Dragonfly (28 page)
Authors: Leigh Talbert Moore
I thought about that conversation with Gabi about what I wanted, and the decisions I’d made about having value and being the reason for someone.
When I opened my eyes again, there he stood. As if somehow he’d heard my thoughts and come here to find me. I shook my head. That wasn’t right. He was holding a surfboard.
Julian looked out at the water several minutes then he glanced down and bent his knees to squat beside me on the sand. As always, his presence soothed me, almost making the bad stuff disappear. Almost bringing me all the way back to happy. It felt so close with him here.
“Waiting for someone?” he said.
I shook my head. “I just love when the weather’s like this.”
“Me, too. Great day to hang ten.”
“I don’t surf.”
“I’m still waiting to teach you.”
I studied his face and considered for a few seconds how much of a mistake it would be to take his hand and venture out into the swirling water. Allowing him to teach me to ride the waves that were growing in height, following him into the currents most people feared. I was a pretty good swimmer, and I trusted Julian.
“Okay,” I said.
He pulled me up. “Let’s go.”
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Undertow
, Book 2 in the Dragonfly series,
coming July 18, 2013
!
Undertow
by Leigh Talbert Moore
Recovering from her broken heart, Anna decides to spend the break diving into the mysterious three journals Bill Kyser gave her to read. He said they would explain his need for secrecy and win her to his side.
But the more Anna learns about the tragic events behind the powerful developer’s withdrawal, the more she’s convinced his silence is a mistake.
As her feelings for Julian grow deeper, Anna has to decide if she’ll stick to the plan or tell him the truth about a past that’s been buried for decades. The only problem is the more she knows, the more Anna realizes either choice could cost her the boy she loves.
Acknowledgments
In early 2010, when I finished the very first draft of
Dragonfly
, my very first novel, I timidly showed it to four people—my husband, Richard, and my friends Melissa Ott, Kim Barnes, and Allyson Johnson. And though it was very much “in the rough,” not one of them said, “Don’t quit your day job!” I’m so thankful for their early encouragement, and I have to thank them first for never letting me give up on my dream.
Thank you to my reader-friends, who make this job so much fun! I love hearing from you, reading your reviews, getting your tweets, seeing your emails and Facebook posts, thinking about your feedback, and most of all, meeting your demand for more! I wish I could sit down and thank each of you in person. You’ve given me such a gift to be able to do this full time.
Thank you to my precious daughters and my mom and dad, who hardly complain when I’m under tight deadlines, not keeping in touch very well, or generally stressed out. Thanks for putting up with a slightly messy house and somewhat distracted me. I love you guys so much.
Thank you to my writer-friends, who helped me go back and get this, my very first book, to a place where readers might enjoy meeting these characters and starting this journey. Thank you for always being supportive and generously sharing so much great advice. I wouldn’t be here without you!
Thank you specifically to my cousin Odessa Toma, Susan Quinn, Tami Hart Johnson, Magan Vernon, Jolene Perry, Sharon Hattenstein, and Tracy Womack, who read and gave feedback. Thanks to Jolene Perry for her sailing wisdom and gorgeous cover design. Thanks to Allie Brennan for design support and writerly encouragement. Thanks to all my book club ladies for being so excited about cover images and pictures and quotes. And for not forgetting me 850 miles away—I love you guys!
Special thanks to Scott Montgomery and Jim Bleeke for helping me survive, mentally and logistically, after Richard’s accident. You helped me more than I can ever say.
And thanks to God for giving me this storytelling gift, blessing me with the ability, and finding the readers who allow me do it full-time. Here’s to all ten on the shelves, the first of which is Yours, opened doors, and touched so many hearts.
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About the Author
Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, a former journalist, a former editor, a chocoholic, a caffeine addict, a lover of great love stories, a beach bum, and occasionally she sleeps.
Also by Leigh Talbert Moore:
The Truth About Faking
(2012)
Rouge
(2012)
The Truth About Letting Go
(2013)
Find all of Leigh’s books on
Connect with Leigh online:
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Dragonfly
Copyright © Leigh Talbert Moore, 2013
www.leightmoore.com
Printed in the United States of America.
Cover design by
Jolene B. Perry
.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, photocopying, mechanical, or otherwise—without prior permission of the publisher and author.
