this time, she seemed to be aware of his and her brother’s conversation. Their gazes locked, and Erik’s heart thumped wildly in his chest. She had two of the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen, with long lashes that swept down and back up to reveal the regret she must be feeling, mixed with gratitude for what he’d done.

That look carried its own kind of torture. At this moment, he’d be willing to jump off a building to save her.