Jude Calohan has been keeping his head down for years. In the quiet town of Bower Bliss, Texas, he has tried to be a good man, a good father, tried not to think too much about his relationship with his own father ... and yet despite this, in the gentle autumn of an uneventful year, Jude Calohan soon finds his relationship with both his eldest child and his own identity as a father called into question.<br><br>Amidst the sleepy apple groves of small town America, will Jude Calohan be able to keep his family together while his eldest child Charlie discovers the confidence to make one of the biggest choices of their young life?

Love Among Strangers

“I don’t think he did anything wrong,” he answered bluntly, and Marta felt her cheeks suddenly burn with embarrassment as she resisted the urge to kick her husband sharply.


Slowly, Jude straightened up in his chair and met the incredulous look of the man behind the desk.


“This kid provoked him; of course he acted out.”


The French teacher raised a hand to her lips, suppressing a splutter of indignation.


“Mr. Calohan,” she said in a surprisingly crisp and surprisingly English accent, “if you are suggesting that your child resorting to violence to resolve a scenario was an adequate response, then I worry that we will be seeing a lot more of you both in the future.”


Jude sighed and opened his mouth, but Marta cut him off swiftly.


“He’s not saying that,” she said quickly. “He’s just saying that he understands why Rowan acted in the way he did.”


Mr. Abe failed to look convinced, pausing to look down at the gathered papers on his desk.


Chapter 16