From small towns to the big city, Payton and Cody are not the same people they once were. They will need to decide if what is between them is worth fighting for. Can a childhood friendship become so much more? Readers will want to saddle-up with this childhood friends romance from Marcie Shumway. The 425 Madison series is back with season two and HIS LAST RIDE is now live!

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Cody

She was my childhood friend. The one person outside of my family that I could always count on.

Fate drew us apart, but when my life was turned upside down, it brought us back together.

And, much like when we were kids, she made it right again.

Payton had a way of soothing more than just the wounds that were skin deep.

There’s one small problem, I’m not sure that I want to be just her friend anymore.

Payton

He was my childhood friend. The one who always accepted me for me.

For years, I didn’t realize my life was missing anything and, then Cody came back into it.

Just like when we were kids, he brought all the pieces back together. He made me feel things

I didn’t know I could feel. How can I be his friend when I want so much more?

I won’t be his buckle bunny.

Adjusting to very different lives, Cody and Payton need to decide if what is between them is worth fighting for. From small towns to the big city, they’re not the same people they once were.

Can a childhood friendship become so much more?

Only time will tell.

After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love!

Excerpt

“Come on, slowpoke!” I yelled at the brown-haired fifteen-year-old girl following me.

“Your legs are longer than mine, jerk,” she retorted on a huff. “Slow down.”

I turned and checked on her, she was climbing the hill easily behind me. Her face was flush from our run up the lower portion, and her blue eyes sparkling. She looked more relaxed then I’d seen her all summer. Normally, Payton, or Pay as I called her, was as laid back as they came. This summer for some reason when she’d shown up, she’d been different. More reserved.

“If we don’t hurry, we’re going to miss it,” I chided, reaching my hand out for hers.

She looked up, and when she saw my hand, her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. I shook it with a ‘take it’ look on my face, with a roll of her eyes, she did intertwining our fingers. I picked up the pace again and brought her along with me.

A minute later, we reached the top and plopped down on the large rock. She broke the connection of our hands and sat on hers. I missed it instantly, but let it go. As we’d gotten older, the simple things we used to do together turned a little weird. I wasn’t sure why. We were friends.

“I’m going to miss this,” she whispered wistfully, taking in the landscape.

We were sitting at the top of a hill that overlooked some of the pastures on my grandparent’s property. It gave us the perfect view of the mountains and the sunset. On the last day of the summer, we would come up here and sit. We had flashlights in our backpacks for the walk back.

“Me too,” I agreed. “But there is always next summer.”

Payton had been coming to visit her grandmother every summer since she was five. The two of us clicked immediately. Our grandmothers started this tradition of bringing us up here, we continued it on our own when we turned ten. Swearing we didn’t need them to babysit us. Since it was only a mile from one of the barns on our property, they hadn’t argued.

“Right,” she sighed sadly.

“Something you aren’t telling me?”

“Not that I know of,” Pay replied. “Mom is just acting weird when I bring up coming back. Told Gram we would talk about it later.”

My breath caught. The idea of not seeing her made my chest hurt. I counted on summers with Payton. Sure, I had friends in school, but there was something about her. I didn’t have to put on an act. I could just be me with her.

The sunset that night was beyond amazing. Purples, pinks, reds, and oranges swirled together, putting on a show that I’d never forget. When the colors started to fade and the sun started to dip below the mountain in front of us, I felt Pay slide her hand back into mine. I looked over and saw tears leaving trails down her face. Squeezing her hand, I faced forward again and put up a silent prayer; this wouldn’t be the last time we did this.

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About Marcie

Marcie Shumway is a small-town girl, born and raised in Maine. She resides with her high school sweetheart on a family-owned farm just miles from where she grew up. Her hubby and their four furbabies are her first loves, but they are followed closely by her writing, apple pie, and chocolate.

Marcie started writing short stories in middle school for her classmates to enjoy. They were always love stories with happy endings and spurred her dream of being a published author. Chasing that dream as an adult, she continues to write stories for her readers to love. An avid reader herself, Marcie thrives on the books of her favorite authors and when not writing, can be found curled up in her favorite spot with a good book in hand.

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