Love by the Numbers and excerpt

Love by the Numbers   (blurb)

After her fiancé dies in a buggy accident, Lydia Hershberger is invited to Jamesport to manage her Mennonite aunt’s gift store while her aunt and uncle are on a mission trip. While there, Lydia gets acquainted with her aentie’s best friend, Bethel Bontrager, and her grown son, Caleb. Lydia is surprised to find herself drawn to handsome clockmaker, Caleb Bontrager. But in spite of an instant flame of attraction between them, he doesn’t seem interested. In fact, pesky Caleb treats her like he doesn’t even like her.

Bright and sparkly. That’s Caleb’s first impression of Lydia. He’s always been attracted to sparkly things. In fact, his affinity for those things, and the trouble they can cause, are exactly why he’s determined to change his ways and settle down. With Lydia’s aentie gone, he is handling the books for the gift shop and is forced to spend too much time in her presence.

When God offers Lydia a second chance at love and family, will she take it? Or will the secret Caleb harbors cause her even more heartbreak? 

 Excerpt

Love By the Numbers

By Laura V. Hilton

Chapter 1

He was gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

Lydia Hershberger leaned around the cash register and picked up the glassful of spilled hard candy sticks. Aentie Judith’s kitten knocked over as she dashed past. She half-paid attention to arranging the candy. Her focus was fixed on him. She tried not to gawk but...

Wow. He was hot.

Tall. Sandy blond hair. Milk chocolate brown eyes. Clean-shaven.

He removed his straw hat as the door closed behind him, then glanced around the gift store. As his gaze moved in her direction, she quickly looked away. Wouldn’t do to be caught staring.

But she couldn’t resist a peek back.

He seemed to freeze when his gaze caught hers. Or hers caught his. Held it.

And… He scowled.

What?

This man, one she didn’t even know, glared at her? She had the right to be behind the counter of Aenti Judith’s gift shop while she was in, um, wherever she was, on a mission trip. Any other time, she could’ve spouted the information without thought. But not while she stared into the most incredible milk chocolaty eyes ever.

Were there any leftover solid chocolate Easter bunnies in the store? She needed one. Now. She glanced toward the clearance rack, but it was devoid of candy of any type.

Her gaze snapped back to him.

“You.” His voice emerged as a growl.