Barefoot Brides Page 21

  “You got a job with a free magazine?”

  “Worse. I am the publisher of a free tabloid-style weekly.”

  “The publish…Oh, Hunt! You’re starting a business in Santa Sofia?” She threw her arms around him.

  “Not only that, I’m starting a business to serve Santa Sofia,” he said. “And I have you to thank for it.”

  There were so many questions she wanted to ask but finally settled on the thing she most wanted to hear from him, for now. “This means you’re staying?”

  “I’m staying,” he confirmed. “If you don’t think having another person who cares about you around won’t crowd you too much?”

  “I think I can learn to live with it,” she said softly.

  “Good.” He leaned in to give her a kiss.

  Whap!

  Billy J slapped him resoundingly across the back. “Time for that kind of thing after you take the plunge yourselves! For now, we have a restaurant to clear out and get cleaned up to open in the morning.”

  “Neither of us works for you,” Moxie called out to remind the man with the rolling gait and the captain’s hat she thought of as the best dad—and biggest busybody—in the world.

  “Doesn’t matter,” he bellowed back. “You’re family. Family pitches in when in needs pitching.”

  Hunt looked at her and mouthed that phrase as though that might help him make sense out of it.

  Moxie laughed, stole a quick kiss and took him by the hand to lead him into the Bait Shack. “As convoluted as that is, I think I like it better than the old Weatherby motto. Especially the part where he calls us family.”

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Moxie had mixed feelings about suddenly being a part of a family she had never known. What did you think of her reaction to her situation? How did you imagine you would have responded to a reunion with lost family members as an adult?

  Jo had big plans for a women’s group, but was ill-prepared to lead one. Have you ever tried to start a group? What kind of preparation did you go through personally? Or what would you do to prepare yourself?

  Kate feared that she would not be able to ever be a real part of Vince’s family. Do you think her concerns were valid?

  Vince found it difficult to let go of his grown son and see him move away. Can you relate that to how you have struggled (or found it easy) to let go of a loved one or even a good friend moving away?

  Travis had very set ideas about the things a person needed to do before trying to lead others in a Christian fellowship. Did you agree with his thoughts? Why or why not?

  Hunt was brash but learned quickly about the importance of serving others. How important do you feel serving others is to personal growth?

  Jo felt invisible to or at least overlooked by others. Do you think this is a common issue for women? How do you think it affects Christian women?

  On the beach, Jo considered her footprints disappearing in the sand as symbolic of how little an impact she made in the world. At first she found this painful, then later she reflected and saw it as a reminder that in service our selves disappear so that others might see God in us. What did you think of her conclusion? Have you ever had an experience like this, where something imprinted on your thoughts and later took on deeper meaning as you considered it in context of faith?

  Did you find the town of Santa Sofia the kind of place you’d like to visit? Why or why not?

  Which of the characters would you say you are most like and why?

  Kate reunited with her first love after many years, but Jo met, fell in love and married Travis within a six-month period. Moxie took about that time to fall in love, but with no solid commitment to marry. Do you think the beginnings of their relationships will have an effect on the success of their marriages?

  The story is set in an aging town, once thriving, but still filled with hope. Do you find this symbolic of anything?

  The overt message of the book was about family. If you were to sum up what you took away from the book about the nature of families, what would you say?

  Just for fun: what is your favorite type of wedding? A beach wedding? Chapel wedding? Or other? What kind of wedding do you suppose Hunt and Moxie will have?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-2711-2

  BAREFOOT BRIDES

  Copyright © 2009 by Luanne Jones

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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