The Road to Grace (The Walk) (2 page)
Read The Road to Grace (The Walk) Online
Authors: Richard Paul Evans
Simon & Schuster
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New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Richard Paul Evans
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2012
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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Evans, Richard Paul. The road to grace : the third journal of the walk series / Richard Paul Evans.—1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. Executives—Fiction. 2. Life change events—Fiction.
3. Walking—United States—Fiction. 4. Loss
(Psychology)—Fiction. 5. Diaries—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3555.V259R63 2012b
813'.54—dc23 2012004985
ISBN 978-1-4516-2818-0
ISBN 978-1-4516-2833-3 (ebook)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI
would like to thank those who have made this book possible.
First, my lovely and wise daughter Jenna, who travels Alan’s route with me, figuratively and literally. You’re a great travel companion, sweetheart—a true saunterer. Thank you for all your help. I couldn’t do it without you.
To my sweetheart, Keri. For your support, friendship, love, wisdom, and goodness. I’m grateful for you.
To Laurie Liss—friend, confidant, secret agent.
To all my friends at Simon & Schuster: Carolyn Reidy, for keeping the house in order and for all your support over all these years and all these books. Many more thanks to come. To Jonathan Karp. I enjoy working with you, Jon. Thank you for your attention to this series as well as your input and creativity. To my new editor, Trish Todd. Thanks, Trish. I look forward to years of working together. You have a comforting spirit. (Also to Molly, your supernatural assistant, thanks for being so remarkably competent, cheerful, and dependable.) And Gypsy da Silva. I adore you, Gypsy. We need to do Little Brazil again.
Mike Noble and Noriko Okabe in S&S audio. You make the marathon sessions survivable.
My staff: Diane Glad, Heather McVey, Barry Evans, Karen Christoffersen, and Lisa Johnson.
The Christmas Box House Staff and Board.
Also, some friends who have made a difference in my life this year. Karen Roylance. Glenn Beck. Kevin Balfe. Shelli Tripp. Judy Bangerter. Patrice Archibald. The Students of Riverton High School—go Silver Rush!
As always, my dear readers. Thank you for your loyalty and goodness. There is no magic without you.
To my big brother, Dave. I still look up to you
.
If you are going through Hell, keep going
.
—Winston Churchill
I had a dream last night
that McKale came to me.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“South Dakota,” I replied.
She stared at me without speaking and I
realized that she didn’t mean my location.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Keep walking,” she said.
“Just keep walking.”
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
A few years ago I was walking through a Seattle shopping mall when a woman at a kiosk peddling discounted airfare shouted to me, “Sir, if you have a minute, I can save you nearly half on your travel!”
“Thank you,” I politely replied, “but I’m really not interested.”