Monroe - The Summer Guests

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Also by Mary Alice Monroe

BEACH HOUSE SERIES

The Beach House

Beach House Memories

Swimming Lessons

Beach House for Rent

Beach House Reunion

LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER SERIES

The Summer Girls

The Summer Wind

The Summers End

A Lowcountry Wedding

A Lowcountry Christmas

The Butterflys Daughter

Last Light over Carolina

Time Is a River

Gallery Books

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the authors imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2019 by Mary Alice Monroe, Ltd.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Gallery Books hardcover edition June 2019

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Interior design by Davina Mock-Maniscalco

Jacket design by Laywan Kwan

Jacket photograph of entry hall by Stocksy; boots by Getty Images; sunflowers by Irina Fischer/Alamy

Author photograph by Mic Smith

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Monroe, Mary Alice, author.

Title: The summer guests / Mary Alice Monroe.

Description: First Gallery Books hardcover edition. | New York : Gallery Books, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019004743 (print) | LCCN 2019006446 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501193644 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501193620 (hardcover)

Classification: LCC PS3563.O529 (ebook) | LCC PS3563.O529 S87 2019 (print) | DDC 813/.54dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019004743

ISBN 978-1-5011-9362-0

ISBN 978-1-5011-9364-4 (ebook)

This book is dedicated to Cynthia Boyle

My dear muse

F ourteen years ago our pony-loving family relocated to Wellington, Florida, to begin a new chapter in our lives. The northeast winters were too long, dark, and cold and we were unable to find a balance between the growing demands of equestrian sport and family life. Little did we know that within two years we would be owning and operating the largest and longest-running equestrian competition in the world.

The venture was a combined effort of friends and other equestrian enthusiasts, and after several expansions within the industry in Wellington, we found ourselves drawn to Tryon, North Carolina.

We had spent time in this area, also referred to as the Foothills, with our dear friends and partners Roger and Jennifer Smith. The Smiths had settled in the area several years earlier and had participated in foxhunting as well as show jumping. This part of the Carolinas had suffered greatly during the most recent recession, and we believed our equestrian lifestyle industry model would translate well for many reasons into Tryons footprint, with the added benefit of infusing economic stimulus into the community.

One of the greatest benefits of being involved in the equestrian community is that I meet fascinating people from all over the world and various walks of life. One of those individuals is Mary Alice Monroe.

Three years ago Mary Alice and I attended a charity luncheon at our Tryon facility for a horse rescue organization. Mutual friends had introduced Mary Alice to the equestrian world, and of course she agreed to contribute to the events fund-raising efforts. We became fast friends and spent a memorable evening together in 2018 when she evacuated from the coast and was staying at my neighbors farm.

Mary Alice was among a wildly eclectic group of evacuees from South Carolina and Florida being housed at our friend Cindys farm. This particular evening will forever be referred to as Women, Daughters, Babies, Dogs, Wine, Cheese, and Makeup, not to mention the birth of The Summer Guests.

Any of Mary Alices readers knows that each of her stories presents itself as a beautiful and intricately wrapped gift. The reader constantly struggles with wanting to quickly tear off the wrapping and rapidly delve into the book versus carefully appreciating and removing each thoughtfully crafted component that makes up the whole.

The Summer Guests parallels Mary Alices journey from the South Carolina coast to the beautiful foothills of North Carolina surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Dolphins and turtles are replaced with horses and dogs. But true to form, Mary Alice brings her characters with her, thereby also introducing her prior readers to the equestrian world.

The horse community in the United States in particular has the reputation of only being accessible to the wealthy. Although competitive horse sport is by no means inexpensive, the opportunities for exposure and interaction with horses are vast and the ensuing benefits are immeasurable.

The overriding mission of our equestrian partnerships in Wellington, Tryon, and Colorado is to afford everyone across all demographics the opportunity to experience a connection to the horse, whether it be a free ride on a carousel, interacting with our miniature rescue horses, taking a lesson on the riding simulator, or an actual trail ride. The love and appreciation of these incredible animals is nonexclusive.

My life has become far more enriched from having horses in it. I have been able to share experiences with my children that have transcended the mother-child relationship. I have witnessed the miraculous therapeutic benefits of the horse not only for the physically and mentally impaired but also for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, through my affiliation with Brooke USA as a board member, I have been able to contribute in a real way to helping relieve the suffering of working equines and their families in the most impoverished parts of the world.

Mary Alice builds these connections between humans and horses into the story line of The Summer Guests . Interwoven are other familiar themes in her books: mother-daughter connections and conflicts, the beauty of multigeneration families, and, of course, dogs.