The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols

Three strangers are drawn together by a thirty-year-old secret in a small Georgia town struggling to survive. To attract tourists and rescue her family’s historic general store, newspaper reporter Emily Hayes envisions writing a novel about her hometown’s colorful past. When tragedy strikes she’s forced to finish converting a house with a tragic history into the Willow Inn and attract an investor to refurbish the town’s only hotel. Held hostage by a relationship conflict with her father, Rachel Streetman is trapped in a big-city career she barely tolerates. A client’s vision to plant a vineyard and build a winery in Willow Falls brings charming Charlie Bricker into her life. Will their relationship and the truth about her father give her the courage to abandon the corporate world and pursue her lifelong dream to act? Sadie Liles returns to Willow Falls following a thirty-year prison term for murder. Her desire to start a new chapter in her life is threatened by small town rumors and accusations that her crime is the reason behind the town’s struggles. Motivated by compassion and journalistic curiosity, Emily befriends Sadie and sets out to discover what happened the night she killed the town hero. As the shocking details unfold, she learns far more than she could have imagined. In this award winning women’s fiction series characters come to life in stories celebrating strong women who discover the love of family and the joys and challenges of a close-knit community populated by quirky, argumentative, lovable residents.