Down The Gravel Mile: The Pipestone Creek Romance Series, #2

By Diane Ziomek

Life changing realization.

Canadian Thanksgiving.

New hope.

As Joe reflects on recent events, he realizes he may have a drinking problem. And that his drinking could be why Rachel won't be anything more than his friend.

Chad's jealousy surfaces, and his choice of words does more harm than good.

Family, friends and neighbours gather for Thanksgiving Dinner, complete with a horse-drawn hayride. The group visits an old homestead where a renovated barn stands; frozen in time.

A new romance is in the air, and better things to come are on the horizon. Scroll up to read the continuation of life and romance in Pipestone Creek.

This series contains mature content but is not sexually explicit in any way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane Ziomek
• Release date: Feb 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386153528

Diane Ziomek

Diane grew up on fairytales such as Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White, and always believed in the happily-ever-after. As life happened she learned that isn't always the case, but in a story anything is possible. After years of writing content for others and publishing her own nonfiction, she began writing contemporary romance in 2018. With her first series finished and the second underway, she has no intentions of switching her focus to another genre. Diane calls rural East Central Alberta home, and currently works part time at the local library. When not working or writing, she can be found spending time with her children (now young adults) and other family members or enjoying her fiber arts. The summer months lend themselves to enjoying her garden, being outdoors and camping with her significant other.

Book preview

To those who unknowingly give me the AHA moments. Without you, there’d be no humour or drama.

Chapter One

CAN’T YOU LEAVE AFTER Thanksgiving? Joe’s heart sunk when his mom told him their plans. He knew he was over fourty and should be able to handle it, but he still felt a sense of loss. Why did the day have to end with disappointment?

Sorry Honey. We want to be back by mid-November, so have to leave this week. Marilyn loved Joe dearly, but it was time he spent a holiday without them. They were given the opportunity to do a fall trip, so why not go. There wasn’t any reason for them not to enjoy their retirement. We’ll stop to visit for a day or two on the way home. I’m sure you’ll manage just fine. We love you.

Love you too Mom. Have a safe trip. Oh, I expect pictures. He knew there would be tons of them; his mom loved taking pictures.

Joe hung up the phone. Never before had he spent a holiday without his parents; not even when he was in college several hours away. Was this their way of preparing him for life without them? He pushed the thought from his mind.

He thought instead about the turkey, stuffing and all of the other food he would miss out on. His mouth watered just thinking about it. And then there was the pie; it was to die for! There wasn’t anything quite like his mom’s cooking. He had never spent a holiday alone and it pained him. Maybe finding someone to share the rest of his life with wasn’t a bad idea. The trouble was, who would want him? He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t a looker either. Women tended to look the other way when they saw him coming.

He reached for the bottle of whiskey in the cupboard and poured himself a shot. He tipped back the glass and emptied it, feeling the familiar burn as it went down. He knew he probably drank too much, but it numbed the pain of spending so much time alone.

His thoughts drifted back to a few years earlier when the new neighbours moved in. He had known the elderly couple were moving into town, and decided to sell the farm so they could enjoy their retirement. Their sons lived in other parts of the province, and didn’t want to be farmers so the decision to sell was made.

Joe was out in his yard when he saw the U-Haul drive by, towing one truck while another followed. He was more than curious as to who his new neighbours were going to be, so he did what any country boy would do: he gave them a half hour, then hopped in his truck and drove over.

He parked his truck beside the U-Haul and got out. As a young couple walked out of the house, he offered his hand. Hi, I’m Joe. Welcome to the neighbourhood! I saw you go by and thought you might like some help?

Thank you! I’m Sam, and this is my wife Rachel. Nice to meet you.

Joe remembered how his only thought at that moment was Damn, she’s hot! It was also the day a friendship started between the three; one that time made stronger. And, when he remembered the day Rachel called him crying and told him about Sam, he poured himself another shot of whiskey.

I promised Sam I would take care of you Rachel. He knew he had a dangerous job, but thought he was invincible. If you need anything, anything at all, day or night, call me. Joe had said those words to Rachel after the funeral. He had a secret crush on her, and when Sam died he felt he may have a chance at taking things further. He knew she needed time, but at least he could actively pursue her. He thought he had a chance of getting her into his bed, but that all changed when she told him she was hiring help for the summer.

Joe poured himself one more and downed it. His thoughts drifted back to a few weeks earlier, when he got back from his vacation to find Rachel’s hired hand had skipped out on her. That had been a good day for Joe, although he could never let her know he was happy about the fact. It was when he came back that was the problem.

Chapter Two

JOE RECALLED THE CONVERSATION he and Rachel had when she told him Chad had left. He also recalled the jealousy he felt when she told him she had offered Chad more, even before he knew what more was. He was hoping the bastard would come back, just so he could kick his ass.

The opportunity presented itself a few weeks later, and Joe wasn’t going to pass it up. He had noticed the truck in the yard late the night before, when he was on his way home from visiting another neighbour. He had been tempted to stop right then, but decided it could wait until morning. When he looked back on it later, that hadn’t been his best judgment call.

He recalled being angry; not because Chad had left, but because he had come back. His chance of getting to know another side of Rachel had just been blown out of the water, and he was pissed off. The night and following morning were a bit of a blur.

He had tried to sleep, but it wasn’t working. When Joe couldn’t sleep, he turned to his bottle of whiskey. By the time the sun rose, he was three sheets to the wind and mad. His sense of reason had left hours before, and he jumped in his truck and drove to Rachel’s.

When he saw Chad and Rachel walking to the barn together, he reacted - badly. He was asking questions, but wasn’t waiting for answers. He had to admit, he had pretty good balance for a drunk guy, not to mention decent aim. He felt good when his fist connected with