Guardian of Eden Springs
by
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Excerpt:
A half hour later, Lizzie was still in the kitchen busily filling her mother in on everything that had taken place during the day, and Ed was seated in the living room watching the Huntley-Brinkley Report on television, when Doug came through the door. Ed glanced up, proudly registering how much Doug had grown since high school, noting that his six-one, one-ninety pound son was now considerably larger than he.
Doug slipped off his coat and tossed it on the sofa, then leaned over to give his dad a hug and his familiar affectionate greeting, “How you doing, old timer? Where are Mom and Liz?”
Laura and Lizzie had heard him enter and quickly came in to join them. Doug reached out to give Laura a big hug and whispered loudly, “Hi, Mom. Have Dad and Liz been behaving themselves today?” Then he turned to Lizzie and picked her up, swinging her around in a circle with her red pony tail trailing behind. “What have you been up to today, Squirt?” When he tried to put her down, Lizzie hung on to his neck and wouldn’t let go.
“How did things go for you at Power Generation Controls today?” Ed inquired. “Isn’t your workload a lot lighter now that you’ve made it through the year-end rush to get everything shipped out the back door?”
“It sure is, Dad. Our engineering staff was burning a lot of time in the factory back in December supporting quality control testers. But let’s talk about something more fun. Has Squirt been staying out of trouble at school, or is she still getting sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving?” Lizzie responded by grabbing Doug by both ears and grinding her face into his.
“You children behave yourselves,” Laura chimed in, unable to keep from laughing at the two. “Doug, have you heard anything from Vickie in the last few days?”
Doug set Lizzie down on the floor, directing a smile toward Laura. “No, Mom. Vickie seems to have a busy life these days in the Big Apple, and she doesn’t find time to write as often as she did. It seems as though her job as an assistant writer at NBC and her night school class at Columbia have her totally occupied. Must be a pretty exciting life. But I plan to call her tonight and find out how she’s getting along.”
Ed did not seem to pick up on anything out of the ordinary in Doug’s remarks, but Laura was more perceptive. She sensed that things were changing between Doug and Vickie, and that her step-son was having trouble dealing with a new and more distant relationship with his former steady girlfriend. Changing the subject quickly, she spoke cheerfully, “Everyone in the dining room for dinner. My meatloaf you’re having tonight is out of this world, even if I am bragging on my own cooking.”
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About the Book
Coal magnate Robert Barker is back for revenge seven years after attorney Ed Housman and his friends checkmated the development of a strip mine in the pristine valley near Eden Springs. But now his powerful ambitions have led him to the dark world of organized crime.
Ed and Laura have a young daughter, Lizzie. Their son, Doug, has returned from college to work in Eden Springs, trying to save a love affair with his high school sweetheart, Vickie Vicelli.
High school friend Freddie Palmer has dropped out of college and come back home to work for Laura, where he falls head over heels for the pretty new vet in town, Marilyn Nelson.
Barker’s plans for revenge converge with the town’s anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Eden Springs. In this return to the past, Ed is once again thrust into conflict with those who exploit the land and challenge the law, while the next generation decides what path to follow for the rest of their lives.
About the Author
Jim Crowgey is a retired engineer and writing enthusiast, splitting time between homes in Roanoke and nearby Smith Mountain Lake. He and his wife of over fifty years, Phyllis, are the proud parents of a son and daughter, and four grown granddaughters. He is an avid Virginia Tech Hokie with deep roots in Virginia and West Virginia, and bicycles the back roads of that region each week with a group of close friends.
Drawing on his own life experiences within a large family in an era following the Great Depression to the present, he creates warm, sympathetic characters living with grace and grit. His fast-paced novels span the literary spectrum from mystery, action, and adventure to romance and humor, leaving readers anxious to learn what will happen next all the way to the conclusion.