Hometown
Girl Again
Hometown
Series Book 5
by
Kirsten Fullmer
Genre:
Romance
How
did I end up so broken? It’s a question Katherine can’t answer.
First, a surprise inheritance tipped her life upside-down, and now
her new RV park is a muddy mess of half-restored trailers. To make
matters worse, she’s falling for her first crush all over again.
The only thing she’s sure of at this point is a full-blown identity
crisis.
Alex
came home after a life-threatening wound ended his Army career. Now
Katie is back too, and she’s building something called a glamping
park? He feels like he let her down years ago, can he make it up to
her now? Or are his own problems too much to handle?
Fate
brought Katherine and Alex back to Smithville, and the town-folk want
to see them together again. Will the couple be able to cope with the
locals well-intentioned meddling, or did their chance at love
disappear a long time ago...
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Relieved
to have found all the items on her list, Katherine offered the clerk a shy
smile and collected her bags. The place was really more of a small town
mercantile than a hardware store, being the only store in town that offered
more than groceries, and she was glad they saw fit to carry a bit of
everything.
When
she reached the door, lugging her supplies, she was surprised to see Alex
through the glass. He was heading across the parking lot toward her, carrying a
small black and white dog, and his characteristic swagger looked more like a
limp as he wrestled with the puppy.
Jumping
back, her head whipped from one side to the other, looking for a place to hide.
Alex
marched into the store, and she ducked behind a rack of men’s overalls. Holding
her breath, she crouched and peeked between the overall straps. The little
black dog had an adorable smiling face, and her heart melted, but then she
noticed Alex’s blustery expression. The puppy wriggled in his grip, and he
turned her way.
Her
arm shot out to grab a straw hat from the rack, and she plopped it on her head,
hoping it would hide her sweaty, lopsided bun.
The
dog barked and squirmed, and it was obvious that Alex needed help, but
Katherine knew she was a sweaty mess, and she probably looked like she’d just
rolled out of bed, since she had, not to mention she smelled like gasoline
after spilling on her grubby pants when she filled her can at the gas station
earlier.
She’d
made a big enough fool of herself already, and she wasn’t eager to repeat the disgrace,
so she hunched lower behind the rack, watching with only one eye showing from
under the hat
Alex
was far too busy wrestling the dog to notice her, so she stayed silent,
watching as they passed. Before she could make her move toward the door, however,
the dog escaped Alex’s arms and bound down the aisle. Alex reached out,
scrambling for the puppy, but lost his balance and fell sideways into a rack of
garden trowels that clattered and crashed to the floor.
Dropping
her bags, Katherine hurried to his side to see if he was okay. When she reached
him, his expression was dark as the devil, so she hesitated, pulling her hand
back. “Want me to get the dog?” she asked timidly, and he nodded, so she turned
away. Worried about Alex, she glanced nervously over her shoulder, but he was
already back on his feet, righting the rack, so she hurried after the puppy.
The
little dog hadn’t gone far when she spotted him assaulting a display of chips
and other snacks. By the time she reached his side, the puppy had a package of
jerky in his mouth.
She
scooped up the dog, unable to keep from laughing at his antics. “You’re a
naughty one, aren’t you!” she chided, watching the puppy chew on jerky. As cute
as he was, she had to wonder why Alex had brought him to the store, and without
a leash. “I didn’t take Alex for the dog type,” she mumbled to herself.
“I’m not,” Alex growled, from behind her, causing her to
whirl around in surprise. He reached for the dog.
She handed over the puppy, appraising Alex’s face and mood.
“Can I help?” she asked before her brain clicked into gear. Here she’d been
relieved that he hadn’t seen her, and now she couldn’t help but jump square
into his business.
“You don’t— need to do that,” he assured her, his words
jarred and interrupted by the wriggling dog. Then over the dog, he eyed her in
question with one brow raised.
She
squared her shoulders. She knew she looked a sight, but he was being flat out
rude. “Would he sit in a shopping cart?” she wondered out loud.
Alex glanced toward the front of the store, then back. “I
don’t know.”
“I’ll grab you one,” she offered, then hurried away without
waiting for his reply. By the time she returned, Alex looked ready to strangle
the puppy with his bare hands, so Katherine reached out and took the dog, and
put him in the cart.
At
first, the little dog seemed confused and frightened, but once he got his
bearings and put his front paws on the end of the cart, he seemed happy enough.
His oversized ears perked with curiosity and his tongue lolled from the side of
his mouth, accentuating his goofy grin.
Alex stared at the dog, obviously unhappy, then his gaze
turned to her. “Nice hat.”
Horrified that she was still wearing the stupid straw hat,
she yanked it off her head and tossed it onto a shelf. “How old is he?” she
asked, motioning toward the dog, hoping to take Alex’s attention away from her.
“Hell
if I know,” he grumbled, glaring down at the puppy.
Her
questioning glance swung from the puppy back to his face.
“I
just got him yesterday. From my nieces.”
“Oh,”
she replied, wondering why someone would give a dog to a person who didn’t want
one.
For
a moment it looked as if Alex would explain, but his mouth clamped closed, and
his brows lowered into a glower, so she left it alone. Taking a step back, she
motioned toward the door. “I better get moving, but…” she hesitated, then
continued. “Feel free to bring him out to the RV park if you need to. I’m sure
we can find a place for him to play while you work.”
“I’m
here to get him a leash and a play yard, but,” Alex ‘s gaze came to hers, and
her discomfort caused his expression to soften, “I appreciate the offer. I
wasn’t sure what to do with him, to be honest.”
She
was relieved to see him calm down. “It’s not a problem; I’ll see you in a while
then.” With a wave she turned away and headed toward the door, hoping he didn’t
see her collect her things from behind the overalls.
As
an author, I take great pleasure in writing about topics that I find
interesting, and of course my latest novel is a perfect example. Hometown Girl
Again, book five of The Hometown Series, features vintage camp trailers from
the 1950s! What could possibly be more romantic? As Katherine learns in the
novel, restoring old trailers is actually quite difficult and dirty, but extremely
rewarding work.
Six authentic vintage trailers are featured
in the novel, and as the reader you will follow Katherine from her quiet
orderly life where every choice is safe, through the unexpected adventure of
restoring trailers for her new glamping park.
The first trailer in the book, Katherine’s
home, is a 1954 Anderson 315-TB,
complete with turquoise and chrome exterior, bubble window in the door,
polished birch interior walls and ceiling, and a vintage 1950 style bathroom.
Among the trailers she loving overhauls is a 33 foot 1950 Spartan Royal
Mansion, similar to the one Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnez own in the movie The
Long Long Trailer. If you have ever been curious about vintage trailers, this
story is for you!
Katherine,
as well as the other leading ladies in The Hometown Series, have their mind set
on a task and just as everything is going great, in walks unexpended
complications in the form of a handsome man. These ladies aren’t afraid to work
hard and get grimy to make their dreams come true, and of course, they can’t
help falling in love. In Hometown Girl Again, Katherine gets the added
stressful bonus of falling for her ex, her first love from a decade past. I
think most of us experience an inward shudder at the thought, but in all
fairness, many us also harbor a tiny hidden place in the back of our heart for
our first love.
I
hope you enjoy returning to Smithville. Of course, the town folk you know and
love can’t resist interfering with Katherine and Alex, and the trailers. I’d
love to hear what you think about the story, as well as any photos you’d like
to share of your vintage trailers!
Other
Books in the Series:
Hometown
Girl at Heart
Hometown
Series Book 1
Hometown
Girl After All
Hometown Series Book 2
Hometown
Girl Forever
Hometown Series Book 3
Christmas
in Smithville
The Hometown Series
Book 4
Kirsten
grew up in the Western US and graduated from high school in
1984. She married soon there after and quickly built a family.
With three young children and number four on the way, she returned to
college in 1992. Her career as a draftsman included many settings
ranging from a steel fabrication shops to prestigious engineering
firms. Balancing family life with the workplace forced her to
become the queen of multitasking. In 2001, bored with the cubical
life, she moved on to teach drafting in technical college, then to
opening her own consulting firm teaching 3D engineering software. Due
to health problems, Kirsten retired in 2012 to travel with her
husband for his job. She now works writing romance novels and enjoys
spoiling her three grandchildren. Since 2017 Kirsten has lived and
worked full time in a 40' travel trailer with her husband and her
little dog Bingo.
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