The Miles We Choose
Finding the courage to walk together when you have spent a lifetime walking alone
- Romance
- Adventure
- Literary Fiction
Julia Merrick is a woman who treats life like an operations manual. At forty-one, she has survived a hollow divorce by mastering the art of the controlled variable. When she reaches the Mason-Dixon line on her northbound Appalachian Trail journey, her goal is simple: maintain the system, manage the miles, and prove that her independence is a shield, not a scar. But the trail from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts is a brutal teacher. Between the jagged rocks of the Keystone State and the sweltering heat of the mid-Atlantic, Julia’s polished gear and rigid schedules begin to fail her. Then there is Reed Calder. A forty-four-year-old former conservation worker, Reed possesses a quiet competence that Julia cannot categorize or ignore. He isn’t looking to rescue her; he is simply there, offering a steady presence that challenges her belief that self-sufficiency is the only form of freedom. As the miles unfold through river crossings and ridgelines, Julia must confront a terrifying question: Is she hiking toward a destination, or is she just running away from the possibility of being known? In this emotionally mature slow-burn romance, two people who have spent years being the solution for others must finally learn how to be the answer for each other. Before the mountains of the north begin, Julia has to decide if she is brave enough to choose a partner for the path ahead.
