Linda Regula

A Bartender's Tale Linda Regula

A young mother, Willow Cole, widowed when her husband is killed in Iraq, returns to Zanesville, Ohio. Three years later she's still living in her mother's home. Behind beautifully restored walls, she's content to remain within the shadows of her past. Her mother, Sarah Grayson, also finds comfort in living in the past. Together, they provide a protective environment for Willow's child, and for themselves a safe place in which to grieve for their husbands, both lost to war. To effectively do her job as a bartender at The Barn, Willow laughs, and jokes, and pretends; yet, her heart remains imprisoned in sorrow. She steps between these two different worlds each time she crosses either threshold. Stubbornly refusing to spend her husband's insurance and death benefits, she thinks of as blood money, Willow works extra shifts, becoming friends with other bartenders and staff whose lives are also undergoing heartbreaking twists and turns. As time passes, regular bar patrons, fellow employees, and the stories Willow overhears, not only inspire personal change but also motivate her to reach out for love. She becomes romantically involved with a wounded veteran, and after trusting him with her heart, a vicious stalker not only threatens this new-found trust, but also the future they plan to share.