When Home Calls the Heart (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798995477716)

Ashley Locklear has built her life around staying.

Staying in Robeson County. Staying close to family. Staying faithful to the work she believes God called her to do.

But when Micah Lowry left five years ago, something in her left too. She stopped singing in the choir. Stopped going out with friends. Stopped praying the way she once did. And without realizing it, Ashley stopped living.

Now Micah is back in town-just in time for Lumbee Homecoming-and Ashley tells herself it doesn't matter. He's only here temporarily, consulting with the Tribe and helping at the Boys and Girls Club until funding is approved. A few weeks at most. She can survive a few weeks.

But Homecoming in Robeson County isn't small. It's merchandise and food, vendors. Little Miss Lumbee, Junior Miss, Miss, and Senior Miss Lumbee pageants, gospel sings, pow-wows, fireworks, parades, and the outdoor drama: Strike At The Wind.

And everywhere Ashley turns, Micah is there. He offers help, but she refuses every time.

He shows up for Sunday dinner. She pretends it doesn't move her.

She overhears phone calls and assumes he's preparing to leave again-maybe even selling the homeplace. Pride tells her to protect her heart.

But when her sister invites her to a women's Bible group, Ashley begins to confront something deeper than lost love. She begins to see how tightly she's been gripping control-and how far she's drifted from the God she once trusted with everything.

As Homecoming week unfolds, so does Ashley's heart. Because maybe Micah didn't come back just for a job. Maybe he came back because when home calls the heart, it's not always a place that's calling. Sometimes, it's God.

And this time, Ashley must decide whether she's brave enough to answer.