title: Against the Grain
author: Sprouse, Heidi
description: Paulie Goodwin has pushed his limits in life. As a photojournalist, he goes wherever the wind blows, and has been around the world and back again, seeing its many faces and places through the lens of his camera. When his most recent assignment as a photojournalist lands him in Afghanistan on an army base with the American soldier, his life is turned upside down. A young serviceman gives his life to save Paulie’s, sending the photographer reeling. He’ll come back home to his family to heal from a severe injury in the small town of Cordial Creek. He’s gone against the grain all of his life, choosing the road less traveled, but this time the mountain of guilt may be too hard to climb. Anna Peters has lived in Cordial Creek for all of her life. A teacher of fifteen years, she’s always been content with her predictable routine, but lately has felt a need for something new in her life, some kind of spark. Change will literally run smack dab into her when she sweeps Paulie Goodwin off his feet at the airport. Once high school sweethearts, they’ve remained friends throughout the years, catching up whenever he’s breezed in to town. This time, he’s here to stay and ready to fall to pieces. Can Anna put Paulie back together again or will the cost of his last assignment be too high of a price to pay?