Veronica's Vision, a Remedies of the Heart Prequel Novella

About the book

Before Hawthorn’s Heart. Before Lacey’s Love. Before Glen Hollows became a place of healing—there were Veronica and Mario. In the summer of 1982, Veronica Floyd never expected a chance encounter to change the course of her life. Veronica, a recent high school graduate who sells herbal remedies from a roadside stand, dreams of adventure beyond the Georgia hills. She carries a deep-rooted love of the land and the wisdom of the plants passed down through generations—remedies learned in kitchens, gardens, and hedgerows. Her heart longs for more than the life she’s always known. Mario Hernandez, a young Marine preparing for his first duty station in Okinawa, Japan, is only passing through the Georgia hills. He carries the promise of adventure—and the quiet weight of leaving everything familiar behind. When their paths cross, sparks rise as quickly as the Southern heat. But first love is rarely simple. With military orders looming, family expectations pressing in, and futures pulling them in different directions, Mario and Veronica must decide whether what they’ve found is strong enough to withstand distance, duty, and time. Decades before their daughter Hawthorn returns home to Glen Hollows, this is where the story truly begins.