Smoky Mountain Lovely
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I flip off the light switch and lock the door. Before I can put the keys in my purse, a hand covers my mouth. “Don’t scream,” a man’s voice instructs me. Oh, I definitely want to scream. My pulse races as panic surges. His arms are like a vice. “Where is the painting?” he demands. “It wasn’t in either frame so where is it?” “What painting,” I try to ask around the pleather gloved hand clamped over my lips. It’s obvious the man isn’t very smart, or he would realize that I can’t answer him with my mouth covered. I whirl my body trying to face him. He has his face covered in a ski mask, so I can’t tell what he looks like. I attempt again to ask, “What painting?” He lets his hand slide down to my chin momentarily to hear my response. “I don’t know what you are talking about!” I say, then I let out a blood curdling yell for help just before his hand covers my mouth again. “You know very well what painting,” he says, as he pulls me closer to his chest, his breath hot in my ear. Through clenched teeth, he sneers, “Maybe we need to find your grandmother and ask her about it. I could just hold you for ransom until she’s willing to hand it over.” He’s trying to drag me with him. “Don’t even think about trying to yell again,” he says. “No one can hear you up here.” I stomp hard on his foot, grinding the heel of my boot into it. He lets out a growl and lifts me off my feet as I struggle to get free. This is met with the sound of a much louder growl. He turns with me still in his arms, and behind him stands the momma bear on her hind legs. He releases me and backs a few steps away, then breaks into a run. The bear charges a short distance in his direction. Once the man is out of sight, the bear returns to the path that leads into the woods. She glances at me and makes a soft huffing sound. “Thank you, girl, you saved me,” I tell her as she walks into the shadows.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
When Macy Jo set out to open an art gallery in the Smoky Mountains, with the help of her artist grandmother, Priscilla, she never suspected she would be faced with a mysterious thief who is after a painting with a secret, or with the kidnapping of her grandmother and a black bear cub, but she isn’t in it alone, because her new romantic interest is eager to help her solve the mystery and save the day. A break-in on the opening day of an art gallery in the Great Smoky Mountains has the owner, Macy Jo, searching for answers to a mystery surrounding a painting from long ago. Macy meets Noah, who repairs her broken window, and she wonders if he might be the one to repair her broken heart as well. Does Macy’s grandmother know a secret concerning the painting the thief is after? Could the answers be found in Priscilla’s journal? It takes us back to the fun fties in post-war America where Priscilla meets Brinnon Benjamin, who left the Netherlands on the last ship out, before his homeland was bombed. He cares for Priscilla, but she has a strong connection to her faith. Can he ever get past his resentment over losing his parents to believe in a loving God? Can Macy solve the mystery and locate the painting in time to save her grandmother and the bear cub?
About the Author
Angel Ruth Kitts is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association and was honored by them with an award in 2024, for having her first novel published. She has completed writing courses through Guidepost and the Christian Writers Institute. She attended Walter State Community College where she studied Nursing and Elementary Education. In her thirty-two years as a nurse, she has worked in school nursing, IMCN, labor and delivery, and geriatrics. She enjoys writing, sharing God’s message to love one another, drawing and painting, and spending time with her family. She lives with her husband Tim and their two dogs in East Tennessee. She has one daughter Lydia, and one grandson Jett.