The Broken Hearted Girl

By Valerie Shultz

A love story never guarantees a happy ending. Life never guarantees an easy solution. One woman experiences all of the ups and downs of love and life as she endures a health crisis and begins a life with a man who has mental health issues. She is forced to face her fears, to take leaps of faith, and to make hard choices which will surely change her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Valerie Shultz
• Release date: Jul 12, 2010
• ISBN: 9781465748430

Valerie Shultz

Valerie is a photographer and writer - a true creative at heart. To learn more, visit her blog aptly named, "My Boring Beautiful Life."

Book preview

THE BROKEN HEARTED GIRL

By

Valerie Suzanne Shultz

SMASHWORDS EDITION

*****

PUBLISHED BY:

Valerie Suzanne Shultz on Smashwords

The Broken Hearted Girl

Copyright © 2010 by Valerie Suzanne Shultz

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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THE BROKEN HEARTED GIRL

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PROLOGUE

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Ally looked at her two best friends sitting across the table from her in the cheesy hotel diner and a broad smile crossed her face. Celebrating her 30th birthday in Vegas had been their idea, and Ally was fantastically grateful for it. They were having so much fun.

Right now they were devouring strawberry cheesecake and laughing as they talked about the show they went to earlier in the evening. Watching oiled hunks with six pack abs dance around mostly naked was good for the spirit, Ally decided. Even her married friend loved the show, giggling relentlessly when one of them sat in Ally’s lap and pulled her hands across his slippery chest and gave her a personal dance.

She was sure her cheeks had turned a very deep shade of red, probably matching the tacky red carpeting in the room, but she was enjoying herself. She felt so renewed lately. She used her milestone birthday as an excuse to get a new tattoo and for the first time in her life got a new hair style and color. She carefully gave herself a manicure and pedicure before heading off to Vegas, wanting to look as wonderful on the outside as she felt on the inside.

Her friend had done a little moaning and groaning earlier about being tied down and not being able to come and go as she pleased. Her husband was fully supportive of her girlfriend time, but just having to ask and make sure arrangements were made for the care of the kids could be a bit of a task.

Ally thought on that. The thing about being single was you never had anybody to consult with before making vacation plans, and never had to check in with anybody. You never had to worry about being able to reciprocate the flirting from a random guy if you wanted to. You never had to answer for how you spent your money or your time.

But it also meant nobody was there to care when you come or go. You didn’t have anybody to miss you while you were away. Nobody to greet you at the door with a loving smile when you returned. Nobody to sit on the other side of the bed at night while you relived your tales of good-natured Vegas fun.

Ally pondered that. She’d been married, and she’d been single. She was definitely far more happy single than she had been married. Leaving the marriage wasn’t her choice, but it certainly was beneficial for her in the end. In fact, for her, divorce had been the key to her self-preservation.

And being with someone again wouldn’t mean that she would be any happier the second time around. Ally was committed to being happy as a single woman, and a single mom. She didn’t have to pretend at it either. Happiness came easily to her, as she filled her days with her children and her nights with her studies and crafting, and her weekends off from motherhood out with girlfriends. She was never at a loss for things to do, even when her friends were occupied. She was no longer intimidated by sitting at a table in a restaurant alone or going to a movie solo.

She hiked, she photographed nature, and she stopped to smell the roses.

She was determined to make as many memories as a person could possible squeeze into one lifetime, like now, in Vegas. She laughed until her sides ached, she danced until her feet hurt, and she lived it up until she passed out on top of the comforter with her clothes still on.

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CHAPTER ONE

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Hey, I’m going to unbuckle for a minute, so no crashing, ‘kay? Ally said as she smiled toward Jake. It turns out she perhaps could be just as single dating as she had been single.

I’ll try my best.

She let her seatbelt slide back and got up on her knees to reach the bag that was behind her seat.

Yummm, she mumbled, ripping the candy bag open and buckling her belt at the same time. She popped a colorful parade of starbursts into her mouth, devouring them one after another.

I’ve never seen you with such a sweet tooth, Jake noticed.

I usually don’t crave sweets so much. She looked into the canvas shopping bag she’d packed the snacks in for the long drive from Phoenix to Denver. The drinks were in the cooler that was behind Jake’s seat, and the bag in her lap contained a box of crackers, a box of Pop Tarts, a bag of sunflower seeds, and four bags full of candy. She had rushed to the store before Jake got off work to grab snacks. She hadn’t realized how much her sudden sugar fetish had dictated her shopping.

We should probably stop and get some other things, she said with a crooked frown on her face.

No, it’s fine. Why don’t you start the audio book I downloaded to my iPhone. It’s going to be a long night.

She dug through and found the right cord in the console and spent five minutes learning how to hook the iPhone up to the stereo so they could listen from her jeep’s speakers. Then she arranged her