An Inspirational Romance Novel
In Search of the Shepherd can be purchased on Amazon!
About In Search of the Shepherd
Location & Background
In Search of the Shepherd is the second book in a series that takes place in the rural outskirts of Cambridge Massachusetts where Heather lives and works.
Jake Shepherd lives and works on his father's ranch in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
The two meet at a church Thanksgiving function at Heather's church. They immediately hit it off.
But soon it is clear to Heather that Jake isn't a believer. She struggles with how to help him while protecting her heart.
Meet the cast
The Heroine
Heather's attributes are not based on any specific person. Heather is an everyday, normal girl with red hair. She is a good friend of Jenny Bell, newly Jenny Shepherd.
Her aspiration is to one day run her own animal shelter but until then she works at a shelter in town.
The Hero
Jake isn't based on any one specific person either. He is Al Shepherd's older brother. Where Al is dark, Jake is blond. He works on his father's ranch as a horse trainer.
If the death of his mother drove Al closer to the Lord, Jake took several steps back. Some basic theological misunderstandings about Jesus' nature become a stumbling stone. Will the truth set him free?
Story Line
Jake is struggling with believing in a loving God. He is trying to find a way to draw Heather into a relationship while keeping her faith and beliefs at a distance.
Heather can't let herself fall for a man who doesn't share her faith. The problem is that she feels it might be too late.
Finding Their Path
Can Heather lead Jake toward faith without losing her own beliefs?
Will Jake find love in both Heather and God or will his past dictate his future?
“I mean, I love to laugh and joke around too, Jake, but you are extreme.” I pushed his arm just as he reached for his water glass and he had to juggle to keep it from spilling.
“I can’t help it, Heather. You just make me laugh. I’m sitting here trying to hold a regular conversation, and you write down my every word like I might test you on it later.” He took a drink of water to calm himself, exhaling on a chuckle.
“I guess I can’t be too hard on you. Laughter is one of the things Jenny and I have in common, but I’ve never met a man who enjoys laughing as much as I do.”
We almost had each other in tears at times and I can hardly remember what was so funny that night.
Heather - on her first date with Jake
Book description
Heather Moore
Heather Moore never thought she would find a man who could laugh and talk as much as she did, at least not one who would be attracted to her and her to him.
As a child, she tried to be invisible to escape ridicule and negative attention from schoolmates and foster families alike. When she did get detected she tried her best to seem pleasing and happy. She had learned early on that no one liked a sad or grumpy kid.
Eventually, humor and positivity became a true part of her personality and not just a defense mechanism. Despite her positive and fun attitude, she was never popular with the boys. Then she met Jake Shepherd. Not only did they make each other laugh, but they also found each other attractive.
To top it all off, he was a Christian. Heather’s faith was the solid ground that kept her world together. Thanks to her last foster family she found God and a church family she knew she couldn’t live without.
She learned quickly that you can never know the true heart of another until they open themselves to you. The Christian she believed Jake to be was just a show. She was grateful he put her straight on the subject before she lost her heart entirely. But if that was true, why did she feel so empty?
Jake Shepherd
Jake Shepherd couldn’t be more pleased. Well, that’s not true. He would be more pleased if Heather Moore didn’t live quite so far away. After spending Thanksgiving at the same place and occupying all her time at his brother’s wedding recently, he knew he had found his soul mate.
Jake had watched his parents work together on their ranch and knew he wanted a wife he could work beside. He wanted them to love and support each other and the best way he knew to do that was to spend time together, both at work and play.
Jake wanted to be open and honest if they were to start a relationship. He had too many secrets to keep from his family and knew the strain it put on him. No way did he want anything to strain or weaken his relationship with the one he hoped to marry.
In order to start right he shared his best-kept secret with Heather. He no longer believed in a loving God. His time spent in church was merely to keep the peace in his family. Unfortunately, his honesty might have cost him the answer to his dreams.
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