Learning to Live — Brenda Kennedy

Never judge a book by its cover, and don't let the white picket fence fool you. Although the appearance looks happy and inviting, no one would believe the nightmare that once lived within the lives of Nichole and her grandson, little Connor.
While healing from unimaginable abuse from her husband and adult son, Nichole is trying to figure out how to live again. After getting custody of her three-year-old grandson, she's learning that raising a child in her fifties as a single woman isn't all that easy.
When retired Army veteran Luke Tanner enters the bakery, Nichole isn't just taken aback by his extreme good looks, but also by his charm, charisma, and heroism.
Can Nichole learn to trust a man again? Is she even capable of love and intimacy? Is Luke patient enough to give her the time and the space she needs? Or will her past ruin any chance of her future with him?
But when a ghost from her past appears from the dead, Nichole is faced with an unthinkable reality. She can do one of two things: stay and fight, or run and hide.